The Alachua County Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into Alachua County Animal Resources after a former employee emailed a 15-page complaint detailing allegations of mismanagement and animal neglect.
The complaint, written by Anthony Friedell, a former Outreach Coordinator at Alachua County Animal Resources, was received by the County Commission on March 2. He alleged that failures in leadership under interim director Gina Peebles and shelter supervisor Brittany D’Azzo resulted in the falsification of documents and caused animals to suffer unnecessarily.
Due to the nature of the active investigation, Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton said both Peebles and D’Azzo were not available for comment.
In the complaint, Friedell raised concerns about the shelter’s lack of transparency over dog transfers that occurred in February.
Melissa Wokasch, 49, a volunteer at Alachua County Animal Resources, said she shared a similar concern. In her three years volunteering at the shelter, she said there had never been a case where a rescue organization did not want recognition for pulling dogs. When a rescue organization pulls an animal, ownership of the animal is transferred to the organization.
“I hope that they went to a legitimate rescue,” Wokasch said, “but I am concerned for the fate of those dogs.”
According to public records, on Feb. 24, 11 dogs were transferred to a rescue organization. The records also revealed that 10 of the dogs were included in a transfer-out contract with Emerald Shores Humane Society, listed as the agency.
At a County Commission meeting Tuesday, County Manager Michele Lieberman said they retained an independent third party to investigate the allegations, which must be completed within 90 days.
She also addressed the shelters’ vacancies in both the director and veterinary positions at the meeting.
She said the selected veterinary candidate accepted the position and will begin May 4. The director position was down to three finalists, who she and an MGT employee, the company used in the recruitment process, would interview Wednesday, Lieberman said.
“I want to be clear that I have confidence in the operations of the shelter and in the staff who work there,” she said.
D’Azzo is among the three finalists for the position. Before coming to the shelter in June 2025, she was promoted to Animal Control Supervisor in Polk County April 16, 2024, after working in the animal control section of the sheriff’s office for three years.
In 2024, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control had the highest number of total non-live outcomes out of the 153 shelters in Florida, with 6,273, according to the Florida animal shelter census conducted by the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. Non-live outcomes include animals that died in the shelter’s care, were lost or euthanized, with the exception of owner-requested euthanization.
The census also showed that Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control reported the ninth-highest non-live outcome rate of 7.6.
Pamela Blasetti, a former Alachua County Animal Resources volunteer, said D’Azzo’s background experience in Polk County indicates that she is not a proper fit for the county’s no-kill shelter.
“I have asked them [the county] to take her off the list of qualifying candidates,” Blasetti said.
After seeing the allegations in the whistleblower complaint, Melissa Jenkins, 37, who is on the shelter director candidate interview panel, wrote an email to the County Commissioners rescinding her recommendation of D’Azzo as a potential candidate for the position.
She said in D’azzo’s interview that she seemed like a candidate with a progressive approach, telling the panel that she conducts shelter rounds weekly and believes in group agreement for euthanasia cases. However, Jenkins said the allegations in the letter contradict her initial assessment.
“I no longer feel like I want my name associated with that recommendation unless an investigation is done,” Jenkins said.
At the meeting, Alachua County Commission Chair Ken Cornell said finding the right leadership to fill the director position was a priority.
“I want the manager to hear me that of the three folks, I want someone with experience in adoption and care,” Cornell said, “not experience in euthanasia and kill shelters.”
County Commissioner Anna Prizzia explained that the Board of County Commissioners does not direct hiring decisions; rather, the responsibility falls with the county manager. However, she did offer her own perspective on the debate over shelter leadership.
“I do not think that Gina Peebles should be managing the shelter while the investigation is going on,” Prizzia said.
The board asked the county manager to consider a new interim director due to Peebles’s involvement in the allegations as part of a five-part motion unanimously approved by the board.
The motion also called for an emergency meeting of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, protecting staff volunteers from retaliation when speaking out and providing the shelter with resources while it awaits a permanent director.