Live Oak updates on streets, drainage, animal shelter and flags cyber-audit contract

City of Live Oak staff reported progress on several capital projects and urged the council to consider procurement limits and budget discipline.

Staff member (speaker 1) said the Hamilton Rose phase 1 project is being handled by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Executive Office of Commerce and described it as “an extra route during a storm” that would allow travel north on higher ground if State Road 129 floods. He said a separate stretch of Hamilton will be extended past the post office to 72nd Street and that residential development could follow if approvals proceed.

On stormwater, staff said the Park and Pearl drainage improvements will include an additional retention parcel the city has procured and that the team is preparing a Suwannee River Water Management District permit application. "We're working on getting the Suwannee River Water Management permit application ready to submit on that," the staff member said.

Staff outlined other projects including preliminary designs for 6th Street roadway improvements (Walker to Johnson) with water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure partly funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency, and nearing-completion parking improvements at Heritage Square using permeable pavement. "You can go 4 or 5 gallons of water on top of it and it disappears," staff said of the pavement’s drainage properties.

On emergency and facility projects, staff described the animal shelter as having concrete work and metal framing underway with some materials and labor donated; staff estimated the completed shelter could cost about $100,000 with the city’s share roughly $50,000 and said the city is paying for concrete and erection costs. Staff also outlined plans to spray metal components with bed-liner material to reduce corrosion and to reinstall a chain-link fence around the site.

Staff estimated the conference-room renovation at about $8,000 for a new floor, divider and an updated table with power and data to support virtual meetings, but noted the project lead was not present to confirm which budget line will pay for the work.

Separately, staff raised procurement concerns about a contracted cyber audit. "Baker Tilly sent us a contract that completely changed everything we asked for," the staff member said, adding the returned contract removed expected audit procedures and indicated auditors would not perform the planned work. Staff recommended rebidding the cyber-audit scope and offered to provide the council a copy of the submitted contract for review.

Why it matters: The projects affect flood resilience, street infrastructure and public facilities and involve multiple funding sources and partners (DOT, CRA, Resilient Florida). The cyber-audit issue raises procurement and oversight questions that the council may need to resolve before moving forward.

Next steps: Staff said the Suwannee River Water Management permit application will be submitted and that a final plan for 6th Street is expected by November 2026; staff also proposed rebidding the cyber-audit contract and will provide contract materials to the council for review.