ORLANDO – Nearly a decade after imposed restrictions that discourage bears from visiting nearby areas, Seminole County has seen a sharp decline in in-person encounters between humans and Bruins.
Critical moves, state and local leaders agree. The county has adopted strict rules for residential waste disposal to prevent nut and berries from wandering around the neighborhood in its natural habitat and find a simple buffet in a can of pizza and barbecue ribs.
The Seminoles went from number one to eighth last year among 67 counties behind the orange and lakes — received by wildlife officers who have been hit by bears who attack garbage, cause other pranks, or cause other pranks, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The complaint fell to 308 in 2024. 22% fell 22% from 395 in 2023. Two years before the rules, the Seminole led the state with over 1,000 people in 2014 and nearly 700 in 2015.
In contrast, across the wildlife committee’s northeastern region, 12 central and coastal Florida counties, including Lakes, Orange, Osceola, Seminoles and Volsia, are heading upwards from a low of 2,146 in 2016 to a high of 3,174 in 2023.
Mike Orlando, the committee’s bare program coordinator, spoke about the Seminole ordinance, about the Seminole ordinance, which establishes strict rules for property owners west of Interstate 4.
The Seminole was the first local government to impose financial penalties, and it imposed financial penalties up to $100 a day. The rules, enacted in the second half of 2015, came into effect in early 2016.
On the western side of the county, three women were attacked by the Bears in 2013 and 2014 – one attacked. Much of the area is covered by Wekiwa Springs State Park and Seminole State Forest.
“When you take care of the garbage, all (bears) conflicts begin to collapse,” Orlando said this month as he presented the agency’s latest data to the county commissioner this month.
The Wildlife Committee’s annual report to the Seminole Commissioners came as Florida wildlife officials held a series of online public meetings on reviving bear hunts statewide.
After the Seminoles enacted restrictions, wildlife officials noticed that bears began to wander west into Orange County. In late 2016, Orange continued with similar ordinances, like Seminoles, requiring residents and businesses to keep trash trapped until the morning of pickup. However, the ordinance did not include any financial penalties enacted by the Seminole.
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Marion County is now the state leader of human-bear encounters, and has made 779 calls last year. Over a third of the county is covered in the Ocala National Forest, a natural home for animals. The county’s Bear Aware program, launched in 2016, encourages residents to secure trash. However, Marion’s program also has no severe penalties.
Lake came in third with a 529 call, while Orange was fifth with a 417, followed by Volsia in 402. Osceola was ranked alongside several other counties under ten.
Approximately 39% of bear-related calls in central Florida are due to common interactions, such as homeowners roaming the garden. About 23% are about animals passing through garbage cans, 15% are about sick or dead bears, and 11% are about property damage.
The Wildlife Commission received 25 calls last year from residents reporting illegal activities like attempting to lure bears by leaving food outside. It could cause animals to be captured and euthanized, state and local officials said.
“Don’t feed the bears,” said Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine. “It just causes problems, and it’s against the law.”
Orlando added that catching annoying bears and bringing them back into the forest is not necessarily viable, as many animal lovers like.
“The male bear has a range of 60 square miles, while the female bear averages around 15 square miles,” he said. “Even if they take you to the forest, they will probably be back.
“The key is to make sure that any attractive people who will take the bears to the yard or to the neighborhood are eliminated.”
Reginald Campbell Sr., 63, lives most of his life in Bookar Town, near Blackbear’s wilderness area and Seminole State Forest. The bear had long wandered into his neighborhood from its natural habitat, and it was not unusual ten years ago to see them walking down the streets at noon.
However, in recent years, Campbell has not seen animals very often.
“The majority of people now have locktops (trash cans) cans,” he said. “The bear is still coming out, but I haven’t seen it in a while.”
Last year, frightened Bukkatown residents called the Wildlife Committee after seeing their mother, bear and two children roaming the community’s mailbox, Campbell said. State wildlife officials held a community meeting several months ago to provide information to residents about the bears and eliminate attractants.
As state wildlife officials and lawmakers are considering hunting bears this year, supporters say it will help them better manage their bear population, pointing to a constitutional amendment approved in November by voters protecting their right to hunt and fish in Florida.
Opponents argue that hunting does not reduce human bear interactions, and that residents are a more effective way to secure trash.
Florida’s final bear hunt in October 2015 was supposed to last a week, but ended two days later as 304 animals were quickly hunted and killed.
Orlando said during seminars and conferences nationwide and globally on the Florida Bears, wildlife officials often managed to control Seminoles when they wandered into residential areas.
“You’re really a role model for counties in Florida, as well as for counties in the country,” he told Seminole County Commissioner.
