Broward County Animal Care WebPortal Program
2017 NACo Achievement Award Winner
Broward County, Fla., FL
Best In Category
About the Program
Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)
Year: 2017
Broward County is one of the largest and most populated counties in Florida with a sizable population of owned and unowned dogs and cats. To decrease shelter intake and increase the live outcome of animals, an effective and streamlined sterilization program is necessary to enhance the level of citizen participation, improve services, and decrease the number of unwanted animals surrendered at the shelter. With the purpose of spaying and neutering as many pets as possible, Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Division (BCACAD) has developed a new Animal Care WebPortal, an innovative and uniquely designed web-based application that provides Broward County residents access to the County’s free or no-cost sterilization services. Not only is the WebPortal unique, but it is in keeping with the goal of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners to consistently delivering responsive, efficient, quality services to the public. Through the Animal Care WebPortal, residents can register and apply to receive vouchers for spay/neuter services for owned pets and feral/Community Cats. Once approved, the voucher can be printed right away. Residents can then redeem the voucher at any veterinarian hospital of their choice listed on our Animal Care website. The application process—from registration to printed voucher-- is less than 3 minutes. Since its launch in April 2016, more than 9,000 vouchers have been issued, and over 5,000 pets have been spay and neutered. The Animal Care WebPortal was developed entirely in house by BCACAD staff to deliver much needed sterilization services. The implementation of the WebPortal has significantly improved services to Broward County residents by reducing processing time of sterilization requests from 2 months to 3 minutes, compared to past spay and neuter programs. All County residents are recipients of the program’s benefits, much to the satisfaction of the users.