Florida · statute · Fla. Stat. ch. 828 · 36 active provisions
In this chapter, and in every law of the state relating to or in any way affecting animals, the word “animal” shall be held to include every living dumb creature; the words “torture,” “torment,” and “cruelty” shall be held to include every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering…
(1) Any county or any society or association for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, organized under the laws of this state, may appoint agents for the purpose of investigating violations of any of the provisions of this chapter or any other law of the state for the purpose of protecting children and anim…
(1) The purpose of this section is to provide a swift and merciful means whereby domestic animals which are suffering from an incurable or untreatable condition or are imminently near death from injury or disease may be destroyed without unconscionable delay and in a humane and proficient manner.(2) As used in this sec…
(1) The Board of Pharmacy shall adopt rules providing for the issuance of permits authorizing the purchase, possession, and use of sodium pentobarbital, sodium pentobarbital with lidocaine, tiletamine hydrochloride, alone or combined with zolazepam (including Telazol), xylazine (including Rompun), ketamine, acepromazin…
(1) Sodium pentobarbital, a sodium pentobarbital derivative, or other agent the Board of Veterinary Medicine may approve by rule shall be the only methods used for euthanasia of dogs and cats by public or private agencies, animal shelters, or other facilities which are operated for the collection and care of stray, neg…
(1)(a) A warm-blooded animal, except one held as food for another animal, offered for sale, or obtained for sale by a pet shop may be euthanized only by administering sodium pentobarbital, a sodium pentobarbital derivative, or a substance or procedure which acts on the central nervous system and is clinically proven to…
(1) The purpose of this section is to provide a means by which a neglected or mistreated animal may be:(a) Removed from its present custody, or(b) Made the subject of an order to provide care, issued to its owner by the county court, any law enforcement officer, any animal control officer certified pursuant to s. 828.2…
Whoever leaves or deposits any poison or any substance containing poison, in any common street, alley, lane, or thoroughfare of any kind, or in any yard or enclosure other than the yard or enclosure occupied or owned by such person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.…
(1) A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, commits animal cruelty, a misdemeanor of…
It shall be unlawful, and punishable as a misdemeanor, for any person to conduct or engage in a simulated or bloodless bullfighting exhibition.
(1) This act may be cited as “The Animal Fighting Act.”(2) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Animal fighting” means fighting between roosters or other birds or between dogs, bears, or other animals.(b) “Baiting” means to attack with violence, to provoke, or to harass an animal with one or more animals for the purp…
(1) A person who kills any dog or cat with the sole intent of selling or giving away the pelt of such animal commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by both imprisonment and a fine.(2) A person who possesses, imports into this state, sells, bu…
(1) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly sell or offer for sale, directly or indirectly, at wholesale or at retail, in this state any garment, or any item of clothing or apparel that is made, in whole or in part, from the fur of any dog or cat, or which contains or to which is attached any dog or cat fur.(2) It i…
Any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding:(1) Any person who willfully and unlawfully, by any means whatsoever, kills, maims, mutilates, or causes great bodily harm or permanent breeding disability to any animal of the genus Equus (horse) or any animal of any registered breed or recognized re…
(1) As used in this section, the term “sexual contact with an animal” means any act committed between a person and an animal for the purpose of sexual gratification, abuse, or financial gain which involves:(a) Contact between the sex organ or anus of one and the mouth, sex organ, or anus of the other;(b) The fondling o…
(1) As used in this section:(a) “Abandon” means to forsake an animal entirely or to neglect or refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations for care and support of an animal by its owner.(b) “Natural disaster” means a situation in which a hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning has been issued for a municip…
(1) No person or corporation, or agent of either, engaged in transporting livestock on railway trains or on steam or sailing vessels, or otherwise, shall detain such stock for a longer continuous period than 28 hours after the same are so placed without supplying the same with necessary food, water, and attention, or s…
Whoever, being the owner, or having the charge of any animal, knowing the same to have any contagious or infectious disease, or to have been recently exposed thereto, sells, barters, or disposes of such animal without first disclosing to the person to whom the same is sold, bartered, or disposed of, that such animal is…
(1) It is unlawful for a person to:(a) Dye or artificially color an animal that is under 12 weeks of age, or a fowl or rabbit of any age;(b) Bring a dyed or artificially colored animal that is under 12 weeks of age, or a fowl or rabbit of any age, into this state; or(c) Sell, offer for sale, or give away as merchandisi…
Any sheriff or any other peace officer of the state, or any police officer of any city or town of the state, shall arrest without warrant any person found violating any of the provisions of ss. 828.08, 828.12, and 828.13-828.16, and the officer making the arrest shall hold the offender until a warrant can be procured,…
(1) Sections 828.22-828.26 may be cited as the “Humane Slaughter Act.”(2)(a) The Legislature of this state finds that the use of humane methods in the killing of livestock prevents needless suffering, results in safer and better working conditions for persons engaged in the slaughtering industry or other livestock oper…
As used in ss. 828.22-828.26, the following words shall have the meanings indicated:(1) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.(2) “Person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, or association doing business in this state, in whole or in part.(3) “Slaughter” means the act of ki…
(1) No person shall kill an animal in any way except by an approved humane method.(2) No person shall shackle or hoist with intent to kill any animal prior to rendering the animal insensitive to pain.(3) Nothing in this section precludes the enforcement of s. 828.12 relating to cruelty to animals.
(1) The department shall administer the provisions of ss. 828.22-828.26. It shall adopt and may from time to time revise rules, which rules must conform substantially to and must not be less restrictive than the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States pursuant to the feder…
The department, in conjunction with the State University System, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and humane animal groups, shall make available to slaughterers the most current technical information. Such information may be in video or manual format, or another widely accepted media format.