Miami-Dade County Registered Voters will be Allowed to Vote in November Election Whether They Support a Countywide Fund Expected to Save 20,000 Dogs and Cats Every Year

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez with Pet’s Trust Miami Mascot Pepe Sal, named after Commissioner’s Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Sally Heyman.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez with Pet’s Trust Miami Mascot Pepe Sal, named after Commissioner’s Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Sally Heyman.

Today marked a significant day for animal supporters throughout Miami-Dade County and especially for the Pets’ Trust Miami. The 13-member Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution allowing a non-binding ballot question in the general election in Miami- Dade County on November 6th.

Registered voters will have the opportunity to decide whether they support the County Commission increasing the countywide general millage fund by 0.1079 mills to fund prevention and educational programs to end killing of adoptable dogs and cats and humanely reduce stray cat populations, which would save 100,000 animals in the next five years. Once voters decide, the issue will then be acted upon by the Miami-Dade County Commission. The Pets’ Trust Miami will officially launch a campaign to inform Miami-Dade residents and urge them for their support.

Historically, Miami-Dade Animal Services kills more than 20,000 dogs and cats every year. There are also approximately 416,000 stray cats living in our streets. Each animal abandoned at our public shelter costs the community up to $298, whereas spaying and neutering is approximately $65.

The suggested Fund would generate an estimated $20 million, which represents approximately $20 a year or just $0.05 a day to the average homeowner. This would allow for the following to be made possible:

• Open two super spay/neuter clinics to perform up to 100,000 free and low-cost surgeries each year.

• Low cost veterinary clinics.

• Pet assistance programs.

• Extensive multi-cultural education programs.

“There is not a large city in the United States that have effectively eliminated killing of adoptable dogs and cats. The Pets’ Trust, with a dedicated funding source, supported by the community, will make Miami a role model for the rest of the country. Approximately 4-6 million animals are put to death throughout the U.S. each year due to overpopulation,” states Michael Rosenberg, president of Pets’ Trust Miami.

Everyone in Miami-Dade would benefit from these services, which would be made accessible to all residents. With the creation of new programs and facilities, also comes the opportunity for the creation of new jobs.

One of the main goals is to facilitate a no-kill scenario for Miami-Dade Animal Services, which would be impossible, if not for this funding. This will lead to less unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats, as well as less killing of healthy, adoptable animals. With more access to veterinary services, the County will have less diseases and viruses spreading amongst animals.

For more information on the Pets’ Trust, please visit www.PetsTrustMiami.com or call Michael Rosenberg at 305-439-3571.

About Pets’ Trust Miami

Pets’ Trust Miami is a legislative initiative that will create a dedicated source of funding for proactive and preventative programs to stop the killing of 20,000 healthy dogs and cats at our public shelter each year and to control the overpopulation of the 416,000+ feral and free-roaming cats in Miami-Dade County. To find out more, visit www.petstrustmiami.com.


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