Residents accuse county of moving dogs before safety fixes; commissioners say UF review occurred by Zoom

More than a half-dozen residents and volunteers told the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners on March 24 that the county moved dogs from Palmetto to trailers at the Bishop site before required safety adjustments were completed.

"After waiting 10 years, we have been delivered a facility that will not meet our basic needs," Misty Evans said during the public-comment period, criticizing what she called a lack of planning and warning about kennel stress and staff safety.

Volunteer Kathy Bridwell told the board she had expected an on-site University of Florida review before animals were moved. "We were shocked there was no UF visit. It was a Zoom call as proven by this documentation," Bridwell said, and she urged the board to require UF’s listed recommendations be completed before continuing operations.

Julie Madison said she had contacted UF directly and was told the university did not visit the new property and that a written UF report was never intended. "The dogs are now in the process of being moved without any of the mandatory adjustments being made," she said, calling county management "abysmal."

Commissioners and county staff defended the decision to relocate animals and said the county acted on UF’s remote review while continuing to pursue an in-person inspection. Commissioner Cruz said the county invited UF to do a traditional site visit, but UF’s calendar pushed an in-person visit months out. "They told us that their schedule to come down for an in person site visit was months out," Cruz said. "So we did the next best thing that was available to us ... and they agreed to have a Zoom call with us. We sent them all the information, the schematics, the site plans. They reviewed all of it, then they had their people get on a Zoom with our people."

County staff said the timing also was driven by animal welfare considerations. "We are trying to move them there and get them situated before it gets too hot out there," a staff member said, noting the county had spent substantial funds to maintain conditions at Palmetto and had a nonprofit partner ready to occupy the Palmetto adoption center.

Deputy county administrator Courtney DePaul clarified operational expectations for the public: "This is an animal shelter. It's not designed for public access into the kennels. There will be an adoption center where the public comes," she said, adding that the facility’s layout limits random public access into kennel areas for safety reasons.

Commissioner McCann said he had expected an on-site UF visit and a published report, and pressed staff for a timeline on when UF would come to the site and when any formal report would be released.

Next steps announced at the meeting: staff said it is continuing to coordinate an in-person University of Florida site visit and will publish the visit date once it is firm; the county also said it will provide a firm date for when the adoption center and public visitation elements will open. Several speakers asked the board to bring the shelter back to an agenda item for follow-up and clarification of upgrades requested in UF’s recommendations.