Concern about grants

Editor, The Sun:

Good day Mr. Snowden,
What a refreshing read to see fellow citizens so interested in grants (last issue 20 Feb) with so much knowledge! Grants = taxpayer dollars. While $397,000 for an airport grant is no drop in the bucket, I wonder if citizens would be interested in the $20 million grant awarded to subsidize two private businesses on the NE side of Wakulla County. Project Boomer with a total project cost of $23.8M is only intended to create 42 jobs. Project Safety coming in at a total project cost of $36.4M is slated to create 300 jobs over a 6 year period (average of 50 jobs per year). A total project cost of $60.2 MILLION for both!
The public-private Economic Development Council touted in a previous article by John Shuff that they had secured a $20 million grant to fund this project. So who eats the other $40.2 million, for less than 400 jobs? More grants (aka taxpayer dollars)? County fund matching (aka taxpayer dollars)? Who sits on the EDC? What was our debt per citizen in the last debt report (2023, 2024 is not yet available)?
The debt per citizen was over $2,100 while our own county policy AR 3.02 requires it to be no higher than $500 per citizen as adjusted for inflation (at the end of 2023 that would have been around $650). Wakulla has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the State of Florida and the $20 million grant from Gov. DeSantis was for infrastructure; what did other counties use it for? Wakulla County was awarded more than any other county in the State of Florida.
What about our overcrowded shelter that has not been upgraded since the ‘80s and has as of recently been turning animals away? What about our Rec Park that is in dire need of upgrades? What about our sewer loan, water issues, and the like? I think we all should be looking at who’s driving the decision making. Is the board paying attention or is the administration (unelected) running amok? It seems to be a common problem across the board.
Ask yourself again, WHO is driving the bus? Stay informed.

Janyne Baker
Ochlockonee Bay