TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Jim King has a special affinity for animals.
"The more I'm around people, the more I realize how important dogs are," King said Saturday after the Senate approved a bill enhancing the penalties for animal cruelty.
King has two black Labrador retrievers, Jimini and Melinda.
"They are God's beings and don't need to be mistreated," he said. "I have no problem with rodeos, I'm talking about people who cow tip, light fire to cats and put bunnies in microwaves."
Take a look at the inmates on death row, King suggested, and you'll find almost all of them have animal cruelty in their backgrounds.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg, would make animal cruelty a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
Instead of facing a maximum one year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine, those convicted of animal cruelty in the future could face a maximum five-year sentence and fines of up to $10,000. An intentional act that causes the death of an animal would subject the perpetrator to a second-degree felony and require a minimum mandatory six months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
