Today, Governor DeSantis signed bill HB 1047 . The bill increases the penalty from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony for anyone that "intentionally" and "maliciously" touches, strikes, or causes bodily harm to dogs and horses that are working with police, search and rescue, and/or firefighters. Florida has long recognized the importance of protecting animals that serve the public. Fla. Stat. § 843.19 , first enacted in 1981, already made it a crime to intent