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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION TO REINSTATE THE PROHIBITION ON BEAR HUNTING THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND FOCUS MORE ATTENTION ON REMOVING CONFLICTS BETWEEN BEARS AND SUBURBAN AREAS THROUGH DETERRENT TECHNIQUES; ALTERNATIVELY, URGING THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION TO, AT A MINIMUM, PROHIBIT FUTURE BEAR HUNTS IN THE SOUTH REGION OF THE STATE

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WHEREAS, pursuant to the State Constitution, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (the �Commission�) has regulatory and executive powers over wild animal life, which includes the regulation of bear hunting; and
WHEREAS, in June 2015, the Commission approved bear hunting in certain regions throughout the State of Florida, including the East Panhandle, North, Central, and South regions, reversing the statewide ban on bear hunting in place since 1994; and
WHEREAS, the Commission approved bear hunting without the benefit of a statewide bear count that was slated for completion in 2016; and
WHEREAS, the killing of a total of 304 bears in just the first two days of a planned week-long hunt was documented during the 2015 season; and
WHEREAS, the first hunt in 21 years was ended early because the number of Florida black bears killed in the East Panhandle was three times the established quota and the number of bears killed in Central Florida exceeded the limit by nearly 40 percent; and
WHEREAS, accounts of unreported killings of bears, bears suffering a slow death, and the killing of lactating bears, which was forbidden, likely increased the death toll; and
WHEREAS, the black bear is the only bear found in Florida and is estimated to have a total population of approximately 3,000 throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, the bear population is not sufficient to sustain hunting throughout the state, having been listed as a threatened species until 2012; and
WHEREAS, black bears tend to avoid confrontation with humans; and
WHEREAS, although the bears foraging for food may lead to their unintentional presence in suburban areas, precautionary methods may help prevent their return; and
WHEREAS, the Commission Director of Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, Thomas Eason, noted that the more than two decades of no bear hunting has made Florida black bears �relatively naive� to the danger of hunters; and
WHEREAS, the Commission should prohibit bear hunting statewide and focus on providing �bear-proof garbage cans� and reducing palmetto berry harvest in bear habitats instead, as recommended by Leon County Circuit Judge George Reynolds III; and
WHEREAS, if the Commission insists on conducting a future bear hunt, the South region of the state, which includes Miami-Dade County, should be excluded,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to reinstate the prohibition on bear hunting throughout the State of Florida and focus more attention on removing conflicts between bears and suburban areas through deterrent techniques.
Section 2. Alternatively, urges the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to, at a minimum, prohibit future bear hunts in the South region of the State.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of this Board to send a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation, and the Commissioners and Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Section 4. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the legislative action set forth in Sections 1 and 2 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2016 State Legislative Package to include this item.