NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Nassau County Animal Services said it is putting its volunteer program on hold and replacing it with a new ambassador program. The move came just weeks after former volunteers spoke out to News4JAX about shelter conditions.
News4JAX has previously reported on volunteers asking for county leaders to step in and make changes at the animal shelter, saying that it’s short-staffed, not clean and some animals were going without care.
Kylie Champa and Lexus Harrison had their volunteer agreements terminated. They said they believe their terminations are tied to speaking out about what they described as troubling conditions inside the shelter. The county denied those claims.
“I still think the pressure from the community forced them to pay attention to what was going on at the shelter,” Harrison said.
RELATED: Volunteers, county officials spar over conditions at Nassau County Animal Services shelter
Director of Strategic Advancement and Economic Resources Brandy Carvalho told News4JAX that they received feedback from volunteers and staff that led to them reworking the volunteer program.
In another statement sent to News4JAX, county officials said that they are officially “sunsetting” its current volunteer program and are replacing it with the Nassau County Animal Services Ambassador Program, scheduled to roll out within the next month and a half.
“This new initiative is designed to better align with the evolving needs of our facility while empowering community members to continue making a meaningful impact,” a spokesperson said.
Harrison said she doesn’t think the new program will help solve some of the issues she said she saw as a volunteer.
“No, I think it feels more like a corporate restructuring than a community-driven initiative right now, and I have serious concerns around the application process,” Harrison said.
News4JAX reached out to the county, asking multiple questions about what’s happening:
- Why was the volunteer program stopped immediately?
- 2. What led to this and how long was this in the works?
- And I asked about this photo on their social media page captioned “An Ambassador Advisory Panel member walking dogs” wanting to know is the advisory panel different from the ambassador program and if people were already picked.
They replied in part saying, “The evolution of the Volunteer Program was a change we made based on our year-long assessment of operations looking for opportunities for improvement and responding to feedback we received from stakeholders.”
It’s something Harrison doesn’t fully believe.
“I think that volunteers should be accessible and welcoming, not burdened by red tape,” she said.
While the program is not live according to county officials, people could be seen on the shelter’s Facebook page walking dogs, playing with them, and providing care for them.
The county said once the Ambassador Program is live, it will provide full details on how to apply and get involved.
“We understand that some may have concerns about animal care during this transition. To ensure continuity and high standards of care, we’ve recently hired two new kennel attendants, and interviews are underway this week to fill the remaining are underway this week to fill the remaining two vacancies. Additionally, County employees have incentive programs to assist with shelter operations when needed,” a spokesperson said.