TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A brand new piece of laws making its means via the Florida 2022 legislative session would take away breed as a consider insurance policies about “harmful canines.” As an alternative, the invoice would change coverage necessities to solely concentrate on their habits.
Senate Bill 614 adjusts current “Harmful Canine” legal guidelines in Florida, in keeping with an analysis by the legislature. Current harmful canine legal guidelines have been in impact since 1990, targeted on decreasing “unprovoked assaults” and defending the welfare of the general public, according to the state statutes.
Beneath present legislation, a harmful canine refers to canines who’ve attacked or severely injured somebody on public or personal property, has severely injured or killed different pets a number of instances whereas off their proprietor’s property, or has chased or attacked somebody in public, unprovoked.
For a canine to be thought-about “harmful,” an animal management authority is required to research following reported incidents, and make a willpower.
SB 614 doesn’t change any of those classification necessities, and per the senate’s personal evaluation, breed-specific rules are already banned in Florida. Nevertheless, two elements of Florida have breed ordinances in impact on account of a grandfather provision within the 1990 harmful canine legislation, in keeping with the legislature.
The state of Florida has 99 HUD-registered PHAs, in keeping with the legislature. Of these, 91 are particular districts. At the moment, PHAs are allowed to have their very own pet rules, principally targeted on pet density, measurement, weight, sort and the choice for charges, deposits and pet registration.
The invoice provides the road to state statutes that housing authorities, along with native governments, might have insurance policies proscribing harmful canines, as long as they don’t concentrate on breed as a substitute of habits.
Some provisions by PHAs embody breed and habits, or coaching necessities to facilitate the pet residing with the tenant. Some PHA insurance policies limit breeds no matter whether or not or not an animal management division has discovered the canine to be deemed “vicious or harmful” via an investigation.
Particularly, Miami-Dade County and the Dawn, Fla. in Broward County have ordinances which goal pit bulls as a harmful breed, with ordinances that ban them from buy, being introduced into Miami-Dade County, or “in any other case acquired and controlled on account of distinctive historical past, nature and traits which require particular regulation.”
If SB 614 passes, these ordinances can be erased, bringing the 2 communities according to the remainder of the state’s canine legal guidelines and restrictions.
Moreover, SB 614 would alter the flexibility of Public Housing Authorities to have particular rules on family pets for his or her tenants.
Ought to the invoice take impact and be signed into legislation, PHAs would be capable of impose further restrictions for house owners of canines which are deemed harmful, however explicitly would finish “any current restrictions imposed by housing authorities pertaining to particular breeds of canines” for his or her tenants, in keeping with legislative evaluation.
