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By JAMIE WACHTER on Saturday, August 31, 2024ImageSmall ImageRobinsonBody
LIVE OAK — Following some contention over how much is being spent on certain projects, the Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency’s budget for next year has been approved.
The CRA board approved a $2.4 million budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, sending that budget to the City Council for approval during its budget process.
That budget also included $1.576 million in unexpended funding from the current year.
That funding, particularly nearly $1 million for the Heritage Square development in downtown, was concerning to Councilwoman Vanessa Robinson. Nearly $300,000 is allocated to reconstruct a wall in the downtown Festival Park, while $210,000 is budgeted toward land and property acquisitions — the CRA is looking to get an appraisal done on the Huffman & Gilmore property for possible purchase, and $215,000 is earmarked for housing project-based infrastructure support within the district.
Robinson said she’d like to see the money distributed more evenly across the entire CRA district.
“I’m seeing this huge amount that I see going into one side, one area,” she said. “We’re saying spread it around over the whole city.”
Robinson focused on the large amount dedicated for that project while CRA Director Nicholas Frigiola and other staff would tell members that there wasn’t enough funding for other projects.
For instance, Councilman Tommie Jefferson had requested beautification projects in the city’s cemeteries. The Live Oak Cemetery, the only one that resides in the CRA district, had $50,000 budgeted for those efforts in the upcoming year.
“Oh, that’s too much to do for that area,” Robinson said, referencing sidewalks desired by Jefferson, in addition to beautification in the cemeteries. “We don’t value the sidewalk over there because it’s too much money. It’s too much money to put over there for a fence.”
Cindy Robinson, a long-time CRA board member, said the Heritage Square project, which has been in the works for nearly a decade, is a huge undertaking that will boost the entire city.
“It’s for the entire community to have a gathering place is what the vision is for,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot to get that place (up and going.)”
Jefferson said that would be nowhere near enough to provide fencing or other portions of what he’d like to see done. He said black iron fencing, which he’d like to see, would probably be closer to $200,000.
Matt Campbell, the CRA board chair, and Tammy Mobley, a board member, said the money budgeted would provide a start to the beautification efforts, noting it would probably be a multi-year effort.
Still, Vanessa Robinson felt that the entire CRA district should get funding and benefits, not just one specific area or project.
“We need to the vision for the entire CRA,” she said. “Next year I’ll be on top of this.”
The budget, though, was eventually unanimously passed.
Live Oak hosting first budget hearing Tuesday Staff report LIVE OAK — The Live Oak City Council will consider its tentative millage rate and budget next week. During its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 101 SE White Avenue in Live Oak, the council will hold its tentative budget hearings. During that hearing, the council will vote on a proposed millage rate of 9.2623 mills, which is also the city’s rollback rate, or the rate that will generate the same amount of tax revenue as the current rate of 9.5 mills. The council had previously set its maximum rate at that 9.5-mill mark, but administration has since reduced it following budget workshops. The council will then also consider a budget of $53 million.
By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, July 19, 2024Subhead
BOCC agrees to pay $27K to restore building permit info.
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LIVE OAK — The Suwannee County Building Department is still trying to rebuild its system following storms in May.
The Suwannee County Commission unanimously — Chairman Travis Land was not able to attend the meeting — approved a $27,000 payment Tuesday to help the building department recover lost permit data that was wiped when storms on May 10 took out the department’s server and backup, according to County Administrator Greg Scott.
According to Scott, St. Louis-based Fields Data Recovery will be able to fully recover the information lost from that crash.
“When you restore, you have layers as you collect information and they have to take the pieces apart and put it back together,” Scott said, confirming to Commissioner Leo Mobley his understanding that the company would fully restore all the information.
“Basically they take the data that was lost and reconfigure it so we can restore what was gone.”
Commissioner Don Hale asked if Fields Data Recovery had already performed the work, noting the building department was back up and running.
That isn’t the case, Scott said, noting there are still a lot of old permits that have not been recovered.
“We’re still limping,” he said. “There’s a lot of old information we can’t retrieve.”
Scott also said, in responding to Commissioner Maurice Perkins’ question, that the county would be looking into an insurance claim to cover the cost since it came during the storm.
That isn’t the only issue with the building department that was discussed during Tuesday’s meeting.
Both Elizabeth Sapp and Treea Foster aired issues with staff in the building department during the meeting, including poor service and a lack of timeliness in issuing permits.
“I’m sick of going into that place and being rude to and our permits are six, eight, 10, 12 weeks out,” Sapp said. “When you go in there, it’s like you’re imposing on them when they’re there to do a job.”
Foster reiterated some of the same issues.
“The way I was treated today and the phone call I received after I left, I don’t appreciate it,” she said. “I think changes need to be made.”
Foster said there is a permit that she turned an application in for in April for a mobile home that still has not been processed.
Both said the inaction in the building department is affecting their livelihoods, asking the commissioners to take action.
“I can assure you it’s being looked into,” Vice Chairman Franklin White told Sapp, before telling Foster that he had spoken to Scott after talking to her earlier in the day. “There are some things in the works to alleviate the problem.”
MAX MILLAGE REMAINS 9 MILLS
Also in Tuesday’s meeting, the board set its not-to-exceed, tentative millage at 9 mills, the same rate the county has used to tax property owners for the past 11 years.
According to Barry Baker, the county’s clerk of court and comptroller, the county’s roll-back rate, or tax rate that would generate the same amount of tax revenue as the current rate, was 8.528 mills.
Setting the rate at 9 mills is 5.5% above the roll-back rate.
Baker stressed to the board that it can lower the millage rate at any point during the budget process up through the final budget hearing. However, the rate could not be increased from the value set at Tuesday’s meeting.
“I say leave it where it is until we have the budget hearings,” Commissioner Leo Mobley said.
The tentative rate would generate nearly $1.25 million more than the roll-back rate.
BUDGET HEARINGS SET FOR SEPTEMBER
The board also approved its budget hearing dates in September.
The county’s tentative hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5, at 5:05 p.m. at the Judicial Annex, 218 Parshley Street SW in Live Oak.
The final hearing will be Monday, Sept. 23, also at 5:05 p.m. at the Judicial Annex.
By JAMIE WACHTER on Saturday, September 7, 2024Subhead
Tourism marketing efforts garner county Flagler Awards.
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LIVE OAK — Suwannee County’s efforts to attract visitors is officially one of the best in the state.
During the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism last week at the Tampa Convention Center, the Suwannee County Tourist Development Council received a pair of Flagler Awards from Visit Florida. The awards, named for Henry Flagler, recognized outstanding tourism marketing in the state.
“Very honored to receive the best of the best, so to speak, in rural, but then also Best of Show,” Jimmy Norris, Suwannee County’s TDC director, said Wednesday about the awards. “It was very unexpected.”
Suwannee County was honored for its “Soul of Suwannee” campaign, which was launched with the help of the Suwannee County TDC’s advertising partner, Madden Media.
“Our objective was to establish Suwannee County as the quintessential small-town retreat, ideal for those seeking a serene getaway infused with numerous opportunities for outdoor adventure and nature immersion,” Charissa Setzer, Suwannee County TDC Marketing Coordinator, said about that award-winning marketing campaign.
That campaign was tops in the Rural Category, which included all types of advertising (print, internet, mobile, social media, television, radio, etc.) for all 30 counties across the state that are designated as rural. That includes some areas with budgets that are six to seven times larger than Suwannee County’s TDC budget, Setzer noted.
The “Soul of Suwannee” campaign success, though, led to a second Henry Award as well, as Suwannee County also captured the Best of Show award for those with annual budgets less than $150,000.
Norris said he and Setzer were so busy celebrating the first award win with their partners from Madden Media at the conference that they didn’t even hear them being named the Best of Show winner.
“Somebody said, ‘Hey, go, go, go,’” he said. “I looked up and they had Suwannee County up there for Best of Show. We didn’t even hear them announce it. We were just so excited to win the first one.”
Setzer added that the awards are not just for her and Norris and their office, but rather was a collaborative effort.
“We are thrilled to have Suwannee County recognized by the state,” Setzer said in a release. “This has been a team effort and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the TDC board and also the Commissioners.
By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, June 19, 2024Subhead
390 acres near I-10, 129 selected for site.
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LIVE OAK — After withstanding Hurricane Idalia last fall, Suwannee County and the State of Florida are hoping to be better prepared for potential future storms.
The Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners announced Tuesday night its intent on purchasing 390 acres just north of Interstate 10 along U.S. Highway 129 to house Project Summit, a regional emergency shelter for North Florida. The board will vote on the $5.5 million purchase at its Aug. 6 meeting.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has already approved $2.5 million toward the project in the state’s budget he signed last week, which will be used for the purchase. The county will be requesting $4.5 million out of the state’s revolving loan fund to close out the purchase as well as begin development of the property. The commission unanimously authorized County Administrator Greg Scott to apply for that funding.
There is no set timeframe on completing the project, which County Attorney Adam Morrison said is entirely a state project as far as constructing the facility.
But Commission Chairman Travis Land said when the state approached Suwannee County officials last fall after Idalia hit with the desire to put a regional shelter in Suwannee County, it was a no-brainer to jump on board and try to identify a property that would work and meet the state’s guidelines — a large tract of land within a half a mile of the interstate.
“As a commissioner, if North Florida is getting a shelter, why would I not want the families in Suwannee County to have the convenience of it being in Suwannee County instead of sending them to Lake City or Madison,” Land said.
Franklin White, who was the board’s chairman when the county was first approached about the shelter, agreed with Land.
“What an opportunity for Suwannee County,” White said. “This has just been a no-brainer for me from the get go.”
Commissioner Maurice Perkins added: “You can’t lose with it.”
Morrison said if Suwannee County said no, the state would have looked elsewhere as it had determined the need for a shelter in the area.
“We just get the first crack at it,” Morrison said.
In a June 11 letter to the county commission, Kevin Guthrie, the state’s Division of Emergency Management director, thanked Suwannee County for its “leadership” in agreeing to host the shelter.
“Each disaster Florida experiences provides lessons learned in how we can continue to improve our disaster response capabilities,” Guthrie wrote in the letter. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, we learned that a regional shelter is necessary in the North Florida area.”
The regional shelter would serve all of North Florida in the event of another storm impacting the area like Idalia. Residents from all surrounding counties, including Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison and Taylor counties, could be housed at the site. It also will lessen the need for counties in the area to depend on school buildings as shelters. Suwannee County and most of the other rural counties in the area use schools as shelters during storm events.
Additionally, the shelter will be able to be utilized by the state as a safe place to evacuate from other areas when storms arrive.
“Having such a large shelter easily accessible off Interstate 10 will be welcome relief for many people,” Guthrie added in the letter.
How large that shelter will be is still unknown, according to county officials.
Land said the state, though, did advise “Team Suwannee” to visit the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Pasco County, which also was originally constructed and designed as a regional shelter.
That facility is 98,000 square feet and is utilized during non-emergency situations as an indoor sports facility with 70,000 square feet of hardwood floor arena space that attracts basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and gymnastics events to the Wesley Chapel site when it is not being needed for emergency use.
Suwannee County will be able to use its shelter, once constructed, for other functions as well.
“The most important thing is it’s going to be a shelter,” Morrison said. “But there has to be something to do with the property when there’s not a storm.”
Land said it has not been determined what that use would be.
Whatever it ends up being, though, the county plans for the shelter facility to generate enough money to pay off that state loan used to help finalize the purchase. It is negotiating the repayment terms so that no money is paid back until the shelter is constructed.
“The project will fund itself,” Land said.
And, the county expects, it will fund much more. It was also serve as a magnet for other development. The Pasco County site has led to an influx of restaurants, hotels and other retail spaces in the near vicinity.
“If we can come up with a design and a plan and everybody can agree to what this should be under blue skies, think about the economic impact that thing could have over the next 25 years and the financial benefit that comes from that to the county and to the community,” he added.
The worst-case scenario for Suwannee County, according to Morrison, will be if the state changes its mind. As a state project, it will be funding the construction of the facility through the Division of Emergency Management. Should the state not fund it, the county would instead just sell the property at some point in the future and recoup its money for that purchase, plus some, Morrison said.
“Suwannee County would be up $2.5 million,” he said, noting the state appropriation toward the purchase.
Well Done Suwannee Commission
At the regular county commission meeting of June 18thit was announced that the State of Florida Emergency Management had selected Suwannee County as a site for a regional shelter provided the county purchase 390 acres close to I-10 and 129. The state will give a grant for a portion of the purchase and will also float a loan to the county for the remainder of the purchase. The real up side is the state will pay for and build the facility and it will be owned by the county to manage. In the end the facility will belong to the county to use as they see fit. In my opinion this is a win win for the county. The commissioners have been working on this agreement for a year. There are lots of positive things going on behind the scenes that will help the county grow in a controlled manner, this is a big one. Thank you county commissioners for working so hard to better our community.
Wayne F. Hannaka
Concerned Citizens of North Florida
By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, July 5, 2024SubheadBOCC also may take ownership of historic building.Image
BodyLIVE OAK — The Suwannee County Historical Museum is not a part of history itself.Facing the “breaking point” with its budget due to costly repairs and drastic insurance increases on its 121-year-old building, the Suwannee County Historical Commission received a much-needed lifeline from the Suwannee County Commission on Tuesday with more help possibly to come in the future.At the request of Eric Musgrove, the Historical Commission chairman, the BOCC agreed by a 4-0 vote to provide $5,000 immediately to get the museum through the remainder of the fiscal year. During the county’s budget workshops coming up, the BOCC will also discuss possibly taking over ownership of the historic building as well. Commissioner Maurice Perkins, a member of the Historical Commission board, abstained from voting on the matter.“I think the museum is an asset,” BOCC Chairman Travis Land said. “We certainly don’t want to sit and watch that old building rot and decay because you’re unable to take care of it.”The need for the county to do so is a result of various factors, Musgrove said in a presentation to the county commission. For starters, Musgrove said rental revenues have been reduced since covid-19 with its front office space no longer rented out and rentals of the back dock on the Atlantic Coast Line Freight Station for events still not back to pre-covid levels.On top of that, the building has needed a slew of repairs the past year to remain safe as well as meet fire codes, including the addition of a rear exit and steps and repairs to flooring as well as brick and mortar repairs.“These expenses were more than we had prepared for,” Musgrove said. “Those prices have gone through the roof.”The biggest impact, though, has been felt in insurance costs, Musgrove said. When the Historical Commission, which was created in 1980 and was deed the building in 1991, began paying its own premiums in 2015, the cost of insuring the building was $975 for that year. The current premium is nearly $21,000, double its cost from the previous year.“Our budget was never meant to take such a hit,” he said. “Every year we’ve taken a hit on insurance.“It has basically taken us to the breaking point. At this current rate, we’re not going to be able to meet our financial obligations until the end of the fiscal year.”That insurance cost would be reduced, Musgrove said, if the county were to take over ownership of the building as it would be lumped in with the remainder of the county’s facilities. While the Historical Commission is a joint venture between the county and the City of Live Oak, Musgrove said the city was OK with the county taking over ownership of the building, possibly as part of Suwannee Parks and Recreation, which is another joint effort between the county and the city.Musgrove added the county’s maintenance department could probably handle some of the upkeep on its own, representing another cost savings.The Historical Commission would continue to operate the museum in the building, while both the dock and the front office could continue to be used for rentals.Commissioner Don Hale agreed the county needed to do whatever it could to protect the building and its contents.“It’s not only the building that could go to waste, it’s our history of Suwannee County,” he said. “It’s why we’re here because of that and what it represents.”
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