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Hillsborough commissioners to consider banning the sale of rabbits

A county staff report says members of the public raised concerns of people impulse buying rabbits during the Easter Holiday.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday decided not to go forward with banning the sale of rabbits.

In a 7-0 vote, commissioners chose to create an education campaign that teaches the public about the pros and cons of rabbit ownership, and the impact abandoning or surrendering them has on the community. 

RELATED: Hillsborough commissioners vote not to ban the sale of rabbits

The previous story is below.

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Hillsborough County commissioners will gather on Wednesday to discuss a myriad of topics, among them being whether or not the county should ban the sale of rabbits in pet stores. 

According to a staff report from the County Attorney's Office, the issue was first brought to the county's attention by members of the public who were concerned about people impulse buying rabbits during the Easter Holiday.

The attorney's office found that not only do commissioners have the right to create a ban under Florida law but that several counties had already enacted such an ordinance, including Orange County in June 2021. However, the CAO notes that Orange County's ordinance mainly centered around cats and dogs, but rabbits were added toward the end of the discussion.

There are no "traditional" pet stores that sell rabbits in Hillsborough County, according to the staff report. Still, the staff report says the Humane Society of Tampa Bay has received hundreds of rabbit rescues. Those rabbits, the report says, are coming from different regions of the state.

That's why the attorney's office suggestions reframing the issue as a need to educate the public on the pros and cons of rabbit ownership, and the impact abandoned or surrendered rabbits have on the community. Alternatively, the attorney's office says stores can also voluntarily commit to not selling rabbits around Easter. 

The Hillsborough County Commission meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12.

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