SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority just made a major change to the regulations regarding animals using the terminal at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).
“With the substantial growth we have seen recently, it has become necessary to update our new rules and regulations to ensure the safety and health of all passengers and animals that use our facility," said Rick Piccolo, President and CEO of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
The new regulations do not affect trained service animals.
All other animals, including pets, emotional support animals and comfort animals, must adhere to the new policy.
"Over the past few years, we have seen a significant increase in pets, emotional support animals, and comfort animals using our facility. This has resulted in frequent sanitation issues and some threatening behavior problems," said Piccolo. "To maintain a clean and safe environment for our customers, we will begin educating the public on our updated regulations and increasing enforcement."
Non-service animals will not be allowed inside the terminal building unless they are traveling with their owner.
All animals must be housebroken and its owner will be responsible for cleaning up and reporting any mess the animal causes.
The owner must control the animal at all times and will be required to remove any pet posing a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
Non-service animals must be kept in an animal carrier while inside the terminal. If no carrier is available, the animal must be carried by its owner. If the animal is too large to fit in a carrier or be carried, the animal must be kept on a non-retractable leash extending no longer than 3 feet from the owner.
