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Columbia County News
Beginning in 2013 County & County
Commission News will be here. Earlier
years will be found in either County News or County
Commission indexes
2016-2015
Index of Stories •
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2013 •
2012-2009
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County News 2016
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Posted December 27,
2016 03:05 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On December 1, 2016, long time
veteran County Commissioner Ronald Williams
was elected to be the 2017 Columbia County 5
chairman. One of his first duties, other
than taking over the gavel, was to appoint
himself and the rest of The 5 to various
Board committees, advisory boards, lobbying
groups, etc. On December 15, the County 5
met for its last meeting of the year.
Commissioner Williams' appointments were
made. During the Board meeting, no one
revealed them.
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Posted December 16,
2016 08:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night's County 5 meeting was
the last meeting of the year. Like the
first, there were audio issues, visibility
issues, and explanation issues. With what
appeared to be no clear knowledge of what it
was approving, The County 5 unanimously
approved a $25,000 marketing expense to
produce approximately 10 pages of web
content with links.
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Posted December 02,
2016 11:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night at the
homeless Columbia County 5, County Attorney
Joel Foreman's medical marijuana moratorium
ordinance took center stage. The meeting was
attended by only a handful of regulars.
After a brief discussion, the moratorium
passed unanimously. It is not clear if any of the
Commissioners or the County Staff had read the
ordinance, which was open ended and set no time
limit on the moratorium's expiration.
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Posted December 01,
2016 09:40 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Columbia County has the only
elected county attorney in Florida. He is elected to
serve as the County Commission attorney and is the
people's representative. On November 8, 2016, Election
Day, the people of Columbia County voted to approve
Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution, which approves
the sale of medical marijuana. On November 17, County
Attorney Foreman said the County needed six months to
change the County's Land Development Regulations before
medical marijuana would be available to the people in
Columbia County. On tap tonight: Foreman's Medical
Marijuana Moratorium
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Posted November 29,
2016 08:12 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Yesterday afternoon, the twice
canceled Economic Development Advisory Board Strategic
Planning Subcommittee finally met. Half the membership
showed up. After 2 1/2 hours of discussion, it was clear
that the subcommittee had no idea what a strategic
economic development plan was and that it was more
interested in massaging the truth than telling it.
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Posted November 23,
2016 05:50 am | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Over 200 Fort White Middle School sixth
grade students recently experienced a
dynamic outdoor classroom at Ichetucknee
Springs State Park in Columbia County.
Students participated in experiential
education activities such as water
conservation, macro-invertebrates,
prescribed burning, pollution awareness and
more.
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Posted November 20, 2016 07:59 am
COLUMBIA/HAMILTON
COUNTY, FL – After reading
Highest Cancer Mortality Death Rates in Florida? New
Report Finds North Central Florida on Top, I wanted
to share a few comments regarding the article from my
perspective as the Administrator of North Central
Florida's Columbia and Hamilton County Health
Departments.
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Posted November 18, 2016
03:59 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The luster wore off
former Columbia HS and FSU quarterback Kelly
Lowrey's star quality as he got to know more
about the Florida's infamous good ole' boy
county and the ways it did its sports
business.
Last night, the County 5, without one word
of discussion, after claiming that it had
not discussed the settlement with County
Attorney Joel Foreman, agreed to an oath of
silence and settled with Mr. Lowrey for
$124,000. Mr. Lowrey's evaluations would be
put in an envelope marked "sealed" and in
return Mr. Lowrey agreed that the County did
nothing wrong.
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Posted November 15, 2016 04:05 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – According to the
recently released WellFlorida Council North
Central Florida Cancer Report 2016, North
Central Florida has the highest cancer
mortality rates in the state. Other than
Alachua County, the home of the University
of Florida, all the counties in the report
are what were previously known as Rural
Areas of Critical Economic Concern (RACEC)
counties, challenged communities with
persistent poverty and other chronic
problems. The high cancer mortality rates
are not a surprise.
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Posted November 11,
2016 09:25 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night at the County 5,
Florida's only elected County Attorney told the County 5
and the County's top brass, "The primary purpose of this
workshop is to discuss ways the Board can enhance the
quality and transparency of government in Columbia
County." Almost three hours later, it was agreed that
Mr. Foreman will be bringing back to The 5, and the
public, a new policy outlining rules of procedure, a
county code of ethics, and possibly a policy concerning
public works work orders and non-interference by the
County 5 in the day-to-day business of the County.
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Posted November 10, 2016
07:30 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On September 9, 2016, County
Attorney Joel Foreman, after two years,
recommended procedural and written changes
to the way the County conducts its business.
Most of the issues brought up by Mr. Foreman
are not new, such as not being able to hear
the County 5 transact its business. Many of
the items are clear violations of the law or
common sense. Tonight, two months after Mr.
Foreman broached the subject, his
suggestions are on the evening's agenda.
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Posted November 3, 2016
05:55 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – While the mainstream local
print media thought yesterday's bitch-slap
between Economic Development Director Glenn
Hunter and long time Board member Stephen
Douglas was of newsworthy significance, the
real news at Wednesday's Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) was that
when it comes to home grown, mom and pops,
and small business, the County's economic
development incentive policies will not
apply to them.
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Posted October 29, 2016
11:59 pm | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Columbia County residents were joined by
folks from Tallahassee, Dunnellon, and other
places to participate in a clean water rally
held in Fort White earlier today. According
to Adrienne Hudson, a rally participant,
over 40 people showed up for the rally. The
purpose of the rally was to create awareness
of the threats that exist to area water,
river, springs, and the aquifer.
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Posted October 28, 2016
11:02 am |
1 comment
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Early Tuesday afternoon, a
subcommittee of the County's Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) met with
Suwannee County Economic Development
Director Alvin Jackson to discuss Suwannee
County's Economic Development Incentive
Program. Columbia County has been flying by
the seat of its pants for years, giving away
millions of dollars in incentives without
any plan.
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Posted October 26, 2016
03:03 pm | (2
comments)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night's candidate Q & A at
Florida Gateway College (FGC) was highlighted by the
ethical faux pas of having the Lake City Reporter's
editor, Robert Bridges, asking and writing the questions
for the two candidates for County commissioner, District
5. The Lake City Reporter had previously endorsed Mr.
Murphy over Commissioner Frisina. Editor Bridges, who at
one point got genuinely nasty with Ms. Frisina, never
got to the obvious question, “Do you think there should
be a woman on the County Commission, or should it be a
good ole' boys club of all boys?”
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Posted October 20, 2016
11:25 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Tonight's meeting of Columbia County's
homeless county commission, or the County 5,
once again had the County Manager failing to
provide backup material to the public; an
agenda with limited or no explanations on
matters for approval; and a $225,000
contract on the consent agenda, which
appeared without any dollar amount and was
never reviewed or approved by the County's
popularly elected County Attorney, Joel
Foreman.
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Posted October 12, 2016
08:05 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – Thursday night the 6th annual
Columbia vs. Suwannee High girls volleyball game known
as the “Dig Pink" is set to begin serving up the balls
at 5:30 pm in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Posted October 10,
2016 11:55 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last Thursday's, October 6
meeting of the County 5 again demonstrated
that the lack of civilized rules for agenda
preparation and its haphazard meeting
procedures have turned The 5 into a
continuing vaudeville act. The microphones
are iffy at best and half the lights are
turned off over The 5 so that the overhead
projector images are somewhat visible on the
screen behind them. The 5's discussion
regarding removing agenda items would have
made Abbott and Costello (Who's on First?)
proud.
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Posted September 30, 2016 11:50 am |
updated October 2
COLUMBIA
COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – According to the
Columbia County School District's Brandi
Keen, a broken water main has caused the
City to issue a utility wide Boil Notice. An
email sent from Ms. Keen reads in part: "The
City of Lake City confirmed a Utility Wide
Boil Water notice because of a broken water
mainline on Brookside and US Highway
90. Students should NOT use the public water
for drinking or hand-washing!"
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Posted September 23,
2016 08:40 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Former Columbia High and FSU quarterback, Kelly
Lowrey, has gone from throwing touchdowns on the
gridiron to throwing touchdowns for the folks of
Columbia County as Sports Marketing Director for one of
the Southeast's finest multi-use sports facilities,
Columbia County's Southside Sports Complex. In the past month, Mr.
Lowrey has been burning up the scoreboard making deals
with two of the premier tournament organizers in the
country,
Perfect Game USA and the
United States Specialty Sports Association, which is
known as USSSA Baseball.
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Posted September 22,
2016 10:00 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – During and following the recent
primary elections County Commission
candidate B. Coker, City Council incumbent
candidate Zack Paulk, and City Mayor
candidate Audré Washington had questions
about the election process in Columbia
County and what went on during the meetings
of the County Canvassing Board. They claimed
they were denied appropriate access to the
records and meetings of the Canvassing Board
and took their case to court.
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Posted September 18,
2016 12:35 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
For decades, the Columbia County 5,
Florida's infamous good ole' boy county
commission, has been homeless. It has not
provided a public meeting room where Board
members and residents could be heard and the
County 5 could transact its business in the
Sunshine. Whispering, mumbling, fumbling,
and the inability to project documents for
all to see, have been a continuing hallmark
of The 5. Recently, the County Attorney told
The 5 it needed its own meeting place.
Thursday night, Board Chairman Sylvester
"Bucky" Nash blew off the County Manager
when he mentioned a meeting place for the
Board would be beneficial.
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Posted September 9,
2016 05:30 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Wednesday's September 7 Economic Development Advisory
Board meeting almost went off without a hitch for FSU's
Institute of Gov't. Ex. Dir. Jeff Hendry, one of the
masterminds behind the $54mil Broadband Stimulus
(NFBA-FRBA) debacle. Mr. Hendry, also the Executive
Director of the North Florida Economic Development
Partnership (NFEDP) was looking for Columbia County
taxpayers to pony up $10,000 for an agreement with FSU's
Institute of Government. No one at the Wednesday meeting
could explain the deliverables. Rather than showing up
with an explanation, Mr. Hendry was MIA. Board member
Stephen Douglas took exception.
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Posted September 7, 2016
06:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – In 2008, the current
chairman of the Columbia County 5, Sylvester
"Bucky" Nash, ran on a platform of
inclusion, listening, and getting the
"people" involved. Four years later and
looking forward to another four years after
being unopposed in this election cycle,
Chairman Nash has changed nothing at the 5's
bimonthly meetings. Not including the
handful of 'regulars' that attend County 5
meetings, this year's first budget hearing
was attended by two members of the public.
Conspicuous by his absence was Columbia
County's Sheriff Mark Hunter. The budget
hearing was uneventful until your reporter
went to the microphone.
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Posted August 30, 2016
10:28 pm
Jake Hill
makes a comeback on the City Council. Lex
Carswell takes over the reins of the School
District. Judge Bryan holds on. Dist. 5
Commissioner Scarlet Frisina and Gov. Scott
LSHA appointee, Tim Murphy to face off in
November.
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Posted August 30, 2016
08:50 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Circuit Court Judge
Leandra Johnson, in a decision filed late
Sunday afternoon, ruled in the case of
Lifeguard Ambulance vs. Columbia County. In
a ten page order Judge Johnson never got to
the merits of the case. Instead, she ruled
that the case was moot. Quoting from a
series of cases, Judge Johnson wrote, "'As
long as the decision was made in good faith,
the courts will not generally interfere
where the agency reaches a conclusion on
facts upon which reasonable men may differ.’
The remedy in such cases is at the ballot
box and not in the courts."
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Posted August 27, 2016
11:30 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Tuesday, August 30, beginning
at 5 pm, Florida Gateway College (FGC) is hosting the
30th Annual College Night at the college’s Howard
Conference Center. The event highlights more than 40
colleges and universities from the southeast.
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Posted
August 24, 2016 11:40 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Yesterday, in what may be the
first in a flurry of lawsuits, Kelly Lowrey, Columbia
County's Sports Marketing Director and former Columbia
High and FSU star quarterback, filed suit in Lake City
against the County Commission ("County 5" or "The 5").
The complaint alleges that Assistant County Manager
Scott Ward, who was recently given the stamp of approval
by County 5 Chair Sylvester "Bucky" Nash, is
alleged to have "harassed and mistreated" Mr. Lowrey. The lawsuit also claims that Paula Vann, Director of the
Tourist Development Council and Mr. Lowrey's immediate supervisor, is responsible
for "defamatory statements" against him.
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Posted August 22, 2016
11:59 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – At 2 pm sharp on
August 18, 2016, Circuit Court Judge Leandra
Johnson ran through a brief history
explaining how the petitioner, Lifeguard
Ambulance, and the respondent, Columbia
County came to be in her courtroom; asked
the parties to identify themselves; advised
them that they would each have 30 minutes to
present their sides; and the petitioner,
Lifeguard, would be able to reserve part of
that time for rebuttal.
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Posted August 22, 2016 02:40 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On April 21, 2016, as the
Lifeguard v. Columbia County procurement
scandal was lifting off the launch pad into
litigation heaven, veteran District 1
Commissioner Ronald Williams told the County
5, "Mr. Chairman, I move that we take staff
recommendation and let the hell fly where it
may." This past Thursday, August 18, 2016,
veteran Circuit Court Judge Leandra Johnson
heard the oral arguments in Lifeguard
Ambulance vs. Columbia County.
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Posted August 19, 2016
11:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Again notable in the run-up to yesterday's
meeting of the County 5 was County Manager
Ben Scott's inability to prepare or have
prepared meeting materials on the Friday
before County Commission meetings. The
County management and the County 5's
inability to follow their guidelines and
rules were particularly evident last night
with late information, walk-ons, and last
minute contract information for Century
Ambulance. Last night, Commissioners
DePratter and Nash were joined by
Commissioner Phillips in their displeasure
at the lack of timeliness of County
materials. So far these complaints have
proven to be nothing..
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August 11, 2016
09:33 am |
(1
comment)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – At approximately 12:50 pm
yesterday afternoon the Columbia County 911 Center
received a rather unusual 911 call from a property
owner: a week old foal was trapped in a 4 to 5 foot deep
hole in a pasture off SW County Road 240.
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Posted August 7, 2016
11:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Tuesday, August 2,
2016, Columbia County received notice from
noted employment attorney, Marie Mattox,
that she was representing the County Sports
Marketing Director Kelly Lowrey in his
claims against the County. Mr. Lowrey is
claiming slander, defamation of character,
intentional infliction of emotional
distress, and other possible civil claims
against Columbia County.
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Posted August 5, 2016
11:59 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The August 4 meeting of the Columbia County
5 had as its main attraction the vote on the
economic development incentive passed
unanimously the morning before by the
Economic Development Advisory Board. Not
pleased by the actions of the Company, the
EDAB voted to modify the terms of the
incentive guarantee. Before the meeting
began, Chairman Nash made it clear that he
didn't care if the public could hear or not.
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Posted
August 5, 2016 11:55 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night the County 5 kept
sinking: county commissioners couldn't be
heard; unnecessary last minute items walked
on to the evening's docket; legal documents
didn't get County Attorney's approval; more
ambulance controversy; and County 5 Chairman
Sylvester "Bucky" Nash" throwing the
Economic Development Advisory Board under
the bus with his 12th hr. change of heart in
favor of one of the nation's largest private
corporations, Loves.
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Posted August 4, 2016
10:17 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Yesterday morning, the Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) met to
once again determine if the unnamed travel
center that no one will name (Love's or "the
Company") would be recommended for a County
taxpayer financed cash incentive totaling
$1,325,000. Originally, on the County 5 July
21 agenda, it was pulled at the last minute
after the company changed its job guarantee
from 60 to 30, lowered the hourly wage and
reduced its investment from $12mil to $10mil
without a comparable reduction in the dollar
amount of its incentive. The EDAB, without
discounting for the reductions, voted
unanimously to approve the $1,325,000
incentive. The 5 will consider its
recommendation at 5:30 pm tonight.
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Posted August 2, 2016
02:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – For a little over an hour last
night about 50 residents attended a town hall meeting in
the Columbia City public school cafeteria to discuss the
plans for the proposed Columbia City Inclusive County
Park. While there was some discussion of politics, boat
ramps, and a local fire station, no one opposed the
project.
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Posted August 1, 2016
04:30 pm |
Updated August 2, 2016 04:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Burning through its
financial reserves at a breakneck pace, the
County 5, County Manager, and County
Management continue to ignore its own rules
for the selection of road projects. In place
of its recently adopted Road Prioritization
Policy, the County is flying by the seat of
its pants making up the rules as it goes
along and just ignoring common sense.
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Posted July 29, 2016
07:27 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The Lifeguard Ambulance –
Columbia County 911 EMS selection faceoff continues. The
latest in this saga occurred on July 26, when Purchasing
Director Ray Hill responded to Lifeguard's most recent
protest of the latest County RFP for 911 ambulance
service. While the July 26 response was signed by
Mr. Hill, it clearly comes from the pens of County Attny
Foreman and the Tallahassee law firm of Nabors, Giblin &
Nickerson (NGN). At least two of the County's responses
don't make sense and are
untrue.
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Posted July 27, 2016
11:07 am
FORT WHITE, FL – A malfunctioning air conditioner
didn't dampen the spirits of the throng of folks that
turned out to support their favorite candidates at the
first Republican meet the candidate night in Columbia
County. The Democrats have no presence and Master of
Ceremonies, Republican leader Buddy Hines, ran a mostly
non-partisan event, other than the cake auctions, where
all the money went to the republicans. The cake auction
turned out to be where the action was. Running
unopposed, Sheriff Hunter got blown out of coconut cake
auction ($320) and a couple of other ones. Finally, he
donated $100 and said he would try again at the next
candidate night. Keep your eye on the coconut cake and
the Sheriff at the next event.
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Posted July 26, 2016
03:19 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On June 2, 2015, the people's
County Attorney, Joel Foreman, with the outcome of the
first Ambulance RFP tied up in litigation, sided with
the County's outside counsel, Nabors-Giblin-Nickerson
(NGN) and recommended that the County 5 reject all
previous EMS Ambulance Service bids and do a "do-over."
The 5 took Mr. Foreman's advice and rejected all bids.
Then, a new RFP was developed with the help of NGN. A
new ranking committee was formed. Unsurprisingly, on
July 13 Century Ambulance was ranked number 1. On July
22, Lifeguard formally protested the bid to Purchasing
Director, Ray Hill.
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Posted July 24, 2016
10:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last Thursday night, July 21, the
County 5 threw a screwball at District 5 Commissioner
Scarlet Frisina and all County residents when it voted
down a little park in rural Columbia City. According to
County Manager Ben Scott, Ms. Frisina has been working
on a rural community park in Columbia City for three
years. Ms. Frisina was successful in having the School
District donate the land to the County. A Florida grant
is available that could make Columbia City's little park
a show place for the County and a state of the art park
for the physically challenged. The grant application is
due August 17. Late Saturday afternoon, Commissioner
Frisina told the Observer, "I'm going to ask to be put
on the agenda for the next meeting. I am not giving up."
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Posted July 21, 2016
03:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Columbia County's infamous County 5 are
looking to give away another million dollar
plus incentive for what appears to be a
gas-rest-stop at Ellisville. The word on the
street is that it is another Loves Travel
Center, although no one is talking. On
Friday, July 15, a skeleton Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) met for a
meeting that had been rescheduled a couple
of times. The only issue of substance
approved at that meeting was to recommend an
economic development incentive agreement to
the County 5. The County's elected Attorney
was on vacation.
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Posted July 19, 2016
06:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – For decades, economic development
and economic development meeting notices have been
problematic in Columbia County. In 2009, what became
known as the Rudder Team, a mysteriously appointed group
of County insiders, intentionally set up meetings to
keep both the public and some county commissioners in
the dark. In a blast from the past, last Tuesday's
Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) Site
Selection Subcommittee meeting slipped through the
cracks.
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Posted July 11, 2016
06:55 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Buried in last Thursday's
County 5 consent agenda was the paving of
three county roads: one in the wilderness
and two in Ag country. In May, County
management moved $2,000,000 from Economic
Development and the Transportation Trust
Fund into a new fund called Capital
Improvements. The fund was arranged in the
back rooms by County Manager Ben Scott. For
all practical purposes, it allocates
$400,000 to each commissioner for the
funding of under the radar special projects.
On Thursday night, with the help of the
other three of The 5, District 1
commissioner Ronald Williams dipped into the
fund for $400k and District 5's Scarlet
Frisina dipped into the fund for $163,000.
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Posted July 6, 2016
06:25 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, N. CENTRAL FL – Just announced, the
June 2016 Chancellor's Clark Maxwell Scholar
Student of the Month is FGC's Jamie Weaver,
a Health Information Technology major and
single mom. The Chancellor’s Clark Maxwell
Scholar Student of the Month Award
recognizes one student each month who
demonstrates leadership skills, academic
success, and/or commitment to community
service through their involvement in the
Florida College System. The Florida College
System enrolls 813,000 students.
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Posted June 22, 2016
04:50 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Yesterday's June 21 Workforce Development
Committee meeting had the attendees
searching for the best way to bring Columbia
County's businesses, educators, and
government together to explore employer
needs; the demonstrated lack of soft skills
in the labor pool; and the employee
disconnect between getting a job and keeping
a job.
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Posted June 20, 2016 09:15 am
COLUMBIA,
HAMILTON, SUWANNEE COUNTIES – The Suwannee Valley
Transit Authority (SVTA) is the tri-county agency whose
prime responsibility is providing transportation for
those who by income, age, or disability are unable to
transport themselves to doctors, jobs, and educational
facilities or other life sustaining activities.
Advertising its meetings, providing public records, and
ethical issues have plagued the agency and its
management for at least a decade. The state, through the
Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD),
and indirectly through the North Central Florida
Regional Planning Council, oversees the agency.
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Posted June 17, 2016
01:45 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night the County 5, with
its new management team fully in place for
over a year, sat through another 2nd rate
audit presentation and again ignored the
fact that its slide presentation was totally
unreadable in the audience. After a few
slides went by, a Suwannee County visitor
sitting next to your reporter mentioned that
he couldn't read the slides. Your reporter
and everyone around him couldn't read them,
either. Chairman Nash and the rest of The 5
were frozen. When your reporter pointed out
that the slides weren't readable,
Commissioner Frisina turned to Chairman Nash
and said, "He's out of order." "
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Posted June
16, 2016 07:18 am | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On tap at the County 5 at 5:30
pm tonight is Hutton Development's month old
LLC, known as Hutton Gleason Place, LC,
request for an $869,140 tax abatement over
10 years. In return, the County will get an
employment boost of mostly low paying,
minimum wage or barely above minimum wage –
non living wage jobs, but will fill the
County Coffers with additional sales tax
revenue which helps to pay them.
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Posted June 15, 2016
06:40 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The Bachelor of Science in nursing program at Florida
Gateway College (FGC) is now nationally accredited. The
accreditation was awarded by the Commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education. FGC began offering the
RN-BSN degree in the fall of 2012. Students who enroll
in the program have the opportunity to attend full time
or part time. All classes are offered online with three
courses requiring minimal clinical hours.
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Posted June 9, 2016
03:10 pm |
Part II
|
Part I
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On May 31, 2016, Lake City
resident and county commission candidate, B
Coker, snapped a few photos of County
workers mowing a lawn in her neighborhood
with County lawn mowers. She brought the
photos to the Lake City Reporter. In part I,
Terminated: County Manager Throws Book at 2
County Road Workers For Mowing Mom's Lawn,
we covered the evaluations of the two
terminated employees; the Lake City Reporter
article, which some believe was the cause of
the termination; the questions that neither
the County 5 nor the County Staff would
answer, and an interview with one of the two
of the
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Posted June 9, 2016
01:05 pm |
Part I |
Part II
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On May 31, 2016, Lake City
resident and county commission candidate, B
Coker, snapped a few photos of County
workers mowing a lawn in her neighborhood
with County lawn mowers. She brought the
photos to the Lake City Reporter. According
to County Manager Ben Scott, Ms. Coker also
contacted the County Public Works
Department. Dakota Owens and Adam Merritt,
part of a 4-man mowing crew, both with
unblemished county records, mowed Mr.
Owens's mom's lawn during their lunch break.
Within
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Posted June 6, 2016
02:25 pm |
Part II |
Part I
In
attempting to roll back the clock, The 5
need a mechanism to do the "Do-Over." There
is none. The County Charter requires the
County Commission to approve Rules of
Procedure (ROP). They have done that. The
rules are meant to control the public,
giving a bare outline of the order of County
business. The latest incarnation of the
rules was written by County Attorney Joel
Foreman. In civilized counties, the ROP
refer to either Robert's or Sturgis's rules
of parliamentary procedure. This controls
how the governing agency transacts its
official business.
|
Posted June 3,
2016 07:59 am
Updated June 6, 2016 01:44 pm|
Part I
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL –Last night at the Columbia
County 5 (The 5) bimonthly County Commission
meeting, the Sylvester "Bucky" Nash Board
demonstrated why Americans all over the land
have had their fill of politicians. In a 5-0
vote, without any substantive discussion,
The 5 voted to "do-over" its April 21
decision to award the county-wide EMS
ambulance contract to Century Ambulance and
negotiate a contract with them. The County
began negotiations; Lifeguard Ambulance sued
The 5. Lifeguard looked like it had the
upper-hand in the courts.
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Posted June 1, 2016 06:30 am | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday morning at
8:30 am, Columbia County's Workforce
Development Committee met to begin finding
solutions for creating a "ready workforce"
in Columbia County. Florida Gateway College
President, Dr. Larry Barrett, is focused on
making FGC a regional instrument in
workforce development and incumbent worker
training. "We need to do a needs assessment
of different industries... We need to do
this right... We don't have a workforce
strategy."
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Posted May 26, 2016 01:01 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL –Yesterday's midday Tourist
Development Council meeting saw the Lake
City Columbia Community Tennis Association's
Dolly Robinson update the TDC on the
Community Tennis Association's progress
since its January presentation. Ms.
Robinson told the TDC, "We were offered a
$10,000 tournament in the spring. Of course,
we have no tennis courts so we couldn't take
it... It takes a vision. It takes somebody
saying, 'This can happen.' We're willing to
get behind it. Before we can go a whole lot
further, we have to find a place to do
this."
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Posted May
21, 2016 08:15 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY/ LAKE CITY, FL – On Thursday night,
May 19, 2016, the Columbia County 5
demonstrated that being the County Economic
Development Director or a member of the
County Economic Development Advisory Board
(EDAB) was of less importance than being a
eunuch invited to a harem owners convention.
Ignoring the Economic Development Director
and the EDAB, The 5 did an orchestrated run
around Florida's Sunshine Law and met
secretly, one at a time, with a
developer to receive a presentation and have their
questions answered. The County 5 approved a 25 year
lease for a County owned building to a newly
incorporated LLC, the first five years for $1 a year.
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Posted May
10, 05:59 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On April 21, 2016, Lifeguard
Ambulance, Columbia County's 911 ambulance provider,
appealed the Columbia County 5's decision to negotiate a
contract with Century Ambulance. At that time, 34 year
veteran Commissioner Ronald Williams told The 5, "Let
the hell fly where it may." It's flying. At 6:12 pm last
night, Lifeguard officially released a statement from
its president, Brett Jovanovich, announcing its lawsuit
and request for an injunction against the County 5.
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Posted
April 29, 2016 08:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY/ LAKE CITY, FL – Yesterday morning at 11
am Commissioner Bucky Nash's hand-picked Animal
Control/Humane Society committee met. The task: come up
with the amount of emergency funding necessary to keep
the Lake City Humane Society in the animal control
business for Columbia County, minus Lake City. The city
of Lake City negotiates separately with the Humane
Society for Animal Control. Historic poor relations and
an almost total inability for the City and the County to
get along and develop any shared ...
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Posted April 26, 2016 02:25 pm
Florida Gateway College (FGC) wants to be a
partner and driver in economic development
in North Florida. We do great things at FGC.
In the nine months that I have been here I
have been learning a lot about our region:
looking, researching, engaging, and
listening about the good – the bad – and the
ugly, and also the challenges and
opportunities that we have.
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Posted
April 23, 2016 01:55 pm |
Part II |
Part I |
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Years of second rate procurement
practices and failure to have its Procurement Directors
have any kind of certification has left County residents
holding the bag once again for tens and maybe hundreds
of thousands in legal fees, as the County's recent
Request For Proposals (RFP) for 911 Ambulance Services
spiraled into disarray. During its appeal to the County
5, Lifeguard questioned Century's forthrightness in its
response to questions about prior litigation.
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Posted
April 22, 2016 10:39 pm |
Part I
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Years of second rate procurement
practices and failure to have its Procurement Directors
have any kind of certification has left County residents
holding the bag once again for tens and maybe hundreds
of thousands in legal fees, as the County's recent
Request For Proposals (RFP) for 911 Ambulance Services
spiraled into disarray.
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Posted
April 20, 2016 03:30 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – This past Sunday, April 17, hundreds from all over
Florida traveled to the Santa Fe River Outpost known as
Rum 138. They came to celebrate the Santa Fe River, the
environment, listen to original music, and show their
support for Our Santa Fe River and its fearless
spokesperson and community leader, Merrillee
Malwitz-Jipson.
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Posted
April 15, 2016 08:05 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY/
LAKE CITY, FL – Yesterday afternoon at 4:30 pm, the
Committee: County Manager Ben Scott, Asst. Cnty. Manger
Scott Ward, Commissioner Scarlet Frisina, Humane Society
President Todd Sampson, and Animal Shelter/Humane
Society Executive Director Laura Page, had their first
sit down to drill through Animal Control/Humane Society
financials; compare notes; and come up with funding
figures to continue animal control in Columbia County.
Thirty-eight minutes into the meeting, the 800lb gorilla
in the next room was discussed: No Kill Nation.
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Posted
April 12, 2016 04:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY/
LAKE CITY, FL – Yesterday afternoon, the
Lake City Humane Society of Columbia County
announced it had been awarded a $75,000
grant from the Petco Foundation to support
the sterilization of its shelter animals
prior to adoption. The Petco Foundation
grant will help to sterilize approximately
1,000 shelter pets to prepare them for
adoption into new homes.
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Posted
April 10, 2016 06:30 pm | (5 comments)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
For decades, Lake City/Columbia County Humane
Society/animal control has been underfunded, out of
sight and out of mind, and was a killing field which
sent more dead dogs and cats to the dump in plastic
garbage bags (per capita) than any other county in
Florida except for one. In 2013, before the present
executive director and crew took over, the Animal
Shelter euthanized 73% of the animals coming through its
doors. In 2015 the number was reduced to 34% and this
year the percentage is falling. If the City and the
County don't come up with additional funding soon, the
Shelter will go under.
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Posted
April 7, 2016 12:50 pm | (2
comments)
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Yesterday, the Economic
Development Advisory Board on a 4-3 split,
voted to recommend giving Hutton Shopping
Mall Developers $1,650,000 of Columbia
County tax dollars divided between a
$650,000 direct cash rebate and $1,000,000
in direct property tax rebates over ten
years. The property tax rebate could be
more. Economic Development Director, Glenn
Hunter, when pressed by Assistant County
Manager Scott Ward, said he was in favor of
the arrangement. Econ Dev Dir Hunter is a
non-voting member of the board.
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Posted
March 30, 2016 10:05 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Despite being scheduled during Spring Break and
during a time when working families could not attend and
participate, yesterday morning's workshop to discuss the
future of Columbia County's springs, rivers, lakes,
drinking water, and rural quality of life was attended
by about a dozen concerned citizens. The conversation
was productive and Columbia County is on the way to
keeping industrial, or factory farming, off the top of the
high recharge area of the Floridan Aquifer.
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Posted
March 28, 2016 08:20 am
The
Chairman of the County 5, Sylvester "Bucky"
Nash, scheduled tomorrow's County 5 workshop
at 9 am during Spring Break, a time when
many families leave town and working
families cannot attend. The purpose of the
Workshop has been kept under wraps on the
web. This morning at 7:45 am there was still
no explanation of the purpose of the
workshop; any list of invited guests or
experts; any agenda; or any materials that
The 5 have been studying and reviewing to
prepare themselves. The County Charter
requires that material provided to The 5 be
posted on the County website.
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Posted
March 23, 2016 06:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Residents from Columbia and Gilchrist counties
were joined at the Fort White Library by
County Manager Ben Scott to discuss the
issues to be brought up at an upcoming
workshop of the County 5. The sudden
appearance last July of a million chicken
industrial farming operation in Fort White
precipitated community engagement to protect
the environment, watershed, and quality of
life. A workshop is scheduled for March 29
at 9 am to discuss possible changes to the
land development regulations and ordinances
in agricultural districts.
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Posted
March 13, 2016 11:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Ten days ago, on March 3, 2016, the Observer
reported that lost between the millions of
Bascom Norris Bypass cost overruns and
conflicting claims of Columbia County and
Anderson Columbia Construction Inc. (ACCI) ($15
Mil Bascom Norris Bypass Project ... Common
Sense or Cover Up ) was the revelation
that the man, who took over the supervision
of the job as it tumbled into turmoil, was
the County's Public Works Director, Kevin
Kirby, whose claim that he had an
Associate's Degree from Lake City Community
was false.
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Posted
March 10, 2016 12:45 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Tuesday afternoon, March 8,
CareerSource Florida Crown met for its
quarterly board meeting. Board members from
the 4 county region: Columbia, Dixie,
Gilchrist, and Union, as well as staff
members, met to receive an update on its
budget, review the FY 2015 Audit, and
discuss its new hours of operation.
Operating with 2/3 less money than it did in
2001, Florida Crown continues to serve a 4
county area with enthusiasm and dedication
while the region remains a Rural Area of
Critical Economic Concern (RACEC).
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Posted
March 5, 2016 09:50 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Parker Neely – Centurion Partners – Gateway
Crossing – GWC (all incarnations of a retail
subdivision planned by Parker Neely) scored
big on Thursday night, as the County 5 on a
4-1 vote agreed to give Parker Neely's I-75
– U.S. 90 shopping plaza, GWC, its
last version, a $255,000 economic
development incentive. The County 5 did not
ask for a return of the previously paid
trade association dues and a hotel room for
Mr. Neely, nor is the incentive based in any
measure on job creation or creating living
wage jobs.
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Posted
March 3, 2016 09:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Tonight, Columbia County's county commission
(County 5, The 5) will determine whether or not to
accept what County Attorney Joel Foreman has framed as
"the best deal the county will get," a mediated
settlement between Columbia County and Anderson Columbia
Construction, Inc., (ACCI), which built the Bascom
Norris Bypass. If approved, the deal will cost county
taxpayers $2.25 million.
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Posted Feb.
22, 2016 07:20 am | Part II |
Part I
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Thursday evening, Feb. 18,
2016, The Columbia County 5 met to consider
the Economic Development Advisory Board
(EDAB) recommendation, which granted Mr.
Neely $255,000 over three years beginning in year
number 4. The EDAB, after listening to Mr.
Neely and weighing Mr. Neely's remarks,
recommended granting the incentive without
any restrictions or benchmarks. Thursday
night, The 5 unanimously rejected the EDAB
proposal and sent it back to the drawing
board.
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Posted Feb.
19, 2016 04:35 pm | Part I of 2 parts
|
Part II
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The Parker Neely – Gateway Crossings retail incentive
has been on the County docket since late 2015. In
January 2015, Mr. Neely's drawings showed 8 development
parcels. In October 2015, Mr. Neely asked the Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) for $250k - $300k in
cash, plus mitigation credits, which he thought were
worth about $150,000. By November 205, the project had
expanded to 10 development parcels. By this time Mr.
Neely had backed off the cash plus mitigation credits
and was just going after the money for the mitigation
credits, which he discovered he would have to purchase.
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Posted February 15, 2016 02:45 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
On Friday, February 12, 2016, a lone Air
Force F-16 flew over Lake City, taking
photographs and mapping out the terrain in
preparation for the appearance of the USAF
Thunderbird F-16 precision flying team on
April 9 – 10 in Columbia County/Lake City.
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Posted Feb. 10, 2016 12:26 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – The Lake Shore Hospital
Authority (LSHA) put out calls for the
latest recipients
of the Authority's public benevolence, the School
District and the County, to show up for
Monday's February 8 monthly meeting for a defibrillator
"photo op," and they did. While the Authority had taken
receipt of the defibrillators, the recipients left
empty-handed. Mario Coppock, the County's Recreation
Director, was headed back to the Richardson Rec Center
for the AAU Basketball tryouts. It was a
good thing nobody had a heart attack.
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Posted
February 5, 2016 08:42 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night's meeting of the
Columbia County 5 saw the new Suwannee River
Water Management Executive Director, Noah
Valenstein, introduce himself to the County.
In spite of a few glitches by Chairman Nash,
all the questions brought to the meeting by
the public were answered by Mr. Valenstein,
who demonstrated he wasn't afraid to answer
questions and showed a command of the issues
facing the Water Management District.
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Posted February 3, 2016 11:05 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
It has been said that fresh clean water is
one of the most important global issues
today. Safe drinking water is a worldwide
issue. The Suwannee River Water Management
District (SRWMD) is one of five Florida
water management districts established by
statute in 1972. It is supported by property
taxes and controlled by a governing board
appointed by the governor. The SRWMD's day
to day operations are run by an executive
director, Noah Valenstein. Mr. Valenstein is
on the agenda of the Columbia County 5 for
Thursday, February 4, under the topic:
"Introduction."
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Posted January 28, 2016 04:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Economic Development Director
Glenn Hunter looked the other way after being bashed for
the past 17 months by the hierarchy of the County and
the local print newspaper. Yesterday afternoon, to a
packed house, he presented his committee's report to the
Tourist Development Council (TDC) on bringing world
class tennis to Lake City/Columbia County.
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Posted January 22, 2016 05:55 am | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – With blindfolded eyes or a
blind eye from Columbia County (The 5);
the Suwannee River Water Management
District (SRWMD); the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP); and JTC
Farms, Columbia County's gopher
tortoises, a threatened Florida species,
were ignored during the land clearing
and site prep for the impending JTC
Farms chicken factory. Fortunately for
the gopher tortoises, nearby residents
around the impending JTC Farms operation
complained. As a result of those
complaints, Florida's Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) picked up
the ball and investigated.
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Posted January 07, 2016 10:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday morning's Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) meeting saw shopping
mall developer Parker Neely asking the Board to
recommend to the County 5 a $255,000 grant to add "more
bricks to our [his] financial wall." After an almost 45
minute presentation, in which Mr. Neely fielded only
two questions from the Board, Chairman Bucky Nash sent
everyone home to "think about it."
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January
7, 2016 10:30 pm | Letter to the Editor
I fail to see how any part of this looming
chicken factory operation doesn't fall under the
jurisdiction of Columbia County. I don't think
the county is doing the right thing. I think
there must be more you ALL can and should do to
help.
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Posted January 06, 2016 01:25 am
Fort White,
FL – Almost thirty South Columbia County
residents met in the Fort White library
Monday night to get updated and continue
organizing against a Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operation (CAFO), which some people
mistakenly call a chicken farm. The meeting
facilitated by Our Santa Fe River's Merrillee
Malowitz-Jipson had unhappy and disappointed
residents wringing their hands trying to
come up with a plan of action to stop the
chickens and educate the County's residents.
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County News 2015
(scroll down)
|
Posted Dec. 30, 2015 06:05 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The First Amendment
Foundation is pleased to announce Barbara
Jeffords Lemley, a Lake City resident,
and Stew Lilker, publisher of the Columbia
County Observer, as the recipients of the
2015 Pete Weitzel/Friend of the First
Amendment Award.
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Posted December 22, 2015 12:40 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last Thursday night, December 17, Florida's infamous
Columbia County 5 awarded former Circuit Court Judge E.
Vernon Douglas $2,000 a day to hear code enforcement
cases as Columbia County's first Code Enforcement
Special Magistrate. Mr. Douglas was also awarded $275 an
hour to do other work, such as to "review ordinances."
Joel Foreman, Florida's only popularly elected County
Attorney, has decided to prosecute code enforcement
cases himself, rather than having Code Enforcement
present its cases. Beginning in 2014, Mr. Foreman had
led the charge to dissolve Columbia County's Code
Enforcement Board.
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Posted December 18, 2015 04:10 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night's meeting of the
County 5 was short, but it may not have been short
enough for the employees who have been left out of the
newly approved County 5 Employee Leave BuyBack "Xmas
Bonus" plan. The BuyBack plan is County Manager Ben
Scott's first major proposal as County Manager.
According to the meager information provided to The 5,
the final version of the policy came out of Assistant
County Manager Scott Ward's office.
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Posted December 16, 2015 03:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Monday night, the Lake
City/Columbia County Tennis Committee met with Tourist
Development Council (TDC)
Director, Paula Vann. In operation for almost 2 years,
the Committee, under the leadership of Economic
Development Director, Glenn Hunter, is working to bring
world class tennis to the area. On Monday night, people
from four continents were introduced to Ms. Vann.
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Posted December 16, 2015 03:45 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Every year, based on the County Charter,
the Columbia County 5 appoints a County Commission
Chairperson. On December 3, The 5 elevated Commissioner
Bucky Nash from the position of Vice Chair to
Chairperson. In the civilized world, there are rules for
Commission appointments to Boards and Committees. In
Columbia County, the County Chairman invokes the "Feagle
feel like it principle." He or she appoints who they
feel like.
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Posted December 04, 2015 09:38 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Turned down by County Manager Ben Scott for
funding, Christa Pribble told The County 5
that she took off 4 hours from her job on
Thursday afternoon to prepare for last
night's meeting. Ms. Pribble has been on a
continuing quest to get funding for an Arts
Council, which she again claimed as she did
in August, that art will give "at-risk youth
pathways to success." With local citizens
speaking in support, this time The 5 seemed
more receptive as they peppered her with
questions. The 5 did not approve the $4,000
for which she was asking.
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Posted December
03, 2015 01:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On August 14, 2015,
during a budget workshop, seven agencies
made requests for funding from the County 5.
If granted, the requests are funded out of
reserves. The 5 listened and reserved its
decision. The County minutes do not state
when or how The 5 was to decide these
additional requests. On Nov. 24, County
Manager Ben Scott made a decision to
allocate the funds. His decisions come
before The 5 tonight. The County has tens of
millions in the bank. The Arts Council was
looking for $4,000. Mr. Scott decided the
Arts Council received "$-0-." (Photo:
Christa Pribble of Citizens for an Arts
Council)
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Posted December 1, 2015 09:15 pm | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The County 5's November 19th Commission meeting set a
record for funds approved on the County 5 Consent
Agenda: $4,114,811. Slipped in under the radar on the
evening's regular agenda was a request by The 5's
Chairman, Rusty DePratter, and County Manager Ben Scott
for $70,000 to pay for what was described at the meeting
as a study of the air conditioning/humidity issues at
the County Courthouse, issues which have been ongoing
since its renovation in 2000. The Courthouse air
conditioning/humidity issues have been
studied and had solutions provided by
competent engineers for more than a decade.
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Posted Nov. 29, 2015 12:55 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – The County 5's November 19th
Commission meeting set a record for funds
approved on the County 5 Consent Agenda:
$4,114,811. Buried in the Consent Agenda was
the approval to accept a $40,900 bid for the
County's used landfill articulated "Dump"
Dump Truck, which according to Public Works
Director/Division Manager/Asst. County
Manager, Kevin Kirby, had outlived its
usefulness because of "electrical problems."
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Posted Nov. 24, 2015 08:10 am | Updated Nov. 24,
2015 01:00 pm*
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last Thursday's meeting of the
Columbia County 5 set a record for funds approved on the
County 5 Consent Agenda: $4,114,811. County Manager Ben
Scott didn't offer one word of explanation. The 5's
Chairman, Rusty DePratter, didn't ask for any. Neither
did the other 4 of The 5. The Scott/DePratter team
prepares and approves the agenda. Items 18 and 24 were
for lobbying services for a County group that went
missing 2 years ago. Those two items, for the
nonexistent North Florida Water Working Group, cost
Columbia County's taxpayers $107,000.
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Posted Nov. 6, 2015 06:20 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – During Wednesday's Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB) meeting,
the lack of any County wide economic
development incentive business model left
the EDAB reeling between giving away
$255,000 of County money to a developer who
had not submitted a written business plan or
business model; having the developer come
back before the EDAB and make a presentation
for the money and presenting a plan that the
Board could see; or having the County
Attorney come up with some sort of
preliminary development agreement and having
the developer make a proposal. An hour into
the discussion, County Chairman DePratter
told the Board, "I’d like to know what we
are talking about?"
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Posted Oct.
16, 2015 01:25 pm | (2
comments)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last night in Columbia County, agribusiness
collided head on with the rural residents of
Fort White Florida and the protectors of the
Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee Springs
water shed. Pilgrim's Pride, a U.S. company
75% owned by the Brazilian food giant JBS,
has contracted with a Fort White farm to
produce chickens, 250,000 of them every six
weeks. The County says they have no control.
The residents say their lives and property
values are ruined. A manager from Pilgrim's
Pride says the residents shouldn't worry.
The FL Dept. of Agriculture says the company
is using best practices and has the right to
farm chickens. The Suwannee River Water
Management District was nowhere to be seen.
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Posted October 7, 2015 07:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The route of
Pilot/Flying J landing in Ellisville began
in 2007 with trucker/businessman Terry
Dicks. It has ended in 2015 with Florida's
infamous County 5 (County Commission) and
the Dept. of Economic Opportunity (DEO),
which are about to put the rubber stamp on a
giveaway of federal, state, and county funds
based on jacked-up job predictions of job
creation, the overwhelming majority of which
don't pay a living wage.
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The Lake City Reporter makes up the news,
again.
Posted October 5, 2015 09:05 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last Thursday evening's meeting
of the County 5 included a mandatory public hearing on
the County's request for a Community Development Block
Grant on the Ellisville Project, a project in which the
County is giving away the farm for low paying ($9.25
hr.) – low skill jobs, and asking the FL Dept. of
Economic Opportunity (DEO) to provide $1,399,960 of
funding, which is funded through the increase in the
National Debt.
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Posted Sept. 27, 2015 09:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Friday, School Superintendent Terry Huddleston
spoke out about school/state accountability: "I have
spent the past 2 1/2 days meeting with 63 of 67
superintendents. As a group we have reached a point
where we no longer have any confidence in the present
accountability system. I believe there should be
accountability, but I can no longer support a system
that is unfair to students, teachers, principals,
schools, the district and our community.
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Posted Sept. 18, 2015, 10:00 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Sometime yesterday morning,
19.5 yr County Veteran, Art Butler, put his
"John Hancock" on a proposed agreement
settling his termination with the County.
Without one word of discussion, last night,
the County 5 did the same. Mr. Butler is/was
the County's longtime Director of Facilities
Maintenance, a job in which he was
responsible for maintaining the County's
buildings. He also built them and modified
them. Mr. Butler had a sterling reputation
throughout Florida. Then, beginning in 2008
and the reign of terror, his reputation and
integrity came under attack by various
factions within Florida's infamous good ole'
boy county.
|
Posted Sept. 7, 2015 04:15 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
At 5:30 pm last
Thursday
evening, a new
era of Columbia
County
management began
in the home of
the homeless
Columbia County
5. With 30+ year
veteran County
Manager Dale
Williams
officially gone,
new County
Manager, Ben
Scott, and his
$95k sidekick,
Assist. County
Manager Scott
Ward, have taken
over the helm of
Columbia County.
The first
casualty:
telling the
truth about the
5-Year Library
Plan.
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Posted September 3, 2015 07:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Florida's legendary Columbia County 5, known
for operating in the shadows; keeping
economic development in check to keep cheap
labor in the fields; and a legendary failure
to follow the most rudimentary forms of
parliamentary procedure and plain common
sense, found itself in Federal Court for the
failure to award Excelsior Ambulance Company
a license to operate in Columbia County and
interfering with a federal small business
contract.
Columbia County 5 Economic
Under-Development: Another Bollixed Deal...
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Posted August 28, 2015 02:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The recent 1% hike in the Columbia County BED
tax, the County's Tourist Development Tax, was
the topic of conversation at Wednesday's Tourist
Development Council (TDC). Hotel owner Nick
Patel claimed that the County didn't ask its
approval to raise the tax, something which it
has always done. The County said it forgot. Did
it?
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Posted August 21, 2015, 07:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last night, the County 5 jacked up the
County Communications Services Tax, a tax
levied on cell phones, cable and satellite
television, and non-residential landline
phone service, to fund its two full time and
one non essential part time library. While
rejecting honest taxation by taxing for the
libraries directly, the County 5 chose
instead to implement a burdensome and
regressive communications tax on Columbia
County's residents.
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Posted August 20 2015, 08:25 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
In 2012, Columbia County's newly hired
Economic Development Director, Jessie
Quillen, told the County 5 appointed
Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB)
that he wanted to bring high paying – high
value jobs to Columbia Country. He was shot
down by Commissioner Ronald Williams and the
rest of the EDAB. They didn't want to
advertise to the world the
high-value-high-pay part. Tonight the County
5 will vote on giving a $1,149,000 cash
incentive for 32 non living wage jobs. After
two years, Quillen finally quit.
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Posted August 16 2015, 04:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Art Butler, until he was terminated on Thursday
afternoon, was a long time (19.5 yr.) county
employee. He was a public employee known
throughout North Florida as a man of skill and
integrity; a man that didn't cut corners; a man
that always made sure the public received value
for its tax dollars; and a man of his word. In
Florida's infamous Columbia County, these are
traits that in some circles, are considered a
liability.
|
Posted August 10, 2015, 04:50 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
It was no surprise when on Thursday night, the
County 5 rubber stamped the bogus ranking of the
4 decade long County outside auditor, financial
advisor, and county budget right hand man,
Richard Powell of Powell & Jones. Other than
Commissioner Bucky Nash, no one asked any
questions and Commissioner Nash left out the
most important question.
|
Posted August
8, 2015, 11:59 pm | Part II
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Part II of "Columbia County 5 Economic
Under-Development, Another Bollixed Deal:
Excelsior Ambulance on the Ropes," concentrates
on the events of the August 6 meeting of the
County 5. The County staff presented a proposed
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
(COPCN) to The 5. This is what happened.
|
Posted August 7, 2015, 02:10 pm | Part I
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last night at The 5, Columbia County's restraint
of trade policies, which historically favor its
good ole' boys, operate in the shadows, and have
crippled economic development since the Civil
War, were front and center once again.
James A.
Graham, M.D., a disabled veteran from Georgia,
tried to get the County 5 make good on a promise
made on August 15, 2013, to issue a license to
operate a transport ambulance service for
patients of the Lake City V.A. Medical Center
and the V. A. Nursing Home Unit.
|
Posted August 5, 2015, 04:00 am | news/analysis
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – Lake City's
"hometown" newspaper has been around a long
time. It claims since 1874. The paper's
reporting of Monday night's unscheduled remarks
concerning the Stars & Bars on the Lake City
logo can only lead the inquiring mind to wonder:
What was it thinking?
|
Posted July 25, 2015, 06:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Friday morning's 9 o'clock
County Audit Committee meeting of the County
Constitutional Officers (Clerk of the Courts,
Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Sup. of Elections,
Tax Collector) and the County 5 Chairman was
reconvened to do-over its Wednesday Audit
Committee meeting. The purpose of the meeting:
rank the 4 Auditor proposals received by the
Audit Committee. The County management approved
ranking was wrong, although it not unexpectedly
ranked Lake City's Powell & Jones as the lone
number
|
Posted July 23, 2015, 02:30 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
After 4 decades, Columbia County's Audit
Committee was scheduled to meet yesterday
afternoon to rank the auditing proposals. The
committee met and the meeting bombed. Purchasing
Director Ray Hill violated the County Charter
and did not post the meeting or the proposals to
the County website. That was not the only
problem.
|
Posted July 17,
2015 04:00 pm
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – The dwindling County residents that
attend meetings of the County Commission were treated, once again, to
an audit presentation that was confusing,
difficult to follow, lacked any pie charts or
graphs, and was mostly unreadable from the
audience. The text on the screen was so
difficult to read that Auditor Dick Powell had
to read the information from papers he held in
his hand. As it turned out, this was a repeat of
last year's presentation.
|
Posted July 2, 2015, 07:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Known by insiders for weeks, plans to bring a
$60,000,000 biomass pellet plant to North
Florida have collapsed. Originally code named
Project Bark, the project was brought to
Hamilton County in 2014 and then surreptitiously
brought to Columbia County in the 1st quarter of
2015 by the same people that brought it to
Hamilton, the North Florida Economic Development
Partnership (NFEDP) and FSU's Florida Institute
of Government's Jeff Hendry.
|
Posted June 26, 2015, 03:05 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Beginning on April 30, 2015, continuing on May
28, and concluding yesterday on June 25, The
County 5 held three budget meetings spending 8
hrs. 30 min. looking at PowerPoint
presentations, many of which were repeated.
During all three meetings increases of the gas
tax and cell phone tax were on the docket.
|
Posted June 25, 2015, 07:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
On May 21, 2015, County Administration
rescheduled the regularly scheduled County
Commission meetings of June 18 and July 2 "in
order for the Commissioners to attend the
Florida Association of Counties (FAC) Annual
Conference." The FAC conference was held on June
16-19 at the Sawgrass Marriot, Ponte Vedra
Beach, St. Johns County. It is unknown which
commissioners attended. The FAC books conference
facilities 3 to 5 years in advance and notifies
its member counties "around the first of the
year," according to FAC's Cragin Mosteller.
|
Posted June 24, 2015, 11:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Monday night the County Commission (The 5) held
thirteen public hearings to either amend the
County Comprehensive Plan, the County Future
Land Use Map, or the Land Development
Regulations. These are zoning matters in which
the County Commission acts in a quasi-judicial
capacity and is required by Florida law to base
its decisions on competent substantial evidence. Not one
shred of competent substantial evidence was
presented to The 5 by the County Staff during
the hearings. Columbia County's newly-elected
County Attorney said they didn't need any.
|
Posted June 14, 2015,
08:55 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The May 20, 2015 hearing was continued from April 15,
2015, when the patriarch of Skunkie Acres, 83 year old
Bernard Haake, passed out The hearing was continued to
May 20. (Photo: Not lawyers, the Haakes tried to amend
their statement of claim.)
|
Posted June 12, 2015, 10:30 am
OLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
On Wednesday, June 10, 2014, the Lake City Reporter,
Columbia County's self proclaimed "Hometown" newspaper,
published an article headlined: Judge dismisses lawsuit
against newspaper. The article was bylined "from staff
reports." The newspaper did not respond to a question
for an explanation of its definition of "staff reports."
The Lake City Reporter wrote: "A small claims
case filed by the owners of Skunkie Acres was
dismissed because the newspaper did nothing
wrong..."p>
|
Posted June 5, 2015, 06:59 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The Columbia/Hamilton County Health Departments
and Palms Medical Group, a medical/dental
provider with locations throughout North Florida
are joining together in a free health fair
Saturday morning, June 6, beginning at 9am.
There will be free dental screenings, free
health screenings, blood pressure checks and
more, including door prizes. County Health and
Palm Medical personnel with be on hand to answer
your questions and explain their services.
|
Posted May 29, 2015, 07:26 am
The County's second budget workshop/special
meeting kicked off at 9 am yesterday morning.
County Manager to be, Ben Scott, and County
Chair Rusty DePratter drew up an agenda which
did not include any suggested items for action.
(Agenda
by PowerPoint.
More Wacky Gov't
From FL's Good
Ole' Boys).
By the time the morning was over, the County 5
had authorized County Attorney Joel Foreman to
draw up ordnances establishing a Professional
Sports Franchise Facility Tax; adding a
Communications Services Tax; and to begin the
process of establishing a Code Enforcement
Special Magistrate. The gas tax, while
discussed, was left lurking in the wings.
|
Posted May 28, 2015, 06:45 am | news-analysis
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Columbia County's infamous County Commission (The County
5, or The 5) is once again at the forefront of Florida
wacky government. Not to be outshined by the Florida
Legislature, this morning's 9 am Budget Workshop has
been classified as a special meeting. This accomplishes
two tasks for the County 5: It keeps working families
out of the meeting, unable to witness their elected
officials at work; more importantly, it keeps the public
from commenting on the actions of The 5, a right which
has been recently guaranteed by the Florida legislature.
|
Posted May 22, 2015, 10:25 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
City Manager Wendell Johnson's Blanche Hotel
Redevelopment Project took a hit last night when the
County 5 voted 3-2 not to remove $1,000,000 from its
reserves and loan/grant Integrity Development Partners
(IDP) a million dollars interest-free. A convoluted
financial arrangement would have had Lake City make a
good faith guarantee of the IDP loan.
The project is not dead. On May 9, City Manager
Johnson told the County 5, "The
City don't want a loan from the County. I'm
sayin' that to ya because we don't need the loan
from the County. We got the money to loan
ourself..."
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Posted May 21, 2015, 12:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The Blanche Hotel Renovation Project is back on
the County 5 docket tonight. The issue The 5 may
decide is a simple one: will the County 5 be in
favor of giving/lending Integrity Development
Partners (IDP) $1,000,000 from the County's
reserves? The County 5's May 7 meeting ended in
confusion. One of the major issues brought up by
County Attorney Joel Foreman was the need to get
a written opinion from the County Auditor and
financial advisor, Richard Powell, regarding the
legality of an interest free loan to Lake City.
Mr. Foreman never got that opinion.
|
Posted May 14, 2015,10:35 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The byword for Lake City, City Manager Wendell Johnson's
Blanche Redevelopment Project has been "confusion." City
Manager Johnson's secrecy throughout the project and
Columbia County's Hapsburg-like rule has done nothing to
clear the air. At midday yesterday, County Commissioner,
Sylvester "Bucky" Nash, told the Observer, "I wouldn't
be opposed to everybody getting in a room and airing it
out. Let's roll."
|
Posted May 12, 2015, 06:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Local customer care provider Sitel has just
announced the addition of more than 700 new
full-time career opportunities at its Lake City
customer service center. These jobs are in
addition to the 300 new hires announced at
Sitel’s Ocala location in late April. Sitel will
be hosting an on-site job fair at its Lake City
site, located at 1152 SW Business Point Drive,
on Monday, May 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
|
The Lake City Reporter
Got It Wrong
Posted May 11, 2015, 11:30 am | news/analysis
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – Everybody is
entitled to their opinion, but it is good when
it is based on reality. The Lake City Reporter
besides "misreporting" Thursday's Board-Blanche
vote, which was a heartbeat away from having The
5 deep-six the Blanche/IDP/Johnson Downtown
Project, got the reason wrong why City Manager
Johnson attended the County 5's Thursday board
meeting and ignored how he came to address The
5.
|
Posted May 9, 2015, 05:59 am | Part II: City Manager
Addresses The 5
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – After the first 30
minutes of Thursday evening's Blanche discussion, the
proposed Letter of Intent between IDP, Lake City, and
Columbia County to renovate Lake City's downtown Blanche
Hotel was balancing on a precipice. Commissioners
Williams and Nash were in favor of at least giving the
City a million dollar loan. Commissioners DePratter and
Frisina were opposed. Commissioner Everett Phillips was
on the fence.
|
May 8, 2015 12:01 pm | Part I
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – It was a rough ride for
Lake City's Blanche Hotel last night as the
County 5 met to discuss the Blanche
Redevelopment Proposal of Valdosta's Integrity
Development Partners (IDP). Seven and a half
months of secrecy, backroom dealing, lobbying,
and discussions culminated last night in
confusion, charges, and counter-charges. When
the dust settled, folks were headed back to the
drawing board for what appears to be the
Blanche's last stand.
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May 7, 2015 12:45 pm | News-Analysis
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Tonight, after
multitudinous meetings with the Assistant County
Manager, Ben Scott, and County Economic
Development Director, Glenn Hunter, Columbia
County's infamous County 5 will decide whether
or not to front Lake City at least a million
dollars on the derelict Blanche Hotel. Secrecy
and secret finances were a hallmark of City
Manager Wendell Johnson's time at the now mostly
defunct dismissal failure, the $30 mil North
Florida Broadband Authority of which he was one
of the financial kingpins. Johnson now is the
driving force in Lake City's Blanche project,
one that has ballooned from $13.5 mil to $17 mil
in seven months.
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Posted April 24, 2015 08:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
During the past 6 months the legal issues confronting
the folks of Skunkie Acres, the animal rescue
organization previously located north of Lake City have
been many. According to Skunkie Acres 83 year old
patriarch, Bernie Haake, animal control and DCF issues
"became overwhelming" after he was given a suspended 30
day jail sentence on April 15 and then a short while
later found himself in Judge Tom Coleman's Small Claims
Court. Mr. Haake's wife and daughter filed a small
claims complaint against the Lake City Reporter and its
cub reporter, Emily Buchanan.
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Posted April 20, 2015 07:10 am
OLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Saturday's Columbia County School District (CCSD)
auction went off without a hitch. The surplus school
busses were lined up like giant yellow caterpillars.
Inside the warehouse were tables, chairs, kitchen
equipment, and screen printing equipment. Many of the
items looked new or nearly new. There was also a tire
changer, vehicle jacks, and welders. Laptop computers
and computer equipment that some folks came to
buy was MIA.
|
Posted April 17, 2015 07:20 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
Last night, The Columbia County 5, in a 3-2
split, led by Dist. 4 Commissioner Everett
Phillips, turned back the Planning & Zoning
Board (P&Z) and voted in favor of quality of
life. The question before The 5 was: should
they overrule the P&Z's decision to change the
use of 110 acres from very low density, 1
dwelling per acre, to industrial. Randy Jones,
the County's Building Dept. Director, presented
nothing locating the property during the public
hearing.
|
Jack Berry and LSHA
get another free pass
April 15, 2015 10:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL – For decades, Columbia
County/Lake City's daily newspaper, the Lake
City Reporter, has been known as the Lake City
Repeater; the Lake City Distorter; or simply the
Mullet Wrapper, although the late Superintendent
of Schools, Sam Markham, used to say, "I
wouldn't insult my fish in that." The LCR's
report of Monday's Lake Shore Hosp. Authority
meeting twisted; covered up; or just made up
much of its reporting.
|
Posted April 3, 2015 05:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night, the Columbia County 5, (The 5 or
the County Commission) decided after 40 years to put out
a search for a County Auditor to possibly replace the
only Auditor the County has had since the 70's, External
Auditor Richard Powell. The County's Constitutional
Officers had previously recommended keeping Powell. Last
night, the County Staff recommended keeping Powell.
Chairman Rusty DePratter, after a split vote in favor of
searching for another auditor, announced that he hoped
the County ended up "with the same" auditor.
|
Posted
April 2, 2015 7:30 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – For decades and generations
Columbia County has been known as Florida's
quintessential Good Ole' Boy county. Back on
the agenda tonight is the renewal of County
External Auditor – Financial Advisor –
former Advisor to the County Internal
Auditor, Richard Powell's contract. With a
reminder that The 5 needs to take "baby
steps," there have been rumblings that
things are going to change. Tonight,
sometime shortly after 5:30 pm, The 5 will
decide whether or not to reject the
Constitutional Officers' recommendation to give Richard
Powell another contract or put out a request
for proposals for new eyes.
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Posted April 1, 2015 10:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday afternoon's County 5
meeting brought no surprises as County
Economic Development Director Glenn
Hunter pitched economic development
incentive packages that were already
discussed last week during the Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB)
meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting. meeting.
Project Sandra was reported here. The
incentive package needed the County 5's
approval. Columbia County is not the only
location in the hunt for Sunbelt's expansion.
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Posted March 26, 2015 08:55 am
"Tremendous Opportunity, but we don't
have a rail; we don't have roads; we don't have
utilities."
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – The second half of Monday's special
meeting of the County's Economic Development
Advisory Board may be turning into a clash of
the rails – incentives – heavy weights: CSX vs.
Norfolk Southern; Columbia County vs. really
poor North Florida rural counties; and Plum
Creek, the largest private owner of land in
Florida. Columbia County's Economic Development
Director, Glenn Hunter, kicked off the
discussion of code name Project Crystal Clear.
"This project is brought to us through EFI
(Enterprise FL), in conjunction with the NFEDP
(North FL Economic Development Partnership)," he
said.
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Posted
March 24, 2015 10:40 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday morning at 10:00
am, Columbia County's Economic Development
Advisory Board (EDAB) met for a special meeting
called by Economic Development Director, Glenn
Hunter. The purpose of the meeting: discuss
economic development incentives which will cost
Columbia County millions; the payback: jobs.
This article deals with one of those projects,
code name: Project Sandra.
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Posted March 20, 2015 11:10 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Columbia County Sheriff Mark
Hunter likes to spend his time at County Commission
meetings sitting in the shadows. Last night, before the
evening's County 5 meeting was gaveled to order,
Commissioner Everett Phillips asked him to sit where
folks could see him. He refused. Thirty minutes later,
The 5, made history, when they unanimously voted,
without one substantive question, to approve an
interlocal agreement between the County and Sheriff, the
first of its kind in the history of Florida. The
agreement, prepared by the Sheriff's lawyers at the
Florida Sheriff's Association, guaranteed him 39% of
Columbia County's non restricted revenues and gave him
an unrestricted reserve fund of $1.3 mil.
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Posted March 19, 2015 07:20 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Tonight, the Columbia County 5 is
going to decide whether or not to make its
forever Auditor, Richard Powell,
secure for another 40 years. State
law required an Audit Committee of the
Constitutional Officers and County Chair to be
formed to give the County 5 input. Last week,
they did, and they unanimously decided to
negotiate another contract with Mr. Powell.
County 5 Chairman, Rusty DePratter, voted with
the Constitutionals. Tonight the public will see
if the rest of The 5 will "go along to get
along" and support the County Chair.
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Posted March 18, 2015 07:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night, Columbia County's
Sports Advisory Council heard from County Economic
Development Director, Glenn Hunter. The Sports Advisory
Council is the sounding board and clearing house for all
sports and activity groups that utilize the County's
Southside Sports Complex and the extensive network of
County community centers and parks. A grass roots tennis
committee is looking to bring a county-wide tennis
program to Columbia County, as well as a world class tennis
facility for tournament and recreational use.
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Posted March 13, 2015 08:59 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Yesterday morning at 10:00 am,
Columbia County made history. For the first time
in anyone's memory, all of the County's
Constitutional Officers, along with the County 5
Chairman and the County and Assist. County
Manager, met. The purpose of the meeting was to
decide if Columbia County would, for the first
time ever, put out a
Request for Proposals for a county
auditor. Richard Powell has been the County's
sole auditing firm, financial advisor and until
recently, budget preparation "go to guy", since
what appears to be sometime in the 70's. The
County has not been able to locate his original
contract. Powell's contract has been extended
and renewed for about 40 years; the earliest
known document is dated April 19, 1990. The
committee decided not to put out an RFP.
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Posted March 6, 2015 05:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night's meeting of the County
5 saw the introduction Wendy Bragdon, the
Florida Department of Health's (DOH), Columbia
County Division, new Health Education Consultant
and Healthiest Weight Coordinator. Ms. Bragdon
told The County 5, "This is not just a job for
me, this is a passion. I've lost over a hundred
pounds. I want to encourage the members of our
community to live healthier lives."
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Posted March 03, 2015 11:00 am | Part II (Part
I: The FL Sup. Ct. Wants to Hear You)
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL –
Yesterday afternoon from 3 pm to
7 pm, 4th DCA Judge Jonathan Gerber, Third
Circuit Chief Judge, Gregg Parker, and former
Third Circuit Chief Judge, Leandra Johnson, took
up residence in Columbia County's courtroom I to
listen, take notes, and ultimately report back
to the Supremes. The Florida judicial branch is
developing its long-range strategic plan for
2016-2022. Folks came from as far as Tampa to
address the committee. Most of Columbia County's
public and elected and officials, along with the
County's daily newspaper, the Lake City
Reporter, came to be seen and mingle with each
other, then made a bee line to the exit when the
public came to the microphone.
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Posted March 01, 2015 10:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL –
A cornerstone of a well-functioning society is
an effective judicial system. “We need to know
how we’re doing, what works well, and what may
need to be improved. The opinions and
perspectives of all Floridians are important to
us,” said Fourth District Court of Appeal Judge
Jonathan Gerber. The committee is looking for
answers for two questions: 1) What are your
thoughts about the state courts system? 2) What
do you believe are the most important issues
currently facing Florida courts? The committee
will meet in Courtroom I, Monday at 3 pm and
continue until 7 pm, first hearing from the
public officials and then the public.
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Posted February 26, 2015 06:45 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY/LAKE CITY, FL –
Columbia County Florida is in the heart of the Deep
South. Once a year it celebrates the defeat of Union
forces in the Battle of Olustee. In 2015, race relations
are still a confusing and contentious issue. The
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Lake
City President, Befaithful Coker, on February 2, 2015,
asked to be put on the School Board agenda so that a
resolution could be made "In Recognition of Black
History Month and Alfonso Lofton," who, in 1963,
graduated from Columbia County's all black high school
and went on to become Florida's first black state
trooper. The District refused – the SCLC sued. Black
History month concludes in 3 days.
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Harmony in the
Columbia County School District
Posted February
25, 2015
Fort White, FL
– Last night, the Fort White elementary school
chorus performed. For them, unlike many of the
adults in Columbia County, it wasn't about
pedigree – it was about harmony.
|
Posted February 22, 2015 08:59 am | news–analysis
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Friday afternoon the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) filed
a law suit against the Columbia County
School District, the Superintendent, and the
Custodian of Records. The SCLC claims
violations of the Public Records Act;
Violations of the Sunshine Law; and failure
to follow its own rules, which allows a
person to be on the School Board agenda.
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Posted February 20, 2015 10:59 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The fruits of a month of backroom
maneuvering and unknown meetings came to a head
last night. Newly elected and Florida's only
publicly-elected County Attorney, Joel Foreman's
Rules of Procedure were presented to the public
at last night's meeting of the County 5. Mr.
Foreman's new rules spent approximately 62% of
their substance controlling, throttling, or
restricting the public that elected him to
represent the County Commission.
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Posted February 18, 2015 06:50 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The Columbia County Emergency
Management Department will be conducting a
hazardous materials exercise beginning at 9:00
a.m. on Friday, February 20 at Florida Gateway
College.
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Posted February 6, 2015 08:15 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The Columbia County Combined Communications
Center now has the ability to receive text
messages to 911. Using a phone to call 911 is
the most efficient way to reach emergency help,
but what if you can't talk on your phone? What
if you can only text and you need emergency
assistance?
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Posted January 28, 2015 10:05 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last Thursday's North
Central Florida Regional Planning Council
meeting featured the Planning Council's Tourism
Task Force showing off its new N FL tourism map.
Tourism is Florida's number one industry and the
Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) funded
the printing of 192,500 maps featuring places to
visit everywhere in N. Central FL, except the
three counties in the Suwannee River Valley. An inquiry to DEO gave up nothing but
bureaucratic double speak.
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Posted January 20, 2015 10:50 am
COLUMBIA - HAMILTON - SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL –
The saga of the Suwannee Valley TA continued this past
Friday as two Commissioners from each of the three
counties met for the second time to come up with an
answer to the Florida DOT's OIG (Office of the
Investigator General) Report. After an hour of
conversation the commissioners agreed to plead
nolo contendere and accept the report and its
findings unopposed with an answer which represented a
mini Corrective Action Plan. But first: Who's Who?
What's What? Who was watching the store?
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Posted January 16, 2015 07:59 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Fracking brought the
Columbia County 5 guests from as far south
as Sarasota, to a property owner in Keystone
Heights in NE Florida, for the evening's
County Commission meeting. Merrillee
Malwitz-Jipson, a Columbia County resident
and President of Our Santa Fe River, came to
Columbia County to ask the County 5 to pass
a resolution or ordinance in favor of
banning fracking. After 25 minutes of public
comments and 30 minutes of presentation by
Ms. Malwitz-Jipson, The 5 passed a motion
for the County Attorney to contact Alachua
County to see what it was doing.
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Posted January 09, 2015 10:35 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Wednesday's Economic Development
Advisory Board (EDAB) entered the New
Year with County 5 Chairman, Rusty
DePratter at the helm. Mr. DePratter ran
a relaxed meeting and gave everyone a
chance to participate. Half way through
the meeting, in which it was announced
that the deal for the rail spur into
Columbia County's inland port had
finally been signed, the County's
Economic Development Director, Glenn
Hunter, brought up the long forgotten
half a million dollar Banner Center,
which was another highly touted Florida
financed economic development fiasco.
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Posted
January 07, 2015 12:01 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The new Chairman of the County 5,
District 2 Commissioner, Rusty DePratter, has changed
who is sitting on the deck chairs of the Columbia County
ship of state. After the Bloodless Coup which
featured the cover-up of the non- vote which led to the
installation of Mr. DePratter as chairman and District 3
Commissioner, Bucky Nash as Vice-Chair, there is
movement at The 5.
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Posted January 5, 2015 11:55 pm | (1
comment)
COLUMBIA - HAMILTON - SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL –
The Suwannee Valley TA (SVTA) fandango continues
unabated. The constants are Columbia County Commissioner
Ronald Williams, who has been the Chairman of the SVTA
for as long as anyone can remember, and a North Central
Florida culture of cronyism and back room decision
making that has apparently gone on forever.
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