TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new Florida law lifting city and public housing restrictions against specific dog breeds will go into effect on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the new Authorization of Restrictions Concerning Dogs law after the state legislature passed it as Florida State Bill 942 and Florida House Bill 941.
Breed-specific local restrictions have mostly targeted pit bulls, a breed that has been outright banned in Miami-Dade County since 1989 when a pit bull attack left a 7-year-old girl severely injured and in need of reconstruction surgery.
While the new law invalidates such county-wide bans, it still allows residential communities to restrict specific dog breeds. Cities and public housing entities can also put restrictions on dogs that have bitten or attacked people or pets.
There have been multiple efforts in the past to lift the breed-specific bans on the state level. A similar bill passed the state Senate in 2022 but failed to move forward when it was presented to the House.
