Florida’s Legislature is proposing a law that would require owners of dogs deemed dangerous to have at least $100,000 in liability coverage for bodily injury the animal may cause, according to a report from AM Best.
A similar bill was introduced in 2023 but did not pass. The 2023 proposal followed an investigation that cleared a dog owner whose pet escaped a secured fence and fatally attacked a mail carrier in 2022, the report said.
Under the proposed legislation, owners of dangerous dogs would need to provide proof of liability coverage to their local animal control authority.
The bill defines dangerous dogs based on behavior, not breed. For example, dogs that have bitten, attacked, endangered, or inflicted severe injury on a human would be classified as dangerous. Dogs that have severely injured or killed another domestic animal while off the owner’s property would also be considered dangerous, according to the report.
The proposed legislation also calls for the creation of a statewide dangerous dog registry. This public database would include information on dogs declared dangerous, such as the animal’s location, name, appearance, vaccination records, evidence of a secure enclosure, visible warning signs and permanent identification like a thigh tattoo or a microchip.
The bill would also require owners of dangerous dogs to securely confine their pets and notify animal control if they sell or give the dog away. The legislation would increase fines for code violations from $500 to $1,000.
The Personal Insurance Federation of Florida declined to comment on the bill, stating they lacked information on dog bite liability under homeowners' policies. Efforts to obtain comments from the legislators sponsoring the bill were unsuccessful.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, more than 600 Floridians are hospitalized due to injuries from dog bites each year, with an average of two dying from these injuries. Most dog bites, about 86%, involved children six years old and below. Children under 10 years old are also more likely to be bitten on the head or neck than other age groups, the data showed.
