Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from the tabulation meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, and the regular meeting held the same day. After this, the board called for public comment.
The first person to speak was Frank Wing, a representation of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 979. He started by introducing himself and a few other members of the chapter, speaking to the board about what the EAA does. Wing then spoke about some recommendations he has for the Suwannee County Airport. This included additional revenue sources and having airworthy aircraft in the hangars. He and the board then discussed concerns about current lease agreements and renters who are not participating. County Attorney Adam Morrison clarified that the airport manager was aware of the waiting list for hangars, as well as the concern that current renters were leaving their aircraft to rot. He also clarified that the county was not meant to be managing renter's usage of their aircraft. Chairman Travis Land told Wing that he needed to work with Morrison, County Administrator Greg Scott and the Airport Manager about lease updates. Scott then clarified that he already served on the Airport Committee and that the EAA should approach the committee about their concern.
Steve Fontana was the following public comment, reminding the board and the public that the legislative hearing had been moved to Monday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Judicial Annex.
John Vliet was the next speaker. He explained that he was new to Suwannee County and asked how residents would be able to rebut items on the agenda, as well as if there was an extension process. Land explained that the agenda and agenda packet were posted before the meeting for the public to prepare. He recommended that Vliet contact his district's commissioner if he had issues about particular items on the agenda.
Luke McInnis followed, asking if the COVID building would be discussed that evening. However, he was told that the item was not on the agenda.
Richard Orlacchio was the next speaker. He asked the board what influenced their decisions, the citizens's desires or those of businesses. Land replied that it depended on the specific issue, but in general, they represented the people.
Wayne Hannaka followed, taking a moment to speak on all of the good work that Suwannee County Parks and Recreation has done.
The final public comment was from Moses Clepper, who talked about his disappointment with the actions of the board. Specifically, he voiced his issues with the high salaries of some employees, lack of commissioners' attendance to free local events, insufficient research being made before decisions, budget bloating by multiple departments, the purchase of Chinese-made vehicles instead of locally produced ones, and finally, exclusion of non-native property owners from decision-making.
After public comment, the board moved on to their consent agenda. They pulled one item for discussion before approving the rest. The pulled item was the approval of the Florida Commerce Multi-Purpose Community Facility grant agreement in the amount of $808,614 for renovations at the Hale Park building and to authorize staff to advertise for solicitations for the design and construction of the facility improvements. Commissioner Maurice Perkins voiced his concern about the high price of the renovations. Land clarified that the plan was to demolish the building and start over, specifically due to its age. He continued, saying that in his discussions with Parks and Recreation Director Jason Furry, the recommendation had been to approve the grant and make final decisions on how to proceed at a later date. The board then approved the grant agreement unanimously.
The board then called for staff items, to which there was no response. Carolyn Saft, the Extension Office Director, spoke on upcoming events and programs that the office was running or involved in. This included programs for fall prevention, tomato growing, a Future Farmers of America fundraiser, a food preparation course, the Wildflower Festival, community gardens and the donation of a tree from Commissioner Franklin White in honor of his mother.
The board then moved on to the commissioner's items. Land explained that he had received a request for waiving a recreational vehicle permit for a citizen whose home was flooded in both 2012's Tropical Storm Debby and 2024's Hurricane Debby. This damage requires the relocation of the home, and the citizen was requesting a hardship waiver for the permit fee. The board approved the waiver unanimously. After a more general discussion, with no decisions being made, the meeting came to a close.
The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.