ORLANDO, Fla. — In case you didn't know, 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.
These numbers get hotter in the summer months.
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.
Every year we see stories about children and pets dying after being left in a car for an extended period.
On July 2, A woman was arrested in Orange County after 2 of her dogs died in a hot vehicle.
In Jacksonville on May 22, an infant was pronounced dead after being left in a daycare van for five hours, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
According to the website No Heat Stroke.org, 2018 was considered the deadliest on record for children dying after being left in a hot car, with 53 children dying across the country.
It includes a case in Sanford in September 2018, Kit Pollard. The one-year-old was found left in a vehicle for seven hours. The high temperature at the time was around 93 degrees.
Follow the chart below to see just how hot the inside of the car could get:
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.
- Determine if the vehicle is locked or if there is no reasonable method to remove the pet or vulnerable person (including finding the owner)
- Make sure entry into the vehicle is absolutely necessary because of imminent danger
- Call law enforcement or 911 before entering the vehicle
- Use no more force than necessary to break into the vehicle and remove the pet or person
- Remain with the pet or person until law enforcement or a first responder arrives