No more pit bull-specific rules: Sunrise and Miami-Dade no longer enforce them due to new state law

Sunrise and Miami-Dade can no longer enforce their rules targeted at pit bulls — the only ones left in Florida — after a new state law that bars breed-specific requirements.

The new state law, which recently went into effect, rids breed, size and weight restrictions. It’s frustrating some local lawmakers in what they see as an overreach by state politicians, but has been welcomed by pit bull enthusiasts.

In Miami-Dade, the local law had banned the purchase of the dogs, and prohibited them from being brought into the county.

In Sunrise, its law was passed in 1989, a year before the state forbade local governments from adopting breed-specific ordinances.

Under the city’s code, the dogs were to be kept indoors, or behind a 6-foot fence, or when outside, on a leash and with a muzzle. The city rules had cited concern about “the pit bull dog’s inbred propensity to attack other animals, and because of the danger posed to humans and animals alike by a pit bull dog when running loose or while running together in a pack.

Pit bulls also were kept on a registry, with one the city’s latest logs showing more than 300 dogs, whose names included Porkchop and Savage.

Dahlia Canes, director and founder of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, had been fighting to end the Miami-Dade County ban for more than two decades. “It’s about time,” she said Thursday. “Thousands and thousands of dogs were innocently killed based on what they looked like, not their temperament.”

She said she has a public “plea” for owners not to blow it: “Act as a responsible dog owner. This is crucial. It took us all these years to get out of there. Show them what our dogs are like and what you can do with your dogs.”

Although the state law invalidates Sunrise’s restrictions and Miami-Dade County’s ban, residential communities such as Homeowner’s Associations are still allowed to ban specific dog breeds. But the new law nullifies any existing restrictions imposed by public housing authorities, such as decreeing specific breeds or sizes of dogs for housing authority tenants.

City officials in Sunrise said they’ll need to make immediate changes to its code. “The city of Sunrise is no longer enforcing its pit bull registry requirement, as the new state law no longer allows breed-specific local ordinances,” said spokeswoman Christine Pfeffer. “We plan to process a code amendment to memorialize this change in state law.”

But some Sunrise officials said they are frustrated that Tallahassee has meddled into its affairs intended to promote public safety.

“We wanted to offer the residents the most protection possible,” Commissioner Joey Scuotto said. “Here we go again with the state telling the cities what to do.”

The only other government in Florida with rules targeting pit bulls was Miami-Dade County, which banned pit bulls in 1989 after a young girl was mauled by a neighbor’s pit bull. The dog had attacked the child, her mother and grandmother as they were carrying groceries into their house.

Miami-Dade’s ban — which covered all of its cities — covered American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers or any dog that matches most of those breeds’ traits.

This week, Miami-Dade County Animal Services said the department will no longer be accepting complaints to the code enforcement team for pit bull complaints “as there are no longer any applicable laws prohibiting ownership in Miami-Dade County,” said spokesperson Flora Beal. The department’s code enforcement and animal welfare officers “will be able to refocus their efforts to other complaints” regarding animal cruelty, dog bites and dangerous dog investigations.

There had been pit bull attacks in South Florida leading up to Miami-Dade’s action, such as the case of a pit bull attacking a child in Hollywood in 1979, two days before his seventh birthday, leaving him with no discernible mouth, nose, left ear, left cheek or scalp. The plight of the boy, who needed dozens of surgeries, dominated the front pages and television news.

In 2012, Miami-Dade County held a referendum to gauge public opinion on keeping the ordinance in place and more than 63% of voters chose to keep the county’s regulation of pit bull dogs.

“Local government should be able to make these decisions,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber this week. The state should “get out of microgoverning.”

A third local government, Tamarac, enacted a law decades ago requiring a registry, as well as keeping the dog muzzled and on a leash when outdoors, and their owners must prove they have a million-dollar insurance policy. At the time it called pit bulls “notorious” pets that have an “extraordinary propensity to attack without warning.” But the city dropped its efforts in 2017, saying it was too difficult to enforce because often the breed was difficult to prove.

“I can have a doctor at a doggy hospital say my dog is a chicken — and you can’t refute it,” said Tamarac’s former mayor in 2017.

Sunrise resident Anthony Carvalho is on the city’s mandatory registry for his two pit bulls, Storm, a 6-year-old, and her father, Shotta, age 7. “My dogs are big babies,” he said. “They want to be cuddled with all day long; they run to you and roll on their backs.”

Staff Writer Brittany Wallman contributed to this report.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash