The Alachua County Board of Commissioners voted to use UF property to build a new county animal shelter at its regular meeting Tuesday.
The motion to sign a sublease agreement with UF passed 3-1, with Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler in dissent and Commissioner Chuck Chestnut out of the room.
Alachua County has been in negotiations with UF since 2024 over a UF-owned swath of land near Archer Road that currently houses the IFAS Swine Unit.
The county was originally going to pay $3 million to use the land, but UF and the county have since agreed on $1 million, said Gina Peebles, the assistant county manager chief of staff. UF plans to demolish the IFAS Swine Unit upon signature of the sublease.
The decision to build a new shelter has been years in the making, but the location debate has been a controversial topic. The decision was between the UF plot and the Weseman Tract, an area of unused county-owned land in northeast Gainesville.
At Tuesday’s meeting, 10 community members came to speak on the topic, all either discouraging the use of the UF plot or voicing their unhappiness with both options.
Chuck Clemons, UF’s vice president for government and community relations, also spoke. He said he supports whatever decision the county makes and hopes UF can provide veterinary services at either location the board chooses.
“When I look at these two locations, it's a no-brainer that the site on Archer road is the most visible site,” said Commissioner Anna Prizzia.
While the Weseman Tract is located on Northeast Waldo Road, the UF site’s proximity to the university and Butler Plaza might encourage more students to volunteer and adopt, Prizzia said.
Associating the new shelter with UF could also have its benefits, said Commission Chair Ken Cornell.
“When UF is involved and they are committed, it really adds a lot of opportunity to the community,” Cornell said. “Proximity matters, and it will put a spotlight on making sure that this facility is operated correctly, is responsive to our community, and so that is causing me to really think about the university site as the best location.”
Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler was the only dissenting vote. It’s more important to listen to the needs of the county animal workers and volunteers than the prospective benefit students could bring, she said.
“I don’t think that catering to the university community is as strong as catering to our county community,” she said.
Wheeler said she’s also concerned the UF site wouldn’t provide enough room to care for the animals.
According to County Manager Michele L. Lieberman, the UF site will be about 11 acres. The Weseman Tract would be about 15 to 20 acres.
The commission allocated $30 million toward design construction of the facility. Construction is estimated to last two years.
Animal enforcement update
The commission also passed plans to transfer some animal control and enforcement responsibilities to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
ACSO has agreed to create an Animal Services Bureau and will now assume responsibility for criminal animal enforcement, such as animal bites and dogfighting cases.
The county will remain responsible for civil animal enforcement, like sick wildlife and animal abuse or neglect matters. If they develop into criminal cases, matters can be transferred to the sheriff’s office.
Commissioners said this would benefit the community because law enforcement presence will make a lasting impact on repeat offenders of civil or criminal animal enforcement citations.
“Having the added backup for those cases where it's a clear case of criminal neglect or dogfighting or any of the other components, I definitely think having someone showing up with the ability to move that forward in the due process makes a lot of sense,” said Commissioner Prizzia.
The agreement will create three new funded Animal Investigation Officer positions at the sheriff’s office. It will also convert the pre-existing Animal Resources and Care Supervisor position to a sworn position as an Animal Investigations Supervisor at the Sergeant level.
The joint responsibility plan to strengthen the county’s animal welfare goals was passed unanimously by the board.
Contact Kaitlyn McCormack at kmccormack@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaitmccormack20
Kaitlyn McCormack is a senior journalism student serving as the County Commission Reporter for The Alligator's Spring 2026 metro desk. In her free time she enjoys journaling and drinking too much coffee
