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Florida · 2025 Regular Session · Bill

SB 494: Aggravated Animal Cruelty

In committee Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

SB 494 is a bill introduced in the Florida Senate on February 5, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Aggravated Animal Cruelty. Primary sponsor: Tom Leek (Republican), Criminal Justice. It lists 2 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (April 29, 2025): Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 255 (Ch. 2025-102).

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Official summary

Abstract published by the legislature (via Open States). Text as published by the legislature; reproduced verbatim.

Aggravated Animal Cruelty; Citing this act as "Dexter’s Law"; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to post on its website the names of certain individuals who have violated specified animal cruelty provisions; providing a sentencing multiplier for specified offenses of aggravated animal cruelty, etc.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1 · Republican 2

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Tom LeekPrimary sponsorRepublicanSenate7
Criminal JusticePrimary sponsorNot applicable (committee)——
Kristen ArringtonCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate25
Ana Maria RodriguezCo-sponsorRepublicanSenate40

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 255 (Ch. 2025-102)
  2. Substituted CS/HB 255
  3. Read 2nd time
  4. Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/29/25
  5. Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
  6. Favorable by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 18 NAYS 0
  7. On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 04/22/25, 11:00 am, 412 Knott Building
  8. Now in Fiscal Policy
  9. Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
  10. On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice, 04/10/25, 11:00 am, 37 Senate Building
  11. CS by Criminal Justice read 1st time
  12. Now in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Showing 12 most recent of 18 actions. Full history

Sources

  1. Open States / Plural (data from the official legislature website)
  2. Official legislature source