State lawmakers in the House and Senate again are attempting to add some regulations to pet cremation services.
Rep. Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach, filed a measure (HB 301) Monday for the 2024 legislative session that would allow the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to investigate complaints and issue fines that start between $1,001 and $1,500 for providing false or misleading information about pet cremations.
Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican who has tried to advance similar legislation for the past several years, filed an identical proposal (SB 22) earlier this month.
Read: Abused, Neglected Pets In Florida Could Get Court-Appointed Representation
The measure is based upon a family cat called Sevilla, which was cremated by a funeral home despite the family having paid for a final visit prior to a private individual cremation.
According to a Senate staff analysis of a similar bill filed last year, Sevilla’s owners “were told by the crematorium there had been a ‘catastrophic failure of process,’ the details of which have not been explained to the owners.”
Among other things, the proposed changes would require the provider of companion animal cremations to provide a written description of their services to the owner of the deceased animal upon request. The 2024 legislative session begins Jan. 9.
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