A proposal is headed to the full Florida House that would require owners of dogs deemed dangerous to have liability insurance and put microchips in the animals.
The House State Affairs Committee on Thursday approved the proposal (HB 593), which stems from the 2022 death of Pamela Rock, a 61-year-old mail carrier who was mauled by five dogs that got out of a fenced-in yard after her truck broke down on a dirt road in Putnam County.
“We lead the way in maulings and attacks, and that’s not good,” bill sponsor Judson Sapp, a Green Cove Springs Republican who represents Putnam County, said. “We can do better. And we will.”
The bill provides a definition of dangerous dogs, based on issues such as whether they have attacked people. The bill would require owners of such dogs to maintain liability insurance of $100,000 and have microchips in the animals. Such microchips can be used to find dogs.
The bill would make it a third-degree felony to remove the microchips. An identical bill (SB 572) would need to clear the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee before it could go to the full Senate.
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This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2025.
