ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The sighting of a black bear in St. Johns County has become a honeypot for the people of Lincolnville.
“Oh it was a beautiful bear, a beautiful bear,” said Joyce Vykes, who told Action News Jax she saw the black bear near the Pavilion at Bayview assisted senior living facility. “He’s almost like a pet!”
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The living facility is near the intersection of Marine Street and Hedrick Street in south Lincolnville.
The St. Augustine Police Department, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spent hours searching for the black bear.
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Police first reported being seen at around 7 a.m. on King streets.
Karen Lyons said she had to skip her morning walk after breakfast, out of worry she’d run into the bear.
“All the police were running after him,” Lyons said. “He was pretty quick, I couldn’t get a picture of him.”
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Seeing black bears isn’t typical for people living in and around downtown St. Augustine, at least from what they’ve told us.
The FWC has a map tracking bear sightings around Florida over the last five years and hasn’t seen an entry in St. Johns County since May 2023.
“The bear was running, it was running from the cops,” said Tony Strong, who told Action News Jax he saw the black bear on his morning coffee run to Wawa.
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“I’ve seen people do crazy stuff, but that was pretty crazy. I’ve seen somebody walk down one walk down King Street by the park butt naked. But seeing a bear is totally different.” Strong said.
The FWC has a website with tips on what you should do if you come across a black bear.
Some of the pointers mentioned are avoiding eye contact, keeping your distance and never trying to walk up to a black bear if you happen to see one.
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