TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Senate says greyhound racing tracks and trainers should be required to report injuries to their dogs to the state.
The Senate passed a bill unanimously Tuesday requiring the reports. Democratic Sen. Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood sponsored the bill and said she hopes it's the first step toward ending what she called "the archaic and barbaric practice" of greyhound racing.
The bill was named for Vicky Gaetz, the wife of former state Senate President Don Gaetz of Niceville, a crusader for welfare of racing greyhounds.
Sobel said neither the state nor dog tracks benefit financially from racing because regulating it costs more than the tax revenue it produces. She said the dogs are prone to painful injuries leading to premature deaths.
The House hasn't yet considered the bill.
