Seminole County commissioners will consider an ordinance Dec. 8 that would require bear-weary residents west of Interstate 4 to secure their trash.
It’s a response to the problem of bears in neighborhoods in what wildlife authorities describe as the "epicenter of human-bear conflict."
The ordinance requires residents to secure their trash in bear-resistant trash bins or in a house, garage or other structure.
Residents without bear-resistant bins could leave their trash at the curb on trash day but no earlier than 5 a.m. They would have to remove empty trash cans by 8 p.m.
The rules would apply to residents of a defined West Seminole County Urban Bear Management Area, stretching from county's western border to just east of I-4.
It’s an area where bears mauled three women in 2013 and 2014.
Bird feeders, fruit trees and other bear attractants also would be regulated. Code enforcement officers would monitor compliance. Violators would face fines of up to $200.
