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Commission approves $25,000 settlement in Klink injury suit; commissioners press for clearer code-enforcement procedures
Summary
Franklin County commissioners approved a $25,000 conditional settlement in a personal-injury lawsuit and directed staff and the county attorney to tighten code-enforcement service procedures after a commissioner raised concerns about notification and fairness in a recent case.
The Franklin County Board of County Commissioners approved a $25,000 conditional settlement Feb. 4 in the Sheena Klink personal-injury suit arising from an incident at a youth baseball game. County Attorney Michael Shuler said the county’s insurance adjuster authorized the offer and that county exposure beyond a $5,000 deductible would be borne by the insurer; the board approved the settlement on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Anthony Croom dissenting.
"The recommendation from myself, outside counsel and the adjuster is for the Board to approve a $25,000 settlement with the Plaintiff," County Attorney Michael Shuler told the board. "If the Board approves the settlement offer of $25,000, then it will be paid by the county's insurance carrier." The motion passed with Commissioner Croom opposed; the remainder of the board voted to accept the agreement.
Commissioners also spent considerable time discussing code-enforcement procedures after Commissioner Cheryl Sanders raised a service-of-process concern for a Lanark Village property that went before the special magistrate. Sanders said staff had previously arranged dumpsters and cleanup assistance for a resident but that the resident later learned of a magistrate fine only when served; she urged the county to ensure better communication and to revisit service practices after a case resulted in a $1,040 fine where she said the property owner had a disability and had not received adequate notice.
Staff and the county attorney said they would review the service record for the case and examine whether certified mail and in-person service procedures had been followed; Attorney Shuler said he would incorporate board direction into the draft code-enforcement ordinance and consider checklist elements drawn from a Wakulla County model to help standardize inspections and removal criteria. Commissioners stressed they prefer compliance-first approaches and want procedural clarity to avoid uneven enforcement.
Action record: The board approved the $25,000 settlement with plaintiff Sheena Klink on a 4-1 vote (Commissioner Croom opposed). The county attorney will review the magistrate case file and revise proposed code-enforcement language per board guidance.
