ENROLLED
CS/HB 87, Engrossed 1 2024 Legislature
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0087-03-er
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
1
An act relating to taking of bears; providing a short 2
title; creating s. 379.40411, F.S.; providing for the 3
taking of bears without certain penalties under 4
specified conditions; requiring the disposal of such 5
bears by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 6
Commission; prohibiting certain possession, sale, and 7
disposal of such bears or their parts; requiring the 8
commission to adopt rules; providing an effective 9
date. 10
11
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 12
13
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Self Defense 14
Act." 15
Section 2. Section 379.40411, Florida Statutes, is created 16
to read: 17
379.40411 Taking of bears; use of lethal force in defense 18
of person or certain property. — 19
(1) A person is not subject to any administrative, civil, 20
or criminal penalty for taking a bear with lethal force if: 21
(a) The person reasonably believed that his or her action 22
was necessary to avoid an imminent t hreat of death or serious 23
bodily injury to himself or herself or to another, an imminent 24
threat of death or serious bodily injury to a pet, or 25
ENROLLED
CS/HB 87, Engrossed 1 2024 Legislature
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0087-03-er
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
substantial damage to a dwelling as defined in s. 776.013(5); 26
(b) The person did not lure the bear with food or 27
attractants for an illegal purpose, including, but not limited 28
to, training dogs to hunt bears; 29
(c) The person did not intentionally or recklessly place 30
himself or herself or a pet in a situation in which he or she 31
would be likely to need to use lethal force as described in 32
paragraph (a); and 33
(d) The person notified the commission within 24 hours 34
after he or she used lethal force to take the bear. 35
(2) A bear taken under this section must be disposed of by 36
the commission. A person who takes a bear und er this section may 37
not possess, sell, or dispose of the bear or its parts. 38
(3) The commission shall adopt rules to implement this 39
section. 40
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 41