It may have started out with a big mess, but the County is working with the community to clean up the treats left by horses and domestic animals throughout St. Johns County.
Assistant County Administrator Jerry Cameron said the county has been meeting with members of the horse council to get their ideas on how to keep public spaces free of domestic animal feces.
"We have been researching how to draft [an ordinance] without discriminating against any group," said Cameron.
Cameron said he has been working on a way to greatly restrict the use of horses on the beach during the tourist season. Between March and Labor Day in September, Cameron said the county is considering restricting horses on the beach during weekends and holidays.
According to Ellen O’Brien, founder of the Ponte Vedra Riding Club, any change in the existing ordinance, which does not limit riding on the beach, would be a negative one.
"It does impact me because at the moment I’m free to ride my horse on the weekend all year long," said O’Brien. "There are always a few bad apples that make it difficult for the rest of us."
O’Brien said that 98 percent of the equestrian community is responsible, and cleans up after their animals just like any other user group.
"There is always someone who is going to throw their garbage out," she said.
Cameron said they are looking to limit horses on the beach during peak hours throughout the tourist season. While nothing has been set in stone, he said they were looking at not allowing horses on the beach between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
O’Brien said she believes it isn’t the locals causing the trouble with the unkempt public areas. She has lived in Ponte Vedra for 16 years and said she rides her horse all the time from Mickler’s Landing and has never seen a problem with owners cleaning up after their animals. Despite that fact, O’Brien said she recognizes that it is aesthetically not a pleasant thing to see when it does happen.
"When I leave, you would never have known I was even there," she said. "You would see no evidence. It’s not difficult to do."
Cameron said that the horse community has acknowledged that there is an issue and is keeping positive about the process of drafting an ordinance.
"Life is full of compromises," said O’Brien. "Even though it will have a negative impact on me, I suggested restricting horses on holidays and weekends as opposed to being shut out of the beach for six months."
Both O’Brien and Cameron believe the ordinance will create a workable compromise.
In addition to the horse restrictions, Cameron said the county will be working on a clause to regulate, in no uncertain terms, the responsibility of domestic pet owners to clean up after their animals.
The City of St. Augustine’s ordinance states "an owner or handler shall promptly remove and sanitarily dispose of feces left on public property by a dog being handled by the person." In addition it states that "no dog shall be permitted or allowed to defecate upon any private property without permission of the property owner. It is a violation of this chapter for the owner of a dog to permit or allow the dog to defecate upon any private property without permission of the property owner."
The ordinance says the penalty for each violation shall be consistent with section 5-1 of the Code of the City of St. Augustine. St. Johns County does not have anything similar to that.
Cameron said he has heard a lot from people effected by irresponsible dog and cat owners about their concerns.
"There needs to be some regulation," he said. "It is not well drafted. I’ve heard from the victims of pet owners and they say that people don’t respect their property. They are appalled at the lack of responsibility."
O’Brien said just the threat of a fine, like Cameron has proposed, should end the problem all together. She said she is expecting the county to hold a public hearing for the draft ordinance sometime in September.
July 8th 2009 - 12:30PM