Clarifying Communication: An Update to Bonnie's Letter to the Editor

Understanding the Emotions Behind the Words

Like many in our community, I recently came across the heartfelt letter to the editor in the Wakulla Sun submitted by Bonnie, our former animal shelter director. Her emotions resonated with me, showcasing a deep-seated passion for the well-being of animals and the community she served. It is often during times of heartache and anger that our words may not fully reflect our thoughts and intentions. It's crucial that we strive to understand the context in which such messages are sent.

Perspective on Bonnie's Intentions

I have had the pleasure of knowing Bonnie personally, and I can assure you that her affection for the animals and commitment to her role was unwavering. In her letter, she articulates grievances that many may share but perhaps worded them in a manner that could lead to misunderstandings. Bonnie deserves the opportunity to clarify her thoughts and feelings so that we, as a community, can fully comprehend her perspective and the issues at hand. The below is being distributed with Bonnie's blessing and approval in hopes that the Wakulla community will recognize the true meaning of her message.

As approved by Bonnie Staubitz for distribution on Wakulla Reports:

I wanted to take a moment to clarify the series of events and surrounding conversations that led to my eventual departure from Wakulla Animal Services.

These are my reasons for leaving WAS:

1. Earlier this year my staff and I were informed by David Edwards, County Administrator, that if we could not adopt out or send the animals to rescue, we would need to send them to heaven.

• These were his exact words.

• We were told that we could not have any emotion while performing our job and if we did, then we were unsuitable for our position.

2. In November of 2023 I was sent an email from our County Administrator, David Edwards, instructing me to NOT SPEND ANY MONEY because we DO NOT HAVE IT TO SPEND. (This was after the fat finger tax mistake by the property appraiser)

• I never received notification that this ban on spending was lifted.

3. When citizens began to complain about the conditions at the shelter, the county realized that we looked bad to the public and began scrambling for a fix and, a place to shift blame.

• At this time, David Edwards made his way to visit the shelter and stated that it looked like a “junkyard”.

• I explained that it was all I had to work with and I was doing the best that I could.

• It should be noted that in my 15 years of tenure with Wakulla Animal Services, David Edwards, the man who is in charge of all county operations has been to the shelter maybe three times.

4. I had obtained quotes for new kennels from three different companies for the new budget upcoming, forwarded those quotes to my superiors, and was denied both times.

• I was never allowed to be at the budget meeting and was never informed by the Fire Chief’s Secretary (who had taken charge) if I even had the authority or invite to attend.

5. Somer Pell was promoted to the position of Assistant County Administrator of Administration to assist David Edwards. When the press and citizens were questioning the conditions at the shelter she began sending passive aggressive emails to me about how to respond to the press or how I would respond to accusations from the press.

• She never specifically gave me a copy of what the press inquiries said, only a request for a response to a question I couldn’t address.

• She also inquired as to why I had not used all of my budget. I informed her that I still had the entire month of September.

• Somer stated that I had $36,000 left and wanted to know why the shelter was in such poor condition. (Mind you this is after I was denied constructing the kennels from the three quotes I had submitted prior)

• By the time the end of September came, after paying all of the shelter bills and needed items, I was over my budget.

6. I was given a written warning in reference to my purchasing card transactions as it related to veterinary bills and not offering an employee EAP services after a negative encounter.

• The vet services, since the beginning of my tenure, have always had to be adjusted in arrears because of the way the shelter is billed and for how much. We were always seeking a credit, not additional payment.

• The employee who was offered EAP confirmed that she was offered EAP services in an email.

7. Somer Pell stated that she want’s “all new faces for the county”.

• This was supported by her constantly asking me what my plans were in regard to my employment with WAS.

• By the time she had asked me after all of the above, my response finally, was “I was planning on leaving because I cannot not work where I have to be a killer. That is not my goal. My goal is to save lives, as many as I can, as I have done for the past 15 years."

• I informed her that in the background there was an employee undermining the entire WAS staff by throwing them under the bus on every turn, to include myself.

8. The county wanted me to “keep my kill numbers low” in the shelter. I was no longer allowed to post “code red” animals on social media. New rules were dished out and the code red posts were axed.

• I had no possible way to keep a NO KILL STATUS that I had worked SO HARD to accomplish.

• The county wanted no “bad publicity” as it pertained to the shelter.

• Whether it helped the animals or not, it was a no-no to post anything but happy tails and happy faces; most everyone knows that is not the true reality of a shelter.

9. At the time I decided to depart, being overwhelmed with my back against the wall, I offered to Somer that I would help for 30+ days to train someone for my position, coach them on saving lives, and even network with the shelter to care for unwanted fur babies.

• Somer appeared happy for me to do that. A few hours later I was sent a email to report to the H.R. office the next morning by 9:15 a.m.

• When I arrived at HR, I was informed that the end of my employment was effective immediately but that I would receive my pay for another thirty days plus payouts for my sick time and vacation.

10. The Wakulla Sun stated that my departure was an HR issue. That was not correct. It was not an HR issue; it was a Somer Pell issue. (The Wakulla Sun editor did write in about this - please see last week's Wakulla Sun for details)

IT SHOULD BE KNOWN BY THE WAKULLA COUNTY COMMUNITY:

WHEN I (Bonnie) NOW OFFER TO HELP NETWORK WITH THE SHELTER STAFF THEY HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO SPEAK TO ME.