Bill > S0502

This bill amends Florida statutes related to animal cruelty by updating definitions and modifying criminal sentencing guidelines. The bill revises the definition of "animal" to include every living creature and expands the definition of "cruelty" to encompass any unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering. It introduces a new definition for "domestic animal," which includes common pets like dogs, cats, birds, and hamsters, but explicitly excludes agricultural and captive wildlife animals. Additionally, the bill modifies the Criminal Punishment Code worksheet to add a sentencing multiplier for animal cruelty offenses involving domestic animals. Specifically, if a person is convicted of animal cruelty under section 828.12 towards a domestic animal, their sentence subtotal will be multiplied by 1.25, effectively increasing the potential punishment for such offenses. This change aims to strengthen legal protections for domestic animals and signal the seriousness of animal cruelty crimes by potentially imposing more significant penalties on offenders.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/502