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County attorney alerts commissioners to investor parceling scheme and seeks guidance on certifying county roads
Summary
Suwannee County’s attorney told commissioners that an investor/developer has been creating owner-financed five-acre parcels that may violate local subdivision rules; at least 14 parcels were identified in the last 90 days and the county will notify affected buyers. The attorney also proposed a phased certification and possible disclaimer of county-maintained roads to reduce title uncertainty.
The county attorney briefed the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 17 about a recently discovered pattern of investor-driven parceling that may have circumvented local subdivision rules.
"We found out it's spread out throughout the county," the attorney said, describing a method in which an investor bought larger tracts and divided them into five-acre parcels, then sold lots with owner-financing and without buyers obtaining title insurance. The county has identified at least 14 affected parcels created over approximately the past 90 days and is preparing letters to notify purchasers that their lots may be nonconforming and could be ineligible for building permits under local land-development regulations.
The attorney said one building permit already issued will be accommodated, but warned that many purchasers are likely out-of-county buyers who did not obtain title insurance. He urged buyers to seek private counsel and said county staff would provide notices to help homeowners understand the situation. "You're not gonna be able to get a building permit because it's nonconforming," he said, noting potential private legal consequences and the county's enforcement obligations.
Separately, the county attorney proposed a phased program to resolve recurring public uncertainty about whether specific routes are county roads. He recommended compiling a certified list and map of roads the county actively maintains and filing that list with the clerk of court to bring clarity under statutory timelines (the attorney cited the 4- and 7-year maintenance rules used to establish county road status). The attorney cautioned that disclaiming roads not on the list would carry consequences—adjacent title holders could gain ownership to the centerline of a road—but said the phased approach would allow time to identify and correct errors.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the number of parcels, remedies and whether a surveyor or other third party was involved; the attorney said the pattern indicated the developer knew what it was doing and that many sales were closed without independent title or mortgage services. The board asked to review proposed road lists for each commission district before finalizing any disclaimer.
What’s next: County staff will send notices to the affected purchasers, and the county attorney will return with materials and recommendations for a phased road-certification and disclaimer process for board review.
