Victory! Hallandale Beach Is The First City In Florida To Ban The Sale Of Fur

Last week, the city commission for Hallandale Beach, Florida, voted 5-0 to be the first city in the state to ban the sale of new fur products. The ordinance will take effect immediately and sadly exempts used fur and pelts from sheep, deer, and cows.

As per the 2017 Economic Census Data, Florida has the eighth highest fur sales in the country.

“Florida is now on the map as a state that recognizes that fur products come from an industry that treats wild animals cruelly by raising them in unnatural conditions for the most frivolous of items,” said Kate MacFall, Florida state director for the Humane Society of the United States, in an email sent to WAN. “Hallandale Beach has set an example for other humane communities to follow.”

“Hallandale Beach is a progressive community that does not support products where unnecessary animal cruelty occurs, and the fur industry breeding animals for their pelts only, and nothing else, is a prime example,” stated Michele Lazarow, the City Commissioner who sponsored the ordinance.

“As a fiscally conservative lawmaker who believes that free enterprise is a moral imperative, sponsoring a fur sales ban due to the unspeakable cruelty to over 100 million animals killed yearly to supply the fashion industry, comes down to right vs. wrong,” said City Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub, who co-sponsored the bill. “If the multi-billion-dollar luxury fashion label stakeholders are choosing to be on the right side, I am proud to stand behind the principles of morality.”

California banned fur sales in 2019 following the passage of similar measures in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and West Hollywood. Wellesley and Weston, Massachusetts, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Boulder, Colorado, have also voted to end fur sales. Internationally, Israel became the first country in the world to ban fur sales earlier this year.

In 2021, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Canada Goose, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga also announced fur-free policies. Other major fashion brands and retailers that have incorporated fur-free policies include Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Prada, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Michael Kors, DKNY, Burberry, Chanel, and many more.

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg