Urge Governor DeSantis to protect our Florida black bears and veto HB 87!
Bears are as integral to Florida’s landscape as our springs, public lands, beaches, and other precious wildlife.
The Florida Legislature has passed HB 87, a bill that would make it easier for people to kill Florida black bears. Unless vetoed by Governor DeSantis, this law will allow anyone to shoot and kill black bears on their property without penalty. Current law already allows residents to defend themselves against any imminent wildlife threats, but this bill goes further; any person who uses lethal force to kill a bear would be free of any administrative, civil, or criminal penalties under the terms of the bill.
There are no documented incidents of bears harming humans on their property and the greatest cause of potential e human-bear conflicts is the approval of new suburban development in bear habitats. To reduce human-bear conflicts, Florida should stop urban sprawl development and prioritize providing additional funding for bear-aware programs that encourage and assist residents to use bear-resistant trash cans and remove other food attractants like bird feeders. Instead, this bill creates a loophole around hunting laws and does not resolve human-bear conflicts; education campaigns do. Allowing residents to kill bears without a permit throws open the door for unlimited killing of bears under the guise of “self-defense” or simply to protect property. It will leave orphaned, defenseless cubs to starve.
Use our simple one-click form to send an email to Governor DeSantis urging him to veto HB 87 and protect Florida’s black bears!