We told you HERE in 2022 that the downtown, dog-centric watering hole, Pups Pub (Instagram | Website), was under fire from the Florida Health Department for allowing animals within their bar, contrary to the law.
According to Chapter 62-550, of the Florida Administrative Code, live animals are not allowed within bars unless they’re “working,” which doesn’t mean serving tables, but rather refers to patrol dogs, service animals, aquarium fish, crustaceans, and caged animals.
A law was passed in 2006 that allows governments to adopt ordinances that can exempt businesses within their boundaries from the state’s Food and Drug Administration Food Code via special ordinances. The City of Orlando’s Dog-Friendly Dining Permit only allows for pets within certain designated outdoor areas like entryways and fenced-off patios, not within the actual business. More on that HERE.
State health inspectors failed Pups Pub on an inspection early last fall for having dogs within the bar area, so the owners looked to the law to help and filed a petition with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. Since then, Judge Lynne Quimby-Pennock has ruled that since dogs aren’t allowed behind the bar and there is no food being prepared or served onsite, they should be allowed to operate unmolested from the state. The judge also ruled that Pups Pub should have its legal fees covered, according to a report by Austin Fuller for Orlando Sentinel.
Pups Pub has a members-only admission policy that required all of the dogs that come into the venue to be vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and to pass a behavior test before being allowed entry. They’ve also installed a special artificial turf flooring that was built to be regularly hosed down without puddling and to allow for easy drainage.
Pups Pub is located at 317 N. Orange Avenue [GMap] in downtown Orlando.
