TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill addressing dangerous dogs, prompted by a tragic local case, passed unanimously on the state senate floor Monday. The Pam Rock Act is named after a mail carrier who died in 2022 in Putnam County after being mauled by a pack of five dogs.
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The goal of the bill is to prevent any other dangerous dog deaths in the future.
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State Senator Jay Collins is one of the co-sponsors for the bill. He spoke on the Senate floor Monday about what the Pam Rock Act would accomplish.
“What it does simply is raise the bar in terms of punishment,” said FL Senator of District 14, Jay Collins. “It makes sure that these dogs that attack somebody are held if they cause severe enough damage. It makes sure that we use a specific bite index to grade these bites realistically and methodically.”
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The act strikes close to home for a Jacksonville native who asked to be identified only as Holly. In 2024, Holly was taking her dog out for a walk in Jacksonville like she normally would, when another dog latched onto her legs. She later found out the dog that attacked her had attacked two other people previously. She believes if the Pam Rock Act had been passed earlier, she may not have been mauled by that dog with a known history of aggression.
“With the dog that had attacked me it was put under quarantine, but it was kept at the house for the two previous cases,” said Holly. “So then with the Pam Rock Act hopefully if an attack does happen then the dog would be removed from the area.”
Read: Dogs that mauled 8-year-old Florida boy to death euthanized, officials say
State Senator Chris Wright is the other cosponsor on this legislation. He provided Action News Jax with this statement:
“I was thrilled to see House Bill 593: Dangerous Dogs pass on the Senate Floor today. I am incredibly proud to be a co-sponsor of this critical, life-saving legislation. I want to sincerely thank Senator Collins for originally filing this bill and for his tireless efforts over multiple legislative sessions to see it through. After meeting with the Millett family, who tragically lost their 8-year-old son in a vicious dog attack, it became clear to me that we must do more. We have a responsibility to hold owners accountable and take the necessary steps to better protect our citizens from dangerous animals.”
An amendment was added to the bill, meaning that it has to go to the House again for another vote.
Read more on the original bill here, which had also proposed creating a dangerous dog registry.
Read the revised bill here.
If it’s not amended further, the legislation will likely head to the Governor’s desk to be signed.
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