BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Middleburg resident Robert Altomare is opening a pet crematory on North Temple Avenue (U.S. 301), the former location of Bradford Pawn and Gun.
Altomare said he chose the Bradford County location because of its centrality to his market area, which approximates the part of Florida between Interstate 4 and the Suwannee River.
Altomare said he was attracted to the pet cremation business after volunteering for Pilots N Paws, a transport charity that flies adopted pets to their new owners.
“It was a friend of mine out in Oregon,” Altomare recalled. “He and I used to fly together, and he says, ‘Hey, you want to do a project together?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he says, ‘I know a guy who builds these things.’ He gave me the idea.”
The Middleburg man said that after researching the business concept, he decided to pursue it. Altomare added that through Pilots N Paws, he had already been in contact with many veterinarians, the primary source of pet cremations.
“I’ve already visited about 80 of them, handing out leaflets and saying, ‘Hey, we’re coming,’” Altomare said of the vets. “It’s a needed service.”
Altomare added that after discovering there were only a few pet crematories in Gainesville and several in Jacksonville, he saw a shortage in the supply of the service in northern and central Florida.
“There’s not much there,” he said of pet crematories in the peninsula’s northern half. “So that’s kind of where I decided I wanted to be. I spent some time in Starke and I’m like, I love Starke. So, it was a no-brainer.”
Last week, workers lowered Affordable Pet Cremation of Florida’s crematory into the U.S. 301 structure through a hole in the roof. At press time, the business owner said he planned to open its doors on April 1.
More information on the business can be found at https://www.affordablepetcremationfl.com/.
