WILTON MANORS, Fla. – There is a push to restrict the sale of rabbits in the state of Florida.
A bill was introduced by Palm Beach lawmaker Katherine Waldron to help protect the furry friends.
It started with a neighbor.
“They were moving away and just released the ones that she had,” Wilton Manors resident Gary Burton said. “Six months later, they are multiplying like crazy.”
Burton is a longtime resident of the Jenada Isles neighborhood in Wilton Manors.
He said the bunnies were as cute as they were destructive.
“They chew up landscaping, they are digging burrows,” he said. “They were everywhere, dead rabbits in the streets from being hit by cars.”
The population got so out of hand, city officials got involved.
A rabbit rescue came in, removing many of the bunnies and finding them new homes.
Now, months after the story went national and other communities came forward with similar problems, the Florida legislature is taking action.
“Trust me, I’ve gotten some teasing from my colleagues about the pet rabbit bill, but they can become pretty destructive,” said Waldron.
It was Waldron who proposed a bill to restrict the sale of rabbits. It is becoming law later this year.
“Rabbits won’t be sold between March and April, around Easter,” she said.
Those who sell rabbits during those months will face a second degree misdemeanor, all in hopes of helping deter the next rabbit invasion.
“If you’re looking at it from afar, it might seem kind of funny or cute or whatever, but if you’re living it, it can destructive it does affect your home values,” said Waldron.