GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Senate Agriculture Committee passed a bill unanimously Tuesday in the Capitol in Tallahassee that would regulate the pet death care industry, after a cat owner who asked for her pet’s cremated remains was given a mix of glass, metal and human DNA.
The bill, known as “Sevilla’s Law,” would require pet cremation providers to inform pet owners with a written description of offered services, and prohibit providers from giving false or misleading information. Sevilla’s Law would also allow pet owners to file civil lawsuits against cremation providers.
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, the bill’s sponsor, said during the hearing that no state statute currently exists to regulate pet cremation providers.
The agriculture committee, the bill’s first hurdle, passed the bill 5-0 early Tuesday. It must pass through two more legislative committees before facing a full vote in the Senate. There is no House version of the bill filed so far.
“I think everybody needs to know exactly what’s going to happen to their pet, and if it’s not done appropriately, they need to have some recourse,” Harrell said.
Harrell mentioned a case in Martin County, north of Palm Beach, involving a deceased cat, Sevilla, that inspired the bill. The Legislature has considered but declined to pass the law every year since at least 2020.
Sevilla died of Lymphoma in February 2019, and her family contracted with a pet crematorium to have a final visit, attend a private cremation and have Sevilla’s ashes returned. According to Sevilla’s family, the funeral home cremated her before the family was able to say their goodbyes or attend the cremation. When the family received Sevilla’s ashes, Harrell said, they found a human tooth in the box.
The funeral home cited a “catastrophic failure of process,” and Sevilla’s family had a forensic analysis from the University of Florida performed on the returned ashes. The analysis was unable to determine whether the remains came from a cat, but identified glass, metal and human remains in the ashes.
“We just happened to catch them in their deceit but this is not an isolated incident,” Sevilla’s owner, Laury Sullivan, said in a statement. “Most people never know when there has been a ‘catastrophic failure of process’ and they don’t want to acknowledge that it can occur – until it
happens to them.”
Providers in violation of Sevilla’s Law would be liable for up to $1,500 on first offense, and up to $2,500 for subsequent offenses.
If passed, Sevilla’s Law would take effect July 1.