BRADENTON -- Manatee County becomes the latest in Florida to ban sales of dogs and cats in pet stores.
Commissioners voted 4-3 for the ordinance, after hearing from about six dozen speakers for and against.
Supporters of the ordinance wore yellow T-shirts, and spoke about the cruelty involved in puppy mills and pet breeding. Melissa Zepeda pointed to the margin by which voters supported the constitutional amendment banning greyhound racing in 2018, and urged the commission to take heed.
Opponents included people who work at the Bradenton Petland, a store that would be affected by the ordinance because it sells pets. One employee said she would lose her career and her fellow workers would lose their jobs if it passed.
Manatee joins neighboring Hillsborough and Sarasota counties with bans on retail pet sales.
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