Subdivision near Longwood receives 150 bear-proof trash cans

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Some residents in Seminole County now have access to bear-proof trash cans.

Waste Pro and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission delivered 150 trash cans Thursday to the Springs Landing subdivision on Markham Woods Road near Longwood.

Residents said they're ready to toss out their bear problems.

Sarah Kovalcik, who lives in the neighborhood, said she and her neighbors often see Florida black bears walking through the subdivision in search of food.

"They will literally walk down the sidewalks," she said.

Kovalcik said the animals have damaged screened patios and trashed garages.

"The trash cans are out too early in the morning," she said. "They put them out the night before, and we are feeding bears that need to be looking where they are supposed to be looking -- in their regular habitat."

Wildlife officials hope that might soon change.

The new trash cans, which cost $200 apiece, are equipped with reinforced lid hinges, a steel rim and a latch that can only be opened by humans.

“If the food source here stops, they will move on to something else,” said Pamela Stewart, the former president of the Springs Landing Homeowners Association. “We want to protect all of the communities, we want to protect our children and we want to protect the bears.”

A state grant, which provides funds to areas with high levels of human-bear encounters, will supplement the cost of the trash cans. Residents will pay $60 annually.

"If they can't find their food here, they are going to have to look elsewhere," Kovalcik said. "I am not going to have surprises in the morning (anymore) with bears tipping over trash cans or walking down the sidewalks."

Cox Media Group