From: THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA [mailto:info@newsserviceflorida.com]
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 2:58 PM
To: NSF2
Subject: MANDATORY STERILIZATION BILL TO BE NEUTERED, VOTED ON.

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MANDATORY STERILIZATION BILL TO BE NEUTERED, VOTED ON.

By MICHAEL PELTIER
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 23, 2009... A bill to require most pet
owners in Florida to spay and neuter their cats and dogs or face a fine is
expected to pass out of its first House committee Tuesday.

But not until its fixed.

Originally written to require mandatory sterilization of most cats and dogs,
a proposal (HB 451) by Rep. Scott Randolph scheduled for a vote by the House
Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday will be amended to
strike the mandatory provision that has left pet owners and some veterinarians
howling.

Panelists are expected instead to vote on an amended version of HB 451 that
merely gives local officials the option of diverting a $5 surcharge already
being tacked on to animal control citations to help local governments pay to
spay or neuter Rover or Fluffy.

Local governments spend between $50 million and $100 million a year
euthanizing and housing dogs and cats, said Randolph, D-Orlando. Most of the
time, those funds come from public safety budgets. This is a financial bill.

Local animal control agencies are allowed to add a $5 surcharge on animal
violations. Currently, they must use the funds to pay for employee education
programs. The amendment to be offered Tuesday would allow those funds to be
used for sterilization services.

Animal enforcement officials say spending money to sterilize more of the 10
million dogs and cats in Florida is cheaper and easier than punishing owners
who dont neuter their pets.

Enforcement is extremely expensive, said Dr. Sara Pizano, director of
Miami-Dade Animal Services. You would have to spend a whole lot of money. You
have to ask yourself what your goal is. Your goal should be to neuter animals,
not punish people.

Currently, Pizanos department generates about $100,000 from the surcharges
and only 26 employees. She said her department could perform thousands of
procedures with that kind of money.

Randolphs original bill is modeled after a measure approved last year in
Los Angeles, which enacted a proposal that fines pet owners $500 for not
neutering their pets. Breeders or recalcitrant owners can purchase permits to forgo
the procedures.

But there have been complaints about the L.A. law and its been hard to
enforce.

A couple of Florida communities also have measures already on the books.
Palm Beach County charges pet owners a fee if they dont spay or neuter their
pets. Volusia County also requires spaying or neutering, but has exemptions for
breeders and some other pet owners.

House Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers,
said shes allowing the bill be heard as a favor to Randolph, who has taken
considerable heat for the measure.

With such a tight budget, Williams said she has told members that
non-critical measures will not be considered this term, including a plethora of pet
bills deemed nonessential to the state.

Ive told members that were going to focused on budget-related issues and
thats it, Williams said. I agreed to allow (Randolphs) measure so he
can clear his name from a really bad bill. Wed like a clean slate.

--END--
03/23/09

Illuminating the Sunshine State

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/story/964530.html)