Polk County residents press commissioners for animal-control reforms, TNVR program and greater transparency

Dozens of residents of Polk County told the Board of County Commissioners on June 3 that Polk County Animal Control’s operations are in crisis and urged the board to push for stronger spay/neuter programs, an official TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return) program for community cats, more volunteer support and greater transparency.

The appeals came during the general public-comment period. Eve Salambini, president and founder of the Street Cat Project of Polk County, said the shelter’s records and practices show “serious failures in transparency, oversight, morality, and ethical accountability.” She asked the county to publish monthly clear records, establish a countywide TNVR voucher program, adopt enforceable standards and create a public oversight committee.

Supporters cited numbers and examples from other Florida counties to press their case. George Robert Wheaton compared Polk’s outcomes with neighboring counties and said, “Hillsborough’s live outcome rate went from 51 percent in 2013 to 92 percent in 2023,” and told commissioners that Hillsborough estimates it costs $168 to trap, hold and euthanize a…