Loading...
DASAC Minutes 02/18/2026 Page 1 February 18, 2026 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF COLLIER COUNTY DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE Naples, Florida, February 18th, 2026 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Collier County Domestic Animal Services Advisory Committee, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 6 p.m. for a MEETING at Growth Management Community Development Department Room 609/610 2800 N. Horseshoe DR. Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Allen Schantzen Michele Antonia Kelly Hyland Susan Mehas Meredith McLean Alexandra Casanova (absent) County Staff in Attendance Diane Lynch, Growth Management, Management Analyst Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the audio recording from Domestic Animal Services. Page 2 February 18, 2026 I. Call to order II. Roll Call- Establish a Quorum A quorum of 3 was confirmed. III. Pledge of Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance was recited. IV. Approval of agenda Motion to approve- Susan Mehas Motion seconded- Michele Antonia Motion passed unanimously V. Agenda and Minutes a. Meeting minutes January 21st, 2026 Michele Antonia- Page 6-Question x 2. Page 8 should read “Meredith” McLean Allen Shantzen- To correct Advisory “Board” To Advisory “Committee” as needed throughout minutes. Motion to approve- Michele Antonia Motion seconded- Susan Mehas Motion passed unanimously VI. Public comment- Items not addressed on this agenda None VII. Public comment- Agenda Items in Sequence VIII. Staff Updates a. Leadership Report- Meredith McLean Total intake 522- 37 Owner surrender. 411 Strays. 54 Confiscated. 20 Transferred in. 215 Adoptions. 70 RTO animals. 113 Transfers out. 15 Euthanized. 70 TNR RTO Cats. Transfer out of shelter- Dogs 21, Cats 91, Other 1, Total 113 Overall increase in Transfers out 32.2%. Dogs 30%, Cats 29.6% Live Release rate- 96%. Save Rate- 95% Adoptions- 3% Increase Allen Schantzen- Are the 30-day returns included in these numbers Meredith McClean- Those are not included. I can break it out and bring the numbers back to the committee. Susan Mehas- Where do you put Save a Life and Confiscations Meredith McLean- Save a Life are separate numbers, not state mandated. Confiscations are included. Page 3 February 18, 2026 Collier County Purr and Play- Grand opening March 4th, 2026. 900sqft designed for cats and human social interaction. Hours are Wednesday-Sunday 9am-4pm. 45 minutes sessions. Staffing- Marketing Coordinator has started. Reviewing calendars, events and schedules. Customer Service Representative with HR. 2 Customer Service positions are still open. Behavior Coordinator is with HR. Animal Care Specialist- application period has closed. Will be reviewing candidates. 2 nd Veterinarian position is open. Adoption Contract- Still working. We should have by our next meeting. Ordinances- No answer yet. Allen Shanzten- Can we have a facilities update at our next meeting Meredith McLean- They will be presenting at our next meeting to give a full update. Allen Shanzten- Would like to see Capital projects planned over the next 18 months. IX. Old Business a. Seat Nominations Update District 2 and 3- Confirmed Commissioners will support our nominations. They will be voted on at the March 10th BOCC meeting and will be at our next meeting scheduled for 3/18/2026. At-Large position doesn’t require BOCC or District support. Allen Shantzen- District 1 is still open Meredith McLean- Correct b. Marketing Updates & Attending Outreach Events Meredith McLean- Email of upcoming events was sent to committee members for review Kitten College- 25 Registered X. New Business a. New Applications, District 1 Seat- Attachment 2 Allen Schantzen- Applicants are not present. Kelly is absent. We will wait until the next committee meeting to vote. i. Batista ii. Cirillo iii. Hyland b. Animal Intake; Reporting Reason Meredith McLean- Kelly was going to talk about this. No context with submission. Push to next meeting. Allen Schantzen- Do not adopt list for offenders Susan Mehas- Who do we report slaughterhouses to. Meredith McLean- I can look into that for you. c. Adoption Process and Aftercare Page 4 February 18, 2026 Meredith McLean- Submission from Kelly/Follow up Allen Shantzen- Aftercare. Follow up and follow through on sensitive cases with the Sheriff’s office. For non-emergency cases call the non-emergency phone number. For injured animals, same number rings out to code. Can we have that clarified on the website. Nothing states “for emergencies” Susan Mehas- Dispatch said they are available from 7a-10pm 365 Days a year. Please get our number out so people stop calling DAS and start calling dispatch. 2 Main lost pet pages have been updated. Allen Schantzen- Who do we call for a wellness check Meredith McLean- Through Code Enforcement but it has to be a valid reason. Gets entered through the Animal Code chain. Susan Mehas- Do we have a “Do not Adopt” list yet Meredith McLean- No central database except the Florida State Required database. XI. Advisory Committee Member comments Susan Mehas- How are the foster numbers Meredith McLean- We are working on streamlining the process. We want to grow our foster program. The foster to adopt list is dwindling down. Allen Schanzten- Can we have the main DAS webpage updated with a list of Frequently Asked Questions with answers Meredith McLean- Yes, I like that idea Public Comment- Victoria Redstall on item A New Business- I would still like to be considered for a seat on the committee. I have great ideas for reducing the population and would like to be apart of the committee. XII. Next Meeting Wednesday March 18th, 2026 XIII. Adjourn There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was concluded at 6:45pm. Collier County Domestic Animal Services Page 5 February 18, 2026 _____________________________________ Allen Schantzen- Chair These minutes were approved by the Committee/ Chairman on __________________________(check one) as presented _______, or as amended __________.