Staff Report

The Wakulla High School Lady War Eagles are in the Final Four after a walloping of Paxon 13-2 on Thursday, May 14.

In the semi-final to be held this week on Thursday, May 21, the No. 2 Lady War Eagles will face the No. 3 Eustis Panthers at the Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, in the Orlando metro area. The winner plays in the state championship game on Friday against the winner of No. 1 Coral Springs Charter and No. 4 McKeel Academy.
Because the semi-final is on Wakulla’s graduation day, a special graudation for the five seniors on the softball team will be held on Wednesday, May 20 at 11 a.m.

Staff Report

Last week, Wakulla County Commissioners enacted a burn ban at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, April 15, citing drought conditions and the need to reduce wildfire risk.

During the Local State of Emergency, the following activities are prohibited in all of Wakulla County:

• Outdoor burning of any combustible material, including but not limited to: yard waste, household paper products, bonfires and campfires, warming fires, outdoor fireplaces and chimneys, and cooking fires not contained within approved grills; and
• Any outdoor activity creating flames or sparks capable of ignition, including but not limited to: fireworks, sparklers, and other incendiary devices.
  The following activities are exempt from the prohibition:
• Cooking food completely contained within an enclosed gas or charcoal grill.
• Firefighter training conducted by Wakulla County Fire Rescue or state or federal agencies.
• Burn operations approved by the Florida Forest Service.
  This declared Local State of Emergency and Burn Ban shall remain in effect until April 22, and may be extended in 7 day increments as conditions warrant.

Staff Report

The Wakulla County Commission has set a special meeting for Wednesday, April 15 at 2 p.m. to consider a resolution to declare a local state of emergency due to drought conditions and implement a county-wide burn ban.
The meeting will be held in the commission meeting room.

Staff Report

Wakulla County native and Tallahassee Police Officer Michael “Cody” Terranova was killed Friday in a boating accident on the Wakulla River.
According to reports from the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, Terrranova, 41, was off-duty and boating in the river when he struck a “fixed object” and was thrown from the boat.

Another boater found his empty boat. The sheriff’s office and state wildlife officers began a search and found him in the river but were unable to resuscitate him.
A neighbor and very close friend of Terranova’s is Aric Voorting, who has been friends for more than 30 years.
“I love Cody because he just had a super personality that gripped a hold on you and never would let go,” said Voorting. “He always made everyone feel special and welcomed; he talked to everyone and was always willing to help someone.”
Wakulla Sun correspondent Linda Ann McDonald said she met Cody for the first time because of his willingness to help others. “Last winter, I called Aric to help with winterizing the well at my house. In no time at all, Aric and Cody came to help, equipped with tarps, tape and insulation to prevent my well from freezing. After seeing for the first time and his special, genuine, beautiful smile, I knew I had made another friend that day after spending just a short time with him.
Terranova leaves behind his wife, Ciera. Voorting said that “Cody was a devoted husband who loved his wife more than anything in the world. She was the anchor in his life… very caring, looking out for everyone all the time. I love them both,” Voorting said.
“I never dreamed he would leave me this way and I will never forget the fun times although the best times we had were always on the Wakulla River house dock with friends.
“The memories of fun trips and fun times will never be forgotten, and I will miss him,” Voorting said.

Staff Report

Cody Castillo was looking forward to flying back to his Crawfordville home last week after working in the Bahamas. He and and wife Makayla were looking forward to welcoming their first child into the world in August.
Castillo never made it back home, and was fatally shot while abroad, according to reports. A GoFundMe was started to support his family and notice was sent to local media outlets which included a link to Daily Mail news story about Castillo being shot by a Bahamian policeman during a bar fight.

The off-duty policeman initially alleged that Castillo had gotten into a truck and driven towards him.
A subsequent story by Reuters indicated that the police superintendent who shot Castillo, Berneil Pinder, was arrested and charged with murder after video indicated Castillo hadn’t sped towards him in a truck.
Pinder was being held in jail in Nassau.
Family Funeral Home in Crawfordville issued a Death Notice for Castillo.
As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe had raised $58,000 of the $60,000 goal as a result of the attention.

Staff Report

A 34-year-old Crawfordville man was injured when he rolled his SUV while traveling on U.S. Highway 319 in Franklin County south of Sopchopppy, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
He reportedly suffered serious injuries and was taken by Air Ambulance to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, FHP reported.

The man was traveling north on 319 on Tuesday, March 24, around noon when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle left the roadway onto the east shoulder. The driver overcorrected to the left, re-entered the roadway, and crossed over to the west shoulder. The driver then overcorrected to the right to try and the highway, causing the vehicle to roll.
The SUV came to final rest on its passenger side on the west shoulder of US 319 near the intersection of McIntyre Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Weems EMS.

Social media was burning up over a proposed subdivision off Jack Crum Road that was up for approval at Tuesday night’s county commission meeting. As Chair Ralph Thomas noted, people online were portraying the zoning change as “a massive subdivision,” he said. “It’s not.”

Builder Robby Miller of Golden Construction had proposed a five-unit subdivision on 30 acres of land – more than 5 acres per home.
Numerous citizens spoke out against the proposal – some claiming it would worsen traffic on Jack Crum or was part of a larger plan to build a bigger subdivision.
Commissioner Quincee Messersmith said she had received “a barrage of emails” on the matter, but claimed most came from people who had recently moved to Wakulla in the past year or two.
Commissioner Valerie Russell, who cast the lone dissenting vote against the rezoning, pointed to the county’s needs analysis from 2017 that found there was no need for new residential lots in the county intil 2035.