Florida solves invasive python problem by transforming apex predators into A-list leather goods

Shopping will now save the planet.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week that the state is taking an uncharacteristically classy approach to tackling one of its most notorious ecological threats — the invasive Burmese python — by literally turning the problem into luxury fashion.The Sunshine State is renewing its efforts to remove the apex predators from the Everglades and transform them into A-list accessories, including boots, bags and belts, through a new partnership between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Miami-based textiles manufacturer Inversa.Florida python products have already been transformed into products for Rex Shoes and Chris Ploof, with items like the Damascus Cuff with Python Inlay going for $1,095.“FWC’s partnership with Inversa has supercharged the removal of invasive Burmese Pythons from the Everglades,” Gov.DeSantis said in a statement.

“The new program accomplished more removals in July 2025 alone than in the entire year before.”With the help of a $2 million state investment, the collaboration builds on the success of the Python Action Team – Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC) program, Florida’s front line in the fight against pythons since 2017.Inversa won a bid to work with the state government in 2024.Between May and July 2025, 1,022 pythons were removed — nearly triple the number caught during the same period in 2024.

In July alone, 748 snakes were taken from the Everglades, more than the total for all of last year.Inversa, which was started in 2020, doesn’t just process the python hides — it also manages the front lines of removal.The company now contracts roughly 50 professional python hunters who previously worked under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), effectively creating its own fleet of field specialists.According to Inversa, each python hide helps protect up to 460 native animals that a single 13-foot python would otherwise consume...