[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6170882,"mediaKeyId","5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5","parentId",5395310,"title","Wakulla County creates disaster-preparedness department, adjusts grants accounting and adds park fund","audioSeconds",399,"startMs",1007000,"endMs",1406000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5&start=1007&end=1406","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5/thumbnail_1007000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6170882/Wakulla-County/Florida/Wakulla-County-creates-disaster-preparedness-department-adjusts-grants-accounting-and-adds-park-fund","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170882-e3556a89fb518b7479884671e97cdd25/orig.mp4?Expires=1775375253&Signature=Ms9L9gB0n8UbYzGHbb8a1X-rzEXRyAxw2Es-IrnRmK9X1gfi8c9JGoOY5CHJwc7YY8nUCTawX1DrEU71OLMRTIh1ikvd6VDvyV1udDLhs6nO3pgqpqeHtVYtHqmEQN9Cf2wIR-mWZP6L-P-PxYy-tSi8l38WTMNbzXKfWpw~JjOSu2P~OBQs6AzKMS3jY8bgmUV4xMjVHaKSrUCT3j5XeJ6HCHZzVJWwXDf9H2skbKH5Kmu2jCuoKXGDPwqk90HJF-aVT7k~nBsJdi-2zIInBYaJmrPhRBQq7PKoqFnkqwSNhZhO9thy9q13XrcCn4ynmZSJtMR5e4zHNbgoNDL2pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wakulla County","date","2025-07-15T19:14:45Z","article","WAKULLA COUNTY — County finance staff told commissioners they added several new organizational and fund-line items to the preliminary FY 2025–26 budget to improve transparency and respond to expected changes in federal and state grant administration.

The changes explained at the workshop include:
- Disaster and emergency preparedness department: Staff moved some disaster-response costs out of the sheriff’s emergency-management budget and created a general‑fund department for disaster and emergency-preparedness costs so the county can better track local expenses tied to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other disaster funding rules.
- Landscaping and groundskeeping: The county created a separate landscaping and groundskeeping line within facilities to isolate exterior landscape costs from building maintenance. No new personnel were added; staff said employees are being reallocated between subdepartments.
- Panacea Mineral Springs park department: After the county’s acquisition of the Panacea Mineral Springs property, staff added a new park department and budgeted modest maintenance and enhancement funds (benches, picnic tables, basic site work) for this fiscal year.
- Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Fund (Fund 195): On auditor advice, the county is budgeting an IDA fund that previously operated as an unbudgeted fiduciary/pass-through. Staff said activity in the fund is limited but transparency requires it to appear on the budget.
- Grants accounting changes: The county is changing how it books certain grants to avoid “double counting.” Staff said some EMS and law-enforcement grant distributions previously flowed through separate grant funds and were then transferred to operating funds; going forward the county will either receive and spend funds directly in the grant fund or book transfers consistently so year‑over‑year comparisons are not distorted.

Staff also reiterated that the county maintains a $30,000,000 loan fund used to cash-flow grant projects; staff said that loan fund is the county’s responsibility and that grants often require expenses to be incurred before reimbursement is received.

Why the changes matter
Staff said the reorganization improves transparency for grant activity and for disaster-response expenses that may become more the county’s responsibility as federal and state rules tighten. The accounting changes will also alter the appearance of some departmental budgets from year to year without indicating actual reductions in services, staff said.

Next steps
Staff will incorporate the departmental and fund changes into the revised preliminary budget and track those changes for the board’s review at the next workshop.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wakulla County BOCC Workshop 07.14.2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff added a disaster and emergency preparedness department, a landscaping/groundskeeping subdepartment, a new park fund for Panacea Mineral Springs and an Industrial Development Authority fund; staff also changed how some grant revenues are recognized to avoid double counting.","taxTitle","Wakulla County, Florida","taxId",28293,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170886,"Nonprofit leaders outline services as Wakulla commissioners keep prior-year funding in preliminary budget",2175,1470000,3645000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5&start=1470&end=3645","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5/thumbnail_1470000.jpg","/articles/6170886/Wakulla-County/Florida/Nonprofit-leaders-outline-services-as-Wakulla-commissioners-keep-prior-year-funding-in-preliminary-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170886-7213b1ea8bd2c7dd49c217053603e924/orig.mp4?Expires=1775375253&Signature=CivnCA-KDrxcKBFgdAc9acV-UUxL2SkZYHxOyIU0PIRDU1xEnKvmBf5IcS9vozTvJz5kEigVW8v~PdjsbTqGtfhj03Bjq0NK8ju0FIOwUONBqfxu77RaMiS2PFhHNOYQP4cs0-TgFAjxJNvQkuyzVIP12cigENyrqO5LArf174GpUhBxFAnDFHFlfpOpHJmdqPw8lRYXlPySlSMhUOaLTzeLtVdEPLg5Av2eqCpXnVbmfpXa~0CwdedzVFsxZShtQZCHW5DLAgAar1JjuTLbEf-KpkFkMdtYRO01Xg4OO0d8Et0W-O9vY1jfjjCLzkJ1Shuc8QgfPg5UmDvYbvKk0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","WAKULLA COUNTY — Leaders of local nonprofit providers described volunteer cleanups, senior meals and transportation, medical assistance and wildlife rehabilitation at a Wakulla County budget workshop as the board considered several new or increased funding requests.

Commissioners left nonprofit funding in the preliminary FY 2025–26 budget at prior-year levels but instructed staff to return with updated figures and to include any board direction when staff presents a revised preliminary budget.

What nonprofits told the board
- Keep Wakulla County Beautiful: Tammy Nathan, executive director, said volunteers contributed 4,440 hours and that the group removed about 10.9 tons of trash in the first three fiscal quarters; a tire-amnesty event collected roughly 12.68 tons of tires. Nathan told the board she estimated a $3.59 return on investment for every county dollar invested in the program (first three fiscal quarters).
- Wakulla Senior Center: Laura Edwards, executive director, said the center served more than 11,000 hot meals in 2024 and provided about 17,000 rides for appointments and errands. Edwards said demand is rising — she reported a roughly 30% increase in seniors using center programs and a 70% increase in transportation rides since 2021 — and that the center operates nine vehicles with 10 paid drivers.
- We Care Network (Capital Medical Society Foundation): Diana Bixler, program coordinator, said the program provides specialty medical and dental care via volunteer providers. She reported roughly 165 unduplicated Wakulla County patients per year (about 9% of the program’s patients) and described a $12,000 local grant that yielded approximately $212,000 in donated care value last year.
- North Florida Medical Centers: CEO Lane Lawn thanked the county for prior support and requested an increase (from $10,000 to $15,000) to prepare for potential increases in uninsured patients tied to federal changes. He told commissioners the program leverages local dollars into higher federal distributions through an intergovernmental transfer mechanism.
- Florida Wild Mammal Association: Jess Beatty, executive director, described the county’s only wildlife rehabilitation clinic and said the organization now handles 1,000–1,500 animals a year across several counties. Beatty said the center operates without regular state, county or federal funding and runs a roughly $250,000 annual budget, with over half the budget going to animal-care staffing.

How the board handled requests
County staff said the preliminary budget includes nonprofit funding at FY 2024–25 levels. Commissioners discussed several possible increases — several commissioners signaled informal support for adding the increases to the preliminary budget so staff could model impacts, while at least one commissioner said he did not support using taxpayer funds for some of the new asks. The board’s procedural direction was to leave the preliminary budget as presented (prior-year funding) for now and to allow staff to model the requested increases and return to the board with updated numbers.

Why this matters
County funding supports services that substitute for or reduce county costs (for example, trash abatement and senior transportation) and that serve vulnerable residents who rely on nonprofit transportation and medical-assistance programs. Commissioners said they want to balance taxpayer affordability with service preservation and asked staff to model trade-offs when returning with a revised preliminary budget.

Next steps
Staff will include the nonprofit requests as options in the updated preliminary budget and return to the board with a tracked-change version for the next workshop.","Representatives from Keep Wakulla County Beautiful, the Wakulla Senior Center, We Care Network and Florida Wild Mammal Association described services and funding requests; commissioners provisionally left nonprofit allocations at prior-year levels and asked staff to return with updated budget figures.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170891,"Wakulla County tentatively holds millage at 7.9 mills; commissioners continue PST discussion",5915,46000,5961000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5&start=46&end=5961","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5395310-efb1b738a9f27b0dc0372ed6380831c5/thumbnail_46000.jpg","/articles/6170891/Wakulla-County/Florida/Wakulla-County-tentatively-holds-millage-at-79-mills-commissioners-continue-PST-discussion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170891-614fbdb112cb97ac41209600be038d00/orig.mp4?Expires=1775375253&Signature=E806Vvg~KcxNddNuyTU4Wc7ETSbHdr-gAq5ueugIlc8s53IXZ163qkvxsIWJ1P8GNW1DoNZMj2BhGR1GYQlYc8h-GszF-aiH9QpaJVh7I62zT0RGAdmQ81zs-IvbG4BR51k7x7bqSPt71Id8bSu11JSzUaJtVAi9CH6DllIp37EwlWvAw-3GRkyHZdm1H5m6ZwPiMkjXtrZ7PqRjNeEU4xly8r8p24T5k4Or82Vcz-XIhxq7fHhg-hbwJjLOSNWId20lXvmCDLvpNVriI2bPILhz876U6j-u8tKyGVKJoIAP-M5O2LLcRnzwi3smnEgm5O9T6zuqGXeQRaNCi-0fDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","WAKULLA COUNTY — At a budget-development workshop, Wakulla County commissioners directed staff to certify a proposed millage rate of 7.9 mills for the property-appraiser’s TRIM notices while continuing discussion of a possible increase to the county’s public services tax (PST) and other revenue options, county staff said.

The decision leaves the county’s preliminary FY 2025–26 budget in place while commissioners asked staff to return with updated numbers, including a sheriff’s supplemental funding request and a log of recent changes.

County finance staff presented two preliminary budget versions and emphasized that large, multiyear grant projects and interfund transfers make headline totals appear larger than the county’s net budget. Staff reported a preliminary gross budget figure (as presented to the board) and a net figure after removing interfund transfers; the presentation noted the double-counting effect when funds transfer revenue between funds. After removing interfund transfers, staff reported a net total of $176,668,927 for the budgeted year.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want to keep the millage steady while exploring alternatives for covering ongoing costs. Staff identified several pressure points in coming years — a new, recurring radio-system maintenance obligation estimated at roughly $500,000 a year; a recent sheriff’s supplemental request of about $241,000 tied to salary compression; and a $205,000 estimated hit to local-option sales-tax revenue tied to the state repeal of the business rent tax.

Key revenue and timing items
- Certified taxable value: staff reported a final certification of values at about $22,000,510,000; roughly $121,000,000 of that was reported as new construction growth.
- Millage alternatives: staff calculated a true rollback rate of 7.5494 mills, a modified “rollback + CPI” figure of about 7.77559 mills, and the county’s current rate of 7.9 mills. Any rate above the true rollback must be advertised as a tax increase in the TRIM materials.
- PST (public services tax): the county’s PST is currently 9 cents on the dollar; the statutory local cap discussed in the workshop is 10 cents. Staff said a PST ordinance change requires multiple public hearings, 120 days’ notice to the Florida Department of Revenue and timing on calendar-quarter starts; the earliest feasible effective date discussed for an expedited schedule was April 1, which would yield roughly half a year of revenue in FY 2025–26. One penny of PST was estimated at about $433,000 annually (full year); a half year’s revenue would be about $217,000.

Options staff gave the board included (1) lower the millage to the modified rollback (7.77559) and implement a one‑cent PST increase to recover part of the gap, or (2) keep the current 7.9 mills and delay any PST change. Staff recommended a third path — keep the millage at 7.9 for now, begin the PST ordinance process, and target a later implementation (for budgeting purposes staff said October 1, 2026, but other dates were discussed) so the county can plan for multi‑year obligations without certifying a tax increase now.

Commissioners’ direction and next steps
Commissioners voted by consensus to have staff certify the 7.9‑mill figure for TRIM mailing (the number that will appear on property owners’ notices) and to leave nonprofit funding in the preliminary budget at prior‑year levels for now. They asked staff to return to the third budget workshop with updated preliminary budget documents that incorporate the sheriff’s late request, track changes, and present tightened options for spending reductions or revenue adjustments. Staff reiterated the deadline to certify a proposed millage to the property appraiser (this Friday) and the cost to re-mail TRIM notices if the board later raises the certified rate.

The board will continue debate on PST timing and alternatives at upcoming workshops and will receive a revised preliminary budget and a change log from staff before the next meeting.","At a budget workshop, Wakulla County commissioners directed staff to certify a proposed millage rate of 7.9 mills for property-tax notices while continuing to weigh a possible public services tax increase and other revenue options to cover rising personnel, contract and radio maintenance costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wakulla County creates disaster-preparedness department, adjusts grants accounting and adds park fund

Nonprofit leaders outline services as Wakulla commissioners keep prior-year funding in preliminary budget

Wakulla County tentatively holds millage at 7.9 mills; commissioners continue PST discussion