The Broward County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote tomorrow, June 5, on a measure that would reduce the number of seats on the county Animal Care Advisory Committee from 18 to 11 members, thereby reducing the number of seats available to animal owners, breeders, and pet professionals in the community.
Concerned citizens are encouraged to immediately contact their commissioners and ask that the resolution be amended to require seats for a more diverse group of citizens that will better represent animal owners, pet professionals, and breeders in the county.
Under the proposed resolution, the 11 seats on the committee would be specified for:
- A veterinarian
- An employee of a national animal welfare organization or humane society (such as HSUS, ASPCA, PETA, etc., and who is not specified to be a resident of the county)
- A member of a local, nonprofit organization providing support or services to stray or unwanted animals
- A certified applied animal behaviorist
- A employee of a municipal animal regulatory agency
- An employee of a law enforcement agency
- An employee or board member of a wildlife or large animal rescue organization with experience actively managing operations (who is not specified to be a resident of the county)
- An owner, partner, or officer of a pet retail store who resides in Broward County, and whose business represents the local sales market
- An employee from the State of Florida Broward County Health Department, or someone who specializes in epidemiology, zoonotic, or communicable diseases
- Two members at large, neither of whom shall meet any of the categorical requirements above
It is important to ensure that ALL animal owners, breeders, and pet professionals in the county are properly represented on the Animal Care Advisory Committee. This committee is empowered to assist with the refinement of general policies and development of long-range plans for the Animal Care and Regulation Division; advise the Board of County Commissioners on revisions to the Animal Care and Regulation Ordinance and policies concerning animals; and make requests and recommendations in writing to the Director of the Animal Care and Regulation Division.
A Better Solution Is Available
To ensure better representation for county animal owners, the measure could be amended to combine four categories that are designated for related and overlapping organizations. Specifically, the seats required for 1) a national animal welfare/humane society, 2) a local stray animal organization, 3) a municipal animal regulatory agency, and 4) a wildlife/large animal rescue organization could be consolidated into a single seat.
This would make seats available for a more diverse group of citizens, which could include:
- An owner of a pet professional business, such as a grooming shop, trainer, boarding kennel, stable, etc. located in the county
- A dog breeder located in the county
- A cat breeder, pet bird breeder, horse breeder, or other animal breeder located in the county
- A representative of a kennel club, obedience training club, performance dog club (hunt tests/field trials/herding/etc.) located in or holding events in the county
- A representative of cat club, pet bird organization, saddle club, or other animal enthusiast group located in or holding events in the county
What you can do
Immediately contact County Commissioners and respectfully request that the proposal to reduce the membership of the Animal Care Advisory Committee be amended to provide better representation for constituents who are animal breeders, members of kennel clubs and other animal enthusiast groups, and pet professionals.
Attend the meeting on Tuesday to express your concerns and to discuss solutions. Click here for General Rules and Procedures for Public Participation at Commission Meetings.
Meeting Information, Broward County Commission
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
10:00 a.m.
Broward County Governmental Center, Room 422
115 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Contact Information
District 1, Nan Rich, nrich@broward.org, 954-357-7001
District 2, Vice Mayor Mark D. Bogen, mbogen@broward.org, 954- 357-7002
District 3, Michael Udine, mudine@broward.org, 954-357-7003
District 4, Chip LaMarca, clamarca@broward.org, 954-357-7004
District 5, Steve Geller, sgeller@broward.org, 954- 357-7005
District 6, Mayor Beam Furr, bfurr@broward.org, 954- 357-7006
District 7, Tim Ryan, tryan@broward.org, 954-357-7007
District 8, Barbara Sharief, bsharief@broward.org, 954-357-7008
District 9, Dale V. C. Holness, dholness@broward.org, 954-357-7009
For additional information, please contact AKC Government Relations at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org .