Public commenters ask for accountability on building inspections and cultural stewardship

Public comments at the Gadsden County commission meeting included a pair of forceful requests to the board.

Lamonte Horn (speaker 14) opened the public-comment period by clarifying remarks he said were mischaracterized at the prior meeting: he urged that Black history be preserved and narrated "by Black voices" and said cultural integrity should be a prerequisite for public funding of exhibits or programming. "When public funds are used to present ... cultural history ... the community most directly shaped by their history must not be secondary or symbolic," Horn said. He called the clarification a matter of stewardship, not exclusion.

Priester Harrison (speaker 15), a Chattahoochee resident, alleged the city connected residents’ power after Hurricane Michael without required inspections, leaving multiple uninspected properties and raised concerns that county building officials declined to inspect and that public records are missing. He asked the board to contact state law enforcement for an investigation into the matter.

The board thanked both speakers; staff acknowledged the request and said public-record and legal follow-up would be pursued where appropriate. No formal board action to open an investigation was recorded in this meeting; the claim remains an unresolved allegation in the public record.

Why it matters: Public comments raised questions of cultural stewardship for publicly funded interpretation and a serious allegation about code enforcement and inspections that, if substantiated, could have legal and public-safety implications.

What’s next: The board did not take formal action on the inspection allegation during this meeting beyond receiving the comment; the transcript shows the speaker requested an investigation and sought to place documentation in the record.