Residents and carriage operators clash over horse-drawn carriages; city urged to enforce vet and licensing rules

Residents and business owners exchanged sharply different accounts of horse-drawn carriage operations during public comment at a City Commission meeting in St. Augustine.

The core of the dispute centers on whether carriage companies are meeting St. Augustine municipal-code requirements for twice-yearly veterinary exams and for carrying franchise or other required permits. Several speakers urged the commission to place the matter on an agenda for formal review and enforcement.

Why it matters: The carriage industry operates in the city’s most congested, tourist-heavy streets. Residents raised both animal-welfare concerns (heat, lack of water, infrequent veterinary inspections) and public-safety risks (drivers allegedly distracted while animals navigate traffic). Operators said they follow city temperature rules, provide veterinary care and hold required driver and hack licenses.

At the podium, carriage driver Jesse Sabo said he and other drivers follow a schedule designed to protect horses’ welfare and avoid daytime heat, and asked the commission to consider the work carriage operators provide to the tourism economy. “If it’s too hot, we just don’t go out,” Sabo said. “Most of the providers are very small and have only a small number of animals, and we have to keep them in the best health possible.”

Resident Heather Wilson cited the municipal…