TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCJB) – Florida lawmakers are on track to toughen sentences for people who tie up their dogs outside during a hurricane or natural disaster.
A House Committee signed off on the bill five months after state troopers found a dog tied up along I-75 as Hurricane Milton approached Tampa. The purpose of the bill is to ensure dogs are protected during natural disasters.
A body camera from the Florida Highway Patrol shows a state trooper rescuing a Bull Terrier, later named Trooper in honor of his rescuer, tied up along I-75 in Hillsborough County as Hurricane Milton was about to hit last year. The video sparked national outrage.
“What kind of animal would just leave a dog chained to a pole in the middle of a hurricane? It’s just unbelievable somebody would do that,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference at the State Emergency Operations Center on October 9, 2024.
“I can’t imagine someone doing that to something you love like that, doing that to anything that has life. It’s really cruel. It’s sad. It’s really sad,” Rep. Griff Griffitts, (R) Panama City Beach, said.
That’s why Rep. Griffitts is pushing for the passage of “Trooper’s Law,” named after the dog. It would make it a felony to restrain a dog outside during a natural disaster. If signed into law, that would mean a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
“Clearly the penalties weren’t severe enough for him to think that was ok to do that. The state attorney in south Florida said we needed stricter penalties for when people do dumb stuff,” Rep. Griffitts said.
A second House committee advanced the bill unanimously Thursday morning.
“It’s a little disturbing we need it, but we do,” Kate MacFall, Florida Director of Humane Society of America, said.
MacFall said she’s been pushing for similar laws for a few years.
“Trooper is a great example in that tragic situation. Thankfully he’s in a wonderful home now and doing well, very well,” MacFall said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign this bill if it does make it to his desk.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia is facing animal cruelty charges in Hillsborough County for abandoning Trooper. He’s scheduled to be back in court March 31.
As for Trooper, he’s been adopted and is now thriving with his new family.
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