Board awards ceremony also honors Water Resources, Children's Services, and more
During the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners August Quarterly Awards Ceremony, the Board recognized Pet Resources for earning the Florida Animal Protection and Advocacy Association's Outstanding Cooperative Achievement Award and the 2025 National Association of Counties Achievement Award.
Division Director Chelsea Waldeck accepted the awards on behalf of the department.
In June 2024, Hillsborough County experienced a serious outbreak of canine influenza, also known as dog flu. The Pet Resource Center (PRC) took immediate action by shutting down the shelter and transporting all the dogs to a temporary location offsite, while scrubbing and deep cleaning the shelter for the dogs' return once they cleared the influenza.
For approximately 30 days, the PRC, Hillsborough County Animal Control, and volunteers maintained both operations to get the dogs healthy for their return to the PRC. Shelter staff, veterinarians, and Animal Control provided vital care for all the animals, actions that led the PRC to be recognized by both state and national organizations.
Other recognitions presented during the awards ceremony included:
- The Florida Water Environment Association's Earle B. Phelps Award to Water Resources' Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility
- 2025 Florida City and County Management Association's "If You Care, You Do!" Award to Chief Human Services Administrator Carl Harness
- The Council on Accreditation's (COA) Reaccreditation to Children's Services
- A proclamation declaring August 2025 as Back to School Readiness Month
Visit the County's Proclamations and Commendations webpage for a listing of all the special recognitions the Board has presented during its meetings.
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