On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with the board approving the minutes from the previous meeting, and the emergency meeting on Friday, Jan. 30. After that, the board called for any proclamations or presentations.
Troy Roberts, Office Chief of Communications and Outreach with the Suwannee River Water Management District, stood up to speak about the water district and its mission, as well as the needs over the next decade. Roberts specifically pointed out that the area is in a drought and requested that citizens and businesses conserve as much water as possible. He also discussed the Water First North Florida project, which would involve conserving water, recharging the aquifer, and reclaiming water. Roberts went into further detail about the project and its standards, and mentioned that it would take years to complete. The board and public then engaged Roberts in a series of questions.
Chairman Franklin White asked if the board would have any input on the project. Roberts responded that the district was hoping the local government would participate and support the project.
Commissioner Don Hale asked a few questions for clarification, to which Roberts responded that the treatment wetlands had been used for decades. He added that there were some locations in both Columbia and Alachua Counties.
Commissioner Leo Mobley then questioned whether there would be need for local government approval. Roberts stated the project was a state project and did not require local approval, though he hoped local government entities would be in support of it.
Commissioner Travis Land asked for clarification about reclaimed water. Roberts discussed the differences between wastewater and reclaimed water, clarifying that reclaimed water was far more filtered than wastewater.
The topic then turned to water restrictions and concerns about how it could negatively impact citizens and farmers. After further questioning, Roberts said that reclaimed water was currently being discharged into the St. Johns River. The discussion continued with Roberts stating that most of the project would be handled by the St. Johns Water Management District. The project had an estimated cost of $1 billion; the Jacksonville Electric Authority pledged $400 million, the St. Johns Water Management District pledged $120 million, and the rest of the estimated costs were to come from state and federal funding. Contaminants and nitrogen would be minimized and, if the water did not meet a strict criteria, it would not be used. The questions and concerns continued with the public.
Hailey Hall with AquiferWatch stood up first. She said that Florida has wet and dry seasons, and currently the state was in the dry season of the year. She stated her belief that the water would be pumped into the Suwannee County area, as it would not be allowed in the St. Johns River after a certain time. Finally, she voiced her concern that Suwannee County would eventually be accepting wastewater from Jacksonville and surrounding areas; she then suggested desalination instead.
Next to speak was Stephen Patak. He expressed concerns about the quality of water that would be pumped into Suwannee County. He specifically noted the current wastewater issues with the City of Valdosta in Georgia.
Following him was Dee Patak. She questioned why the commissioners would want to do this project in Suwannee County and noted previous promises that had not been kept. Roberts responded that citizens do have a say in the project. Commissioner Clyde Fleming then noted a previous issue the Suwannee River Water Management District and St. Johns Water Management District had several years ago.
Larry Riggs was the next citizen to respond. He requested that the board look at the City of Live Oak’s water quality to see how water was not adequately treated.
Ricky Roberson followed, asking what chemicals would be used to treat the water. Roberts responded that he was not familiar with the chemicals that would be used but would reach out to coworkers to find out. Roberson then asked why the water management district had purchased thousands of acres of land along the Suwannee River. Roberts replied that the properties were purchased to conserve and provide public spaces. Roberson continued, voicing his concern about the district not addressing current problems, specifically the City of Valdosta and others that were causing contamination problems in the Suwannee River. Roberts responded that the problems were being addressed, and reiterated that if water did not meet a certain criteria, it would be put back in the aquifer.
Mariah Clayton was the next speaker. She asked how the county could be assured that wastewater would not be sent from the Jacksonville Electric Authority. Roberts said that the Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for monitoring the water.
Roberts continued, saying that the City of Jacksonville could keep the water but had chosen to go a different route. He explained that the water would help Suwannee County in the future and would meet a higher standard than what is currently being pumped into the St. Johns River. He also stated desalination was more expensive than the proposed project.
Carolyn Eckert then asked how long it took to clean an aquifer, stating her research found it took decades. Roberts responded that he did not know, as it was not his area of expertise.
Andrew Betz then noted his concern about the amount of water. He said that there was plenty of flooding in the area, and he was concerned about what would happen if the aquifer was full, and the county received heavy rain. Roberts responded saying that water management would not completely fill the aquifer, but only fill it to a safe level.
Commissioner Mobley asked if water management would receive funding by taking the reclaimed water. Roberts replied that the project was mostly funded by the Jacksonville Electric Authority and others that he had already mentioned, but he clarified he did not know if there would be any fees associated with Suwannee County receiving water.
Bill Gaylord spoke next, questioning past and current aquifer flows in the Suwannee County area. Roberts stated he could not fully answer the question as he did not know, but he noted that the Florida aquifer was used by citizens east, south and north of Suwannee County. After further questions, Roberts stated that 65% to 70% of water usage in Suwannee County came from agricultural use.
Casey Phelan was the following speaker; she discussed the difference between wastewater and reclaimed water. Roberts responded that reclaimed water could be wastewater that was treated through multiple processes, then put into a wetland for further treatment before being put in the aquifer.
Steven Redman followed, voicing his concern about the destruction of the ecosystem by the reclaimed water. Roberts stated that standard wetlands treatment removed 90% of nitrates and phosphates, and the project would remove even more.
Marion Fowler followed, voicing her concern about public input on the continuation of the project, and the ability of the water to be adequately treated.
Commissioner Hale asked if the district was working with the Soil and Water Conservation District, UF/IFAS and other agencies. Roberts stated the district had reached out to several agencies, but if there were any agencies that should be a part of the plan, he would happily add them. At the end of the presentation, it was clarified that the project would not come to a vote in individual counties, because it was a state project in conjunction with the water management districts.
Once the presentation ended, the board called for public comment, to which there was no response. The board then moved into its time specific items.
The first item was to hold a public hearing to consider approval of the final budget amendments for fiscal year 2024-25. There were three budget amendments presented, with no public comment or commissioner comment in response. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
The meeting then turned to the consent agenda. Eleven total items were on the agenda, and none were pulled for discussion. The board then approved the consent agenda unanimously.
The meeting then turned to staff items. First, Emergency Management Director Heather Henderson-Scheu spoke. She thanked officials for attending a recent emergency management training session, then pointed out that there would be Emergency Management Days at the capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Tallahassee.
Deputy Emergency Management Director Gia Edwards also noted there would be a training exercise soon.
Administrative Services Director Mandy Frederickson then stood up to introduce Veterans Service Officer Terrance Allen, who thanked the board and offered his services to the community.
The meeting then turned to County Attorney Adam Morrison’s items. Morrison started by thanking Development Services Director Ronald Meeks for finding an issue in the subdivision requirements in the land development regulations. Morrison explained that a developer was buying properties, then subdividing them into five acre lots. However, the developer was not notifying the owners that they would not be allowed to build homes on them. He explained that a letter was being sent to affected property owners, 14 of which had been determined so far. Morrison stated that it might be necessary to place something in the official records noting the inability to build on the properties, though he was still thinking about how to handle the issue.
Morrison’s next item was a discussion and concern about county roads and maintenance of county roads. He first discussed the 175-plus years of Suwannee County’s history and stated there were many vestigial county roads that had not been maintained in decades. Morrison pointed out that county staff was contacting elderly citizens to have them sworn by affidavit that a road was maintained when they were children. He then suggested compiling a list and map showing all the maintained county roads filed in the clerk’s office, which would meet the criteria for roads maintained within four and seven year terms. This would allow the board to enter a disclaimer that all roads not listed on the map were not county roads, and the adjoining property owners would then own half of the old roads. Morrison noted that there would probably be an issue for roads that were no longer county maintained or which the county was unsure of, but that issue would fall to the homeowners since it was not listed as a county owned or maintained road.
Morrison then suggested a two-phase process. First, the board approves the list of roads, followed by filing the disclaimer that roads not on the list would no longer be considered county roads. This would allow time for review for mistakes. The board agreed by consensus to allow Morrison to continue with the project.
The meeting then began to draw to a close. After a brief update from County Administrator Jason Furry, the board turned to Commissioner Fleming. He thanked the governor and the board for appointing him to serve again. The board in turn welcomed Commissioner Fleming back, and thanked him for his service. The meeting was then adjourned.
The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. S.W., in Live Oak.