Florida bill aims to stop dog breed restrictions for public and governing accommodations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Senate Bill 942 (SB 942) would stop dog breed restrictions for public and government housing is set to head to the governor’s desk.

Action News Jax spoke with several dog owners who have mixed reactions to this bill

“Every dog can be dangerous,” says Daniel Heers.

Heers has a 15-month-old Doberman.

Daniel Heers stated that he considers that SB 942 would stop public and government housing from having dog breed restrictions and would be great for the state of Florida.

He adds it’s all about how your dog is trained, and not the breed you have

“They say Golden Retrievers are number one in the biting dog, but they are the friendliest dogs. I think that’s good it all depends on how much time you spend with them,” says Heers.

This very short one-page senate bill, but according to the bill analysis portion of SB 942, it makes changes to Florida’s Dangerous Dog Law.

It states that currently a county or municipality may address safety and welfare concerns caused by animal attacks.

This bill encourages public housing authorities to have policies towards dangerous dogs, but it says the policy may not be specific to breed, size, or weight.

We’ve all seen it when it comes to apartment complexes that don’t allow tenants to have certain dog breeds like Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and also Dobermans.

Heers says he hopes one day in the state of Florida that can change.

“Yea I mean who cares, a dog is a good companion, she is my best friend. I spend more time with her than I do with people,” says Heers.

Although Heers agrees with this bill, some people don’t.

Myreon Latimer, who has a Pit Bull and once worked for a housing authority says this bill should pass but does have a downside to it.

“If a pet has an aggressive behavior perhaps by the way it was raised, the training. especially being a past property manager. I think it would be okay to have some type of behavior training,” says Latimer.

This bill once signed by the Governor will go into effect on October 1st of this year.

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