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Pasco takes step toward banning retail sale of rabbits

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The Pasco County Commission has directed county staff to come back to the board with a recommendation regarding banning the retail sale of rabbits.

Pasco County outlawed the sale of kittens, puppies, cats and dogs from pet stores last year, and now animal advocates want a similar ban on the sale of pet rabbits.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said the board should consider a ban, and he and his colleagues voted to have county staff bring something back to the board on the issue.

The action followed emails received by commissioners and requests during the public comment portion of a meeting in September and also in December.

This bunny lived in a loving home and was well taken care of from the age of 6 months; unfortunately, rabbits often are ‘impulse buys’ and are abandoned on the streets shortly after their purchase, say some animal advocates who want to ban the retail sale of rabbits at pet shops. (Courtesy of Meagan Rathman-Urena)

During the Dec. 7 meeting, Dr. Betsy Coville, a veterinarian from Lutz, told commissioners that rabbits are the third most-surrendered pet.

“They require higher maintenance than dogs or cats and can live 10 to 12 years.

“Frequently dumped outside, when the rescues are full, they starve, become prey for coyotes, or are hit by a car.

Bunny mills are consistently the source for these bunnies that become unwanted.

They’re “no different from the puppy mills that we recognize as inhumane,” she said.

“There are currently three locations in Florida that have placed bans on retail sales of rabbits: Orange County, Desoto County and Key West.

“They have all placed rabbits, along with dogs and cats, in their retail sale ban.

“Petco and PetSmart stopped selling rabbits in 2007, and only work with rescues. They are the No. 1 and (No.) 2 retail pet supplies in the U.S., so obviously, a ban will not hurt these businesses financially. This ban will take the pressure off rescues and humane societies — removing the guilt of turning them away and negating the need for owners to dump them.

“Pasco County has been a leader in the state in protecting animals, with anti-tethering laws and pet sales bans.

“Now, as we are working to educate and change laws in neighboring counties, we hope you will be the trailblazer for the Tampa Bay region,” the veterinarian said.

Animal advocate Renee Rivard, who had appeared at both the Sept. 28 and Dec. 7 meeting, reiterated her concerns.

At the Dec. 7 meeting, she told commissioners: “The Tampa Humane Society has taken in 246 unwanted pet rabbits so far this year. That’s 100 more than last year.

“Hillsborough County commissioners are taking action, because the Tampa Humane Society is their partner in helping the county with unwanted pets,” she said.

She asked the Pasco board to do the same: “There is no facility in Pasco County that takes in unwanted rabbits. Suncoast House Rabbit Rescue is your partner with unwanted pet rabbits here in Pasco County. Suncoast House Rabbit Rescue has told you that they are overwhelmed. In September alone, they had to turn away 66 unwanted pet rabbits.

“It is extremely difficult to find fosters and homes for rabbits. Rabbits are a high-maintenance pet,” Rivard said. “They need specialized veterinarian care, which is expensive,” she added.

She also explained that the majority of rabbit sales are impulse buys at retail stores. That especially occurs around Easter, when children tell their parents they want a bunny rabbit.

Rivard told commissioners: “You have roughly 45 pet stores in Pasco County; 36 of them survive, without selling rabbits.”

The argument that Petco and PetSmart haven’t sold rabbits in years seemed to resonate with Mariano.

He mentioned that and noted that in addition to hearing from speakers, he’s received emails on the issue.

He made a motion to have county staff look into the issue and to report back to the board, which received unanimous support from his colleagues.

Published December 22, 2021

Pasco seeks to forbid pet stores from selling cats and dogs

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Pasco County is seeking to stop the sale of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens from retail pet stores.

The Pasco County Commission, during its Aug. 4 meeting, heard the introduction of an amendment to a county ordinance — that would enact the new restriction.

Commissioners are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal at their Sept. 8 meeting, at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in downtown Dade City.

Mike Shumate, the county’s director of animal services, told commissioners the proposed change aims “to restrict the retail sale of dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, from pet stores — especially those intentionally selling from large, commercial breeders, out-of-state breeders, puppy mills, primarily.”

Shumate said the proposed ordinance change is consistent with his department’s mission to protect people and pets, within the community.

The new restriction is needed, Shumate said, because a significant number of puppies and kittens sold at pet stores come from out-of-state large-scale breeding facilities where the health and welfare of animals is not provided adequately.

Shumate said: “There’s documented abuses — endemic of the puppy and kitten mills — including overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal to nonexistent veterinary care, lack of nutritious food, water and shelter, lack of socialization, adequate space and exercise.

“The inhuman conditions of puppy mills and kitten mills often lead to health and behavioral issues,” he added.

And, that becomes a problem for future pet owners, the animal services director said.

“Consumers are often unaware of these issues when purchasing their animals from pet stores,” Shumate said.

Pet owners do have some recourse because there’s state law that puts restrictions and requirements on those importing animals from out-of-state, Shumate said. That regulation is often referred to as Florida’s pet-limit law, he said.

However, Shumate noted: “Many of these health and behavioral issues may develop later — once they’re outside the scope of the protection of the Florida statute —  to impose financial hardship and emotional costs on consumers.”

Prohibiting the retail sale of kittens and puppies likely will result in decreased demand for pets that were bred in puppy and kitten mills, the animal services director said.

It also likely will lead to an increased demand for pets from the animal shelter, from rescue operations and from local, registered breeders, he said.

“Most pet stores operate profitably with a business model focused on the sale of pet services and supplies, and not on the sale of dogs and cats,” Shumate said.

“A lot of your big box pet stores — such as Petco, PetSmart, Pet Supermarket, Pet Supplies Plus — throughout our county operate very profitable businesses, and they do not offer for sale dogs, cats, puppies and kittens,” he added.

Instead, they partner with animal shelters and rescue groups to adopt animals out, Shumate said.

The ordinance promotes collaboration between animal shelters, rescue organizations and pet stores to showcase adoptable, homeless pets at pet stores.

The amendment does not affect a consumer’s ability to obtain a pet, Shumate told commissioners.

“I’m sure if you are looking for any breed of dog, you can find it very quickly, here in Pasco County, or surrounding counties, or certainly within our own state,” Shumate said.

“We have no want for animals coming into our shelter every day, so we know that the population is still high,” he said.

“We have cats galore, in the county, that we’re desperately working on to get sterilized as quickly as possible with some of our programs and funding, and some of our partners and grants from Petco and PetSmart Charities, and things like that,” he added.

Animal services does its best to avoid euthanizing animals. Currently, it has a 93% save rate, Shumate said, crediting his staff and the shelter’s partners for that achievement.

Reducing the number of pets brought into the county from puppy or kitten mills should result in fewer pets being brought to the shelter — thus increasing the shelter’s available space to keep pets alive, while they are awaiting permanent homes, he added.

By adopting the amended ordinance, the county will join about 50 municipalities and eight other counties in Florida that already have passed similar ordinances, Shumate said.

The ordinance does allow an  exemption for current registered pet stores in the county.

That exemption is being permitted because there is just one existing pet store and the county has the ability to inspect it and respond to complaints, if any arise, Shumate said.

Published August 19, 2020

Economic summit to focus on industrial hub

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Local business and government leaders in Zephyrhills will join together for an event that will spotlight the city’s industrial corridor and ongoing efforts to cultivate high-wage manufacturing jobs.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit is scheduled for Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St., in Zephyrhills.

The summit primarily will focus on the city’s forthcoming industrial corridor master plan and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport runway extension, according to a press release from the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce executive director Melonie Monson is organizing the third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit.

Other topics will broach infrastructure and the East Pasco roadway network, plus updates on various state and county intergovernmental collaboration projects in the region.

The event is presented by the Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition (ZEDC) in partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and the Zephyrhills chamber.

Registration is $10 and will include lunch and continental breakfast.

The summit will feature interactive discussions and presentations from the following speakers:

  • Billy Poe, Zephyrhills city manager Billy Poe
  • Dr. Randy Stovall, Zephyrhills chamber president
  • Todd Vande Berg, city planning director
  • Mohsen Mohammadi, chief operations officer for American Infrastructure Development
  • David Gwynn, District 7 secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
  • Randy Maggard, State Rep. District 38
  • Ron Oakley, chairman of the Pasco County Commission
  • Tom Ryan, economic development manager for Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc.
  • Danielle Ruiz, economic development manager for Duke Energy

Zephyrhills’ proposed industrial development hub focuses on a large grouping of industrial properties and adjacent areas within the Chancey Road corridor and municipal airport.

The planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east. That encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33% within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in Pasco.

Zephyrhills chamber executive director Melonie Monson, who’s organizing the summit, underscored the need to build out the industrial corridor, to recruit employment-generating manufacturing companies and to develop a middle-class workforce in Zephyrhills.

The city is pining for a “medium-sized industrial manufacturer,” Monson said, to give local high school graduates a place to work, so they can remain in the community.

The chamber director believes that Zephyrhills could attract such a company soon. She cited the city’s recent efforts to partner with Pasco County to spend millions of dollars to extend water and sewer to the industrial site.

“It’s just ready for industry, it just is,” she said.

Monson put it this way: “We’re excited the city’s being proactive instead of reactive, so when that big person hits and says, ‘I want to come here,’ we’ll be ready for that and say, ‘Here’s your spot, this is what we have, these are the incentives, this is your workforce.’

“That’s what we’re working toward, to put all those pieces together to make sure that we get what we want here,” Monson said.

She said the industrial corridor also could pave the way for other companies in distribution, light manufacturing, aviation and so on.

“I believe it’s going to have a lot of different textures to it,” the chamber executive said.

She is encouraged by the city’s direction in recent years of attracting younger families and groups to live, work and play.

She mentioned the downtown area alone has added a brewery, a billiards hall and axe-throwing venue, and other things to do.

Zephyrhills also is in the midst of getting a state-of-the-art tennis center and thousands of new homes and apartments.

The city recently landed its first Starbucks and Wawa. A Chick-Fil-A in the works.

Other notable businesses set to come online include Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General.

“We’re getting there. In the last three or four years you’ve just seen this huge spur of development,” Monson said.

Previous Zephyrhills economic summits focused on the medical community and education. Monson said next year’s will likely be geared around workforce development.

The summits encourage stakeholders to collaborate to help move Zephyrhills forward as a viable community.

“We’re the only community in Pasco County that’s doing something like this — where we have a coalition that really focuses on pro-business, pro-education, trying to make our community stand out in the midst of all of the other communities.

“We just every year want to make sure that we let people know what we really have here and what we’re doing and why you might want to come and be a part of the Zephyrhills community,” Monson said.

For information and to register for the summit, contact Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce director Melonie Monson at (813) 782-1913 or

Published October 2, 2019

 

 

Development projects underway in Zephyrhills

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Much development is on tap for the city of Zephyrhills — from new commercial and residential properties, to ongoing road construction projects.

Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg discussed a number of those projects as the guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s February breakfast meeting.

Among the most ballyhooed is the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, which will be situated west of Simons Road.

Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg discussed several city development projects at a recent East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The speaker said the $3.5 million project is expected to break ground in May or June: “We’re getting real close with the final engineered site plan, as well as the architect plans.”

The facility will include a mix of 11 full-size outdoor clay courts and hard courts, including an exhibition court to attract various United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments.

It also will feature multiple pickleball and padel courts, racquet sports “becoming more and more popular,” Vande Berg said.

Meanwhile, the indoor portion of the center will include a lobby and seating area, community room, kid’s club room, fitness center, plus “other unique elements,” like cryotherapy and salt room chambers. Additionally, Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions restaurant will have an in-house bakery and coffee shop with artisan offerings.

The project is a public-private partnership between the city and Tennis P.R.O and its owner, Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility.

The tennis center is named after Vande Berg’s daughter, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Much of the project’s funding is being offset by various impact fees and grants, Vande Berg said.

The city planner believes the tennis center could have international draw.

He said the USTA recently inquired about having the facility someday host matches for the Fed Cup, regarded as the premier international team competition in women’s tennis.

“It’s going to be a unique opportunity for all Pasco County and the region,” Vande Berg said of the tennis facility. “It’s going to be a huge deal.”

The speaker also noted some indoor/covered tennis courts could potentially be phased in later, at the discretion of the facility’s management team.

“That would make us very unique in the state of Florida, because there’s only one other facility in the state that offers that,” he said.

Also in the arena of business development, Vande Berg mentioned the city is working on a master plan for its industrial corridor — which encompasses about 4,000 untapped acres of property along the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — to create a regional hub for light manufacturing companies.

Vande Berg said the master plan ties in with the four-lane extension of State Road 56 to U.S. 301.

The speaker noted Zephyrhills is also pursuing an additional extension to State Road 56 that would link to State Road 39; the city received $1 million in the Florida 2019 budget to fund a planning study for the project.

“One thing that we’ve heard from some manufacturers was, ‘Well, we need access to a four-lane road,’” Vande Berg said, “so that’ll make a big difference.”

Aside from trying to expand its industrial footprint, other commercial projects are in the works in Zephyrhills.

The city is set to get a Chick-Fil-A, Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General, along with other businesses.

Florida Medical Clinic is also undergoing a major health care facility expansion along Eiland Boulevard and Simons Road, Vande Berg said.

“There’s a lot going on in Zephyrhills,” the city planner said.

Vande Berg also touched on the city’s residential development, noting thousands of new homes and apartments will be coming online in the next decade.

Some of the larger developments include The District at Abbott’s Square, Zephyr Lakes, Hidden River, and expansions to the Silver Oaks and Silverado communities, while Wire Ranch Apartments and Pretty Pond/Wire Road Apartments are some the larger multifamily units in the works.

“The residential housing is booming,” Vande Berg said. “We have a couple thousand units coming on board and they’re not all retirees. A lot of these homes are single-family, younger families with kids.”

Published March 06, 2019

PetSmart to host special pet adoption this weekend

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Cat Crusaders wants people to bring a feline into their home, and are offering a chance to do just that this weekend in New Tampa.

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Courtesy of Cat Crusaders

PetSmart, located at 6248 Commerce Palms Blvd., will have a number of pets available for adoption May 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend.

Cat Crusaders will be joined by several other animal rescue groups, including Florida Cocker Spaniel Rescue, PetPals, Florida All Retriever Rescue, and Guardian Angel Dog Rescue. It will feature kittens, cats, puppies and dogs for adoption.

Cat Crusaders will feature special kitten and cat adoption fees for Saturday — $35 for an adult cat, $60 for a kitten, and $80 for two kittens. All cats and kittens are current on their vaccines, and have been spayed or neutered, and microchipped.
PetSmart stores typically offer adoption serves every weekend, but the additional adoption events — held four times each year — allow for specials on adoption, as well as a wider variety of pets. More than 17,000 pets find homes during a PetSmart adoption weekend, and are held in every PetSmart store in the United States and Canada.
For more information on the event, click here.