This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
New Florida Laws Target Animal Cruelty With Harsher Jail Time and Fines
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two laws that make it a felony to abandon restrained dogs during disasters and increase penalties for aggravated animal cruelty.
Milo (L) and Miya (R) play together in Biscayne Bay in Miami on May 28, 2025. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation into law that will impose tougher penalties on people who abandon pets during natural disasters and enhance criminal penalties for severe animal abuse. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills into law this week that enhance penalties for cases of animal cruelty in the state.
“Across Florida, we have witnessed horrific cases of animal cruelty that demand a stronger response,” DeSantis said in a May 28 statement. “I was proud to sign Trooper’s Law and Dexter’s Law today. Florida stands by man’s best friend.”
The two laws are named after Trooper and Dexter, two dogs that were abused in 2024 by their caregivers in incidents that shocked Floridians.
The governor said the Trooper Act (S.B. 150) was inspired by a white and brown bull terrier dog that was chained to a wire fence during Hurricane Milton and rescued by the Florida Highway Patrol in October 2024.
The measure was enacted as hurricane season approaches in the Atlantic.
S.B. 150 makes it a crime when a person restrains a dog on the street during a natural disaster or evacuation and then abandons it. The crime has been classified as a third-degree felony for which individuals may receive up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
The law also classifies the abandonment of an animal and the failure to provide confined animals with sufficient food, water, and exercise as first-degree misdemeanors, with fines of up to $5,000, imprisonment, or both.
The measure will take effect on Oct. 1.
DeSantis said the Dexter Act (H.B. 255) was named in honor of a shelter dog, a 4-year-old mixed-breed bulldog that was brutally killed in Pinellas County, Florida, one day after being adopted.
The law allows for increased penalties for aggravated animal cruelty, meaning that in cases of the “intentional torture or torment of an animal that injured, mutilated, or killed the animal,” the subtotal of offense points for the conviction will be multiplied by 1.25. The penalty excludes animals used for agriculture and wildlife.
H.B. 255 also allows for the creation of Florida’s first animal abuser database to prevent abuse and protect communities, which is to be established by Jan. 1, 2026.
