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Residents press city over carriage horses: quarantine, strangles outbreak and alleged abuse draw public scrutiny
Summary
Public commentators at the Jan. 12 St. Augustine City Commission meeting urged enforcement and transparency on carriage-horse care after an outbreak of strangles and circulating videos alleged an owner admitted striking an animal; carriage operators pushed back, saying quarantined horses were not run on city streets and called for regulation.
A cluster of public comments at the Jan. 12 St. Augustine City Commission meeting focused on concerns about the city's carriage-horse industry, including allegations of animal abuse, poor record-keeping and a contagious equine disease quarantined at a private barn.
Jennifer Cushion told the commission her barn is under quarantine after a horse fell ill and she denied claims of dead animals, saying her operation is following veterinary and state rules: “No dead horses. The horse is on the road to healing,” she said.
Resident Heather Wilson told the commission she had reviewed city records and said the documents required under Florida…
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