A joint Palm Coast-Flagler County government task force created last summer is recommending building a $2.1 million, 9,500-square-foot animal shelter on 4 acres of city-owned land off Commerce Boulevard. Groundbreaking would be slated for Oct. 1.
The facility would not replace the Flagler Humane Society’s shelter but would operate independently of it as the intake facility for a joint city-county animal control services operation, shifting such intakes from the society to the new facility, severing a decades-old relationship and reflecting disenchantment by Palm Coast government especially with the society’s services.
The task force anticipates that Bunnell and Flagler Beach animal control services intake would also shift to the new facility, as would the two cities’ annual contributions.
The facility would accommodate 96 dogs and 80 cats in modular kennels modeled after the $890,000 Putnam County Animal Control Services facility that opened last November in Palatka. A legislative appropriation covered $500,000 of that cost, according to the Palatka Daily News.
The Palm Coast City Council and the Flagler County Commission are holding a joint workshop on Jan. 29 to discuss the task force’s findings and recommendations. The task force included Flagler County’s and Palm Coast’s top government executives and their deputies, plus Palm Coast Community Development Director John Zobler and Cameron Orr of Animal Refuge of Flagler. It consulted with more than half a dozen individuals and organizations, including Community Cats and Putnam County staff but, notably, no one from the Humane Society.
The county and all its municipalities contract with the society for sheltering services. The county also contracts with the society for animal control services. Palm Coast has its own division. The society has weathered criticism from county and city governments for lack of transparency, for its allegedly poor handling and euthanizing of certain animals, and for not planning for an expansion despite chronic and at times severe animal overcrowding.
The society’s executive director and members of its board have attempted to refute much of the criticism, but the county has continued its push for a joint animal control services operation with Palm Coast Animal Control: That proposal is also on the Jan. 29 agenda.
The proposed facility would operate eight hours a day, seven days a week as a nonprofit jointly overseen by the city and the county, and would seek to “become a leading no-kill shelter in Florida,” according to its vision statement. It would provide shelter, “limited medical care” and adoption services. But it would not accept surrenders, though surrenders account for a large part of animals handled at the society. It would handle intakes of lost pets and strays, provide triage care and adoption services, and would conduct outreach and education.
The task force’s presentation prepared for the Jan. 29 meeting includes various options and capital costs, but does not include operational or personnel costs. It does not specify the number of personnel necessary to run the facility. It does not provide a secure source of money for the capital cost nor operational costs. But it proposes to request a $500,000 legislative appropriation that the county would match, with Palm Coast donating the land. The current amounts local governments are paying the Humane Society for services would presumably be shifted to the new facility, underwriting a substantial portion of operating costs.
At this stage, the task force is seeking direction from the two governments to develop a cost-sharing methodology and draft a joint agreement for capital costs. The task force is also proposing that a request for information seeking shelter management companies be issued as early as February. Meanwhile, the relationship with the society would be maintained until the governments are ready to open the new facility.
The task force considered several sites, including locating the shelter on the grounds of the Humane Society, which owns almost 20 acres off of U.S. 1 just north of Palm Coast Parkway. The advantage would have been to have all sheltering services in one place, the task force found, and would enable continuing current contracts with the society. But the site may not be viable for expansion for various reasons, the task force found.
Four sites were explored elsewhere along U.S. 1, including the public works facility Palm Coast will be vacating, and a fifth site on Utility Drive. The 3.9-acre site off Commerce Boulevard proved most conducive to the plan, though it is a proposed wellsite, it has no utilities, and it would subtract precious industrial land from the city’s inventory.
The task force also studied four building options before finding the hybrid modular-building approach best suited to the plan. The structure would include 3,000 square feet of reception and medical offices and 6,480 square feet of kennel and cage space. It would not accommodate animals other than cats and dogs. The society accommodates many types of animals beyond cats and dogs.
Separately at the Jan. 29 meeting, the two governments will discuss the findings of an administrative cost study about a joint county-city animal control operation–or rather, an expansion of Palm Coast’s existing operation to the 485 square miles of the county.
Bottom line: First-year operating costs would be $1.37 million, falling to between $1.2 million and $1.4 million over the following five years. Palm Coast’s current operation costs $800,000. That’s in addition to the $712,000 the city pays for sheltering services at the society. The county pays $215,000 for sheltering services, Flagler Beach and Bunnell pay $46,000 between them. The numbers as presented by the Palm Coast administration for the Jan. 29 workshop do not appear cost-effective, compared to current services, and clash directly with a direction by the County Commission earlier this month to look for cutting government costs, not adding to them. The commission elected to end its funding of adult day care services in view of the possible elimination of homesteaded property taxes and their revenue to local governments.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
It would be such a positive step forward to build a new, well-managed no-kill shelter that’s clean, bright, has a bed for every dog and a large fenced play area (like Big & Small Dog Ranch Rescue in south Florida). There’s so much more that could be done to rehome Flagler’s homeless dogs, especially by maintaining a strong social media presence and working with shelters in the Northeast that frequently have no dogs available for adoption at all. For many years I have donated to rescues and private-pilot organizations who organize the transport of dogs to such shelters. It would be essential for the new shelter to have a solid board of pro bono directors that includes a lawyer and a CPA. That’s what turned around a northern shelter facing bankruptcy with which I was familiar years ago. There are many corporate and private grants available for no-kill shelters, and no one should ever underestimate the value of a public fundraiser using GoFundMe and/or PayPal’s Giving Grid. To start things off, my charitable fund will pledge $5,000 toward the new shelter in memory of Jane Gentile-Youd, who was a friend to all animals. It will be payable the minute the new shelter has 501c3 status or is within 6 months of receiving such status, with guaranteed subsequent donations to follow.
Concerned citizen says
Yapping to yap
Kaitlyn Holling says
Flagler Humane Society is a no-kill shelter.
Leon says
A better idea is build a separate facility for veterinary care. St.John’s County has this set-up. Wasting money on duplicating services is just plain stupid and sounds like the idea of some either disgruntled or power hungry individuals.Our current humane society is doing just fine.
Vincent says
The proposed facility would operate eight hours a day, seven days a week as a nonprofit jointly overseen by the city and the county.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? You are spending all this money only to have a Nonprofit running it? Why would you do that? What is this going to do to my property taxes because I feel this should be on the ballot for a vote by taxpayers of Palm Coast and Flagler County.
What is going to happen to injured wildlife? The City of Palm Coast Animal Control Officers only deal with cats and dogs. So injured or sick wildlife are just going to suffer and die? What’s going to happen to livestock are they going to suffer the same as wildlife?
Who came up with this brainstorm of an idea because it sure doesn’t sound like it is meant for all animals that live in Flagler County and the City of PC? Sounds like you are picking and choosing who your facility is going to help.
And this doesn’t include salaries for staff or vets so I see hidden expenses already. As I mentioned above it sure doesn’t sound like this was logically thought out for the sake of all animals residing in Flagler County.
After seeing the shelter that Putnam just built look at it closely it can get flooded out very easily and also in a strong hurricane the tin building is going to be destroyed along with all the helpless animals inside of it.
Like I said who came up with this lam idea?
I want to hear more and as a taxpayer I feel I have the right to know.
Good money after bad says
Can our elected officials go just 1 day without spending our money by the truckload ?
Dennis C Rathsam says
We don’t need two shelters… Everything in Flagler & P/C is battle, who’s on my side!!!! Work togeather UNTHINKABLE!
K says
You know what happens when your brand new facility says it only accepts strays and not owner surrenders. “Oh, yea, I found this dog walking down the street.” “Yea, this litter of kittens was under the bushes on the empty property next to me.”
I didn’t see anything mentioned on spay/neuter services. Most animals that are strays actually are abandoned and do not have an owner searching for them. Therefore animals that have finished their stray hold would become adoptable and need to be fixed before release. Is this new facility outsourcing this as well?
Other than management, vet services are by far the most expensive cost an animal shelter will have. Very few vets go into Shelter Medicine and the prices for drugs and supplies are rising quickly. Flagler county does not have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic other than Flagler Humane.
Concerned says
We should all have compassion for the safety and humanity of animals but perhaps we could/should first use the funding and county property to create a facility to show the same care for our community members in need during dire weather conditions and other circumstances….
Henry says
New shelter.
Laura B says
Whose “pet” project is this? If I’m following correctly, the task force consulted more than half a dozen (aka a whopping 6-7 non government people) and state it will openly cost even MORE for taxpayers. Of course that is without actual reality as we all know how a 1.2M government projection becomes 2.6M+ over budget lately. Additionally, this government owned service will cost MORE and give LESS as it will not take every type of pet and other caveats as listed.
In summary, this county/PC city club prefers to keep dangerous dogs at taxpayer expense and build out their own ballrooms & license food trucks to compete with taxpaying actual local businesses but yet can’t find the money to help our elderly, refuses to light our roads or fund a decent swimming pool, and threatens to remove lifeguards from our beaches and allow sketchy hazardous material companies to setup shop near our water supply. What dystopian crazy is this place?’?
Joel Reitzer says
This approach has its benefits over sole reliance on humane society’s efforts.
I support this initiative and would be willing to engage and contribute to planning efforts on a pro Bono basis.
Joel Reitzer
R4 Architecture
Rita Leone says
Who’s Brillant Idea was it to build a much smaller shelter on 4 Acres with 96 dogs and 80 plus cats and no other animals??
WHAT? What happens to other innocent animals/wildlife out there?? OH! Just let them die and or suffer!! This project should move forward with a more complete shelter to hold at least 200 dogs and 150/200 cats… Cause we live in an area where humans don’t give a damn about Spay/Neuter so we have hundreds of unwanted litters of all animals..
AND! You should make it LAW for HUMANS to spay neuter animals to take the load off Palm Coast.. AND u should keep Humane Society operating as well…
This new shelter will never accommodate the animals as PalmCoast is getting more & more people moving to this area.. We need more space and 2 shelters would be what we need to carry the load…Period! Wake up all of us guys making these decisions and have Humane Society and new shelter OPEN!
Shark says
Probably one of chicken lady Pontieri’s ideas.
BIG Neighbor says
No matter what project, don’t do it if there are no endowment funds to sustain and grow going forward. Otherwise your making problems for the next generation by starting something you can’t finish, just like what we’re seeing now with our local general infrastructure. Safety is life cycle managed cost.
Jan M says
Palm Coast can build an animal shelter but not one for homeless people.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE dogs and cats, but it seems that human life should be a priority.
Alex says
From reading others post it sounds like taxpayers are pleased with this idea of building an animal shelter. I think it should be put on a voting ballot and let the taxpayers decide what they want. I see many hidden costs that aren’t addressed publicly, not right.
Stop spending taxpayers money without asking their permission first.
Alex says
TAXPAYERS ARE NOT PLEASED WITH WITH IDEA TAKE IT TO THE BALLOT BOX.
Pogo says
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
― Mark Twain
The fine print for people who know everything — except the name of the villain in their bathroom mirror:
As stated
https://www.google.com/search?q=samuel+clemens
Cindy says
Taxpayers are not keen on this idea. Lets put it on the ballot and let the taxpayers of Flagler County vote on it before you start breaking ground.
Anima Lover says
I would love to see this taxpayer money put towards programs for spay/neuter initiatives, TNR programs and education and programs for helping people to keep their pets.
People move to Palm Coast and have to give up their animals because they can’t afford housing that would allow them. They have to choose which 4 pets to keep because of the limit.
Building more kennels doesn’t eliminate the issues of why these animals are homeless. It would be a far less burden on taxpayers for the city and county to invest a fraction of this at the existing humane society to expand and contribute to the programs they already have in place.
Truth says
Taxpayers will be getting ripped off. They are not telling the truth about what it will cost, there are hidden costs that aren’t being mentioned.
They want to build a tin shelter that isn’t hurricane proof and doesn’t have air condition and the animals will truly suffer for this.
For ones Flagler County Commissioners and City of Palm Coast Officials be honest with the taxpayers that pay all your salaries.