Here are some topics from the last Board of County Commissioners meeting. If you want to know more about what was discussed and decided, you can read the agendas and minutes as they get posted. You can watch the meeting in full on our Facebook page or website.
Providing free transportation to support independence
Limited transportation options can hinder some residents' job searches, medical appointments, and overall quality of life. To address this issue, Clay County has introduced a program called SHIFT - Supporting Hope and Independence with Free Transportation. The program partners with seven organizations and two bike shops to provide free bicycles to people in need of transportation. SHIFT has provided 38 bicycles to residents since the program began in 2021. Each bicycle comes equipped with front and back lights, a bike pump, a bike lock, a water bottle holder, and a luggage rack. If you know someone who could benefit from this program, please connect them with our community and social services department. If you would like to donate a bicycle to SHIFT, you can drop it off at any Clay County fire station. To learn more about the SHIFT program, you can watch the presentation starting at 40:58.
Veterans Council- Clay County moving to Green Cove Springs
The Veterans Council of Clay County will soon have an office at the Clayton and Mildred Revels Senior Center in Green Cove Springs. This convenient location will be a place where local veterans can meet with the Veterans Council and Clay County Veterans’ Services Officers to get the information, resources, and services they need. The new veterans center will be available to veterans of all ages and will be a great addition to the services already provided at the senior center. We anticipate that the services will be available in the spring of 2024. You can listen to the discussion at the 56:30-minute mark.
Protecting Black Creek boaters near bridges
Boaters who navigate Black Creek will soon see two new slow-speed, minimum wake zones. These zones will be near the bridges at Henley Road and County Road 209, as well as the State Road 23 bridge that is currently under construction. Commissioners passed an ordinance to amend the Clay County Code to add these new slow-speed, minimum wake zones to protect the safety of the public by reducing the risk of a collision with the bridge or other boaters in these narrow areas. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be responsible for enforcing the ordinance. The discussion occurs at 1:07:11 if you would like to watch.
Working to conserve forests and farmland in Clay County
The county has partnered with the North Florida Land Trust to develop a land conservation program that among other goals, will add to the 1.6-million-acre wildlife corridor linking the Osceola National Forest to the Ocala National Forest. The conservation program is being developed based on input from commissioners and the public, gathered through workshops and online surveys. The feedback identified the preservation of forests to protect wildlife habitat and water quality, access to recreation, and preserving farmland as top community values. The North Florida Land Trust presented the results of its outreach and shared a blueprint of what the Clay County land conservation program might look like. If approved by voters on the November 2024 ballot, a conservation manual will be developed detailing how the program will be implemented and the criteria for determining which environmentally sensitive lands could be acquired and preserved. The discussion can be watched starting at 2:38:32.
