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High Euthanasia Costs Must Be Corralled

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By SCOTT A. RANDOLPH

Special to the Tribune

Published: February 21, 2009

In response to your Feb. 16 editorial ("State Lawmaker's Bark Aimed At Wrong Tree"), you failed to realize the huge costs that euthanizing dogs and cats have on local governments.

Each year, cities and counties in Florida euthanize nearly 300,000 dogs and cats at a cost to taxpayers of nearly $100 million.

Animal control departments are usually under the public safety budget. The cost for one police officer to protect our citizens is equivalent to the cost of housing and euthanizing about 1,000 dogs or cats. I am sure most Floridians would choose to hire an additional police officer rather than spend that money to destroy 1,000 animals.

It is during tough economic times that legislators are tasked with reducing government costs. This bill would do exactly that by reducing the number of destroyed animals and the burden on taxpayers this creates.

Fortunately, this would be a preventable problem, were low-cost animal sterilization more widely available.

Had you contacted me for comment, you would have known that I have significantly altered the bill to provide economic incentives for spaying and neutering, rather than mandating sterilization. The language will simply use current funding mechanisms for animal violations to fund low-cost sterilizations, as well as provide tiered fines for animal violations that will encourage pet owners to spay or neuter their pets.

I encourage the Tribune to thoroughly examine all ways that we can reduce government costs during these tough economic times.

The writer, an Orlando Democrat, represents District 36 in the Florida House of Representatives.

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