ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - After ringing in the new year, a few new laws have gone into effect. One of those laws enhances penalties for animal cruelty crimes and creates a public database of animal abusers, but some people are not happy with the list as it is right now.
Some animal advocates said that the sparsely filled out database leaves out some much-needed information.
Heidi Hardman, the president of Polka Dogz Pet Rescue, is working to find a perfect home for Coyote, the latest of 2,000 dogs her Polka Dogz team has rescued and rehomed since 2015.
The new law, Dexter’s Law, promised her a searchable statewide database of convicted animal abusers that she could use to check applications.
“We have no idea where they live in the state, nothing,” Hardman said.
The database that launched Wednesday is a list of 1,700 names, from John Smith to Timothy Brown, but it doesn’t include birthdays, photos or counties. So, in cases of people with the same name, like John Smith, there is no way to tell who is who.
Hardman and other rescue group leaders said it’s going to create a headache for the thousands of other John Smiths and commonly named people in Florida.
“And that’s going to make people more suspicious and make it harder,” Hardman said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, however, appeared to publish exactly what the law demanded: a list of names.
“Is this just too loosely written?” Nick Papantonis, an Orlando-based reporter, asked animal rights activist Debbie Darino.
“They did a list. I’m not sure what they were thinking, but that’s not what it was supposed to be,” Darino said.
Darino pushed for the new state law to be modeled after the one she helped pass in Volusia County, which includes photos and dates of birth.
Darino said she’s already spoken to the law’s legislative sponsor who plans to reach out to FDLE and urge them to add more identifying details.
“I’m all over it, just like, if I was you, and my name was in there, that just can’t happen,” she said.
Only convictions that are made when the law went into effect will be listed in the database. Older animal abuse convictions will remain unpublished.
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