PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Starting January 1, a new law will create Florida’s first public database of convicted animal abusers.

The database will take public records and pull them into an easy-to-search database that will be available on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s website.

People who have been found guilty, or pleaded guilty or no contest to animal cruelty charges, will be included in the database.

What You Need To Know

Statewide database will be on FDLE’s website 
Database will go live by January 1 and be accessible to the public 
Florida one of few states to have similar database
Read more: CS/HB 255: Aggravated Animal Cruelty

The new law – also called Dexter’s Law – is named after the dog that was adopted and then days later was brutally killed and left in Fort De Soto Park.

The database will assist shelters and pet rescues that vet potential owners before the adoption process is complete. It will also assist pet owners looking to re-home their pets, and even law enforcement and investigators are they work cases.

Fluff Animal Rescue in Pinellas Park travels around the state to shelters that are at capacity, to rescue and rehab animals and prepare them for adoption. Rescue Manager Angela Schab says they check each potential new owner using county records, but a statewide system would make a big difference to streamline the process.

“This will give us a broader range to all counties and really help centralize that information,” she said. “If for example, if somebody moved into a new county… it’s possible we missed them in the registration so this will help centralize it and be really amazing for us.”

There’s only a few states with similar statewide databases.

The law also increases penalties for aggravated animal cruelty convictions and in many cases increases jail time for offenders. This part of Dexter’s Law took effect on July 1.

“I think in general people see a lot but don’t say something,” Schab said. “This is not only bringing awareness but helping a community feel heard and increase reporting.”

State law outlines that the database should be accessible on FDLE’s website starting January 1.