Clay County breaks ground on new animal shelter after decades of capacity, flooding problems
A number of leaders in Clay County came to see the ground broken on the new animal shelter opening in Middleburg. A feeling shared among many of them: it's been a long time coming.
'The reality is, the need has outgrown our current animal shelter,' said Ernest Hagan, director of Clay County Animal Services.
One of the last times Action News Jax told you about the struggles the county has been having at its current animal shelter in Green Cove Springs was last spring, when the county described its lack of shelter space for animals in need and staff to support them as a 'desperate' situation.
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Hagan told Action News Jax on Tuesday that this has been an issue the shelter has faced for decades, since it was first built back in the 1960s. He said there's been an ongoing effort for more than 15 years to replace the shelter, especially because of its risk of getting flooded.
'Black Creek has always run behind the shelter and that's always been a threat,' Hagan said, 'not having that threat will be a godsend to us.'
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the shelter's current location on State Road 16 West in Green Cove Springs is right in the middle of a flood risk zone. The new shelter location in Middleburg, at the intersection of County Road 220 and Sleepy Hollow Road, per FEMA's Flood Zone maps, is not in an area of flood risk.
'Not only during hurricanes do we have to move our animals, but we also have to take into account bringing in other animals as well,' said Hagan, 'this new location will eliminate that problem for having to find extra space and we can create more emergency shelters.'
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Clay County Animal Services says the new shelter cost around $21 million. $1 million of that money is coming from Lincoln Memorial University, a Tennessee-based private school working on a new veterinary school in Orange Park, which the school says will make use of the new shelter as a hands-on learning space for students.
The county, through the new shelter, is also opening up a new donation service as it works on the new shelter, which is set to open in late 2026. The new service allows anyone to purchase a decorative paw print with a customizable engraving to be displayed in the shelter, with the proceeds going toward the work done through Clay County Animal Services.
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Italians head to polls in referendum on citizenship and labor, but vote risks sinking on low turnout
ROME (AP) — Italians headed to the polls Monday on the second and final day of referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections. But partial data showed a low turnout, well below the required 50% plus one threshold, risking to invalidate the vote. Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs. Partial data from Italy's Interior Ministry published at 2100 GMT on Sunday showed that national turnout stood at 22.7%, just over half of the 41% registered at the same time of the day in the latest comparable referendum held in 2011. The polling stations close later Monday at 1300 GMT. The new rules, if passed, could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens. The measures were proposed by Italy's main union and left-wing opposition parties. Premier Giorgia Meloni showed up at the polls on Sunday evening but didn't cast a ballot — an action widely criticized by the left as antidemocratic, since it won't contribute to reaching the necessary threshold to make the vote valid. 'While some members of her ruling coalition have openly called for abstention, Meloni has opted for a more subtle approach,' said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy based in London. 'It's yet another example of her trademark fence-sitting.'' Rights at stake Supporters say this reform would bring Italy's citizenship law in line with many other European countries, promoting greater social integration for long-term residents. It would also allow faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU. 'The real drama is that neither people who will vote 'yes' nor those who intend to vote 'no' or abstain have an idea of what (an) ordeal children born from foreigners have to face in this country to obtain a residence permit,' said Selam Tesfaye, an activist and campaigner with the Milan-based human rights group Il Cantiere. Activists and opposition parties also denounced the lack of public debate on the measures, accusing the governing center-right coalition of trying to dampen interest in sensitive issues that directly impact immigrants and workers. In May, Italy's AGCOM communications authority lodged a complaint against RAI state television and other broadcasters over a lack of adequate and balanced coverage. Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46% of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. Turnout projections were even weaker for a vote scheduled for the first weekend of Italy's school holidays, at around 35% of around 50 million electors, well below the required quorum. 'Many believe that the referendum institution should be reviewed in light of the high levels of abstention (that) emerged in recent elections and the turnout threshold should be lowered,' said Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and pollster at YouTrend. Some analysts note, however, that the center-left opposition could claim a victory even if the referendum fails on condition that the turnout surpasses the 12.3 million voters who backed the winning center-right coalition in the 2022 general election.
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an hour ago
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Italians head to polls in referendum on citizenship and labor, but vote risks sinking on low turnout
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