News for Florida animal advocates

The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for counties across central and north Florida. Yesterday, the St. Augustine Record ran an article about what locals can do to stay cool in this summer’s record heat. The paper spoke to a landscape worker who complained, “We are out here all day, and the hotter it gets, the harder it is to breathe, it’s so humid.” Another worker told the paper, “We try to stay in the shade.” Although human workers can take steps to stay cool, horses in St. Augustine who are forced to pull heavy carriages in extreme heat and humidity have no protections from the heat. But that may soon change.

The City of St. Augustine is currently working on long-overdue revisions to the city’s horse-carriage ordinance. ARFF has testified in front of the city commission in support of the draft ordinance. Under the proposed changes, horses would be moved off of Avenida Menendez, one of the busiest streets in the city. Another proposed change would be to require horses to be pulled off the street if the temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

This summer is one of the hottest on record, but the temperature in St. Augustine has only broke 100 on a few days. For the new ordinance to make a real difference for horses, the maximum temperature at which horses are removed from the streets must be lowered. The City of St. Petersburg bans horse-drawn carriages on city streets when the temperature is above 95. In Tampa, the maximum temperature is 90.

Please contact the City of St. Augustine City Commission and express your support of the proposed changes to the city’s horse-carriage ordinance, but urge them to consider lowering the temperature max to 95 or 90.

Contact:
Mayor Joseph Boles and Commissioners
City of St. Augustine
E-mail: cosa@citystaug.com

Send a copy of your e-mail to Assistant City Attorney Carlos Mendoza at cmendoza@citystaug.com

Please let ARFF know if you receive a response.

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