REMINDER: It's hot out.

Florida temperatures can range in the 80s and above for much of the year, and with dewpoints and humidity the heat index can make it feel even hotter -- especially inside a car.

So now is as good a time as any to remind people: your car is officially too hot to leave a kid or a pet in it. 

  • Car temperatures get too hot to leave pets, kids inside
  • Florida law protects those who break a window to rescue a pet, person

Every year we see stories about children and pets dying after being left in a car for an extended period. Already, a woman in Plant City was charged with child abuse and neglect after leaving her baby in a hot vehicle. 

Brandi Guggino reportedly went to pay a fine at a courthourse in Hillsborough County on April 24. She didn't expect to be in the building for long, she told police.

When concerned citizens and officers removed the baby from the car, she was sweating, her face was red and she was rubbing her eyes.

Police say they believe she was left in the car for about 11 minutes. The temperature of the car seat was 123 degrees.

A 2-year-old in Brandon died back in March after being left in an SUV outside a day care for several hours. The temperature that afternoon outside the car was around 89 degrees.

And in May, a police K-9 was left inside a patrol SUV outside the Brevard County Courthouse. The dog was found dead inside the vehicle.

Follow the chart below to see just how hot the inside of the car was.

 

 

And contrary to popular belief, cracking open a window or parking a car in the shade will do little to nothing to keep a car cool enough inside.

Leaving a child in a car can lead to charges of child abuse and neglect. The state of Florida does not have such stiff penalties for a person who leaves a pet in a car, despite recent efforts. Some counties do have ordinances, including Orange County, and will charge the offending owner with animal neglect or cruelty.

Pets don't sweat, except through their foot pads. They pant to cool down, but after a while it becomes counterproductive. While sweating and evaporation can help a human stay cool, pets have a much harder time, which makes them very vulnerable to heat stroke, especially pets with short noses like bull dogs or pugs.

 

 

Florida does, however, have a law that protects people who rescue a pet or vulnerable person who is in distress in a hot car.

If a person follows a certain set of steps, they will be protected from criminal liability for breaking into the car, and also civil liability if the owner of the car sues the person for damaging the car to break in.

  1. Determine if the vehicle is locked or if there is no reasonable method to remove the pet or vulnerable person (including finding the owner)
  2. Make sure entry into the vehicle is absolutely necessary because of imminent danger
  3. Call law enforcement or 911 before entering the vehicle
  4. Use no more force than necessary to break into the vehicle and remove the pet or person
  5. Remain with the pet or person until law enforcement or a first responder arrives