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North Florida Broadband Authority: Foot dragging, lack of info cause Suwannee Cnty to call "strike 3" on the NFBA – They're out


Suwannee County Commission: file photo, left to right Com Rick Gambol; Com Jason Bashaw; Attorney Hal Airth; Chairman Wesley Wainwright, Deputy Clerk Paula Pennington; Com Clyde Fleming; Com Phil Oxendine; and County Administrator Randy Harris.

LIVE OAK, FL – Early this afternoon, the Suwannee County Commission voted unanimously to withdraw from the beleaguered North Florida Broadband Authority, after the NFBA squandered the final chance given to it during the December 18th County Commission meeting. The NFBA was taken off the day's agenda when it did not meet the deadline for providing the information that Suwannee County had been requesting for over a month.

According to Casey Stewart, the staff assistant to the Suwannee County Commission, "The NFBA did not provide the material that the board had been requesting. It was received by the County on Friday, December 28th after 4 PM. Some of the commissioners were out of town and did not receive the information until just before the meeting."

Ms. Stewart continued, "I told the NFBA I would put them on the agenda for the January 15th meeting. I guess the board didn't want to wait until the 15th, they wanted to talk about it, now. I think they were offended."

The NFBA tried to play catch-up

In a letter directed to the Suwannee County Commission, dated December 28th, NFBA General Manager, Richelle Sucara, thanked the Commission for the opportunity to appear. It did not mention that she had missed two previous opportunities.

The NFBA did not apologize for the lateness of the material.

Along with her letter, General Manager Sucara also included a rate study dated April 15, 2012. She failed to mention that during the NFBA's December 12th board meeting she announced that she was asking for another rate study.

GM Sucara also included a budget narrative from February 2012. She failed to include any recent financial information. She did include the audit for fiscal year 2010-2011.

The Suwannee County Commission had previously complained that they were not getting up to date information.

The County Commission had enough


Commissioner Phil Oxendine on December 4, 2012. He listened patiently to the NFBA. On Jan. 3, 2013, he ran out of patience.

According to Suwannee County resident, Bo Hancock, "At the end of item 11, Additional Agenda Items, were the words "'North Florida Broadband Authority, followed by a question mark.'"

Mr. Hancock said there was no discussion when the item came up.

According to Mr. Hancock, County Administrator, Randy Harris, told the commissioners the County had received some information from the NFBA.

Mr. Hancock said, "And that was it. None of the commissioners discussed it. None of them asked any questions."

Commissioner Phil Oxendine made the motion to withdraw, which was seconded by Commissioner Rick Gambol.

The resolution stated that the "North Florida Broadband Authority is moving in a direction which is contrary to the original stated goals of the member governments... and [the] Board of County Commissioners desires to protect the citizens and assets of Suwannee County from the continued waste, misappropriation and potential liability associated with the North Florida Broadband Authority..."

The motion was unanimous. 

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Links to the NFBA series:

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Baker County becomes the 7th north central Florida county to pull out of Obama stimulus funded NFBA

(Part XXXVII) (February 19, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Feds put failing stimulus funded NFBA on life support. 3yrs and $28+ mil later, 60 customers and no revenue model.
(Part XXXVI) (February 15, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Former Board Clerk sues NFBA for wrongful termination and violation of her constitutional rights
(Part XXXV) (January 30, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: $30 mil later N. Central Florida Regional Planning Council - clueless
(Part XXXIV) (January 25, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: After General Counsel's response, FL's Public Record Laws remain the latest casualty
(Part XXXIII (b)) (January 8, 2013)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: FL's Public Record Laws the latest casualty
(Part XXXIII) (January 6, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Foot dragging, lack of info cause Suwannee Cnty to call "strike 3" on the NFBA – They're out
(Part XXXII) (January 3, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Suwannee County tells the NFBA – One more strike and you're out
(PartXXXI) (December 20, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Wracked by gross mismanagement from the feds on down, the NFBA has become the poster child for non disclosure
(Part XXX) (December 18, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: More bad news. Last Mile Wifi CEO, "I knew they were going to extort me."
(Part XXIX) December 10, 2012

North Florida Broadband Authority: NFBA failed to make the grade in Gilchrist County
(Part XXVIII) (November 29, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Columbia County Pulls Out of Obama Funded Stimulus Project
(Part XXVII) (November 2, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: The NFBA road show traveled to an unprepared Columbia County with misinformation, half truths, and just plain lies
(Part XXVI) (Posted October 9, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Woebegotten Stimulus funded authority gets another black eye. No one bids to service the $30 mil 14 county network.
(Part XXV) (Posted October 1, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Auth: Another County pulls out. Dixie says throwing away money a major issue.
(Part XXIV) (Posted September 13, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: NFBA road shows moves to Lake City for a double dose of free money
(Part XXIII) (Posted September 5, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Secrecy and a lawyer's spread sheet. It's business as usual at the NFBA.
(Part XXII) (Posted August 22, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority:  Mainstreet Broadband, NFBA's touted business partner, goes bust
(Part XXI) (Posted August 2, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Two cities say "no mas." Refuse free tower space to NFBA
(Part XX)  (Posted July 26, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Taylor County Says Goodbye, "I don't think our county should be involved."
(Part XIX) (Posted April 18, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Perry Pulls Out, City Manager tells Council, "It's just out of whack"
(Part XVIII) (Posted April 11, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Bradford County Says "No Mas" – Pulls Out
(Part XVII) (Posted April 4, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Operating in the shadows with the help of the Feds, the NFBA saga continues
(Part XVI) (posted March 29, 2012)

Lake City, City Manager Wendell Johnson looks to make White Elephant deal with troubled North Florida Broadband Authority
(Part XV) (Posted Feb 28, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Propped up by the Feds, financed by the American People - Who can you trust?
(Part XIV) (Posted Feb 25, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant." Not for them

(Part XIII) (Posted Jan 13, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
A Lawyer's Dream. A Look At The Numbers
(Part XIIb) (Posted Dec 29, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
A Lawyer's Dream. Money Is No Object
(Part XIIa) (Posted Dec 28, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Feds come to town – Working under the cover of darkness was their MO

(Part XI) (Posted November 23, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Feds continue investigation - Interim GM rehires resigned firms employees

(part X) (Posted Nov 11, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: "The greatest threat to this project is the Government"
(Part IX) (Posted November 2, 2011)

• Federal grant for broadband access in rural Louisiana rescinded: Could the North Florida Broadband Authority Be Far Behind?
(Posted October 28, 2011)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Redefining "Good Business Sense?"
(Part VIII) (Posted October 25, 2011)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Feds resume funding – Put small vendors first
(Part VII) (Posted October 20, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Small vendors in big trouble | NFEDP/FSU's Hendry may resign (Part VIb)  (Posted Oct 14, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Blood in the street (Part VIa)  (posted Oct 13, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: "I don't want to die on principle and not have broadband." (Part V)  (posted Oct. 6, 2011)

NFBA future in limbo - Fed keeps funds locked down - Suspend project  (Part IV) (posted Sept 28, 2011)

The North Florida Broadband Authority. Its world was about to change (part III)  (posted Sept 16, 2011)

"I think we have a failure to communicate." The N Florida Rural Broadband saga continues (Part II)  (posted Sept 14, 2011)

Feds close spigot on $30 million broadband stimulus grant. 15 north central Florida counties waiting for money to flow again
(Part I)  (posted Sept 12, 2011)