Photo: Solomiia Kratsylo / iStock / Getty Images
FLORIDA - Florida is preparing to launch a new statewide database that will publicly list individuals convicted of animal cruelty, a move intended to strengthen protections for animals and improve transparency across the state.
Beginning January 1st, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will operate the registry, which will allow the public to search for people who have been convicted of animal abuse offenses in any Florida jurisdiction.
The database is being implemented under Dexter’s Law, legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in May 2025.
The law requires FDLE to collect and publish information on individuals who were found guilty, pleaded guilty, or entered a no contest plea to qualifying animal cruelty charges.
Records will be centralized, addressing long standing concerns that county level systems made it difficult to identify offenders who move between jurisdictions.
Animal shelters, rescue organizations, and adoption agencies are expected to use the registry to screen potential adopters and prevent animals from being placed in homes with individuals who have prior cruelty convictions.
Law enforcement agencies will also have access to the system to assist with investigations and enforcement efforts.
Dexter’s Law is named after a dog that was adopted from a shelter and later killed in a highly publicized 2024 case.
According to the suspect’s arrest report in that case, the individual allegedly beat the dog and abandoned the body in a public park.
The suspect was arrested and later charged with felony animal cruelty, which helped draw statewide attention to gaps in existing animal protection laws.
In addition to creating the registry, the law increases penalties for aggravated animal cruelty offenses, some of which took effect earlier in 2025.
Florida joins a small group of states that now maintain a public animal abuse offender database.