Wakulla County’s $10M+ Capital Spending Plan for 2025–26: What the February 2 Agenda Quietly Reveals About Our Priorities

Wakulla County residents, take note: the Board of County Commissioners meets Monday, February 2 at 6:00 PM, and buried inside the otherwise routine agenda is one of the most revealing documents of the year — the FY 2025–26 Capital Spending Plan.

This isn’t the full county budget.
This isn’t a vote to spend every dollar listed.
This isn’t even a binding commitment.

But it is the roadmap that tells you exactly where the County’s priorities lie and which departments, projects, and pet initiatives are being positioned to move forward this year.

And the total? Well over $10 million across roads, fire equipment, parks, public safety vehicles, sewer utilities, and facilities.

Let’s break down what’s in it, what’s not, and what it all means.

What This Agenda Item Actually Does

The County frames this as a simple request:
“Accept the FY 2025–26 Capital Spending Plan.”

But acceptance is not symbolic.
Acceptance is authorization to begin procurement.

Once the Board accepts this plan:

• Staff can start getting quotes

• Vendors can begin preparing proposals

• Projects begin moving

• Anything under $100,000 never comes back to the Board

• Anything over $100,000 returns later — but by then, the train is already rolling

This is the moment where priorities are set in motion.

And the County quietly admits:

• Some previously approved purchases haven’t been delivered yet

• Some of these projects won’t be completed this year

• New priorities may override this list

• All costs are preliminary estimates

Translation:
This is a flexible wish list, not a fixed plan — but acceptance gives it momentum.

The Spending, Bucket by Bucket

Below is the full breakdown, straight from the agenda backup submitted by County Administrator David Edwards, Assistant County Administrator Somer Pell, and Fiscal Operations Director Kelly Graves.

We've added context where the implications matter.

🚧 Road 2‑Cent Gas Tax — $387,206

• $107,206 — Debt payment on three motor graders

• $265,000 — Replacement MowerMax attachment

• $15,000 — Loader forks

What this means:
Routine road maintenance equipment — though the MowerMax request mirrors a separate consent item for a full new MowerMax unit. That’s a quarter‑million‑dollar vegetation management purchase.

🔥 Fire MSBU Capital Equipment — $714,000+

• $163,570 — Debt on existing fire truck

• $200,430 — Debt on Station 1 replacement engine

• $170,000 — Cost overrun on the ladder truck purchased with 2025 legislative funding

• $60,000 — SCBA bottle fill station

• $120,000 — Two ALS heart monitor defibrillators

What this means:
Fire/Rescue continues to operate under heavy capital debt.
The ladder truck overrun is especially telling: the County publicly celebrated it as “legislatively funded,” yet taxpayers are now covering a $170K shortfall.

💧 Sewer Access Fees — $151,519

• $75,519 — F350 service truck

• $76,000 — Golf course aerator

What this means:
Yes — sewer fees are buying golf course equipment.
Technically allowed because the golf course uses reuse water.
Politically tone‑deaf because residents pay sewer fees expecting sewer improvements, not turf management tools.

🏛️ One‑Cent Sales Tax — Public Facilities — $1.1M+

• $137,517 — Debt on WCFR Station 1

• $60,000 — Golf Course & Rec Superintendent vehicle

• $32,000 — Pull‑behind boom lift

• $100,000 — Land for future Station 3

• $141,000 — Sheriff’s Office building upgrades

• $214,218 — Elections systems upgrades

• $42,850 — Public Administrator IT equipment upgrades

• $90,000 — Community Center grant overages

• $95,000 — Golf course fencing, easement, driving range nets

• $38,000 — Fire Training/Trailhead design

• $75,000 — Station 1 repairs

What this means:
This is a mix of legitimate facility needs and quiet constitutional office upgrades.
Also notable: golf course spending appears in multiple funds, not just Parks.

🌳 One‑Cent Sales Tax — Parks — $990,000

• $150,000 — Medart Park tennis/pickleball courts

• $100,000 — Medart restroom remodel

• $35,000 — Medart pavilion

• $50,000 — Groundskeeping office

• $30,000 — Community Center outdoor expansion design

• $100,000 — Community Center lighting

• $250,000 — Panacea Plaza parking lot resurfacing

• $25,000 — Woolley Park pavilion

• $25,000 — Relocate Woolley Park host site

• $150,000 — Azalea Park restroom/playground grant overages

• $75,000 — Lower Bridge boat ramp dock

What this means:
This is the most recreation‑heavy section of the entire plan.
Nearly $1M in parks spending — during a year when:

• lift stations need flood‑proofing

• the EOC needs major cabling upgrades

• road backlogs persist

• fire/EMS debt continues

Pickleball is popular, but is it a top priority?
And $250K for a single parking lot resurfacing raises eyebrows.

One‑Cent Sales Tax — Roads — $3.4M

• $819,012 — Wakulla Gardens Phase 6 paving

• $1,712,260 — Wakulla Gardens Phase 5 paving

• $638,845 — Wakulla Gardens Phase 7 paving

• $75,000 — Traffic signal at Spring Creek & MLK

• $67,550 — Roundabout at Wakulla Arran & Songbird (with bike lanes, lighting, landscaping)

• $50,000 — Restriping

• $50,000 — Bridge repairs

What this means:
This is the largest category — and it should be.
Wakulla Gardens paving is long overdue after sewer installation.
The roundabout includes beautification elements, not just safety features.

One‑Cent Sales Tax — Public Safety — $1.13M

• $421,427 — Sheriff replacement vehicles

• $418,807 — Final ambulance payments

• $227,082 — Down payment on next ambulance

• $60,000 — Animal control truck

What this means:
Public safety continues its annual vehicle replacement cycle.
EMS is in a multi‑year ambulance acquisition cycle.
These are legitimate needs — but they highlight the County’s growing call volume and strain on emergency services.

Patterns That Should Concern Residents

1. Golf course spending appears in multiple funds

• Sewer fees

• Public Facilities surtax

• Parks surtax

This is a pattern, not an accident.

2. Recreation spending is unusually high

Nearly $1M in parks projects during a year of major infrastructure strain.

3. Constitutional offices are quietly funded through surtax

• Sheriff

• Supervisor of Elections

• Public Administrator

Most residents don’t realize this.

4. Debt is a recurring theme

• Fire engines

• Station 1

• Ambulances

The County is carrying multiple multi‑year capital debts simultaneously.

5. Cost overruns are becoming normalized

The $170K ladder truck overrun is a red flag.

Questions Citizens Should Ask on February 2

• Why are sewer fees funding golf course equipment?

• Why is recreation receiving nearly $1M while critical infrastructure needs remain?

• What caused the $170K ladder truck overrun?

• Why is the County still carrying so much fire engine debt?

• What is the ROI on pickleball courts compared to resiliency projects?

• Why is the Panacea Plaza parking lot resurfacing $250K?

• How are constitutional office requests prioritized?

• What safeguards exist to prevent future cost overruns?

• How many of these projects will actually be completed this fiscal year?

• What criteria determine which projects get bumped when “new priorities” arise?

Bottom Line

This capital plan is large, recreation‑heavy, debt‑dependent, and politically revealing.
Acceptance moves procurement forward — and once that happens, reversing course becomes difficult.

If you care about how your surtax, gas tax, fire assessment, and sewer fees are being used, February 2 at 6 PM is the time to show up.

Speak during Citizens to Be Heard (3‑minute limit, sign up early).
Ask the questions that matter.
Hold your government accountable.

Because this plan tells a story — and it’s one every resident deserves to understand.

Stay sharp, Wakulla.