Bradford County to close on fairgrounds; board to appoint five‑member review committee to select fair board

County Manager Cornegay (transcript: “mister Kornge”) told the Board of County Commissioners on April 1 that the county is scheduled to close on fairground property the coming Friday and will then constitute a new fair board.

Staff proposal and process: County staff recommended a five‑member review committee to screen applicants for five seats on the newly constituted fair board. The recommended review committee comprises the county manager, the executive assistant, the public works director, the fire chief and a representative from the UF/County Ag Extension office. The county will advertise openings on the county website and ask applicants to submit a resume and a letter of intent explaining their interest and qualifications.

Public and commissioner input: Commissioners discussed adding local farming and livestock stakeholders to the list of potential applicants and suggested outreach to groups such as the Cattlemen’s Association and local saddlemen. Commissioners emphasized the need to avoid conflicts of interest on the review panel and to exclude applicants with direct financial interest in being appointed to the fair board. Several commissioners suggested contacting long‑time community figures for potential board service and asked staff to reach out to potential candidates before formal appointments.

Lease and governance questions: Cornegay and county counsel said the lease arrangement with the organization that will run fair operations is largely complete and that major decisions by the fair board should align with the BCC’s overall policy. The county manager said the county intends to revisit the arrangement after a one‑year probationary period and that the board retains authority over major decisions. Commissioners asked that any lease protect taxpayer interests and ensure that revenues generated by fairground activity should be used to cover operating costs such as insurance.

Why it matters: The county will own the fairground property after closing; the newly appointed fair board and any manager will be responsible for day‑to‑day operations, but commissioners said they expect to remain engaged on major policy questions and financial oversight.

Next steps: The county will post the application process later the week of April 1, staff will screen applications through the review committee and bring recommendations back to the BCC for formal appointment.