Vehicles and animals

(a)

Safety requirements generally.

(1)

All vehicles shall comply with the following requirements:

a.

All equipment installed in any part of the vehicle shall be secured in order to prevent movement during transit and to prevent detachment in the event of a collision or overturn.

b.

Vehicles must be operated in accordance with all provisions of state law regulating vehicles and their operation.

c.

Passengers shall not be carried in excess of the vehicle's seating capacity, which is defined as the number of persons that can be seated on the seat of the carriage or vehicle. This definition is specifically intended to prohibit seating of passengers (except infants) on the laps of other passengers and/or on parts of the carriage not designated for use as passenger seating.

d.

Safety equipment shall be required in accordance with F.S. ch. 316; such equipment shall be affixed to the vehicle.

(2)

In the event any vehicle for which a local business tax receipt has been issued becomes unsafe for operation, or its body or seating facilities are so damaged, deteriorated or unclean as to render such vehicle unfit for public use, the said vehicle may be suspended for use by the chief of police until the said vehicle is made safe for operation and its body is repaired and painted and its seating facilities reconditioned or replaced as required by the police department.

(b)

Inspection certificate.

(1)

a.

All vehicles shall be inspected and approved by the police department for operation prior to certification as being in compliance with the applicable provisions of subsection (a) hereof.

b.

All inspection certificates shall be issued by the police department. The police department shall also furnish a decal to be affixed to the vehicle indicating the vehicle number and seating capacity.

c.

During any period of vehicular repair not exceeding 72 hours, a substitute vehicle may be used without the necessity of the herein inspection or the presence of the accompanying decal.

(2)

a.

A certificate of soundness shall be required for each animal that will be pulling a vehicle. The certificate shall be issued by a veterinarian licensed in the State of Florida.

b.

The certificate of soundness shall state that the animal, if a horse, has been tested within the past calendar year for the presence of equine infectious anemia and that the test results were negative; further said certificate shall state that the animal is free from infectious disease, in good health and fit for hack and vehicle service under this article.

c.

Each animal shall thereafter be reexamined at intervals of no more than six months, and a certificate of soundness shall be issued by the examining veterinarian and filed with the city in order for such animal to remain in service. No animal shall be used to draw an animal-drawn vehicle without such certificate of soundness certified and dated within any preceding six-month period.

(c)

Inspection and certificate fee. An inspection fee of $25.00 per vehicle shall be paid to the city at the time of filing any local business tax receipt application; such fee is to be applied to the cost of administering the provisions of this article and is in addition to the local business tax receipt fee payable under the provisions of chapter 31 of the City Code.

(d)

Nonabuse of horses.

(1)

The driver of each horse-drawn vehicle shall make water available to every horse used to pull a vehicle at intervals not to exceed two hours.

(2)

No vehicle being drawn by a horse shall be permitted to carry more than six passengers per horse, exclusive of the driver of said vehicle.

(3)

No vehicle being drawn by a horse shall be permitted to operate upon the public streets of the city when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit as reported by the United States weather bureau.

(4)

It shall be unlawful for any owner or driver to use whips, bits, or any other equipment which may cause injury to the horse being used to pull the vehicles.

(e)

Sanitation. It shall be unlawful for the chauffeur of any non-human-powered vehicle to allow any excreta to be deposited and remain on any public street. The method of excreta control and disposition shall be by diaper, bucket and shovel, deodorizer, or other such means as approved by the resilience and public works department.

(Ord. No. 10100, § 1(4), 4-22-86; Code 1980, § 56-214; Ord. No. 12885, § 1, 2-8-07; Ord. No. 13792, § 1, 10-11-18)