Davie, FL Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

The Town of Davie addresses animal hoarding directly. Under Town Code Sec. 4-65.2 (Cruelty to animals), any person who - among other listed acts - 'hoards animals,' beats, cruelly ill-treats, fails to provide sanitary living conditions, starves, fails to provide reasonable medical care, or otherwise abuses an animal is in violation of the section. Hoarding is therefore not merely an implied nuisance in Davie but a named prohibited act. The town reinforces this with manner-of-keeping standards in Sec. 4-65.3, which require any person keeping a dog to provide clean, sanitary, safe, and humane conditions; sufficient daily food; proper ventilation; clean, fresh water at all times; and veterinary care when sick or injured, with written proof available on request. The same section sets minimum outdoor space - 100 square feet for a dog 20 pounds or less, 200 square feet for a larger dog, plus 40 square feet for each additional dog - and requires fecal matter to be removed and disposed of in a sealed receptacle. These space and sanitation rules give code officers concrete thresholds when investigating suspected hoarding. State law underpins enforcement: Section 828.12, Florida Statutes makes cruelty to animals (including depriving animals of necessary sustenance or shelter) a first-degree misdemeanor, with aggravated cruelty a third-degree felony, and Section 828.13 makes confining an animal without sufficient food, water, exercise, or air, or abandoning a sick or infirm animal, a first-degree misdemeanor. Davie's animal-care officers coordinate with Broward County Animal Care, and serious cases can proceed both as town code violations and as state criminal charges.