Gov. DeSantis Signs Controversial Bear Self-Defense Bill in FL

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a contentious bill Friday that strengthens self-defense claims for people who kill bears on their property.

DeSantis' office announced Friday night that he has signed 14 measures from this year's legislative session while vetoing three.

The Bear Bill (HB 87) establishes stand-your-ground protection for anyone who shoots bears to protect themselves or their property. But, with bear hunting long a contentious issue in Florida, opponents of the bill claimed it would result in more fatalities of the once-threatened creatures. Opponents have stated that they will contemplate legal action to prevent the bill, which is set to take effect on July 1.

People who agitate or tempt bears will not be immune from legal consequences.
Similar proposals were introduced in previous years but did not pass the Legislature. This year, however, the plan supported by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, gathered pace in September after Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith stated that his rural community was "being inundated and overrun by the bear population."
Shoaf and Simon represent Franklin County as part of a vast, mostly rural district.

However, animal rights campaigners worried the bill would allow an "open season" on bears.
"Increasing the killing of Florida's iconic black bears under the guise of self-defense -- without requiring proof of actual danger --- poses serious public safety risks and undermines responsible wildlife management," Kate MacFall, Florida state director at the Humane Society of the United States, said in a prepared statement.

According to MacFall, the bill clashes with the Fish and Animals Conservation Commission's regulations, which have the constitutional authority to control animals. She said that her organization "will continue to explore our options moving forward to ensure Florida's bears are protected."

Opponents of the law argue that the state and localities should focus on securing garbage so that bears are not drawn to homes. The commission's BearWise program specifies methods such as warning people not to feed bears, clearing grills, making trash less accessible, removing bird feeders when bears are present, and avoiding leaving pet food outside.
Sierra Club Florida, which has also contended that the law violates the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's constitutional powers, described it as "a dangerous solution to an imaginary problem."

Current legislation prohibits humans from holding, harming, or shooting bears, but they can employ non-lethal tactics to drive away bears on their property or foraging through trash.
Human-bear confrontations have grown in proportion to the state's population. Between 2009 and 2018, the commission exterminated an average of 38 bears per year due to public safety concerns, with most bears seeking unsecured rubbish or other food.

The Senate approved the bill 24-12, while the House passed it 83-28. Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, stated the bears endanger farmers' cattle in her district, encompassing rural Madison and Jefferson counties.

"We do have bear-proof garbage cans," Tant stated in March. "And, often, after the rubbish is taken up, the tops are not secured again. As a result, the bears keep returning.