Retail pet sales could be banned in Martin County if ordinance survives legal challenge
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 -- The retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits could soon be banned by an ordinance in Martin County. The county says the original goal of the ordinance was to take aim at puppy mills, but pet stores claim it would impact them too. (WPEC)
STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — The retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits could soon be banned by an ordinance in Martin County.
The county says the original goal of the ordinance was to take aim at puppy mills, but pet stores claim it would impact them too.
The Noble Paw and Wags About You are suing Martin County, claiming this ordinance is wrong - and should never come into effect.
The Martin County Commission voted to ban retail sales of dogs, cats and rabbits.
The county declined to comment on this story, but previously said their intent with this ordinance was to knock out puppy mills.
Jill Scott, the Co-Owner of The Noble Paw, says this ordinance missed the mark.
“We’re very upset, we’re horrified to; even being a part of this," Scott told CBS12 News Wednesday. "We wish the county would just listen, be open to listening, instead of grouping us in with this whole fight against puppy mills because we will join them in that fight - but we’re not part of that.”
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Attorney Rick Kozell represents Wags About You, and is confident the county is in the wrong - and that they’ve lost focus in their goal of ending puppy mills.
“We’ve got nine separate counts, that’s very unusual, we’re in federal court, there are constitutional issues, there are state laws that prohibit a law like this from coming into effect at a local level," he stated. "This has come a long way from what the stated purpose of it was when they began.”
Scott says she can only hope the county reconsiders, as this ordinance would likely force her store, which she and her partner have invested hundreds of thousands into, to shut down.
“It’ll close our business. This is primarily why we’re here. We got into this business to counteract some of the negativity in this industry - and there is, like there is in any industry," Scott relayed. "We felt like we were the good guys coming in to do it the right way.”
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Kozell says it’ll take awhile for the issue to be resolved at the federal level, and the two businesses will remain open while it plays out.
Martin County voted on the ordinance over a year ago. It was to go into effect last December but the county allowed a six-month grace period for businesses to adjust.
That grace period is ending this month, but a judge granted an injunction this morning, preventing the ordinance from taking effect until the case is heard.