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Selling puppy mill pets could be legal across Florida if bill passes

House Bill 7087 would allow the sale of puppies and cats from puppy mills. The bill would also cancel existing bans across the state.
<p>St. Pete ordinance takes aim at puppy mills</p>

SARASOTA, Fla. - Animal advocates are outraged over a bill passing through Tallahassee.

House Bill 7087 would allow the sale of puppies and cats from puppy mills. The bill would also cancel existing bans across the state.

Twenty-four puppies were removed from a Petland store in Fort Myers last week. Investigators say the puppies arrived by truck from Missouri and were kept in crowded cages, full of feces and urine and without water.

Fort Myers doesn’t have an ordinance banning the sale of dogs or cats from puppy mills, but Sarasota does. Animal rights advocates say HB 7087 puts that ordinance in jeopardy.

“Sarasota’s ban will become null and void,” said Wendy Smith, an animal advocate attorney. Smith said bills in 57 other cities and counties would be canceled too.

Smith said, “This means there will be no way to stop the sale of puppy mills again anywhere in Florida … It’s pretty overreaching.”

Smith says the last-minute amendment added to a 108-page bill about sales tax on personal property doesn’t say puppy mills, but implies it.

“It is so broadly written it would apply to puppy mill dogs,” she said

Animal rights advocates fought hard to put these bans in place, said Smith. “These people understand the horror puppy mills are and we don’t want those kinds of dogs in the state of Florida.”

The bill has future ramifications too she said.

“This amendment, if passed, will preempt any county or city from enacting an ordinance in the future.”

Sarasota County says it's in litigation with Petland over the county ordinance that went into effect a year ago last January.

Bob Lengyel says he’s a faithful Petland customer. He’s bought his last four dogs from Petland and is looking at a fifth one to replace the Yorkie that just died. The cost for the new dog is $4,000.

Lengyel said a store warranty for the dog that died will help cover about half the cost for the new dog.

He says he supports the bill allowing puppy mills to sell dogs in Florida. “Somebody has to supply the puppies the public wants. As long as the mills and kennels are supervised and inspected.”

Smith disagreed. “There’s no such thing as a good puppy mill.”

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