Thomas Stewart moved his family from Minnesota to Vero Beach last August. Last month, five months after the move, the former cop became the city’s lone animal control officer, and the only regret his family has about the relocation so far is that the Christmas holidays didn’t seem the same without snow.
Stewart’s two children, who are otherwise happily enrolled in middle school now, told him they missed the snow at Christmastime – but last weekend, temperatures dipped below freezing in Vero Beach and it got cold enough for snow although none fell. The unusual cold snap made the Minnesota transplants feel more at home in Vero Beach – despite its nickname as the place “where the tropics begin.”
Stewart says the kids will get over missing the snow, and the family has been very happy overall about the decision to move here. Stewart’s wife, who had extensive experience in healthcare up north, soon found a job as an administrator with Cleveland Clinic, and Stewart himself is enthused about the way the animal control job with the Vero Beach Police Department has worked out.
“In this new job,” says Stewart, 44, who describes himself as not really a people person, “I don’t have to deal much with people. And that’s a big benefit for me. Animals are often easier to deal with. I try to do what’s best for the animals, and what’s best for the public, so that everybody’s happy. That’s the goal.”
Stewart had an 18-year career as a police officer in Lakeville, Minnesota, a community of about 55,000 people 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities that has a police department of about 70 members.
The Lakeville constabulary did not have a designated animal control officer, but as a member of the regular force, he handled many calls from the public about stray animals.
Upon retirement from the Lakeville police department in 2020, Stewart worked briefly in a family-owned printing business, but the Covid pandemic played havoc with the economy at the time and that venture didn’t work out.
An avid motorcycle rider, Stewart then sold Harley-Davidson motorcycles for a while at a local dealership until he and his wife decided they had enough savings to move to Florida, as long as one of them found a job to supplement savings.
They explored different parts of the state, including the West Coast, but found Vero Beach the ideal location for the next phase in their lives – not quite as busy as some places on the West Coast and with “friendlier people.”
“We’re happy to be by the beach,” Stewart says.
When he heard about the vacancy in animal control at the Vero Beach Police Department, Stewart thought it would be an ideal position for him, since at age 44, he’s far too young to permanently retire.
Dealing with the animal kingdom is slightly different in Vero Beach from what it was in Minnesota, although loose dogs and stray cats seem to be common animal control issues everywhere.
Stewart did deal with some snakes in Minnesota, although they were of the small garden snake variety – nothing like the 9-foot monster python caught last week in an outlying area of Indian River County far from Vero Beach city limits that was captured by one of the county’s four animal control officers.
So far, in the first three weeks on the job, Stewart says he hasn’t had any dramatic encounters with wild animals. He notes that the job is mostly reactive, responding to whatever calls come in from the public, mostly about loose animals.
He has been especially struck by the vastly different size of insects, including huge spiders. Tending to injured seabirds also is new for him, as Lakeville was more than 1,000 miles from the nearest seacoast.
After the retirement of the previous animal control officer, Scott Lee, the city first advertised for a new animal control officer for the police department internally among city employees, according to Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey.
When no suitable candidates with the right experience emerged, the city opened up job applications externally, and when Stewart’s application was received, he immediately went to the head of the line because of his previous experience.
“So far so good,” said Currey. “He seems like a good fit. It’s been a pretty busy period in animal control, and he has even found the time to provide help when needed outside the city limits,” cooperating with Indian River County animal control officers.
As Vero’s animal control officer, Stewart has big shoes to fill. Bruce Dangerfield, the previous occupant of the job before Scott Lee, served for 17 years before retiring at the age of 73.
Photos provided
