(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- On October 20, 2009, the Board of County Commissioners approved with an 11-1 vote a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Javier D. Souto, which urges the Florida Legislature to increase the criminal penalties for the unlawful slaughter of horses as well as impose mandatory minimum penalties for this act. The resolution also authorizes local governments to suspend or revoke local business licenses of restaurants, stores, or other businesses that illegally sell horse meat. 
 
"Since the beginning of 2009, there has been a disturbing increase in the unlawful slaughter of horses and this has created an atmosphere of fear and distrust within the community of horse owners in my district and in Miami-Dade County," explained Commissioner Souto. "Law enforcement officers in the County are conducting ongoing investigations into these horse killings and they believe that the illegal distribution of horse meat is the prime factor behind these killings."
 
Section 500.451 of the Florida Statutes states that it is unlawful for any person to sell horse meat for human consumption in the markets of this state unless it is clearly stamped, marked, and described as horse meat for human consumption.  However; currently, any person who violates this section is only guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.
 
"With this resolution, I hope to deter the illegal sale of horse meat as it asks for the criminal penalty to be increased to a third degree felony, and for mandatory minimum fines to be imposed as well as periods of incarceration," said Commissioner Souto. "The scope of Section 500.451 should be expanded to include any person who knowingly transports, distributes, sells, purchases, or possesses horse meat that is not clearly stamped, marked, and described as horse meat for human consumption or horse meat that has not been acquired from a legally licensed slaughterhouse."
 
The resolution also asks for Section 500.451 to authorize local governments to revoke or suspend the local business licenses of restaurants, stores, or other businesses, after a person has been convicted of violating Section 500.451.
 
"I am concerned that without strong criminal penalties, we are limited to charging these despicable human beings with cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor under Florida Law. Anyone who would torture an animal in the manner they are killing these horses is one step away from being a serial killer like Charles Manson and Ted Bundy, who also enjoyed torturing animals as youngsters," declared Commissioner Souto.
 
In addition, Section 828.125 from the Florida Statute makes it a second degree felony to willfully and unlawfully kill a registered breed horse, but does not impose any mandatory minimum fines or periods of incarceration. This resolution seeks for the word "breed horse" to be amended to any horse, including mixed breed horses as well as registered breed horses.
 
"Again, it is my belief, that we can deter this terrible act if we make Section 828.125 subject to mandatory minimum fines and periods of incarceration," added Commissioner Souto. "My goal is to reinstate peace to the horse owners that reside in this great county."