Commission also proposes keeping solid waste fees unchanged
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
At a budget workshop prior to the start of last week’s county commission meeting, commissioners discussed proposals to lower the property tax rate to 7.7 mills or 7.5 mills and keeping the solid waste and fire fees flat.
Read More …By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
Panacea businessman Ronald Fred Crum was in court on Tuesday, July 14, for a hearing in his lawsuit against Wakulla County over a disputed easement on some bayfront property he owns.
Crum owns acreage on Dickerson Bay off Clark Drive that he wants to develop as a boating and fishing resort. It’s where Division Street dead ends.
Richard ‘Bear’ McCombs was named the Wakulla County employee of the quarter at the county commission meeting on Monday, July 13. McCombs, at left in the photo with Animal Control Director Walter Class, is an Animal Control Officer. McCombs said at the meeting he enjoys his work and considers it a privilege to work for the county assisting citizens.
(Photo by William Snowden)
The Wakulla Sun will host a candidate forum for the two Republican candidates for the District 4 county commission seat – incumbent Quincee Messersmith and challenger Carrie Hughes – on July 28 at the public library beginning at 6 p.m.
Do you have questions you want to ask the candidates? Submit them to editor@thewakullasun.com.
Can’t be there in person? The Sun will livestream the forum on Facebook and archive it on our YouTube page.
The primary election day is Aug. 18.
We had also intended to invite Congressional candidates, but learned there’s a competing event in Lynn Haven at the same time that many candidates had committed to.
We have reserved the library meeting room for the next Tuesday, Aug. 4, beginning at 6 p.m. for Congressional candidates to appear and introduce themselves to voters.
We have received commitments from several of the Congressional candidates to appear.
There are eight Republican candidates and four Democrats. The winners of the party primaries will face off in the November general election.
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
State Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, credits the controversy a couple of years ago over a gas station that planned to locate over a recently mapped underground cave with water that flowed to Wakulla Springs as a catalyst.
Read More …Diesel instructor Eric Kasheta is facing first degree felony charges for malicious punishment for hitting students with a bungee cord
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
A former Wakulla High School diesel mechanic instructor is facing four first-degree felony charges for allegedly whipping students in his class with a bungee cord.
Eric Kasheta, who was fired as an instructor in March 2025 after the allegations came to light, was initially charged with four counts of misdemeanor battery, punishable by up to a year in jail. The state attorney’s office dropped those charges and refiled in August as felonies, each of which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
Keep Wakulla County Beautiful held its annual awards ceremony last week to honor volunteers, businesses and civic groups that support the organization’s mission.
Read More …Several hundred on hand for event at courthouse
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
Days before the America 250! event at the courthouse, county Road and Bridge Director Mike King had equipment on the grounds to pull up the solid concrete mass that held two time capsules from 1976.
Read More …Kyler Jones, a student at Wakulla High School, was 16 years old
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
KylerJones, the 16-year-old son of Kyle and Susan Jones, died in a diving accident on Friday, July 3.
Read More …
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
What an exciting event last week’s America 250! time capsule event was!
The courthouse grounds were jammed on Thursday, July 2 with people interested in the digging up of the capsule buried in 1976 – and the one being buried to be exhumed in 2076.
I thought the most unexpected item in the 1976 time capsule was a poster of The Fonz from the Happy Days TV show.