Miami Beach

Miami Beach to Vote on Stricter Animal Venue Law After Horse Incident Inside Club

What to Know

  • City commissioners will have a final vote on the proposal during a morning meeting after an initial vote passed earlier this year.
  • The new penalties would range from a written warning to a fine up to $10,000 and the business could lose their license.

The city of Miami Beach is expected to officially approve a new law Wednesday that would place stricter penalties for those who bring animals into city venues.

City commissioners will have a final vote on the proposal during a morning meeting after an initial vote passed earlier this year. The new penalties would range from a written warning to a fine up to $10,000 and the business could lose their license.

The issue came to light after cell phone video surfaced this past March of a woman in a bikini riding on top of a horse inside Mokai Lounge. The horse gets startled by the crowd and music and loses its balance, forcing the woman to fall off.

Mokai Lounge was closed temporarily after the incident, late reopening after assuring the city they would not have any more animal acts and paying several fines.

The ordinance would apply to all animals, trained or domestic.

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