Herding cats is notoriously difficult due to the independent nature of these animals. Sometimes, it can be made even more difficult by ill thought out zoning rules. This is the case that Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary is currently facing.

Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary was established in 2003 by three individuals driven by a strong desire to help the many stray, feral, and unwanted cats in Alachua County. They are a non-profit organization with over eight acres for agriculturally zoned land in High Spring, FL. According to their 2005 tax filing, in that year they reported “400 stray cats were rescued, neutered or spayed”. They also help cat owners “how fast cats can multiply and where they can be taken for free spaying or neutering”.

One would expect Haven Acres to receive acclaim for their efforts. After all, according to a report by the Florida Senate, over 55,000 cats, or 83.5% of the cats that entered municipal shelters were ‘euthanized’. Over 14,000 cats at private shelters were also ‘euthanized’, which accounts for 51.7% of the cats entering private shelters.

Yet Haven Acres hasn’t received the support from the community that it deserves. Instead, they were cited for running a cat sanctuary with more than twenty cats. On February 26, 2007, they applied a special exception to allow them to run a cat sanctuary on their land satisfy new zoning regulations.

The county agreed to the exception, but then was sued by City of High Springs. The county agreed to invalidate the special exception and call for new hearings. The first hearing will be of the Planning Commission at 6 PM on Wednesday at the Alachua County Administration building. The Planning Commission is an advisory commission and will send their recommendation to the Board of Alachua County Commissioners for their May meeting.

An email I received about this noted that the property is over eight acres and is zoned agricultural. A staff assistant at the Alachua Country Growth Management Department confirmed this and confirmed that while the property can only have up to twenty cats on it without a special exception, they can have an unlimited number of farm animals such as hogs.

It would seem as if the Florida State Legislature should consider legislation that addresses this disparity and allows any agricultural zoned property over five acres to be used as a dog pound or cat sanctuary without the need for special exceptions. Until such legislation can be passed, the County of Alachua should not only grant the special exception that is currently needed but also recognize the Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary for the valuable service they provide to the community.

If reasonable minds do not prevail, I hope that the owners consider selling the property to a national hog farm and move to an area where they are appreciated and that the people that have lobbied against this valuable nonprofit realize the folly of their ways when the land becomes a large hog farm.