TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — State lawmakers are one step closer to becoming a felony of abandoning a dog during a natural disaster.
The Trooper law was inspired by a bull terrier, a trooper, who was abandoned and found to be chained to the side of an I-75 near Tampa during Hurricane Milton.
The bill would include up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for anyone who abandons a dog during a natural disaster.
Florida State Legislatures do what they can to protect their four-legged friends, especially their dogs.
“We even took Jack***’s dog to the pole when the storm came,” Gov. DeSantis said in October 2024.
The dog was caught in a rising flood of I-75 near Tampa by the Florida Highway Patrol after the troopers found him.
“The Florida Highway Patrol rescued the dog. It’s in Tallahassee now. Honestly, it’s a good dog, but it’s been traumatized from that,” DeSantis said.
This bill, the Troopers Act, passed unanimously the Senate. You will create three felonies to abandon your dog outside during a natural disaster.
Support for the bill said laws protecting dogs are delayed in these circumstances.
“If you’re a pet owner like me, you know you’ll do anything to protect your pet. We should protect our pets during the storm and not kill them,” Susie Lopez said in the fall of 2024.
The trooper is currently in his beloved house. That’s what lawmakers want to happen for each dog.
Jovanie Garcia, the former owner of the trooper, was charged with animal cruelty.
If the Troopers Act passes the House and is signed, it will take effect on October 1, 2025.
