House Panel Takes Up Bill To Abolish Dade's Pit Bull Ban
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – The state's House Community and Military Affairs Subcommittee is scheduled to take up a bill Monday which would effectively abolish Miami-Dade County's ban on pit bulls.
Current state law, enacted in 1990, allows local governments to take action against dangerous dogs after a complaint is made and served on the owner, who can appeal the classification to county court. Afterward, the owner may be required to register the dog with local animal control and, depending on the severity of the dog's actions, it may be ordered impounded or even destroyed.
The law prohibits regulations by breed, although Miami-Dade County and several of its municipalities were allowed to retain restrictions already in place on pit bulls.
House Bill 997 and Senate Bill 1322 which would repeal the 20-year-old breed ban in Miami-Dade. Similar bills were proposed last year in the state House and Senate but didn't pass.
Florida is among only 12 states that prohibit breed-specific regulations.
Miami-Dade approved the breed specific ban in 1989 after an 8-year old girl was brutally mauled by a pit bull.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
