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Tabla de Contenido/ Table of Contents
- 1 TWO YEARS IN A CAGE 2025: THE CRIMINAL SILENCE OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TOWARDS ANIMALS. One of the worst cases of recent institutional negligence.
- 2 WHERE IS THE MONEY?
- 3 NEGLECT, ABUSE, AND DEATH
- 4 MAYOR CAVA AND THE 13 COMMISSIONERS: COMPLICIT THROUGH OMISSION
- 5 IGNORED AUDITS, EVAPORATED BUDGETS
- 6 AN URGENT CALL TO THE COMMUNITY
- 7 WHAT CAN YOU DO?
TWO YEARS IN A CAGE 2025: THE CRIMINAL SILENCE OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TOWARDS ANIMALS. One of the worst cases of recent institutional negligence.
“If you go to the county animal shelter and see the sign that says ‘Pet Protection Services,’ they’re lying to your face. No one is being protected here.”
— Nicolette, Paw Venture program volunteer
In an explosive interview airing Monday, May 19 at 7 a.m. on Mercy’s Corner, in collaboration with News Miami Dade, a volunteer at the Miami-Dade County animal shelter exposes what may be one of the gravest cases of institutional negligence in the county’s recent history.
Link to the full interview video
Nicolette, a nurse, mother, and activist, has been participating in the “Paw Venture” program for just over a month. But in that short time, she has witnessed what many couldn’t bear for a day: animals dying of heat, dogs without water or medical care, cats with untreated infections, and an administration more focused on appearances than action.
WHERE IS THE MONEY?
The animal shelter operates with a yearly budget of $43 million. Yet animals live in inhumane conditions: urine, feces, disease, suffocating heat, overcrowded cages.
The volunteer herself obtained internal documents and public audits revealing administrative irregularities, frozen staff positions, failures in medical attention, and mismanaged budgets. “We’re talking about a shelter that takes in 6,700 dogs per year with $43 million at its disposal. There is no justification for this barbarity,” said Nicolette.
That doesn’t even include the inflated number of “intake” cats, many of whom never stay at the shelter. The administration claims 32,000 annual intakes, but 19,000 are TNR (trap-neuter-release) cats that don’t occupy space or resources within the facility.
NEGLECT, ABUSE, AND DEATH
The cases reported by Nicolette are heartbreaking. One of the most shocking was a dog forgotten inside a van for four days. Or “Bruce,” a dog with a known history of ingesting bedding and toys—yet both were placed in his cage. He died from intestinal blockage.
Other animals have been euthanized for being “reactive” shortly after being sterilized or growling when let out of filthy, stressful cages. In many cases, the administration simply chooses to eliminate the animal instead of offering help or allowing adoption.
“It’s not about whether you like animals or not. It’s about the fact that you, with your taxes, are funding this. And if you’re not outraged, you’re part of the problem.”
— Nicolette
MAYOR CAVA AND THE 13 COMMISSIONERS: COMPLICIT THROUGH OMISSION
These complaints are not new. Activists and volunteers have warned for years about the ethical and operational collapse at Miami-Dade Animal Services. Yet neither Mayor Daniella Levine Cava nor the 13 county commissioners have taken concrete action.
On the contrary, according to testimony, the shelter director — previously employed by DCF and also subject to complaints there — directly threatened the volunteer for speaking out. She warned that she would be banned from Paw Venture and barred from taking animals if she continued to speak publicly.
“There are no security cameras. No clear protocols. No oversight. There’s intimidation, administrative chaos, and a chain of command that responds to political interests, not animal welfare,” added the interviewee.
IGNORED AUDITS, EVAPORATED BUDGETS
The “Best Friends” audit, conducted over a year ago by an external entity, revealed critical failures in nearly every area of the shelter—from leadership and medical care to data management. The only department that barely met standards was fostering, managed by just one person despite the budget allowing for three.
According to Nicolette, the county now claims the 2025 budget has already been spent. On what? Why is there talk of building soccer fields while animals die without medicine or food?
“We’re breeding a generation of animals with resistant diseases, no adequate treatment, and worst of all: no accountability. And when someone speaks up, they’re threatened,” she emphasized.
AN URGENT CALL TO THE COMMUNITY
In Sweetwater, after an eviction, an improvised shelter had to rescue 46 cats, 10 iguanas, and 6 ducks left behind by families who couldn’t take them. No one from the county showed up. Not the mayor, not the commissioners, not a single official.
“This system is broken from the top. It’s not the fault of a few employees. The head has failed. And the head is Levine Cava.”
— Mercy Pérez, host of Mercy’s Corner
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Visit the shelter. See it for yourself.
- Join the Paw Venture program. Even just for a day.
- Foster or adopt, if you can.
- Write to your commissioner. Demand answers.
- Attend the upcoming Paw Test protest on May 30 in front of the mayor’s office.
“This isn’t just a pet problem. It’s a humanity problem. And Miami-Dade has failed the most defenseless: our animals.”
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