Current:Home > MarketsFloridians could kill black bears when threatened at home under a bill ready for House vote-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Floridians could kill black bears when threatened at home under a bill ready for House vote
View Date:2025-01-14 08:54:05
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Floridians could soon be able to kill bears threatening them on their property with no consequences — if they don’t bait or provoke them first or turn them into meals or rugs later.
A measure approved in its final House committee stop Tuesday would allow people without a hunting permit to use fatal force against a bear that’s threatening a human, a pet or a home. The bill was introduced in November because of a growing number of encounters between people and the large mammals, but one that has bear lovers upset.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Jason Shoaf, described how dangerous a bear encounter can be.
“If you hear your door kicked in in the middle of the night, hear something rummaging around in your kitchen,” he said. “There’s this huge black bear destroying it, digging through your refrigerator, putting you and your children and your pets at risk. Today, you can’t shoot that bear. You have to sit there and blow a whistle and hope you have some bear mace ... and pray.”
The House Infrastructure Strategies Committee approved the bill on a 16-9 vote. A similar Senate bill has been approved by two committees and has a third stop before being considered by the full chamber.
If it becomes a law, anyone killing a bear in a situation like that would have to report the incident to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission within 24 hours and they wouldn’t be allowed to keep or sell any meat or parts of the bear.
While there was little dispute that bear encounters are a concern, bill opponents said that the Florida black bear is a timid animal and that unprovoked attacks are rare and fatal attacks even more so. Instead of making it easier to kill bears, opponents say the state should better educate residents on how not to attract them.
Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb said people are far more likely to be killed by alligators, dogs and bees.
“I’m not sure that this is a problem that we just need to rush into a solution of going ahead and killing bears because one is afraid,” Gottlieb said. “We need a different solution.”
But Republican Rep. Cyndi Stevenson said she’ll defend herself no matter what comes into her home.
“If a man’s coming through my window or a bear or a racoon — it doesn’t matter,” she said. “That is a threat to my life and my property.”
Florida’s bear population has rebounded after declining to about 300 in the 1970s. The state allowed a limited bear hunt in 2015, when the population was estimated to be 3,500. The decision was wildly popular among hunters — more than 3,200 hunters purchased permits to participate, including 1970s rocker Ted Nugent — and widely criticized by bear lovers.
The hunt was supposed to last up to a month, but ended after 304 bears were killed in two days. The state backed off the idea of holding more.
veryGood! (926)
Related
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tells business group he wants to spend $1.8 billion more on infrastructure
- Season grades for all 133 college football teams. Who got an A on their report card?
- Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Brittany Cartwright Dating His Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Twitter and social media ignite as legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban retires
- Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls' musical brings the tunes, but lacks spunk of Lindsay Lohan movie
- Pete Carroll out as Seattle Seahawks coach in stunning end to 14-year run leading team
- Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu
- Ex-West Virginia health manager scheduled for plea hearing in COVID-19 payment probe
Ranking
- Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
- House committee holds first impeachment hearing for DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
- ‘Obamacare’ sign-ups surge to 20 million, days before open enrollment closes
- Jimmy Kimmel slammed Aaron Rodgers: When is it OK to not take the high road?
- Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
- Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in an underground tunnel in Gaza
- NASA delays Artemis II and III missions that would send humans to the moon by one year
- National power outage map: Over 400,000 outages across East Coast amid massive winter storm
Recommendation
-
GM recalls 460k cars for rear wheel lock-up: Affected models include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac
-
Arizona shelter dog's midnight munchies leads to escape attempt: See the video
-
New Tennessee House rules seek to discourage more uproar after highly publicized expulsions
-
‘Obamacare’ sign-ups surge to 20 million, days before open enrollment closes
-
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting their first child together
-
Man dies after he was found unresponsive in cell at problem-plagued jail in Atlanta
-
Less snow, same blizzards? Climate change could have weird effects on snowfall in US.
-
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Defends Taylor Swift Amid Criticism Over Her Presence at NFL Games