FL H0873

Cited as the "Pam Rock Act," requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to create and maintain a publicly searchable Statewide Dangerous Dog Registry containing information such as the dog's name, photo, owner's name and address, and county of location.

Mandates confiscation and impoundment of dogs under investigation for aggressively biting, attacking, or inflicting severe injury on a human, changing this from discretionary to required; dogs classified as dangerous due to causing severe injury to a human must be destroyed in an expeditious and humane manner.

Requires owners of dogs classified as dangerous to obtain liability insurance of at least $100,000 to cover bodily injury damages, have the dog spayed or neutered, and maintain a proper enclosure with visible warning signs at all entry points.

Increases the civil penalty for violations of dangerous dog requirements from $500 to $1,000 per violation and revises the criminal liability standard for owners of unclassified dogs that cause severe injury or death, making failure to secure a dog in a proper enclosure (rather than "reckless disregard") the basis for a second-degree misdemeanor charge.

Requires dog owners with knowledge of their dog's dangerous propensities to securely confine the dog in a proper enclosure, and prohibits relocation or ownership transfer of dogs under dangerous dog investigation or ordered to be destroyed. Effective July 1, 2024.