Why were volunteers fired from Manatee animal shelter? There may be a plan to close it
Nearly a dozen Manatee County Animal Services volunteers are seeking answers after they were terminated from their roles at the local shelter.
After volunteering hundreds of hours to take care of the cats and dogs at Manatee’s shelter in Palmetto, 11 volunteers were fired via email at the beginning of July.
Those volunteers are still wondering why they were dismissed, though some say it’s because they were outspoken about the shelter’s condition, which has been in bad shape for years. The county is now exploring a new option that could allow for its closure.
“I am writing to express my appreciation for your time, service, and dedication you have shown as a volunteer at Manatee County Animal Welfare,” Jodie Fiskie, the county’s public safety director, wrote in a July 3 email that did not explain the firings. “This letter is to inform you that we will no longer require your services at the Manatee County animal shelter.”
After sharing their stories on social media, many of the dismissed volunteers pleaded with the Board of County Commissioners to provide an explanation Tuesday morning.
“All of us are at a loss for why we were dismissed,” said Linda Patty, who volunteered at the shelter for about five years.
“The shelter has never had enough volunteers,” added Cathy Bridwell, another longtime volunteer. “This has exasperated the current situation at the shelter and worsened the lives of all the 100 dogs that reside there. None of those dogs understand why we’re not there.”
Manatee terminates shelter volunteers
Some volunteers believe they were let go after speaking out about the conditions at the shelter, which has been a topic of concern for several years. The facility was built in 1988 and has required constant repairs.
The shelter has also struggled to keep pace with Manatee County’s rapid development. Over the past several years, animal welfare officials have sounded the alarm about taking in more cats and dogs than the shelter can handle.
“This has caused me extreme mental anguish and for what it’s worth, tears are rolling down my face as I write this,” Bridwell wrote in a July 7 email to county officials. “This has been a fear-based volunteer program for years. I’m convinced that speaking out for the welfare of the dogs is deemed grounds for dismissal.”
Reached for comment, Manatee County Government provided a statement that did not explain why the volunteers were terminated.
“Manatee County Animal Welfare is committed to enriching the lives of the animals in our care. Our animals’ physical and mental well-being remains our top priority,” wrote Bill Logan, the county’s information outreach manager. “Through collaboration with regional partners and animal behavior experts, we are constantly evaluating our best practice across all areas of responsibility.”
Commissioner George Kruse included public records linked to the volunteer firings on the public meeting agenda. Speaking with fellow board members, he said he focused much of the summer on trying to determine why the volunteers were dismissed.
“I don’t know why we’d give away free labor, honestly,” Kruse said. “These are clearly dedicated people. They might be a small fraction of volunteers, but they represent a large fraction of the time the volunteers spend.”
Deputy County Administrator Courtney De Pol suggested the volunteers were fired as part of the county’s realignment of the volunteer onboarding process. On Tuesday, commissioners are set to review a Volunteer In Action program that has volunteers receive basic training from the Human Resources Department before volunteering with a specific department.
“That will definitely help with streamlining volunteers and how the county deals with them in general,” De Pol said.
De Pol did not explain why the 11 volunteers were dismissed from the shelter.
Palmetto shelter may close soon
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, county officials discussed solutions to quickly move away from the shelter in Palmetto. Last year, the county acquired Bishop Animal Shelter as a gift from the Mary E. Parker Foundation, but that facility is used for emergency surgeries and intake of stray animals.
According to Animal Services Chief Sarah Brown, the county may have found a solution to a long-running problem. Brown and other county employees recently toured Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue, which uses cottages to house dogs in small groups.
The cottages hold around six dogs and can be installed for about $40,000 each, Kruse said. According to Brown, the cottages are also “hurricane-ready.”
“There’s a lot of opportunity that could be very quick, very efficient and take care of a lot of the issues we have at Palmetto from the spacing of the dogs to the cleaning and loud noises and stress,” Kruse said. “This is a great opportunity.”
County staff said they have begun researching the site work required to install the cottages on the property at Bishop, but a final cost and timeline are not yet available. Other commissioners agreed that the cottages would allow staffers to clear the Palmetto facility faster.
“I love the idea of the cottages. I think it offers cost savings. It’s kind of creative,” Commissioner Amanda Ballard said. “It gives the dogs what they need.”
“I’m glad to see some needed and positive changes coming,” Commissioner Van Ostenbridge added.
