Bringing dogs to the Broadwalk still carries a $50 fine after Hollywood City Commissioners voted 5-2 last month to keep dogs off the two-mile walkway, which received a $14 million renovation in 2007.
The City Commission cited health and safety concerns as the reasons for the decision after listening to an informational report from Clay Milan, director of code compliance.
The City received more than 400 e-mails from residents concerning the issue, and more than 30 people showed up to the April 21 City Commission meeting to hear the outcome. However, since the item on the agenda was simply an informational report to help commissioners decide whether to move forward with the issue, residents did not have the opportunity to speak at the meeting, said city spokeswoman Raelin Storey.
Helena Drori, president of the Dog Beach of Hollywood, said she had a petition with more than 600 signatures and 15 businesses on the Broadwalk in support of allowing dogs on the beach and said that even though the outcome might have been the same if they had the opportunity to speak, she believed they had the right to express themselves.
“It’s amazing that given the success of the dog beach that they didn’t give us a chance or even a trial period,” she said. “The dog community is huge in Hollywood, and many felt that their voices should have been heard.”
Storey said residents had the opportunity to express their comments to the commissioners through mail, e-mail and phone before the meeting and said that the decision to prevent dogs on the Broadwalk now did not mean they wouldn’t reconsider in the future.
Currently, dog lovers can bring their four-legged friends to a small stretch of the beach between Pershing and Custer Streets on Friday through Sunday and only during certain hours. Drori said the residents who visit the dog beach are responsible, and they are disappointed they couldn’t prove that with the Broadwalk.
“I strongly feel that this would have been a great opportunity to try to change the demographic of people who come to the Broadwalk,” she said in a letter to dogs on the Broadwalk supporters. “We are a group of highly educated, responsible dog owners with disposable income who can infuse a higher level of culture and sophistication to a town that has great potential.”
Commissioner Patty Asseff, whose district covers the beach, proposed the issue for that reason. She wanted Hollywood to compete with the coastal cities that already allow dogs outside restaurants.
Kirstie L. Hayduk, another supporter of the issue, said she has friends who come from Ft. Lauderdale and Miami just to visit the Dog Beach, and they always patronize local stores and restaurants, helping boost the local economy.
“There are numerous communities throughout Florida and the rest of the country that allow dogs in similar situations, and they’ve made it work,” Hayduk said. “I believe Hollywood is certainly capable of the same measure of success.”
In addition, Miramar resident Patricia M. Harrington said she would be more willing to visit Hollywood Beach if she could bring her dog.
“I have visited the Broadwalk as a child with parents, as a teen with friends, on dates and as a parent,” she said. “I enjoy the shops and restaurants. I now have a dog, so I have not visited or spent money at any of the Broadwalk vendors in some time, preferring dog friendly areas such as Las Olas Boulevard and Gulfstream. However, I’d love to come back to the Broadwalk; I miss it tremendously.”
Despite the support, the City also received a lot of opposition from residents on the beach and beach businesses regarding sanitary concerns.
But with the level of support from Broward residents, Drori said they have not given up hope that having their pets on the Broadwalk could happen in the future.
“We have to gather our thoughts and see what can be done.”
For more information on the Dog Beach of Hollywood, visit www.dboh.org.
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then pizza. Why can't the Beach CRA get a Chinese Resturantnear the beach.