Originally published in the Winter/Spring 2016 issue of Real
Estate FInance Journal
It is sometimes said that law is what separates humans from wild
animals. While humans have been developing laws since the Code of
Hammurabi, they have also been developing land, so much so that
both commercial and residential projects increasingly encroach into
wild animal habitats. Since 1990, the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission ("FWC") has received over 50,000
telephone calls reporting black bear sightings signicant enough to
prompt concerns. Since 2013, there have been several instances of
bears attacking humans in Florida. As human populations grow and
natural habitats shrink, it is increasingly likely that bears may
injure people and/or damage their property.
