Warning: Constant ABSPATH already defined in /home/flanews/public_html/wp-config.php on line 34
Capitol News Service » Blog Archive » New Penalties for Animal Abusers Take Effect Monday

Welcome to

Capitol News Service

Florida's Best Political Coverage on Television

New Penalties for Animal Abusers Take Effect Monday

September 27th, 2018 by Jake Stofan
A new law taking effect Monday will make it more likely animal abusers do jail time.
It also requires animal shelters get lost pets back to their owners after a disaster.
A police body cam video shot in 2017 showed the public a case of animal abuse that occurred in Daytona Beach.
A young Labrador Retriever named Ponce had been beaten to death.
“And the public outcry about the sentencing, or lack of, was massive,” said Kate MacFall with the Human Society.
The incident drew attention to the state’s relatively weak penalties for animal cruelty and spurred new Legislation to crack down on abusers.
“This shows us a lot about the courage of Floridians and what we’re capable of and how much we care about our pets,” said Jennifer Hobgood, Director of State Legislation for the ASPCA’s Southeastern Region.
The Legislature approved Ponce’s Law in March of 2018.
It raises aggravated animal cruelty from a level three to a level five offense.
“It’s easier and more appropriate at a level five to assign jail time,” said MacFall.
It also clarifies that judges can prohibit convicted abusers from owning or even having contact with animals.
“So if they are found having contact with animals during their probation it would be a violation of their probation,” said Hobgood. “They could go to jail.”
Tagged onto Ponce’s Law is another change, which establishes a set of procedures for animal shelters like this one to follow after a natural disaster to help reunite lost pets with their owners.
“Things like scanning for a microchip in a timely fashion and properly, checking for tags, calling identified owners of lost pets,” said Hobgood.
An educational campaign launches the same day the law goes into effect.
It’s goal is to spread word about Ponce’s Law to prosecutors, judges and law enforcement throughout the state.
The campaign kicks off in Ponce’s home Daytona Beach and is led by Debbie Dario, the Escambia County paralegal who spearheaded Ponce’s Law.

Posted in State News | No Comments »

Comments are closed.

copyright © 2016 by Capitol News Service | Powered by Wordpress | Hosted by LyonsHost.com