Coversheet

ITEM 10.
County Attorney - Consent


AGENDA ITEM REPORT

DATE:	November 7, 2023
DEPARTMENT:	County Attorney
REQUESTER:	Joseph Adams
TITLE:	Direct to Public Hearing the Lee County Animal Abuser Registry Ordinance

I.	MOTION REQUESTED
	Direct to Public Hearing the Lee County Animal Abuser Registry Ordinance.

II.

ITEM SUMMARY

The proposed Ordinance is designed to protect animals in Lee County from animal abuse crimes. By creating the Registry, sellers of pets and animal shelters can easily identify individuals who have been convicted of animal abuse crimes or have been enjoined from animal possession by court order, and who cannot purchase or adopt animals by virtue of court order or by being listed on the Registry. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will be charged with implementing the program and updating the Registry.

III.

BACKGROUND AND IMPLICATIONS OF ACTION

	A)	Board Action and Other History
		The Lee County Sheriff’s Office requested that the County adopt this Ordinance designed to protect animals in Lee County. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will be charged with implementing the program and updating the Registry. People who have abused animals in the past are likely to do so in the future and studies show that there is a near 100% recidivism rate for certain types of abuse crimes. The Ordinance creates a Registry for individuals convicted of animal abuse crimes and prohibits their contact with animals for a period of time, depending upon the crime(s). The Registry also lists individuals who are prohibited from contact with animals by virtue of a court order. Registrants are required to pay the Sheriff’s Office a registration fee and keep information on the Registry updated. Pets sellers and animal shelters are required to check the Registry before selling or adopting animals to confirm that buyers and adopters are not on the Registry. Similar ordinances have been adopted in several counties around the state including Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Marion, Volusia, Pasco and more. County staff and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office met with representatives from Hillsborough County who stated that the ordinance was effective in their County and relatively simple to implement. The Executive Regulatory Oversight Committee reviewed the proposed Ordinance on September 13, 2023, and recommended adoption.

	B)	Policy Issues

	C)	BoCC Goals

	D)	Analysis

	E)	Options

IV.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

A)	Current year dollar amount of item:	No funding required.
B)	Is this item approved in the current budget?	N/A
C)	Is this a revenue or expense item?	N/A
D)	Is this Discretionary or Mandatory?	N/A
E)	Will this item impact future budgets? If yes, please include reasons in III(D) above.	No
F)	Fund: Program: Project: Account Strings:
G)	Fund Type?
H)	Comments:

V.	RECOMMENDATION
	Approve

VI.	TIMING/IMPLEMENTATION

VII.	FOLLOW UP

ATTACHMENTS:
Description	Upload Date	Type
Ordinance (Proposed)	10/17/2023	Ordinance
Business Impact Estimate	10/17/2023	Backup Material
FAIS Form	10/18/2023	Backup Material

REVIEWERS:
Department	Reviewer	Action	Date
County Attorney	Wesch, Richard Wm.	Approved	10/25/2023 - 1:34 PM
Budget Services	Henkel, Anne	Approved	10/26/2023 - 8:55 AM
Budget Services	Winton, Peter	Approved	10/26/2023 - 12:42 PM
County Attorney	Jacob, Michael D.	Approved	10/26/2023 - 1:27 PM
County Manager	Mora, Marc	Approved	10/30/2023 - 4:41 PM