This black bear was spotted atop a tree in Tampa, Fla., on May 17, 2013. The bear population has been on the rise, so state wildlife officials are calling for a bear hunting season.

Regan McCarthy

Phone: (850) 487-3086 x374

Regan McCarthy is the Assignment Editor and Senior News Producer for WFSU News/ Florida Public Radio. Before coming to Tallahassee, Regan graduated with honors from Indiana University’s Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. She worked for several years for NPR member station WFIU in Bloomington, Ind., where she covered local and state government and produced feature and community stories. She has also worked for the London Business Matters Magazine and the Rochester Sentinel, a daily local newspaper. She is the recipient of six professional broadcast awards including first-place Best Radio Feature from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. When she isn’t tracking leading newsmakers she spends her time knitting, reading, strolling through the woods and brunching at new restaurants. Follow Regan McCarthy on Twitter: @Regan_McCarthy

To Curb Bear Population, Florida Reinstates Hunting Season

Regan McCarthy

In the past decade, the number of bear-related calls Florida wildlife officials have received has increased by 400 percent. To stop the rise in bear population, officials have agreed to start hunting.