Paw park no longer free

An earlier version of this story misstated the city’s procedure for enacting fees for Fleet Peeples Park's off leash dog park. The fees do not require a second reading. They will go into effect Dec. 1. Also, there will be no $25 fee for a third dog. Any dogs beyond the second will also require a $50 fee.

Dog owners may have to shell out some cash to use Fleet Peeples Park, after the Winter Park City Commission voted to approve a series of fees the city will charge to let dogs roam free in the city’s dog park.

The vote left Mayor Ken Bradley frustrated with what he said has been a continuing attempt by some commissioners to close the dog park.

“Dogs, the last time I’ve checked, don’t pay taxes,” he said, regarding charging residents a fee after they paid taxes to fund the park already. “The residents do, and this is a slap in their faces.”

At Monday’s meeting, the Commission voted on a proposal that had been originally considered more than a year ago, charging dog owners $75 per year to let their dog use the park, as well as mandating proof of up-to-date rabies shots for the dogs.

Two part-time park ranger positions were added during city budget discussions in September to patrol city parks, including Fleet, where they will enforce the dog park’s rules and fee schedule system.

“I would agree that for this heavy a use, a fee would be appropriate,” Commissioner Phil Anderson said. “I think it’s going to offset some of the maintenance and repair required to keep this one of the best dog parks in the country.”

Currently, the city’s parks maintenance workers have been acting as park rangers.

“They’ve been assigned a dual role as park rangers, and that’s really just too much responsibility,” Commissioner Beth Dillaha said. She voted in favor of the fees, saying it would keep the park safer for dogs and humans.

Those rangers would be checking dogs for city-issued colored tags on their collars and for rabies vaccine tags, as well as monitoring for aggressive dogs.

Parks director John Holland had helped draw up the new rules for the park, but his staff isn’t finished finalizing the new rulebook that would be put in place along with the fees.

Among key missing elements, a punishment system for violators hasn’t been finalized. Dillaha said there’s a possibility of a $100 fine for the first infraction, escalating to possible bans from the park. Those rules would be discussed at a future meeting.

Along with the fee for the first dog in a household, additional dogs would cost $50.

Users who frequent the park less than 15 times per year can opt to buy $5 daily passes, available at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center, Country Club Pro Shop, Parks Administration Building, or Azalea Lane Tennis Center.

City staff did not include a provision that would charge higher fees to non-residents, though more than half of the dog parks the staff studied charged elevated fees. Only two parks that the staff studied charged higher annual fees to residents.

City staff estimated that with the new fees, the city would raise more than $43,000 in revenue annually.

In the wake of the controversial vote, Bradley called for an end to a focus on the dog park, saying that there are more important issues the Commission needs to focus on.

“We as a commission have spent far too much time on this, and far too many votes on this, compared to things that are our most important priorities,” he said.