What Florida's HB-101 Means

On March 4, 2008, Florida Representative Perry E. Thurston (D - Broward County) brought HB 101 to the floor for discussion. The current verbage of HB 101 prohibits counties and cities within the state of Florida from legislating breed specific bans.

Many dog owners, specifically "bully" breed owners are outraged by the proposed amendment, some not understanding what this proposed amendment to the statute actually means.

Florida Statute 767.14 went into effect in 1990 and prohibited counties and cities within Florida from proposing and approving breed specific legislation and did not apply to any local ordinances that were passed prior to the statute. Miami-Dade County is the only county in Florida that currently has breed specific ordinances in effect: their BSL was adopted in 1989.

The current Florida Statute 767.14 reads, in part:

"767.14 Additional local restrictions authorized. --Nothing in this act shall limit any local government from placing further restrictions or additional requirements on owners of dangerous dogs or developing procedures and criteria for the implementation of this act, provided that no such regulation is specific to breed and that the provisions of this act are not lessened by such additional regulations or requirements. This section shall not apply to any local ordinance adopted prior to october 1, 1990."

The proposed amendment would reword the statute to allow local authorities to impose breed specific legislation--HB 101 does not itself impose statewide BSL.

While it's hoped that this clarification will help dog owners understand more about the statute and the proposed amendment, the question still arises about whether or not BSL is fair to those dog owners who handle many of the breeds that fall under this umbrella.

According to the ASPCA website, banning specific breeds does not in itself lessen the number of dog bites or increase public safety where breed neutral laws do.

Make no bones about it - BSL is doggie discrimination. Increased education on breed types before adoption and continued education through pet and human training are the only things that will protect the public from dogs that cannot socialize well. Instead, let's put some legislation in place for breeders and shelters to properly screen prospective puppy parents to make sure the people who adopt a "high-risk" animal are able to meet the needs of the breed they're adopting, and then require "Puppy and Me" training classes. While a dog owner might not like the idea of having to pay for screening and training, the public as a whole will benefit in all respects. Dog owners will have the dogs they want and the public will have increased safety among better socialized dogs.

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