Trooper’s Law: Governor signs measure punishing those who abandon animals during hurricanes

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed new legislation setting up harsher penalties in place for those who leave animals to die in a natural disaster.

“This story is the type of cruelty we can’t tolerate in the Free State of Florida,” DeSantis said.

Floridians were shocked last year by the story of a dog that would come to be known as Trooper, who was tied to a pole at the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 4 as Hurricane Milton approached. The dog was eventually rescued by a member of the state Highway Patrol.

The new law could earn perpetrators five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

“If you evacuate, make sure you’re taking care of your pets. You cannot leave your dog behind if you’re in an evacuation zone,” DeSantis said at a press conference Wednesday.

The dog’s previous owner, a Ruskin man named Giovanny Aldama Garcia, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals last year after he left the dog to drown in floodwaters, shocking the conscience of Floridians and people around the nation.

DeSantis said Wednesday the scene was “sad to see,” noting the trooper came across an “abandoned dog tied to a fence” and left to drown.

SB 150, filed by Sen. Don Gaetz, holds that a “person who during a state of emergency … in an area included in the state of emergency” commits “animal cruelty … commits a felony of the third degree.”

The legislation has received support from outside groups including the Florida Smart Justice Alliance, the Humane Society of the United States and Florida Animal Control Association.

The dog, who was renamed Trooper after the person who saved him, has since been adopted and found a new home in Broward County. The dog has been battling health issues in recent months according to media reports.