Putnam schools receive $3,613.52 from state forest receipts, board told

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Putnam County School Board received a $3,613.52 payment from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, office of the Florida Forest Service, the board was told.

The payment was described in a letter read to the board by Aaron Levine of the Florida Forest Service. Levine said the check represents Putnam County’s share of Wallaca State Forest receipts for fiscal year 2023–24 and that the distribution follows Section 589 of the Florida Statutes.

The letter, signed by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and read aloud by Levine, said the department manages 38 state forests comprising 185,632 acres and that the department collected gross receipts from state forests in fiscal 2023–24. The letter said counties designated as “fiscally constrained” under Florida Statute 589.081 receive 15% of gross receipts in proportion to acreage in each county; the letter said a total of $246,996.9 was distributed to Florida counties and school boards from the year’s gross receipts. The letter concluded, “I hope these funds assist you in carrying out the board’s critical responsibilities.”

Board members acknowledged the payment and a trustee thanked former state representative Kelly Smith for legislation credited in the meeting with enabling constrained counties to receive income from state forest production. No board action was required to accept the check; board members received the presentation and moved on to the next agenda items.

The board did not discuss allocation of the funds during the meeting; no spending plan or budget amendment related to the $3,613.52 was offered on the record.