Florida bill could require 'dangerous dog' owners to pay upwards of $200 in insurance fees

A lot of the rules in this bill are already in place on a local level.

However, the law would require dog owners to take extra steps to protect the community from their animals.

It's a story that was thrust into the national spotlight.

Two years ago in August, a Putnam County mail carrier was on her daily route when suddenly a pack of dogs escaped from a fenced-in yard and killed 61-year-old Pam Rock.

The violent attack inspired Florida House Representative Bobby Payne to create "Pam's Law," which is a bill that holds dangerous dog owners accountable and creates a statewide dangerous dog registry.

Randy Lambert is the director of Santa Rosa County Animal Services. He says dogs need to meet certain criteria to be deemed dangerous.

"In order for an animal to be deemed as dangerous, there has to be a bite history," Lambert said.

Dangerous dogs are defined in the bill as attacking and seriously injuring or killing a person without being provoked.

The dog would also need to be deemed dangerous by a local committee.

Dangerous dogs would need to be confined to a kennel in order to protect the public.

Lambert says the county has strict rules regarding dangerous dogs.

"If the dog gets loose and bites someone, the owner will be arrested and the dog will be euthanized," Lambert said.

The bill would increase dangerous dog violation fines to $1,000 and require dog owners to purchase a $100,000 dog liability insurance policy.

Mary Jordan owns Gulf Coast Insurance and says this policy is not common.

"It's not necessarily common. People don't seek it out. They look for their homeowner's company to cover it for them. Usually, it's an add-on to their homeowner's policy but there's a limit and there's a whole list of dogs excluded," Jordan said.