FWC update: Seminole County bear conflicts down; stakeholder process begins on possible regulated hunt
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission coordinator told Seminole County commissioners that bear-related calls have fallen sharply since outreach and garbage management efforts; the FWC will hold a virtual webinar as part of a stakeholder process to collect options for a possible regulated bear hunt.
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Mike Orlando, the bear-management program coordinator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, presented the county's 2024 urban bear management update and credited local ordinances and attractant management for a sharp decline in conflicts. "You can see that last year, in 2024, we had 2,600 calls come into the agency," Orlando said, and he noted Seminole County logged 308 calls—far fewer than the several hundred-per-year figure observed a decade ago.
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