Latest news with #PamRock
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Dangerous dogs' bill holding owners liable for dog attacks, aggressive bites, closer to becoming law
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A bill that would hold dog owners accountable for their 'dangerous dogs' moved forward in the Florida Senate and is inching closer to becoming a law. CS/HB 593, referred to as the 'Dangerous Dogs' bill, requires certain dogs to be confiscated, impounded, or held and securely confined in a proper enclosure if the animals are known to be dangerous. Florida lawmakers reverse law to require later school start times 'The Legislature finds that dangerous dogs are an increasingly serious and widespread threat to the safety and welfare of the people of this state because of unprovoked attacks which cause injury to persons and domestic animals; that such attacks are in part attributable to the failure of owners to confine and properly train and control their dogs.' The bill defined 'dangerous dog' as any dog that has aggressively bitten, attacked, endangered or inflicted severe injury on a human on public or private property, has more than once several injured or killed a domestic animal off their owner's property, or has, unprovoked, chased or approached a personin public in an 'attitude of attack.' These animals would be required to be properly enclosed inside, in a fenced yard or secured pen/structure that prevents them from escaping. An animal control officer would investigate reported incidents, requiring an interview with the dangerous dog owner, and confiscate the dog pending the outcome of the investigation. If necessary, the dog would be quarantined, impounded and held. The owner would be responsible for all boarding costs and fees pending a hearing/appeal, the bill states. Clearwater residents say they want 'less of Scientology' amid proposal to sell public street A dog would not be considered dangerous if the person attacked was unlawfully on the private property or if the dog was defending a person from an unjustified attack. The bill is cited as the 'Pam Rock Act,' referring to a mail carrier who was attacked and killed by a pack of dogs in 2022, NBC affiliate WESH reported. 'This bill, what it does is it puts into place a series of laws to help keep people safe when they're living their life, doing their own business, just like Pam Rock was as a mail carrier,' Sen. Jay Collins, District 14, said. Three months ago, after two dogs mauled an 8-year-old Deland boy to death, the bill regained interest. Sheriff Mike Chitwood, with the Volusia Sheriff's Office, has supported this bill from the beginning, saying this recent situation has put the topic 'on steroids' with Florida lawmakers. If passed, the bill would take effect July 1. To read the revised version of the bill in its entirety, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Pam Rock Act' advances in the Florida House as lawmakers eye new restriction on dangerous dogs
A bill dedicated to the memory of Pam Rock, the postal worker killed by a pack of dogs in 2022, is one step closer to becoming law after passing its second of three Florida House committees Tuesday. Every year in Florida, 600 people are hospitalized due to dog bites and roughly two lose their lives, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. Pam Rock was 61 when she was attacked and killed by a pack of five dogs in an Interlachen neighborhood. Now, nearly three years later, Florida lawmakers are hoping to prevent future dangerous dog deaths. The 'Pam Rock Act' would make several changes to the state's dangerous dog statute, requiring owners of dogs deemed dangerous to keep the animals properly fenced in or in an enclosure and have them microchipped. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] It would also require animal control to hold dogs during dangerous dog investigations where the animal has bitten someone or chased them in an aggressive manner, unprovoked. Owners of dangerous dogs would have to obtain $100,000 of liability insurance, and could face fines of up to $1,000 for violations. Pam's older brother Thomas Rock testified in support of the bill on Tuesday. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'She, like the other dangerous dog victims, was female and was either very young or very old. Pam was kind of, I'm her older brother, I'm one of older ten brothers, so, I was always picking on her and she was always making our life better,' Thomas said. 'This particular bill does six wonderful things that protects victims and prevents dogs from tearing them apart.' The bill passed with unanimous support Tuesday. It still has one more committee stop in the House and the Senate, before it will be ready for floor votes. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Senate will vote on bill to hold 'dangerous dog' owners accountable
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Senate will vote tomorrow on the "Pam Rock Act," named after Pam Rock, who was tragically killed by five pit bulls while delivering mail in 2022. The bill aims to increase accountability for dangerous dog owners by requiring them to keep their pets securely confined and carry liability insurance worth at least $100,000. The backstory Pam's brothers, Fred and Tom Rock, have worked with lawmakers to pass the bill. Fred shared the emotional motivation behind their efforts: "I feel as though she's up in heaven looking down on her older brothers and saying, 'Guys, I need you to help me finish this off.'" Tom added, "We are dedicated to making sure that we can help pass the best law possible so that there are no more Pam Rock attacks." READ:Tampa dog owner pries open gator's jaws to save pet from attack Big picture view Under the bill, owners of dangerous dogs would face felony charges and the dog would be euthanized if it attacks or kills someone. State Senator Jay Collins, the bill's sponsor, stressed the need for accountability, noting that dangerous dogs are often not euthanized or properly handled under current laws. What they're saying "The problem is simple. Currently, if a dog is deemed dangerous, or it's attacked somebody, quite often they're not put down, they're not handled. In many cases, they've actually been adopted out. Imagine if you went to the shelter, got a dog, it seems perfect, you love it, and you don't realize the background. So what we're trying to do is make sure there's accountability," said Collins. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The other side The bill also mandates that dogs with a dangerous history be microchipped to prevent them from being adopted out. However, some critics, like Sierra Hancock from Rags to Riches dog shelter, argue that it could unfairly target certain breeds. "There's never necessarily a bad dog, just a bad owner, and improper training," she said. By the numbers Despite these concerns, supporters of the bill, including Tom Rock, point to the rising number of fatal dog attacks nationwide, noting that the rate of fatalities in the U.S. has more than doubled from 48 to almost 105 between 2018 and 2023. Some Florida counties already have similar measures in place, including mandatory dog registration, microchipping, and obedience training. If the bill passes, these policies would become uniform across the state and take effect on July 1. The Source The information in this story was collected by FOX 13's Evyn Moon. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
