MIAMI — Amid the alligators, oversize iguanas, pythons and giant snails that habitually seize the spotlight in Florida, there stands a more mundane but no less iconic creature that roams the state: the Florida black bear.

The bears, or those who represent their interests, recently got their day in court as lawyers fought over whether Florida should allow them to be hunted for the first time in 21 years. The bears lost.

A Tallahassee judge ruled this month that the hunt could begin as scheduled on Oct. 24, rejecting a request by opponents for a temporary halt until their lawsuit over the issue is resolved. Opponents, led by Speak Up Wekiva, a conservation group, filed an appeal on Thursday.

Supporters of the hunt cite four serious attacks by bears in the suburbs of central Florida and the panhandle over the past year. But in a state that has its fair share of hunters, the bear hunt has angered a broad portion of Floridians, including environmentalists and even some hunters, who call it premature and an ineffective way to deal with the nuisance that some bears pose in the suburbs.