State guide
Florida
Florida’s state wildlife agency tells residents to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for most injured or orphaned wild animals, while domestic or feral dogs, cats, and horses should go to the nearest humane society, animal services office, or animal control agency. Florida bite/rabies response runs through county health departments, and county or municipal animal control commonly handles quarantine, stray, cruelty, and local ordinance enforcement.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually county animal services or animal care/control offices handle stray domestic animals, bites, ordinance enforcement, and sheltering; some large cities also run municipal animal control programs.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Nuisance wildlife help
- Official page →
- Reporting an animal bite
- Report possible rabies exposure to your county health department right away; Florida county guidance also says to call local animal control with the animal description and location.
- State rabies contact
- Florida Department of Health rabies program / county health departments
Official resources in Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission guidance for injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife, including when to call rehabbers, regional offices, or the Wildlife Alert Hotline.
Official statewide list of permitted Florida wildlife rehabilitators by county, city, phone number, and wildlife type.
State rabies page explaining what to do after a bite and directing people to their county health department and animal control agency.
Official directory for locating the county health department that handles rabies exposure follow-up.
Key facts for Florida
- FWC says keeping impaired wildlife beyond transport to a licensed rehabilitator violates Florida law.
- FWC says domestic or feral dogs, cats, and horses should be reported to humane society, animal services, or animal control.
- FWC’s licensed wildlife rehabilitator list was revised 9/25/2026.
- Florida DOH says to contact your county health department right away for rabies exposure.
- Florida county pages state animal rabies exposures must be reported to the county health department where the incident occurred.
Local animal control offices in Florida
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department Miami-Dade | Doral | 311 or 305-468-5900 | County animal services contact page for adoptions, lost pets, shelter and field services. |
| Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Division Broward | Fort Lauderdale | Not published* | County animal care and adoption division. |
| Orange County Animal Services Division Orange | Orlando | 311 or 407-836-3111 | Enforces Orange County animal code, investigates nuisance concerns, and helps facilitate rabies quarantines from animal bites. |
| Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services Duval | Jacksonville | (904) 630-CITY (2489) | Municipal animal shelter and enforcement program serving Duval County; after-hours animal emergencies go to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number. |
| Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center Hillsborough | Tampa | Not published* | County pet resource and adoption center; official pet pages list this number for information on pets. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- If the animal is wild, first check the FWC injured/orphaned guidance and call a licensed rehabilitator listed for your county.
- If a person is bitten or exposed, wash the wound, get medical care, and call the county health department or local animal control agency.
- For manatees, dolphins, whales, sea turtles, panthers, bears, or after-hours wildlife emergencies, use FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Florida's population center, for comparison only):
- Charleston County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Office, South Carolina · about 364 miles
- Lexington County Animal Services, South Carolina · about 426 miles
- Richland County Animal Services, South Carolina · about 431 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.FWC Injured and Orphaned Wildlife
Website →Phone: (888) 404-3922 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Florida page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.