To the Editor:
There is a picture circulating on social media showing a woman on Jacksonville Beach playing with dog. If you look carefully at this picture, you will see the dog is not on a leash and running loose. This is a direct violation of Jacksonville Beach City Ordinance 5-41. The law says that while dogs are allowed on the beach, they must be on a leash 8 feet or shorter and they must wear proof of valid rabies vaccination. Besides the dog being off its required leash and not wearing a collar, the woman is holding a ball throwing stick, which means she is not just walking her dog; she is throwing a ball and allowing her dog to chase the ball and return it.
As a Jacksonville Beach resident who jogs on the beach every morning, I witness people breaking this law every day. Now whether this was a simple lapse of judgement or a blatant oversight, the fact remains that posting this picture is not just condoning an illegal activity, it is promoting an illegal activity. People seeing this picture will think it is OK to let their dogs run free on the beach, which it’s not. In fact, the fine for breaking this law is $55.
Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville Beach residents need to know that it is illegal for dogs to be off a leash on the beach.
David Zuckerman
Jacksonville Beach
