Americans were horrified when a shelter dog named Dexter was adopted in Pinellas County only to be found decapitated just four days later.
Florida responded with a law bearing his name.
And now Ron DeSantis just launched one database that animal abusers will hate.
Florida launches first statewide animal abuse registry
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched its public animal abuse registry Thursday, January 1st, making Florida one of only a handful of states with a statewide database tracking convicted animal abusers.
Governor Ron DeSantis made the announcement clear on social media.
"January 1, 2026 — FLDE will launch Florida's new animal abuse registry," DeSantis wrote. "Don't let convicted animal abusers own additional pets!"¹
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2005340177154359562?s=20
The registry was made possible by Dexter's Law, legislation DeSantis signed on May 28, 2025 alongside Trooper's Law, another animal protection measure.
Both laws passed the Florida legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Dexter's Law requires the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to maintain a public, searchable online database listing anyone convicted of animal cruelty or who pleaded guilty or no contest to such charges.
The database went live Thursday at 12:01 AM.
Rep. Linda Chaney sponsored the House version while Sen. Tom Leek championed the Senate bill.
The legislation honored a four-year-old pit bull mix named Dexter who was decapitated just hours after his adoption from the Pinellas County Animal Shelter and dumped in Fort De Soto Park in May 2024.
Domingo Rodriguez was convicted of animal cruelty in February 2025 for Dexter's brutal murder.
He'll be among the first names appearing in Florida's new registry.
Database makes abusers' names public forever
Here's what makes Florida's registry different from failed attempts in other states.
Once your name goes on this database, it stays there permanently.
No sealing. No expungement. No way to get removed.²
That's a stark contrast to county-level registries in places like Hillsborough County, which kept offenders listed for 5 to 10 years depending on the conviction.
Florida's approach is modeled more like sex offender registries where the public interest in transparency outweighs privacy concerns.
The registry doesn't just list names either.
It aggregates public records from every jurisdiction across Florida into one searchable database that anyone can access.
Shelters, rescues, and everyday Floridians looking to rehome a pet can now check whether a potential adopter has a history of animal cruelty.
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1993325965728993345?s=20
"This will make it wonderfully easy to go look a person up and see they have been convicted," Elizabeth Olson, founder of the Animal Justice Task Force, told FOX 13.³
Unlike registries where offenders must self-report, Florida's system automatically pulls from court convictions statewide.
That eliminates the compliance issues that plagued other states' attempts at similar registries.
Billboards are going up across Florida highways warning potential abusers their names will be made public if convicted.
Debbie Darino, the advocate who championed Dexter's Law, designed the billboard campaign to raise awareness about the new database.
She's already setting her sights on making this a federal law.
"I wanna make sure that these agencies use them, that they apply these laws like they're supposed to, and that they use the database like it's intended to be used," Darino told WTSP.⁴
DeSantis builds on strong animal welfare record
The animal abuse registry caps off a remarkable year for animal protection in Florida.
DeSantis signed Trooper's Law on May 28, 2025, which made abandoning a restrained animal during natural disasters a third-degree felony.
That law was named after a bull terrier found tied to a fence along Interstate 75 during Hurricane Milton, standing in rising floodwaters as the Category 4 storm approached.
Florida Highway Patrol rescued the dog, who was later named Trooper.
Giovanni Aldama Garcia was arrested and charged with animal cruelty for abandoning Trooper.
Under the new law, offenders face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for leaving pets restrained during declared disasters.
https://twitter.com/domdyer70/status/2004808198566342759?s=20
Dexter's Law went beyond just creating the registry.
The legislation also established a 1.25 sentencing multiplier for aggravated animal cruelty cases in Florida's Criminal Punishment Code.
That multiplier pushes more offenders into mandatory prison time rather than probation.
A third-degree felony that originally scored 28 sentencing points now scores 35 with the multiplier.
Those extra seven points can mean the difference between walking out of court on probation or heading to state prison.
The law defines aggravated animal cruelty as knowingly and intentionally torturing or tormenting an animal that results in injury, mutilation, or death.
Agricultural animals and permitted captive wildlife are excluded from the provisions.
Research backs up why these laws matter beyond just protecting animals.
The FBI found individuals who harm animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people.⁵
Studies show 88% of homes investigated for child abuse also had evidence of animal abuse.⁶
That's why law enforcement views animal cruelty registries as early warning systems for potential violence against humans.
Most states that considered similar registries abandoned the idea after cost estimates ranged from $750,000 to $2 million just to establish the database.
Virginia's proposed registry in 2011 carried a $1 million price tag.
California estimates ranged from $750,000 to $2 million.
Washington State projected $468,000 for the first year and $271,000 annually after that.
Florida avoided those pitfalls by designing a system that aggregates existing public court records rather than creating a new bureaucratic structure requiring offender self-registration.
That keeps costs down while maintaining effectiveness.
Only Tennessee currently operates a statewide animal abuse registry similar to Florida's approach.
A few counties in New York maintain local registries, but Florida's represents the most comprehensive statewide effort yet.
DeSantis positioned Florida as a national leader on animal welfare while delivering on a promise to hold abusers accountable.
The registry sends an unmistakable message: abuse an animal in Florida and your name becomes public record forever.
¹ Ron DeSantis, Social Media Post, X (formerly Twitter), December 2025.
² "Florida Animal Cruelty Defense Lawyer (Dexter's Law)," Musca Law, 2025.
³ Elizabeth Olson, quoted in "Dexter's Law among more than 100 laws in Florida taking effect January 1," FOX 13 Tampa Bay, December 30, 2025.
⁴ Debbie Darino, quoted in "Dexter's Law creates Florida animal abuse database starting Jan. 1," WTSP, December 2025.
⁵ "New statewide database of animal abusers coming to Florida Jan. 1," Skyler Shepard, CBS12, December 26, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
