Columbia County Observer

Lake City Finally Gets Its Agenda Act Together:  City Clerk Takes Over, Sets the Rules & Deadlines

Posted December 2, 2020  09:35 am

Florida Schools to Stay Open, State Will Fully Fund On-line Learning During Pandemic

Posted December 1, 2020  02:15 am

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida will continue full funding for remote instruction for the state’s 2.9 million K-12 students next semester as a continuing pandemic alternative to attending in-person classes in brick-and-mortar schools.

Florida Legislative Economists Project Mid-2021 Turnaround For Florida's $90B Tourism Industry

Posted November 27, 2020  07:35 am

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida’s $90 billion tourism industry will begin to rebound about mid-2021 with the number of visitors forecast to be near pre-pandemic levels in 2022, state analysts project.

Columbia County's Highest Officials & County Atty Claim Annual Contract Purchasing Policy Never Written Down, Then Make Up Stories About It

Posted November 22, 2020  04:45 pm

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –  Columbia County's latest 'Keystone Cops Extravaganza' is one for the record books, even for its highest officials, who claimed they couldn't find a purchasing policy that was voted on and passed unanimously by the entire county commission.

Lake City Swears In Councilman Todd Sampson, Councilman Jake Hill, and Mayor Steve Witt

Posted November 17, 2020  05:59 pm

LAKE CITY, FL – The 2021 Lake City Council took shape last night when new City Councilman Todd Sampson and Veteran Councilman Jake Hill, and Mayor Steve Witt took their oaths-of-office.

Columbia County Econ Development
Plum Creek Mega Industrial Site:
14 Years Later – Still No Utility Plan

Posted November 11, 2020  11:15 am

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – In a process that began in 2006, Columbia County modified its Land Use Plan to include a mixed-use development of 2,593.96 acres to accommodate Plum Creek's development of an industrial – residential megasite. Fourteen years later, there is still no utility plan.

Democratic Momentum Fails to Materialize, DeSantis & Republicans Deliver

Posted November 5, 2020  07:35 am

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Although all 120 Florida House seats were on the ballot, Republicans never feared Democrats would imperil their 73-47 advantage in Tuesday’s election.

Columbia County/Lake City Issues & Ballot Initiatives That Matter to All

Posted November 4, 2020  07:59 am

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday was election day across the nation. On Wednesday morning, no one knows who has been elected president. It has been said that "all politics are local." Here are the local results that matter, but first – the presidential race.

County Attorney Joel Foreman Authorizes Illegal Advertising for "Yes" Votes on Charter Amdts

Posted November 3, 2020  08:01 am

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – County Attorney Joel Foreman, Florida's only elected county attorney, recently gave his encouragement and approval of a clear violation of Florida Election Law: the County advocacy "Vote Yes" of paid political advertising for the County's Charter amendments.

Town of Fort White Mayor Sets Up Faux Facebook Page, Makes It Look Like the Town Endorsed Him

Posted November 1, 2020  05:40 pm

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – At the 12th hour, Fort White Mayoral race enters another dimension when Mayor Ronnie Frazier endorses himself on a Facebook page he set up to look like it was the Town's Facebook page. He said it was taken down, but this morning, it was not.

Florida TaxWatch: Growing Disparity in State and Local Taxes

Posted October 23, 2020  07:59 am

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida’s state and local governments collect $6,352 in tax revenue for each of the state’s 21.5 million residents, according to an annual analysis by Florida TaxWatch (FTW), the nonpartisan, Tallahassee-based taxpayer research institute.

M-CORES: SWC Corridor Taskforce Rolls Back FDOT's Vision of Consensus

Posted October 21, 2020  03:40 pm

FDOT VIRTUAL UNIVERSE – On Monday, from 9:00 am to 11:07 pm, the South West Central (SWC) M-CORES Task Force met in its final session to agree on a report to send to the Florida Legislature. DOT did not get the stamp of approval it wanted.

Deep-Sea Coral Hotspots Get New Protections in Gulf

Posted October 21, 2020  05:15 am

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The federal government has approved new protections for fragile coral hotspots in the Gulf of Mexico. It's a long-awaited victory for environmental groups. Damaging fishing gear, like trawls, traps, anchors and longlines, can't be used in nearly 500 miles of scattered reef and canyon sites from Florida to Texas.

LSHA: Gov's Board Approves $7.5 mil Investment No One Asks About the Rate, Ignores FL Statutes

Posted October 15, 2020  01:45 pm

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – This past Monday evening, the Governor's Lake Shore Hospital Authority Board approved a $7.5 mil investment – sight unseen, rate unknown, Florida statutes ignored.

M-CORES: 93% of the Public Against, Rural Florida at Risk, FDOT On-The-Spot

Posted October 14, 2020  07:40 pm

TALLAHASSEE, FL – After 15 months of public meetings, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), on behalf of the M-CORES Task Force, has collected almost 10,000 public comments regarding the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES).