PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis was at Big Dog Ranch, the largest no-kill rescue in the United States, on Wednesday morning to sign two bills that heighten punishment for animal abuse.
One bill, dubbed "Trooper's Law," will make it a third-degree felony to restrain or abandon a dog outside during a declared natural disaster or any time that a mandatory or voluntary evacuation order is in effect. This includes hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes.
"One of the things we've been stressing is when you evacuate, make sure you’re taking care of your pets," DeSantis said. "You can not leave a dog behind if you're in an evacuation zone. All of our counties have at least one shelter that is pet-friendly."
WATCH: Gov. DeSantis talks about the inspiration behind Trooper's Law
Trooper's Law is inspired and named after the dog who was abandoned during Hurricane Milton and rescued by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. The dog was found tied to a fence and left for dead as the storm was approaching.
"This story is exactly the kind of cruelty that we can not tolerate in the free state of Florida," DeSantis said. "We are a law and order state, and that includes the need to prosecute those who are derelict in their duty to take care of their own pets."
Trooper Orlando Morales, who found the dog on the side of I-75, was in attendance at the bill signing. He gave an update on the pup, Trooper, who is now happy and healthy in a new home.
WATCH: Trooper Morales talks about finding a dog tied to a fence on the side of I-75
The second bill, coined "Dexter's Law," provides harsher penalties for aggravated animal cruelty cases, making it more likely for people who commit animal cruelty to go to prison.
This bill was named after a shelter dog who was adopted and found beheaded in Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County days later.
Dexter's Law creates a sentencing multiplier of 1.25 for aggravated animal cruelty offenses and requires the Department of Law Enforcement to post on its website the names of those who have committed animal cruelty.
WATCH: Gov. DeSantis talks about the backstory of Dexter's Law
"This creates Florida’s first-ever animal abuse database, making sure that shelters and the public have a right to be made reasonably aware of individuals convicted of animal cruelty in their community," DeSantis said.
Also at the event was Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner.
Kerner, a Palm Beach County native, shared that these bills resonate with him on a personal level, telling his story about his four-legged friend Nick that he rescued in Puerto Rico during recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria.
"Out came this dog that was beaten, battered, bleeding, but he was smiling," Kerner said. "He came up to me and put his paw on me, and I promised myself that I would give him the best life that I could give him."
With the help of Big Dog Ranch, Kerner's dog, along with 7,000 other dogs, was put on a plane from Puerto Rico to Florida to be rescued.
WATCH: DeSantis signs Trooper's Law and Dexter's Law
Both Trooper's Law and Dexter's Law will go into effect on July 1.
"Ninety-five percent of the people in our society would never do any of this. They wouldn't even need the laws, because they're just not going to do it. But you got that small number of people that just don't have that same basic care for the pets and these animals that everyone else does," DeSantis said. "And that can turn very sadistic, like we saw in Dexter's case, and there's people who have a fetish of being cruel to animals. And again, this is a very small percentage, but they can do a lot of damage, so it's our job to hold them accountable."
