Horses Keep Bradenton City Council Busy

Councilman Gene Gallo, who on the beaches along the Palma Sola Causeway, said he will "have a hard time bringing that ordinance forward" after further researching the environmental impact horses have on the bay.

He said Wednesday that he has learned that there are no sea grasses in the Palma Sola Bay and that dog feces is "more potent" than horse feces. His safety concerns could also be addressed without imposing a ban, he added.

Gallo, the council member elected to represent the area of Bradenton that includes the causeway, proposed the ban. The council voted 4-1 to have the city attorney research and write an ordinance banning horses on the causeway.

But the issue may not go away just because Gallo changed his opinion.

City council members have heard from dozens of people since their June 22 vote. Out-of-towners largely opposed the ban, while residents had a mixed reaction.

The emails highlight the complexity of the issue, said Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey. She said she doesn't expect the issue to come up for consideration before the council's August meeting because they need that time to gather all of the information and study the options.

"It's an issue that needs to be fully fleshed out," she said. "How many businesses are out there? What should be allowed out there? What shouldn't be allowed out there? It's not a black and white issue."

Barnebey said she has been concerned about the horses on the causeway for months. She worries that the city could be held liable by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has been working to enforce stricter water quality standards, if it allows horses in the bay and the water quality is degraded.

With time, Barnebey said, the council could come up with a solution that protects water quality, the environment and public safety while also allowing some sort of limited activity with the horses.

Councilman Bemis Smith, the only council member to oppose the ban, is also looking for good compromise, and he is hoping others will come up with strong ideas as well. But he doesn't want to wait until the attorney comes back with a draft ordinance to discuss options. He is set to bring some ideas to next week's city council work session.

One proposal would be to create a designated horse beach that would limit the horses to a certain area of the causeway — likely the northeast beach. He also would consider having groups and individuals register when they use the beach so the city could keep track of how often the horses are on the beach.

If the issue does end up in a public hearing, Smith is encouraging everyone who cares about the issue to come out and speak. In the meantime, he will continue searching his email for ideas and options, he said.

Some emailers oppose horse ban

Jaymie Klauber, proprietor of the Polo Grill and Bar in Lakewood Ranch, never thought she'd be writing an email to elected officials protesting a proposed city ordinance. But the avid horsewoman didn't want the city to stop one of her regular summertime activities.

"I am not an activist," she said. "This is not my nature."

She said she's been bringing her horses to the causeway in the summer and "there's never been a problem."

"It's almost like they are looking for something," she said. "There's no amount of horse poop that could change the water quality levels."

She said she and other polo players take their horses to state parks all summer long and that they like to meet down at the causeway about once a month to wade, swim, picnic and just keep in touch.

Emily White, a student at the University of Massachusetts who has been visiting Bradenton since she was 3, wrote to the council that she recently took a sunset horse ride along Palma Sola Bay.

"Hopefully there is another option that punishes only those that do not clean up after their horses instead of punishing everyone," she wrote.

Others echoed the sentiment.

"Don't let a few ignorant riders mess up the deal for all the rest who are responsible owners and others who are looking for a good time somewhere other than Disney," wrote Nancy Nea, a visitor from Plant City.

Tim Mattox, owner of Beachhorses.com, the company that offers horse surfing in the Palma Sola Bay, made some out-of-towners aware of the proposed ban. He has been lobbying council members and encouraged his former customers to email the city council. His horse business and draws tourists from across the country.

Both Smith and Gallo said Mattox has been open to suggestions on how to regulate his business so that it is safer.

Others pushing for ban

But some residents who live closer to the causeway favor the ban.

David Cartee, who said he travels the causeway frequently, wrote to council members that the sight of horses on the beach is "accompanied by the stench of horse manure."

"That smell is not a welcoming greeting for tourists on their way to the Island for a vacation and is equally unwelcome to locals transiting the causeway or anyone picnicking, swimming or sunning on the causeway beaches," Cartee wrote in his email urging a ban on horses.

Barnebey said because the is one of only a few beaches that allow horses, the city is attracting people who bring their horses from across the state and that as traffic continues to increase it could overwhelm the waterway.

"I am hoping we can have a civil discussion," Barnebey said. "We need to get all of the facts together and come up with something that's going to be beneficial to everybody."