The St. Augustine City Commission has approved a modified route and revisions to its policies regulating horse-drawn carriages, despite calls from activists to go further by banning the practice entirely.
Horse-drawn carriage tours have long been a fixture of St. Augustine’s tourism industry, but critics raised a litany of animal welfare and public safety concerns during public comment at a commission meeting on July 13.
Speakers presented videos and photos allegedly showing carriage drivers not paying attention to the road, smoking around their horses, and making tight turns across busy oncoming traffic.
Horse-drawn carriage opponents insisted it is only a matter of time before a serious accident or tragedy occurs.
Speakers also claimed horses were not being provided adequate water or breaks, and argued they should not be made to work during the hot summer months. Multiple speakers referenced a local horse named “Barbie,” who they alleged was forced to resume working soon after she suffered a painful laceration on her leg.
“No amount of amendments or changes is going to make this barbaric horse-drawn carriage business any better,” said resident Thomas Reynolds during public comment.
One resident called the practice “archaic and dangerous,” while another referred to the horses as “slaves.”
Activists pointed to other cities moving away from horse-drawn carriage tours. Philadelphia banned the practice last month, while San Antonio is aiming to phase them out by 2030.
Commissioner Jim Springfield pushed back, however. He said his grandfather, a farmer in Georgia, used horses and recounted seeing Amish horse-drawn carriages when he visited Maine.
“Using horses for our enterprise and our pleasure is not barbaric — mistreating horses is barbaric,” said Springfield. “I support people protesting, I just wish they would understand this is an insult to people who have worked hard all their life with horses to bring this nation to what it is.”
Commissioners ultimately approved a new route specifying where horse-drawn carriages may travel. The route, which goes into effect July 27, avoids Bayfront Drive and establishes a designated loading and unloading zone on the east side of the Plaza. Staff was also directed to study an additional loading area across from Casa Monica.
Additional changes include requiring carriage drivers to have a valid Florida diver’s license and pass a background check.
The commission also updated the process for reporting alleged animal abuse. Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin said the city will not renew the franchise for Country Carriages, the tour company that owned Barbie, when it expires in September.
He added that the company had compliance issues unrelated to treatment of its horses, and that the allegations of animal abuse were never proven and no charges were ever filed. Three other companies are currently permitted to operate horse-drawn carriages in St. Augustine.
The horse debate dominated much of the discussion Monday, but the commission’s ordinance is a broader effort by the city to reduce and regulate the number of tour providers authorized to operate in the city. The measure caps the number of trolleys and other motorized tour vehicles-for-hire to 30 operating at a time, and gives law enforcement the ability to impound unauthorized tour vehicles.
According to Franklin, the ordinance is meant to protect local businesses and make busy holidays less chaotic.
