The 7-year Brannan-Bradley money trail (they
delivered the bacon)
August 22, 2025
The 7-Year Brannan-Bradley Money Trail As Recounted by Representative Brannan
Representative Brannan recounted to the County 5 state funding he’s helped secure for Columbia County (and district) over the past 7 years, emphasizing a strategic push to protect local projects despite statewide budget cuts.
Key results and highlights:
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Request vs. wins (current year): 41 district projects requested, 31 approved (likely among the highest in the Legislature); 4 vetoes, all in Alachua County.
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Current-year total to Columbia County: $16,875,476 (includes DOT road funding and member projects).
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7-year total to Columbia County: $169,623,282.
District-wide cumulative: now over $500M.
Selected Columbia County investments by year (highlights):
2019–2020:
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$750,000 North Florida Mega Industrial Park (NFMIP) rail extension.
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Fort White water supply: $2,805,610.
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$45M in DOT/local road projects.
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Florida Gateway College new STEM building
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initial funding City of Fort White Railway Park exhibit: $35,450.
2021:
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Fort White: +$1,000,000 for water.
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Multiple DOT projects (e.g., I-75/US 90, SR 247/Branford Hwy, SR 47), plus
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$6.148M to complete FGC STEM I (total ~ $13M).
2022:
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Fairgrounds: $3,368,000.
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City West Side fire station: $500,000.
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FGC STEM II: $3,000,000 (now under construction).
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NFMIP Parkway: $2,959,000.
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~$36.5M additional DOT work in-county.
2023:
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NFMIP water plant: $5,716,000.
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Sheriff’s Office crime lab/maintenance: $980,000. Fire Station 51 replacement: $950,000.
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Bethlehem Community Center: $475,000.
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Fairgrounds: $985,000.
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City public safety generator/HVAC: ~ $500,000.
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~ $10.3M in roads (incl. Bascom Norris and others).
2024:
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Sports complex (north of town): $750,000.
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FGC: +$1,000,000 recurring base funding; state insurance for employees.
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Suwannee Valley law enforcement/EMS radio tower: $800,000.
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Park projects: $50,000 each (Dees Memorial, Johnny B. Bryant, Old Columbia Theater).
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NW Bell Rd extension: $1,500,000.
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Ellisville I-75/US 41 interchange improvements: $3,000,000; well redundancy: $325,000.
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Fort White: +$1,000,000 for water (≈ $4.5M total to date).
2025 (this year):
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County radio system Phase 2 (equipment): $1,150,000 (tower built last year ≈ $800,000).
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North Florida Water Utility Authority (Ellisville area) water improvements: $1,900,000.
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FGC HVAC replacements (Howard Conference Center, gym, automotive tech): $1,050,000.
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PILT for Lake City Correctional (private prison): $90,236.
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Recurring Sheriff salary aid for fiscally constrained counties: $1,685,240 (third year).