Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed two new laws on Wednesday aimed at increasing penalties for animal cruelty during a press conference at a South Florida dog rescue center.

The legislation, known as Trooper’s Law and Dexter’s Law, is named after two dogs who suffered tragic abuse.

Trooper, one of the dogs, was discovered tied to a fence near Interstate 75 just before Hurricane Milton made landfall. He was rescued by a Florida Highway Patrol officer and later adopted, inspiring the law named in his honor. Trooper’s Law makes it a third-degree felony to abandon a pet before a natural disaster, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Dexter’s story ended far more tragically. The recently adopted dog was found decapitated and wrapped in plastic at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. Dexter’s Law will impose harsher penalties for severe cases of animal abuse and establish a public database of convicted animal abusers managed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

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