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Advocates and drivers clash at St. Augustine commission meeting over horse-drawn carriages
Summary
Activists urged the City Commission to end horse-drawn carriage operations, citing animal welfare and safety incidents; drivers and operators defended care practices and warned of economic harm. Commissioners said they will review social-media threats and material submitted tonight.
St. Augustine residents and industry workers traded sharply different views at the City Commission’s public-comment period, with animal-welfare advocates urging the city to end horse-drawn carriage operations and drivers warning of harm to animals and families if the industry is shut down.
Heather Wilson, who said she submitted dated, time-stamped photographs to the city clerk, told the commission the city’s carriage horses are already suffering: “It is long overdue to phase out this cruel, outdated, obsolete industry and to ensure a proper dignified retirement for these magnificent, deserving, sentient beings who have long served the city of…
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