Ralph DeMeo Discusses Florida's Strengthened Animal Cruelty Laws and Local Enforcement Challenges

Adams & Reese Tallahassee Counsel Ralph DeMeo, a member of the Tallahassee Leon County Animal Crimes Task Force, shared his perspective on Florida's new animal cruelty law and the challenges of enforcing it in Leon County.

Effective October 1, 2026, the law makes it a felony for adults to involve minors in certain animal crimes or commit them in a minor’s presence and requires juveniles who commit specified cruelty offenses to undergo psychological evaluation and any recommended treatment.

DeMeo said cases reported to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement capture only “a very small percentage of what's actually going on.” While praising local law enforcement and ordinances, he noted that staffing shortages keep many cases from reaching conviction: "We don't have enough animal control officers or police officers or deputy sheriffs or assistant state attorneys to be able to carry it through the entire process.”

DeMeo, an adjunct professor of environmental and animal law at the Florida State University College of Law, also cited a need for education, noting that many attorneys and judges have little exposure to the field and that judges often tell him after his trainings they wish they had learned more.

He views the mandatory evaluations for young offenders as a chance for early intervention: "We wanna make sure that we control the trauma early so that it doesn't get worse as they get older.”

A member of the firm’s Intersection of Business and Government Group, DeMeo focuses on environmental, land use, administrative, and animal law. He has represented animal welfare organizations in civil litigation, helped shape state and local animal laws, served as inaugural chair of The Florida Bar Animal Law Section, and is CEO of Pets Ad Litem, Inc.