Target: Mark Glass, Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tallahassee, Florida
Goal: Fix bare-bones animal abuser registry by adding clear identifiers and require shelters to use it so offenders cannot adopt again.
Florida’s new animal-abuser registry was meant to stop repeat cruelty. Yet the statewide database lists only first and last names, which can make it impossible for shelters to tell one “John Smith” from another and may allow abusers to slip through. Advocates and local officials have publicly warned that this format is too limited to protect animals at the point of adoption.
The registry is maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement under “Dexter’s Law,” which launched at the start of 2026. The agency has the ability to improve the tool’s usefulness by including dates of birth, middle names, known addresses, and county-level information, and by offering a simple verification workflow for licensed shelters and rescues.
Updating this system is urgent. Without reliable identifiers and mandatory checks, shelters may unknowingly place animals with people who are reportedly barred because of past cruelty cases, undermining public trust and animal safety. FDLE should immediately enhance the database, publish clear guidance, and require participating shelters to confirm every adopter against the improved records before releasing an animal.
PETITION LETTER:
Commissioner Glass,
Florida’s statewide animal-abuser registry was created to prevent known offenders from adopting again. However, the database currently lists only first and last names, which leaves shelters guessing and can allow alleged offenders to evade scrutiny due to common or duplicate names. This gap puts animals at risk and undercuts the promise of Dexter’s Law.
FDLE oversees this registry. We respectfully urge you to direct immediate upgrades that add dates of birth, middle names, known addresses, and county-level information, and to provide secure shelter access for quick verification at the time of adoption. Clear public documentation and training would help ensure that every adoption is checked against accurate, distinguishable records.
Please act now to close these reported loopholes. Strengthening the registry and requiring its use by shelters will better protect animals, honor the spirit of the law, and prevent the kind of repeat cruelty this system was designed to stop.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: André Karwath aka Aka
