The Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee updated their House Meeting Agenda. House Bill (HB) 87 - Taking of Bears will be heard TOMORROW, FRIDAY THE 19TH, at 9:00 am.

This does not leave much time to prepare for travel and time off from work. We encourage everyone who can attend the meeting in person to go and speak in opposition to the bill. If you cannot attend, please complete the calls to action listed below.

Meeting Location: Florida Capitol, Webster Hall (212 Knott)
Tallahassee, FL 32399

PLEASE COMPLETE THE CALLS TO ACTION BEFORE THE END OF TODAY. (1/18/2024).

Call the Representatives ASAP to voice your opposition and ask them to VOTE NO on House Bill (HB) 87 - Taking of Bears. Please be respectful and professional. You can simply say you oppose HB 87 - Taking of Bears and ask that they VOTE NO on the bill, or you can tell them why you oppose the bill in detail. You can use our petition for points of reference.

Petition link: https://chng.it/MdvsqBs69z

Representative Chair Thad Altman
Email: thad.altman@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5032

Representative Vice Chair Melony Bell
Email: Melony.Bell@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5049

Representative Kevin Chambliss
Email: Kevin.Chambliss@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5117

Representative Shane Abbott
Email: shane.abbott@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5005

Representative Dean Black
dean.black@myfloridahouse.gov
(850) 717-5015

Representative Adam Botana
Email: Adam.Botana@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5080

Representative James Buchanan
Email: James.Buchanan@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5074

Representative Hillary Cassel
Email: hillary.cassel@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5101

Representative Lindsay Cross
Email: lindsay.cross@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5060

Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman
Email: Peggy.Gossettseidman@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5091

Representative Dianne “Ms Dee” Hart
Email: Dianne.Hart@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5063

Representative Sam Killebrew
Email: Sam.Killebrew@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5048

Representative Johanna Lopez
Email: Johanna.Lopez@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5043

Representative Tobin Rogers “Toby” Overdorf
Email: Toby.Overdorf@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5085

Representative Keith L. Truenow
Email: Keith.Truenow@myfloridahouse.gov
Phone: (850) 717-5026

EMAIL THE REPRESENTATIVES. YOU CAN USE THE TEXT BELOW AS YOUR EMAIL. SCROLL DOWN FOR EASY COPY-PASTE REPRESENTATIVE EMAIL ADDRESSES.

SUBJECT: Vote NO to SB 632 - Taking of Bears

Dear Representative,

I strongly oppose House Bill (HB) 87 - Taking of Bears, which would enable a person to kill a Florida Black Bear because they "feel" threatened. This bill opens the door for people to claim self-defense in instances where bears are not a threat. It overrides the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) authority to investigate crimes committed against this protected species (black bears) if the person claims they felt threatened.

If a bear poses a threat to you or your loved ones (pets included), you have a right to self-defense, currently covered under the Common Law Defense of Necessity. This law allows you to act in self-defense against any wildlife. It doesn't differentiate between protected wildlife and unprotected wildlife. The difference between this bill (House Bill (HB) 87 - Taking of Bears) and the Common Law Defense of Necessity is that SB 87 removes the capacity for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute individuals who unjustifiably kill black bears.

**UNDER LAW, YOU ALREADY HAVE A RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE.**

Last year in Sanford, FL, a man shot a bear that he says charged at him and his dog. According to the FWC. He did not get in any trouble because it was deemed self-defense. Click the link for details: https://www.fox29.com/news/proposed-bill-would-make-it-legal-to-kill-bears-on-your-property-in-self-defense

HB 87 - Taking of Bears will allow people like John Anthony Falango (the Sebring Bear Killer) to avoid prosecution for killing bears without justification. Click the link for more info about this case: https://chng.it/D4jctY6BVR

This bill promotes a false narrative that bears are overpopulating and threaten human safety. The increase in bear-human conflicts in some regions of Florida, like Franklin County, is due in part to the failure of people to remove bear attractants and adequately secure their trash. Seminole County, which once ranked highest in bear-human conflicts, has seen a significant reduction since implementing bear-resistant trashcans. The FWC previously stated they saw a 95% reduction in bear-related incidents in a Volusia County neighborhood since the introduction of bear-resistant trashcans. Bear-human conflicts will continue to rise until the root causes are addressed (unsecured trash and other attractants). If we apply common-sense measures such as bear-resistant trash cans, securing garbage until morning pickup, and removing attractants such as birdfeeders, we can resolve these issues and prevent future incidents. These methods have proven successful worldwide.

Click here for an easy, cost-effective way to make your trashcan bear-resistant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7aneHEEr6A

The proposed bill states that people cannot lure or provoke a bear. Anyone who were to kill a bear also cannot keep it or sell it afterward; rather, they would have to turn the bear’s body into the FWC within 24 hours.

The problem is this bill (HB 87) overrides the FWC's authority to investigate, so an individual will not have to prove they acted in self-defense and didn’t lure a bear onto their property. In areas where conflicts are present, the bears are already being lured onto private property, whether directly or indirectly, by trash and other bear attractants.

The truth is that black bears are not overpopulating and pose no significant threat to human safety. Florida black bears are predominantly vegetarian, with 80% of their diet consisting of plants, 15% insects, and only 5% animal matter, usually carrion. They are not the voracious man-eating carnivores that the people who wish to kill them would like you to believe. In fact, since recorded history, no one in the State of Florida has ever been killed by a black bear. Since 1900, only 61 people in North America have been killed by black bears.

Unprovoked bear attacks are extremely rare. According to bear expert Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. of the North American Bear Center, you are 45 times more likely to be killed by a dog, 120 times more likely to be killed by bees, and 60,000 times more likely to be murdered by another human being than to be killed by a black bear.

Florida black bears are a keystone species. Their presence positively impacts the environment and other species they share it with. They disperse more seeds than birds, meaning they quite literally influence the types of plants that grow in the forest. The vitality of a healthy functioning ecosystem depends upon the existence of bears.

Wildlife is a public trust, and we, the people, have a right to defend animals for the benefit of those living today and future generations. Bears should not be killed because some humans refuse to take preventative measures when it comes to bear-human conflicts. The public, as the beneficiary of the trust, has the right to ensure that its trust is being respected.

The public's overarching interest in the preservation of its trust assets may not be overridden by the complaints of homeowners who have failed to take appropriate steps to secure their trash, by beekeepers who have failed to employ cost-effective fencing around their apiaries, by drivers who collided with bears while speeding, texting, or talking on a cell phone, by hunters upset that bears have been raiding their deer-baiting stations, or by uneducated people who have never been taught that a bluff charge is a black bear's way of asking for space and respect, not an act of aggression.

HB 87 - Taking of Bears fails to address the issues at the heart of all bear-human conflicts. It chooses violence over non-lethal solutions, undermines the jurisdiction of the FWC, and ignores the current law that exists to protect those acting in self-defense.

For all the aforementioned reasons, I respectfully request that you vote NO to House Bill 87 - Taking of Bears

Thank you for your consideration.

Petition: https://chng.it/9DTK2qFz2Y

________________
IF YOU ARE PRESSED FOR TIME, COPY AND PASTE ALL OF THE EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW INTO THE BCC SECTION OF YOUR EMAIL TO SEND TO ALL THE REPS AT ONCE.

thad.altman@myfloridahouse.gov, Melony.Bell@myfloridahouse.gov, shane.abbott@myfloridahouse.gov, dean.black@myfloridahouse.gov, Kevin.Chambliss@myfloridahouse.gov, Adam.Botana@myfloridahouse.gov, James.Buchanan@myfloridahouse.gov, hillary.cassel@myfloridahouse.gov, lindsay.cross@myfloridahouse.gov, Peggy.Gossettseidman@myfloridahouse.gov, Dianne.Hart@myfloridahouse.gov, Sam.Killebrew@myfloridahouse.gov, Johanna.Lopez@myfloridahouse.gov, Toby.Overdorf@myfloridahouse.gov, Keith.Truenow@myfloridahouse.gov

We appreciate everyone who has been taking action for bears.

Thank you!