Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, July 15, 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 regular meeting and the tabulation meeting. The Board then proceeded into its time-specific items. First was a public hearing for a special permit request by Kadi Ridge Properties, an authorized agent for Alred Trucking Agri-Business, to obtain a special permit for the sale of agricultural fencing and gate supplies. Development Services Director Ron Meeks stood up, first warning the Board that, since only four commissioners were present, a tie on the vote would mean the application would be rejected and the applicants couldn't bring it back for a year. He then made some notes, including that the property adjoined US Highway 27. Dana Bruckey, the property owner, answered a few questions about the property's use. She also noted there were plans to expand in the future, but all operations would be related to fencing operations. Meeks then commented that the application only applied to fence-related products, and future expansions into other aspects would require a separate permit process. After this, the Board approved the special permit request unanimously.
The following item on the agenda was another special permit request from Nex Tower Development Group II for a 225-foot self-support communications tower and associated equipment. Meeks once again started the conversation, noting the property was located at the intersection of County Road 250 and 201st Road. He also clarified that, due to County requirements, a backup generator would be needed and an allowance would be made for County communications. Public member Steve Fontana asked if there had been state approval and approval for the aircraft warning light, to which Meeks responded in the affirmative. Commissioner Leo Mobley inquired about limiting the placement of cell phone towers and mandating their aesthetic design. County Attorney Adam Morrison responded, stating they couldn't deny the towers because it would open the County to liability due to Federal and State laws. Meeks commented that there were times when camouflaging towers might be effective, but others when it would not. Gary Hunter then stood up to speak on behalf of Nex Tower Development Group. He informed the Board there were no other towers within a radius of roughly four miles of the proposed tower. He also made it clear that, due to the height of the tower, it would be both uneconomical and a greater distraction to camouflage it as a tree. Hunter also stated the tower is for T-Mobile, but other service providers can lease space on the tower. The Board then approved the special permit request.
The following item on the agenda was a public hearing to consider an ordinance updating solid waste fees and authorizing a 3 percent yearly increase. Morrison clarified it had been 25 years since the solid waste fees had been updated. He also clarified that the 3 percent annual increase could be reduced or suspended by resolution of the Board. Chairman Travis Land made it clear this had nothing to do with solid waste assessments. Morrison also noted this impacted commercial businesses that drove to the transfer station to dispose of large quantities of materials. The Board then approved the item unanimously. Afterward, the Board opened the floor to public comment.
Ed Snipes began discussing the alleged land use code violations of an adjoining property owner. He alleged the use of heavy machinery and sales took place at all hours of the day on a property not zoned for such activities. He also clarified he had filed a formal complaint. Land said he would make sure the code enforcement officer looked into it. The Board then took a brief pause from public comments, as one of their presentations needed to depart for another meeting promptly. Jennifer Gisonni was then called to speak. She updated the Board on the work Florida Youth Charitable had been doing, particularly by assisting in hurricane cleanup. She also voiced her gratitude to Ag Pro for their help with the group. The Board then returned to normal public comments.
At this time, Moses Clepper voiced his concern about a few items on the agenda. However, he mainly focused on his concern regarding the hiring of Ryan Peters as the special magistrate, as Clepper alleged Peters had a history of being suspended and overcharging clients. John Van Bleek then stood up to point out a new Florida law outlawed the seeding of clouds; however, the County made it clear they did not hire any cloud seeding companies or projects. Betty Dempsey then stood up to speak, voicing her concern about phone calls to commissioners. She stated she had called Commissioner Maurice Perkins about her road, but he had never responded. After some discussion and investigation, it was determined Dempsey had called Perkins's home phone number, which he doesn't answer. He then provided her with his cell phone number.
The Board then turned back its proclamations and presentations. This allowed Michael McWaters the opportunity to discuss the ongoing expansion of RapidFiber internet service. He informed the Board that 27 out of 42 zones were open for service, with nearly 80 percent of its customers able to sign up for the service. The next item on the agenda was a presentation by Jean Bordes, Account Executive with Enterprise Fleet Management. He reviewed the County's vehicle fleet, noting the average age of the vehicles was 12 years, with an average annual mileage of 12,000 miles. He claimed that, if Enterprise handled the County's fleet via a leasing structure, it would reduce annual costs and increase both reliability and safety. No decision was made that evening, however, as the County needed to review the proposal.
The Board then moved on to its consent agenda, pulling two items for discussion. They approved the rest of the agenda before addressing the two items that had been pulled. The first pulled item was the approval of payment for invoices. Land explained he had to abstain from voting due to a conflict of interest. After this, the rest of the Commission approved the item. The second item pulled was the adoption of the preliminary rate resolution for the Fire Protection Assessment for fiscal year 2025-26. Land asked if the vacant land assessment was included or not, to which Morrison responded it was not included if there was a residential component. The item was then approved unanimously.
The Board then moved on to an item regarding constitutional officers. First up was to set the date, time and location for the tentative and final budget hearings. Clerk of Court Barry Baker proposed two hearing dates: the tentative budget hearing was set for Thursday, Sept. 4, at 5:05 p.m. and the final budget hearing was set for Monday, Sept. 22, at 5:05 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Judicial Annex.
The following item on the agenda was to set the proposed millage rate. The Board first clarified once the proposed rate was set, it could always be lowered, but it could not exceed the set amount. The Board decided to set the proposed, not to exceed, millage rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year at 9 mils.
After hearing a few updates from staff, two items were presented to the Board. First, Morrison requested permission to provide some services to the Madison County Board of County Commissioners, as their attorney had a conflict of interest. The Board approved readily. The second item was a foreclosure against Rexxon. The company had purchased a catalyst site property, which had been foreclosed on. The County had clawback rights on the property, and the Board elected to exercise those rights to get the property back.
The Board made three additional official decisions before the meeting came to a close. First, the Board approved a 7.5 percent increase for employee health benefits under the current plan. Second, the Board approved hiring the Florida Association of County Managers for a $5,000 fee to aid with the search for a new County Administrator, as current County Administrator Greg Scott would be retiring in September. Finally, the Board approved the Florida Department of Emergency Management Regional Shelter agreement for the acquisition of land, planning and design of a regional shelter, pending review by Morrison. The meeting was then adjourned. The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.