Neighbors alerted after bear is spotted near apartment complex

Neighbors are being asked to stay alert as a bear was spotted near an apartment complex, which is at the Legacy Gateway Apartments at the intersection of Treeline and Daniels near Jetblue Park.

It was a typical commute in Fort Myers for a man who said it was not the first time he had seen a bear here.

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“It was shocking. I mean this is my second time I’ve seen a bear like in Fort Myers,” the man said.

It was his second bear encounter, but he said it was an eye-opener, especially thinking about people walking and jogging by.

“Driving by or walking by let’s say if you’re on a jog or you’re out on a walk with your kids or your partner that’s scary. I know that has to be mind-blowing,” he said.

He told us how it happened.

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“I just saw it run out, and I’m like okay this is not real,” he said.

So, he pulled over to capture the moment.

“I’m like wow, okay, this is a real-life bear, and it’s hiding, and I thought the bear was out doing his morning run or something like that.”

The man went on to describe the bear as “a pretty nice size, like 60 to 70 pounds around that size and around 8 to 10 months. It was a baby cub. It was pretty big, and it stood pretty tall also.”

He said he’s going to take a break from driving down the shortcuts.

“I’ll stick to the highway and avoid that road with no more shortcuts.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation told us they are aware of this juvenile bear and are monitoring the situation, but they said to not approach the bear, give it space and let it move along their own way.