Area auto exec lauded as ‘community hero’

TAMPA — Cox Media Group has named John Marazzi, managing partner at Brandon Honda and Sun Toyota, its “Community Hero” for the month of April for his advocacy and work on behalf of pet rescue.

Marazzi recently founded Project Rescue a Dog (RAD), a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation that he and his daughter Marissa Marazzi formed with the purpose of digitally cataloging and dating rescue animals available from county rescue centers and area animal shelters through direct marketing.  

According to a press release, Marazzi has been a lifelong advocate for rescue animal adoptions and has two rescue dogs: Zeus (his dealerships’ mascot) and Athena. He promotes rescue pet adoptions throughout the year, culminating with the annual Just One Day national event held on June 11 that saves the lives of approximately 10,000 shelter animals across the United States by introducing the public to adoptable animals and offering on-site adoptions. 

“I am honored to accept Cox Media Group’s ‘Community Hero’ award for April,” Marazzi states in the release. “Rescue shelters do a great job of rescuing and caring for stray animals, but it is animal overpopulation in shelters that has made euthanasia sadly inevitable for far too many animals.”  

Project RAD, according to the release, will soon be launching websites and a digital app to facilitate rescue animal adoptions.