Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Monday, Feb. 10, a crowd of citizens, elected officials and community leaders gathered at the Suwannee County Judicial Annex to speak with Senator Corey Simon and Representative Jason Shoaf at the Legislative Delegation meeting. The annual meeting provides an opportunity for local communities to tell their representatives what they would like them to focus on during the legislative session.
The meeting began with Simon and Shoaf introducing themselves and their staff to everyone present. They then called to hear from elected officials. Commissioner Franklin White stood up to speak on behalf of the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners. He explained to the two men that there had been several challenges over the past 24 months. He then thanked them for everything they had done to help Suwannee County with the hurricane issues the area had faced. White then presented the county’s main requests, which included continued support for the regional storm shelter, $1 million for the catalyst site and $1 million for utilities. He ended by stating that the SCRAP and SCOP programs needed to be updated for the current pricing of road repairs.
Property Appraiser Ricky Gamble stood up next to simply thank the officials for being there. Clerk of Court Barry Baker followed, repeating the same words of appreciation.
Mayor Frank Davis followed, offering his gratitude before voicing his two significant concerns. The first was the city was requesting a new fire truck, and the second was they were requesting a backup well for the city. City Manager Larry Sessions was the next speaker. He was asking for help with flood mitigation and utilities for the regional shelter. Both Simon and Shoaf were continually receptive to the concerns, with Shoaf commenting that “Live Oak has so much going for it.”
City Councilman Tommie Jefferson then stood up to speak. He wanted to tell the officials about concerns he had regarding the Live Oak Housing Authority Board and Director. He brought along Karen Riybah, a resident of the Housing Authority Complex. She claimed that she had received unjust violations and was being bullied out of the complex by the director. Jefferson then took back over to request that the state do an investigation into the housing authority.
White then stood up once again, this time representing the North Florida Regional Water Utility group. His one request was for potable water services. Following him was Director of Parks and Recreation Jason Furry, who also had one request: $1 million for the new building at the fairgrounds.
Economic Development Director Jimmy Norris was the next speaker. After voicing his gratitude to the officials, he requested that the Rural Infrastructure Fund be brought up to $75 million. Public Defender Cliff Wilson was next; he asked that the state send a little more money to the Florida Public Defenders Association. He also requested a state-funded legal assistant for his office. After all this, Simon and Shoaf moved to hear from the general public.
The first to speak was Kathy Noble. She was concerned about the southeast corner of Suwannee County. She explained that, to her understanding, there was no fire station nearby. She continued, claiming that Fire Chief Dan Miller had taken all of the volunteer fire department’s equipment. Steve Fontana was the next speaker, requesting that Simon and Shoaf sponsor a bill that would protect babies from abortion from the moment of conception. Keith Broaders followed, voicing to the officials that he would like representation in the state government based on the number of counties in Florida.
Carol Fontana continued the conversations with her concerns about weather modification. She specifically pointed out Senate Bill 56 and House Bill 477 and asked Simon and Shoaf not to vote in favor of weather modification. Wayne Hannaka followed, standing up to simply thank the two officials for their hard work and for coming to Suwannee County. Lauren Jordan was the next speaker, representing the Sierra Club of Florida. She was there to present a pledge to Simon and Shoaf and requested that they sign the pledge, saying there would be no development of state parks. Lisa Keep took the stand next. She asked that the two officials support the Florida Republican position on immigration. She also voiced her concern about Trulieve, asking that no matter where they stand on the marijuana issue, they do not support the organization, as she alleged they were attempting to monopolize the marijuana market in Florida. Finally, she requested that they focus on making Florida an open-carry state.
Wendy Martin then stood up to speak, presenting a few requests and concerns that she had to present to Simon and Shoaf. She expressed her concern about the public camping ban, then asked that they do what they can to maintain the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She requested more money for fire prevention and then voiced her concern about funding for Medicaid, EBT and other programs. She ended by voicing her concerns about special sessions and expressed her support for the new immigration official. Tracy Daniels followed as the next speaker. She acknowledged that she likes both Simon and Shoaf and is grateful that they were able to come to Suwannee County. She admitted that the hurricanes hurt Suwannee County badly, but was thankful for the help provided by the state. She ended by voicing her disappointment in the recent vote on the Trump Act. She explained that she disagreed with the vote that was made and that, in her opinion, she was not appropriately represented by her officials on the subject.
The final public comment came from Moses Clepper. He voiced his concern about “public schools around the area” and expressed his exhaustion with the politicization of all forms of government.
The meeting was then drawn to a close, at which time Simon hinted that there would be a bill coming up that would bring on “the rural renaissance.” He ended by voicing his gratitude for Suwannee County, and though sometimes it's hard, it's always a joy to be in Suwannee. “This has been fun,” he said in closing. “It’s always a pleasure to be here,” Shoaf said before ending the meeting.