Wakulla Left Behind: How FAC’s Lobbying Machine Dilutes Our Voice, With Outcomes from the 2026 Legislative Session

If you live in Wakulla and you are tired of watching growth swallow our rural character, septic‑to‑sewer costs climb, roads fill with traffic, and state laws override decisions made by our own commissioners, you have probably crossed paths with the Florida Association of Counties, known as FAC.

FAC is the statewide lobbying group that claims to speak for all 67 counties, including ours. Each year they publish a Legislative Action Plan outlining what they want the Legislature to do. They often ask for more funding, rule changes that benefit counties, and occasionally a measure that protects local authority.

Here is the part that matters for Wakulla. The way FAC decides what goes on that list is not nearly as democratic or representative as it sounds. Their process concentrates influence inside a small circle of insiders. That means rural counties like ours can end up tied to statewide lobbying positions we did not drive, did not fully debate, and sometimes do not agree with.

How FAC Actually Chooses Its Priorities

FAC describes its process as thoughtful and consensus‑based. In practice, it works like this:

• Issues are divided into policy committees covering water, environmental rules, finance, taxation, community affairs, public safety, and more.

• The FAC President for the year, currently Commissioner Michelle Lincoln of Monroe County for 2025 to 2026, appoints the Chair and Vice Chairs for each committee.

• Those appointees, along with a small group of volunteer Policy Leaders, are the only people who vote on proposals.

• County staff and non‑committee commissioners may attend and speak, but they do not vote.

• Proposals are shaped and approved inside the committees, then sent to FAC’s annual Legislative Conference for a final vote.

By the time that final vote happens, the direction is already set by the presidential appointees and the volunteer leaders.

Why this creates problems for Wakulla

• No Wakulla commissioner currently serves as a Chair or Vice Chair on any recent FAC committees.

• We do have Policy Leaders. Commissioner Quincee Messersmith serves on the Community and Urban Affairs committee, and Commissioner Ralph Thomas serves on the Future Technology committee. Policy Leaders, however, do not control the agenda.

• If our commissioners’ priorities, such as resisting forced density or strengthening biosolids protections, do not match the priorities of the appointees, our concerns can be softened or sidelined before most counties ever see the proposals.

• Once FAC adopts a position, it speaks for all 67 counties, including Wakulla, whether our delegation supported that position or not.

This centralized structure is the core issue. Instead of Wakulla advocating directly for Wakulla, our message is filtered through FAC’s inner circle and reshaped into a statewide compromise. That is how rural counties get boxed into policies that benefit larger or more urban counties. It is also how we end up defending positions we never asked for.

How FAC’s 2026 Agenda Fared in Tallahassee

The 2026 regular session adjourned on March 13 without a state budget. This is the second year in a row lawmakers failed to complete their most basic duty. Special sessions are scheduled for April to address the budget and congressional redistricting.

FAC’s priorities saw mixed results:

• Local opt‑outs for “missing middle” housing tax breaks:
  HB 1389 passed with adjustments. Opt‑out thresholds were raised, some prior projects were protected, mandates expanded on certain lands, and accessory dwelling unit requirements were removed.

• Biosolids protections:
  Discussed, but not meaningfully strengthened for rural communities.

• Fiscally constrained county funding:
  Possible minor tweaks, but nothing that offsets the loss of local control.

The overall pattern is clear. FAC secured a few small revenue wins, but on issues tied to local authority, especially growth and housing, the session delivered compromises or setbacks. For residents who value Wakulla’s rural pace, springs protection, and community identity, that is not good news.

Why This Matters for Wakulla

The deeper issue is not the individual bills. It is the structure that allows a small group of FAC insiders to set the agenda for all 67 counties.

When that agenda does not reflect Wakulla’s needs, we get pulled into statewide compromises that:

• weaken our ability to manage growth

• reduce protections for our springs

• erode our rural character

• limit our commissioners’ independence

Future digging into FAC leadership patterns, committee appointments, and recurring influencers could reveal whether the process consistently favors urban priorities, revenue‑first strategies, or trade‑offs that cost rural counties more than they gain. Wakulla taxpayers deserve to see that clearly.

What You Can Do Right Now

Special sessions are approaching. Your voice still matters.

Tell your representatives you want:

• strong local opt‑outs for housing density mandates

• tough biosolids restrictions near homes and recharge areas

• no more state overrides that force growth we cannot support

State Senator Corey Simon, District 3
Email: simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov
Capitol Phone: (850) 487‑5003
Fax: (850) 487‑5086
Address: 303 Senate Building, 404 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399‑1100

State Representative Jason Shoaf, District 7
Email: jason.shoaf@flhouse.gov
Capitol Phone: (850) 717‑5007
District Phone: (850) 295‑5680
Address: 222 The Capitol, 402 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399‑1300

A simple message works:

“I am a Wakulla County resident. Please fight to keep local control over housing density and growth in any special sessions or future bills. Protect our rural way of life and our springs.”

The regular session may be over, but the decisions that shape Wakulla’s future are still in motion. Your voice can still shift the outcome.