Indian Rocks Beach Animal Hospital Information

The Indian Rocks Beach Animal Hospital was founded in 1983 by Dr. Matt Licht. Dr. Licht was born in Camden, NJ in 1956 and graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He started his veterinary career in Tampa as an associate veterinarian at a small animal clinic. Being a resident of Indian Rocks Beach and growing tiresome of the drive to Tampa (sometimes multiple times a day) Dr. Licht decided to open his own practice in his hometown of Indian Rocks Beach. He initially opened his practice a few yards north of the current building where TJ's restaurant currently resides. He became the first "beach vet" in pinellas county residing directly on Gulf Blvd. He soon moved to the current 1501 Gulf Blvd address where the practice now resides. Dr. Licht is a unique veterinarian that is, and will be, unmatched for time to come. Sporting an o'neil bathing suit and sandles to work as his daily attire, Dr. Licht embodies an IRB resident and the relaxing beach life that accompanies that priveledge. Due to his overwhelming compassion for his patients, as well as their owners, Dr. Licht's practice grew to contain a large following mostly by word of mouth. Due to the size of the clientele and the fact that Dr. Licht has worked predominantly with little staffing throughout his career, the business became taxing on him mentally and physically. Dr. Licht then decided to scope out potential buyers for the practice. The majority of buyers were large veterinary hospital owners or corporate veterinary companies that wanted to make the practice even larger. This went against the mindset of keeping Indian Rocks Beach Animal Hospital a small town veterinary hospital with a genuine personal touch. While persuing a suitable new owner, Dr. Licht decided to slow down a bit and hired relief veterinarians to work Wed, Fri and some weekends. This is where the 2 Matts met. Dr. Matt Facarazzo was the Wed relief doctor and also a resident of Indian Rocks Beach. Dr. Facarazzo embodied many of the same traits ...