Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Thursday, Jan. 30, a crowd gathered in the foyer of the Lafayette County Courthouse for the legislative delegation meeting with State Representative Jason Shoaf and State Senator Corey Simon. “This is my favorite place to come for these meetings,” Shoaf said as the meeting opened. “I’m just really appreciative of the folks here,” Simon added afterward. He continued setting the tone for the meeting, explaining that he had committed to putting the people of his district first. “We don’t have time to play politics,” he said adding that it was okay for folks to disagree on national issues, but he was there to focus on the local issues. “Please understand that you all are at the top of my list.” The two elected officials then took a moment to introduce their staff and speak on some committees they would be serving on that year. After that, they gave a quick update on appropriations requests before turning to the local elected officials to hear their concerns. Commissioner Anthony Adams stood up to speak first. The first issue he brought up was the Small County Outreach Program and Small County Road Program. He explained that the program funding hasn’t increased in years, but the process for roads has only grown more expensive. His second concern was simply that the county was dealing with constrained funding and could use more. His third concern was that the county had recently learned the Lafayette High School gymnasium, which was supposed to be the storm shelter, did not qualify anymore. Therefore, they needed help solving that issue. The final concern that he brought up was the flooding in South Mayo. Adams ended by saying, “Thanks for your leadership, both in the past and in the future.” Simon responded by saying, “Rural Florida will not be forgotten or left behind.” Sheriff Brian Lamb simply thanked the officials saying, “You all have been very good to us.” Clerk of Court Steve Land was the next speaker, starting by showing gratitude and thanking Shoaf and Simon for their attendance. He made them aware that the hurricanes had been rough on the county, but that they were incredibly grateful for the debris cleanup help. Supervisor of Elections Travis Hart followed. He told the officials that they had record-breaking voter turnout in the state and Lafayette County. His only request was that he wanted to work with the state on setting up alternative early voting locations. Hart explained that the statute states that the early voting location must be his office, however, his office is too small. Superintendent Robbie Edwards was the final elected official to speak. He thanked Shoaf and Simon for their appearance in Lafayette County. Then he voiced his concerns about schools. First was the new 8:30 a.m. start time. Edwards explained that, while on paper it might seem to make sense, in reality, it complicates the issue greatly while solving nothing. He explained that simply pushing every school activity back a half hour means that students will go to bed half an hour later. On top of that, he was concerned about parents whose schedules would be ruined, making them late for work as a result of the new time change. His second concern was that the middle school acceleration digital tool did not work for all students and, in his opinion, needed to be revisited. Edwards’s final concern was the Florida Empower Scholarship statute, which he claimed was almost impossible for them to pull off. After hearing all the concerns and asking some clarifying questions, the meeting was brought to a close. Simon’s final comment was, “I truly appreciate you guys. Lafayette County is very special to me. I just want you to be willing to ask. Challenge us to help you grow.” Shoaf ended by saying, “Conversations like this are how you make Florida and America great.”