Osceola County to create registry of animal abusers
Osceola County hopes its new registry of convicted animal abusers will help keep pets safe and out of the hands of abusers.
The county this month passed an ordinance creating the database, which will be publicly available on the Osceola County Clerk of Courts website.
The new law also bans transferring a dog or cat to an animal abuser and requires kennels, rescue groups, humane societies and other groups to check the database before completing a sale or rescue.
“Unfortunately we do have animal abuse cases,” said Osceola Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, who pushed for the rule. “We added the animal abuse registry and that to me was a way to deter individuals how have been charged previously or have been involved in dog fighting to say, ‘Hey don’t come to Osceola County.”
The registry will be populated with those convicted of charges including cruelty to animals, fighting or baiting animals, killing a dog or cat with the intent to sell its pelt, and bestiality.
Once it’s created it will be populated with those convicted on or after Jan. 1 2019, county spokesman Mark Pino said.
The ordinance also imposes a graduating scale of fines for owners of animals that attack a person or pet, or cause property damage.
No statewide registry exists, though some governments have considered implementing them. In 2017, Orange County weighed starting a database of its own, but instead decided to support a statewide measure that was moving through committees at the time.
However, that bill, introduced by South Florida legislator Jared Moskowitz, died in a subcommittee. In an email this week he said it was among bills he was considering refiling in the upcoming legislative session.
The local push comes about two years after Marion County passed Molly’s Law, which implemented such a list in the county 60 miles north of Orlando.
The law was named for a dog who was beaten by her owner, and after the owner got out of jail wanted to adopt another dog.
The Marion County system lists those convicted of relevant offenses, and also links to Hillsborough County’s registry.