Manatee's Padi severe dog bite bill unanimously passes Florida House

A bill to determine the fate of dogs that cause severe injury to people unanimously passed the House of Representatives with an 118-0 on Wednesday.

State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, filed the bill after the highly controversial case of Padi, a Manatee County 4-year-old male Labrador mix who bit off part of a child's ear this summer.

Padi, who is now free after a judge's ruling the death penalty for the dog was unconstitutional, had faced euthanasia because the bite was considered a severe injury under state law.

"A full Senate vote is all that remains and that should take place within the next week or two of session," Manatee County spokesman Nick Azzara said in an update to commissioners on Wednesday afternoon. Gov. Rick Scott would have to sign the bill to make it an official law after an approving Senate vote.

Steube posted an update to his Facebook page Wednesday night that had been shared more than 650 times as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce that HB 91, also known as "Padi's Bill", has passed unanimously in the House this afternoon. I am just as happy as Padi in the picture!" Steube said, alongside a picture of Padi smiling. "Your activism and support has been so crucial in the passing of this bill, and I, on behalf of all dogs in the state of Florida, thank you.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Manatee's Padi severe dog bite bill unanimously passes Florida House ."