DeSantis signs taking of bears, ethics changes and 12 other Florida bills into law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A controversial bill that creates a kind of “stand your ground” defense for shooting Florida Black Bears on their property is now a law, along with a bill to make it tougher to file ethics complaints and 12 other bills signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday night.

DeSantis signed HB 87, Taking of Bears, which allows people to claim self-defense in shooting a bear on their property.

Shooters will have to notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of bears being killed within 24 hours of the shooting, and they cannot keep or sell bear carcasses.

North Florida lawmakers pushed the bill, saying they are overrun by bears in those counties. But critics said there were already efforts to manage the bear population and reduce human-bear encounters with the state’s BearWise program. The bill passed the Florida Legislature largely along party lines in both chambers.

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“Increasing the killing of Florida’s iconic black bears under the guise of self-defense –– without requiring proof of actual danger — poses serious public safety risks and undermines responsible wildlife management,” said Kate MacFall, Florida state director at the Humane Society of the United States, in a prepared statement.

The law will go into effect July 1.

DeSantis also signed SB 7014, a package of revisions to Florida ethics laws. Critics say the bill weakens ethics laws by limiting ethics investigations to those prompted by only people with “personal knowledge” of an issue.

That blocks local and state ethics officials from starting investigations based on media reports, for instance. They would only be able to act if there is a valid complaint. Several government watchdog groups urged DeSantis to veto the bill, saying it raised the bar on ethics investigations too high.

Supporters said the bill stopped ethics complaints from being weaponized.

The bill, which is now in effect, also bars a member of the Florida Commission on Ethics from serving more than two full terms and makes changes to attorney rules and fees in ethics cases.

Another bill signed into law Friday was HB 21, which creates a compensation program for victims of abuse at the Dozier School for Boys and the Okeechobee School. It goes into effect on July 1. DeSantis also signed HB 23, which provides a public record exemption for those who seek compensation through the program.

Check out the other bills DeSantis signed Friday below:

• HB 1577 – Midway Fire District, Santa Rosa County
• CS/HB 6007 – Relief/Julia Perez/St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
• HB 849 – Veterinary Practices
• HB 1575 – Avalon Beach-Mulat Fire Protection District, Santa Rosa County
• HB 1573 – Pace Fire Rescue District, Santa Rosa County

Information from The News Service of Florida was used in this report.

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