Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday visited Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Dade City and urged the Florida Legislature to pass a package of measures he said would hold irresponsible dog breeders accountable and increase protections for animals and consumers. DeSantis announced proposals to license dog breeders, require greater transparency from sellers, create a hotline for reporting abusive breeders and seek stiffer penalties for animal cruelty.

DeSantis said the administration has taken previous steps to protect working animals and service dogs and that the next legislative session should focus on breeder oversight. "We will establish a hotline for individuals to call and report animal abuse by breeders to better crack down on bad actors," he said, adding the plan would include licensing overseen by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation so that violators could lose the right to operate.

Why it matters: supporters said the measures would give shelters and consumers better information when adopting or buying animals and provide enforcement tools to remove breeders who keep dogs in inhumane conditions. "When families do make that critical decision to bring home a pet, they can do so with confidence, knowing the animal is healthy, cared for, and not the victim of neglect or mistreatment," said Melanie Griffin, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson described the Department of Agriculture's role in developing best management practices (BMPs) for breeders and said the department will work with the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine to base standards on current animal-care science. "Today, we're gonna bring that same expertise in establishing best management practices for dog breeders, ensuring standards are science based, practical, and enforceable," Simpson said.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue representatives described routine cases of severe neglect that they said the proposed rules aim to prevent. The organization urged lawmakers to pass the bill sponsors' proposals; organizers also acknowledged Representative Meg Weinberger and Senator Ileana Garcia as sponsors of the measure.

Details and limits: DeSantis said the legislature will determine licensing specifics and penalties. He cited prior actions his administration has taken on related matters, saying he had signed measures to authorize emergency-service transport for injured police canines and to increase penalties for intentionally harming police animals. He also cited two named laws in the transcript, "Trooper's Law" and "Dexter's Law," and an online database the administration created for those convicted of animal abuse so shelters can restrict adoptions.

On consumer protections, the governor said proposals would require accurate veterinary bills of health at sale and guard against predatory financing tied to dog purchases. DeSantis also said the plan would ask pet stores to offer space for local shelters before selling dogs sourced from breeders.

Big Dog Ranch officials and event organizers said the ranch houses many animals and encouraged adoption via bdrr.org and bigdogranchrescue.org; Speaker 1 noted the ranch "says they have 1,600" animals in the transcript. Organizers announced a forthcoming fundraiser to support the ranch's work.

Next steps: the governor asked legislators to move the proposals through the House and Senate next session; if successful, he said he hopes to reconvene at Big Dog Ranch for another bill signing. No formal bill text, vote or enactment date was presented at the event; DeSantis said the legislature will determine licensing mechanics.