Council feud nearly boils over Monday By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com Who determines the agenda for a Live Oak City Council meeting was anything but a dull discussion Monday night at Live Oak City Hall. An item added to the agenda at the outset of the council meeting Monday by Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson following Council President Pro-Tem Tommie Jefferson requesting an additional item led to a disagreement between Jefferson and City Manager Larry Sessions, a heated back-and-forth between Jefferson and Council President Matt Campbell after Jefferson touched Campbell and nearly a recess. When Jefferson requested at the outset of the meeting to have an item added about the discussion of an alcohol license for Darrell Bridgett’s business, which wasn’t added ahead of the meeting by Sessions, Robinson requested a discussion on setting the agenda. To start that discussion, Robinson said there is confusion about what can be put on the agenda and the process to do so, noting councilors had been sending information to City Clerk John Gill to be placed on the agenda but Sessions had requested the same information so he could be prepared for those discussions. “We are in a city manager type of government, so I understand his point of view of not being blind-sided,” Robinson said, adding that it hasn’t worked well to keep Sessions in the loop. Robinson said the council doesn’t have to get approval from the manager to put items on the agenda, but noted everybody should be working in tandem. That is where the disagreement began. Jefferson said as the governing body for the city, the council determines the agendas and sets the “laws” for city operations with Sessions merely to enact those policies. “That is what we were elected to do, be your voice,” he said. Sessions didn’t fully agree with Jefferson’s take. Rather, Sessions said as the manager, he is responsible for setting the agenda for council meetings. But he did agree that he also is responsible for making sure the policies set by the council are then followed. “This is a city manager form of government, I do set the agendas,” Sessions said. “That’s the way it’sdesigned. Live Oak City Council President Matt Campbell (right) and President Pro Tem Tommie Jefferson got into a heated back-and-forth Monday after Jefferson touched Campbell’s arm. Campbell, Jefferson engaged in heated back-and-forth. ‘I have zero confidence in Mr. Jefferson’s  aptitude, ability and willingness to make decisions. I have zero respect for the way you do...’ — Live Oak City Council President Matt Campbell on President Pro Tem Tommie Jefferson FEUD supposed to work.” Jefferson responded: “Not the form of government we’re supposed to abide by. We understand, the city council understands, you’re not our boss, we’re your boss. You answer to us. You get your agenda just like everybody gets their agenda.” After the back and forth between Sessions and Jefferson, Campbell said that Jefferson didn’t speak for the entire council and definitely didn’t speak for him. “I understand how things are supposed to work,” Campbell said. “That system works great if you are doing that.” Jefferson replied that everybody was entitled to their own opinion. He then grabbed Campbell’s arm and asked if he was good. He was not. “Don’t touch me,” Campbell said. “This is the last time I will tell you, do not ever touch me again, please. I’m going on the record saying if you ever touch me again, then it will be defense.” Campbell then said he agreed with Jefferson that everybody has their own opinion and he was about to share his. “I have zero confidence in Mr. Jefferson’s aptitude, ability and willingness to make decisions,” he added. “I have zero respect for the way you do...” before being cut off. But despite pleas from Robinson and Mayor Frank Davis to call for a recess, Campbell declined, saying he could move past the tension and keep the meeting moving, which he did. Prior to the near physical altercation between Campbell and Jefferson, Sessions said part of the city’s problems in handling issues was the lack of communication, noting few councilors come to his office to discuss agenda items or what is happening in the city. “It’s like nobody wants to come to my office and discuss anything,” Sessions said. “Communication is the key to fixing anything.” Jefferson admitted he was one of those. He said he refused to have 1-on-1 conversations, preferring to email his thoughts and requests. He also said he sends items he wants on agendas to City Clerk John Gill, who can then dispense it to Sessions. Sessions said the discussions between himself as administrator and council members can help educate both sides on potential agenda items as well as determining if it really needs to be discussed at a council meeting. Jefferson, though, reiterated his desire to not engage in those conversations with the city’s manager. “This 1-on-1 meeting and all that, that’s why I do emails, to remind you, this is a public setting,” Jefferson said. “Bring these things up in a public setting. The public needs to know and the public needs to see to hear what’s going on.” Later in the meeting, resident Cheryl Pruitt scolded the council for its behavior, likening them to stray cats that show up at her house. Pruitt said it’s hard to get business done with everybody trying to claw each other’s eyes out. “I had a mess with them,” Pruitt said of the 20 strays. “I finally got them all fixed. I’m hoping there’s some way this board can be fixed.

Yulee honor one step closer By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The Live Oak City Council is one step closer to honoring a former councilman. During Monday’s council meeting, it appr oved the first r e a d i n g of an ordinance to name the old Live Oak City Hall, which currently houses the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce, as the John W. Yulee Building by a 4-1 vote. Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson cast the dissenting vote. A second public hearing on the matter will be held in November. Yulee, who served on the council for 16 years, also was a dedicated law enforcement officer, becoming a deputy sheriff in Dade County in 1975 after serving in the military following his graduation in 1968 from Douglass High School in Live Oak. He also worked as a police officer in Live Oak and as a deputy with the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office. Yulee also worked for the U.S. Postal Service. That service was noted by multiple residents who addressed the council prior to its vote, requesting they support the push to honor Yulee, who passed away in August. Yvonne Scott, who heads the D.E.V.O.T.E.D. 4-H Club said Yulee is admired by her club for the assistance and inspiration he provided in the past, coming to talk to them and sharing his experiences. Scott said Yulee showed them, through those interactions but also through his life, that they also could make a difference in their community. “ D . E . V . O . T . E . D . stands for Determined, Enthusiastic, Visionary, Optimistic, Together, Effective and Devoted,” Scott said to applause from those in attendance at Monday’s meeting. “That’s John Yulee.” Robert Ford, who spoke on behalf of Yulee in September when the idea was first broached and the council provided consensus to City Attorney Todd Kennon to draft the ordinance, again spoke up for Yulee. After saying the Yulee meets the criteria needed for recognition such as a building being named in his honor, Ford likened the former councilman to Micah 6:8, which says “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” “That is John W. Yulee,” Ford said. Stefan Blue agreed, calling Yulee a “trifecta in life”, noting he was a family man, a public servant and a community activist, someone everybody respected. However, former Councilwoman L ynda Williams urged the council to not name the building after Yulee, much like she did a month before, saying it wasn’t personal but rather claimed the council would be “opening a can of worms.” “This is about being honest and fair to each and every individual,” said Williams, who added she also admired Yulee and that they were close. “There’s not enough buildings in the City of Live Oak to do that.” Williams added that the council should instead consider naming Heritage Park and Gardens after Yulee instead since he cast the deciding vote that made the park a reality

City-county luncheon will kick off Florida City Week By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com Live Oak’s first foray into celebrating Florida City Week will also include the Suwannee County Commission for a lunchtime meet and greet. Mayor Frank Davis, who has helped spearhead the city’s plans next week for the Florida City Week celebration, requested the Live Oak City Council, during its meeting Monday, make time and plans to take part in some of the festivities, notably the events planned for Monday through Wednesday. On Monday, the city will be hosting a joint luncheon with the commissioners at Heritage Park and Gardens’ Don Allen Cultural Center, 1004 Helvenston St. SE in Live Oak. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. “This is not a meeting to decide any issues, not even to discuss any projects or issues,” Davis said. “It’s just a meet and greet, a goodwill luncheon.” Davis added there will be several speakers at the event, providing some basic information. He said Eric Musgrove, the county historian and deputy clerk of court, will be among those to talk about the history of Live Oak and Suwannee County. “We wanted to get everybody together and get to know each other,” Davis added. “Just people getting together and fellowship.” Following that luncheon, the council and other city officials will read to students at Suwannee Riverside Elementary School on Tuesday before visiting The Arc of North Florida on Wednesday with refreshments. Other activities planned for the week include a Coffee with the Mayor at Live Oak City Hall on Thursday where residents can meet with Davis as well as City Manager Larry Sessions and CRA Director Nicholas Frigiola. On Friday, people can receive tours of City Hall in both the morning and afternoon, those tours are set for 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sign-ups are necessary to attend the tours. Throughout the week, the city is also teaming up with UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension and local businesses to offer a scavenger hunt of historic buildings in Live Oak. The scavenger hunt books can be picked up at City Hall, 101 White Ave. SE, or the Extension Office at the Suwannee County Coliseum, 1302 11th St. SW, on Friday, Oct. 17, or throughout the week of Oct. 20-24. There will also be a pair of contests for students in local school groups, which have already been chosen. There will be an essay contest on the theme of “Why I love Live Oak and Suwannee County,” and a poster contest of “If I Were Mayor.” The poster contest winner will be “Mayor for the Day.” Concluding the activities will be the city’s annual Candy Carnival, which is set for 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Coliseum. The Candy Carnival will include a costume contest for children, ages 0-12, as well as games, treats and food. Businesses that are taking part in the festival can win a booth decorating contest.

10/7/25 BOCC Meeting 

County offers to offload roads to city By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The Suwannee County Commission is looking to remove one possible roadblock on infrastructure improvements within the City of Live Oak. During the commission’s meeting Tuesday night, it unanimously authorized County Attorney Adam Morrison to send a letter to city officials offering to give the city all county-owned roadways inside the city limits. “We’ve all had our districts touch the City of Live Oak and we’ve heard, ‘why isn’t his road paved?’ or the road situation,” Chairman Travis Land said as he brought up the discussion. “Why do we even own roads inside the city limits? That’s their sandbox.” Land said he wanted to see what the other commissioners thought about the idea after having been approached by several residents in his district wanting to know why the county hadn’t repaved Helvenston Street. Land said it wasn’t a new issue either. Rather, it’s one all the commissioners have dealt with at times, both now and on previous boards. But Land said, in this case, it didn’t make sense for the county to repave Helvenston Street because the city had infrastructure beneath the street and it needed to be repaired or replaced before money was spent on a paving project. “Why don’t we just give them the roads and then they can pave them or not pave them or close them, whatever they want to do with them,” he said, repeating that he didn’t know why the county owned what he believed should be city streets. “I just think we need to get out of the way.” The other commissioners agreed. Morrison said the logical step would be sending a letter to gauge the city’s interest in taking over ownership of those roads. “They could just say, ‘no,’ in which case we’re up a river as it were,” he said. If the city is interested, Morrison said there would then need to be negotiations on what that conveyance looked like, including which party would be responsible for getting a survey done on all the roadways being transferred. That survey work would be extensive, according to Morrison. Land questioned why there was a need for a full metes and bounds survey on roads that have existed in the community for more than 100 years. “Accurately describing it wouldn’t be saying, ‘Helvenston Street,’” he said. Using Helvenston Street as an example, Morrison said the survey is necessary to fully identify where rights-of-way exist. He said the county technically owns 40 feet of the parcels that line that street on the south side of downtown Live Oak from when that roadway was established and then given to the county by the state. “I’m telling you that as a matter of passing title, you have to have a metes and bounds description, just saying ‘the road’ doesn’t cut it,” Morrison said. Morrison noted there is another option the county could pursue if it didn’t want to fully turn over the roads to the city and get the required surveys that go along with that. Instead, the two parties could entertain an interlocal agreement that would give the city control over the roadways. But under that agreement, the county would still legally own them. Land added that he thought transferring ownership of the roadways to the city could also benefit the city as it continues to seek grant funding to update its aging infrastructure as it would be able to show ownership over those areas and wouldn’t have to come back to the county for permission to do work. Commissioner Maurice Perkins, whose district includes a large portion of the city, noted that those city residents are also still county residents. He said he would still be interested in helping making improvements to the roadway infrastructure in the future even if they are no longer county owned. “I will come back and ask for some help to repair some new roads,” he said. Land agreed. “I’m not opposed to helping them whatsoever; I just don’t know why we want to own the roads in the city,”

SCSO adds ‘useful tool’ in Flock cameras By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office has unveiled a new ‘useful tool’ to help solve crimes. The SCSO is in the process of installing 18 Flock Safety cameras, which read license plates, at select locations across the county. Sheriff Sam St. John told the Suwannee County Commission on Tuesday night that those are the only cameras his office is currently planning on utilizing. The City of Live Oak also has installed some of the Flock cameras. “We’ve got them placed out in different areas of the county where we think will be most beneficial to us,” St. John said. According to St. John and a release from the SCSO, the sheriff’s office is utilizing the cameras as a way to strengthen public safety and help speed up investigations. The cameras are used throughout the state and country by different law enforcement agencies. “The reason that we got them is to solve crimes,” St. John said. “They’re a very useful tool. “I know there are some concerns about them being Big Brother and watching where you’ve come and where you’re going, but it’s not that.” St. John said the cameras have already proven beneficial to his deputies. He said during a recent vandalism of a church on River Road, a camera at the church was able to get a clear image of the getaway vehicle but not the license plate number. Deputies were able to utilize that image of the vehicle — a blue Ford Ranger with an off-color door — to find the tag number once it drove past one of the cameras and arrest the suspect. He said the system has also helped lead an ongoing theft investigation to a possible suspect in St. Johns County. “Some aren’t even online yet, but the ones that are online have been successful in finding missing persons and solving crimes,” he said. “That’s our use for it.” The Flock system also helped lead authorities to track Dominic Caroway, a suspect wanted in Gadsden County from a shooting at a convenience store, to Live Oak in February. Caroway shot Suwannee County Deputy Justin Dalton after being stopped in Live Oak. Caroway was later shot and killed by Live Oak police officers after he opened fire on them. Dalton, meanwhile, has recovered and returned to work. “It’s a very useful tool for us and, so far, it’s been very successful for us,” St. John added. St. John also noted the cameras don’t use facial recognition software, instead only capturing license plates and vehicle attributes. He added the information obtained from the cameras is deleted within 30 days. “It’s not an invasion of privacy or following people where they come or go, what we put in there is what we get back out,” St. John added.

Board supports no wake on lower IchetuckneeBy JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The push to idle down speeds on the lower Ichetucknee River has unanimous support from the Suwannee County Commission too. After the Columbia County Commissioners backed a citizen petition to request a no wake zone as part of a springs protection zone from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last Thursday, the Suwannee board followed suit at its meeting Tuesday. “I’m a thousand percent in support of the no wake zone, a thousand percent,” Chairman Travis Land said. The board had plenty of support for their decision as well. After Alden Rosner, the county’s parks and recreation director, told the board that FWC was looking for input from the county on the request, which was filed by Linda Weseman, a Columbia County woman who lives on the Santa Fe River, the board heard from 11 different individuals from southwestern Columbia County, southeastern Suwannee County and northern Gilchrist County pushing for the support. John Quarterman, a Georgia man who is the Suwannee Riverkeeper, also urged the board to back the push. Most of those pleas from the area residents dealt with public safety and the fact that fast-moving boats — or personal watercraft which Weseman was requesting restrictions on their presence on the shallow, narrow river — are dangerous due to the number of swimmers and floaters on the Ichetucknee. Cathy Rieker, who lives in Three Rivers Estates in Columbia County, said she has not been on the river for a year after nearly being hit by a jet ski or wave runner three or four times in her kayak. “I would love to safely go back on the river and enjoy myself where I call home,” Rieker said. Larry Cyrier, who lives in northern Gilchrist County, mentioned similar concerns to the Suwannee Commission on Tuesday. He said he witnessed a family in a canoe pulling a paddle board when a boat came around a corner and cut in between them, which drug the paddle board beneath the boat. Cyrier said just moments earlier a young child had been riding on the paddle board. “I just want to protect what we have,” he said. “The Ichetucknee is a jewel.” The board agreed with that too. Franklin White, the commission co-chairman who represents the southern portion of Suwannee County, asked Rosner about the belief that there already is a no wake designation on that waterway. Rosner said there is no actual designation for that, although many believe it already exists. “Well it just makes common sense,” White said. “You just have to have a little respect. It’s a sad day that we’ve got to do things like that.” Land added: “Clearly there’s some folks out there that lack common sense.” But Rosner, after all the public comments on the topic, reminded the commission that FWC wasn’t considering public safety as it decides whether or not to grant the designation. Instead it would be basing it off of environmental concerns, which Weseman had noted at the Columbia County Commission meeting include shoreline erosion, disrupting turtle basking as well as stirring up dirt and sediment that limits the sunlight from reaching the aquatic vegetation that feed the animals in the water. James Mullis, who lives in Fort White, mentioned similar concerns to the Suwannee Commission on Tuesday, while adding that he also believes it is a public safety issue as well. “The habitat for the animals is no longer there,” Mullis said, noting there have been fewer fish in the area due to the issues caused by the boats and personal water craft. Added Merrilee MalwitzJipson: “For the next generation, it’s important now that we do something to protect it.” While the commission did fully support the no wake zone being placed on the lower Ichetucknee, the Suwannee commissioners, much like the Columbia board last week, weren’t fully on board with the restrictions on personal watercraft like jet skis or wave runners. White, Land and Commissioner Don Hale all said they weren’t sure how FWC could enforce a restriction on the personal watercraft, such as limiting how far up the river they could ride. So, following Morrison’s advice, the board directed Rosner to alert FWC that the board was unanimous in its support of the no wake zone but was offering no opinion on the PWC restriction. “How do we make it safe for everybody and enjoyable for everybody,” Commissioner Maurice Perkins said.

The Suwannee County Commission approved a proclamation declaring National 4-H Week in Suwannee County during its meeting Tuesday.The commissioners also heard from UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension 4-H Agent Katie Jones and members of the county’s 4-H Council, which represents 13 clubs. In Suwannee County 4-H serves more than 1,500 youth annually.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, October 1, 2025Subhead

Roberts: ‘Everything is happening just like it did yesterday.’

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• NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts said the transition to having the authority provide utility services went smoothly when the switch-over officially began Wednesday morning. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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The North Florida Water Utilities Authority officially began operating utilities in both Columbia and Suwannee counties on Wednesday.

Not that anyone would be able to tell the difference, according to NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts.

During the NFWUA board’s meeting Wednesday morning, Roberts said as far as the utility clients in both counties, there was no real difference between Tuesday and Wednesday other than the new date on the calendar.

“Everything is happening just like it did yesterday,” he said. “Yesterday, all the water service in both counties was handled and everything got done. Today, the same thing is happening except we’re overseeing and managing it all.

“The date has changed. Some of the personnel will be under new management and organization but the service is working.”

With the NFWUA, though, taking over operations and maintenance on the utility systems for the counties on Wednesday, Roberts is no longer the lone NFWUA employee. There are now three authority employees with a fourth coming over once the billing system is up and running. He also is looking for a fifth member to fill an opening.

One of the tasks Roberts is trying to tie up around the operations of the utilities is switching the power at the water and wastewater plants in both counties to the NFWUA. He asked permission of the board Wednesday to pay deposits to both Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative and Clay Electric Cooperative in order to do that. Roberts said both required the deposits to new customers without a five-year history.

Steven Dicks, the at-large member on the NFWUA board, asked if he had sought a waiver. He then also requested Roberts seek a waiver from those co-ops’ boards.

“One thing is policy but another is the board can make a decision,” he said. “If they say no, we have to pay it but the bottom line is trying to save a few pennies.”

Roberts said he would go back and seek that waiver from those governing boards. But the board also approved Roberts paying $11,550 in those deposits should waivers not be possible.

EYING GRANT FUNDS

When asked by Vice Chairman Franklin White, Roberts also told the board Wednesday that he is applied for a $5.1 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for an extension at the wastewater plant at the County Road 136 and Interstate 75 interchange near White Springs.

Roberts said the grant would allow sewer lines to be extended both to north of the interchange where there had been inquiries about possible developments as well as to further east to the Suwannee-Columbia county line where a couple of RV and trailer parks reside. Roberts said the grant would also help fund taking up to 108 septic tanks offline to convert to sewer.

“All of that was wrapped up in that $5.1 million ask,” he said.

MEETING CHANGES

During September, the board decided to shift its meetings from the beginning of the month to the middle in order to get a better current financial update from consultant Richard Powell.

With that decision, the board approved its meeting dates and locations for the upcoming year Wednesday.

The NFWUA will meet in Lake City at the Tourist Development Council conference room at Duval Place, 971 W. Duval Street, on Nov. 17 and Dec. 15 this year, as well as April 20, June 15 and Aug. 17 next year.

The authority will meet at the Judicial Annex, 218 Parshley Street SW in Live Oak, on Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 16, May 18, July 20 and Sept. 21 next year.

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By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, October 1, 2025Subhead

Districts required by Florida Commerce to annually list objectives.

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• NFWUA Chairman and Columbia County Commissioner Rocky Ford agreed with the goals set by Executive Director Shannon Roberts at Wednesday’s meeting. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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The North Florida Water Utilities Authority is moving forward with a five-pronged set of goals for the upcoming year.

The NFWUA board gave Executive Director Shannon Roberts direction during Wednesday’s meeting to send the fledgling utility authority’s priority list to Florida Commerce as part of its annual report, which requires special district to submit their goals. They also must be posted on the authority’s website.

Roberts said he and Grady Williams, the NFWUA’s attorney, devised the list from the interlocal agreement between Columbia County And Suwannee County that established the authority last year.

“It has some very specific comments in there about what the goals and the purpose of the authority are,” Roberts said. “You can see how it relates to the goals that are in the organization itself.”

Among the objectives the NFWUA seeks to accomplish in the next year are maintaining system reliability be reducing unplanned water service, achieving a customer satisfaction rate of 85% or higher in annual customer surveys, achieving monthly compliance in timely wastewater discharge monitoring and water operational reporting, submitting grant applications for infrastructure renewal and capital investment projects, and designing a web-based dashboard to provide quarterly metrics.

All of the goals that must be submitted to the state must be able to be measured, which Roberts said will be accomplished. For the first goal, he said the authority hopes to have no more than two unplanned outages over the next year. As for customer satisfaction, he said the NFWUA will create and distribute a survey to at least 30% of its customers annually and that is where they hope to get at least an 85% satisfaction rating on their service quality and responsiveness.

“Are they satisfied with the service we’re providing?” Roberts said.

He added that the authority aims to have no late submissions on the monthly operation reports that must be filed for all wastewater and water systems. The goal for the NFWUA in seeking grants will be at least three applications submitted annually for funding in order to address repairs, replacements or extensions of water and wastewater systems.

Lastly, Roberts said the authority will complete an evaluation and conceptual design on an online performance dashboard to post online by the end of next September that shows the financial health of the NFWUA, water quality provided and service metrics.

“We can show information about quality reporting, whatever we decide to show for public consumption and viewing,” he said.

Franklin White, the Suwannee County commissioner who serves as the NFWUA’s vice chairman, said those goals sounded good to him.

Chairman Rocky Ford, a Columbia County commissioner, agreed, telling Roberts to go ahead and post them on the authority’s website.

“I’d like to think over it a little bit more,” Ford said. “If we see where we need to update it at some point, we can do that.”

County cuts tax rate for first time in 12 years By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com Suwannee County property owners will see a reduced millage rate in the upcoming fiscal year. At its final budget hearing, the Suwannee County Commission reduced the tax rate from 9 mills, where it had been for 12 years, to 8.8 mills. The reduction, which came after discussion on possible changes to the proposed budget that included pulling $250,000 from its contingency fund to its own line item for implementing a new pay scale, was approved unanimously. Commissioner Leo Mobley was absent while dealing with a family issue. Commissioner Maurice Perkins began the discussion on cutting the millage rate, proposing a half-mill reduction to 8.5 mills, which would have been close to the 8.3567-mill rollback rate, or the rate that would generate the same amount of ad valorem tax revenue as the current rate. The approved rate is 5.3% above the rollback rate. However, that reduction would have cut the contingency to below $1 million, which was more than the other commissioners felt comfortable with. Vice Chairman Franklin White followed by suggesting the 8.8-mill number. That cut would reduce the revenue to the county $590,000, which impacts that contingency. There is $1.688 million left in the contingency fund for the board. White noted that the county is paying for part of the Commission drops millage from 9 to 8.8. JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter Suwannee County Commissioner Franklin White suggested an 8.8-mill tax rate in order to provide some relief to county property owners at Monday’s final budget hearing at the Judicial Annex. COUNTY cost to dispose of garbage for the residents out of the general fund to keep the solid waste assessment lower, which he said is its own tax break. The reduction also came after Moses Clepper, an outspoken Suwannee County resident, criticized the board for its lack of millage reductions over the years. Clepper said he wanted to see at least a full mill reduction, but ideally would like to see a 6-mill rate to help relive the burden on the taxpayer. Clepper’s push for that big cut was due to the rise in ad valorem tax revenue over the past five years of approximately $10 million. Land, though, said the additional revenue is needed in order to continue to provide the services across the county, whether it is for Suwannee County Fire Rescue, Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office and Suwannee County Parks & Recreation, which have to serve more residents than it did 5-10 years ago. “They can’t serve with the same amount of money, and not have the same level of service,” Land said. “The quality of that service is going to have to decrease. That’s just simple math too.” Clepper said he just wanted to see a tax break for the residents. “I think we all do,” Land responded. “It’s a double-sided sword, in my opinion. I don’t like property taxes either, I pay them too.” The board then backed that up. With the reduction in the millage, the final budget approved by the board was $189.989 million, most of which is grant or restricted funding. The only change to the budget made during the hearing Monday was the funding set aside for pay raises. Those raises are a result of a pay rate study the county had performed. Among the options presented by the study, the board desired a $306,000 increase for raises county-wide. Still, the board decided to not fully fund those out of the contingency. Rather, it wants departments to try to fund as much of the increases as possible from their already-approved budgets. “My recommendation would be to encourage all department heads and constitutionals too to find what you can, please, in your own budgets to adopt the new pay scale,” Land said. “If you just absolutely cannot, the board has set aside $250,000 to help those departments to move those funds.

September 16, 2025

Letter to Greg Scott, Suwannee County Manager

Mr. Scott as you retire we wanted to let you know the people of Suwannee County appreciate the work you have done over the past 37 years for our county. Your dedication to our community has been noted, and you should be proud of your accomplishments. When commissioner White told me on December 2, 2022 you will be happy with my appointment for a new county manager I said no I will not, well I was wrong. You have created a team that follows your lead and continues to do the right thing on a daily basis. Every conversation we have had through the years has always ended with your acknowledgment of a team effort never an individual. Even during adversity you always found a positive point of view. During hurricanes, tornados, and many difficult times your calm leadership has been a positive reflection on our county.

We will miss you at the helm of our county, but most of all hope you will enjoy life with your family for a long time. Take care and God Bless you.

Thank you

Wayne F. Hannaka

Founder of Concerned Citizens of North Florida 

 City gives final approval to small millage decrease By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The Live Oak City Council unanimously approved both its tax rate and budget for the upcoming fiscal year. But not before some discussion over concerns about the price allocated toward making sure city offices remain energized during potential storms and power outages. During a special meeting Tuesday, the council passed the proposed 9.25-mill tax rate, which is reduced from the current 9.2623-mill rate. The new rate, though, is 3.41% above the rollback rate, or the tax rate that would generate the same amount of tax revenue for the city as the current rate. The rollback rate was 8.9542 mills. While that rate received no discussion, from either the council or the public, the city’s $49.896 million budget did spark concerns from the council. Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson questioned the $450,000 line in the budget for a new generator for Live Oak City Hall. “To the people that pay taxes, half a million dollars is a lot of money for a generator,” Robinson said. She later said she would be in favor of looking at other options, including setting aside a smaller amount and putting the remainder into contingency. City Manager Larry Sessions reiterated from early discussions on the budget that he didn’t believe the generator would actually cost that full amount. However, he wanted to be safe and make sure the budget covered the entire cost of the project, which would not only provide reserve power to City Hall but also to the adjacent City Hall Annex. “It is a big number, I think we can do it cheaper,” Sessions said. He added that he believed most of the cost for the generator project would likely be devoted to wiring at the Annex to connect it to the generator, noting it is an older building. Sessions said the current generator that only powers City Hall is an older, used machine that causes issues for city staff when it has to be used, causing glitches on the city’s server. The annex currently does not have backup power. “That’s a concern of ours, cyber security wise and other reasons for our computers to work during any power outage,” Sessions said. “If it’s not letting the server run properly then we can’t do our job properly.” During the discussion on the generator, Councilman Tommie Jefferson asked about the size of the generator and how much power it would provide, while Councilwoman Gladys Owens asked about the possibility of fixing the current generator. When Council President Matt Campbell requested the discussion return to the overall budget and not specific details on a generator, Jefferson took offense stating that he was allowed to discuss the topic. “Either way we’re going to be spending money, taxpayers’ money on this here, so we’re trying to look at the max and all that,” he said around Campbell banging the gavel to try to bring order back to the meeting on multiple occasions. “We are discussing. My opinion matters and I am allowed discussion. We are discussing this matter here.” GRANT FUNDING Following the budget hearing, the council also unanimously approved seeking a handful of grants from state agencies through the Suwannee County Parks and Recreation Department. Two of the grants are $200,000 opportunities from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. One of the FRDAP grants would be for improvements at John Hale Park, while the other application would be for funding to help with Heritage Trail. The council also authorized seeking funding through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agricultural Education and Promotion Facility Grant Program for the Suwannee County Coliseum. MEETING DATE CHANGE The council also moved its next two meeting dates. In October, the council will meet on Monday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m., to avoid a conflict with a Florida Redevelopment Association meeting that council members will be attending. The November meeting will also be held on a Monday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m. That normal meeting date is Veterans Day. Photos by JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter Generator sparks debate during budget talks. Live Oak Councilman Tommie Jefferson (left) looks on as Council President Matt Campbell tries to keep Jefferson on the topic of the budget and not minute details of a proposed generator for City Hall during Tuesday’s hearing. Campbell banged the gavel multiple times during the brief back-and-forth to try to keep order in the meeting and stop Jefferson’s line of questioning. Live Oak Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson said she was concerned with the $450,000 being set aside for a new generator for City Hall and Annex during the final bud 

LIVE OAK CITY COUNCILE WANTS TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE OLD CITY HALL BUILDING

By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com The historic Live Oak City Hall building and home to the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce may soon have a new name. The Live Oak City Council provided consensus to City Attorney Todd Kennon to draft an ordinance to rename the 1908 structure after former Councilman John Yulee Sr. Yulee, who passed away in August, served on the council for 16 years and during that time was instrumental in saving the historic building. “Each of you are in a position to not only offer words but to take action,” Live Oak resident Gary Caldwell said in support of the idea, which was brought up for discussion by Councilwoman Gladys Owens. “John did not serve in his position for recognition…But it is our responsibility as citizens, as councilwomen, as councilmen, to show our appreciation for those who gave such of their time and dedication as John W. Yulee did.” Only Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson voiced disagreement with naming the building after Yulee among the council. Both Council President Matt Campbell and Councilman David Alford said they didn’t personally know Yulee, but still supported the idea after hearing from multiple residents during Tuesday’s council meeting. “Your testimony spoke volumes about who he was,” Alford said. Councilman Tommie Jefferson noted that it wouldn’t be the first time a former civic leader had been honored with a naming recognition in Live Oak, pointing to John Hale Park. “I think this would be a tremendous thing and a great honor to honor someone who has done so much for this city,” Jefferson said. In addition to Caldwell, Robert Ford and Shanae Wilson spoke in favor of honoring Yulee for his service to the community. Mayor Frank Davis also spoke glowingly about the way Yulee went about his business as a councilman. Davis served alongside Yulee on the council before becoming mayor. “He was kind a mentor to me, he probably didn’t even realize that,” Davis said. “I watched him and listened to him. If Mr. Yulee was for something that indicated to me I voted right.” Ford grew up with Yulee, graduating from Douglass High School one year before the former councilor. He said Yulee’s contributions to the city are easily noticeable and a testament to the legacy he has left behind. In addition to helping renovate and save the old City Hall building, Yulee also cast the deciding vote to move forward with the Heritage Park and Gardens project around the Crapps mansion. He also was a driving force for adding “In God We Trust” to the city seal. “I respectfully submit that naming the old City Hall building in his honor would be both fitting and just,” Ford said. “The old City Hall stands today because of Mr. Yulee’s vision and efficacy. It serves as a symbol of city pride and historical continuity. I submit that this tribute would reflect on Mr. Yulee’s tireless dedication and will inspire future generations. “It would stand as a lasting beacon of gratitude, remembrance and inspiration…A measure of a life is not in its duration but in its donation. Councilman Yulee donated his life to the City of Live Oak.” Wilson said the honor would also be fitting for Yulee because he was a public servant, a soldier, a law enforcement officer and a community activist. “John W. Yulee Sr. developed a passion for serving the community, which he regarded as an extension of his family,” she said. Not everybody, though, was in favor of honoring Yulee by naming the building after him. Former Councilwoman Lynda Williams said that while she too was friends with Yulee, she believed naming the old City Hall after him would be “opening a can of worms.” Williams said when she sat on the council, she had to tell other people that the city ordinance didn’t allow for naming buildings and streets after them. The city does have an ordinance — 1322 — that outlines the criteria for the council to consider in naming a street or building after somebody. The guidelines for that public recognition includes: ■The honor should only be bestowed upon those with a history of serving with the community; ■ Any naming or renaming should be done by ordinance with the two public hearings on the matter; and ■ The city appropriately notice the hearings. Still, Williams said she didn’t think it was right, instead requesting that the council instead dedicate a wall of fame or honor and list names of local legends there as their recognition. “There are so many people who need their names on things, who would like to have their names on things,” she said, noting there have been some who served on the council for 37 years — Bennie Thomas —  and who have not been recognized in the same way. “I love him and his family. That’s not what I’m fighting. “Look at other ways to do this.” The city intends to hold those public hearings on the renaming at its October and November meetings.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, September 3, 2025Subhead

Assessment on garbage up $15; fire raises $31.

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• Suwannee County Commissioner Maurice Perkins made a motion to only increase the solid waste assessment $15 as a way to lessen the burden on taxpayers. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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Suwannee County property owners will be paying more for solid waste and fire protection, but not as much as previously expected.

During its meeting Tuesday night, the Suwannee County Commission unanimously approved the fire assessment and solid waste assessment for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Both fees are increasing from their current states, but the commission did cut the increase on the solid waste charge.

Currently, the solid waste assessment is $235 per single family dwelling annually and the board had previously set a tentative increase to $265.

However, in the final vote Tuesday that increase was dropped to $250.

“I’d like to try to absorb part of that in the general revenue,” Commission Chairman Travis Land said in proposing that lower figure. “Until we know where you’re going for a long period of time, I want to try to keep the rate as low as we can so we don’t charge anymore than we absolutely have to.”

The difference will be paid for out of the county’s general fund, which is already subsidizing the cost to transport the garbage from the county to a Waste Management landfill in Folkston, Ga.

Commissioner Franklin White, doing some quick calculations on the dais, said that even that incremental increase would lessen the impact on the general fund from $500,000 to $240,000.

“I’m all for seeking ways to help relieve some of the burden,” Commissioner Maurice Perkins said in making the motion to set the new fee at $250.

The fire assessment, meanwhile, is increasing from $120 per single family residence to $151, as requested and tentatively approved.

Land noted that fee had been $100 for years before increasing to $120 four years ago following a new rate study.

Carolee Howell told the commission to provide that increase, which was requested by Fire Chief Dan Miller. She said it figured out to just 8 ½ cents per day while noting the importance of fire protection as well as the rescue ambulance service that Suwannee County Fire Rescue provides for the county as a whole.

“Our fire chief has done everything he can this past year to find other avenues to bring in resources,” she said. “He has done a monumental job and I don’t think we need to snub him by saying, ‘No.’”

Moses Clepper, though, spoke against both increases, saying while most would have no problem with the annual increases, it would impact the less fortunate, who are already having to tighten their belts. He requested the county do likewise.

“We need to tighten up, this is just one way you could,” Clepper said.

Still, the fire assessment was passed as requested with Commissioner Don Hale saying he didn’t like increasing any fees but felt it was necessary.

“I just don’t know how we keep up with the growth,” he said. “I’ll support it because I have been on the other end of it and had a family member that needed those trucks to come.”

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, September 3, 2025Subhead

Multiple members have to attend meeting to receive extra time.

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• Bo Hancock, a Suwannee County resident, said the public has the right to say what they want at public meetings as the County Commission made changes to how it handles public comment. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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Despite criticism that they were trying to silence the public, the Suwannee County Commissioners unanimously approved amending a portion of their policies for public comment at meetings.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board supported an amendment to how public comment would be permitted to a representative of a group or faction. Under the county policies, a group’s representative is granted seven minutes to speak while typically comments are limited to three minutes.

The change still will allow a group representative the extra time to speak, but multiple individuals from the group have to be present and alert the commission that they are allowing the representative to speak on their behalf.

The change comes after Moses Clepper spoke at a board meeting in August and requested the additional time as he was speaking for the group, We the People of North Central Florida. When questioned about the group, Clepper said it was a private organization. Harry “Kin” Weaver Jr. said he also was a member at that meeting.

Both Clepper and Weaver spoke out against the proposed change Tuesday, as did Bo Hancock, who told the commission that it should name the resolution making the amendment the “Moses Clepper Resolution.”

“I don’t agree with everything that Moses says but he has a right to say it,” Hancock said. “I want to make that point clear.”

Weaver said he agreed completely with what Hancock said. Weaver said anybody could suddenly find themselves as unpopular with the sitting board members and otherwise find themselves ostracized from speaking.

“We need to listen to all,” he said. “I’m for free speech, irregardless of who it is, as long as we have decorum.”

Land said the change would not lead to less public comment. Instead, he said it was intended to help streamline the way he runs the meetings as the board’s chairman.

“No where does it say we’re not going to have public comment,” he said.

The board did make one tweak to the desired change, which originally was going to limit the group’s speaker to one specific agenda item. Instead, they will be able to address multiple agenda items in case there are multiple items on the consent agenda they wish to discuss. The public is allowed to speak on any item on the general business portion of meeting agendas in addition to their time during public comment.

Clepper, who previously spoke on the item during public comment, said state law said the board is not able to limit the public’s right to address county business.

“This is another shameful attempt to infringe on citizens’ First Amendment rights,” Clepper said.

Hancock, much like Weaver cautioned the board about going too far, saying the change could lead them on a “slippery slope.”

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, September 3, 2025Subhead

County Commission denies company’s special exception on zoning request.

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• Stephen Douglas, a co-owner of Suwannee Iron Works, speaks during a public hearing Tuesday night in front of the Suwannee County Commission on the company’s request for a special exception to the county’s zoning and Land Development Regulations. Seated next to Douglas is Emily Pierce, one of the company’s attorneys. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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A long-standing Suwannee County business was denied a special exception to continue operating Tuesday night.

Suwannee Iron Works, which has been in business for 40 years, was seeking a special exception to operate their metal manufacturing business off County Road 49 in O’Brien on a property zoned agriculture-1. The special exception, which was unanimously denied after approximately three hours of evidence and testimony provided during a public hearing, was needed in order to legally operate in that zoned area according to the county’s Land Development Regulations.

“It’s just gut-wrenching to me,” Commissioner Franklin White, who made the motion to deny the request, said. “It’s just sad you have to sit here and decide which one lives and which one dies, because that’s basically what’s going to happen.”

The special exception was the first step in multiple items needed for the business to continue operating, its attorney Emily Pierce with Rogers Towers Attorneys at Law told the commission. Even with their approval, Suwannee Iron Works still needed to get building permits, electrical permits and a certificate of occupancy to be able to continue operations. A code enforcement violation led to the county issuing a cease to operate order in July. Third Judicial Circuit Judge Mark Feagle granted the county’s injunction on that order earlier Tuesday, shutting down the company’s operations.

During the marathon public hearing, the commission heard public comments from 22 individuals, including family members of Raymond and Diane Howard, who live adjacent to the Suwannee Iron Works property and made the noise complaint which led to the code violation and shut down, as well as owners and employees of Suwannee Iron Works.

Those comments followed testimony from Ron Meeks, the county’s development services director, who said the company’s operations didn’t meet the criteria necessary for a special exception. Suwannee Iron Works was seeking it as a manufacturing and storage company under an area that also included explosives. Meeks said his interpretation of the county’s LDRs is that manufacturing and storage was explicitly for explosives, noting there also was a section for pulp and paper manufacturing.

“With most of our county being zoned agricultural, it’s kind of hard to isolate one piece of property and treat it differently than you would any other piece of property,” Meeks said. “If you approve a special permit, you’re saying that usage can go pretty much anywhere in Suwannee County.

“I’m just worried you’d set a precedent moving forward.”

George “Tommy” Reeves, who was handling the case for Suwannee County, also told the commissioners, who were acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, repeatedly that their decision boiled down to the simple fact: the company did not meet all the criteria.

Pierce disagreed, while also telling the board that her clients were willing to accept conditions on the special exception, including hours of operation and construction of an earthen dam to lessen the noise impacts as well as possible clouds of paint that the Howards said drifted onto their property and ruined one vehicle. She also said the company would be willing to relocate elsewhere in the county.

“We can’t move forward at all, we can’t operate tomorrow or the next day or the next day until we get all these things and step 1 to all of that is getting this special exception,” she said.

The company’s owners also said they were willing to work with the county on whatever conditions were desired. Ernie Caparelli, a co-owner and president of the company, said Suwannee Iron Works was willing to move and work with Suwannee County to keep it in the county. However, the company also would be willing to move elsewhere.

“We’re not asking for the world but if this ends badly for us, this ends badly for 100 people,” said Stephen Douglas, who also noted that with 100 employees that Suwannee Iron Works was the county’s 12th largest employer. “Give us a chance. We’re trying. We really are. We worked damn hard to get here and we’re trying to survive. If we could just get the opportunity to, I would appreciate it.”

However, other members of the public said the company’s success — which Caparelli said was surprising to both the county and themselves and caused them to outgrow what they originally were given permission to do but was the result of “unfortunately I’m a pretty good business person” — didn’t overshadow the fact that it didn’t follow the necessary steps to begin with.

Bryan and Linda Rucker both said they had to follow the county’s LDRs to begin their business in Suwannee County which included selling some properties because it would not be allowed.

“My biggest complaint is this an after effect of, ‘Oh, we spent a couple of million dollars and now we want to ask for forgiveness and by the way, can we move our business,’” Brian Rucker said. “I could have chose to do it the route they went but I didn’t. I did it the legal way.”

Jason Mowrer, who operates a welding shop after going through the planning and zoning process two decades ago, said he was not allowed to expand that operation because it was not permitted. However, Suwannee Iron Works is currently operating what Meeks’ staff report said was a 100,000-square-foot facility and property, although Pierce said was only a 28,000-square-foot building.

“If you allow them to continue, I’ll be back to expand,” he said. “You going to tell me no? How can you tell me no if you tell them it’s OK. I’ll be back to get mine, I promise you.”

That, too, was a point Reeves made in his closing arguments to the commissioners. Reiterating that it didn’t meet the criteria for a special permit, Reeves said the county would be on a slippery slope if it granted the request by Suwannee Iron Works.

“If you grant this one, what are you going to do turn down? What are you going to deny?” Reeves said.

The commission, ultimately, agreed. That despite multiple attempts by most of the board in trying to find what they admitted was a “win-win” in the case that would allow the company to continue operating while seeking a resolution that worked for everybody. Andrew Bass, a business owner in the county, asked them to try to do that as well, noting his business is a result of that kind of cooperation involving the county, himself and a previous neighboring property owner who objected. Bass was able to operate after moving to the county’s catalyst site.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, September 3, 2025Subhead

Raftelis finally has ‘momentum’ on assignment for Utility Authority.

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• Matthew Ori, a senior consultant with Raftelis, talks to the North Florida Water Utilities Authority board on Wednesday about the status of the rate study being performed by the group. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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LIVE OAK — A rate study is on the horizon for the North Florida Water Utilities Authority.

A pair of representatives from Raftelis, which was hired to put together the rate study by the NFWUA board in January for $130,000, told the directors at their Wednesday meeting that there is “momentum” currently on finalizing the study. The study initially was expected to be completed in eight months.

Matthew Ori, a senior consultant with Raftelis, said he was looking to conduct weekly conference calls with a “committee” from the group in order to keep that momentum rolling. Shannon Roberts, the NFWUA director, said he thought that group would involve himself, NFWUA Attorney Grady Williams and county staff, and most likely Columbia County Manager David Kraus and Suwannee County Assistant County Administrator Jason Furry.

“We’ve got some momentum now,” said Henry Thomas, a senior vice president with Raftelis. “We want to keep that up so we can get to the finish line.

“I’m reluctant to commit to (when will we reach the finish line) just yet, but in a couple months we should have the final cases for you to look at.”

That momentum, he said, has been the result of Roberts fully taking the reins of the NFWUA three months ago. Since then, the group has finalized its Suwannee County independent study and is trying to wrap up its independent look at Columbia County. Roberts said one additional piece of detailed financial data is needed to help Raftelis on that component.

Once that is completed, Ori said the group will then do a combined study for what it recommends the NFWUA set as its rates.

According to Ori, after the rates have been established, Raftelis will then also dive into miscellaneous fees like tap fees and connection or capacity fees that should be charged on future hookups.

Ori and Thomas also said the company planned to do periodic check-ins with the authority in the future to make sure the rate study was still being effective, especially on projections on inflation and other factors.

“Our recommendation is every two-three years, a temperature check,” Ori said.

Thomas said those checks could come earlier than the two-year check-in initially proposed by Ori due to the start-up nature of the fledgling utility.

During those future calls, Ori said all parties will help answer some other questions for Raftelis as it devises the rate study, including what to do with and debt owed on the utilities. There is no debt on Suwannee County’s utilities, which were all grant funded. Columbia County, meanwhile, owes a small amount of debt on its utilities in Ellisville, Kraus said.

There is additional debt on the wastewater treatment plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park, but that utility is currently operated by the City of Lake City as part of a two-year contract.

“Discussions I’ve been involved with is any debt the counties have right now is they would keep paying on that debt,” Chairman Rocky Ford, a Columbia County commissioner, said.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, August 27, 2025Image

• Live Oak City Manager Larry Sessions (right) and Councilwoman Vanessa Brown Robinson were in Arcadia last Thursday to receive a ceremonial $4.5 million check from the State of Florida. The funding will go toward water system improvements and home repairs for low-income families. (COURTESY)

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LIVE OAK — Help is on the way for Live Oak’s water system.

Last Thursday, Live Oak City Manager received a $4.56 million ceremonial check from Gov. Ron DeSantis to address both potable water issues in the city as well as rehabilitate or repair houses for low-income families.

The funding to Live Oak was part of $38 million in awards to 19 small and rural Florida communities through the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program that DeSantis made in Arcadia.

“Our state’s small and rural cities drive key industries, support Florida families, and keep our economy moving,” DeSantis said in a press release announcing the awards, which also included $1.5 million each for Hamilton and Lafayette counties for home repair programs for low-income families.

“These funds will support neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and infrastructure development in 19 communities throughout Florida.”

The major infrastructure development in Live Oak will consist of replacing a well as part of the city’s water system. Sessions said the city’s third well hasn’t worked in seven years, leaving the city vulnerable.

“We need a well bad, if we lose our second well, we don’t have enough pressure and we’ll be boiling water,” Sessions said. “We’ve been living on the edge for seven years and I didn’t know it until I got here.”

The $3 million CDBG funding will be used toward constructing a new well on the southeast side of the city. Once it is constructed, Sessions said it not only will improve system resiliency but also will help address other issues within the city’s water infrastructure, including increased water pressure and a looped system that will improve water quality.

“I’m going to move where the well is, I’m going to put it on the whole other side of town, change the geology that’s in the ground, hopefully, so the same thing doesn’t happen,” he said. “It will help pressure coming from two sides instead of one.”

The city’s wells currently are on the north side of the city near Interstate 10.

“It’s headed in the right direction,” Sessions added about the city’s water infrastructure, noting it will cost more than $3 million to do all the upgrades necessary.

The other $1.56 million the city received will go toward repairing or rehabbing 21 homes for low-income households.

Sessions said the city will now work on developing an application process as well as a grading scale in order to fairly utilize those funds. But the funds are greatly appreciated.

“I already had a call saying, ‘I’ve got to be on that list,’” Sessions said. “They’re big things. They will help.”

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Furry named interim county administrator he will lead operations after Scott’s retirement until permanent hire made. By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK — When Greg Scott retires next month, Suwannee County already has named its leader Suwannee County Assistant County actions once Scott retires and until a permanent hire is made, On an interim basis. While the county is utilizing the Florida Association of County Managers to help conduct a search for its next county administrator, that hunt will likely extend beyond Scott’s last day of Sept. 26. To help fill the gap, the County Commission unanimously appointed Assistant County Administrator Jason Furry to run the county operations for now we will not have Mr. Scott’s replacement in place by the end of September,” Commission Chairman Travis Land said during the board’s Tuesday meeting, noting it came following discussions with the FACM. “I think we need to appoint someone as FURRY continued on as  Administrator Jason Furry will serve as acting interim administrator fol lowing Greg Scott’s retirement near the end of September. Acting interim so we can continue to conduct business while we’re going through that interview process, otherwise there may be a gap there.” According to the FACM’s recruitment guidebook, the timeline to recruit a new county administrator includes four to six weeks of advertising and pre-review of the position as well as up to six weeks to con duct the search and provide a short list of finalists to be interviewed. The interview/selection process can take an additional 3-4 weeks, accord ing to the timeline. The position has not been advertised yet. Scott “I just think we’re going to have a gap there,” Land said, noting that it could lead to issues as far as personnel matters or with the county’s purchasing policy, etc. Scott has served as the county administrator since December 2022. Furry, who replaced Scott as the parks and recreation director in 2022, was named the assistant county administrator earlier this year. Furry has worked for the county for 31 years, all spent in parks and recreation before being promoted to the county administrative office in May. “I think we need to appoint our assistant county administrator to pick up the ball,” Land added

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, July 9, 2025Subhead

Workshop to discuss consolidation blocked by 4-1 vote.

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• Live Oak City Council President Matt Campbell received silence from the rest of the council when he asked if there was interest in a workshop to discuss merging the city and county fire departments. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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LIVE OAK — The idea of a possible consolidation of fire departments was quickly extinguished Tuesday night.

Live Oak City Council President Matt Campbell requested the discussion of setting up a workshop involving all stakeholders to talk about merging the Live Oak Fire Department and Suwannee County Fire Rescue.

However, after 20 seconds of silence from the rest of the council at Tuesday’s meeting, Campbell called for a roll call vote to see if there was a consensus in setting up the workshop.

It turns out he was the lone council member who was willing to discuss the matter.

“To include all the stakeholders that would be involved if it is something we would look at down the road as the city fire department joining hands or joining, I’ve heard it called a lot of different negative things, taken over, absorbed, joining forces with, however you want to put it, with the fire department of the county,” Campbell said prior to the roll call vote.

Campbell said Tuesday, as he told the Reporter last week, that he was interested in having the discussion as a way to see if consolidating the fire service could free up funds for the city to address its aging infrastructure.

“It is a $1.9 million budget line item,” he said. “We’ve been kicking the infrastructure can down the road as long as I can remember here in Live Oak.”

Campbell added the city needs to find ways to devote funds toward infrastructure improvements and not be completely reliant on grant funds to address those issues as it does currently.

“Sometimes they pan out, sometimes they don’t,” he added. “Trying to be innovative, think outside the box here, I would be willing to sit down and listen in a workshop format to all stakeholders, whether it be city, county, city residents, county residents, insurance companies, county administrators, city managers.

“Instead of having the back and forth debate up here and then nothing ever happening, I’d just like to have a designated time.”

While the rest of the council didn’t agree to consider merging the fire service, Campbell wasn’t alone in thinking it was a good idea to pursue discussions on the matter. Wayne Hannaka with the Concerned Citizens of North Florida and Moses Clepper both supported the idea during public comment as well.

Hannaka, pointing to the fact that it has been discussed previously but never made it past initial discussions, said he believed Campbell’s idea was the right approach.

“This item has come up before, time and time again,” he said. “There were a lot of rumors that happened and a lot of misinformation that happened. The only thing I would ask the council to do is sit down at a workshop, get information and then make a decision.

“That has never happened in the past…Do that and then make a conscientious educated decision.”

Clepper urged the council to go even further.

“I’ve been pushing for consolidation, not just fire department, county-wide,” said the outspoken Suwannee County resident. “Don’t stop there. Go further up, full charter.”

However, the Professional Firefighters of Live Oak were opposed to the thought of a merger, posting a statement on social media on Saturday after the Reporter initially reported about Campbell’s proposal.

“We want to make our position unequivocally clear: The Firefighters of the City of Live Oak vehemently oppose this change,” the statement read. “We are dedicated men and women, many of whom have built our careers here, choosing to serve you day after day. For decades, some of us have committed our professional lives to Live Oak. This is more than a job; it’s our way of life, and we are deeply invested in continuing to protect this community.

“Beyond our personal commitment, we firmly believe that the services and protection we currently offer the city are unmatched and difficult to replicate.”

 SHERIFF ON THE HOT SEAT AT BOCC MEETING  

Board irked over communication problem on financial, EOC audits AUDIT Suwannee C Photos by JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter Suwannee County Commission Chairman Travis Land points at Sheriff Sam St. John and Deputy Emergency Management Director Heather Henderson-Scheu as they discuss the sheriff’s office and emergency management office’s response to audits during Tuesday’s commission meeting. Sheriff Sam St. John said the emergency management office, which is under his control, has complied with all the requests from Cherry Bekeart, which is audit provided to Suwannee County as a whole for being late on turning in its audit because one department hasn’t gotten its paperwork in. “I don’t mean to sound pissed off but I’m pissed off.” He was not alone. On both sides. After trying to explain what caused the problem leading to Tuesday’s confrontation, both Sheriff Sam St. John and Heather Henderson-Scheu, the deputy emergency management director, took exception to the commission’s continued pursuit of the issue. The board unanimously approved sending a pair of letters to St. John giving a 10-day window to get the information submitted or to appear at the July 15 BOCC meeting to further explain why it wouldn’t be provided. “Some of that, I don’t agree with at all,” St. John said about the reported issues with the emergency management complying with audit requests. “We are complying chairman. We’ve complied with everything they’ve wanted.” Henderson-Scheu said she felt she had provided all the information to Cherry Bekaert, the auditing firm the commission agreed to pay $108,000 in April to examine the operations of the county’s emergency management office, that she could. She said providing the home addresses of both her and Chris Volz, the county’s emergency management director, was not permitted under Florida statutes. “I’ve given her everything she has asked for and then some,” she said. After back and forth between Henderson-Scheu and himself, Land finally called for a board vote on how to proceed, noting they could otherwise be there all night. He added that if the ongoing difference of opinions between Henderson-Scheu and the auditors on if the information has been provided continues, the board may have to bring in another independent party to settle that dispute. “I don’t know where we from there, DOGE, the governor,” he said. Morrison said it would be referred up to the governor’s office. Several county residents believed it was already time to do that. “I’m appalled,” said Kin Weaver. “Call the governor. Let’s get it over with.” Bo Hancock said he felt setting additional deadlines was pointless as it had been proven that the sheriff’s office wouldn’t meet them since it hadn’t yet. He also said he wouldn’t stop just at seeking assistance from the governor’s office. “I think you need to contact the governor’s office and have him assign FDLE to come in and investigate the entire sheriff’s department as well as EOC,” Hancock added. “They’re stonewalling. They’re not going to do anything any different and I’m like you Travis, I’ve had enough of it.” In addition to the addresses, which County Attorney Adam Morrison explained was requested by the auditing firm as a way to make sure no fraud was being committed through the use of contracted vendors that could be associated with an employee, Cherry Bekaert said among the other roadblocks it has ran into include: n refusal to provide listing of all vendors that received funding from emergency management; n failure to provide specific policies and procedures for the Emergency Operations Center; and n refusal to provide access to WebEOC reports. The firm also said its efforts to talk to Michelle Emmons in the SCSO’s financial department had been refused. Henderson-Scheu said Emmons was busy trying to rectify the annual audit for the agency after a change of financial officers, so she was handling the audit for her department, which is overseen by the sheriff’s office. Land, though, noted the county’s request for that audit said it was to be the top priority for all county staff, asking Henderson what gave her the authority to determine otherwise. She said she didn’t, but St. John did. St. John, when asked if he had ordered Emmons to not speak with the firm, said he did not even when it was mentioned that Volz had said otherwise in an e-mail. “The only thing I know is he may have misunderstood what I said,” St. John said. The audit into the emergency management office began due to miscommunication and a misunderstanding involving Volz. He appeared at the board’s April 15 meeting to provide an update on emergency management which turned into accusations against County Administrator Greg Scott costing the county millions in grant funds by sabotaging the agency’s efforts for 17 months and then lying to the board. Scott was not at that meeting as he was recovering from an April 1 heart surgery. Land also wasn’t at that meeting. That wasn’t the only breakdown in communication between the SCSO and the commission. Land said all constitutional officers were instructed in January to have their financial information to Powell & Jones by March 15 to ensure a timely completion of the annual audit. St. John said Tuesday night that his office had just completed it Tuesday. He said the delay was caused by the previous agency financial director becoming overwhelmed with the responsibilities as well as the impact of the hurricanes last fall. “It was just kind of like a perfect storm that made it happen,” St. John said, noting there also then were issues with bank reconciliations on the department’s finances — which all came back accurate he later said — as well as issues with new software the county is using. Still, the board wasn’t pleased with the lack of help requested or just communication about a problem. “We talked about it before with the Mr. Volz situation that we have a communication problem. When in the hell are we going to fix that?” asked Land, who began the discussion quoting Thomas Jefferson. “It irks me that you or nobody from your office can tell us what the heck is going on over there until we go through all this mess to talk about it. Communication and we wouldn’t be here today. “Thomas Jefferson said this, obviously I’ve been doing some soul searching but Thomas Jefferson said, ‘In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.’ Today guys, I’m asking this board to stand like a rock.”  

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By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, June 18, 2025Subhead

Budget includes $3.7M for Lafayette; $2M in Hamilton.

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LIVE OAK - The regional storm shelter eyed for the north side of Live Oak has more than $4 million in state funding scheduled to help firm up those plans.

The state’s $115.1 billion budget passed by the Florida Legislature on Monday evening after failing to pass the budget during its normal 60-day session, leading to an extension into the middle of June, includes $4.86 million in projects for Suwannee County, $3.785 million geared for local items in Lafayette County and $2.085 million for Hamilton County.

The budget now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who holds line item veto power, ahead of the July 1 start to the new fiscal year.

“We’re excited,” Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott said. “Especially in somewhat of a lean year for the region.”

The bulk of the funding headed to Suwannee County is for the planning of the regional storm shelter, which was awarded to the county last year with funding from the state to help with the purchase of 390 acres of land just north of the Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 129 interchange.

This year the legislature awarded $3,304,635 toward the master planning and design of the shelter, which the county expects to request for an additional $20 million toward the construction in future years.

An additional $1 million was appropriated for the utility design plan for the shelter.

That funding would provide the engineering and design on extending both water and wastewater utilities from the city’s system to the shelter site.

“It will work out just like it is supposed to,” Scott added. “We have to be gracious for what we get. The good Lord will bring it to us when it’s time.

“It’s headed in the right direction.”

The other funding for Suwannee County is to benefit the Live Oak Fire Department with the purchase of a new fire truck. The LOFD received $558,054 for an E-One fire engine, half of what the department requested.

The LOFD’s current fire engine is 34 years old and “beyond ready for retirement life,” according to a funding request filed by Shoaf. The new engine would help with safety, emissions, serviceability and and reliability.

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