Broward County Animal Care had its day in court — and lost.

The agency was ordered to pay $132,000 in damages to Ariel Sackett, who was attacked by a dog she had just brought home from the county-run shelter to her Fort Lauderdale townhouse. The court said Broward County “breached its duty to warn (or) disclose by failing to make clear” to any possible adopter that this dog might have potential for aggression, based on shelter notes.

This case was not about money — it was about accountability. The plaintiff wanted Broward Animal Care to acknowledge its failures and agree to safeguards to protect the public if this happened again. But instead of doing what is best for public safety, Broward County blamed the victim, stating that her injuries were due to her own negligence. Seriously? How can the plaintiff be negligent when the shelter never disclosed the dog’s previously reported signs of aggression?

The county then blames the breed, because don’t we know that all pit bull-type dogs are aggressive? Seriously?

Broward, know the law: The state of Florida overturned breed-specific bans and prohibits discrimination based on breeds. Not all pit bull-type dogs are aggressive. When we hear so much about being inclusive and being accepting of others and not to tolerate discrimination, it is indefensible that Broward County took the low road, blaming the victim for negligence and stereotyping the dog based on its breed.

Broward, stop blaming and shaming the victim and the breed — and look inward.

Meredith Bruder, Delray Beach

The writer is founder and a board member of Pets’ Broward.

Don’t blame Joe Biden

A recently published letter to the editor blamed President Joe Biden for our recent inflation and the price of gas, and stated that inflation under President Donald Trump was only 1.4%.

These things are a function of supply and demand — not the actions of one person. Under Trump we had COVID, too, which brought the economy and demand in general to a halt. That was the cause of low inflation under Trump. We also had high unemployment under Trump.

In 2020, Trump downplayed COVID as a non-event and said it would soon pass, which health experts said was a mistake. Instead, COVID killed 350,000 Americans in 2020 and continues infecting people today. Inflation under Biden occurred because of pent-up demand for goods and services as we overcame COVID and the economy recovered.

Inflation has since been brought under control and unemployment is very low at 3.7%. Our economy has created jobs at a record pace under Biden.

It is a simple and obvious fact that our economy has been strong and growing under President Joe Biden.

Bob Stein, Boynton Beach

Regulating short-term rentals

Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Warren Sturman recently organized an emergency virtual meeting to address concerns with the so-called vacation rental bill in Tallahassee (HB 1537).

Participating were residents who have had long experience with the problems caused by bad operators of vacation rentals and complying with the city of Fort Lauderdale vacation rental program. Also participating were the city’s staff lobbyist and state Reps. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, and Daryl Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale.

Strategically, their advice was to continue working cooperatively with other organizations such as the Florida League of Cities and with the sponsors of the bill. They specifically asked for two things: organize residents to send emails to the appropriate legislators and their staffs, and to not upend these delicate negotiations by calling out legislators who have a different opinion on the issue.

Commissioner Sturman understands how things works in Tallahassee, in Broward County and how we can get things done in Fort Lauderdale.

Marilyn Mammano, Fort Lauderdale