Florida sets record in lionfish removal as federal probationer faces bank robbery charges
State officials report a historic haul of invasive lionfish during an annual competition, while a Florida resident is convicted of bank robberies committed while on probation for prior offenses in Texas.
Florida wildlife authorities announced a historic milestone in the state's ongoing battle against an invasive marine species, removing tens of thousands of specimens during the 2026 Lionfish Challenge. Concurrently, law enforcement and legal developments have linked local criminal cases to prior federal convictions in Texas.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that 36,187 lionfish were extracted from state waters during the latest edition of the competition. The summer tournament, which ran from May 22 to September 14, saw participation from 533 recreational divers and commercial fishers who completed 1,468 diving days. The total catch surpassed the previous year by more than 5,000 specimens, marking a new record for the program.
To acknowledge individual achievements, the FWC expanded its award categories for six winners. Hunter Ledbetter of Monroe County earned the title of Lionfish King after removing 1,541 specimens, while also winning the military and veteran category. Helen Rodney of Broward County was named Lionfish Queen with 1,488 catches. In the commercial division, David Garrett of Volusia County led with 1,136 pounds of the species. Notably, the youth award went to Meagan Huffman of Texas, who captured 185 specimens.
Jessica McCawley, director of Marine Fisheries Management at the FWC, praised the collaboration between recreational divers, commercial operators, and local communities. "Estamos sumamente agradecidos por el apoyo de nuestro personal, patrocinadores y de la comunidad que contribuyó a este logro," McCawley stated, expressing gratitude for the widespread support that made the record extraction possible.
Native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, the lionfish has spread extensively across the western Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. The species poses a significant threat to coral reefs and marine biodiversity by preying on small fish and crustaceans. Because they have few natural predators and high reproductive rates, authorities utilize extraction programs to mitigate their environmental pressure, though officials emphasize that removal does not equate to complete eradication.
In a separate development involving Florida and Texas, the Florida State Attorney's Office announced that a 40-year-old St. Petersburg resident, David Sartin Jr., was convicted of robbing two Florida banks earlier in the year while wearing a prosthetic elderly man mask. According to case documents, Sartin stole $2,900 from a Largo bank on August 24 and $2,554 from another bank on September 15.
Investigators recovered a backpack and laptop bag containing disguises used in the heists during a search. At the time of the Florida robberies, Sartin was serving a term of supervised release stemming from a 2018 federal conviction for five bank robberies committed in Texas in 2016, for which he had previously served more than a decade in federal prison.