Unum volunteers make $20,000 upgrades at Monroe County Animal Farm

Unum volunteers put $20,000 into upgrades at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm on Stock Island, adding private dollars to a free attraction at 5501 College Road that houses more than 150 animals. Sheriff Rick Ramsay welcomed the group June 3 as the work supported a facility that serves as both a public stop for families and a rescue home for animals in Monroe County.

The farm is open free of charge the second and fourth Sundays of each month from 1 to 3 p.m., and the sheriff’s office says community and school groups can also schedule special tours. Visitors find a mix of horses, a steer, pigs, goats, sheep, bunnies, alligators, tropical birds, kinkajous, sloths, a lemur, an emu named Kramer, Patagonian cavys, tortoises, turtles and snakes. CBS Miami reported in October 2024 that the farm holds about 150 domestic and exotic animals from 45 species.

The operation does more than entertain children on a weekend visit. The farm says it gives a haven to animals that have been abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated, while also giving incarcerated helpers a rehabilitative activity meant to help them reintegrate with society. Jeanne Selander, the farm supervisor known locally as Farmer Jeanne, oversees the work day to day.

The animal farm traces its roots to the mid-1990s, when the sheriff rescued ducks from a nearby road and brought them to the detention center grounds, where more animals soon followed. What began as an accidental rescue has become a long-running Monroe County institution that has drawn national attention, including coverage by CBS News Sunday Morning in April 2024.

For Monroe County families, the upgrade effort landed at a place that already serves multiple public needs at once: animal welfare, public access, inmate rehabilitation and school visits. The farm’s continued upkeep depends on that same mix of sheriff’s office support, volunteers and donations, and the latest work adds another layer of care to one of the Keys’ most unusual public attractions.