BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — CareerSource North Central Florida CEO Phyllis Marty says a local Starke office should be open by year’s end.
Questions about the status of the local office were raised by a letter from a CareerSource employee who was concerned about the inability to serve local residents.
Alachua County took over the Alachua-Bradford workforce organization in July 2021 following the ouster of a third-party management firm over the misappropriation of funds. According to the letter, CEO Marty and Operations Director Anna Mendoza learned shortly thereafter that lease of the Bradford office on Call Street would not be renewed over ADA compliance issues.
In spite of the advance notice, local CareerSource staff have been without a base to meet with residents since June, with the exception of some office hours worked at the Bradford County Public Library.
The employee who wrote the letter stated that problems arose with the library shortly after they began working there. The implication was that the library had not been adequately compensated, according to the letter.
Bradford Library Director Robert Perone denied that any compensation was ever expected in exchange for the use of the library’s study room meeting space. No one is charged for use of the library’s meeting spaces. Availability is based on who signs up, and CareerSource did utilize a study room, but then stopped showing up.
Assistant Library Director Cyndy Weeks said CareerSource would reserve a room for a few hours two or three days a week, and that lasted two to three weeks. CareerSource clients would come to the library after that, but there was no one for them to meet with, she said. For several weeks, people were waiting, and the library tried to reach out to their contact, with no success. Weeks said library staff had to turn people away.
“Regarding the library being paid to use any room, no, we don’t do that. Our services are free,” Perone said.
“They are more than welcome to use it within our guidelines,” he said. “We would welcome them having a place to come in.”
Marty said CareerSource has been working with Bradford County on leasing space in the courthouse annex, which houses community development and other services. County attorney Will Sexton was negotiating that lease with CareerSource, but is no longer with the county.
Bradford County Manager Scott Kornegay confirmed there is a space awaiting them, but the absence of an attorney to represent the county in the negotiation is the roadblock. The timeline depends on how quickly he can get an attorney on board, he said.
While the office needs some buildout to accommodate CareerSource, Mary said she was hopeful it will be open by the end of the year.
The sooner the better for local CareerSource staff and clients. As the letter writer points out, their clients are among the neediest in the community. They are predominately low income and depend on the resources provided to keep their families fed. Their quality of life is at stake.
CareerSource staff members assist clients with filing for unemployment, building their resumes, job searches and referrals, applying for food stamps and cash assistance, applying for utility and rental assistance, income-based education assistance and other important services. All of these services are free of charge, funded by the state through the program managed by Alachua County.
