ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County is reminding residents of the importance of having emergency plans for their pets.

The push comes as hurricane season is officially underway and because there is a new law that goes into effect Oct. 1 aimed at preventing the abandonment of animals during natural disasters.

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Senate Bill 150, or “Trooper’s Law,” was inspired by Trooper, a dog who was left chained to a pole in the path of Hurricane Milton and rescued by the Florida Highway Patrol.

The law makes it a felony to abandon pets during a declared disaster or evacuation, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. It also classifies failing to provide confined animals with food, water or exercise, and abandoning an animal as first-degree misdemeanors.

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