New leash laws coming to city parks

The City Commission is prepared to adopt new regulations that require animal owners to keep their pets on leash in most parks, the board signaled at a meeting Monday.

That represents a reversal of existing policy, which allows dogs to be off leash in most parks. Beyond the outlines of the new ordinance, there are still several unanswered questions staff will work out during the next month before the commission formally adopts the regulations.

Among those questions: Which parks will the city exempt from the leash law? How will the Sarasota Police Department enforce the new regulations? How will residents learn about the new rules — and will the city cite them for violating newly implemented rules, once the ordinance takes effect?

Despite any uncertainty regarding the specifics of the final ordinance, the proposed change drew positive feedback from city officials and the public. Six Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores residents spoke in favor of the proposal, which will identify the west-of-Trail Sapphire Shores Park as an area where visitors aren’t required to keep their dog on leash.

This exemption came after Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores residents objected to an initial draft of the ordinance, which would only allow pets to be off leash in specifically designated enclosed dog parks.

“Personally, we have a very small dog — 8 pounds,” resident Jane Nutter Johnson said. “There must be some kind of a dog psychiatry thing that goes on, but if she is off leash, she’s much happier.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Alta Vista resident Pearlee Freiberg applauded the new ordinance for requiring dogs to be leashed in Payne Park. She said it was important for the city to draw a distinction between the different types of parks it oversees.

“Payne Park is a very different kind of park (from Sapphire Shores), because it’s large and multi-recreational,” Freiberg said.

Other than Sapphire Shores, the city does not know which other parks might get exemptions from the leash requirement. Staff identified a list of seven parks with similar characteristics to Sapphire Shores Park — usually less than an acre, located in an urban area surrounded by houses — that could also allow pets off leash.

But staff did not get any input from residents to see whether people wanted animals on leash or off leash in their neighborhood parks. This concerned the commission on multiple fronts.

Vice Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie feared the city’s list was incomplete, missing some neighborhoods that might want exemptions. Commissioner Liz Alpert suggested the list could allow dogs off leash in areas where residents wanted the new leash laws enforced.

“They probably, in most cases, are happy the dogs have to be on leash,” Alpert said. “We don’t know.”

The commission directed staff to develop criteria for adding other parks to the list of those exempted from the leash requirement.

During previous discussions regarding this ordinance, City Attorney Robert Fournier said one of the reasons for changing the law is so the police department has an easier time enforcing the regulations. Although most parks allow dogs off leash, four city parks require leashes, and some other parks have designated pet-free zones.

If the goal is to make things simpler for law enforcement, Sarasota Police Department Capt. Kevin Stiff said the city is still falling short. If the city regularly adds parks to the exemption list, it will be hard for officers to keep track of where dogs are and aren’t allowed off leash.

When the commission asked what it could do to make things easier for law enforcement, Stiff asked for consistent regulations across all city parks.

“What would help me is a blanket ordinance that said, ‘leash law,’” Stiff said.

Officials veered away from that request, showing a preference to tailor the ordinance to the desires of residents in specific neighborhoods. But the commission asked staff to consider the logistics of enforcement when writing the final draft of the regulations. The board suggested signage in the park could help address the police department’s concerns.

Even in Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores, where residents largely applauded the city’s decision, there are some lingering questions. Joel Werth encouraged the city to think critically about the terminology it uses. He doesn’t think Sapphire Shores Park should be designated as a dog park — it’s just a normal park where dogs happen to be allowed to run off leash, he said.

“I’m just wary of that term being used at all in the nomenclature,” Werth said.

In March, Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores resident Norman Hervieux expressed a similar sentiment. If the city made Sapphire Shores Park a “dog park,” he feared the neighborhood park would suddenly become a destination for dog owners throughout the city.

It’s still unclear what the final text of the leash ordinance will look like. City staff hopes to have the regulations finished in time for the June 5 commission meeting. Although residents don’t want Sapphire Shores Park to become synonymous with the term dog park, the commission is leaning toward using the park as a breeding ground to test its new regulations.

“You’re going to be the model from whence everything else happens,” Commissioner Suzanne Atwell said.