The City of Palm Coast and SMART Animal Rescue officially dedicated the Rainbow Bridge at Holland Park on January 17, 2026, creating a permanent memorial space where residents can honor pets who have passed away. The ceremony brought together city officials, animal rescue volunteers, and community members who gathered to celebrate the new landmark.
SMART, which stands for Saving Missing Animals Response Team, led the two-year effort to bring the memorial to life. Founder Caroline Johnson opened the ceremony by thanking those who made the project possible.
“This wouldn’t have happened without the amazing animal lovers that support our rescue day in and day out,” Johnson said. “We’ve been at this project for two years to finally have the vision come true, just a place to remember our pets.”
Johnson explained that the vision for the memorial grew from the emotional toll of rescue work. “Rescuing the abused, the abandoned dogs, sometimes we can’t save them, and that’s kind of what brought this vision to light,” she said.
Board member Deborah Phillips, who joined SMART on December 1, shared her personal story of adopting a senior dog through the organization. Phillips adopted Wexford, a 12-year-old Chihuahua found abandoned on the side of the road, at a SMART fundraiser in July. The four-pound dog had no teeth and wore a diaper, but Phillips said she knew immediately she would take him home.
“We named him Wexford. For one day, he tried to get out of our fenced-in backyard until he finally realized he had a forever home with us,” Phillips said. Tragically, Wexford passed away unexpectedly 81 days later on November 17.
“After having him a while and then losing him, I realized how rewarding adopting or fostering a dog can be, even at an advanced age,” Phillips said. “After he passed away, I knew I had to join my fellow board members in making a difference.”
Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri delivered remarks acknowledging the profound bond between people and their pets. She noted that she personally lost three pets in the past year and recently adopted a puppy from SMART.
“We gather today not because the pain of losing our furry companions has left us, but because their love refuses to,” Pontieri said. “Each of us carries a name, or several, that still feels too big for the past tense.”
Pontieri spoke about the lasting impact pets have on their owners. “They gave us something humans rarely managed to give so purely: unconditional presence and love,” she said. “They didn’t care about our worst days, our broken plans, or our imperfections. They met us exactly where we were.”
Mayor Mike Norris and Council Member Miller joined Pontieri for the reading of an official proclamation declaring January 17, 2026, as Rainbow Bridge Day in Palm Coast. The declaration recognized the memorial as “a place of remembrance, reflection, and healing for residents who wish to honor the pets who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.”
Carly, who works closely with Johnson on SMART operations, thanked the community partners who made the project possible. “This was not a single effort. Caroline had the dream, but we had community come together,” she said.
PWC Builds served as the general contractor on the bridge. Ray Tajmir designed the structure. Good People Paint donated all the paint, and Crack and Coat donated their time and services to paint the bridge at no cost. Kim Fitzgerald of Curly Tail completed the design work on the plaques.
The proclamation recognized SMART, East Coast Animal Hospital, and community sponsors for bringing the vision to life through collaboration, compassion, and a shared sense of community spirit.
Phillips concluded the ceremony by reading the Rainbow Bridge poem, which describes a place where pets wait for their owners after death. “When you and your special friend finally meet again, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again,” the poem states.
Community members can honor their pets by purchasing custom-engraved tags to be placed on the Rainbow Bridge, with each tag bearing a pet’s name as a lasting tribute.
For more information about SMART and the Rainbow Bridge Project, visit https://smartflagler.com/rainbow-bridge.
