RVs will be required to have yearly inspection
At last week’s county commission meeting, the board approved an ordinance to tighten regulations on travel trailer parks, including requiring annual inspections on RVs to ensure they are road ready.
The commission took the action on Monday, Oct. 17.
During Citizens to be Heard, resident David Damon brought police call records of one RV park over a three-year period, pointing out the number of calls to the park was more than average.
“It’s amazing how many times these (deputies) have to go down there to one of these RV parks and they pay very little for those services and their property taxes,” Damon said. “So who pays the rest of it? The taxpayers of Wakulla County.”
Damon said the commissioners were giving RV parks a free ride. Commissioner Ralph Thomas responded that the ordinance on the agenda was specifically regarding an inspection for RVs that are licensed and roadworthy, “and that kind of lumps people that are legal and haven’t built additions on, that’s the whole ball of wax and that doesn’t fully address what the ordinance is before us today.”
The ordinance requires all RVs within travel trailer parks be fully licensed with the current registration and ready for highway use, equipped with roadworthy wheels or a jacking system, be attached to the site with only quick-disconnect type utilities, and have no permanent attachments such as additions, rooms, stairs, or porches.
The requirements are county-wide – formerly, the requirements were for RV parks in a flood hazard area.
There would also be an annual inspection process to ensure all vehicles within RV parks are compliant with the ordinance.
During the discussion, Wakulla Property Appraiser Ed Brimner, noted that policies have been changed this past tax year, and that RVs are now being assessed.
Another concern brought up by RV Park owner Walt Dickson, was that RVs on a property should go by the same rules held to the RVs at RV parks.
In other matters:
• County Administrator David Edwards gave some updates, saying the sidewalk work for Ivan Church Road has been completed and that there are plans for the sidewalk to be extended to Bridlegate at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 319, and for a crosswalk to be put in.
• At a workshop held before the regular meeting, the board discussed its 2023 legislative priorities:
Included in appropriation requests were a Emergency Operations Center for $6.3 million; fire and rescue ladder truck for $1.2 million; a new fire station outside of Shell Point for just over $1 million; funding for a new library facility for $800,000; and a new county government complex for $800,000.
For state-funded programs, the county is requesting continued funding under the state Department of Environmental Proection’s water protection grant programs, small county outreach programs, small county road assistance programs, county incentive grant programs, Florida recreation development assistance programs, and the state Department of Economic Opportunity rural infrastructure grants.