TAVARES, Fla. – Hundreds of homeless cats and dogs will now have a bigger space in Lake County.
On Monday, officials met at the new location on County Road 448 for the groundbreaking of the new facility.
Right now, the Lake County Animal Shelter is housing about 135 dogs and 100 cats, making it difficult to fit all animals in the current building.
After being designated as a no-kill shelter in 2017, concerns about overcrowding were quickly recognized by commissioners who approved the new facility.
"I have to say, the community has gotten us here, the community is our adopters, they are our fosters and volunteers, and without them, we wouldn’t be able to place our homeless pets," said Whitney Boylston, director of Lake County Animal Services.
The new shelter is funded by Lake County's penny sales tax. It will feature an education room, a surgery room, car and dog isolation areas.
Animals will be able to have a separate space with their potential owners where they can get to know each other.
"I think it’s really important to have your local animal shelter reflect the values of the citizens that it serves, and we are a community of animal lovers, and the community has been nothing but supportive to make this transition, and every time we’ve need help, our community has stepped up, and we can’t thank them enough," Boylston said.
Construction is expected to start in the next couple of months.
To see a list of all no-kill shelters in the state of Florida, click here.