Fort White: Clint Pittman, Candidate for County Com. Dist. 2, Appeared at the Community Center. While the Crowd was sparce, his remarks were enlightening.
July 30, 2026 7:30 am | 3 min read
Columbia County Observer photo
Fort White, FL – Clint Pittman, candidate for County Commissioner District 2, former County Director of Landscape and Parks and a 26-year County veteran, resigned from the County to be the commissioner representing Fort White, most of the south end of Columbia County, and the rural west side of the County.
Mr. Pittman appeared at the Fort White Community Center on Tuesday evening to introduce himself to the folks in the south end of the County.
He positioned himself as a steward of rural character, green space, and responsible growth, while emphasizing his lack of a personal financial stake (“I have nothing to gain personally by what I’m doing. Zero. I got my farm at the end of Watson Road.”)
He said that he had worked for “every mayor in Fort White over the last 26 years up until now.” Downplaying the present comic-book-like conditions that have plagued Fort White since the last mayoral election, he said, “There's got to be some organization stuff done, and all that's okay.”
Recognizing the distinction between representing District 2 and the County as a whole, Mr. Pittman said, “I may be representing the City [Fort White], but we gotta do what's right for people in the whole county.”
Mr. Pittman faced up to the dysfunctional Town and County meetings: “And I'm just going to be honest with you, it is insane. The disrespect, and the talking over one another, and not being recognized by the chair, and the stuff that happens... We need to take the politics and the personalities out of the boardroom so that we can make educated decisions.”
Key Issues – Major Positions
Road Maintenance: Mr. Pitman advocates for a pragmatic approach to road maintenance. He said that the math favors maintaining dirt roads over indiscriminately paving them (“$300k to $400k per mile”). He said, “Paving should only happen when rehabilitation fails."
Rural Preservation and LDRs: Mr. Pittman said he would champion stronger Land Development Regulations to protect environmentally sensitive spring shed areas and maintain the County’s rural character. He said, “When development comes in, they have to meet certain criteria to save green space.”
Impact Fees: Mr. Pittman supports making developers pay their fair share to reduce the financial burden on the county. "I think impact fees should be reinstated. If you're a developer and you're building and expecting services from the county... Developers must pay for infrastructure."
AI Data Centers and Solar Panels: Mr. Pittman is opposed to large-scale AI/data centers due to their environmental footprint, noise, minimal tax benefits, and limited local job creation. "I'm against AI data centers. I'll always be against them... the cons way outweigh pros."
Mr. Pittman said about solar panels, “I think solar, and this area is a waste of time. Put it on the roof of a building, put it over a parking lot... But to go out here to rip up, you know, farmland... I'm against solar fields.”
North
Florida Water Utility Authority: Mr. Pittman
called the NFWUA “a waste of time and money that should
have never been started” and said the Authority “needs
to go away.” He criticized poor management, excessive
chlorine, boil-water notices caused by sewer lines
cutting water mains, and the abandonment of a previously
functional city-county partnership model.
Flock Cameras: Mr. Pittman had mixed reviews on Flock cameras, but was largely skeptical. He acknowledged their value for law enforcement (“they busted child predators, they busted stolen vehicles”) but strongly opposed misuse of data by third parties, privacy invasions, pointing out the abuse by a law enforcement officer tracking an ex-wife. He said, “There’s way too [much] bad that goes along with the good… what I’m opposed to is the data not being used as it should.”
EMS/Fire Rescue Services: Mr. Pittman said EMS should be a major priority. With three years left on the current contract, he wants the county to resume control, purchase equipment, improve billing/collections, and build a fire rescue system similar to smaller neighboring counties (Putnam, Suwannee). “The county needs to fund and go back into the EMS business... neighboring counties prove it works.”
Ethical Standards and Recusal: Over the past year, there have been instances in which a commissioner would recuse himself on sketchy grounds, which were made sketchier by the County Attorney. While Mr. Pittman did not come out and name names, he recognized the issue, telling the audience, “Recuse yourself from votes if you benefit. Take politics out of the boardroom."
Epilogue
For those who had never heard Mr. Pittman speak extemporaneously on the wide range of issues facing Columbia County and District 2 (your reporter is among them), the evening was enlightening.
Mr. Pittman was well put together, understandable, and concise, and, unlike some current and former public officials, did not have tobacco juice running out of his mouth or was spitting into a cup or a garbage can.
Mr. Pittman closed by telling folks to email him (ClintPittman@hotmai.com) or call (386-623-0415): “If something pops up or if you got a question, please shoot me an email, and I'll be more than happy to respond and let you know what I know.”