ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously passed the bill that would help repeal Florida's last remaining pit bull bans.
So what does this mean? Pit bulls could possibly no longer be discriminated against in ordinances and only be judged by their behavior, Florida Politics reports.
The legislation would "prohibit public housing authorities and local ordinances from breed-specific rules on dogs," the media outlet explains.
The committee also got rid of a line previously added which allowed breed-specific ordinances passed before October 1, 1990.
“There isn’t any scientific evidence that there is a particular breed that is dangerous,” Sen. Ileana Garcia, the bill’s sponsor, said to Florida Politics. “What we did see was during COVID, a huge uptick of our shelters in Miami-Dade…We just could not handle the amount of animals that were coming in because people were transitioning to public housing.”
She said dogs shouldn't be singled out by breed.
The companion bill in the Florida House was also just unanimously approved by the House Local Administration and Veterans Subcommittee, the nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society explains. It's now waiting to be heard by the House Regulatory Reform Committee.
“Breed-based restrictions are inaccurate, outdated and are disproven in keeping communities safe. These bills would keep Florida families from having to choose between putting a roof over their head or keeping their beloved pet,” Laura Donahue, Best Friends Animal Society Director of Legislation and Advocacy, wrote in a statement.
“It’s time we put an end to these unfair policies and keep Florida families together.”