Florida could toss out local ‘puppy mill’ bans
Lawmakers weigh pet store rules that can affect sales, retailers
Fueled by lobbying and at least $160,000 in campaign contributions from a major pet retailer, Florida lawmakers could wipe from the books dozens of local laws that ban the sale of dogs and cats from high-volume “puppy mills.”
Animal welfare groups say the bills — which bring forth regulations for animal care, documentation and socialization — are largely unenforceable since most animals come to stores from out of state.
But a supporter of the rules, a South Florida franchisee of Petland, argued the proposal brings much-needed standards to the industry and would raise the bar statewide for the sale of pets.
If approved by the Florida legislature in the coming months, the changes would toss out about 60 local ordinances, including those passed by Lake and Seminole Counties, and others by Oviedo and Sanford.
The bills in the Florida House and Senate were filed by Miami Republicans Rep. Bryan Avila and Sen. Manny Diaz — and have yet to have a hearing scheduled,
but welfare groups are vowing to kill the bill.
“As the public has been more educated to the source of these puppies ... and now the retail puppy selling stores has gotten very aggressive in going state to state and asking state lawmakers to preempt,” said Jennifer Hobgood, a lobbyist for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “So it’s 12 pages of window dressing with the darker reality hidden in the final lines of the bill.”
Avila’s 13-page bill calls for stores to sell animals acquired from qualified or hobby breeders, animal rescues and shelters, as well as other pet stores or brokers. It also requires frequent veterinary visits to stores, as well as a statement from an animal doctor listing its health, as well as requirements for living conditions.
In 2018 and 2019, lawmakers have tried to secure the preemption by filing it as amendments to larger bills, but those have failed. Also in recent years, similar packages have been considered in states like Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Luis Marquez, who owns six Florida Petland locations, is a key funder of the initiative and maintains statewide legislation would provide consistent rules for an industry he said he’s been trying to improve, by sourcing his dogs from responsible breeders that he compares to “pet resorts.”
In Florida, lawmakers have taken in at least $160,000 in campaign contributions from Petland and Marquez’ franchises since 2018, records show. Money has gone to both parties, as well as groups affiliated with Gov. Ron DeSantis, future Senate President Wilton Simpson and other Tallahassee powerbrokers.
“I think care, socialization and sourcing are three huge things, that’s why this bill is so important,” said Marquez, of Miami. “With something this important, instead of having activists jumping from city to city and county to county ... with how important dogs have become in our lives, I think it’s something the state and I believe the federal government should have regulations of.”
When Marquez mentions activists, he’s referring to Michele Lazarow, a Hallandale Beach city commissioner and president of the Animal Defense Coalition, who is the architect of the dozens of local ordinances that have taken root throughout the state.
The two have battled in court — Marquez filed a since-dismissed lawsuit against her, after she referred to him as the “world’s worst person” on Facebook— and in government halls throughout the state. She offers a grimmer view of where the pets come from and the lack of effectiveness she believes the legislation would have.
She also pushed back on Marquez’s claims that he sources puppies to quality breeders, and stating she believes the proposal can’t be enforced since some breeders are from outside of Florida.
“It sounds great on paper ... but there’s no way to enforce anything like this,” Lazarow said. “Responsible breeders don’t sell to stores, period.”
Lazarow also pointed to recent outbreaks of the diarrheal bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked to contact with puppies and nearly half of the cases to Petland, the Washington Post reported. The CDC found at least 30 cases of the bacteria across 13 states — including Florida — with a dozen cases linked to Petland. Five of those were employees of the chain.
“It used to be the dogs were getting sick and now the dogs are getting people sick,” Lazarow said. “It’s not just about sick puppies, it’s now a public health and safety problem.”
The bill sponsors, Avila and Diaz, couldn’t be reached for comment.