TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill aimed to better identify and regulate dangerous dogs in Florida is now heading for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, while a bill to crack down on animal cruelty waits for final passage.
The legislature unanimously passed HB 593 Wednesday, also known as the “Pam Rock Act,” after a mail carrier who was mauled to death in Putnam County in 2022.
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The bill would require that any dog suspected of seriously injuring or killing a person be immediately seized during an investigation. It also mandates that owners of dogs classified as dangerous obtain at least $100,000 in liability insurance. Microchipping dangerous dogs would become mandatory.
[2025 ANNUAL SESSION: See what new bills Florida lawmakers are working on]
The bill also has the support of the family of a Volusia County boy who was fatally attacked by dogs earlier this year.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood went to Tallahassee to watch the Senate vote on the bill earlier this week.
“You have to be responsible when you drive a car, you have to be responsible when you handle a firearm,” Chitwood said. “You have to be responsible in so many things in life, why should you not be responsible as a pet owner?”
Chitwood encouraged the public to report aggressive dogs to law enforcement, emphasizing the importance of documenting incidents through police reports.
Once signed, the bill goes into effect on July 1, 2025.
Pet lovers are also hoping the same for HB 255, a bill that would increase penalties for aggravated animal cruelty.
The bill passed the Florida House, but then the Florida Senate added an amendment by State Sen. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, which would also require the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to keep a searchable database on its website of people who have been convicted of animal cruelty charges.
That database would have to be in place by Jan. 1, 2026.
The Florida Senate then passed the bill unanimously, so it must go back to the Florida House for a final vote.
Another dog bill got its day on Tuesday.
SB 150, also known as “Trooper’s Law,” passed the legislature and is heading to Gov. DeSantis.
The bill penalizes people who restrain a dog outside during a natural disaster and abandon the dog.
The bill honors a dog who was found tied to a fence along I-75 before Hurricane Milton last year by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper — hence the dog’s name “Trooper.”