FWC has proposed to remove the Florida black bear from protected status.

The worse threat to black bears is related to development; the Florida legislature 2011 deregulated environmental laws,  thereby permitting virtually unlimited power for developers to build labyrinth hodgepodges of  malls.  (We already have an epidemic of empty malls as is.) Booting the black bear from protected status will further their demise from said natural habitat deregulation.

Quote: "The majority of Floridians oppose bear hunting. The state’s own polling in the early 1990s showed that the public opposed bear hunting. A poll this spring by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. confirmed that Florida voters remain strongly opposed — by a three-to-one margin — to trophy hunting Florida’s recovering black bears. The poll also indicated that an overwhelming majority oppose hunting black bears with dogs, which could be part of the state’s hunting proposal. Voters also overwhelmingly support the state prioritizing non-lethal approaches to dealing with community black bear conflicts."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/06/2254106/dont-allow-trophy-seekers-to-hunt.html#ixzz1ObEcxsz8

I wish to further add there are no cases of black bears attacking humans in our State.

Until Florida’s black bears have sufficient habitat protection, they should remain on the protected species list. Remember soon Florida will become the (empty) mall State. These bears will need all the help they can get to cope with development, and doesn't need to be hunted relentlessly.

Thank you.

Sincerely,