The stretch of Corkscrew Road where it happened sits right between sprawling new subdivisions. On one side, Verdana Village is adding thousands of homes, and on the other, the Kingston development is still under construction. Environmentalists, who fought hard against these projects, say this just accelerates the loss of panther habitat. More houses, more businesses, more roads, less room for panthers. It’s not just a few roads, either. These developments carve up parts of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, one of the last wooded connections linking the Panhandle to the Everglades.

Local and federal agencies both warn that building here severs vital wildlife travel routes. The point of the Wildlife Corridor is to let animals move safely. But every new road, every new car, chips away at those options, leaving panthers with fewer ways to survive.

The recent death in Lee County follows a rough stretch for the species. Just last week, Collier County lost its second panther in seven days, both females, one just two years old, killed June 26 on SR29, and another, a three-year-old, found on June 19 along County Road 846. Six of the panthers lost this year have been females, which is yet another blow to a population that’s already stretched thin.

So far in 2026, most panther deaths, six, happened in Collier County, with two in Hendry, and one each in Polk, Glades, and now Lee. The trend isn’t new. In 2025, vehicles killed 17 out of 18 panthers. In 2024, the number was even higher, with 36 deaths, most from cars. It’s a pattern that keeps repeating, year after year.

People sometimes don’t realize how much reporting panther sightings matters. If you spot an injured or dead panther, call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Quick reports let biologists respond faster and collect data that could help save the species.

If you want to support panther conservation, you can buy a “Protect the Panther” license plate. The fees go straight into the FWC’s research and management work.

But in the end, it keeps coming back to the same issue. Cars are the number one killer of Florida panthers. The FWC keeps asking drivers to slow down and watch for panther zones, especially in known crossings. Those signs aren’t just for the animals; they protect people, too. Still, as more roads slice through what’s left of panther country, the risks only climb. And every lost panther is one step closer to losing them for good.

Click here for more information about FWC.

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