{"id":294332,"date":"2026-06-03T12:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/294332\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:36:21","slug":"see-video-of-florida-black-bear-sighting-in-port-st-lucie-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/294332\/","title":{"rendered":"See video of Florida black bear sighting in Port St. Lucie community"},"content":{"rendered":"

A black bear paid a Port St. Lucie neighborhood a surprise visit<\/a> June 2, swimming in a lake and gallivanting about the Town Park community Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Florida black bears, the only bear species in the Sunshine State, become more active this time of year in search of food<\/a>. Occasional sightings in residential neighborhoods can occur and aren\u2019t necessarily cause for alarm, according to police.<\/p>\n

Florida’s black bear was classified as a \u201crecovered\u201d species in 2012, and there is an estimated population of 4,000 in the state, after decades of conservation efforts.<\/p>\n

The species\u00a0is protected under state law,<\/a> according to the Florida Wildlife Federation, however, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has allowed regulated hunts<\/a> to manage the population.<\/p>\n

How common are black bears in Florida?<\/p>\n

Florida black bears are the only bear species<\/a> in the state, according to the Florida Wildlife Federation. They\u2019re found throughout many habitats, including swamps and flatwoods, and their growing population is increasingly encountering human habitats because of urban development.<\/p>\n

Their population is estimated to be about 4,000 bears, according to the organization, and their conservation status was officially classified as \u201crecovered\u201d in 2012.<\/p>\n

Are Florida black bears dangerous?<\/p>\n

Florida black bears typically avoid people and usually move on<\/a> if they can\u2019t find an easy food source, according to officials. Residents are encouraged to help prevent bears from lingering in neighborhoods by removing attractants around their homes.<\/p>\n

While rare, bear attacks can happen. A man and his dog were fatally mauled<\/a> in 2025 by a black bear in Collier County. Authorities said it is the first time in recorded Florida history\u00a0a black bear has killed a human<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Florida black bear size, weight and habitat\"Black<\/p>\n

Black bears trip a camera trap set up in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in June of 2016.<\/p>\n

Facts about Florida black bears provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission:<\/a><\/p>\n

Scientific name: Ursus americanus floridanus<\/p>\n

Weight: Average adult weight ranges from 250 to 450 pounds for males and 125 to 250 pounds for females.<\/p>\n

Diet: Bears are called omnivores because they eat both plant and animals.\u00a0 A Florida black bear’s diet varies, but usually consists of 73% plants, 22% insects, and 5% animal matter. Their diet varies due to fluctuations in plant productivity, and is also based on geographic variation from one region of Florida to the next.<\/p>\n

Habitat: Black bears prefer\u00a0habitats\u00a0with a dense understory such as forested wetlands and uplands, natural pinelands, hammocks, scrub, and shrub lands, but will use just about every habitat type in Florida, including swamps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What to do if you see a black bear in Florida<\/p>\n

If you see a bear, police and wildlife officials advise the following:<\/p>\n

Never attempt to feed it.<\/p>\n

Keep children and pets away from the animal.<\/p>\n

Secure garbage, pet food, bird seed, and other potential food sources.<\/p>\n

If you unexpectedly encounter a bear:<\/p>\n

Slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight.<\/p>\n

Speak in a calm, firm voice.<\/p>\n

Allow the bear a clear escape route.<\/p>\n

How to contact FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline<\/p>\n

If you feel threatened by a bear, observe an injured or orphaned bear, or witness someone intentionally feeding or harming a bear, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission\u2019s Wildlife Alert Hotline<\/a> at 888-404-3922.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida black bear population, size and habitat in case you see one<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A black bear paid a Port St. Lucie neighborhood a surprise visit June 2, swimming in a lake…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294333,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[124062,14605,28,31788,8659,30,29],"class_list":["post-294332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-bear-species","tag-black-bear","tag-florida","tag-florida-black-bear","tag-florida-fish-and-wildlife","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}