News for Florida animal advocates

A recent article in the Sun Sentinel described how the Palm Beach County Commission is struggling to deal with an enormous budget shortfall. In 2006, when the economy was in better shape, commissioners spent $300+ million to lure The Scripps Research Institute to the county. Today, with the economic situation much different, the county is […]

Great news for coyotes and foxes! On Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission met to discuss coyote/fox penning. Commissioners considered several options, including prohibiting the chasing of fox and coyote in enclosures, allowing the enclosures to remain open but with stricter regulations, or phasing out the enclosures by 2013. After hours of discussion and […]

Levy County, on Florida’s northwest coast, has a lot going for it. Within its boundaries are four state parks and two national wildlife refuges where you can find manatees, bald eagles and wild turkeys. The county’s many freshwater springs are great for swimming or snorkeling. Boating on the historic Suwannee River is also a popular […]

Today the St. Augustine Record reported that the Avalon Carriage Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Avalon is by far the city’s largest carriage company, possessing 43 of the existing 46 carriage permits. Owner Murphy McDaniel said his company was “struggling for survival due to the economy.” Unfortunately, horses will remain on the […]

Last week, the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken Challenge returned to Mardi Gras Casino (formerly known as the Hollywood Kennel Club). The lure, for gamblers bored with poker and slots, is to “Play tic tac toe with a REAL chicken!” We understand if you’re confused; we don’t get the appeal either.
Last year, ARFF visited the casino and watched […]

On Monday, Orlando TV station WESH CH. 2 reported that SeaWorld has resumed its killer whale shows after cancelling shows on Sunday following the death of “Taima,” a 20-year-old orca, while giving birth (the calf was stillborn).
WESH asked a few park visitors for comment, including Christopher Boyles, who said, “I don’t know, it’s quite hard. […]

March 20 was a bad day at the Sarasota Kennel Club. Four greyhounds fell and broke a leg during races. Three of the dogs were euthanized by the track veterinarian. As shocking as this is, it was not unusual. According to an excellent article in Sunday’s Sarasota Herald Tribune, 14 greyhounds were euthanized after accidents […]

ARFF is an animal rights group, not the fashion police, but even we know that wearing a fur coat outside on a 90 degree day in June is a bad idea-even if you didn’t care about the suffering of animals in fur farms.
This morning on the grounds of the Westin Diplomat Resort a group of […]

Today, Governor Charlie Crist approved Senate Bill 318 (read last week’s post about the bill here). The bill will take effect July 1.
Here’s the text of the new Florida law:
“No person, party, firm, association, or corporation shall keep, possess, import into the state, sell, barter, trade, or breed the following species for personal use or […]

Last week, a Broward County judge ruled that puppy dealers Jim and Gilda Anderson had violated Florida’s pet lemon law and the terms of a lawsuit settlement. Read our previous post about the Anderson’s below. The judge has not yet decided what fines and other penalties the Anderson’s will face.
In court, the Anderson’s stated that […]