If you’ve been convicted of animal abuse, it may become more difficult to get your hands on another animal

If a Florida resident has been previously convicted of animal abuse, it may get more difficult to get animals under a bill filed in the Florida House.

Co-sponsored by Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, House Bill 871 would create an animal abuse registration, requiring Florida Department of Law Enforcement to “post a publicly accessible registry list on its website of persons convicted of specified animal abuse offenses,” the bill states. If adopted, the bill would become effective July 1.

This comes several months after Manatee County’s Animal Services Advisory Board, which advises the county commission on animal issues, discussed enacting an animal abuser registry ordinance in Manatee County.

The ordinance could prohibit animal shelters, rescues and others from “transferring animal ownership to convicted abusers,” Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said in September.

“Manatee County is No. 1 in the state for convicting animal abusers,” Whitmore said. “We are one of the very few departments that actually do that. It would need to go to Animal Services Advisory Board to get their blessing before it comes before us.”

In addition to requiring FDLE to post the individual’s information in an online registry beginning Jan. 1, 2018, the House bill also states that beginning in 2019 the state would be required to send annual letters to the “leading registered breed associations ...to urge their members to not provide animals to persons on the registry,” the bill states.

An individual’s information, including a photograph of the convicted animal abuser, would remain on the registry for two years as long as they aren’t convicted of another instance of animal abuse. If they are convicted a second time, the abuser’s name and photo would remain on the registry for five years.

Additionally, a pet dealer won’t be allowed to sell or deliver an animal until the person’s identity is verified and determined that the person is not on the registry list. The bill also details penalties should a pet dealer violate this provision.

“The creation of an animal abuse registry will work similar to the sexual offender registry in that it will empower pet dealers and adoption agencies in knowing their customer,” Ingoglia told FirstCoast News.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "If you’ve been convicted of animal abuse, it may become more difficult to get your hands on another animal."