The St. Augustine City Commission voted on two major ordinances Monday night limiting the number of pedicabs, low-speed tour vehicles, and horse-drawn carriages allowed downtown, along with new safety and animal welfare rules. Commissioners also approved new travel routes that will move horse carriages off the bayfront. The meeting included lengthy public comment on the city budget, disability rights, and ongoing animal welfare concerns tied to the carriage industry.
Public Comment
Several residents and business owners spoke during general public comment. A local boat delivery business owner asked the city for help finding downtown parking to support his marine delivery service. A downtown shop owner warned commissioners about the city’s finances, saying staff had reported the city could lose $2.1 million in general fund revenue in fiscal year 2028 and $4.2 million in fiscal year 2029 if a property tax measure passes in November, and noted a new state law, SB4F, that raises the vote threshold needed to exceed the rollback millage rate. Another speaker suggested the city and county should have an agreement in which the county shares more sales tax revenue with the city, and noted July is Disability Pride Month.
Several other speakers raised concerns about the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry, showing photos and videos they said documented animal neglect, unsafe driving, and code violations, including an incident involving a carriage horse named Barbie whose leg injury allegedly went untreated while she continued working. Speakers cited a recent death involving a runaway carriage in New York City’s Central Park as a warning sign. One speaker read from a Florida Statute distinguishing between misdemeanor and felony animal cruelty. Another speaker objected that a video shown by a previous speaker amounted to harassment of carriage drivers rather than peaceful protest. A resident also raised concerns about non-functioning emergency phone lines at city facilities.
Ordinance 2026-10: Vehicles for Hire
The commission held a public hearing and second reading on Ordinance 2026-10, which amends Chapter 27 of the city code governing vehicles for hire, including pedicabs and low-speed “Tier 2” tour vehicles such as golf carts.
Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin presented changes developed over roughly two years of workshops and public input, including a cap on pedicab operators, new noise restrictions barring music on pedicabs, reduced insurance requirements, an updated code of conduct, and a framework allowing the commission to designate “exclusion zones” in residential neighborhoods by resolution.
Multiple tour and pedicab operators spoke during public comment, largely supporting the new regulations while raising specific concerns. Representatives of the sightseeing and pedicab industries asked commissioners to consider reducing the number of vehicles allowed per operator, citing concerns about downtown congestion similar to issues experienced by cities like Nashville. Others asked for clarity on vehicle replacement procedures and background check enforcement.
After discussion, commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the ordinance with an amendment reducing the vehicle limit from three to two per Tier 2 operator, while allowing operators who currently have three vehicles to keep them under a grandfather clause. Commissioner Jon Depreter cast the dissenting vote.
Ordinance 2026-11: Franchises and Horse Carriage Rules
Commissioners then held a second reading and public hearing on Ordinance 2026-11, amending Chapter 14 of the city code governing franchises, including horse-drawn carriages.
Franklin outlined a series of changes, including revised penalties with an impoundment provision, reduced insurance requirements for Tier 2 franchises, a new heat-safety standard using “wet bulb globe temperature” that sets a 90-degree cutoff for horse carriage operations, mandatory biannual veterinary inspections, and a requirement that horses be offered water after each tour or at least once per hour, with electrolyte supplements as needed. The ordinance also caps horse carriage franchises at 15 total medallions, with up to five per franchise, and creates an incentive allowing one electric “horseless carriage” per franchise. Attorney Richard Brooks, representing an industry stakeholder, asked the commission to more closely align the ordinance’s animal-welfare enforcement process with state animal cruelty law; city staff said they had incorporated some, but not all, of his suggested changes.
Several residents again spoke against the industry entirely during this hearing, citing ongoing welfare concerns and arguing the changes did not go far enough. Tour and carriage industry representatives, including one who described himself as a state-certified driver with extensive safety credentials, spoke in support of the ordinance and the added oversight.
Commissioners voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve Ordinance 2026-11 with the same two-vehicle Tier 2 limit and grandfather provision applied in the prior ordinance. Commissioners noted that a conviction for animal abuse would result in immediate termination of a franchise agreement, separate from and in addition to any criminal prosecution pursued by the State Attorney’s Office. Commissioner Jim Springfield said he would like franchise fees to eventually cover the full cost of enforcement and oversight, and city staff said a detailed fee schedule would be brought back at a future meeting.
Resolution 2026-10: New Horse Carriage Routes
Following the ordinance votes, General Services Deputy Director Barb Moore presented Resolution 2026-10, which revises horse-drawn carriage routes in response to ongoing seawall construction on Avenida Menendez by the Florida Department of Transportation.
Moore presented two proposed routes, referred to as “orange” and “green,” both of which move carriages off the bayfront and relocate the pickup and drop-off stand from its current bayfront location to the intersection of Charlotte and King streets. Industry stakeholders said they had no strong preference between the two routes but were unanimous in preferring the Charlotte and King stand location over an alternative near Granada Street.
Public commenters again raised welfare concerns, several arguing that changing the route would not address the underlying issues of enforcement and horse care, and that horses continue to walk long distances to reach the start of their shifts without being offered water. One commenter suggested an additional stand location near the Government House on King Street between Cordova and St. George streets might offer better shade, water access, and reduced traffic conflict.
After discussion, commissioners voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve the resolution using the orange route, while directing staff to evaluate the feasibility of the additional stand location near the Government House, including consultation with the University of Florida and a mobility analysis. The change is expected to take effect around July 27.
Other Business
The city clerk announced a vacancy on the Police Officers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees following a board member’s temporary relocation outside city limits.
During commissioner reports, Commissioner Cynthia Garris announced the death of former City Commissioner Richard White and offered condolences to his family. Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder defended the historical use of horses for labor, saying mistreatment of animals is what constitutes cruelty, not the use of horses itself, and highlighted the fire department’s 250th-anniversary commemorative T-shirt. She also raised pedestrian safety concerns in the West King Street area raised by a local neighborhood association, and credited city staff with securing a $967,000 state reimbursement covering half the cost of the city’s Florida Avenue area conservation land acquisition. Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline highlighted an upcoming West King Wednesday community event and a monthly University of Florida mobile health care bus serving uninsured residents at the city’s Dining with Dignity Pavilion.
