By Christian Peterson
Riverbend News
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m., the Suwannee County Board of Commissioners held its regularly scheduled meeting at the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak. In attendance were: Don Hale, District 1; Clyde Fleming, District 2; Travis Land, District 3; Vice-Chairman Len Stapleton, District 4; Chairman Franklin White, District 5; County Administrator Randy Harris and County Attorney Jimmy Prevatt. The meeting opened up with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The board started the meeting by holding a quick election amongst themselves for the new chairman and the new vice-chairman positions. Fleming nominated White to be the new chairman, which Commissioner Land seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Hale then nominated Stapleton to be the vice-chairman, jokingly warning him that he wasn’t out of the hot seat yet. The motion was seconded by Land and passed unanimously. The board then approved the minutes of their previous meetings.
Next, the board moved to their consent agenda, where they pulled two items for discussion. The remaining items were passed unanimously. The first item pulled was simply for Commissioner Land to get clarification on what the actual topic of the item was. It was then unanimously passed. The second one pulled, however, discussed a surplus of six acres on State Road 51 that was about to be authorized to sell. The discussion was about whether this parcel of land was connected to a previous 15 acres that they had put up for sale; the answer was yes. The board then decided that these properties could be combined if someone wanted to and they agreed that the broker would hold all bids for 90 days from the list date. The board then approved the item and moved on.
Stapleton then asked Jimmy Norris to approach the stand because, once again, he had a wonderful announcement. This time, the announcement was about Suwannee’s own Charissa Setzer. Setzer had just finished a three year long curriculum with the Southeast Tourism Society, earning herself certification as a Travel Marketing Professional. This makes her one of only 1,296 to have completed it, meaning she has a tremendous amount of knowledge about tourism. Norris also took the time to update the commissioners on facts about Florida he learned at his conference; namely, that Florida had become the 15th largest economy in the world, as well as the fact that by the year 2030, Florida is projected to have an extra four million people. After this, Stapleton had another special announcement. He started by playing a speech from US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, during which he delivered the famous piece of advice: “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Afterwards, Stapleton asked Deputy Chief Buddy Williams to tell the board and the public about their new venture.
Williams approached everyone as a community member that night, introducing them to “Crosses for our Community.” The group plans on putting sponsored crosses and flags, representing Veterans in Live Oak, along Ohio Avenue South. The crosses will line the road from the Live Oak Public Library to the First Federal Bank. Eventually, the group plans to hand the program over to Suwannee High School's NJROTC. Currently, the group has 100 sponsors and a sponsorship fee is only $60. Veteran and member of American Legion Post 107, Harry Gray III, stood up to speak, as well, telling the story of his father leaving in 1944 for war and never coming back. Williams revealed that Gray had donated $5,000 to the group and wanted the community to know of the generosity he portrayed. The entire board approved of the idea and expressed their gratitude for all those who have served.
After, the board approved Commissioners Norris and Land to serve in the Access 67 County Champion association. They also approved an LED lighting agreement with Florida Power and Light Company. After public comment closed, the board made their closing comments. Everyone expressed their tremendous gratitude for everyone who has helped them, as well as everyone who has served in the military. Stapleton also expressed his joy in serving as chairman, as well as his relief that the weight was leaving his shoulders.
The next Suwannee County Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m., in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.