Columbia County commissioners approve rezonings, subdivisions and budget moves; set Live Local Act hearing for Feb. 20

The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners on an evening meeting approved a series of zoning changes and minor subdivisions, authorized funding submissions to the Florida Department of Transportation, approved several budget amendments and contracts, and set a Feb. 20 public hearing on whether to opt out of the Live Local Act's property tax exemption.

The board approved three related land-use items affecting residential density. Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2025-1 (application Z25241002), which rezoned a parcel currently carrying two zoning designations to a single residential mobile-home-park designation; Ordinance 2025-02, rezoning a Moore Road parcel from AG-3 (agricultural) to rural residential to allow 1-acre lots instead of 5-acre lots; and Ordinance 2025-03, a companion future land use map amendment changing a parcel from residential medium to residential low. The Moore Road parcel discussed at the hearing was described in the packet as about 60 acres; county staff said the rural-residential option would allow 1-acre lots if subdivided.

The board also approved a series of minor subdivision and replat requests: SD 24-0801 (Commander Court area), SD 24-1101 (Turkey Run subdivision replat combining three platted parcels into one), and SD 24-1203 (Lake Jeffrey Road subdividing two parcels into three). Each item moved through a public hearing with no speakers opposing and was approved by motion and second with the board voting in favor.

On transportation and maintenance, staff asked the board to submit three candidate projects to FDOT for the county's competitive five-year program (SCRAP/SIS/TAP): County Road 18 (Fort White area), County Road 250/‘‘Gum Swamp Road’’ and a Cannon Creek/Arrowhead Terrace project. The board approved the submission of the three projects for FDOT consideration.

The board awarded Bid 2024-M (limerock supply) to Beaver Bulk at $16 per ton and approved the county's annual traffic-signal maintenance agreement (Resolution 2025-R1) with a stated reimbursement figure in the packet. Commissioners also approved a set of five-year and annual program submissions and related maintenance contracts the county staff said are necessary to leverage state funding for larger surface projects.

Financial and capital actions approved included a set of budget amendments and one-time transfers. The board approved a request to move equipment-reserve funds to capital outlay to buy a fire engine described as a demo unit available in a few months; staff said buying the unit would both shorten delivery time and save money compared with ordering new. The board approved BA 25-15 transferring funds to the sheriff’s office for employee raises as requested by the new sheriff. The board approved an agreement (L-0020) for the Ellisville well redundancy project to add a third water well in Ellisville, and accepted an amended commercial building lease adding an additional building used by Columbia EMS.

The board set a public hearing date of Feb. 20 to consider opting out of the Live Local Act's property tax exemption. Staff explained that the Live Local Act (2023) offers two main incentives for workforce housing projects — administrative land-use entitlement in certain commercial/industrial/mixed-use districts and a property tax exemption — and that counties can opt out annually of the tax-exemption track if a regional housing study shows a surplus of affordable units. Staff briefed the board that the University of Florida housing center's regional data currently places the county in a surplus band and that opting out of the tax-exemption portion for the year would make tax-relief–dependent developments less likely to move forward in the county.

The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Florida Department of Health to allow the department to use county paramedicine resources for mobile community health services and to reimburse the county per collections, and approved the county's request to reschedule a private event (laser light show) for new January/February dates. The board also adopted updates to the Tourist Development Council bylaws after brief discussion and agreed to add the date of revision on the documents for clarity.

Public comments focused on two topics: roadside hurricane debris and the Lakeshore Hospital Authority. Several residents asked the board to press state and county authorities to remove storm debris left along state highways; one resident, Ken Turf, said he received a citation warning of a potential daily fine and asked the county to intervene after he had followed county instructions and placed debris at the roadside. County staff and commissioners said they were continuing to press Florida Department of Transportation on state-road debris removal while cataloging outstanding piles and using code enforcement where appropriate.

Several residents urged the board to press the Lakeshore Hospital Authority to dissolve and return assets to county control; Barbara Lemley urged commissioners to attend an upcoming special meeting of the Authority and questioned subsidizing a not-for-profit clinic that, she said, would duplicate the county health department's services. Tim Atkinson and other commenters also urged continued board attention to the authority’s governance.

Votes at a glance: Ordinances 2025-1, 2025-02, 2025-03 — approved; Minor subdivisions SD 24-0801, SD 24-1101, SD 24-1203 — approved; BA 25-15 (sheriff pay transfers), BA 25-16 (fire equipment transfer) and other budget amendments listed on the agenda — approved; Resolution 2025-R1 (traffic signal maintenance) — approved; Bid 2024-M (limerock) — awarded to Beaver Bulk at $16/ton; Agreement L-0020 (Ellisville well redundancy) — approved; MOU Mobile Community Health Integrated Services (Florida Department of Health) — approved; EMS building lease amendment — approved; TDC bylaws update — adopted. For items where the agenda packet included dollar figures, the board referenced the packet amounts; where staff read amounts in the meeting that could not be independently confirmed in the audio, the board record and clerk’s agenda packet should be referenced for exact figures.

Why it matters: the rezonings and future land-use changes increase the potential housing density on multiple parcels, including a rezoning that allows 1-acre rural-residential parcels. The FDOT submissions and limerock procurement affect the county's road-maintenance program and capital planning. The Live Local Act opt-out decision affects whether certain workforce-housing projects can rely on a local property-tax exemption and therefore influences developers' financing models.

The board adjourned after concluding the agenda and follow-up public comments. Several commissioners asked staff to continue engagement with DOT on debris removal and to provide additional documentation on adopted bylaws and procurement details for the public record.