Orange City considers fines up to $7,500 for animal cruelty violations

Orange City leaders are considering a new way to penalize people who violate local animal cruelty and animal abandonment rules — including fines of up to $7,500 for repeat violations.The proposed ordinance would update the city’s existing animal-control regulations and allow violations to be handled as civil infractions under Florida law.The change comes after the Florida Legislature amended state law to give municipalities greater authority to impose civil penalties for animal-control and cruelty violations.[WATCH HERE: 79-year-old arrested in animal cruelty case]But, How much could violators be on the hook for? If approved as written, the ordinance would allow Orange City to impose fines of :$2,500 for a first violation$5,000 for a second violationand $7,500 for a third or subsequent violationPeople who do not contest a citation would receive a 25% reduction. Those reduced penalties would be as follows:$1,875 for a first violation$3,750 for a second violation$5,625 for a third or sub