14RESOLUTION NO. ____ --,-_
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3 A Resolution of the City of South Miami, Florida, opposing the
4 Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's action to permit bear
5 hunting, and requesting the intervention of the Governor and the
6 State Legislature.
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8 WHEREAS, the City of South Miami and its citizeus endeavor to be good stewards
9 of the environment and its resources, including its wildlife; and
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11 WHEREAS, in 2012, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FFWC)
12 removed the Florida black bear from Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species List;
13 and
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15 WHEREAS, in 2015, the FFWC adopted a Bear Management Plan Rule that
16 included a bear hunt; and
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18 WHEREAS, the 2015 FFWC Rule, by its very nature in granting unlimited permits,
19 created a mechanism that allowed the killing of more than the stated limitation of bears.
20 Realistic monitoring measures were not in place to ensure that the thousands of anticipated
21 hunters would cease their efforts when reaching the Bear Management Unit limits.
22 Additionally, the State taxed hunters for more permits than the bears that they were allowed
23 to kill; and
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25 WHEREAS, the FFWC's decision to allow bear hunting was based on outdated (13
26 year old) data; and
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28 WHEREAS, this decision created overwhelming opposition from citizens and
29 environmental groups throughout the State; and
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31 WHEREAS, during the 2015 hunt, lactating female bears were killed, leaving
32 orphaned cubs living in the wild as prey; and
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34 WHEREAS, during the 2015 hunt, actual kill rates far exceeded approved quotas in
35 two ofthe four Bear Management Units (BMUs); and
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37 WHEREAS, future bear hunts will serve to thwart and undo the pas t efforts
38 of the FFWC and others to promote this previously endangered or threatened species; and
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40 WHEREAS, the City of South Miami would like to recognize FFWC
41 Commissioner Ron Bergeron for his stance in opposing the bear hunt in Florida and
42 speaking out against the ruling.
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44 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
45 COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, THAT:
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1 Section 1. The City of South Miami does hereby urge the FFWC to refrain from
2 approving future bear hunts.
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4 Section 2. The City Commission further resolves and requests that the Governor
5 of the State of Florida and the State Legislature intervene as may be appropriate to address
6 the concerns stated herein.
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8 Section 3. The City Commission does further direct the City Clerk to send
9 copies of this Resolution to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Governor Rick
10 Scott, Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner, and Florida Speaker of the House Steve
11 Crisafulli.
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13 Section 4. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution
14 is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the
15 holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
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17 Section 5. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
18 adoption by vote of the City Commission.
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PASSED AND ADOPTED this __ day of _____ ., 2015.
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM,
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND
EXECUTION THEREOF
CITY ATTORNEY
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APPROVED:
MAYOR
COMMISSION VOTE:
Mayor Stoddard:
Vice Mayor Harris:
Commissioner Edmond:
Commissioner Liebman:
Commissioner Welsh: