2018
Our community's growth & evolving needs led to a comprehensive assessment of our shelter by the University of Florida's Shelter Medicine team in 2018.
We continue to use their invaluable insights to guide us toward more effective & humane best practices in everything we do for our community's pets & their families.
This assessment & continued support from UF's Shelter Medicine team significantly improved the overall well-being of pets in our care. Following UF's recommendation to embrace a managed-intake model provided a new challenge: as the length of stay of our pets increased, the shelter reached capacity quickly.
We needed more room & hoped a multi-phased renovation could present a cost-effective solution.
2019
Florida's legislature expanded funding opportunities for the Penny Sales Tax to include animal welfare in the public safety category; one of two allowed funding categories.
The renovations recommended by UF's Shelter Medicine team in 2018 were approved to be added to the 2020 electoral ballot under the proposed renewal of the Penny Sales Tax.
2020
Voters approved the renewal of the Penny Sales Tax via a countywide election, paving the way for a $2.5-million investment in the shelter's modernization.
2021
Our community rallied around our animal shelter as the pandemic unfolded, providing unprecedented support.
Despite the challenges the pandemic presented, we supported 8,000 pets!
The growing demand for our services & the limitations of our aging facility made it clear renovations were impractical.
Thus, the search for new location began among county-owned properties.
We conducted extensive evaluations of properties already owned by our organization, including Coehadjoe Park, but not one could support the demands of a modern shelter with room for future expansion.
2022
A generous donor with a 137-acre farm no longer in operation located in Citra. This zero-dollar lease option was nearly ideal, though the location itself presented challenges.
2023
The former farm was nestled in a residential section & required a zoning change. During the public meetings standard for any zoning change request, residents expressed opposition to the relocation plan for our animal shelter.
Many residents sympathized with the need for a new shelter but were concerned about the impact the shelter would have on their quality of life, including possibilities of increased traffic & noise from the facility.
Despite efforts to mitigate concerns raised by residents, the commission ultimately denied the zoning request due to the facility's incompatibility with the surrounding area.
While the donated property was no longer a viable option for a new animal shelter, it remained a valuable asset.
The county commission signed a memorandum of understanding to assign livestock & large animal-related cases to the sheriff's office.
The former farm donated to assist Marion County's animals, big & small, would now be used to house livestock & other large animals seized during criminal investigations.
The property would also house the mounted unit operated by the sheriff's office.
This partnership allowed our team to focus solely on companion animals, thereby reducing the workload & financial responsibility relating to livestock & larger animals.
2024
The generous donor of the Citra property offered several alternative properties within Marion County as potential sites for the new animal shelter.
Our teams reviewed the proposed locations while the county commission worked diligently to find ways to alleviate the previous concerns as well as ways to add to the number of play yards for dog enrichment activities & even more play group opportunities!
We provided grants to our local partners who join us on the front lines of our community's battle with overpopulation through free & low-cost spay & neuter surgeries...
Fiscal year 2025 will also bring grants to our partners, thanks to discussions during the summer's budget workshops!
As 2024 comes to an end, we're excited to announce & officially invite you to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for our new location at 10 a.m. on Oct. 30!
