TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - A new Florida law that will create harsher punishments for people who abuse animals is set to go into effect Oct. 1.
The bill, called Ponce’s Law, is named after a 9-month-old Labrador retriever puppy found beaten to death in a man’s backyard in Volusia County.
The law allows a judge to bar someone convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet. It also revises animal cruelty on the offense severity ranking chart, making it more likely an offender would go to prison.
The bill says any person who intentionally commits an act to any animal that results in a “cruel death, or excessive or repeated inflection of unnecessary pain or suffering” will be charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law on March 23 for National Puppy Day.
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