About the Coalition for Animal Rights and Education

CARE | Coalition for Animal Rights and Education was created to unite Polk County around a stronger, more compassionate vision for both its residents and its animals.

By bringing together advocates, organizations, and everyday community members, we work to promote animal welfare through education, collaboration, accountability, and the implementation of best practices — protecting animals while strengthening the community as a whole.

The need is real. Polk County continues to report among the highest non-live outcomes in the state of Florida, with thousands of healthy animals losing their lives inside the county shelter each year. Some enter the system through neglect or abandonment. But many arrive simply because their families lacked access to affordable spay and neuter services, education, and the resources needed to keep them.

Overpopulation is not a people problem—it is a community failure, and it demands a community solution.

We believe meaningful change is possible when people work together with compassion, responsibility, and a shared commitment to strengthening protections, expanding access to resources, and advancing humane policies. And we believe in speaking up for the voiceless — because as long as people are the ones deciding their fate, people must also be the ones held accountable for it.