- August 10, 2026
Flagler County commissioners are calling for another look at the county’s animal cruelty laws and animal control system as officials prepare for an Aug. 27 joint workshop with the Palm Coast City Council.
This discussion arose during the County Commission’s August 3 meeting, following residents’ concerns regarding recent animal cruelty cases and the adequacy of current enforcement measures.
Among the cases cited during public comment were dogs allegedly kept in extreme heat without adequate food, water or air conditioning, including two Labrador retrievers found dead in a storage unit. Another recent case involved a mother dog and eight puppies found inside a hot garage.
Commission Chair Leann Pennington said the recent cases warranted reviewing the county’s animal abuse ordinances to determine whether changes are needed.
“There have been a lot of events happening with animals,” Pennington said. “I was wondering if the board, along with the workshop that we're going to do, wanted to give consensus for legal to go back and look at our animal abuse ordinances and make sure that they are ... strong enough.”
Pennington said the review could include the county’s tethering regulations and other protections involving heat and access to water. She said the goal should be to ensure law enforcement has “all the tools in the toolbox” to respond to animal cruelty cases.
Commissioner Kim Carney said the discussion needs to extend beyond plans for a new animal shelter and address how animal control itself operates.
“The shelter itself and the financing and the donation, it's all wonderful,” Carney said. “But the animal control issue needs to be resolved.”
Carney said she wants the Sheriff’s Office represented at the Aug. 27 workshop to help commissioners understand possible alternatives for animal control enforcement.
“I personally feel that the sheriff should be at that workshop,” Carney said. “I believe that the sheriff should give us some background because we're not the only county that runs animal control or not.”
Carney said since the donation is in Flagler County, commissioners need a comprehensive plan for a future shelter.
“We have to know fully what we're doing,” she said. “We have to have a plan for what we're doing, and animal control, without a doubt, has to be part of it. This is just getting out of control.”
The shelter project received a significant boost when a member of the Animal Sheltering Task Force told commissioners that an anonymous donor has offered 10 acres along a major thoroughfare for the project. County staff has developed a detailed process outlining the approvals needed to allow the property to be used for the shelter.
Commissioners also expressed concern about recent staffing changes to Palm Coast’s animal control operation. Pennington said her understanding was that some employees cross-trained in animal control had been let go, while another employee resigned, and the city would need additional staffing if it takes on a larger animal control role.
The city and county are tentatively scheduled to meet Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. for a joint workshop on the shelter and animal control. Pennington said she hopes the meeting will allow officials to make some of the major decisions that remain unresolved.
Commissioner Greg Hansen also supported another review of the county’s regulations, particularly its tethering provisions.
“We did quite a bit of research when we enacted that animal ordinance,” Hansen said. “But I agree. Maybe we should go back and look at the tethering part of it.”
The commission reached consensus to have county legal staff take another look at the regulations ahead of the continuing discussions.
