{"id":330951,"date":"2026-07-06T18:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/330951\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T18:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:05:10","slug":"bought-a-sick-pet-in-florida-new-law-gives-you-more-power-to-fight-back-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/330951\/","title":{"rendered":"Bought a sick pet in Florida? New law gives you more power to fight back"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Christine Messina brought home a golden retriever puppy, she expected a new companion. Days later, she told our sister station in Orlando WKMG<\/a> the dog was dead.<\/p>\n

According to veterinary records, the puppy died from a severe intestinal issue shortly after Messina took it home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not get a healthy dog, I got a sick dog,\u201d Messina said.<\/p>\n

The man who sold the dog agreed to issue a refund, Messina claimed, but the money never came.<\/p>\n

When Messina picked up the puppy, she received two documents: a veterinary certificate stating the dog was healthy and an American Kennel Club certificate confirming the dog\u2019s pedigree. News 6 found both documents may be fraudulent.<\/p>\n

Messina\u2019s experience is exactly what state lawmakers had in mind when they passed new legislation<\/a> strengthening protections for people who buy cats and dogs in Florida.<\/p>\n

The law took effect July 1. Here is what it does:<\/p>\n

Cancels financing without penalty\u00a0if a purchased pet is sick and the buyer returns the animal<\/p>\n

Removes the cap\u00a0on how much veterinary care costs buyers can recover from a dealer<\/p>\n

Allows buyers to take sellers to small claims court\u00a0and recover a minimum of $2,500 if the seller was deceptive<\/p>\n

Directs the Florida Department of Law Enforcement\u00a0to publish information about individuals who violate animal cruelty laws<\/p>\n

Directs the Department of Business and Professional Regulation\u00a0to write and post voluntary best management practices for dog breeders and publish guidance for the public.<\/p>\n

There are some key legal changes:<\/p>\n

Vet\u2011check window shrinks. For most illnesses, contagious diseases or internal\/external parasites (not fleas\/ticks), a buyer now has 14 days after the sale (instead of 30) to get a licensed veterinarian to certify that the animal was unfit at the time of sale. The 1\u2011year window for congenital or hereditary defects stays the same.<\/p>\n

Faster notice deadlines.\u00a0Once a veterinarian says the animal was unfit, the buyer must notify the dealer within 2 business days (was 7) and give the dealer the written vet certification within 3 business days of receiving it.<\/p>\n

Dealer must act quickly.\u00a0After the dealer receives the signed veterinary certification, they have 10 business days to make a refund or provide an exchange.<\/p>\n

Refunds, exchanges, and costs.\u00a0The buyer chooses: refund (purchase price plus accrued interest, taxes\/fees, and reasonable vet costs tied to the certification\/emergency care) or an exchange of equal value (plus reasonable vet costs). Vet\u2011cost reimbursement can\u2019t exceed the purchase price.<\/p>\n

Financing and records. Dealers must disclose all financing terms before the sale. Any record given to the consumer must be kept by the dealer for at least seven years.<\/p>\n

Who counts as a \u201cpet dealer\u201d now?<\/p>\n

The threshold drops. More sellers become \u201cpet dealers\u201d under the statute: anyone selling more than two litters a year or more than 20 dogs or cats a year (down from more than three litters or 30 animals.)<\/p>\n

How disputes are handled<\/p>\n

Dealer can ask for a second veterinary exam. If the dealer disputes your claim, they can have a licensed veterinarian they pick examine the animal.<\/p>\n

If you still disagree, you can sue. If no agreement is reached within 10 business days after that dealer exam, the buyer can file suit in a county circuit court or small claims court in the owner\u2019s county.<\/p>\n

Punitive damages are possible. The enrolled text allows courts to award punitive damages at their discretion, and it references a floor of at least $2,500.<\/p>\n

Consumer\u2011law angle. Violating the pet\u2011sale rules is treated as an unfair or deceptive act under Florida\u2019s consumer\u2011protection law (chapter 501), so administrative enforcement and private consumer claims could apply in addition to the refund\/exchange remedies.<\/p>\n

Criminal side. The bill doesn\u2019t create new criminal offenses \u2014 it just requires publishing information about people already convicted under existing animal\u2011cruelty laws.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Agriculture told News 6 it is investigating multiple complaints tied to the marketplace where Messina says she purchased the puppy. After News 6\u2019s investigation, that marketplace website shut down.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Christine Messina brought home a golden retriever puppy, she expected a new companion. Days later, she told…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330952,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,712,2965],"class_list":["post-330951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-law","tag-pets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}