Brevard County community battling nuisance bears

MIMS, Fla . - Bears in Mims aren’t shy when it comes to trash.

The bears are so aggressive that one man who lives there, Justin Marinello, said they bent a metal pole and broke into an enclosure to get into his trash can.

Marinello has lived in Mims for eight years but says in the past year, the bears have been relentless.

"Every night, [they come.] They know when trash day is," he said.

The bears even leave trails of trash littered across the road."They take it over there and start chomping on it until they come back over to get more," he said.

MORE NEWS: Florida bear had plastic container stuck on head for nearly a month, FWC says

Marinello contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and said he tried recommendations from a bear biologist, including a motion detector sprinkler.

"They went over and smashed it and broke it up," he said.

He also tried an enclosure, which the bears also broke, and a paintball gun.

"They cared about that once or twice and then it really doesn’t affect them anymore," he said. "They’ll go across the street and wait you out and come back and do it again."

Marinello has asked Waste Management for a locked garbage can and continued to look for other solutions. In the meantime, he’s wondering why there is a sudden increase in bears in his yard and neighborhood.

"It’s not good for the kids. They’re afraid to come out here," he said.

A spokesperson for Waste Management in Brevard County said the county only gives out locked garbage cans to businesses and not residents. She said the county recommends residents not put their trash out until the morning of pickup.

Watch FOX 35 News for the latest Central Florida headlines.