Appeals court sets date for arguments in case of Tampa and Orlando dog bars | Tampa

The 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday scheduled arguments Feb. 13 in a dispute about whether dogs should be allowed in bars.

A three-judge panel of the Tallahassee-based appeals court will hear the case, which involves Tampa and Orlando bars. The Florida Department of Health appealed after Administrative Law Judge Lynne Quimby-Pennock last year ruled the department had not properly revised a rule to prevent Pups Pub Tampa and Pups Pub Orlando from allowing customers to bring pets to the dog-friendly bars.

The case centered on sanitation certificates that county health departments, which are overseen by the state Department of Health, issue to establishments. Pups Pub Tampa, for example, was issued a sanitation certificate in December 2020, with an agreement that it would not serve food. Also, the pub took steps such as installing a gate to keep dogs out of the drink-service area.

But in June 2022, the Tampa bar was cited for a violation related to having dogs in the business. The Orlando bar, meanwhile, received a sanitation certificate and opened in July 2022 but was cited for a violation less than a month later, according to Quimby-Pennock’s ruling. Quimby-Pennock said the Department of Health did not properly go through a process to adopt a rule that would keep dogs out of the bars. But the appeals court in November issued a stay of Quimby-Pennock’s ruling as the legal fight continued.