Humane Society of Manatee County: $13 million shelter transformation planned
Manatee Humane Society plans $13M makeover
Humane Society of Manatee County will undergo a $13 million transformation to build a new campus. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
BRADENTON, Fla - The Humane Society of Manatee County is launching a $13 million transformation to build a modern adoption center and cat facility on its Bradenton campus.
Bradenton shelter upgrades
The backstory:
For 55 years, the Humane Society of Manatee County has operated off 14th Street West in Bradenton. The main shelter building was constructed in 1947, and the Cat Cottage was built even earlier.
Right now, the two-and-a-half-acre campus consists of several separate buildings. The new project will unite all operations under a single roof.
Manatee County animal care
Dig deeper:
The expansion will nearly double the facility's footprint, growing it from 6,700 square feet to almost 12,000 square feet. The no-kill shelter's new setup will include dedicated intake, triage, and isolation areas to keep animals safe and healthy.
Outside, plans feature three turf yards, including one equipped with a pool or splash pad for dogs. Additionally, the new structure will be built to withstand hurricanes, offering extra protection for staff and animals.
Animal shelter community support
What they're saying:
Executive Director Rick Yocum said the primary driver behind the project is improving conditions for animals, staff, and volunteers.
"The main change in our building, currently the old building, is kind of cramped," Yocum said. "This is going to give us enough space, from 6,700 square feet to almost 12,000 square feet. There will be intake, triage area, isolation area, everything to keep our animals safe and healthy. We will have 3 outdoor turf yards and in one of those turf yards we will have a splash pad or a pool for the dogs."
Adoption center construction timeline
What's next:
A majority of the $13 million project is already funded, but shelter leadership still needs financial support from the community to help cover operational costs. Officials expect to break ground within a year and open the adoption center as early as May 2028.
"Here the excitement level is extremely high, and it’s reverberating out through the community. The bottom line is this will be better for the animals here. Everything we are doing within our shelter building is keeping the animals, staff and volunteers in mind," said Yocum.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon from Executive Director Rick Yocum, who explained the campus expansion plans.