🌿 March 2, 2026 BOCC Meeting Final Agenda: A Much‑Needed Breather (With One Tree‑Sized Eye‑Roll)

Wakulla folks, take a breath! After months of rezonings, comp plan amendments, and growth fights, the March 2 BOCC meeting is shaping up to be a calmer night. Mostly routine housekeeping, proclamations, and several grant pursuits focused on recovery, safety, and environmental improvements.

No big rezonings.
No surprise subdivisions.
No comp plan drama.

Just steady, practical items… with one grant proposal that could be "shady" (you'll understand the pun, shortly).

Let’s walk through it.

⭐ Opening & Community Spotlights

The meeting starts at 6:00 PM with the usual invocation, Pledge, agenda approval, and Citizens to Be Heard (3 minutes).

Then a run of community recognitions:

• 4‑H Food Challenge winners

• Wakulla Wonderful event (March 14)

• Keep Wakulla County Beautiful’s year‑in‑review

• Flood Awareness Week (March 9–15)

• Government Finance Professionals Week (March 16–20)

A nice reminder that good things do happen between the heavy policy debates.

📋 Consent Agenda (Items 1-11)

Routine items that keep county operations moving:

• Minutes approval

• Bills/vouchers (Feb 12–25)

• Disposal of old county property

• Proclamations for cleanup, litter prevention, flood awareness, etc.

Nothing controversial .

🌳 The Grant Section - Mostly Great… With One “Seriously?” Moment

This meeting’s real substance is in the grant applications. These are smart, no‑match, cost‑reimbursable opportunities that bring outside dollars into Wakulla.

But one of them may hit a nerve.

Item 8 - Urban & Community Forestry Grant (FDACS/USDA)

Up to $75,000 for planting wind‑resistant trees on county‑owned properties damaged by hurricanes Idalia, Helene, and Milton.

Proposed planting sites:

• Wakulla Sands Golf Course

• Medart Recreation Park (stormwater pond area)

• Wakulla Regional Preparedness & Training Complex (roadway corridor)

The grant itself is good - no match required, canopy restoration, storm recovery, environmental benefits.

But yes… the golf course is on the list.

So when residents see “tree‑planting funds” going toward the golf course, it’s going to land exactly how you think it will. Not because the project is bad — but because the contrast is hard to ignore. People will absolutely ask: “Why does the golf course get trees before the neighborhoods that lost theirs?” And that’s a fair question.

The county’s explanation will be that the grant requires planting on county‑owned land, and the golf course qualifies. But the optics matter, especially when so many communities feel like they’ve been left with the short end of the stick.

Deadline: March 10. Awards expected in June.

Item 9 - Slip‑On Tanker Units (U.S. Dept. of Interior)

Up to $249,000 for two wildfire‑response slip‑on tanker units:

• One for a Ford F450 brush truck

• One for a Kawasaki Mule side‑by‑side

Wakulla’s wildfire risk is higher than 88% of U.S. counties.

No match required. Deadline: March 23.

Item 11 - Florida Boating Improvement Program (FWC)

Three separate applications:

• Newport Boat Ramp — New concrete ramp + floating dock

• Roho Road Boat Ramp — Planning/design for upgrades

• Shell Point & Spring Creek — Repair/replace channel markers

All align with the Infrastructure Plan. If funded, public access must remain for 20 years.

Item 10 - The Park Septic‑to‑Sewer Project

Not a grant, but tied to a major FDEP Springs Restoration Grant.

• $645,310 to Dewberry Engineers for design/permitting/inspection

• Connects 120 homes to central sewer

• New lift station to Coastal Highway forcemain

• Funded by the county’s existing $5.5M allocation

A major win for water quality and spring protection.

🧾 Other Notable Items

Item 12 - Code Enforcement Lien Reduction (CE2020‑232)

A property owner is requesting a lien reduction. These are common when violations are corrected and the county reduces the lien to hard costs plus a percentage.

Item 13 - Land Development Code Amendments (Public Hearing)

Tweaks to zoning regulations and rules for self‑service vending businesses (e.g., standalone ice machines). Defines the use and allows it as a conditional use in C‑2 commercial districts.
No major overhauls, just clarifying existing rules.

🌤️ A Refreshing Pause - With One Big “Sigh”

After Citizens to Be Heard (Round 2), commissioners can bring up discussion items, but no major policy votes occur without being formally agendaed.

Overall, this meeting is a welcome break from the high‑tension development debates. It’s a night focused on:

• storm recovery

• environmental restoration

• fire safety

• boating safety

• wastewater improvements

• small code clarifications

And yes - the tree grant is going to spark conversation. Not because people hate trees, but because they want to see the same care given to neighborhoods that were stripped bare in the name of “growth.”

Join us live on Facebook for the meeting! Comments are open for citizens to use their voice. Even if there's nothing to discuss, just come hang out and participate!
Stay tuned for the post‑meeting breakdown.
Stay safe out there, Wakulla. 🌿