Issues at the City, County, and Metropolitan Levels, and in US Territories
Palm Beach County, FL – On September 1st, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners postponed further consideration of extensive changes to its animal control ordinance, which included negative impacts on hobby breeders. During the hearing, county staff described the main goal of the proposed changes as regulating unlicensed breeders. However, multiple purebred dog fanciers and members of the public expressed deep concerns about the changes, including those that would have affected hobby breeder practices, imposed inspections of hobby breeder’s private homes as a condition of licensure, and a concurrent proposal to increase hobby breeder permit fees by 166.7%. Noting the substantial nature of the update, the commissioners agreed to postpone consideration of the animal ordinance to allow sufficient time to review and amend the proposal. Please note, however, the changes to fees and fines, including the proposed increase in hobby breeder permit fees, will be considered at the Board’s September 15th meeting. Click here to learn more.