Lobbyist Ron Book, who secretly worked against the Miami-Dade Commission during the last session in Tallahassee — even though we pay him to work for us — by sneaking puppy mill language into not one but two failed legislative bills, could have lost his juicy contract Tuesday to lobby for the county in Tallahassee because he didn’t request a waiver as required. See? Lobbyists are allowed to work against taxpayers on an issue, as long as they get a waiver from the county first.
Even if that did make any sense at all, it seems like Book would rather pedir perdon que pedir permiso. He did not seek a waiver when he worked for the Petland chain of stores this past session and against any municipality’s ability to regulate the sale of puppies from puppy mill breeders that put profits before the animals’ welfare and needs. Aventura, Margate and Hollywood all have local ordinances banning puppy mill sales that would immediately be null and void. Miami-Dade doesn’t have one — yet, because Ladra was told that one of the commissioners is writing an ordinance as you read this.
Read related: Animal activists beat Ron Book, squash 2 puppy mill bills in Tallahassee
A rule is a rule. And other lobbyists have been let go because of conflicting interests, most recently Ballard Partners because of their representation of Uber in Tallahassee while the ride sharing company was still hammering out regulation details in the 305. Several speakers urged the commission to deny Book a waiver after the fact.
“Mr. Book has acted as some sort of double agent getting money from both sides of an issue. Usually double agents work in secret with opposing sides,” said Michael Rosenberg, co-founder of the Pets’ Trust Miami, an initiative that passed a non-binding referendum in 2012 to fund a massive low-cost spay and neuter operation throughout the county.
“Mr. Book found a willing legislator to insert a few sentences hidden in a bill of over a hundred pages, whereby tangible property sold in stores would be beyond the control of the county. The tangible property was really describing dogs and cats because the client Mr. Book represents was also paying him to make sure Dade County commissioners and commissioners across the state could not restrict animal sales in retail stores in their communities,” Rosenberg said, adding that Book should not only NOT be given a waiver but should also have to make up for his lapse in judgement by working on pro-puppy legislation.
Truth is, the mercenary, er, I mean lobbyist clearly crossed the conflict of interests line.
But Book was given an 11th hour reprieve Tuesday when the item was deferred at the request of Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo, who said he wanted Book to be present to defend himself before any action was taken. There’s no hurry, he said, because Book — who skipped the meeting to be with another client even though he knew he was on the agenda — can’t stab them in the back again until next year, at the earliest.
Maybe the other client Book was meeting with was Petland, you know, to plan their 2019 strategy.
But the real reason that Bovo gave him a reprieve is because the chairman is running for mayor in 2020 and Book is known as a prolific fundraiser who was able to get his own daughter elected to Senate. Surely, Bovo will hold this out as long as he can so that he can squeeze Book for as much mayoral matrix moolah as he can.
Lucky for us, we have Commissioner Rebeca Sosa holding Book’s feet to the fire. She said she wants him back before the commission sooner rather than later to resolve this. Hopefully, she will put it on the agenda for the very next meeting.
“They were already working in Tallahassee this year without asking this commission for a waiver. I have a big problem with that,” Sosa said. “Either they work for the county, or they work for someone else.
“They are not here today. Why? When they knew this was on the agenda?”
Because Book is used to getting his way, even when he is not in chambers. Because there’s always someone who wants to be mayor.

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Two sneaky attempts to stop the crack down on puppy mills have been thwarted, thanks mostly to animal rights activists who kept their eye on the bouncing ball and waged a campaign of complaints to get two amendments pulled from legislative bills this session.
And they took on one of the most powerful lobbyists in the state to do it.
It’s a testament to the power of grass roots organizing that the Pets’ Trust and other animal rights groups like the Animal Legal Defense Fund beat powerful Tallahassee lobbyist Ron Book — and perhaps something that we can apply to other issues, such as gun sense and charter schools.
“It was a victory for ‘we the people’ and a lesson in how our government is supposed to work,” Michael Rosenberg, one of the Pets’ Trust founders, told Ladra.
Related: Carlos Gimenez keeps rejecting voter-approved Pets’ Trust
Book represents Petland, a chain of pet stores — and the first result on your screen if you google “puppy mills Florida.” The Humane Society and other agencies have investigated the chain, which is the biggest national retail supplier of puppy mill dogs. There is one in Kendall. Basically, they resell puppies from USDA-licensed breeders that, activists have proven, put profits over the health and well-being of the dog, keeping hundreds of dogs in cramped and substandard conditions. Many die are kept in wire cages with urine and feces for days. Many die or have injuries and illnesses. The dogs that breed live in captivity their entire lives, with one purpose only: breed more puppies for profit. It’s a very sad existence.
Last year, the city of Miami passed an ordinance that prohibits the sale of any dogs that were bred in puppy mills, like in this photo right. Stores can sell pups from hobby breeders, who treat their animals like pets and only breed once or twice a year. Another 57 or 58 municipalities have similar laws include Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Hillsborough County.
Book tried twice to get amendments into two different bills to basically void any local puppy mill ordinances like those. The first was a carefully disguised line in the Agriculture and Consumer Services department’s 300-page bill about oyster farming and seed labels. It didn’t even include the word animal or pet in it. Supporters contended it meant anything that could be bought or sold legally.
But animal activists saw right through it and it was removed.
Then, State Rep. Halsey Beshears (R-Monticello), right, tried to sneak it back in again Monday, filing an amendment to 160-page tax package to prohibit municipalities from restricting the sale of “taxable personal property” that could be legally sold. That would include dogs and cats. And it was caught again.
Monday afternoon, the Pets’ Trust sent the following email blast:
“Our legislative sessions ends this Friday. During these final days, lobbyists seeking to implement the agendas of their clients are doing some sneaky things. Mr. Ron Book is the lobbyist for puppy stores and is one of the top lobbyists in the state. He convinced Representative Beshears to support puppy stores and Mr. Beshears listened, adding an amendment  (two sentences in a 300-page bill) that stops communities from banning puppy stores. This is not the way our government should operate, with a powerful lobbyist dictating to a representative what he wants
How about what WE want!!!!? Please call Representative Beshears and urge him to reject that amendment and fight with us to stop puppy stores.
Then, call Senator Lauren Book, the daughter of Ron Book.  While Lauren fights to protect abused children, Ron Book leads the way to protect abusers of puppies. Call Senator Book and ask her to fight against this Bill, and to enlighten her father on the horrific puppy mills
CALL NOW!!!!
Please send to ten other people.”
Ladra thinks it was that last line that did it.
Signed by Pets’ Trust founders Rosenberg and Rita Schwartz, the email sent to more than 33,000 supporters included both lawmakers’ office numbers. Then, Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava forwarded it to her email list. The senators must have been deluged with calls.
Related: Animal shelter show hides truth about services, kill rate
The next day, an angry Ron Book emailed Rosenberg, calling the email blast he sent “trashy.” But Ladra doesn’t see anything trashy about it. It’s honest. Just plain matter of fact. And, guess what? It was effective. The amendment was pulled Tuesday evening.
Or we could say it was “trashed.”
Next email campaign should be to get Miami-Dade — which passed an ordinance in 2014 that forces stores to advertise the source of their puppies — to get more aggressive and outright ban the importation of any animals from puppy mills. Especially now that, as the Tampa Bay Times reported, the federal government is redacting the reports from the USDA investigators on these hellholes. What good is knowing the source if we can’t find out anything about their history?
Commissioner Levine Cava — who some may think forgot her promise to help voters make the Pets’ Trust initiative that passed with 65% become a reality — is working on a puppy mill ordinance, but may not have the support she needs.
Call your commissioner and tell them that this is a no brainer.
And to not let any lobbyist help write it up.
 

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