The whistleblower investigation into the Alachua County Animal Resources shelter concluded earlier this month. The 31-page report dated July 1 found several of the initial allegations against the shelter were unsubstantiated.
The investigation was conducted independently by GrayRobinson, a Florida law firm, and was led by Stephanie Marchman, an attorney and member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors.
Marchman did not respond to several requests for comment.
The initial whistleblower email, sent in March by former ACAR employee Anthony Friedell, alleged animal neglect and raised concerns over the shelter’s euthanasia policy.
Friedell alleged several dogs were euthanized in December 2025 to accommodate incoming animals to the shelter. Seven to 10 kennels were needed, he wrote, which led to dogs being marked as “unhealthy” so they would be considered for euthanasia.
The report found this claim was unsubstantiated, stating the dogs’ euthanasia and need for kennels coincided but were unrelated. Several of the dogs were in ACAR’s care for several months to a year, which can “cause detriment to the mental wellbeing of animals,” according to the report. The report also stated several of the dogs euthanized in December were aggressive and showed signs of stress and anxiety.
Friedell’s complaint also alleged dogs weren’t let out of their kennels, the shelter had a pest and rodent problem and animals received improper medical care. He also reported sick animals were left in kennels with blood, feces and vomit.
The report substantiated claims that the shelter had ongoing struggles with pests and that it was without a permanent director since August and an in-house veterinarian August through May.
Additonal claims included details about the kennel’s leadership under Brittney D’Azzo, Gina Peebles and Kyle Fehl, including an allegation that Peebles referred to volunteers as “lynching ladies.”
The report substantiated such claims. Peebles left her position as assistant county manager for Alachua County on July 3, two days after the report was released.
Despite substantiating the nickname, the report praised shelter leadership under D’Azzo and Peebles, stating “current ACAR staff confirmed that the workplace conditions greatly improved.”
The report states investigators concluded the whistleblower email was not authored by Friedell but rather former ACAR Outreach Program Supervisor Sarah Gilley, who resigned with Friedell in February. According to the report, investigators based the conclusion on Gilley’s interest in creative writing, her outspokenness and Friedell’s quiet demeanor.
The report also stated Friedell did not participate in the investigation or confirm if he authored the complaint.
In text messages included in the report, Gilley wrote she was documenting the conditions at the shelter beginning when she was employed by the county in June 2022.
In the general findings of the report, the investigator noted there was “no need for the Board of County Commissioners, county management, county employees, or members of the public to be deeply concerned about the condition or management of ACAR.”
The report included pictures of a May 6 shelter visit and contained a list of eight recommendations for the county’s consideration. Some of the recommendations included reevaluating the shelter’s “no kill” goal, offering regular training to ACAR employees and having new shelter leadership meet with community members to address concerns.
Mark Sexton, the spokesperson for the Alachua County Commission, said in an email to The Alligator the investigator found no evidence that any shelter employees violated federal or state regulations or laws.
“Additionally, the review showed no gross mismanagement, wrongdoing, waste of public funds, or neglect of duty by current county employees,” Sexton wrote. “Each county commissioner is meeting with the investigator separately, after which the county will discuss next steps as appropriate.”.
Concerns about the ACAR investigation surfaced at Tuesday’s county commission meeting as commissioners responded to three public comments surrounding the report.
Commission Chair Ken Cornell said he wanted to move forward with improving conditions and animal resources in Alachua County following the investigation.
Commissioner Mary Alford joined other members of the commission in supporting a review of the investigation before moving forward.
“I will say that it is not the report that I would have written,” she said. “I’m still digging in myself on a number of issues.”
Chris Deutsch, who spoke during public comment, said she doesn’t agree with the investigation’s conclusions based on the evidence included in the report.
“It would not pass a preliminary peer review,” she said. “It was also shockingly full of vicious scapegoating and vilification of a former outreach supervisor [Gilley].”
The report included text messages Gilley sent to an undisclosed co-worker stating she was “plotting” a “nuclear option” for when she left the county.
Friends of Alachua County Animals, a Facebook page run by ACAR volunteers, published several posts criticizing the report and the county’s response to the investigation.
Melissa Wokasch, an ACAR volunteer, said she requested to be interviewed by the investigator after working at the shelter for three years.
Wokasch said investigators asked her about her experience at the shelter and gave her an opportunity to discuss concerns about its conditions. However, she said she felt as though investigators had already made their decision on the facility before speaking to her.
“I felt like the conclusions had already been drawn by the time I was interviewed,” she said.
Wokasch also said she disagreed with the conclusion Gilley wrote the email and how former ACAR staff were portrayed in the report.
“My strongest reaction was to the assassination of Sarah Gilley's character,” she said. “I was pretty stunned to see that the report opened up with this allegation that she wrote the email and then goes on to try to discredit her.”
Contact Olivia Lofaso at olofaso@alligator.org. Follow her on X @OLofaso77652.
Olivia Lofaso is a third-year journalism student and the Summer 2026 city/county commission reporter. She previously worked as a contributing writer at The Alligator. In her free time she enjoys visiting art museums and solving crosswords.
