There is power in numbers. If you have not yet contacted Governor DeSantis to request that he VETO HB 87 - Taking of Bears, please do so ASAP. When calling and/or emailing, you can simply ask Gov. DeSantis to VETO HB 87 "Taking of Bears," or you can elaborate and reference the talking points listed below. When emailing, be sure to use "VETO HB 87 - Taking of Bears" as the SUBJECT TITLE.

Governor DeSantis
Phone: (850) 717-9337
Email: GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

Governor DeSantis needs to know;

• We already have a right to self-defense under the Common Law Defense of Necessity, which allows individuals to defend themselves against wildlife. Our stance is not about prioritizing bears over humans. We value the right to self-defense and the protection of loved ones. However, existing laws already safeguard these rights, and bears pose no significant threat.

• There is no burden of proof that an individual has to provide to substantiate the claim that they reasonably believed their life, or a loved one's life (pets included), was truly in danger. There is no way to prove that someone did or did not "feel" or "believe" that their life or that of a loved one was in danger.

• There is currently $683,500 in the budget for Franklin County bear-resistant trashcans. These funds should be implemented immediately to provide non-lethal solutions, such as bear-resistant trash cans, which have proven highly effective in reducing (by over 95%) bear-human conflicts worldwide. Unfortunately, this bill does not prioritize these measures.

• David Telesco, Bear Management Program Coordinator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, states, “When an entire neighborhood comes together to take responsibility to be BearWise, they are taking the most effective step to reduce community-wide conflicts.

• HB 87 "Taking of Bears" removes the authority of FWC law enforcement to investigate and prosecute individuals who unjustifiably kill black bears. Despite lawmakers claiming the FWC will still come out and investigate. That is not written in this bill. FWC will come out, but it’s not to do an investigation; it’s to collect the dead bear’s body. Even if the FWC were to investigate, this bill ensures that a person is not subject to any administrative, civil, or criminal penalty for killing a black bear. At the final House Floor Vote, Rep. Shoaf said you can't lure a bear onto your property. Another Representative asked him if trash was considered luring a bear onto one's property. He said no. This provides a serious loophole. In areas where conflicts are present, the bears are already being lured onto private property by trash and other bear attractants, whether directly or indirectly.

• Rep. Shoaf brought up Florida’s 2015 black bear hunt and implied that the reason bears were killed so quickly and the FWC had to call off the hunt early was because bears were overpopulating. He failed to mention that 78% of the bears killed during the hunt were killed on private lands. In the Eastern Panhandle Bear Management Unit (BMU), 90-100% of the bears killed during the 2015 bear hunt were killed on private property. When the bears were brought to check stations and gutted, many of the bears had corn in their stomachs, indicative of deer baiting stations. The majority of the bear hunters who hunted back in 2015 knew where the bears were located, which is why so many were killed so quickly. The bears were easy targets.

• In the 1970s, unregulated hunting and habitat loss were responsible for the near extinction of the Florida black bear, with only an estimated 300-500 black bears remaining.

• It has taken nearly 50 years for Florida’s black bear population to rebound from only 300-500 bears to approximately 4,050 today.

• The Florida Black Bear is a unique subspecies of the American black bear, meaning there are only an estimated 4,050 Florida black bears in the entire world.

• Black bears are slow to reproduce and regulate their own populations through a biological process known as delayed implantation. This is nature’s way of keeping bear populations in check. If food is scarce, female bears will not reproduce every two years but instead every 3-4 years.

• Killing/hunting bears will not stop bear-human conflicts. As long as unsecured trash and attractants are present, bears will come into residential areas in search of easily accessible high-calorie foods. If attractants are present, another bear will replace the killed bear.

• If HB 87 becomes law, there is no limit to the number of bears that will be killed.

• Unprovoked bear attacks are extremely rare. 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.

• From the FWC’s website: "Studies show black bears avoid confrontation 90% of the time. They are naturally shy animals that will generally give plenty of warnings (e.g., jaw popping, huffing, bluff charging) before attacking. FWC has been keeping track of incidents where a person has been injured by a bear in the state of Florida since 1976 and it is a very rare event. In most cases, the bear was acting in a defensive manner protecting itself, its young, or a food source."

• 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.

• 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.

• Republicans and Democrats stand in solidarity against HB 87, "Taking of Bears."

• Hunters and non-hunters oppose HB 87 "Taking of Bears."

• Wildlife biologists and true conservationists are appalled by these bills. They recognize the importance of wildlife agencies such as the FWC and know bad actors benefit from laws like this.

• Florida black bears are a keystone species. We need bears to keep our ecosystems healthy and balanced.

• 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.

• Floridians and tourists appreciate and value Florida's wildlife and diverse ecosystems. Black bears, along with Florida panthers and manatees, are among the most iconic species in Florida.

• HB 87, "Taking of Bears," is neither focused nor equipped to meet the extraordinary challenge of conserving Florida’s wildlife species and ecosystems. Conservation, in the context of environmental science and wildlife management, refers to the careful management, protection, and sustainable use of natural resources, including wildlife, forests, water, and habitats, to ensure their long-term viability and health.

• Conservation should strike a balance between human needs and preserving ecosystems and biodiversity for future generations.

• House Bill 87 - "Taking of Bears" fails to address the issue at the heart of all bear-human conflicts, which is unsecured trash. It prioritizes killing over non-lethal solutions, undermines the jurisdiction of the FWC, and ignores the current law that exists to protect those acting in self-defense.

Thank you for taking action for Florida's black bears!