Florida deputy charged with animal cruelty at his Manatee County pet-sitting business

A former Florida deputy who owns a pet sitting business in Manatee County has been terminated and charged with animal abuse, the State Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

The Hardee County Sheriff’s Office said it fired 29-year-old Nicholas Anthony Zotto, following a series of videos online that appear to show the deputy mistreating animals at his Palmetto-based pet sitting business, Pawsome Sitters.

Zotto had been with Hardee County Sheriff’s Office since April 2022.

On his business website, Zotto says he had been part of the New York Police Department for six years before joining the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office. In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said the case had been referred to Manatee County.

The State Attorney’s Office announced in a news release Thursday that Zotto had been charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for animal cruelty as a result of video evidence related to a dog named Grizzly.

In the video, a man appears to chase a dog around the yard while yelling obscenities. Once he cornered the dog, you can hear the animal whine as the man appears to punch the dog in the head twice before dragging it by the collar across the yard and hitting it again for a third time.

The charges came as a result of a joint investigation by Manatee County Animal Services, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, according to a release. The State Attorney’s Office said the investigation was initiated in response to people who complained after seeing the video.

A Change.org petition asking to shut down Pawesome Sitters and prosecute Zotto has received nearly 3,000 signatures.

In addition to the misdemeanor charges, Manatee County Animal Services has also cited Zotto with civil ordinance violations concerning the operation of his pet sitting business, the release says.

Anyone who believes they’ve witnessed animal abuse should call Manatee County Animal Welfare at 941-742-5933.