Florida lawmakers plan to crack down on animal cruelty crimes with growing task force
Dr. Adam Stern from the University of Florida directs the Animal Cruelty Task Force and partnered with the 7th Judicial Court, which covers St. Johns County.
The Animal Cruelty Task Force aims to strengthen communication between animal hospitals, shelters, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and law enforcement; this way they can share information to find and identify potential animal abusers.
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Florida state leaders emphasize there is not an animal cruelty crisis in our state, however, we can do better to make sure animals are loved and taken care of.
Brian Shorstein from the State Attorney's Office in St. Augustine said lawmakers are on top of it this upcoming legislative session.
'Yesterday, we were in Tallahassee and the one we all saw recently was the dog that was abandoned during the hurricane left on the side of the road to drown. There's already legislation to make that a harsher felony,' said Shorstein.
Read: 'Troopers Bill' aims to stiffen penalties for animal cruelty during disasters
Animal cruelty knows no boundaries; and animal neglect, abuse and organized animal fights can happen anywhere in the world.
Head of the Animal Cruelty Task Force Dr. Stern said there is credible evidence showing many violent criminals, and even school shooters previously used violence towards animals.
'We find the dog fighting in the rural areas and, in the city, we see more neglect where people aren't providing their animal basic necessities like food, water and shelter,' said Dr. Stern.
Read: Woman charged with animal cruelty after dog found alive in plastic storage crate
Dr. Adam Stern emphasized Florida is not seeing a rise in animal cruelty cases, but one is too much to ignore, which is why he said the task force is expanding statewide.
Although the task force is fairly new, Dr. Stern said they have already seen major growth.
'We had a couple of agencies come to the first meeting and those individuals immediately called me the next day. They said we have some cases, and we need help. Instantly, it was almost like we talked and then applied it the very next day, which is really powerful,' said Dr. Adam Stern.
Animal cruelty is a felony in Florida which includes fines up to $5,000 and prison time.
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