As Hurricane Milton was nearing landfall, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., took aim at bad dog owners. DeSantis vowed to punish those pet owners who left their canines tied up as the storm made its way to the coastline.
DeSantis responded to a video posted on social media on Wednesday, Oct. 9, by the Florida State Patrol showing troopers rescuing a dog tied up next to the highway in the Tampa Bay area.
The governor thanked the troopers, and wrote on the social media platform X, “It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle an oncoming storm. FL. will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.”
In Florida, abandoning a pet is a misdemeanor but repeat animal cruelty offenders can receive jail time.
Nearly 6 million people are reportedly under mandatory evacuation orders in Florida. President Joe Biden urged residents to heed the warnings from local officials and said it could be the worst storm to hit the Sunshine State in more than 100 years.
