October 2025
Scorpio construction celebrated a milestone in the project by completing the topping off of the project.
September 2025
Big things are going up at Marion County Animal Services new Animal Shelter! Construction is moving right along as the team from Scorpio. begins raising the walls.
August 2025
The new facility, located at 6405 W. Highway 40, Ocala, will sit on nearly 20 acres, a huge upgrade from the current 2-acre shelter site, providing plenty of exterior green space for our animals to run, play, and thrive!
✅ 200 larger, more comfortable kennels with exterior runs (expandable up to 400 kennels in the future).
✅ Specialized floor drains for a cleaner, fresher space for our pets and visitors.
✅ Hygienic, sound-dampening materials for a calmer environment.
✅ Full heating, cooling & ventilation for happy, healthy pets.
Learn more about the new shelter at: wwww.MarionFl.org/NewShelter
July 2025
July 21: Big things are happening! The new Marion County Animal Services Shelter is making great progress.
Most of the groundwork is done, and the construction team is gearing up to go vertical by the end of the month—walls and all!
We expect all walls to be up by the end of August, so stay tuned for more updates as this exciting project continues to take shape.
Learn more at: www.MarionFL.org/newshelter
July 8: Progress is going strong on the new Marion County Animal Services facility! All concrete building pads are poured and several tilt wall panels are complete. Crews plan to start raising panels by the end of July — starting with the new kennel structure!
We're also coordinating with the FAA and Ocala International Airport to ensure all high-elevation work is safely scheduled.
Plus, renderings of the future facility are now complete, giving us an exciting look at what’s to come!
June 2025
June 25: Things are moving right along at the new shelter site! Check out these incredible aerial photos from June—it's exciting to see the transformation take shape from above. Stay tuned for more updates as construction continues!
April 2025
April 15: At today’s Commission Meeting, the Board took HUGE steps forward in making our NEW Animal Shelter a reality!
The Commission approved the third phase of construction, which means funding is now secured for ALL 200 kennels! That’s right — every single one!
And to top it off, they greenlit the purchase and installation of a generator and Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) — ensuring that operations stay up and running even during power outages.
The new shelter is going to be stronger, smarter, and ready to serve Marion County for years to come. Stay tuned — the future of animal care is being built right now!
March 2025
March 25: Marion County’s NEW Animal Shelter is making great progress! We’re on track to host a public ribbon-cutting ceremony in December 2025— so mark your calendars!
Right now, crews are hard at work installing the underground infrastructure for roads, stormwater management, utilities, and more.
What’s going to be inside the new shelter?
- 200 Larger, more comfortable kennels with exterior runs (with the potential to expand to 400 in the future)
- Specialized floor drains for a cleaner, fresher space for pets & adopters
- Hygienic & sound-dampening materials for a calm environment
- Full heating, cooling, & ventilation for happy, healthy pets!
February 2025
Feb. 28: we have an address! Our new shelter received its physical address assignment; 6405 W. Highway 40, Ocala.
Sitework Progress
The early stages of site preparation have had the property buzzing with activity, setting the stage for a modern, safe, & welcoming facility.
Key milestones include:
- Construction fencing installed: Securing the site to prepare for the next steps.
- Construction trailer mobilized: Creating a functional hub for the project's team.
- Temporary water installed: Ensuring essential utilities are in place to support work.
- Coordinating temporary power with SECO: Powering the site with essential construction energy.
Materials for sitework were reviewed by engineers & approved by the city of Ocala, paving the way for fabrication & delivery. Our team is ready to move forward as soon as the necessary permits & materials are finalized.
On the administrative building and kennel front, progress continues at a rapid pace. The project’s guaranteed maximum price (GMP) review is in progress.
Feb. 4: The county commission approved fully funding phase two, which includes the administration building and the first two kennel buildings during their regularly scheduled meeting.
2024
Dec. 20: competitive bidding process completed for the administration & kennel buildings.
Nov. 27: Detailed blueprints for the administration & kennel buildings were finalized & sent for review by the city of Ocala's permitting team.
Nov. 20: contract officially awarded to Salser Construction.
Nov. 6: Salser Construction selected as this project's contractor through highly regulated procurement selection committee review.
Oct. 30: we held the largest groundbreaking ceremony in our organization's history on the grounds of our new location!
Oct. 25: competitive bids open for site work and landscaping packages.
July: 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 of 2024!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
