DeSantis Vows To Punish Floridians Who Leave Their Dogs Tied Up And Abandoned During Hurricanes

 

Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, promised on Wednesday to punish residents who leave their dogs chained up and abandoned during hurricanes, especially with Hurricane Milton hovering over the state’s western shore.

“We’ve got really good laws in Florida against animal cruelty… We don’t have tolerance for that in Florida,” DeSantis continued.

“At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in the storm’s aftermath, including six deaths in St. Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic coast, where officials said tornadoes touched down,” NBC News reported.

Based in the Tampa, Florida, area, the patrol team posted a video on social media announcing the rescue of a scared dog that was chained to a pole and left to die on Interstate 75.

 

In response to their rescue efforts, the governor said, “Thank you, @FHPTampa.”

With a catastrophic prognosis, Milton might make landfall as early as Wednesday night. Less than two weeks have passed since Helene, another powerful storm turned hurricane, devastated the Sunshine State.

Up to 5.9 million people in Florida are reportedly under mandatory evacuation orders, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As the hurricane approaches, orders are now being issued for the more than 3.3 million people who live in the Tampa region.

President Joe Biden urged Florida residents in Milton’s path to heed local authorities’ instructions as he issued a warning on Tuesday, saying that the storm could be the worst to slam the state in almost a century.

“This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century,” Biden said. “And God willing it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now.”

Milton was first expected to reach land as a Category 3 storm, but it quickly strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week, reaching the strongest category of Category 5. Experts caution that although the storm is expected to weaken as it gets closer to the coast, it is still extremely dangerous to not take precautions.

Hours-long traffic jams on the highways and gas stations running out of fuel are the result of the evacuation orders.

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