New Florida bill would let homeowners kill bears without permits

Bear steals Uber Eats order off front porch

An Orlando-area family had their food delivery stolen off their front porch by a black bear, and the whole incident was caught on camera. The video shows an Uber Eats delivery driver dropping off the food on Nov. 3. Minutes later, a black bear saunters up and grabs $45 worth of Taco Bell. That dinner was meant for Laidy Gutierrez and Daniel Bula. Their niece, Nicole Castro, said she couldn’t believe her eyes when she watched the footage.

People would be allowed to kill bears on their property without permits when they feel threatened or think it is necessary for protection, under a bill filed Wednesday by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee.

The bill (SB 632), proposed for the legislative session that will start Jan. 9, would require people to notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission within 24 hours of killing bears. They also would be prohibited from possessing or selling the bear carcasses.

The proposal also wouldn’t apply to people who provoke bears.

Simon’s bill is identical to a measure (HB 87) filed in September by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe. Simon and Shoaf in September heard from Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials over concerns about increased interactions between people and bears in Smith’s rural county southwest of Tallahassee.

3 three-legged bears roaming Central Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said there are three known three-legged bears that it is tracking in Central Florida/ Bear advocates said the bears' injuries were likely sustained from snare traps or car vehicle strikes.

Shoaf endorsed the state holding a bear hunt after Smith raised the issue as a way to help manage the area’s bear population. Bear hunts, which have not been held since 2015, have long been controversial.

The 2015 hunt was expected to result in 320 bears being killed over a one-week period. After two days, 304 were dead.

A 2017 estimate placed the bear population in Florida at 4,050. Kate MacFall, Florida state director of the Humane Society of the United States, has said the focus should be improving trash management and education to help reduce human-bear interactions.