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Residents press city over carriage horses: quarantine, strangles outbreak and alleged abuse draw public scrutiny
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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 statutes were “atrocious,” listing discrepancies in vet exam dates and suggesting the inventory paperwork did not show whether some horses had passed fitness-for-duty checks. She warned the city’s leased stabling at Robert Hailing Park lacks facilities to quarantine sick animals.
Public commenter Catherine Zoda told commissioners she had video evidence showing the owner of Country Carriages admitting he struck a tethered small horse and argued that the city’s response (focusing on lease violations) was inadequate in light of the admission. “The owner admits in the video, ‘I hit the horse… I screwed up, lost my temper,’” Zoda said, and urged the city revoke Country Carriages’ lease and franchise.
Operators and other carriage proponents also testified. Aaron Jockers, who runs Legacy Carriage LLC, said his horses are not kept on city property and that horses used for tours were being monitored consistently: “Country Carriage is not running sick horses on the streets of Saint Augustine,” he said. Jason Judge, a long-time carriage driver, said he supports carriage rides when they are regulated and well-managed and urged the commission to pursue robust standards rather than a wholesale ban.
Commissioners did not take immediate enforcement action during the meeting. Staff noted that public comment alerted them to community concern; no new formal penalties or lease revocations were announced at the meeting. Several residents asked for more time and a dedicated agenda item so the full scope of alleged violations and animal-health issues could be investigated and addressed.
The exchange underscored conflicting community priorities: resident and animal-welfare advocates pressing for stronger enforcement and a potential removal of franchise privileges, and carriage operators and supporters urging careful regulation that preserves the city’s historic carriage tradition while improving standards of care.
