SANFORD, Fla. Two Florida members of Congress from opposite parties have introduced federal legislation that would ban the importation of sloths into the United States, a response to the deaths of dozens of animals tied to the failed Sloth World attraction in Orlando.
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, and U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Hillsborough County, announced the Stopping Legalized Organized Trafficking and Harm to Sloths Act, or SLOTHS Act, on Tuesday during a press conference at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford. The announcement was timed to International Sloth Day, according to The Sloth Institute.
“This is about preventing the cruelty before it happens,” Frost said at the event.
What the bill would do
The legislation would prohibit bringing sloths into the country, with limited exceptions for documented research and conservation breeding programs at accredited institutions, WKMG News 6 reported. Zoos and facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, including the Central Florida Zoo, would be treated as covered institutions exempt from the ban.
Violations could bring civil penalties of up to $20,000, Central Florida Public Media reported. Anyone who knowingly violates the law could face criminal fines of up to $100,000, lose federal permits and be required to forfeit any sloths imported illegally. Frost said the bill would also give prosecutors the ability to pursue charges because the conduct would violate federal law.
Lee, a former judge, said the Sloth World case raised the question of whether existing laws do enough to prevent this kind of harm, and that she and Frost concluded they do not. She said the bill is not meant to interfere with responsible zoos or legitimate conservation work.
The bill is endorsed by the Sloth Conservation Foundation, The Sloth Institute and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Rebecca Cliffe of the Sloth Conservation Foundation and Sam Trull of The Sloth Institute attended the announcement, along with State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando.
To become law, the measure must pass both the House and Senate in identical form and be signed by the president. There is no set timeline for a vote. Frost has said he hopes it passes by the end of the year.
The Sloth World deaths
Sloth World, founded by Ben Agresta, was planned as an interactive attraction on International Drive where visitors could meet and hold sloths. It never opened. State records show the company arranged to import at least 61 sloths from Guyana and Peru between December 2024 and March 2026.
The first shipment of 21 sloths from Guyana arrived in December 2024 at an Orange County warehouse that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records described as not ready to receive the animals. FWC inspectors later learned the building had no water or electricity days before the shipment arrived. A later shipment of 10 sloths from Peru arrived in February 2025, with two found dead on arrival and none surviving, Orlando Weekly reported.
The deaths became public in April 2026 after reporting by Inside Climate News and FOX 35. The death toll has been reported as at least 55, with some later counts reaching 58.
That same month, Sloth World turned over 13 surviving sloths to the Central Florida Zoo, where all arrived in poor condition. Five have since died. Eight remain in the zoo’s care, out of public view. Zoo CEO Richard Glover said Tuesday that some of the animals still show signs of trauma but that the group is stable and generally doing well.
Agresta announced the attraction would not open and that the company would likely file for bankruptcy. He has denied wrongdoing and has attributed the deaths to a virus.
Investigations and state action
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in May that a senior assistant statewide prosecutor would assist Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell’s office in a criminal investigation, WKMG reported at the time.
In August, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released a 44-page report concluding there was no evidence of criminal neglect or intentional harm. Investigators attributed the deaths to multiple factors, including disease, transportation stress and nutritional deficiencies, according to WKMG. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspector found the species involved were not protected under CITES or the Endangered Species Act at the time of import. Two sloth species were added to CITES Appendix II on March 5, 2026, three days after Sloth World’s final shipment arrived. The sheriff’s office referred its findings to the State Attorney’s Office.
WKMG reported Tuesday that the Office of Statewide Prosecution has reopened the investigation.
In May, the FWC ordered a temporary halt to sloth imports into Florida, NBC Miami reported. That ban expired in July. The state now requires a separate permit for each sloth import, and the FWC has proposed additional rules, including raising the minimum age for sloth permit holders from 16 to 18 and requiring documented, species-specific experience. Public comment on those proposals closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday through the FWC website.
Eskamani described the FWC proposals as modest and said the agency told advocates it lacks the authority to permanently ban imports, leaving the issue to the federal government. She called the SLOTHS Act potentially “transformational” if it becomes law.
Orange County commissioners are also exploring possible local restrictions on the use of exotic wildlife for commercial entertainment. No ordinance has been approved.
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