A couple dozen pit bull lovers -- or at least supporters of a proposed law to repeal Miami-Dade's pit-bull ban -- held signs and gave out fliers Sunday afternoon in front of Miami's Tropical Park.
"We heart pit bulls!" read one sign. "Stop the killing," read another. And a third: "Fix the real problem: bad owners."
Cars honked in support of the crowd as a banner airplane flew overhead: " MDABSL: Support HB 997 & SB 1322! UnitedAgainstBSL.org."
"MDABSL" stands for Miami-Dade Against Breed Specific Legislation.
Miami-Dade is the only Florida county that bans pit bulls. After the county's ban was put in place, the state prohibited future counties from doing the same. The proposed bills -- sponsored in the House by state Rep. Carlos Trujillo, a Miami Republican -- would remove the language in state law that allowed Miami-Dade's exemption, invalidating the county's prohibition, which often leads pit bulls that land in Miami-Dade's animal shelter to be euthanized.
The county opposes the legislation, noting that Miami-Dade's prohibition was enacted to prevent pit bull attacks after a slew of them in the early 1990s. Proponents of the bills say pit bulls as a breed are not inherently dangerous.
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