From summer 2021 and beyond, south Santa Rosa County has seen an increase in black bear sightings due to deforestation. 

   On Aug. 25, 2021, the City of Gulf Breeze hosted a town hall meeting on the topic of black bears and concerns among citizens. In attendance were speakers Dave Telesco and Kathrine McCarty of the Florida Wildlife Conservation (FWC), Fla. Senator Doug Broxson, Fla. Representative Alex Andrade, Commissioner Colten Wright and Gulf Breeze Mayor Cherry Fitch. 

   Telesco, FWC’s Bear Program Coordinator, took the stage to cover frequently asked questions regarding black bears. He started with the FWC’s policy, which places a strong “emphasis on personal responsibility.” Telesco went on to inform about the role residents and businesses play in black bear interactions, including learning about bears, scaring the bears and reporting conflicts. 

   A strong move that will help keep black bears out of people’s yards is securing items that they find attractive. This includes, but are not limited to, garbage cans, pet food, bird seed and livestock. For residential trash cans, it is strongly recommended that residents leave them secured indoors until the morning they are picked up. Bear resistant containers can be found at: MyFWC.com/bear.  

   Telesco gave safety tips and guidelines for a potential bear encounter. If someone experiences an interaction with a black bear, they should not run or play dead, but rather find a safe, secure location and draw attention to themselves in regards to getting help. 

   One popular question remains, “Why not just move the bears?” Telesco went on to share the reasoning for this. When the bears are relocated, the problem is relocated. Along with this, there are no empty areas around due to construction and deforestation, bears are 70% likely to return and more bears will eventually return to the area. 

   The town hall meeting concluded with a “Question and Answer” session. The full meeting can be found on the City of Gulf Breeze’s YouTube channel.