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Res No 074-15-14413RESOLUTION NO.074-15-1 4413 A Resolution of the Mayor and Commission of the City of South Miami calling for an immediate ban on Greyhound dog racing in the state of Florida. WHEREAS,Greyhound racing is illegal in39states-Florida isone of just seven states that still allows Greyhound racing1;and WHEREAS,presently there are20 permit holders operating 13 remaining Greyhound dog tracks in Florida2;and WHEREAS,Florida has the most Greyhound racing facilities of any state inthe country anda ban in Florida would make abig impact;and WHEREAS,Greyhound racing has dramatically declined in attendance tothe point where even hard-core dog racing enthusiasts seeno future to this activity and Michael Glenn, general manager of the Palm Beach Kennel Club,admitted that "[i]t isa dying sport4";and WHEREAS,the decline in attendance also effects the financial viability of the industry withthetotal amount gambled on greyhound racingin Florida fallingby67%from$933.8 million inFY 1990 to $265.4 million inFY 20125;and WHEREAS,Greyhounds bred for racing suffer whether they reach the racetrack or not7; and WHEREAS,industry workersregularlykill Greyhounds puppies inthename of selective breeding and those that become injured,growold,aredeemedtobetooslow,orareno longer profitable are also routinely killed7;and WHEREAS,Greyhoundsaretreatedasthoughtheyareadisposablerunningmachines because they are bred in quantities that require disposal of surplus Greyhound stock7;and WHEREAS,eachyearhundreds of racinggreyhoundsdieunnecessarilyandoftensuffer a horrible death by accident or due to willful and/or wanton action6;and WHEREAS,manyanimalsarelefttostarve,freezetodeathorareotherwiseseverely mistreated and are kept in confined cages7;and 1http://www.grey2kusa.org/action/states.html 2http://www.myfloridalicense.coin/dbpr^ 20150114.pdf http://www.washmgtontimes.coin/news/2014/j^^ "http://www.leg.state.fl.us/gamingstudy/docs/FGIS_Spectrum_28Oct2013 .pdf 5http://www.leg.state.fl.us/gammgstudy/docs/FGIS_Spectrum_28Oct2013 .pdf 6https://www.aspca.org/fight-cmelty/abomination-greyhound-racing http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-m-e^ death-fast-lane/ Res.No.074-15-14413 WHEREAS,theonlywaytoputanendto greyhound abuseistoputanendtoracing. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI,FLORIDA,THAT: Section 1.TheCity of SouthMiami ("City")callsuponthe government of thestate of Florida to ban all Greyhound racing inthestate of Florida. Section 2.TheCityClerkisdirectedtoforwardacopy of this resolution to Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth,FL,the Miami-Dade County League of Cities,Florida League of Cities and all members of the Florida legislature. Section 3.Severability.If any section clause,sentence,or phrase of this resolution is forany reason held invalid or unconstitutional byacourt of competent jurisdiction,theholding shallnot affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. Section 4.Effective Date.This resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption by vote of the City Commission. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 5 th day of May ATTEST: READ ANDABPROVED ££JO FORM, LANGlJ^pfTEGAI THEI Page 2 of2 _,2015. approved: maVor commission vote:4-0 Mayor Stoddard:Yea Vice Mayor Harris:Yea Commissioner Edmond:Yea Commissioner Liebman:Yea Commissioner Welsh:Absent