A bill that would allow people to use lethal force to kill a black bear without a permit or authorization if a person feels threatened on private property was approved by the Florida House last week

A bill that would allow people to use lethal force to kill a black bear without a permit or authorization if a person feels threatened on private property was approved by the Florida House last week, and will be considered by the state Senate this week.

The House voted 88 to 29 to pass the bill.

HB 87, sponsored by Rep. Jason Shoaf, would allow someone to kill a black bear if the bear is on their private property and they feel lethal force is needed to protect themselves.

The bill does not allow bear hunting, it is only for self-protection on your own property.

The bill, as written, requires that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission be notified within 24 hours of the bear’s taking.

Possession, sale, or disposal of the captured bear or its parts would be prohibited, with the responsibility of disposal resting on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

There has been a growing number of human/bear interactions in recent years as the black bear population has grown and more bears are finding their way into neighborhoods where food from garbage cans is easy to get.

Florida is home to an estimated 6000 black bears which cover a large portion of the state, with about 1000 in Franklin and surrounding counties.

http://live.oysterradio.com/