TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Trooper’s Law, inspired by the Florida dog abandoned during Hurricane Milton evacuations and rescued by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, has cleared another hurdle in the Florida Senate.
SB 150 passed unanimously in the Rules Committee on Wednesday.
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Last week, it moved through the Agriculture Committee after a unanimous vote.
The bill would make abandoning a restrained animal during a natural disaster a third-degree felony.
FHP troopers found Trooper, a Bull Terrier, in belly-high water, abandoned along Interstate 75, near Pebble Creek, north of Tampa during evacuations for Hurricane Milton last year.
Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin, Florida was identified as Trooper’s owner and arrested in October 2024.
Garcia faces aggravated animal cruelty charges and could face up to five years in prison.
Trooper did find a forever home in December 2024. He was adopted by Frank Spina and his family in December 2024.
He came home to a canine sister named Dallas, who is also a Bull Terrier rescue.
If the bill passes, it would take effect on Oct. 1, 2025.