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Gov. DeSantis signs bill that provides care for retired Florida K-9s
Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke in Bunnell on Friday to sign a bill that would ensure care for retired police dogs in Florida.
BUNNELL, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a measure to cover medical costs of retired law-enforcement dogs.
The law (SB 226), which will take effect July 1, will allow handlers of retired police dogs to receive up to $1,500 in reimbursements for annual veterinary costs.
"They're put in very difficult situations," DeSantis said of the dogs during a bill-signing event at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell. "And they're not only protecting the officers, but they're protecting the public as a whole."
The proposal was primarily sponsored by Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, and Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven. It drew support in the Legislature from Emma Stanford, a Flagler County teenager who founded the non-profit organization Emma Loves K9s, which raises money for active and retired law-enforcement dogs.
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"The retired dogs have served our community, and I believe they deserve the best possible care," Stanford said at Friday’s event.
A Senate staff analysis of the bill said retired dogs often live with their law-enforcement partners, but veterinary expenses might be too costly because of "complications from law enforcement K9’s injuries, joint problems or other job-related health problems." The measure covers dogs that served at least five years with a law-enforcement agency or a correctional agency or that had to retire after three years because of injuries suffered in the line of duty.
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The bill followed other legislative efforts in recent years to help law-enforcement animals. A 2021 law allowed emergency-medical technicians and paramedics to treat and transport law-enforcement dogs injured in the line of duty.
A 2019 law made it a second-degree felony, up from a third-degree felony, if people kill or cause great bodily harm to police, fire or search-and-rescue dogs or police horses.