To you folks that remember me talking about the feral cat sanctuary that was
going thru political BS and than a mysterious fire happened.  I am proud to
say VICTORY

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/wvlWEST0207
1908.htm

Woman wins right to license for disputed cat sanctuary

Maybe you can fight city -- or county -- hall, after all.

Apparently, Kristy Grant can. The special education teacher from Pierson has
scratched out a victory in her two-year battle with Volusia County over her
right to have a sanctuary for abandoned and feral cats on her 10-acre
property.

In an order issued Thursday, Circuit Judge Robert Rouse said Grant, who once
appeared on TV's "Dr. Phil" show in an episode on animal hoarding, is
entitled to a "hobby breeder" license under a county ordinance.

What exactly the ruling would mean for Grant's sanctuary, Cat Tail Corner,
wasn't clear Friday. It was uncertain whether the county would appeal.

"We consider it a very large victory," said Grant's Daytona Beach-based
attorney, Eric Latinsky. "I would think the next logical step would be to
write a letter to the county and ask them when we can pick up our license
and then let them tell us if they have any continuing problem with that."

Latinsky said he thought Rouse's order should lead the judge in another case
to overturn a mounting code enforcement fine against Grant.

Assistant County Attorney Luis Guzman said the county's legal office was
reviewing Rouse's order.

Grant's case dates to at least February 2006, when, after a neighbor
complained, county code enforcement officers cited her for having five or
more domestic animals more than 6 months old on her property, according to
the county legal office.

The Code Enforcement Board started levying a $150-a-day fine this past March
5. The fine was up to about $20,000 on Friday.

In the months after the citations were issued, Grant applied for a hobby
breeder license.

Rouse ruled that while Grant does not appear to fit the definition of a
breeder because she prevents the cats from breeding, her rural "forestry
resource" property, nonetheless, qualifies under the county's zoning
ordinance. Because the ordinance does not provide regulations for cats, the
county can't apply its dog regulations to her sanctuary, he said.

County Chairman Frank Bruno said he expects the County Council to discuss
the issue at its first meeting in August.

He said it was unclear what the ruling means in terms of what restrictions
the county could place on the sanctuary.

"That's what we have to grapple with," he said