SB 676 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Animal Welfare

Summary

Animal Welfare; Creating the offense of causing or enticing a minor to commit, or in the presence of a minor committing, animal cruelty; requiring a court to order a minor who commits specified acts of animal cruelty to undergo a psychological evaluation and, if recommended, receive counseling or treatment for a specified time period; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to post on its website specified information relating to each individual convicted of specified animal cruelty offenses; creating the offense of causing or enticing a minor to commit, or in the presence of a minor committing, fighting or baiting animals; increasing the maximum civil penalty for specified violations of ordinances relating to animal control or cruelty, etc.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 676 Filed → S 676 c1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to shift its focus from general child delinquency to specific animal welfare protections. The new version creates new offenses for causing minors to commit animal cruelty or fighting, mandates psychological evaluations and counseling for minors who commit these acts, and requires the Department of Law Enforcement to publicly post the names and details of individuals convicted of animal cruelty offenses. It also increases civil penalties for local animal control violations and updates the state's criminal severity ranking chart.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a broad focus on contributing to child delinquency and various animal offenses to a specialized focus on animal welfare, specifically targeting the enticement of minors to commit animal cruelty and the public accountability of those convicted.

SCOPE

Removed provisions regarding criminal penalties for causing or inducing a child to commit human offenses (delinquency or dependency).

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that juvenile courts order minors who commit animal cruelty to undergo psychological evaluations and receive counseling or treatment, with costs paid by parents or the state.

Modified the maximum civil penalty for violations of local animal control ordinances, increasing the fine for a third or subsequent violation to $7,500.

Added a requirement for clerks of court and county detention facilities to provide the Department of Law Enforcement with data and images related to animal cruelty convictions.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a mandate for the Department of Law Enforcement to post specific identifying information about individuals convicted of animal cruelty offenses on its website for a set period.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from October 1, 2026, to October 1, 2026, while also including a specific start date of January 1, 2027, for the public posting of conviction information.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/24/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice, 01/21/26, 1:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Now in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Criminal Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Criminal Justice, 01/12/26, 1:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Dec 9, 2025

Committee

Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Fiscal Policy

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor