The Orange City Council unanimously voted to advance an ordinance that would allow the city to fine people who harm animals up to $7,500.
The City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday evening to advance Ordinance No. 704, which would update the city’s animal cruelty and abandonment laws to include civil fines, to a second reading. Council Member Dawn Tiamson attended the meeting and voted by video call, while Council Member Lisa Richardson was absent.
The new ordinance would let police and code enforcement officers issue civil citations to people who harm animals, City Attorney Paul Waters told the council. The city’s current ordinance already addresses animal cruelty, he said, but only as a criminal matter.
Officers would weigh each case “individually based on the facts, evidence and applicable Florida law,” said Justin Vallejo, public information officer for Orange City, told HomeFetch. “Depending on the circumstances and what the law allows, civil enforcement, criminal changes, or both may be appropriate.”
Until Oct. 1, Florida law capped fines under local animal control and cruelty ordinances at $500. That changed with House Bill 559, which raised the limit to $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second and $7,500 for a third and subsequent violation. Orange City’s proposed ordinance adopts all three maximums.
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Those who pay a citation without contesting it would get a 25% reduction, Waters said, reducing the fines to $1,875, $3,750 and $5,625. People who contest a citation would go to county court.
The ordinance would also require anyone cited for a second or subsequent violation to appear in county court.
Leaving an animal in a parked car would also fall under a new standard. The city’s current code makes it illegal to leave an animal unattended in a parked vehicle when it’s over 70 degrees outside. The proposed ordinance removes that temperature cut off, instead making it illegal when “conditions within or surrounding the vehicle endanger or are reasonably likely to endanger the health or safety of the animal.”
Council Member Dana Knight asked whether owners could surrender their animals instead of paying a fine. Waters said he didn’t know, but that another part of the city’s existing ordinance allows for an abused animal to be removed, and the new provision would add a civil penalty on top of that.
As for how often the city handles these cases, Vallejo said animal control’s records division identified one animal cruelty or neglect case over roughly the past two years — one that led to an arrest on Nov. 17, 2025, and was closed July 1 after the person completed a diversion program.
Orange City isn’t the only local government to revisit its animal laws since HB 559 took effect. In bordering Putnam County, commissioners voted Oct. 13 to allow Animal Services to issue citations for certain animal-related violations, with fines for dangerous dog violations set at the state maximums, HomeFetch reported.
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Vice Mayor Harold Grimm, who made the motion to approve the ordinance, said a second reading will be held after a public notice is published, as state law requires. It’ll be a public hearing, where residents can comment, according to the meeting agenda.
The city hasn’t announced a date yet. Council meetings start at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 201 N. Holly Ave., according to the city’s website.
Updated 4:21 p.m. Oct. 28: This story has been updated with information from the city of Orange City.
