Seminole GOP offers to pay to hold signs at polling places

The Seminole County Republican chair is offering to pay $10 an hour for people to hold GOP signs outside of polling places.

But her Democratic counterpart questioned why Republicans would have to resort to paid signholders instead of using volunteers in what is a traditionally GOP county.

“I have to ask why they’d have to pay people to help at the polls,” Seminole Democratic Chair Robert Bial said of the GOP. “We have more volunteers than we know what to do with.”

In an email sent Tuesday entitled “Get Paid to Help the GOP,” Seminole Republican Chair Kathryn Townsend includes a photo of a Democratic volunteer outside an early voting site with a sign stating, “Ask me for a Democratic Voter Guide.”

“The Dems have had people out holding this sign at the libraries during early voting,” Seminole GOP email

Townsend wrote. “I need your help for Saturday, Sunday and election day. If you are willing to hold a sign at any of the Seminole County libraries this weekend or at an assigned polling place on election day, I’m willing to pay you $10/hour. Please

Oviedo resident Terriann DePasquale, who reported a nuisance bear in July, said a black bear was in her screened-in porch attempting to eat her cat’s food. It had broken through the screen and was on the porch when DePasquale came home.

“I just said, ‘OK,’ and I closed the door, and I called the police,” DePasquale said. “I’m a little nervous because I have grandchildren.”

After the July incident and repeated bear sightings, DePasquale no longer leaves cat food outside, does not grill at night and makes it a point to check to see if her garage door is closed.

These practices are actually included in the “bear wise” ordinance the city council has considered. Under the rules of the ordinance, residents cannot leave any food outside, and if they do not own a bearproof trash can that complies with county standards, they must leave their trash cans indoors or made inaccessible until the morning of the county’s weekly garbage pickup. If residents follow the “bear wise” codes, it greatly decreases the chances of human-bear interaction and increases the likelihood of the bear’s survival, officials say.

Bear-resistant trash cans can be bought for typical retail price of $220. Instructions for additional methods, such as building bearproof sheds or electric fences, can be found on the FWC website.

While Oviedo City Council members like the best practices articulated in the “bear wise’’ ordinance, they are unanimously hesitant to adopt it and make it mandatory, citing funding problems and the lack of grant money available to implement it. There’s not enough money in the city’s budget to provide a $220 bear-resistant trash can to every home among the city’s

“If you care at all about bears, please do not feed the bears directly or indirectly.”

39,739 residents, members say.

In addition, the city did not get any of the $177,000 in “bear wise” grants the FWC doled out to Seminole County for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The FWC website notes the grant money was targeted to problem areas in the western portion of the county where more bears are sighted.

To compensate for the lack of grant money, the city is considering requesting that Oviedo be added to Seminole County’s bear ordinance, which is probably the strictest in the state, according to city officials.

Oviedo councilwoman Megan Sladek stressed the importance of not leaving food or even trash cans outdoors because the scent attracts bears, who will try to eat whatever they can.

“We all live here, but we can keep them from becoming a problem by not feeding them,” Sladek said. She then repeated a common mantra: “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

The sentiment was echoed by Orlando.

“The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people who believe feeding the bears helps them,” Orlando said. “If you care at all about bears, please do not feed the bears directly or indirectly.”

When humans feed bears, intentionally or unintentionally, they come back. When they do, the bears are less afraid and are bolder. Eventually, Orlando said, the bears cross a line and the FWC has to send someone out to put the bear down.

“Please don’t feed bears,” Orlando said. council the