Petty bureaucrats typically sign bills and send out press releases that do not reflect well on their public stewardship late on Friday afternoons to avoid serious press coverage because they know the timing coincides with often empty newsrooms.
Gob. Ron DeSantis seems to have that technique down pat.
Friday evening, he signed a bill that Sierra Club has been monitoring that allows people to shoot Florida black bears whenever they allegedly feel threatened by these creatures who are primarily vegetarian.
Sierrra leaders quickly responded.
“Governor DeSantis has delivered a major failure for Florida’s environment by signing HB 87 into law. Since its inception, Sierra Club Florida has called on the Governor to put a stop to this extreme bill, and we condemn him for approving this absurd and dangerous legislation,.” said Susannah Randolph, Sierra Club Florida’s Director.
“This session, Floridians from all sides of the political spectrum united to send a loud, clear message: Kill bad bills, not black bears. Governor DeSantis’ signing of HB 87 further demonstrates that he has no interest in serving the will of the people, or taking real, tangible action to protect Florida’s environment.” said Javier Estevez, Sierra Club Florida’s acting political director.
The approval of this legislation fits into a pattern that the bear-hunting lobby has been pursuing that includes a proposed constitutional amendment, that Sierra also opposes that would make so-called “traditional” hunting methods such as using dogs to chase and tree bears in future bear hunts. into a “right” in the Florida Constitution.
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