Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with a special prayer from Pastor Annie Sellers, the pastor of Little Galilee Holiness Church. The special prayer was due to the meeting being the final meeting for Commissioner Earnest Jones, who has been serving as a commissioner since 1992. The board then moved on to its normal agenda.
First, the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting. It then called for Mike McWaters from Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC), who was there for two reasons: first, to talk about the $132 million worth of damage that SVEC had incurred over the past two years, and second to introduce Caitlin Berrington, the Co-op's new Manager of External Affairs. Commissioner Lance Lamb voiced his appreciation for SVEC hiring someone with ties to Lafayette County. Commissioner Anthony Adams congratulated SVEC on its restoration work.
The board then called for department head reports. The only department with anything to report was Seth Jackson with Public Works. He told the board that the county was working on trash pickup and had two garbage trucks running. He also said that the work on the batting cage at the recreation field was roughly 70 percent done. He finished by saying that, on the day of the meeting he was riding around doing a “punch list” of roads with debris still on them, as Thanksgiving was the debris pickup cutoff.
The board then approved a resolution extending the state of emergency for Hurricane Helene. After this, the board approved Lockner as the construction engineering and inspection firm for County Road 411 and County Road 410. The board continued, giving Anderson Columbia the Notice of Award Contract for County Road 411 and County Road 410. The board continued by approving a grant agreement with the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management for Hurricane Debby. Finally, the board approved a Rural Grant Agreement with the Florida Department of Management Services for 911 system maintenance.
After approving payment of its bills, the board set a time for its reorganization meeting. It settled on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. The board then read Resolution 2024-11-03, thanking Commissioner Jones for his service to the county. The board then invited anyone to speak on Jones and his service. Ricky Lyons stood up and gave a brief history on Jones's service. He told a story about a car accident that Jones got in, and the opposing party attempted to sue Jones. The attorneys from down south who were prosecuting called for a jury trial, to which Lyons told them it would be impossible. The attorneys did not listen, and after searching for a very long time, discovered that it was impossible to find a jury who didn't know and adore Jones. “He is an example of a true people's advocate,” said Commissioner Adams. “I appreciate everything, from everyone,” Jones said. The meeting was then adjourned.
The next regular Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Lafayette County Courthouse, located at 120 W Main St., in Mayo.