Okaloosa County commissioners approved an agreement with the Niceville Animal Clinic on Thursday to provide sheltering and veterinary services as the county prepares to take control of the animal control responsibilities in the unincorporated areas south of Eglin Air Force Base.
The agreement creates a new piece of the county’s developing animal control system following the end of its nearly two-decade relationship with PAWS.
PAW’s county contract is scheduled to end on September 22, 2026. County officials have been working to establish separate animal control and sheltering arrangements before that deadline.
Okaloosa County Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey, speaking to commissioners, described the south county system as more complicated than the arrangement being established in the north.
In the north county, Coffey said Crestview and Laurel Hill have a unified process, ordinance, team, and facility.
The south county includes several different arrangements. Destin, Mary Esther, and Fort Walton Beach have existing municipal arrangements with PAWS; Niceville has an animal control light arrangement; and Shalimar, Cinco Bayou, and Valparaiso currently do not have established animal control contracts, according to Coffey.
The county’s new service will cover the unincorporated area.
“We were lucky enough to stumble across a private vendor,” Coffey told commissioners, referring to Niceville Animal Clinic.
Clinic will provide sheltering and veterinary services
Under the agreement, Niceville Animal Clinic will provide sheltering and veterinary services for animals taken into county animal control from the unincorporated areas south of Eglin.
The clinic has extra kennels and space that can be incorporated into the county’s animal control system. The agreement also provides the county with 532 square feet of office space at the clinic’s campus.
The county’s animal control staff will handle the front end of the process, including animal control enforcement, while the clinic will handle sheltering and vet services. County staff will then handle functions including prosecutions, health investigations, releases, and adoptions.
Coffey said the co-location will allow county staff to coordinate directly with the clinic, including animal intake, billing, treatment, and adoptions.
The written agreement establishes an initial term of two years and nine days beginning September 22, followed by automatic one-year renewal periods.
Spay and neuter services will be outsourced.
One question Coffey addressed during Thursday’s meeting concerned spaying and neutering.
The agreement’s fee schedule includes a $30 cat neutering fee, but the clinic will not routinely perform dog spay/neuter procedures.
Coffey said Dr. Jenny Fourtune’s practice does very few spay and neuter procedures.
The county has identified three outside vendors, including the vendor used by Crestview’s animal control operation to handle those procedures.
“When we get into adoptions, we set up the adoption. We’ll go get the spaying and neutering done, and then with these other vendors,” Coffey said.
Patrick Maddox, the county’s public safety director, explained that the complexity and capacity involved in veterinary procedures can affect both cost and turnaround time.
Agreement established $4,000 monthly sheltering stipend
The county’s fee schedule established a $4,000 minimum monthly stipend for sheltering services.
Sheltering charges of $20 per night per animal are credited against that monthly amount, with quarterly true-ups. If shelter use exceeds the stipend, the county pays the additional amount. If the county’s use is below the stipend, the clinic may retain the unused balance for that quarter.
The agreement also establishes a $10,000 annual facility fee that will be used for equipment, repairs, and improvements at the clinic.
The county’s agenda materials estimate annual operating costs at between $120,000 and $180,000, with startup capital costs estimated at less than $35,000.
The county will also pay $1,000 per month to rent the office space, with the monthly rent increasing by $50 each year.
Three-day minimum hold
The agreement establishes a three-day minimum hold for general animal control cases with a default maximum hold of 30 days unless the county approves an extension.
Special cases, including bites, neglect, and rabies cases, will be handled under special requirements.
The agreement also allows the veterinarian to make immediate euthanasia decisions for severely injured animals and non-identifiable feral animals as permitted under state and local law.
Medical treatment other than routine intake services will be subject to different county approval levels. The clinic can provide immediate care costing $100 or less without county consultation. Treatment costing more than $100 and up to $400 requires verbal county approval, while treatment above $400 generally requires a written estimate and county approval.
Commissioners approve agreement
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel thanked Coffey and county staff for their work and said animal control remains an ongoing issue for the county.
Ketchel made a motion to approve the agreement, including a finding that the requirements for a sole-source purchase had been met.
Commissioner Cox seconded the motion.
The commission approved the agreement without opposition.
The county’s broader transition follows its June decision to move forward with a scaled-back, county-run “animal control light” model as the PAWS contract expires. That model was designed to establish a county operation while limiting the initial scope of services.
The Niceville Animal Clinic agreement represents the sheltering and veterinary component of that south-county transition, allowing the county to maintain its own animal-control staff while relying on a private veterinary provider for the animals’ sheltering and medical care.
