This Miami park celebrates cats and dogs. One problem: Plants there could poison them

Douglas Hanks
·2 min read

Floral plants surround the brightly colored dog and cat statues at Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park, and the city has realized the combination could be a toxic problem.

Hours after local filmmaker Billy Corben pointed out the presence of poisonous Angel’s trumpet plant along the walkways, the park’s director said the colorful foliage is being removed.

“It has come to our attention that the angel’s trumpets that were planted in just one section of the Dogs and Cats Garden Exhibit may cause some to become ill if ingested,” said Frank Rodriguez, interim executive director of the Bayfront Park Trust, the city entity that runs the downtown waterfront park.

READ MORE: Joe Carollo inaugurates controversial dog and cat sculpture garden in downtown Miami

“These plants were scheduled to be removed in the near future because they were getting too large for the area,” he said in a statement, “but their removal will be accelerated to today.”

Angel’s trumpet is a poisonous plant.
Angel’s trumpet is a poisonous plant.

The pinkish hanging flowers remained as part of the sculpture walkway’s landscaping late Wednesday afternoon, a floral backdrop for the turquoise bulldog, white-green-and-blue swirled Great Dane, and an azure cat with a waterfowl scene for a coat.

Rodriguez didn’t respond to questions about how the plants came to be planted on the public walkways. He noted the plants are popular throughout Florida, and said the park hasn’t had any complaints of pets or people falling ill since they were planted about six months ago.

The University of Florida’s horticulture website includes care tips for people growing their own angel’s trumpets: “Plant yours in sun or shade, preferably in a rich soil.” But the site goes on to warn: “Also, all parts of the plant are poisonous, so don’t let kids or pets eat any of it.”

Opened in February, the Dogs and Cats Walkway Sculpture Gardens was championed by Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, who oversees the city-appointed trust board as its chair.

With the statue of a Labrador retriever called Chócolo by local Artist Luis Miguel Rodriguez looming in the background, Miami Commissioner, Joe Carollo, center, talks to guests at the ribbon cutting ceremony to the Dogs and Cats Walkway Sculpture Gardens at Maurice A. Ferré Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, on February 10, 2023.
With the statue of a Labrador retriever called Chócolo by local Artist Luis Miguel Rodriguez looming in the background, Miami Commissioner, Joe Carollo, center, talks to guests at the ribbon cutting ceremony to the Dogs and Cats Walkway Sculpture Gardens at Maurice A. Ferré Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, on February 10, 2023.

The sculpture garden cost about $900,000 to create, featuring more than a dozen oversized canine and feline statues next to the renowned Perez Art Museum of Miami.

The floral fracas at Ferré Park arrives as Carollo is facing a civil trial over allegations he deployed city inspectors to punish business owners who backed his political rival. He denies the charges.

The trust’s website said the one-acre garden around the sculptures was “carefully curated” by the organization’s artistic director, Miguel Ferro.

In an email, Rodriguez said the problematic plants weren’t an issue for park goers.

“Though these plants are very common in South Florida and readily available, they are clearly not meant to be consumed,” he said. “We have not had any issues with the plants during the last six months they have been there, but in an abundance of caution, we will be removing them.”

A sculpture garden dedicated to cats and dogs in Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park was planted with plants considered poisonous to pets and people. A park representative said the Angel’s Trumpet plants are being removed.
A sculpture garden dedicated to cats and dogs in Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park was planted with plants considered poisonous to pets and people. A park representative said the Angel’s Trumpet plants are being removed.
Two men walk past the statue of a Poodle at the Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculpture Gardens. The City of Miami hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the walkway and sculpture gardens at Maurice A. Ferré Park.
Two men walk past the statue of a Poodle at the Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculpture Gardens. The City of Miami hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the walkway and sculpture gardens at Maurice A. Ferré Park.