Christian Peterson - reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its first meeting of 2025. The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from three different meetings. The board then called for public comment. First to speak was Wendy Martin, who started by handing out photos of signs she had put up. She explained to the board that she has been using this property to put out signs with political points. Martin continued explaining that after her husband, Fred Martin, passed away, three signs had been stolen off the property. She said that she has f iled police reports and that if anyone sees her signs somewhere else, they should let Deputy Creech with the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) know. “Whoever is doing this is a coward,” Martin said.
The following public comment was from Curtis McClung, who requested the board put a moratorium on the Suwannee County Board of Adjustments until the land development regulations are updated. “The board of adjustments cannot make fair and accurate rulings without updated land development regulations,” he said. County Attorney Adam Morrison responded first, saying that this was impossible to do without an ordinance, which would require a significant amount of time. Ronald Meeks, with planning and zoning, then stood up, explaining that while it was confirmed, the physical book of the land development regulations was not physically changed each time there was a change. When considering an application, the board of adjustments is handed all relevant ordinances so that they can make the best decision.
The next public comment was from Wayne Hannaka, who represented the Concerned Citizens of North Florida. He went into the value that the economic development office, Jimmy Norris and Charissa Setzer, bring to the county. “They do an awesome job,” he said. The final public comment was from Moses Klepper. He was concerned about the bids for the construction of bays for Fire Station 6. He voiced his concern that he wasn’t allowed to comment on the item and that the board had only heard about one bid instead of all of the bids.
The board then called for their presentation of the evening, from Katelyn Barrington, Manager of External Affairs for Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC). She explained that she was there to give a few updates. First was that SVEC had paid all of its property taxes. Second, the company made a lot of meter advancements this year. She explained that previously, the company would have to send a signal to the meters to find out what was wrong with the power. Now, the meters proactively send a signal to the company, letting them know there is a problem in the first place. Finally, she said that RapidFiber should be available to all by the end of 2025.
The board then approved its consent agenda before calling for constitutional officer items. Sheriff Sam St. John stood up to thank everyone for another four years as sheriff. He explained that he holds a lot of hope for 2025. Parks and Recreation Director Jason Furry followed with a few announcements of his own. First, recreational soccer began, and the county had 485 kids sign up. His second announcement was that the boat ramp at Charles Spring and Dowling Park would be closed for a few weeks. Furry continued, saying that the Greenway was completed. He ended by thanking SVEC for donating $10,000 for renovations to the coliseum. The final officer to stand up was Holland Freeman with the county administration office. She explained that the county had been looking to help improve its procurement process. She had found a website called Bonfire that would expedite the procurement process for bids.
The meeting came to an end, and the board approved the final plat for the Kelly Woods Subdivision. The meeting was then adjourned. The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.