The village of Palmetto Bay wants to help residents learn to co-exist with coyotes.
Mayor Eugene Flinn announced that a workshop about living with urban coyotes with officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be held on Feb. 20.
The event is "an informative workshop about coyote biology and ways to co-exist with coyotes," Flinn wrote on his blog.
The free event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Palmetto Bay Municipal Center.
Flinn said there have been multiple reports in recent months of coyotes in the community. He said one person has even reported that coyotes have attacked their cats in Coral Gables.
"We had a few instances of people observing cats being taken in a couple instances," he said.
Palmetto Bay resident Sandi Dummann said she spotted a coyote near her home.
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"I slowed down to make sure that's what it was and indeed, with the pointy snout and scrawny," she said.
The FWC says coyotes are found throughout Florida and have been documented in all 67 counties.
"The FWC works with citizens to provide guidance on how to minimize and avoid conflicts with wildlife," the FWC said in a statement. "Negative encounters with coyotes can be reduced or avoided entirely if correct precautions are taken, such as hazing coyotes with loud noises to encourage fear of humans, securing food sources such as trash, and protecting small pets."
Residents can report coyote incidents or unusual coyote behavior to the FWC by calling regional FWC offices or Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922.
