Lake County ready to take over animal shelter after sheriff's office's 2-year run

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — After two years under the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the county animal shelter will be given back to county leaders, Channel 9 learned Friday.

In 2014, the shelter faced a series of issues under county control. But Commissioner Leslie Campione, who is leading the charge, said the county is now better prepared to run the facility.

One of the biggest concerns last year was the lack of air-conditioning in the facility.

While the sheriff’s office has been able to alleviate that in most areas of the building, places like cat room still have no air-conditioning, and the sheriff said it can't be upgraded.

“It is a glorified pole barn. It does need a lot of work and I really think we need to embark on a new capital facility program in the very near future,” said Campione.

Campione said there's a great deal of gratitude for the work of the sheriff's office at the county animal shelter.

“They came in and they plugged some holes for us for a couple years, and now we're ready to move to the next level,” said Campione.

In a letter to the commission, outgoing Sheriff Gary Borders requested the move, noting that the outdated, deficient facilities lacked space to "effectively quarantine sick animals."

Despite upgrades in the air-conditioning, the facility is still extremely hot, especially on weekends when the unit is turned off.

Campione also said they county is working on a new program that reduces euthanization.

“You're trying to get the highest save rate possible. You're trying to adopt out as many animals as you can, and I think that the community really wants to do that,” said Campione.

The sheriff recommended to commissioners in a letter that all employees keep their positions.

Campione said it is too early to say if the changeover would mean a new facility.

The county manager is working on a logistical proposal that commissioners plan to review sometime in October.

Cox Media Group