Petition underway to monitor greyhound racing at county level

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Some Seminole County residents are pushing for commissioners to consider a petition that they claim better protects racing greyhounds.

It’s been a battle brewing between state and local leaders for years, but some of the items in the petition are things the state already does.

The general manager at the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club said the state already watched the business closely, so he doesn’t think the county should have much more say on how it operates.

In Tallahassee, there’s been a push to change state law so that tracks can end racing, but keep making money through card rooms and games.

Now in Seminole County, commissioners are set to consider a proposed Greyhound Protection Act.

“A humane, common-sense proposal that increases transparency at the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club,” said Carla Wilson, an advocate for the amendment.

The amendment would put more ruled on the books in Seminole County about how the club would document dogs’ injuries, their futures after racing, and information about the dogs’ sale.

It would also require that the dogs be licensed in Seminole County.

Sanford Orlando Kennel Club isn’t named in the ordinance, but it’s a clear target.

The general manager didn’t want to speak on camera to Channel 9 until after Tuesday’s hearing, but he said he doesn’t think the county needs to regulate greyhound racing since it’s already regulated by the state.

A greyhound adoption group said many of the things outlines in the ordinance are already required under state law.

But Wilson and more than 14,000 voters want it anyway.

They’ve signed a petition to get the act on the November ballot if commissioners don’t vote in favor of the ordinance.

“They (the greyhounds) deserve to be protected from industries and individuals that could do them harm,” said Wilson.

There will be a public hearing on the Greyhound Protection Act during Tuesday’s Seminole County Commission meeting at 1:30 p.m.