Alachua County to provide update on animal shelter operations and decide on new shelter location on Jan. 27

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the January 13 Alachua County Commission meeting, Commissioners heard from animal shelter volunteers and promised an update on animal shelter operations on January 27, along with a decision about the location for a new shelter.

Governor and Cabinet make Weseman tract available

During the announcements, County Manager Michele Lieberman announced that at the Governor’s Cabinet meeting on December 17, 2025, the Cabinet approved a request from Alachua County to transfer an existing reverter on the Weseman tract on Waldo Road to the County’s Equestrian Facility. The vote frees up the Weseman property for other uses (the reverter previously prevented it from being used as anything other than fairgrounds) and transfers that protection to the Equestrian Facility in Newberry. Lieberman said the County is still waiting on the paperwork from the state, and she plans to put an agenda item on the January 27 County Commission meeting so Commissioners can understand the options for building a new animal shelter and make a decision. Lieberman said staff will also provide a comprehensive update on the shelter at that meeting.

Wheeler moves to discontinue lease negotiations with UF

Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler said, “In light of the report that we’ve just heard and the approval from the Cabinet for the reverter, I would move to discontinue negotiations with UF and free the staff to focus on finalization of the required paperwork for use of the Weseman property for the new animal shelter. I don’t want to wait another two weeks.”

Chair Ken Cornell clarified, “You don’t want to have that discussion on January 27?” and Wheeler replied, “No, I do not.”

Cornell said, “Okay — I kind of do.” He asked whether there was a second to the motion, but no second was offered.

Wheeler said she has never been in favor of a lease of a UF property, and “I’m getting impatient with it, because I’ve spent more time at that shelter than probably anyone on this board.” She favored building the shelter on “our own land with our own control, saving $3 million… It seems to me that it should be a no-brainer for this board.”

Cornell said he heard her “loud and clear” and understood her position, but “I do know that there’s a lot of community that wants to kind of weigh in on this item, and so when it’s on the agenda, I think they’ll all have that ability, and we’ll be able to hear those arguments and hopefully make a decision in two weeks.”

Shelter volunteers raise concerns about euthanasia of dogs, hiring of director and veterinarian

During General Public Comment, five current and former volunteers at the County’s animal shelter spoke and said that multiple adoptable dogs were recently euthanized. They also wanted information on the search for a Director of Animal Resources and a shelter veterinarian. One speaker said that the live release rate for dogs in October and November was approximately 82%, but it dropped to 66% in December, which “represents a significant increase in euthanasia in a very short period of time and strongly suggests a shift in policy or practice.”

After General Public Comment, Commissioner Anna Prizzia made a motion to hold a special meeting or policy discussion about Animal Resources, and Commissioner Mary Alford seconded the motion. 

Lieberman asked the board to wait until January 27, when she plans to have a comprehensive update on the Animal Resources operation, including an update on numbers and a discussion on the location of the new shelter. Prizzia withdrew the motion, and Lieberman said that if Commissioners needed additional information after January 27, staff would bring that information back.

Cornell thanked the shelter volunteers for coming to speak at the meeting: “We try to listen, because we know that the expertise comes from that side of the dais, most of the time, instead of this side of the dais.” He asked staff to go back through the volunteers’ comments and make sure their concerns are addressed on January 27.