By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Levy County’s revised animal control ordinance may die of old age before it ever sees the light of day.

            The ordinance, and two related ordinances, haven’t been discussed since an Oct. 20, 2020, Levy County Commission workshop.

            When the workshop ended, former County Attorney Anne Brown said she would make a few minor changes to the ordinance based on comments from the audience.

            The ordinances were to be delivered to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, County Judge James Browning, and State Attorney Bill Cervone for review. Brown and Cervone are retired.

            Apparently, the three ordinances have been gathering dust since the workshop.

            County Coordinator Wilbur Dean confirmed Wednesday nothing is being done with the ordinances at this time.

            He said County Attorney Nicolle Shalley and Planning and Zoning Director Stacey Hectus have been neck-deep in making changes to the Land Development Code and Zoning ordinances to prepare for future growth.

            There hasn’t been time to address the animal control ordinance.

            “It will probably start back in a few months,” he said.

            When the county addresses the ordinance, he said county staff will have to review it and make some changes.

            Ruth Wittmann of Williston discussed the mystery of what happened to the new animal control ordinances at the Sept. 6 Levy County Commission meeting and called on commissioners to bring it back for public discussion and adoption very soon for the sake of the animals.

            Wittmann said the reasons given for the disappearance of the ordinances from public view is that Brown retired. Then came the COVID-19 outbreak. The national economic shutdown to stop the spread of the virus was next.

            She said Shalley has communicated that she is working on trying to catch up on many issues, and will work on the animal control ordinances as well.

            “It is now September of 2022 and we still have no ordinances. We understand that not everything in the ordinances will be agreed on by everyone but we need ordinances that the majority of the community will support,” she said. “We hope for a workshop to get this back on track as soon as possible.”

            Wittmann said there is also a need for an Agricultural Investigator.

            “We feel if there were county ordinances for Animal Services, Agricultural Officers, and Deputies to follow, it would make the law clear on what they can and cannot do,” she said. “We feel the county commissioners have a legal responsibility to make sure the current laws are being upheld.”

            If there is a conflict between county animal services law and state law, she said state laws override any county or local ordinances. With the lack of current county ordinances, she said Florida laws pertaining to animals should be followed.

            “Inflation and cost of fuel are driving up costs of hay and feed and people are going to stop feeding their animals and we will have a larger surge of neglected animals,” she told commissioners. “We need to do something now. We have been fighting this battle for years and we would rather work beside you to find solutions. One animal may not seem like much to you, but for the animal, it means everything and we will not give up. We are hoping that the county will address this issue. It’s been many years on the table and has still not been addressed with any conclusion.”

            “The animals can’t speak up for help. It is up to the community to be their voice. It is important for swift solutions so the animal’s health does not deteriorate and cause more health issues. This causes an undue burden on the animal rescues and shelters with increased veterinary costs and more timely feeding programs,” Wittmann said.

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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting September 6, 2022; Posted September 21, 2022