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Board of County Commissioners <br />Meeting Minutes - Final May 14, 2019 <br />13.C. 19-0412 Request for Permission to Advertise: Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats <br />Recommended Action: Discuss the proposed ordinance amendment and direct staff to either proceed with <br />advertising with the code amendment or decide that no amendment is needed at this <br />time. <br />Attachments: Staff Report <br />Article <br />Proposed Ordinance <br />Deputy County Attorney Bill DeBraal recalled discussion from the October 16, <br />2018 County Commission meeting at which Nicole Capobianco addressed the <br />Board about banning the retail sale of puppies that were born in "puppy mills" and <br />cited cases where sick animals were purchased at Pets Around the World II. He <br />noted that Greg Doherty, owner of Pets Around the World II, was also present at <br />that meeting. Attorney DeBraal recapped the conditions associated with the sale of <br />pets at retail pet stores, and advocated for the County to pursue an Ordinance <br />amendment to ban such sales. He explained that shelters and rescue organizations <br />would still be permitted to sell pets, as would hobby breeders. Attorney DeBraal <br />advised the Board that the proposed Ordinance amendment would be modeled on <br />the Ordinance used in Seminole County, and the language would be inclusive of <br />"kitten factories" as well as "puppy mills." <br />Responding to a query about the definition of "Hobby Breeder" in the proposed <br />ordinance, Attorney DeBraal stated he would be working on harmonizing the <br />existing Indian River County code with the proposed Seminole County model <br />ordinance. <br />Commissioner O'Bryan made mention that he supported moving forward on this <br />issue and that he had some suggestions for wording. <br />Nicole Capobianco, 7065 21st Street SW, expressed her appreciation to the Board <br />for addressing this matter. In turn, she was thanked by Commissioner Flescher for <br />her dedication in resolving this matter. <br />Kate Meghji, 2125 Buena Vista Boulevard, Executive Director of the Humane <br />Society, spoke on the lack of best practices for pet stores nationwide, commended <br />the Board, and offered assistance with the language in the Ordinance. <br />Amy Robinson, 1935 Surfside Terrace, suggested imposing a breeder's tax and <br />establishing a quota on the number of animals sold by hobby breeders. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Flescher, seconded by Commissioner Zorc, to <br />approve staffs recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote: <br />Aye: 5 - Chairman Solari, Vice Chairman Adams, Commissioner Flescher, Commissioner <br />O'Bryan, and Commissioner Zorc <br />Indian River County Florida Page 11 <br />