Man Charged With Abandoning Dog in Floodwaters as Florida Residents Evacuated Ahead of Hurricane

A dog nicknamed Trooper tied to a pole near a fence on the side of Interstate 75 in Tampa on Oct. 9, 2024, in a still from video. Florida Highway Patrol

TAMPA, Fla.—A man has been arrested for animal cruelty after authorities say he abandoned his dog in floodwaters near a highway as residents evacuated Florida’s Gulf Coast last week shortly before Hurricane Milton made landfall.

The 23-year-old man from Ruskin, Florida, was arrested Monday on a charge of felony aggravated animal cruelty.