Dogs and horses and people … oh my!

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm

Reporter - News Analyst

December 7, 2017 11:00 a.m.

2016/17 Fernandina Beach City Commission: (l-r) Vice Mayor Len Kreger, Commissioner Roy Smith, City Attorney Tammi Bach, Mayor Robin Lentz, City Manager Dale Martin, Commissioner Tim Poynter, Commissioner John Miller

The 2016-17 Fernandina Beach City Commission concluded its deliberations with a discussion billed on the agenda as “Dogs on City Beaches.” Early in the half hour discussion it became apparent that there was no unanimity about the need to change existing ordinances or provide special areas or parks so that dog owners might be able to provide more freedom for their pets on the beach without leashes.   The final action was a unanimous decision to table the item for consideration by the next commission.

Currently, by city ordinance, dogs are allowed on Atlantic Ocean beaches, but must be under leash, as defined by the city’s animal control regulations; dogs are not permitted to run at large—on beaches or anywhere else in the city. City Attorney Tammi Bach had been asked by commissioners at a previous meeting to bring back some options for consideration. Mayor Robin Lentz had specifically asked about the possibility of having part of the beach designated as a “dog beach” during certain hours of the day to allow dogs to run without leashes.

By and large, commission reaction was not positive. Vice Mayor Len Kreger suggested that the city enforce the existing ordinance before moving on to discuss creating a dog beach. He said that most of the violators were residents. While Lentz continued to express a desire to find a way for dogs to enjoy unfettered access to the beach and ocean, other commissioners were less enthusiastic, citing problems for human visitors that overly friendly or aggressive dogs can create.

The discussion morphed into a larger discussion of safety problems that appear to be increasing along with the rise in beach visitors. Some of the concerns included:

• Unlicensed dogs
• Waste from dogs and horses
• Alcohol consumption on the beach
• Discarded cigarette butts.

Commissioner John Miller raised the possibility of creating a Beach Patrol to insure that all beachgoers – 2- or 4-footed – adhere to city rules. He said he liked the idea of designating an isolated area where dogs could be allowed to run during set times.

Commissioner Tim Poynter compared the dog issue to the horse problem. “These problems exist,” he said, “because we have no enforcement of existing ordinances.” He raised problems of locating a dog beach where it would not prove to be a problem to homeowners, drawing comparisons to the ongoing complaints regarding horses on the beach. He commended Lentz for having the item put on the agenda for discussion, but said that commissioners seemed to support enforcement of existing restrictions, not moving forward on a dog beach.

Kreger supported the issuance of citations as a means of discouraging scofflaws. He left the door open for considering a dog beach in the future.

Betsie Huben

Audience member Betsie Huben addressed the commissioners. She recalled a recent police report of an incident involving an unleashed dog attacking another dog and its owner on a city beach. The owner of the attacking dog never stopped to render assistance or provide proof that her dog had been vaccinated against rabies. Huben said, “I take my 20-month old grandson to the beach. There are people who look around and look to see if there is anyone likely to say anything if they unleash their dog. We are way past time for having some sort of enforcement for a lot of items on our beach … I am in complete agreement that if you start ticketing or citing people for, it will stop. No one will want to pay the fines. I think it’s a problem, and we need to fix it through enforcement.”

Commissioners tabled the discussion for consideration by the new commission.

Editor's Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne's many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.