TAMPA, Fla. — Criminal charges have been dropped against a Florida man who authorities said abandoned his dog in floodwaters near a highway as residents evacuated Florida’s Gulf Coast last year shortly before Hurricane Milton made landfall.

The case led to legislation signed into law this year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, enhancing penalties on people who abandon pets during natural disasters.

Tampa-area prosecutors on Wednesday filed a court notice that they were dropping charges against the 24-year-old man from Ruskin, Florida, who had faced a count of felony aggravated animal cruelty. The “nolle prosequi” notice usually is filed when there's a lack of evidence or witnesses.

The bull terrier, nicknamed Trooper by the Florida Highway Patrol, was alive when he was found by a trooper in

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