The Bear Truth: Blood, Politics, and Florida's Struggling Conservation
- Chipco Preserve
- Apr 18
- 7 min read
Maeve Kiley
The Problematic Proposition
Money in politics is the most profound rot in society. Many people have been rallying globally against this problem in the past decade. As the problem grows, the civilian sentiment against it also grows: when people see corruption, they want justice to be served.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), an organization meant to protect nature and foster a healthy relationship between humans and nature, has seen a fair bit of controversy in the past few years. Between the Gulf World Marine Park Investigations and local lawsuits about fishing regulations, PR problem after PR problem seems to follow this state government agency.
However, most of these grievances are directed towards the FWC Chair, Rodney Barreto. His second nomination in 2024 saw a small but vocal uproar in the Floridian conservationist movement. These groups reference his past and present business ventures as potentially conflicting interests.
But a bigger issue is lurking now—a crucial issue that will drastically change the Sunshine State's conservation scene.
This is a Bear Issue.
The Bear Dilemma
As of 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau noted 23.27 million Florida residents, with more on the way. According to the FWC website, Florida has approximately 4,050 wild bears. For context, if those bears were humans, they would be 0.017% of the population. Compare that to the American Alligator with 1.2 million in Florida, making them 5.14% of the population.
However, these statistics are dwarfed by public complaints. In the past four years, heavily populated communities such as Seminole County and Okaloosa County have had frequent bear sighting reports. These sightings are usually not violent, with only 39 "human and bear interaction" reported as of 2023 (with most of those interactions occurring because of dogs).
Regardless, the frequency of these sightings and the subsequent persistent reports made officials uneasy. Police officers are baffled at how to deal with 250–450-pound predators snoozing on porches and dining on unsecured garbage. Even though humans vastly outnumber bears in Florida, their sizeable, toothy presence frightens the average civilian. Many locals called for the FWC to act.
The solution? FWC-approved bear hunting.
The FWC is considering a Florida Black Bear Hunt for the first time in over a decade. On April 2nd, officials decided to move forward with 187 permits to 'harvest' Black Bears. Rodney Barretto initially proposed the trophy bear hunt in mid-December. A subsequent plan organized by Florida biologists for how to regulate these hunts is scheduled for May, with those rules being voted on in August. This hunt was meant to 'harvest' the 'overpopulation' of native Florida Black Bears.
Under a proposed outline, there will be a $5.00 application fee for those seeking bear hunting licenses, with an additional fee of $100 for an approved Florida resident and $300 for a non-resident. However, nine guests can fire at a single bear as long as one member has a permit. The proposed rule change allows hunters to lure bears into easy kills, permits children to work on bear hunts if accompanied by an adult, authorizes packs of hunting dogs,
Is this the answer? Is killing 187 local, native bears the way to solve bears crashing residential neighborhoods?
The Bear Truth
The clever language used to justify this plan, such as stating 'harvesting' instead of 'killing,' is one of many coy ploys to garner public approval. Failing to mention the other solutions that could be employed is another delicate display of either craftiness or incompetence.
Although Seminole County was the leading bear sighting reported in the state, that has changed. As noted in the Tampa Bay Times March 24th article, "Encounters with Bears plummet in Florida county after tougher rules on garbage", "Seminole County has seen a sharp drop in face-to-face encounters between humans and bruins- a statistic in which it once led in the state. The critical move, state and local leaders agree: The county adopted strict rules for residential waste disposal."
The bears seemed more attracted to the quick snacks and greasy pizza boxes than any malicious intent.
These reports also coincide with scientific research conducted on the Florida Black Bear. Contrary to popular belief, Black Bears are not inherently violent. They are more motivated by food and territory rather than insatiable hunger or bloodlust.
The North American Bear Society online article, How Dangerous Are Black Bears?, written by Dr. Lynn Roders states when regarding black bear violence, "The 70,000 black bears of North America kill less than one person per year on the average, while men ages 18-24 are 167 times more likely to kill someone than a black bear. Most attacks by black bears are defensive reactions to someone too close, which is easy to avoid."
But if we do not kill the bears, then how do we deal with them?
Katrina Shadix of Bear Warrior United stated in a public meeting with FWC about this proposed permit, "We don't want trophy killing. We want responsible bear management, and that includes buying land for conservation so our wildlife can survive.”
Shadix is echoing the complaints of thousands of Floridian scientists and conservationists by bringing attention to the real reason bear sightings are happening. Contrary to what the FWC supporters of this bill are stating, the main reason behind these frequent bear sightings is not solely due to bear populations growing (although that is a factor); it is due to their homes being destroyed.
According to the Global Forest Watch's Deforestation statistics, 2023 saw the destruction of 33.4 kha (equivalent to 23.2 Mt of CO₂ emissions) of native Floridian forest. Most of this loss was for a simple reason: money. The flash of green dollar bills got many developers' tongues wagging, and they quickly bought up cheap, biodiverse land and knocked it all down. This has caused many environmental issues that affect humans far more than they would like to admit.
These bears are confused. They are looking for homes that no longer exist and food sources that pickleball courts and five-star hotels have squashed. The bears wander into neighborhoods because those were once their neighborhoods. They return to their feeding grounds only to find human occupations, and the only food available is leftover Chipotle burritos and juice boxes. If that confused bear is labeled a threat, then they are euthanized by the FWC.
With all these facts in mind, why then, are we proposing hunting permits? Should these proposed permits be a last resort? Why aren't the FWC and other counties demanding stronger garbage laws and/or implementing bear-resistant trash cans to remove the temptation for bears to enter neighborhoods instead of just 'recommending it'? Why isn't the FWC demanding more legislative protection and lobbying for land for conservation and continued wildlife survival?
Well, it is difficult to know the dealings behind the scenes, but there have been some startling revelations brought to light in recent years about major FWC members having conflicting priorities.
Conflicting Conservation?
Chipco Preserve believes strongly in messages of truth. With that virtue in mind, all facts are presented to Chipco's audience members, and they are left to decide their opinions and actions.
The public reception to FWC Chair Rodney Barreto has been mixed. On the one hand, many commend his leadership skills and contributions to conservation efforts, while on the other, people are concerned about his background and decisions.
The main point of contention is his background and continued activity with development companies. He is the President, CEO, and Chief Visionary Officer of the Barretto Group, which specializes in public affairs consulting and real estate investment/development. He is also a founding partner in Coral Gables Title + Escrow, LLC, which focuses on real estate development/investment.
Many opposing conservationist groups cite this as a potential conflict of interest, with his priorities being focused more on development rather than on land conservation. Recent calls for transparency laws both in and out of Florida have been abundant, with civilians wanting to know the business dealings of their politicians. Hence, they know when corruption could be taking place.
It is easy to see why many groups believe Barreto's motives to be skewed when proposing these hunting permits. A quick, easy decrease in bear sightings would make it easier for developers and end bear sighting complaints from unhappy locals. Land conservation, bear education, and mandatory bear-proof garbage cans are lengthy and costly affairs that would result in those developers feeling the heat far more than a normal Floridian.
Do development companies play a hand in Florida environmental legislatives? It’s hard to know, but it is good to be transparent about all the factors at play and the current conversations around this bill.
Defy the Permits
U.S. citizens have taken firm stands against these new proposed hunting regulations. Conservation and advocacy groups such as Bear Warrior United have taken firm stances against these propositions and given alternatives.
People from around the world can sign a petition to stop these hunts through Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-florida-bear-hunt
Florida residents can take this poll to inform the FWC on how they feel about these new regulations: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/bear/
Those contesting these regulations are called to attend the FWC meeting in May. The location is still pending, but those who disagree with these regulations should arrive ready with their counterarguments and alternatives to these regulations. Individuals can also email the FWC and inform them that they stand against trophy bear hunting.
There is no Black Bear problem in the Sunshine State. There is overpopulation with no regard for land and wildlife problems. If wildlife was taken more into consideration, this 'Black Bear Problem' would decrease. Violence should never be the first solution.
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