Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 150 By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senator Gaetz 591-01944-25 2025150c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to abandoning restrained animals 3 during natural disasters; providing a short title; 4 amending s. 828.13, F.S.; defining terms; prohibiting 5 the abandonment of an animal that is restrained 6 outside during a natural disaster; providing criminal 7 penalties; providing an effective date. 8 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10 11 Section 1.This act may be cited as Troopers Law. 12 Section 2.Section 828.13, Florida Statutes, is amended to 13 read: 14 828.13Confinement of animals without sufficient food, 15 water, or exercise; abandonment of animals. 16 (1)As used in this section: 17 (a)Abandon means to forsake an animal entirely or to 18 neglect or refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations 19 for care and support of an animal by its owner. 20 (b)Natural disaster means a situation in which a 21 hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning has been issued 22 for a municipality or a county by the National Weather Service, 23 or in which a municipality or county is under a mandatory or 24 voluntary evacuation order. 25 (c)Owner includes any owner, custodian, or other person 26 in charge of an animal. 27 (d)Restraint means a chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, 28 or other device that attaches an animal to a stationary object 29 or trolley system. 30 (2)A person who Whoever: 31 (a)Impounds or confines any animal in any place and fails 32 to supply the animal during such confinement with a sufficient 33 quantity of good and wholesome food and water, 34 (b)Keeps any animals in any enclosure without wholesome 35 exercise and change of air, or 36 (c)Abandons to die any animal that is maimed, sick, 37 infirm, or diseased, 38 39 commits is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, 40 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more 41 than $5,000, or by both imprisonment and a fine. 42 (3)A Any person who is the owner or possessor, or has 43 charge or custody, of any animal who abandons such animal to 44 suffer injury or malnutrition or abandons any animal in a 45 street, road, or public place without providing for the care, 46 sustenance, protection, and shelter of such animal commits is 47 guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 48 provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or 49 by both imprisonment and a fine. 50 (4)A person who abandons an animal by using a restraint on 51 the animal and leaving that animal restrained outside during a 52 natural disaster commits a felony of the third degree, 53 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more 54 than $10,000, or both. 55 Section 3.This act shall take effect October 1, 2025.