{"id":681524,"date":"2026-06-03T08:43:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/681524\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T08:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:43:09","slug":"bear-with-us-black-bear-spotted-in-traditions-town-park-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/681524\/","title":{"rendered":"Bear with us: Black bear spotted in Tradition’s Town Park community"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A black bear <\/a>was spotted Tuesday in the Town Park community within Tradition, prompting officials to remind residents to remain cautious and \u201cBearWise<\/a>\u201d as wildlife activity increases during this time of year.<\/p>\n

According to local authorities, the sighting is not unusual. Florida\u2019s black bears<\/a> become more active as they search for food, and occasional visits to residential neighborhoods can occur. While encounters with bears may be startling, officials emphasized that they are not typically cause for alarm.<\/p>\n

The woman who took the video tells CBS12 News her reaction to seeing the bear on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first thought I was hallucinating, and then I thought it was a dog. I was like, it’s too big to be a dog. Then, I realized it was a black bear, which I’ve never, ever seen here and I grew up here,\u201d said Jessica Visser. <\/p>\n

Police in Port St. Lucie <\/a>said they are aware of the sighting and will continue monitoring the area. Residents are urged to take basic precautions to avoid attracting the animal and to reduce the likelihood of further encounters.<\/p>\n

The Town Park HOA sent a message to residents saying the bear had been spotted in the community the past two mornings. They also said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)<\/a> is aware and will not remove the bear until it becomes a threat.<\/p>\n

Wildlife experts stress that bears are generally not aggressive toward people and will often move on if they cannot find an accessible food source. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue that we have is having some sort of attractants, your garbage, dog food, cat food, birdseed, those kinds of things out and available that will draw bears and just sort of linger around your home,\u201d said Michael Orlando, the bear program coordinator for FWC.<\/p>\n

If a bear is spotted nearby, residents are advised to keep their distance, avoid approaching the animal, and never attempt to feed it. Children and pets should be kept safely away.<\/p>\n

See also: Three found with 51 barracudas hidden in cooler off Key West, FWC says<\/a><\/p>\n

In the event of a close or unexpected encounter, officials recommend staying calm, avoiding sudden movements, and not running. Instead, individuals should slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight, speak in a calm, firm voice, and ensure the bear has a clear path to retreat.<\/p>\n

Pet owners are also being cautioned to use extra care, particularly when letting dogs outside. Making noise before opening doors and keeping dogs on a short leash can help reduce the chance of startling a bear. Dogs can sometimes trigger defensive behavior, especially from mother bears with cubs.<\/p>\n

Anyone who feels threatened by a bear, observes an injured or orphaned animal, or witnesses someone feeding or harming wildlife should contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission\u2019<\/a>s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). In emergencies, residents should call 911.<\/p>\n

Officials say coexistence is key as development continues to overlap with wildlife habitats.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay safe, stay BearWise, and remember that we share our community with Florida\u2019s wildlife,\u201d PSLPD said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A black bear was spotted Tuesday in the Town Park community within…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":681525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":["post-681524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/681525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}