NFWUA in search of director. 

Suwannee’s Roberts also interviewing today for director.

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Hartley (from left), Helfenberger and Roberts

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A former Lake City manager and a U.S. Congresswoman’s field rep are two of the three individuals vying to be the first director of the North Florida Water Utilities Authority.

Shannon Roberts, Suwannee County’s administrative associate, will also interview with the NFWUA board at its 9:30 a.m. meeting today at Duval Place in the TDC conference room, 971 W. Duval Street. Joining Roberts are Joe Helfenberger, who was Lake City’s manager from 2018 to 2021, and Dan Hartley, a field representative for Kat Cammack.

Columbia County Manager David Kraus said after discussions with Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott, all three have been invited to interview with the NFWUA board Wednesday.

“We’ll see if they show up,” Kraus said.

The three applicants — Helfenberger applied Monday, the last day the position was open — are three more than the start-up utility authority received during its first search for a director last fall. That led to a renewed search in the hopes that not looking for someone around the holidays would net interest.

Kraus said Tuesday that there still are factors working against the NFWUA from drawing significant interest, especially its fledgling status. The authority was created just last year and currently has no staff.

“It’s a very difficult position to fill because it’s a new authority,” Kraus said, noting he had discussions with a fourth person who was interested in the position but, ultimately, did not apply. “Everyone is kind of, ‘is this a real job? Is it not a real job? Is it secure?’ All the things you would expect.

“And it’s tough. Doing a start-up job is tough. Not everybody wants to do a start-up job. There’s a lot this person is going to have to do and a lot they’re going to have to learn. It’s a big learning curve.”

Hartley, who has worked for Cammack the past two years, was previously a district rep for State Rep. Chuck Brannan for more than four years and also has more than 20 years of experience as a nurse.

“I feel that though my experience isn’t necessarily in water management or utilities, I bring a unique set of skills to the table that can be utilized to accomplish the goals you have for bringing this idea to fruition,” Hartley said in a letter with his application. “I am eager to learn as much as I can about this industry and look forward to the challenge.”

According to his application, Hartley is seeking at least an $80,000 annual salary and benefits to become the director.

Following his three years as the Lake City manager, Helfenberger has worked for more than three years as a Realtor with the Watson Realty Corporation in Jacksonville. He has previously worked as a municipal consultant and as a city or village administrator for a handful of towns in Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida for a total of 36 years.

According to his application, Helfenberger said he has “extensive” experience in overseeing water, wastewater, sewer and other utility infrastructure projects.

Helfenberger is seeking a salary “similar to my highest earnings.” He made approximately $120,000 as the Lake City manager.

For the past seven years, Roberts has worked for Suwannee County, helping secure grant funding for projects and also helping plan and administer those utility projects, including building water and wastewater plants and transmission and collection systems. He previously owned his own IT company in North Carolina for two years.

In his application, Roberts said his experience with utilities was “launched out of necessity to support economic development and the community.”

Roberts, who has played an active role in Suwannee County’s involvement in the NFWUA including the discussions about the director position and salary, said in the application that he looks forward to a “conversation to finalize” that figure.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, March 21, 2025Subhead

County threatens trespassing Matco after 120 days.

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• Suwannee County Commissioner Travis Land, pictured speaking at a press conference, said Matco Industries has shown no ambition to build its own rail spur at the county’s Catalyst Site the past 10 years. (FILE)

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LIVE OAK — Suwannee County is sending a letter with a clear message to a business at its Catalyst Site: “It’s time to put up or shut up.”

During its meeting Tuesday, the commission unanimously authorized County Attorney Adam Morrison to send a letter to Matt Furber, the owner of Matco Industries, that gives the company 120 days to build its own rail spur off the county’s spur at the industrial park or be trespassed from utilizing that line. Morrison was also authorized to negotiate a hold harmless agreement with Furber in case any incidents occurred in that time on the county’s spur while it is being used for the company’s trainload operations.

“I’ve heard enough from Mr. Furber,” Commission Chairman Travis Land said, adding he’d prefer if the county began fining the company for any delays past the 120-day mark to build its own spur. “He’s had 10 years to build his spur and he’s basically played the county, he’s played me, he’s played the board.

“The game is over. Build your spur and get off of ours.”

The county and Furber entered into a memorandum of understanding in January 2024 about the construction of the company’s own spur that was to be completed in July.

No work has begun.

Land said in a meeting 18 months ago with Furber, the county was told that all the materials were already on site and construction was ready to start and would be done within 180 days.

In an email to Morrison on March 14, Furber apologized for the delays, saying the railroad’s current design for the company’s own spur was too large for what was currently needed. He added the company also had been focused on opening a limestone quarry in Marion County and now that that job was completed, equipment would be moved to Suwannee to begin the work on the spur. He added limestone from that quarry would be used for the base of the new spur.

Morrison added he had a phone conversation with Furber on Monday in which he told him basically, “It’s time to put up or shut up. Promises to do it isn’t getting it done any more.”

Matco was one of the first companies located at the county’s Catalyst Site and the county originally agreed to let the company use its spur, once it was completed, as an incentive to get the company to agree to begin its operations in Suwannee County. Those operations do not include a building or any infrastructure. Rather it brings in materials on train cars and offloads those materials onto trucks. That incentive for the use of the county’s spur was until Matco could do its own line off of it.

“He’s had no ambition,” Land said of actually constructing that spur. “He’s used our spur for 10 years to run his business.”

Land added that the county previously had to spend six figures to address an accident that occurred on the rail spur due to the company’s operations. That led him to requesting the hold harmless agreement for any future incidents.

Commissioner Franklin White said he shared Land’s frustrations, noting he’d had meetings with Furber previously when he served as the board chairman too.

White added that there was also a grant available from the rail company to construct the company’s spur too.

“Why get a car when you can drive momma’s for free,” Land said in response to White questioning why it hadn’t been built yet.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, March 21, 2025Subhead

Newly created position will focus on project management.

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LIVE OAK — Help is on the way for Suwannee County’s administration.

The Suwannee County Commission unanimously approved creating an assistant county administrator position to work alongside County Administrator Greg Scott at the end of its meeting Tuesday.

That position will be advertised internally first, Scott said, before he would look to bring in someone from outside the county’s operations.

There is no timetable for when a hire will be made, but Scott doesn’t expect it to alter the county’s current budget.

“I’m motivated to try and find the right person, quickly if I can,” Scott said Thursday about the process of finding that assistant administrator. “If I can find the right one that can grow and learn what I know and then do better than me where they’re the natural fit as the next administrator, then I’ve done a better service for the county to do the legwork ahead of time.

“It’s exciting times for us, I think. We have a lot of opportunity ahead of us. We get the right people on board, it will really streamline things.”

Scott noted if the hire is made internally, the budget impact would be minimized by the person’s current salary. He also added that there are funds available with Jimmy Norris’ recent resignation as economic development director.

Scott asked the board for permission to seek an assistant administrator as a way to make the county’s operation more efficient. He said too many of the projects the county is working on aren’t getting done as quickly as he’d like.

“We can get closer to projects and get them moving,” he said. “It would lighten the load on the day-to-day things that I have and clean up processes and get more efficient.”

On Thursday, Scott added: “I’m chasing rabbits all day and you can’t really get work done unless you have someone to do the work while you’re chasing rabbits…The problem we’ve always ran into, you’re always working on that thing and you don’t have time to do strategic planning or thinking.”

While Scott mentioned the assistant administrator would oversee some departments during Tuesday’s meeting, he said Thursday that most of the county’s departments are basically self-sufficient and don’t need much oversight.

Instead, he said he views the position’s focus as more on project management and project development, as well as monitoring budgets and providing assistance to any departments when necessary.

“Making sure we have the right consultants or the right staff making projects get done,” Scott said. “We’ve got projects stacked up for awhile and we can’t get out of our way sometimes.”

The commissioners were on board with that direction, noting the county’s growth will mean the need for more staff to provide services.

“Were getting to the size of organization and community growing and demand on that office…it’s something that needs to be discussed,” Commissioner Don Hale said.

In addition to seeking permission to add that position, Scott informed the board that he had officially made Charissa Setzer the county’s economic development coordinator. Setzer, who has been the marketing coordinator for the county’s Tourist Development office, which is combined with the economic development office, will oversee the day-to-day operations in economic development through the end of the legislative session or possibly even the end of the state’s fiscal year in June.

“She’s very capable of taking care of things,” Scott said, noting the county can make a decision later this spring or summer on how it wants to try to fill the economic development director position vacated by Norris earlier in March.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, March 14, 2025Image

• Live Oak City Council President Matt Campbell said it is better for the city and, possibly, Suwannee County to find out about potential solutions to the traffic and parking problems in downtown than doing nothing. (FILE)

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LIVE OAK — The Live Oak City Council envisions a new look to downtown Live Oak.

At its Tuesday meeting, the council unanimously authorized City Manager Larry Sessions to talk with Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott about a possible joint effort to purchase property downtown that could help lead to an extra lane in both directions on Ohio Avenue (U.S. Highway 129) as well as have discussions with the Florida Department of Transportation about those traffic changes.

“I don’t think it’s any secret there’s definitely issues with through traffic especially on 129,” Council President Matt Campbell said. “It’s been a battle, it’s fair to say, with DOT about eliminating the turn lane and making it not only a turn lane there on 129 and 90.

“I think it’s needed.”

Sessions said the traffic there and the turn lane is one of his top issues to discuss with DOT officials.

The discussion was requested by Campbell who said he wanted to see if perhaps two problems could be solved at one time through the joint effort.

Campbell said by possibly purchasing two properties along the west side of Ohio Avenue in between the Suwannee County Courthouse and the old post office, the buildings could be demolished to make way for additional parking in the downtown corridor.

That additional parking would offset a possible elimination of on-street parking along Ohio Avenue, which could make way for the extra travel lanes.

“I think we have some opportunities to alleviate all the problems,” Campbell said.

Campbell also noted that there could be some pushback from business owners who would lose the parking in front of their businesses. He added the additional parking could also make the vacant post office more attractive to potential buyers and developers.

Other councilors, while supporting Sessions having the discussions with Scott and looking into the cost of the purchases, also had concerns about the total cost of the project.

Councilwoman Gladys Owens noted in addition to a purchase price, there also would be the cost of demolition. Councilwoman Vanessa Robinson said purchasing those buildings would also tax those properties off the tax rolls, negating potential revenue from the city as well.

“I’m not sure it’s the best idea at this time,” she said.

Councilman Tommie Jefferson pointed out that the first phase of the Heritage Square project on the northern side of the railroad tracks in downtown included public parking alongside the Suwannee County Historical Museum.

Still, Campbell said he thought the proposal was worth considering to eliminate the traffic congestion that plagues the downtown area. The extra lane would allow additional traffic to move through the Ohio Avenue and Howard Street (U.S. 90) interchange where currently there is only one lane of through traffic in each direction as well as a turn lane.

“Anything I think we can do is better than sitting here and doing nothing,” he said. “It’s not going to fix itself.”

Resident Cheryl Pruitt thanked Campbell for the idea, noting traffic is horrible on U.S. 129.

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By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, March 14, 2025Subhead

Options will allow city to try and stabilize pricing.

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LIVE OAK — The City of Live Oak is “hedging” its risk on future natural gas costs.

The Live Oak City Council unanimously approved letting City Manager Larry Sessions authorize a rolling hedge directive with the Florida Gas Utility. As part of that plan, Sessions can authorize FGU into either entering a futures contract or a call option on up to 75% of the city’s average annual usage for the next year, 50% in the second year and 25% in the third year. The price to trigger that authorization would be below the price the city currently has budgeted.

Katie Hall, the FGU general manager and CEO, told the council that the hedge program would allow the city to “reduce the risk of adverse price movements,” providing a more stable natural gas price.

“Think of it as an insurance policy,” Hall added.

Sessions compared the program to a budget billing program offered at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative where customers can pay the same amount every month based on their previous year’s total usage.

“I think for the city and all the people in the city that use gas, I think it’s better to understand about what you will pay versus worrying about the increase or decrease, especially an increase,” Sessions said.

The futures contract, Hall said, provides a locked in price for the term of the agreement where the city would pay the same cost regardless of what happens in the market.

The call option, meanwhile only puts a ceiling on how much the city would pay. If the price is below that mark, the city would pay the market price.

That option comes with a premium charge for the flexibility, although Hall said it normally works out to just a few cents on a resident’s bill.

EYEING CDBG FUNDS

The council also unanimously approved applying for a pair of Community Development Block Grants, one aimed at rehabilitating or rebuilding homes for low to moderate income households to bring them up to code, while the other would be aimed at infrastructure improvements. Cornerstone Community Partners will handle the grant application for the housing grant, while Fred Fox Enterprises will handle the grant for the infrastructure improvements.

According to Jeffrey Winter with Cornerstone Community Partners and David Fox with Fred Fox Enterprises, there is $40 million in CDBG funds available and for this upcoming cycle alone, local governments can apply in more than one area. There is no maximum to how much a government could pursue.

The council decided to take advantage and see funding in both.

The deadline to apply is May 2 and for the infrastructure improvement grant, a survey of the city has to be done to make sure a large enough percentage of the city is low to moderate income.

PLANNING MEETINGS

Sessions asked the council to consider holding planning meetings in the future ahead of regular meetings in order to streamline the regular sessions.

“We seem to miss out on all of our communication,” Sessions said. “A lot of this could be discussed in the pre-meeting...where maybe everybody gets a lot of points across and maybe have already come to a better knowledge of the facts being presented.

“I think we would all do better.”

Those meetings would also be public meetings and properly noticed, Sessions and City Attorney Todd Kennon said.

Councilman Tommie Jefferson said those sessions sounded like workshops to him.

Jefferson also noted he doesn’t even like meeting with Sessions 1-on-1 ahead of meetings because he’d rather the discussion all happen on the dais.

Councilwoman Vanessa Robinson, though, agreed with Sessions that the planning sessions could lead to increased productivity by the council.

“I just think it would help us get more done and be more productive as a city council,” she said.

 Suwannee board eyes Live Local tax exemption By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK —  The Suwannee County Commission plans to try to take advantage of the one element of local decision making allowed by the Live Local Act. During the commission’s meeting Tuesday, County Attorney Adam Morrison told the board he planned to bring back a resolution at its second March meeting that would allow the county to opt out of a tax exemption on affordable housing projects developed under the Live Local Act, which was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2023. “We do have a little flexibility,” Morrison said referring to the opt out. The Columbia C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n opted out of the tax exemption last month. Morrison told the Suwannee commissioners that he is “stealing” the resolution from what Columbia County approved already. Both Columbia and Suwannee counties were able to do the opt out, which was allowed by an amendment to the act passed by the legislature last year, due to a surplus of affordable housing units in the area currently. According to the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies’ most recent annual report, the Northeast Nonmetropolitan Area, which includes the local counties, there is a surplus of 307 units in the area. “We can’t prevent somebody from building, but we have the ability to not on our own incentivize that building,” Morrison told the board. BOCC Chairman Travis Land, who requested that Morrison draw up the resolution for the optout, said he is not against affordable housing. However, Land said local governments should be able to have the ability to make sure those developments are built in the right locations for the community. Under the Live Local Act, which was a priority of then Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, any housing development that has 40% of its units as affordable housing can be built in any area zoned commercial, industrial or mixed use. “We would have no right to deny you,” Land said. “It doesn’t matter where the property is at… locations which would not be favorable to the county or its people to have it built. “This board or any board behind it should have a say in where it goes.” Those proposed developments would no longer have to go through the planning and zoning process to get rezoned. They also would be able to be built to the highest density allowed in the local LDRs and the maximum height allowed. “Columbia County’s already taken this position,” Land said. “I just think we should follow their lead.” Land isn’t the only person concerned about the oversight being pulled away from local governments. Bo Hancock, a concerned Suwannee County resident, urged the commissioners at the start of the meeting to pay attention to what happens in the legislature, especially when it comes to home rule. Hancock mentioned the Live Local Act and the limits it puts on local governments, as well as other similar bills passed in recent years that have limited local governance over construction of solar farms and cell towers. “You don’t have any say so,” Hancock said, adding there are additional bills being considered this session that would also limit local governments’ authority. “We keep electing y’all but it’s getting to the point it doesn’t matter who we elect, you can’t do anything anyway.” Columbia TDC receives second straight Adrian 

Bill filed to abolish White Springs By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The local bill to abolish the White Springs town government was filed in the Florida House of Representatives on Friday. Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe) filed the onepage bill Friday morning. The bill, which Shoaf and Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee) voted unanimously to consider this session, calls for the abolishment of the Town of White Springs with all assets and legitimate liabilities of the town being transferred to Hamilton County. The dissolution of the town charter will happen as soon as the bill is signed into law, according to the proposed bill (HB 4079). The town was first incorporated in 1897 with its charter amended nearly 20 times since then through legislative acts. All of those actions will be repealed by the dissolution of the town’s government if the bill is passed. But first the bill must go through a House committee — as of Friday afternoon it was not known which committee will hear the bill — the full House and the full Senate 

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, February 14, 2025ImageSmall Image

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LIVE OAK — Despite concerns from both residents and a pair of council members, the City of Live Oak is moving forward with bigger trash cans and an increased cost for pickup.

During its meeting Tuesday night, the Live Oak City Council approved by a 4-1 vote the second reading of an ordinance to increase the monthly fee for solid waste pickup $2.50 to $24.17 per month. As part of that fee, the city will provide all residents one 96-gallon trash can.

Commercial customers in the city who do not use dumpsters will also get just one of the larger trash cans for its base charge of $67.11, also a $2.50 increase. Previously, commercial customers were allowed four 32-gallon cans.

Vanessa Brown Robinson, the lone councilor to vote against the change, expressed that concern during board discussion.

“We’re giving them less and charging them more,” she said. “I’m concerned that we’re charging more for less.”

Gladys Owens, who did vote for the ordinance, also had concerns about that, particularly for businesses in the city. Owens said she’d like to see the city provide a second can to those businesses at an additional $2.50 charge.

The ordinance reads any customer — residential or commercial — that needs a second can will have to pay an additional $7.50 per month.

Eight city residents also expressed their concerns about the trash change, including the potential loss of capacity.

Janice Atkins said her daughter runs a daycare business in the city. She said with the less garbage can space for the business, it could lead to a stinky problem.

“Think of how many diapers will be on the ground with only one trash can,” she said.

Shanice Brown, who said she had experience with the more automated trash pickup service when she lived in Miami, told the council that with just one can, the city needed to expand its pickup. Currently, the city only provides pickup one time per week without an additional charge. Brown said there needed to be at least two pickups weekly.

“It’s not 1997,” she said, noting that many residents do shopping now through Amazon and have countless boxes to throw away. “Everything has trash.”

City Manager Larry Sessions, though, tried to tell the concerned residents multiple times that the city needed to move forward with the services it provides. He added that currently nobody knows how the process will work until the city gets started. According to the ordinance, it will go into effect March 1.

“This is all new to us,” he said, adding that city calculations determined less than 10% of all customers would possibly need a second can. He also said the city is providing the first can where previously people had to provide their own.

NEW P&Z MEMBER

The council also filled the final seat on its seven-member planning and zoning board during the meeting, selecting Adam Collins, an engineer for that spot.

Collins was appointed by a 3-2 vote with Robinson and Owens dissenting.

Robinson had made a motion to appoint Patricia Bennett to the board, which Owens provided the second. That potential appointment, though, failed by a 3-2 vote. Bennett is the bookkeeper of Bennett’s Glass.

Tommie Jefferson then made a motion to appoint Kenny Beasley. That motion died for lack of a second. Beasley works for the Suwannee County Road Department.

HALE CHANGE BACKED

The council also provided consensus to Jason Furry, the director of the Suwannee County Parks and Recreation Department, of supporting the possibility of demolishing and rebuilding the John Hale Community Center instead of renovating the facility.

The city has allocated $100,000 toward restrooms at the center. The Live Oak Pilgrim’s is contributing $75,000 in addition to the $808,614 Florida Commerce Multi-Purpose Community Facility grant that the county received for the project.

After the Suwannee County Commission approved the grant and discussed building a new building at its Feb. 4 meeting, Furry also said he felt it was a better option if the numbers make sense.

The current building was constructed in 1957.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, February 7, 2025Subhead

Two-year deal calls for sharing revenue, loss.

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• Columbia County Manager David Kraus said the partnership with the City of Lake City on operating the sewer plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park will ‘take some of that burden off’ as the two will split revenues or losses for the next two years. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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Columbia County’s wastewater plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park is nearing completion.

When it comes online in the next few weeks, the City of Lake City will be operating the plant, which can potentially treat up to 1.5 million gallons per day.

During its regular meeting Thursday, the Columbia County Commission unanimously approved a two-year contract to have the city operate the plant. The two entities will share in any revenue or loss from the plant during that time.

“That will take some of that burden off,” County Manager David Kraus said.

Kraus told the commissioners that the new plant will begin being seeded in the next week or two. The city plans to divert flow from the Lake City Correctional Facility to the new plant instead of its existing plants when it is ready to operate. The county will operate the spray fields.

The plant will not start treating leachate at the plant for at least six months as “bugs settle,” according to the agreement.

At the end of the two-year agreement with the city, Kraus said the board will then have to decide the future of the sewer plant. It could be turned over to the North Florida Water Utilities Authority to operate, it could be given to the city to operate or the county could choose to operate the plant itself.

The board also agreed to another deal with the city.

The city has been interested in 34.36 acres of county-owned property on State Road 100 being annexed into the city.

The board unanimously agreed to voluntarily annex that property into the city once the city finishes placing a master water meter on U.S. Highway 90 East that would provide city water to the NFMIP until the county finished its own water plant. The master meter would allow the county to pay the city for all the water that came through that meter and then would handle the water from that point on.

Kraus said the city wants that property inside the city limits so they can continue stacking contiguous properties until they reach the city-owned Lake City Gateway Airport so it can be annexed.

COPPOCK, SIMMONS APPOINTED TO EDAB

The county’s Economic Development Advisory Board will have a familiar face sitting on it once again.

But it’s not former County Commissioner Ron Williams.

During Thursday’s meeting, the commission voted against appointing Williams, who had served as a commissioner for 43 years before losing his latest re-election bid in November, by a 3-2 vote. Rocky Ford, the current EDAB chairman, and Robby Hollingsworth voted for Williams’ appointment.

After that failed vote to appoint Williams and Angela Coppock, the Columbia County School District’s director of Career and Technical Education, District 1 Commissioner Kevin Parnell made the motion to appoint Coppock and Jeffrey Simmons, a longtime member of the board. Parnell defeated Williams in the November election.

That appointment passed by an unanimous vote.

Before Ford made the motion to have Coppock and Williams serve on the economic development board, Parnell asked Kraus for additional information on the board’s purpose.

Kraus said the board is used to help vet potential businesses interested in relocating to the county and makes recommendations to the county commission on any types of incentives the county may provide to bring those companies in.

“So you need to be knowledgeable and kind of have a vision for the future of Columbia County,” Parnell said.

County Attorney Joel Foreman said it is important to have a diverse group serve on the board since they all bring different viewpoints and backgrounds to the table.

“Those people do the heavy lifting on these economic development projects,” Foreman said. “These folks need to have a good base of experience and come from different places in the community so they bring that stakeholder perspective to those meetings.

“We always get questions we never anticipated because of the diversity of people on that board.”

On that note, Kraus said he believed it would be good to have a school district member serve on the board. There has never been a member of the district in that role. He added that sometimes interested companies have questions about the local schools and that representation could help answer those queries.

Simmons, who is retired from a career with Florida Power & Light, has served on the economic development board “since its evolution as the IDA” and helped to develop the Chamber Business and Economic Development Board.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, February 5, 2025Subhead

Board wants state officials to provide guidance, plan.

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Concerned about its ability to take care of future projects, the North Florida Water Utilities Authority wants answers from state officials on water availability.

During its regular meeting Wednesday, the NFWUA board expressed concerns about how local governments, and the authority, will be able to create recharge projects that would lead to additional permits to pull more water from the aquifer. The board is now hoping to have representatives from the Suwannee River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at its April meeting to provide guidance.

“They don’t really have any suggestions on recharge either, other than we need to do it,” Columbia County Manager David Kraus said about DEP.

Those concerns came forward during an update from Kraus on the county’s current utility projects. During that update, Kraus mentioned he and Columbia County Commissioners met with DEP officials recently in Tallahassee to discuss the possibility of utilizing Kirby pit for a recharge project.

That meeting did not result in much confidence, locally, that the project would get backing from the state.

“This has to be a priority issue,” Commissioner and NFWUA Chairman Rocky Ford said.

Kraus said the county was told to apply for a grant in order to do a study on that project.

Tim Murphy, a Columbia County commissioner who was sworn in as an NFWUA board member Wednesday, said he thinks that study would be a waste.

“Nobody has a plan,” he said. “I understand you have to throw money at this to come up with a viable (plan), but the Kirby pit thing, I’m not voting for any grant to do any research. They’re not going to go for it. It was pretty clear.

“This will slow down economic development in Florida in my opinion.”

Suwannee County officials said they have not developed any potential projects toward recharge.

Neither has the City of Lake City, according to Executive Director of Utilities Steve Brown. Brown did say the city is nearing capacity on its consumptive use permit and would then be stuck without some type of recharge.

But that also creates another issue, Brown said. The city is landlocked without annexation and is therefore limited on where it could do a recharge project anyway.

“We’re stuck without the county,” Brown said.

Ford agreed.

He said the issue is one that all the surrounding counties and municipalities will face and one that may need to be tackled together. He also requested that both the City of Lake City and City of Live Oak be invited to attend the April meeting as well.

“This is going to be an issue for everybody,” he said.

Greg Bailey, the president of North Florida Professional Services, said he believed it is an issue that the local officials should bring up to their legislators. He also said that should include the fact that nobody is providing much direction on how local governments can create meaningful recharge.

“They need to be aware of it,” Bailey said, adding Suwannee County currently is in better shape on that front than Columbia because it currently has more capacity left on its CUP. “It’s bigger than one entity. This is what you’re going to be faced with: the Utility Authority will get to a point where it tells Columbia County or Suwannee County don’t bring in a business because we can’t serve them.”

DIRECTOR SEARCH

With a few applications starting to sprinkle in for the Authority’s executive director position, the board directed Kraus and Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott to begin evaluating those applications and be ready to provide a recommendation to the board in April.

The deadline to submit applications is currently set for March 31. The board meets April 2.

Stephen Dicks, the at-large member of the board, suggested they leave the deadline open through March and then try to act quickly in April, if there are quality applicants. Kraus said there currently are at least two applicants.

“This is probably the most important decision we’ll make,” Dicks said.

The board also plans to invite applicants to the April meeting for interviews.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, January 29, 2025ImageSmall Image

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LIVE OAK — The new year has brought some new interest in Suwannee County from potential businesses.

That has Jimmy Norris, the county’s economic development director, hopeful not just for a great 2025 but for a great stretch of years coming up.

“We’re positive in our mindset,” Norris said. “It appears as if there’s been more activity. The phone has been ringing a little more. We’re hopeful that’s a great sign for the future.

“We’re hoping this will be a great next several years, not just in 2025 but the next several years.”

That optimism stems not just from those additional calls and revived interest after a slower 2024, Norris said. With last year’s election out of the way and the possibility of interest rates dropping in the months ahead, even some projects that had already chosen Suwannee County as a future home may resume those developments.

Norris said county officials heard from a number of companies last year that they were pushing back on plans to expand and develop for several months or until the new year.

If interest rates do drop, Norris said that should help lead to those plans picking back up.

“The cost of doing business just kept escalating for those companies,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense. We understand that. We know this is a marathon, not a sprint.”

While some of those projects — Project Shark and Project Snowman as well as Wave Armor, which broke ground before pulling back — have stalled their plans while waiting for a better economic climate for development, the county has not.

Norris pointed to the continued infrastructure improvements the county is progressing with at its Catalyst Site west of Live Oak as an example. Water mains are currently being extended from the plant at the site both to the west and to the east. The plan is for those lines to be extended to the eastern side of the Interstate 10 interchange at U.S. Highway 90.

Additionally, the county is currently having a wastewater plant for the park designed and completed a master plan for the whole area last year. That plan includes not only the water and wastewater projects, but also natural gas, fiber internet and additional roadways.

“That has helped us identify where we’re going, which direction we need to go in,” Norris said. “When people see that, I think they’ll understand how important that site is to us and how seriously we’re taking it.”

While some of those projects at the Catalyst Site have slowed down, the commercial and retail development along the U.S. 129 corridor near I-10 on the north side of Live Oak certainly has not. IN the past year, a Huddle House, Firehouse Subs and Starbucks have opened right at the I-10 interchange. A Mavis Tire is currently under construction in an out parcel in front of the Publix just south of the interchange and more development is planned for that area, including a Wawa, Chick-fil-A, Ellianos Coffee and Tidal Wave Auto Spa.

“We’re working real hard to still support other stuff coming out here and there’s quite a bit coming,” Norris said. “We’re talking with several people about development north of town and at some of the interchanges on the commercial side. That remains steady.”

So does the county’s continued push on a major project north of the I-10/U.S. 129 interchange. The county was selected last year by the state to host a regional storm shelter with the county purchasing 390 acres for that project.

Norris said the county has issued a request for qualifications to do the design of the shelter. The county also has sought support from surrounding communities for the project as it awaits additional state funding for the construction.

“It would be an economic driver, not just for Suwannee but for the whole entire area,” Norris said. “We’re really hopeful in about three years we’ll have something sitting out there on top of that hill.”

Even prior to that, Norris is hopeful the county will have additional good news on other projects, including one possibly announced later this year at the catalyst site.

“We’re very positive about what we’ve got going,” he said.

 Suwannee  administration  moves back  downtown By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK —  The hub  of government activity in  downtown Live Oak now  also includes Suwannee  County’s administration. Early last month, the  c o u n t y ’ s  admini s t r a t i v e  office was  moved to  the second  floor of the  c o u n t y ’ s  Building Department office,  224 Pine Ave. It was a move  that had been planned far  earlier before Hurricanes  Debby and Helene delayed  that action. “It wasn’t a priority right  then,” Suwannee County  Administrator Greg Scott  said this week about the  delay in the move. It’s a move, though, that  Scott had wanted to make  in order for the county to  better serve its residents. With the administrative  office now downtown, residents can conduct most all  of their government business within a few steps.  The Suwannee County  Courthouse, including the  annex with the tax collector’s office and property  appraiser’s office, is right  across the street from  administration and the  building department. The  Supervisor of Elections  office is right next door and  the Economic Development  office is also right there. “The intent is being  accessible for folks,” Scott  said. “It makes the hub of  county government right  there.” The move provided an  added benefit, though.  After years of sharing space  in the public works office  near the Suwannee County  Airport on 80th Terrace,  that department now can be  more efficient. “You don’t have extra  things going on out there to  distract them,” Scott said.  “But the idea was so we can  be accessible to the public.” That move has been good,  so far, according to Scott.  But there are a few minor  details that still need to be  cleaned up. For starters,  Scott said the county’s website still needs to be updated  with the address change, as  well as letterhead. He said  earlier this week he went to  send a letter when he realized the old address was still  on the form. Still, those small tweaks  will be done and are a small  price for the benefit of better serving the people of  Suwannee County and making the government operations run better as well. “For me as an administrator, is a lot of our people  are right there,” Scott said.  “I love to be able to walk  through and speak and get  a feel for what’s going on. “What’s nice, too, is the  synergy among staffing  now that we’re together.” 

Utility rate study key to Authority’s launch By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK —  The North Florida Water Utilities Authority agreed to a deal that it hopes gets the startup authority up and running. During its Tuesday meeting at the Suwannee County Judicial Annex, the NFWUA board unanimously approved to pay Raftelis, a North Carolina-based company, $130,000 to do a rate study for the Authority. According to Raftelis Senior Vice President Henry Thomas, the company’s eight-month rate study would produce three different studies: an independent forecast for the utility rates in Columbia County, an independent rate forecast for Suwannee County and a rate forecast for the counties combined under the Authority. “You’re doing this because it’s going to benefit both counties and you’ll be able to meet the growing needs of the future you’re facing,” Thomas said. Shannon Roberts, a member of Suwannee County’s administration who helps oversee NFWUA operations currently, recommended to the board that it move forward with the agreement with Raftelis. Roberts said he believed the rate study would provide the board with invaluable information that it needed to move forward, adding the rate study will provide the business plan needed for the Authority to succeed. “This will help the train leave the station,” Roberts said. “We have to hire the conductor, but this is part of what will help the train leave the station.” Roberts added he viewed the rate study as a short-term guide for the Authority to follow. He said beyond 3-5 years there were still far too many unknowns — grant funding the counties or Authority may receive to expand utility offerings, other counties possibly joining — for it to be accurate too far out. Thomas agreed that with the numerous projects both counties are currently working on, the overall cost is likely to evolve. He added that the most important portion of the company’s work over the next eight months for the Authority will be the information it gathers from the individual counties and guidance on the direction the board and county commissions want to go. “We can help you,” he said. “We’ve done this quite a bit.” While based in North Carolina, Raftelis has done similar rate studies previously in Florida, including for Newberry as well as Tampa and Jacksonville. Thomas pointed to those studies as proof that the company can adequately perform the work the Authority wants done after at-large board member Steven Dicks asked about its ability to handle such a large geographic footprint. “I think we can handle the geographic size of the project no problem,” Thomas said.

f By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK — The North Florida Water Utilities Authority —  and both Columbia and Suwannee counties’ administrations —  want help sooner than later. While the NFWUA’s search for an executive director continues —  it’s board agreed in December to keep that search open through the end of March — the fledgling regional authority could use a staff member to assist in getting agendas prepared for monthly meetings as well as assist NFWUA Attorney Grady Williams in providing information to get the authority up and running. During Tuesday’s meeting at the Suwannee County Judicial Annex, the board unanimously authorized Columbia County Manager David Kraus and Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott in preparing an advertisement and begin searching for an administrative staff hire. “What you may need long term in an executive director may not be what you need in the person that starts up the company,” Kraus said. “You need somebody to do the start-up work. “You need somebody who is going to take care of the details to make this get up off the ground and run.” Currently Kraus and Scott as well as Columbia County Projects Development Manager Staz Guntek and Suwannee County administrative staff member Shannon Roberts handle NFWUA business. That work is on top of their regular duties for their respective counties. Scott said it isn’t really fair to either county —  or especially the Authority — to continue juggling the duties, adding county staff members all have full plates in handling county business. “Somebody to focus on the Authority business and not have the Authority business be an afterthought when we clear our calendars at the end of the day,” Kraus said. Scott added that the hire —  there was no title given for what the position would be — could either be someone starting a career or winding a career down. Franklin White, a Suwannee County commissioner and the vice chairman for the Authority, said he was fine with not hiring a director as quickly if there was someone else that could do the daily work that needs to be done. He added he envisioned the hire could eventually play a much larger role in the success of the Authority, possibly even becoming the director. NFWUA Board Chairman Rocky Ford, a Columbia County commissioner, earlier said even when the board hires a director, that person would still need help in overseeing the Authority’s business. “We really need that position right now,” Ford said, adding that hire would answer until a director is named to the county administrators and to the board. LEGISLATIVE ASKS The NFWUA board also unanimously approved a project from each county to pitch to the respective legislative delegations for funding. Columbia County’s legislative delegation —  Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R-Fleming Island) and Rep. Chuck Brannan (R-Macclenny) —  meet at 9 a.m. today at Florida Gateway College. Suwannee County’s legislators —  Rep. Jason Shoaf (R-Port St. Joe) and Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee) —  meet at 1 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Judicial Annex. The NFWUA plans to request funding for a pump station expansion on the south side of the Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 441 interchange and force main for the wastewater system in Ellisville as the Columbia County project. In Suwannee County, the Authority is seeking $1.9 million in funding for a water main extension and a storm water project at the Catalyst Site

By JAMIE WACHTER on Tuesday, December 10, 2024Subhead

Christmas on the Square impacted by water main burst.

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• A construction crew takes in the scene above a ruptured water main in downtown Live Oak. (ROB WOLFE/Lake City Reporter)

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LIVE OAK — The water main leak that washed out a portion of Christmas on the Square has been repaired.

But Live Oak City Manager Larry Sessions said more help is needed to take care of the larger infrastructure issues in the city that helped led to the problem that opened up in the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 (Howard Street) and U.S. Highway 129 (Ohio Avenue) in downtown Friday.

“If we’re fixing leaks all the time, how can we spend time to really fix the problem by building,” Sessions said Monday afternoon, noting the leak was resolved over the weekend with a sleeve placed over the broken pipe as a temporary solution.

The bigger problem is the city’s 100-year-old infrastructure, which Sessions noted, has been having multiple failures all over the city recently.

“Lately, every day, multiple ones, all over town,” Sessions said of leaks, noting there currently were other leaks Monday on Mussey Avenue, Duval Street and Miller Street.

Even prior to the break in the main intersection in the city Friday, which led to the snow slide portion of Snow on the Square shut down Friday night and the lighted Christmas parade to close out the community’s three-day Christmas festival Saturday night to be detoured, another issue arose last Thursday on Walker Avenue.

That leak led to a major pressure loss on the city that impacted the water at the Live Oak schools in the Suwannee County School District and also caused the release of a boil water notice.

In all that leak emptied a 500,000 gallon water tank along Walker by the schools, Sessions noted.

Sessions added that fixing that leak and renewed pressure on the system following it likely helped cause the issues that followed.

“I guarantee you these other leaks since Thursday has been because of the renewed pressure in the system has found new places to go,” he said. “These old pipes are brittle.

“Doing my arm like this today may not break it,” Sessions added as he pulled on his left arm. “But tomorrow it will.”

Still, the line breaking Friday during the area’s largest festival may have been a blessing in disguise, Sessions said in trying to look on a positive note. He said originally the belief was the break occurred beneath the snow slide because that is where the bulk of water showed up on the surface. He added very little was seen up in the intersection at first.

However, he said the water ran in between the asphalt and an old surface of bricks down to where the snow slide was set up where it finally burst through. A retention pond in the downtown area near Langford Stadium filled with cloudy water, Sessions said, a sign that there was a lot of limestone getting washed out prior to them finding the root of the problem.

“The event probably saved somebody,” Sessions said. “If that leak had happened at any other time, we wouldn’t have had the road closed.”

Sessions said crews were planning to pave the road where the break was fixed Monday afternoon.

With that issue repaired, Sessions now turns his attention back to trying to solve the city-wide infrastructure issues. He said it will be part of a comprehensive plan he aims to present to the Live Oak City Council in January on how to improve and grow the city.

Doing so, though, will also require funding. That will probably have to come with help from the state.

Still, Sessions said he is ready to do whatever it takes to solve the problem.

“It’s a challenge,” he said. “I’m that guy. I’m going to make it happen or die trying.”

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, November 20, 2024Subhead

Former Suwannee superintendent now K-12 chancellor.

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LIVE OAK — Suwannee’s former superintendent of schools didn’t have to wait long to find his next opportunity.

Ted Roush, who did not seek re-election as superintendent, started his new job Monday as the Florida Department of Education’s chancellor of education for K-12 public schools.

Roush said he was humbled when state officials called him to ask if he would be interested in the position, which came open when Paul Burns moved into a senior chancellor role vacated by Adam Miller.

“I was very honored,” Roush said Tuesday night, adding that was his first response exactly, along with asking for some time to think about the offer and discuss it with his family. “Quite honestly, it was not a conversation that I thought was going to happen. I wasn’t seeking out anything.”

That time to consider allowed Roush to decide that route was the right next step for his career. When he announced in January that he was not seeking re-election, Roush said he was not planning on retiring. He mentioned at that time the possibility of returning to working at an individual school level. He had previously served as principal at both Branford and Suwannee high schools.

Instead, the state offer came along, one that Roush credited to the overall work of the people within the Suwannee County School District for making possible.

Roush said with the way public education is set up in Florida with each county having just one school district, it makes for a more intimate working relationship with state officials as well as counterparts across the state. During his eight years as superintendent, he got to know the other superintendents in Florida and also got to know various individuals in the state education department.

He said that helped lead to the opportunity to now go work there.

“I felt very honored to say the work our team has done here together in Suwannee must have been pleasing,” Roush said. “The way we handled day-to-day operations, the way we handled different circumstances as they came up, whether it was covid, whether it was the storms, I don’t know what it was specifically but they do have a very intimate handle on how things are run and how well things are run from one district to the next.

“I will say I take that as a compliment to get that call and go up there and serve.”

After just two days serving in Tallahassee, though, Roush said he was still trying to learn how the day-to-day operations work at the department and the processes that they go through. He said there are already a number of familiar faces and even more familiar names as there are many he had only emailed or talked to on the phone, previously, that he is now meeting in person.

Moving forward Roush said he believes he’ll get his first real understanding of his role early next year. Once committee weeks ramp up in the Florida Legislature in January and then when the session opens in March, Roush said he will get a true sense of what the goals and objectives for the department will be. He said he and his vice chancellors and staff will be available to provide input as needed on whatever bills arise.

“I want to be a help, I want to be of assistance to continue to make things even better for our kids,” Roush said.