KWCB Awards set
Special to The Sun
Keep Wakulla County Beautiful (KWCB) is proud to announce its 2026 Environmental Awards and invites the community to join in celebrating the individuals, businesses, organizations, and volunteers who are making Wakulla County a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful place to live, work, and play.
Read More …Son born to Blanco, Kinsey
Special to The Sun
Our family just got a little bigger – and a whole lot cuter!
Ashley Kinsey and Jay Blanco of Waterford, Virginia are proud to announce the birth of their son, Theodore Jorge Blanco, born June 7th, 2026.
He joins one brother Julien Miguel, who is 3 years old as of July 10, 2026.
Maternal Grandparents are Lynda Kinsey of Crawfordville and the late Michael Kinsey.
Paternal Grandparents are Teresa and Jorge Blanco of San Antonio.Texas.
Board votes to prohibit AI data centers
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
County commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to prohibit data centers in Wakulla – and received a standing ovation from the standing-room only audience.
Data centers are profliferating with advancements in artificial intelligence and have become controversial over the enormous strain on local electrical grids and the immense use of water to cool the centers.
Peacock sightings
BIRD MYSTERY
Bruce Ritchie, a reporter with Florida Politico, was visiting Wakulla recently, and had an unusual experience of seeing a peacock on the side of the road on Spring Creek Highway, and then another a few miles away near Cherokee Sink.
Read More …County looks at budget options if amendment passes
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
County commissioners held a budget workshop after their regular meeting on Monday night, and much of the focus was on how to respond if the constitutional amendment on property taxes passes in November.
The state Legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment that would increase homestead exemption on residential property from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027-28 and then $200,000 the year after. It will appear on the ballot on the Nov. 3 general election.
4-H holds safe space dance
Special to The Sun
Wakulla County teens gathered for an evening of music, connection, and fun at the recent Sunset Social Dance, a lively event hosted by Wakulla 4-H. Held following the Teen Town Hall, the dance offered youth the flexibility to attend one or both events, empowering them to shape their own experience for the night.
Read More …St. Marks officials attend workshop
By LINDA ANN McDONALD
Correspondent
The City of St. Marks was invited by the Florida Institute for Build Environment Resilience (FIBER) to and attended the Urban Futures Workshop on May 7 in Gainesville.
City Manager Katherine Gatewood and City Clerk Paula Bell attended the workshop to collaborate with other Florida municipalities, UF’s College of Design, Construction and Planning, and the Duke Energy Foundation.
Crawfordville’s Tia Unsell is inMiss Florida competition
Special to The Sun
Tia Unsell, 27, of Crawfordville, will be competing June 24th-27th at the 90th Miss Florida Scholarship Competition in Lakeland.
Currently, Unsell holds the title of Miss Gainesville. Unsell won the title of Miss Gainesville January 17th at Eastside High School in Gainesville, where there were 11 young women in her division.
Gulf Specimen is rehabbing turtle with ‘bubble butt’
From Gulf Specimen
This month, we welcomed our new rehab patient, Robin!
Robin is a Loggerhead Sea turtle, weighing in at a whopping 232 pounds! The length of her shell measures 102 centimeters!
