Commissioners Reverse Course on Ban of Retail Sale of Pets

BRADENTON – A late addition to the agenda for Tuesday's Manatee County Commission meeting included a report from the county attorney's office on the pending litigation regarding a ban on the retail sale of cats and dogs passed by commissioners in 2021. After the update, commissioners unexpectedly voted 6-1 to move to repeal the ban.

The county is currently being sued by two entities over the ban: Kaya Nyati Ventures, LCC and Elegant Pet, Inc., both of which are Petland franchisees. The businesses had been given one year from the effective date of the ordinance to adapt their business models but were recently awarded a stay on the ban, pending their appeal.

Manatee County Attorney Bill Clague told commissioners that the suit would require a considerable amount of his office's resources and because it has been expressed by the new board that there may be an appetite to repeal the ban, he wanted clear direction as to whether those resources should be directed toward litigating the case or repealing the ban.

The ban, which had been driven by Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who lost her reelection bid to Jason Bearden in last year's Republican primary, passed 4-3 last August with commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Vanessa Baugh, and James Satcher dissenting. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy and Misty Servia, two commissioners who also voted in favor of the ban, lost their reelection bids as well, leaving at-large commissioner George Kruse as the sole remaining board member who had voted in favor of the ban.

Mike Rahn, who defeated Servia in last year's Republican primary, motioned to instruct the county attorney's office to draft and advertise a repeal of the ban. His motion was seconded by Baugh and passed 6-1, with only Kruse dissenting. County Attorney Clague said that his office would endeavor to have the item on the agenda for the board's next scheduled regular meeting on January 31.