ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A black bear spotted in St. Johns County prompted a warning for residents from the St. Augustine Police Department on Tuesday morning.
Tony Strong told News4JAX he saw the bear running across the street near King Street heading into Lincolnville.
“I was thinking this is more like something that I would see up north. I’ve never seen a black bear. I’m a Floridian, and I’ve never, ever seen a black bear. And I’m from Middleberg, and I have a lot of woods from out there, and you don’t see them,” Strong said.
The St. Augustine Police Department posted a short video of the bear that someone captured, showing it climbing over a wall on St. George Street near Aunt Matilda’s Steampunk Trunk, about a block north of the Plaza de la Constitucion.
Another video obtained by News4JAX shows what appears to be the same bear walking through the streets of St. Augustine after climbing over a small, white fence.
Strong pointed out that it’s not all that surprising to see bears getting closer to people.
“We’re tearing up their community where they live at, and now they’re going to the community. So they need to do something about that,” Strong said. “Everybody needs to be careful because they can pop up anywhere.”
The SAPD social media post said law enforcement were on scene with the bear in a secluded area south of Lincolnville.
“Please use caution if you encounter this bear!” the post read. “It’s important to keep a respectful distance and never run. Black bears prefer to avoid people and will usually move on quickly.”
Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the agriculture department are with St. Augustine PD and will remove the bear.
They said the bear is not a threat to the community but serves as a reminder to be vigilant.
The sighting comes a day after a black bear killed a man and his dog in South Florida.
