Florida lawmakers are advancing a proposal that would allow courts to consider threats made against a victim’s pets when deciding whether to issue a protective injunction for domestic violence.
The change is part of HB 277, a domestic-violence reform bill first reported by Fresh Take Florida that would expand the factors judges can weigh in injunction cases, including whether an alleged abuser has threatened, injured or killed a family pet as a way to intimidate a victim.
If passed, the change would allow victims to cite threats against their pet as evidence when seeking a protective order, rather than having to wait until an animal is actually harmed.
Because Florida law classifies pets as property, courts generally only consider them in protective-order cases after an animal has already been harmed. Threats alone do not qualify.
Studies have found that nearly half of women in abusive relationships delayed leaving out of fear for their animals’ safety, a dynamic researchers have identified as a common form of coercion in abusive relationships.
According to the Purple Leash Project, less than 20% of domestic violence shelters nationwide accept animals, forcing victims to choose between their safety and their pets.
The bill aims to address a gap that advocates say is already evident. In the Tampa Bay area, a shelter recently partnered with a pet nonprofit to house survivors’ animals while they seek safety.
The pet-related provision is one section of a larger bill moving through the Florida House this session that would also increase penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders, expand the use of electronic monitoring and raise funds for relocation assistance for victims.
The proposal has already cleared the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. It now sits before the Justice Budget Subcommittee and must still move through additional committees and full House and Senate votes before becoming law.
If approved, the changes would take effect July 1, 2026.
