By Kate Kimmel
Nassau County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to enter into a $3.2 million contract with Shelter Planners of America for the engineering and design of a new animal shelter, a facility that will abandon the county’s long-term housing model of shelter care.
The new shelter, to be built on State Road 200, is designed to function more like a retail center than a storage facility, prioritizing the swift movement of animals in and out. Director of Strategic Advancement Brandy Carvalho said the shift is intended to reduce the length of stay for animals while improving adoption opportunities.
“It’s about bringing people in and getting animals out,” Carvalho said. “Every decision we make is about shortening the length of stay because every day that they’re there it costs money and time.”
To support that goal, Carvalho said the design will prioritize both customer service and animal health. Non-negotiable features include open visitation areas, veterinary and isolation capacity, and efficient ventilation.
Commissioners and staff agreed that investing heavily in the new facility would help reduce future operational costs tied to overcrowding and animal health. The vote comes amid controversy surrounding the current Nassau County Animal Services facility, which has faced allegations of mismanagement and animal cruelty by shelter volunteers.
“The current shelter that’s 31 years old was never designed to be a no-kill shelter,” Commissioner Gray said, calling out the current overcrowding problem. “I’ve gotten more calls about this animal shelter in the last two months than I have in the last six months on every other issue.”
Construction of the new facility is expected to begin in 2027 and finish in 2028, meaning the county will continue operating the existing shelter—and dealing with its challenges—for at least three more years.
The idea of building a new shelter was launched in 2021, when the board acknowledged that the facility built in 1994 could no longer meet the demands of a growing animal population. In 2022, the county allocated $1.25 million for the project and contracted Animal Arts to conduct a needs assessment.
That assessment, completed in 2023, recommended a site development budget of $3.5 million and a total project budget between $26 million and $28 million. The county acquired the SR 200 property in 2024 and expects to begin design and permitting this year. Officials say the location will improve visibility and drive adoption rates in a high-traffic corridor.
Commissioner Klynt Farmer suggested hosting a public workshop to present the design plans once they are available.
kkimmel@nassaunewsline.net
