Welborn resident presses Suwannee County for repairs to Lime Rock Road; county attorney says road is private

Kat Meeks Bass, a Welborn resident, told the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners on April 1 that Lime Rock Road — a more‑than‑2‑mile route serving 33 homes and two businesses and “more than 100 residents” — is in “severe disrepair” and is causing vehicle damage. She asked Commissioner Mobley and the board to schedule maintenance at least twice a year.

“The potholes all along our road are so significant and widespread that they are unavoidable in multiple sections and causing damage to our vehicles,” Meeks Bass said. “If the road has not been repaired and graded by the next meeting in 2 weeks, I will return with multiple neighbors who are supporting me in this until the re the issue is resolved. Anything but a yes is an excuse. Please get it done.”

Adam Morrison, Suwannee County’s county attorney, responded that the county’s understanding is that Lime Rock Road is a private road and said the county cannot simply use public funds to maintain private property. “It is not an excuse. It’s illegal. And so, I’m the one saying no,” Morrison told the board and the public, then outlined three paths residents can pursue if they want county maintenance.

Morrison said one path is to show the county—by affidavits from people with no financial interest—that the road was maintained as a public road for seven or more years in the past; if enough independent witnesses can attest to continuous public maintenance, the board could consider correcting an erroneous removal of the road from the county system. He said another lawful option is a special assessment: every property owner on the road would have to agree to a dedicated property‑tax increase to reimburse the county for ongoing maintenance of the privately owned road.

Morrison also acknowledged that the county will sometimes perform emergency maintenance on private roads during hurricanes or other imminent disasters to ensure access, but he said routine maintenance in perpetuity for a private road would expose county officials to legal risk and possible charges if public dollars are used to benefit private interests selectively.

Meeks Bass disputed the private designation, saying the road is used daily by more than 100 residents and is “not a private driveway” but a 2‑plus‑mile road. She pressed whether residents could submit repair expenses for reimbursement; Morrison replied they could not and repeated that the lawful options are pursuing a public‑use affidavit, seeking a special assessment, or pursuing a legal correction if the road was removed in error.

The commission did not vote on the matter. Meeks Bass said she would return with supporting neighbors if the road had not been repaired by the next meeting. The exchange was confined to public comment and legal explanation; staff or the board did not commit to scheduling regular county maintenance during the meeting.

Clarifying details from the record: Meeks Bass said Lime Rock Road runs from County Road 137 near the Busy Bee to U.S. 90 near the Welborn Church of God; she said the route is over 2 miles long, contains 33 homes and two businesses, and serves “more than 100 residents” who use the road daily.

The county attorney referenced a longstanding board policy (dating to the 1980s, as he described it) not to accept new roads into the county maintenance program without meeting statutory or policy requirements. He described the affidavit test (witnesses with no interest attesting to seven or more years of public maintenance) and the special assessment option as the legally available remedies short of litigation.

No formal direction to staff, motion, or vote on Lime Rock Road maintenance was recorded during the meeting.