[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6680761,"mediaKeyId","2159041-7aca92c2379cd1447aaec7505efb32de","parentId",2159041,"title","Clay County commissioners approve consent items, buy heavy-rescue vehicle and file legislative appropriation requests","audioSeconds",3180,"startMs",3537000,"endMs",6717000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159041-7aca92c2379cd1447aaec7505efb32de&start=3537&end=6717","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159041-7aca92c2379cd1447aaec7505efb32de/thumbnail_3537000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6680761/Clay-County/Florida/Clay-County-commissioners-approve-consent-items-buy-heavy-rescue-vehicle-and-file-legislative-appropriation-requests","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6680761-48891af3f524cf821c773b4cd0eecd50/orig.mp4?Expires=1771111130&Signature=W7Cxrw~kd5Hk7EsTx3X77ajvHligk7N977nRHP4cQ0drqiJqbZHWZlpLpUDFhw-HS1gnnwulMO-SsL8EC76am6WyaIQbhQDLtgevKPi8GfYCdjdkaq2pAIVUNxRhWc5YJzlaMeWDDQPKjNGRTRzD3oirYrw6oUktQ-SqHsRQMtqJI1l56Q62RurICj3~xM-SwEbFcpvvz09Ez8KDkgjW80XI5qpoqPtyi1EaX1AcvIWI5swekirRwVIlDWzv-9-D-ZSWhXH-KFWZzRHLBNIQ-gOlV19ZhZo-U2CFuEnCkR-y7O0y87kVHJM1cTNix~yLLt5i0edhYh3giNVm2H5Kvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clay County","date","2025-01-28T00:00:00Z","article","The Clay County Board of County Commissioners approved a series of routine and substantive items at its Jan. 28 meeting, including the purchase of a heavy-rescue vehicle for the county fire-rescue fleet, formal requests for state appropriations, an extension to a transportation contract and an advisory-board appointment.

Why it matters: The actions affect public safety equipment, near-term capital requests to the state and locally appointed advisory boards. The purchase of a used 2023 heavy-rescue unit reduced the county's expected replacement cost and freed budget capacity for other vehicle refurbishments, according to Fire Rescue staff.

Votes at a glance
- Minutes: The board approved the minutes of Jan. 14, 2025 (vote recorded as 5-0).

- Consent items 4–12: Approved as a block (vote recorded as 5-0).

- Item 3 (Consent): Purchase of heavy-rescue vehicle from City of High Springs for $740,000. The board approved the payment after discussion of the vehicle's capabilities and procurement rationale (vote recorded as 5-0). Fire Chief Lauren Locke described the unit as a Heavy Rescue for the county’s Technical Rescue team and said the county had budgeted over $1,000,000 to replace an aging vehicle; acquiring the 2023 unit for $740,000 saved funds and allowed refurbishment of a water tender. \"We think we made an exceedingly wise purchase,\" Locke said.

- Proclamations: The board adopted a combined proclamation honoring Fleming Island High School student state champions in marching band, boys golf and diving; commissioners adopted the proclamation by voice vote.

- Appropriation requests / legislative priorities: The board approved a printed palm card summarizing the county's 2025 legislative priorities and appropriation requests and authorized the county manager to sign the appropriation forms. The card lists monitoring changes to the Florida Retirement System, limits on solar installations on agricultural land (language to be finalized with the county lobbyist), support for home rule, and specific funding requests including $2,000,000 for public-safety complex site and design work; $750,000 for Moccasin Slough trails/boardwalk; $250,000 (design) and $1,200,000 (construction) for Clay County archives; $2,500,000 moved earlier into the FDOT 10-year plan for the County Road 217/Orange Park bridge in FY26; $750,000 for Orange Park Senior Center safety improvements; and $250,000 for Lake Geneva restoration in Keystone Heights. Commissioners approved the card and appropriation forms (voice vote recorded as 5-0).

- Historic Preservation Board appointment: The board accepted the application of Terry Knight to fill the District 2 vacancy on the Historic Preservation Board. The motion passed (transcript records the outcome as \"Motion carries 41\"; tally recorded as 4 yes, 1 no per meeting minutes notation).

- JTA contract extension: The board authorized a one-year extension letter for Jacksonville Transportation Authority's application to extend its Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) arrangement for one year rather than initiating a five-year RFP process; the Transportation Disadvantaged Committee had recommended the one-year approach. The board approved the letter 5-0.

What board members said
Fire Chief Lauren Locke explained the purchase of the heavy-rescue unit as a cost-avoidance measure: the county had budgeted approximately $1 million to replace its aging 2000s-era rescue vehicle but was able to acquire the 2023 vehicle with roughly 11,000 miles for $740,000 and redeploy savings toward refurbishing a water tender.

County Assistant Manager Charlie Latham summarized the appropriation-request card and explained staff had coordinated with the county lobbyist and legislative contacts to produce the printed materials that will be used during Tallahassee visits.

Next steps
- Staff will finalize the palm-card language for the appropriation requests (county manager authorized to sign the appropriation forms and proceed).
- Fire Rescue will place the heavy-rescue vehicle into service after required inspections and transfer paperwork is completed.
- The county will continue to work through the Northeast Florida Regional Council process for the JTA extension and report back to the board as needed.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clay County - BCC Agenda - Jan 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Clay County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 28 approved consent items and several substantive measures including the purchase of a 2023 heavy-rescue vehicle for $740,000, a set of county legislative appropriation requests and a one-year extension letter for the JTA CTC application.","taxTitle","Clay County, Florida","taxId",12757,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6680765,"Clay County hearing on College Drive visioning finds residents split on roundabouts, united on lighting and pedestrian safety",1855,1445000,3300000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159041-7aca92c2379cd1447aaec7505efb32de&start=1445&end=3300","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159041-7aca92c2379cd1447aaec7505efb32de/thumbnail_1445000.jpg","/articles/6680765/Clay-County/Florida/Clay-County-hearing-on-College-Drive-visioning-finds-residents-split-on-roundabouts-united-on-lighting-and-pedestrian-safety","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6680765-40d1ce040f772bb477187126a6149e43/orig.mp4?Expires=1771111130&Signature=UX~haW0Gj2jsvtTTGjsgncCgpwpKm3K81h10r2V0e160E5AmOohz77mHIu9XsyJGgUuSLv5EXIddoCYIZDMPMLwcSadtEsOMC6-DnfWeTpCwn74Hu6ZCItVuSopGkySAlGRorbqm-SteS0yXD-u2pV9qp6qc-9O7rhfpF21c10hjk7mbDjBHc1isZr1Q-0uUUQI2V-6yu2kmIZ844qggJDIpPq2vByqwuEWDYxzIqg-g6itIBE6C6YGv79ZkwqrX0-ltO3ZQnx0yVLcHJ7uekVhjejnJfzynEZTuJPNhhQo6U-AnBen4GMaOdYYQkIAyUnKSRjfy13Q0BoDxwOi6Vw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kimley Horn presented the College Drive Visioning and Strategic Development charrette to the Clay County Board of County Commissioners at the Jan. 28 meeting, summarizing public engagement and an action plan for the two-and-a-half-mile corridor that runs past Fleming Island and the Thrasherhorn arts campus.

The report, estate and planning consultants said, is a planning document meant to collect community feedback and suggest short-, mid- and long-term improvements including branding, lighting, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and possible zoning overlays. Blair Knighting of Kimley Horn said, \"This is a planning document that we were trying to get feedback from the community,\" and urged continued public outreach before any design work begins.

Why it matters: College Drive carries roughly 20,000 vehicles per day, includes residential stretches and commercial nodes, and borders several community institutions including St. Johns River State College and the Thrasherhorn. Changes to the corridor could affect traffic flow, pedestrian safety and future private development; commissioners emphasized the need for traffic and right-of-way studies before major redesigns.

Consultant findings and community input
Kimley Horn summarized a multimodal analysis and public outreach that included two in-person charrettes, stakeholder meetings and an online survey that drew 181 responses. The report found the corridor is zoned primarily for single-family residential use despite having significant commercial activity on the ground and identified \"community-serving retail\" as the most immediate non-residential market opportunity.

Public feedback showed consistent support for better lighting, street trees, wayfinding and a shared-use path; opinions split on traffic treatments. At the first public meeting most attendees favored roundabouts to improve left-turning movements; at a later forum a majority opposed roundabouts. The consultant concluded additional engagement and a formal traffic study are needed because the community response was polarized.

Costs and timing
The report includes order-of-magnitude cost ranges intended as planning guidance: a painted bike-lane treatment and physical separators for parts of the corridor were estimated around $350,000; reconstruction of the roadway with a shared-use path and possible roundabout work was presented in a multi-million-dollar range (consultant figures put major corridor reconstruction in the low millions, with a suggested $6–8 million range for certain roadway scenarios). Kimley Horn also provided a funding matrix mapping improvement types to potential grant sources and private sponsorships.

Public comments and local priorities
Speakers during the public-comment period and at the charrettes stressed maintenance, safety and community programming. Connie Thomas, representing the College Drive Initiative steering committee, asked for an overlay district, a \"pond-to-park\" name and a crosswalk for the PACE Center for Girls, and urged paths wide enough for wheelchairs and runners. Resident Nancy McDaniels said recent drainage and paving work already improved quality of life along the corridor.

Several businesses and nonprofit stakeholders supported incremental, low-cost placemaking—murals, benches and sponsored banners—while some business owners said they opposed new taxes or regulatory burdens. Thrasherhorn representatives said they want to be involved but said their campus operates largely as a commuter destination and questioned whether restaurants or higher-intensity uses would suit their campus visitors.

Board reaction and next steps
Commissioner Burke asked staff to return with concrete options: \"If you could just take some things that I personally would like to see — for staff to bring back options of funding streams so we can all discuss what that would look like, and then also a couple options of overlays, of what properties are available to look at those overlays.\" Commissioners emphasized lighting as an initial safety priority and cautioned the public that large construction projects would require funding and longer time horizons.

County staff indicated several technical next steps if the board decides to proceed: a formal boundary and right-of-way survey, a detailed traffic study (to identify peak hours and vehicle types), phased corridor design work, and targeted public engagement about any proposed zoning or overlay changes. The board did not adopt any ordinance or direct formal rule changes at the meeting; staff were asked to return with funding and overlay options.

What remains unresolved
The roundabout proposal at Old Jennings drew significant debate. Kimley Horn's engineers said a roundabout can be designed to accommodate large trucks by using a truck apron and appropriate geometry; residents and some commissioners voiced concern about long-term traffic growth and heavy vehicle operations. Consultants repeatedly recommended a traffic study and further public engagement before any design or construction decisions are made.

Looking ahead
Staff will compile funding options, potential overlay approaches and technical-scope recommendations for the board to consider in a future meeting. The College Drive action report and funding matrix remain available in the board packet for commissioners and the public to review.

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Clay County commissioners approve consent items, buy heavy-rescue vehicle and file legislative appropriation requests

Clay County hearing on College Drive visioning finds residents split on roundabouts, united on lighting and pedestrian safety