Florida has become well-known for the wild and crazy things that happen in the state.
Now residents can defend themselves from a bizarre new threat.
And Ron DeSantis gave the green light to take down cocaine bears with this shocking move.
Ron DeSantis signs a bill to legalize self-defense against black bears
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 87 after it sailed through the Florida Legislature with overwhelming support. It legalized shooting black bears that are threatening people, pets, or their homes. Florida law previously required the permission of the Florida Wildlife Commission. Now residents can shoot first and tell the government later if they’re threatened by a black bear.
The Sunshine State has a growing black bear population in the northern and central parts of Florida. Florida Wildlife Commission officials estimate that the black bear population in the state has grown from 4,000 in 2015 to more than 7,000 today. Florida’s explosive population growth and building have brought humans and bears into contact more often. Black bears will wander into human territory looking for food.
Animal rights activists are already threatening to sue to stop the law from taking effect. Bear Warriors member Katrina Shadix told Fox 35 that the law put humans at risk as well as bears.
“We will file a lawsuit to get that bill overturned,” Shadix said. “This will be protecting the future of Florida black bears, the survival of a species we love so much. And, also going to save the lives of our children who are at risk of being shot by a stray bullet meant for a bear.”
Bear self-defense bill was dubbed the cocaine bear bill
Florida State Representative Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe) was the bill’s sponsor in the State House. He made national headlines when he warned about the threat of bears high on crack during a committee hearing for the bill.
“If I came home from work and the headlights of my vehicle shined on the front porch, and a huge black bear was clawing at my front door, and my kids were inside, right now, you can’t shoot that bear,” Shoaf said in February. “I think that is absurd. I want to give Floridians the peace of mind that they can take action to protect their property, their family, and their pets.”
Shoaf warned that bears were breaking into homes and going on a drug-fueled rampage during a hearing in the State House Infrastructure Strategies Committee. He said that Floridians needed to be able to fight back against these super predators.
“We’re talking about the ones that are on crack, and they break your door down, and they’re standing in your living room growling and tearing your house apart,” Shoaf said. “When you run into one of these crack bears, you should be able to shoot it, period. And you shouldn’t have to pause or be afraid you’re gonna get arrested or harassed or pay fines. That’s just crazy.”
That turned the bill into a viral sensation on social media because of the similarity of Shoaf’s story to the 2023 comedy Cocaine Bear. Inspired by a true story, a Tennessee black bear gets ahold of cocaine lost by a drug smuggler and becomes extremely aggressive. The real cocaine bear was a Georgia black bear who died after ingesting cocaine that was dumped from the small plane of a drug smuggling ring. Georgia law enforcement found the dead bear and the cocaine. An examination later determined the bear had ingested copious amounts of the drug.
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