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Residents press city on carriage-horse treatment and oversight
Summary
Multiple public commenters accused the city-owned carriage franchise of inadequate oversight, citing inconsistent vet records, possible misuse of stables, quarantine and strangles notices, and a single horse collapse video; commissioners acknowledged concerns and said franchise and vehicle-for-hire rules are under review.
Multiple residents told the City Commission on Jan. 27 that the city’s carriage-horse franchise needs stronger oversight, alleging inconsistent veterinary records, improper use of city-leased stables, continued tours during quarantine and disease notices, and instances of horses collapsing on city streets.
Catherine Zoda said she witnessed a carriage horse, "Bosco," fall on the bayfront and later saw a video in which a driver tells her the horse is 28 years old while city records list the animal at age 7. "In a video I obtained 10 days later, the driver states the horse is 28 years old...City records list the horse as 7," Zoda told commissioners and asked for independent verification of inventory and incident documentation.
Heather Wilson described discrepancies in the veterinary records for a horse named Jett — changes in color, spelling and sex across entries — and said some stables had been used to house animals before they were cleared by veterinarians, which she characterized as a lease violation. "Either the vet is not even looking at this animal, or the cushions are swapping out horses," Wilson said.
Patricia Ramos urged the commission to remove animals from an owner she said had been quarantined after a strangles outbreak and to prohibit further breeding; she also urged the city to consider electric carriages to preserve tourism while reducing animal risk. "The absolute minimum this county and the town leasing public property to country carriage must do is remove every animal still in this owner's care and permanently prohibit any further breeding," Ramos said.
Other speakers offered competing perspectives: Scott York, who said he knows the horse Bosco and its driver personally, disputed the age claim and defended carriers as part of the city's heritage. "Bosco's 8 years old...Whatever was misleading in that video was not true," York said.
Commissioners acknowledged the volume of comment and noted the city’s ongoing work revising franchise and vehicle-for-hire regulations; staff said a franchise and vehicle-for-hire update is scheduled and that the city would proceed carefully given existing contracts and medallion rules. "If we're gonna keep the horses, we need to do it right. If we're not gonna do it right, we need to get rid of the horses," one commissioner said during remarks later in the meeting.
The meeting record includes public allegations of unauthorized tours during quarantine, inconsistent vet exams, missing inventory photos and claims of nuisance and safety issues. City staff said they have been working on franchise and vehicle-for-hire updates and would continue to engage stakeholders before recommending changes to the commission.
No formal action to change the franchise was taken at the Jan. 27 meeting; commissioners directed staff to continue work on the vehicle-for-hire and franchise updates and flagged stable conditions and quarantine enforcement as priorities for follow-up.
