Suwannee County good news

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 With all the negative comments and actions, Concerned Citizens of North Florida have decided  to present positive thoughts and facts at each county commission meeting 

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Many people perceive that the county commissioners just come to a meeting twice a month and don’t realize the behind the scenes time spent at events, functions and with state officials trying to get finical help for Suwannee County. 

Feature today is Suwannee County Fire Rescue.

1. Have received an EMS Grant in the amount of $5,000

2. New fire station grant is for $750K

3. A new pumper truck will be delivered in a few weeks thanks to a Grant of $800K

4. A ladder truck will be delivered in February with a $1.4M Grant

5. There will be $500K left from the ladder truck grant which will be used to purchase a new pumper/tanker for the McAlpin station.

To clarify these are all grants, that the citizens of Suwannee county will not have to take out of their pocket or pay back.

Most Grants are specific as to what the funds can be used for as an example a fire truck grant cannot be used to purchase a road grader.

These do not have to be repaid and are available from the state and a county is going to receive them, due to our county commission and staff persistence, relationships, involvement they have been awarded to Suwannee County.

1. $764,601 to extend Live Oak sewer line and install new lift station @ 68thTerrace.

2. $210K Funding to perform county wide assessment for flooding risk.

3. $500K to install new commercial grade rail crossings on 169th rd, catalyst site.

4. $1.901M and $250K to extend water main @ catalyst site for Wave Armor.

5. $3M to build 1million gallon water tower @ catalyst site

6. $9.6M, $ 2.218M, and $3.109M To build sewer plant, and spray field @ catalyst site.

7. Branford $2,298,691, Douglas Center $1,121,292, Hale Center $808,614 To renovate buildings for use as multipurpose community centers

8. $2,346,784 To construct a new EOC (need about $8M more)

9. $436,363 To design new county public safety complex

10. $2.5M Initial funding to design regional shelter (will need 40 to 60M more)

11. $750K For home rehabilitation/replacement for low income county residents

12. $5M to build 20,000 sqft covid isolation facility/multipurpose building

Total: $36,814,345

Funding Request in Progress

1. $3M from US Commerce for catalyst site water tower

2. $1.5M FEMA/AFG for Suwannee County Fire Rescue radios

3. $4M FDEP funding to extend CR136/I75 sewer system collection lines

4. $14M in additional Water/Sewer/Storm water projects submitted to FDEP for funding evaluation.

5. $60-80M funding for regional shelter and supporting infrastructure.

What does the economic development office do?

Tourism

Share stories, photos, and videos about what makes our area special on Google, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Run paid advertisements on Google which introduce our county to people that may not know about us.

Run paid ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Run ads on UTube which are like short commercials that show experiences they can have here.

Do search engine marketing, for example when someone is looking for best swimming spots or fun places to bike.

This effort is funded solely by bed tax that a tourist may pay in Suwannee County.

Economic Development

For promoting Suwannee County the goal is to recruit new companies, good jobs, and capital investment in our county. This helps build our tax base and will share the tax load. Econimic Development also helps provide job opportunities, so our young people don’t have to leave to find a good job. 

Economic Development partners with RiverOak Technical College to customize training so our community can supply a pipeline of talent. Also work with CareerSource to help place skilled individuals in jobs with good wages.

Six target industries are: manufacturing, transportation, agribusiness, clean Tech, tourism and retirement services.

This is the only office that markets the county, and is the only arm of the Board of County Commissioners.

This portion of Economic Development is funded by county budget and grants.

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Highlight this week is Suwannee County Sheriff’s Department of Emergency Management

Grants Received 2024

1. $130K from Florida Sheriffs Association for command post upgrades

2. $2.1M from Florida Department of Emergency Management to stabilize areas from storm impact and upgrade our local staging area

3. $500K in private funding to do projects that rebuild from Idalia and Helene

4. $125K donation from another Sheriff’s Office of 25 portable 800 MHz radios for response

5. Have applied for almost $6M in grant funding for hazard mitigation projects.

6. Three major storms in two months and this office worked tirelessly to keep our citizens safe

Suwannee Parks & Recreation 

Fact Sheet

Updated January 2025

We have 15 full time employees, approximately 80 part time employees.

We serve 1800+ Participants 300+ Volunteers

98 Teams  24 Parks

Over 1,000,000 visitors annually   We maintain +/- 500 acres 

Parks we maintain: 

First Federal Sportsplex

John H. Hale Community Park 

Wellborn Community Park 

Billy Jernigan Pool Facility 

Freedom Park 

Azalea Park

Douglass Park 

Baker Park 

Royal Springs 

Little River Springs 

Charles Springs

Hatch Park   

Dowling Park Boat Ramp

Peacock Lake Boat Ramp

Harrell Heights Park

Wm Guy Lemmon Memorial Boat Ramp

Deese/Howard Boat Ramp

Heritage Parks & Gardens

Suwannee River Greenway at Branford

Staples Park

Suw. Co Agricultural Complex & Coliseum

Union Passenger Depot

Jenkins Park

Current Grants

Total: $7,000,000

County

FBIP - $391,000 Charles Springs Boat Ramp 

FDOT Suntrail - $3,600,000 Suwannee River Greenway

Trail Go - $200,000 Suwannee River Greenway 

FRDAP - $200,000 Wellborn Park

FRDAP - $50,000 First Federal Sportsplex

FRDAP - $50,000 Freedom Park

FDACS - $500,000 Livestock Arena/Coliseum

FDACS - $620,000 Livestock Arena/Coliseum

FDACS -  $750,000 Livestock Arena/Coliseum

South County Parks

FRDAP- $200,000 Hatch Park 

City Grants 

Trail-Go - $200,000 Heritage Trail 

FRDAP - $50,000 Baker Park

FRDAP - $50,000 Azalea Park

FRDAP - $200,000 Heritage Park & Gardens Suwannee Parks and Recreation 2024

 Tournaments held at the First Federal Bank Sportsplex

 # of baseball/softball tournaments 14 # of teams participating 250 # of people attending 28,000  Estimated Impact  $1.4M @ $50 ea

Amount of money generated in rental and entry fees $26,000 Amount of money generated at concession stand $70,000

 Communitv events we assist  resources:

 Chamber's Christmas on the Square

 Wellbom's Christmas Event, Blueberry Festival & Combread Festival

 Branford's Christmas Event, 4th of July and Chili Cook Off

 Heritage Pack & Gardens Christmas in the Park

 City of Live Oak 4th of July Freedom Fest IHalloween Candy Carnival All Aboard Festival & Wildflower Festival

 Suwannee County Fair & Livestock Show Suwannee County

 Veterans'` Parade Suwannee County Martin Luther King Parade

 Communitv Events held at the coliseum:

  Funds annually: Strawberry Festival & Bicycle Festival -multiple day events bringing thousands of visitors, Veteran's Summit Chamber Banquets High school wrestling & weightlifting meets Suwannee Valley Electric, Pilgrims, & Farmers Co-op Annual Meetings Steer Shows, Hog Shows, Dog Shows and the Circus Team Roping Jackpots, Banel Races, Youth Rodeos, PRO Rodeo & Equestrian events Pickleball, Volleyball, Basketball games and tournaments Concerts, Dances, Family Reunions, Banquets, etc Conimunity Shelter,FEMA DisasterRecoveryCenters Election Precincts Springs visitors 50,000-loo,000 people to the 3 county owned & maintained springs

All of these items have a direct economic impact to Suwannee County  as an example 28,000 people spending a modest $50.00 each generates $1.4Million dollars .

What County Commissioners do for the citizens of Suwannee County?

What most people see commissioners do, they do much more.

· 6 to 8 hours a week on phone calls 

· BOCC meetings 2 per month    

· Attending events: Christmas on the square, Chamber events, City events etc. Multiple Days and Hours AND MUCH MORE:

Events Commissioners attend in Tallahassee

· Florida association of Counties Legislative Days –   2 Days

· Florida Economic Development Week which is several days –      5 Days

· Florida Rural Economic development association – Rural Counties Day –     2 Days

· Pre Legislative meetings-   2 Days

Events at different locations

· FPL powering Florida Illuminations Economic Development Event –     2 Days

· Duke Energy Next Level Economic event-  1 Day

· North Florida economic Development Partnership  5Days.

· Florida Association of Counties Annual Conference legislative priorities, workshops, continuing  ed. 1 Day

· Florida Economic Development Council 3 Days

· The next move Group Economic Development Training

1 Day

· Florida Rural Economic Development Association Working Group    1 Day

· Florida Rural Economic Development Association Annual Summit  3 Days

Local Groups and Associations Appointments

· Airport – Maurice Perkins

· Development Authority Liaison-Don Hale

· Extension Advisor - Leo Mobley

· Fair Board – Leo Mobley

· Insurance Group – Franklin White

· Library – Travis Land

· Municipal Relations Committee – Travis Land & Franklin White

· North Central Florida Regional Planning Council – Maurice Perkins

· North Florida Economic Development Partnership – Don Hale

· Recreation & Parks – Travis Land

· Small County Coalition – Maurice Perkins & Franklin White

· Solid Waste – Franklin White

· Suwannee River Economic Council – Franklin White

· Suwannee River Task Force – Don Hale

· Suwannee Valley Transit Authority – Don Hale, Leo Mobley

· Transportation Disadvantage Coordinating Board – Leo Mobley

· Tourist Development Council – Travis Land & Franklin White

· Workforce Development – Maurice Perkins

· Affordable Housing Advisory Committee – Maurice Perkins

Multiple Days and Hours

Commissioners are devoted to Suwannee County; all were born here and have lived here their entire life.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller (i.e., “the Clerk’s Office”) has over 1,000 statutory duties under the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes, not including local requirements and the like. The Clerk’s Office is the record-keeper for much of the County’s functions and could be called the hub of county government since it interacts with practically every County department at some point. The office receives its funding from a variety of sources, including fees from recording documents, court payments, the County Commission, and State disbursements.

The duties of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller can be broken down into several major departments, each with their own unique duties:

Official Records: The Official Records Department is the County Recorder, receiving, indexing, and maintaining permanent records that retain a history of the County, from property deeds to marriage licenses. This includes:

Issues marriage licenses

Processes passports

Records the following types of documents (and much more):

Deeds

Mortgages

Liens

DD-214 (military discharge)

Notices of commencement for new construction, etc.

Assists patrons with the research of history or family records, including cattle brands.

Civil Court: Civil Court deals with civil actions that are not criminal cases, issues dealing with title and boundaries of real property, family issues, etc. The deputy clerks attend civil court proceedings, take the minutes of those proceedings, and retain records related to the cases. This includes:

Child support

Guardianships

Family law (divorces, child support, etc.)

Adoptions

Injunctions (including after-hours)

Baker Acts (mental issues)

Marchman Acts (substance abuse issues)

Small Claims

Circuit lawsuits

Foreclosures

Ejectments

Replevin

Evictions

Name changes

Dependency

Issues summons

Cataloging evidence

Keeping up with court dockets

Collecting court fines and fees

Monitoring partial payments

Most Value Adjustment Board functions

Criminal Court: Criminal Court has jurisdiction over the records and exhibits of all defendants accused of a crime. The deputy clerks attend criminal court proceedings, take the minutes of those proceedings, and retain records related to the cases. This includes:

Civil Traffic (“traffic tickets”)

Misdemeanors

Criminal Traffic

Felony

Fish and Game violations

Juvenile

Jury

Cataloging evidence

Keeping up with court dockets

Collecting court fines and fees

Monitoring partial payments

Finance: The Finance Department ensures the proper and timely recording of accounting transactions and is the custodian of the County’s funds. This includes:

Issue payroll for all departments under the BCC and the Clerk

Handle insurance payments and deferred compensation

Pay invoices for County departments and Clerk’s Office

Pre-audit and post-audit functions

Collect payments from County departments and courts

Help to prepare budgets for the County

Collect and disburse revenues to departments and State

Tax deeds

Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners, Records Management, etc.: By statute, the County Comptroller is also Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners. In addition to the financial items mentioned under the Finance Department, these duties include a variety of record-keeping services for the various boards beneath the County. In addition, this department handles many of the miscellaneous functions required of an office that do not easily fit into other departments.

Takes minutes for the following boards:

Bid Review Committee/Bid Tabulations

Board of County Commissioners (also maintains all ordinances, agreements, resolutions, etc.)

Code Enforcement Board

Construction Industry Licensing Board

Development Authority

Planning and Zoning Board

Tourist Development Council

Some assistance with Value Adjustment Board

Zoning Board of Adjustment

Records management/Records Management Liaison Officer (RMLO) for Clerk’s Office and the various County departments

Oversees Clerk’s records storage facility

Purchasing for the Clerk’s Office

County Historian

TRIM – working with the Department of Revenue and County Office to prepare the ad valorem taxes

Professional Development (training) for the Clerk’s Office and other offices as needed

Oversees Public Records Request software for Clerk and most County departments

Special projects

IT Department: The Clerk’s Office IT Department manages the implementation,

safety, and ongoing security for the various pieces of hardware and software

(applications) that make up a 21 st century government office. This is a 24-7 job.

Duties include the purchase of servers, computers, backups in multiple locations

around the country, software updates, antivirus protection, and tech support for the

following offices:

Clerk

Property Appraiser

Sheriff

Fire/Rescue

Economic Development

They do a lot, without dedicated employee’s this office could not function. Everyone I met while touring the office was professional and extremely knowledgeable about their job. There are a lot of moving parts in this office and the leadership pulls it all together as a team effort.

Public Works:   For example, during the last year the PW office and supervisors have processed and responded to over 3,000 calls regarding roadways, mowing, solid waste, and a variety of questions and concerns. We’ve also had over 1,200 residents reach out to us in person.  Our employees often work long hours outside during disaster response, relief, and restoration.  We are continuing to look at how we can improve our daily operations.  Below are a few less than glamorous but important bullet points about us.

Public Works includes the Road Department, Solid Waste, and Utilities.

• We have over 100 employees.
• 550 miles of County owned paved  roads and 800 miles of dirt roads
• 14 solid waste collection sites  that are manned and maintained, landfill, and transfer station are manned  and maintained
• Most collection sites were  damaged by multiple storm events last year. This included downed trees and  damaged fencing. All but one site has been completely repaired the last  site should be completed very soon.
• A new Solid Waste Collection Site in Wellborn is being designed
• The Roadway construction has  laid out and constructed over 7,500 linear feet of newly paved roadway
• We have about $20 million in  roadway related grant either active or funding designated by FDOT  
• Since January 1 of 2025, graders  have maintained over 800 miles of roads 3 times totaling over 2400 road  miles graded = Live Oak to Los Angeles
• Dump trucks have hauled milling  and asphalt for road maintenance, improvements, preparation for asphalt,  and stockpiled for future projects.  The estimated total since  January 1, 2025 is over 30,000 CY of material to fix or improve roads in  Suwannee County
• Our employees have worked  tirelessly through 4 declared disaster events in the last year
• Tree trimming crews work  year-round to cut back vegetation and remove fallen trees and limbs within  the right of way
• Four tractors with bat-wing  mowers made four cycles of mowing all paved roadways during the last year  totaling 2200 road miles.
• We’ve upgraded and or added  signs and striping at multiple intersection locations to improve  safety.  This includes extra STOP AHEAD signs and additional flashing  beacons atop signs.  Signage has been added at some curves on CR 137   and CR 249.
• Providing additional clearing  of trees at some intersections to improve sight distance
• Centerlines have been restriped on 14 roadways.  Additional roadways will continue to be added.
• We repair sinkholes on County  roadways and properties
• Culvert replacements and  repairs on County Roads
• Our shop has serviced,  repaired, and maintained over 130 vehicles and over 30 pieces of heavy  equipment
• We are currently working with a  consultant and FEMA to obtain reimbursements from Hurricanes Debby and  Helene

  5/6/25

Suwannee County Airport 

Airport Manager John Duhaime had a 30 year career in the Airforce, and retired with the highest enlisted rank available of Chief Master Sargent. His last assignment was in the Alaska Air National Guard as a KC-135 boom operator, instructor and evaluator. No wonder he moved to Florida, and likes being around aircraft, writing processes and procedures for our airport operations.

Our airport currently has 32-T hangers and fifteen tie downs on the ramp. General aviation, and jet fuel are available. Last year there were approximately 8,600 take off and landings.

Unlike any other department in the county the airport has a multiyear master plan implemented in 5 year increments and they receive grants based on state and federal priorities. No matter what the county wants the FAA and FDOT funds grants based on the master plan. Other departments get grants by looking for those that fit our county and then pursue them.  

Since 2013, the Suwannee County Airport has received approximately $6,558,869 from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through grants that do not require a match from Suwannee County.  These grant figures are based on the amount of the grant award. Some of these projects came in under budget and the numbers do not reflect that. 

These grants include funding for the following projects (final received funding): 

· Acquiring Land for Runway Extension ($68,145)

· Rehabilitation of Runway Markings  ($40,000)

· Construction of New Maintenance Building ($ 126,906)

· Environmental Assessment for West Apron Development  ($ $121,051)

· Design and Construction of Drainage/Retention  ($481,505)

· Design and Construction of Jet A Fuel Farm  ($450,000)

· West Apron Expansion  ($549,972)

· Upgrade Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) ($ 82,700)

· Design and Construction of Hangar – occupied by Air Ambulance  ($ 550,169)

· Rehabilitation of General Aviation (GA) Terminal  ($282,000)

· Design and Construction of Rotating Beacon & Lighted Wind Cone  ($ 30,000)

· Stormwater Master Plan Update  ($ 315,790)

· Security Cameras  ($157,500)

· Installation of PAPI Lights ($40,000)

· Rehabilitation of Taxiway A ($4,400,000)

· New Security Cameras, Gates, Fencing, etc. ($ 300,000)

· Replace Fuel Tank Inventory Monitoring System ($50,000)

· Purchase of Airfield Equipment ($200,000)

Current Projects (current allocated funding): 

· New Hangar Building ($625,625)

· Design and Construction of New Hangar Buildings ($1,250,000)

· Design and Rehabilitation of Runway 7/25 ($4,500,000)

· Procure and Install Backup Generator for FBO and Electrical Vault ($200,000)

· Design and Rehabilitation of Entrance Road and Expansion of FBO Parking Lot ($833,334)

· Obstruction Removal ($ 150,000)

· Purchase Jet-A Refueler Truck ($400,000)

The FAA and FDOT work with the Airport staff to plan grant projects over a 5-year period. The projects are listed years in advance through the Airport Layout Plan and Mater Planning process. Projects can change based on a number of variables including but not limited to FAA/FDOT priorities, future needs of the airport, allocation of AIP funding through the Federal Budget Authorization. Projects can take several years to complete and additional funding is occasionally added to these projects.  

The Airport also received $75,000 funding through the CARES Act to assist in reimbursement of payroll expenses and utility expenses throughout the COVID 19 pandemic. This funding also included the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) and the American Rescue Plan Act – Airport Rescue Grant (APRP). 

Have a question or a suggestion? We're always here to help. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. CCITIZENSNFL@Gmail.com