Coyote problem, suggestions wanted
 

I saw a coyote pup and its mama (or dad?) at a house that no one lives in. Someone's been putting canned food in petfood dishes in their carport. The pup crawled into a hole under the driveway, so I'm guessing that's this family's den.

At first I thought it was a fox and cub, and took a photo of mama from a distance after she ran to the side of the house, near the back. Got home and took a better look at the photo and yup - it's a coyote, for sure. Too big to be a fox. Ears too long, neck too long, tail not bushy enough. So positive it's a coyote.

Very cool to see, but not very cool to have in this residential area, especially considering that someone is intentionally feeding them, which makes them grow accustomed to humans and lose their fear of us. That spells danger for humans.

What to do? Is there even an "animal control" like there is up north? It's not a domesticated animal, it's not a bird or gator. They don't need rescuing.

But someone with authority needs to find out who's feeding them and make them stop doing that. And possibly the coyotes should be captured and euthanized or relocated.

Who though? The police? Animal control? Community standards? The local rec center? A wildlife conservation organization? The Lady Lake Town Hall? Who do you even report this stuff to around here?

If Lake County…..
Corrected

https://lakecountyfl.gov/animal-shelter

If Sumter County……
Animal Services | Sumter County, FL - Official Website

The link you posted for Lake County is in Illinois.

Try this to see if they can help;

https://www.lakecountyfl.gov/animal-shelter

I would contact Florida Fish & Wildlife 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922)

As you stated, up north they won't do anything unless they attack...person or domesticated animal.....or if they're visibly sickly or mangy. I know some have posted links to animal control...id be interested to see if they deal with it any different other than speaking to the owner/renter or neighbor that's feeding them. No different up north or here....theyre displaced from development. We've seen them in/around downtown Boston restaurants and residences... so even urban settings are a source as a result. Pretty resourceful

I didn't state that. But actually up north where I'm from (the semi-rural suburbs of New Haven County, Connecticut) if you see a coyote, it's because he's about to try and eat one of the chickens in your back yard, or is running away from a bear. The usual response to the chicken-poaching issue would be either give your really big, protective, scary-looking farm-dog a treat for protecting his farm and killing the coyote, or shoot it yourself with your shotgun. The response to the bear issue would be to bang some metal garbage can lids really loudly to scare the bear off and let the coyote continue running to someone else's neighborhood. I'm guessing neither option would go over very well around here in the Historic Section of The Villages.

Animal Shelter has no interest in wild coyotes unless someone reports that one of them tried to attack a stray dog.

I just checked the Florida Fish and Wildlife website. They refer people to commercial nuisance animal removal services, which you have to pay for.

So I guess the only thing I can do (which I was hoping to avoid) is contact the Lake County Sheriff's office and file a complaint against someone I don't know and can't identify, and give them the address of the house where the coyote den and the multiple pet bowls filled with canned food is located. Feeding coyotes is illegal in Florida.

Thanks.
Corrected.

Having lived in Arizona, amid lots and lots of coyotes, you do nothing. Nothing except talk to that neighbor who is feeding them. Or have the police do it, either way get him/her to STOP DOING THAT.

Coyotes don’t bother people, in fact they don’t even come out much during the daylight hours. They do get rid of a lot of pests and other critters that we don’t want.

They have grabbed dogs here in the Villages on a few occasions. Usually smaller ones like Chihuahua mixes.

Coyotes gotta eat. Canned food or hunt for whatever they can catch. You decide. (I suggest you let them hunt. Don't let them get used to the idea that humans provide food, canned or on a leash).

The Coyote is not the problem. The person feeding them is.
I would remove the bowls of food, leave a note with my address in their place telling the feeder where they are available for collection, then when the feeder comes for them, just say stop feeding, or I will report you.
They then have the chance to stop before the law gets involved.

It's illegal to feed wild animals in Florida. Just like an alligator, when wild ani.als are attracted to people, bad thing happen.

DON’T feed them

Hard to understand what the feeders are thinking. Maybe they mean to help out a stray cat but ended up helping coyotes? Either way not a smart move.