BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Seeing is believing.
It’s not that lawmakers from Florida’s large counties don’t believe in the existence of smaller, rural counties, but what do they really know about them?
That’s what Rural Counties Day is about.
Every year, people representing rural counties set up booths in the courtyard at the Capitol in Tallahassee, giving out souvenirs and/or food items and taking the chance to talk to others about their counties as well as some of their counties’ needs.
Bradford County resident Patricia Evans, the president of Capital City Bank in Bradford and Clay counties and a member of the Rural Counties Day planning committee, said, “I really am excited about the event, to have everyone here championing for one cause, one mission and one team — our rural counties.”
Of Florida’s 31 designated rural counties, 28 attended this year’s event, which occurred on Jan. 25: Bradford, Union, Baker, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okeechobee, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington.
It’s become an event that’s drastically different from the inaugural one in 2019, when only three counties participated.
“It’s wonderful,” said Bradford County Manager Scott Kornegay, who was attending the event for the fifth time. “This was Rep. Bobby Payne’s idea in the beginning. It has grown year after year to what you see now. It’s really a good opportunity for rural counties to come
together in Tallahassee and meet our lawmakers and make them aware of our needs.”
Payne, who represents District 20 (Putnam and parts of Clay, Marion and St. Johns), said his idea for such an event was to “make sure people understand what rural counties mean to Florida.”
“We know rural counties are the backbone of Florida,” Payne said. “Rural counties bring so much to the table. A good friend of mine — Adam Putnam — always said, ‘How do you get to a metropolitan or urban area? You have to drive through a rural community.’”
In the case of Rural Counties Day, the rural communities go to Tallahassee. Jimmy Williams, Union County coordinator, said the visible, physical presence is huge.
“You can talk to these people by phone or by email, but looking in their eyes and talking face to face really means something to them,” said Williams, who was attending for the fourth year. “It shows you care.”
Jimmy Crosby, the clerk for the city of Starke who was also attending for the fourth year, said, “There’s nothing like a visual. This is one great visual for big-city folks to recognize their neighbors. I think that’s great.”
Evans, who’s been involved with the event since its inception, said when she sees the turnout, she always thinks about those first two years when not many counties participated. Though the event’s participation increased its second year, it still consisted of less than 10 counties in 2020.
Now, it has been three straight years of 20-plus counties.
“When the courtyard’s empty (after the event), I always try to make myself stand and just reminisce for a few minutes,” Evans said.
The event in the Capitol courtyard is always preceded by a legislative session the night before. Evans said 100 people attended the reception prior to the first Rural Counties Day. This year’s reception was attended by more than 370.
“This is awesome,” Evans said. “To be able to help bring Bobby Payne’s vision to fruition has been an honor.”
City of Starke Commissioner Janice Mortimer has attended Rural Counties Day. It has been exciting for her to see the event’s growth, but she also loves the fact that it seems to be having benefits locally.
“I think it’s really starting to have an impact on the legislative decisions that we’re seeing,” Mortimer said. “The city of Starke got some pretty nice appropriations last legislative session. Hopefully, this year will turn out just as good.
“I think it’s great. I’m really happy to see the city of Starke and Bradford County be a part of this.”
Talking to people in person can have a positive impact, as Williams said, but so, too, can giving out something that people will remember you by. Like food.
Strawberry shortcake is available at the Bradford County booth every year, courtesy of the Downtown Grill’s Chrissy Thompson and her restaurant staff. This year, 1,500-1,700 visitors to the Bradford booth could not only learn where Bradford County is, but also get a taste of something the county takes pride in.
“At least we know that this many more people no know where we are and kind of what we’re famous for — our strawberries and our community,” Thompson said.
You never know how something as simple as accepting a piece of strawberry shortcake can affect a future decision. Thompson, who’s also involved with Starke’s Downtown Merchants Association, said, “Even if they just drive through (Bradford County), maybe they’ll realize we have strawberries and say, ‘Let’s stop.’”
Evans said people in Tallahassee do remember the strawberry shortcake. She received text messages from people asking if the desserts would be available again this year.
In coordinating the music for this year’s event, Evans said a lobbyist she was talking to told her, “I met you last year. I told you those were the best strawberries I’ve ever had in my life. You all gave me the history of the Bradford County berry. I’ll never forget that.”
Bradford isn’t the only county that takes part in Rural Counties Day with the hopes of tempting taste buds. Other food offerings included breakfast burritos at the Hardee booth, clam chowder at the Levy booth, sausage (by itself or in jambalaya) at the Gadsden booth, prime-rib sliders at the Okeechobee booth and oysters at the Wakulla booth.
“It’s almost like a little fair — a mini fair, really,” Crosby said.
Crosby tasted something for the first time, courtesy of the Washington County booth — possum. He laughed and said no when asked if it tasted like chicken.
“It was pretty good,” Crosby said, adding, “It’s got its own taste. It’s worth trying one time anyway.”
Evans said that is one of the highlights of Rural Counties Day — the members of rural counties get to have new experiences, too, from visiting each other’s booths. Evans, who enjoys camping with her husband, Joey, said she learned of two campsites at state parks that she had never been to while attending last year’s Rural Counties Day.
She also picked up an “amazing” fishing lure at the Hamilton County booth.
“I caught the biggest red I’ve ever caught in my life oof their lure,” Evans said.
Mortimer said, “I really enjoy the camaraderie between the different counties. We’re not competing against each other. Everybody’s just highlighting what their area is known for, which I think is good.”
At the reception prior to this year’s Rural Counties Day, the inaugural Bobby Payne Florida Rural Counties Advocacy Award was presented to its namesake by Putnam County Commission Chairman Larry Harvey in honor of Payne’s “vision, leadership and many years of dedicated service on behalf of rural counties.”
“Your unwavering commitment to our mission and your tireless effort have been an inspiration to all of us,” Harvey said.
Payne attributed the success of Rural Counties Day to the members of the planning committee, saying, “They have made this thing happen year after year. I just show up.”
Besides Evans, the members of the planning committee are Bradford County’s Pam Whittle (the president and CEO of North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce), Dana Jones (president of Putnam County Chamber of Commerce) and Darryl Register (executive director of Baker County Chamber of Commerce).
The reception also included the presentation of the Rural Champion Award to Rep. Jason Shoaf of District 7 (Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hamilton, Lafayette, Liberty, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla and parts of Jefferson and Leon).
The signature sponsors for Rural Counties Day 2024 were Florida Power and Light and Columbia County Economic Development. Platinum sponsors were Capital City Bank, Comcast, Conexon, Duke Energy and North Florida Professional Services, while gold sponsors were David Melvin Engineering, Liberty Partners of Tallahassee, LLC, Locklear and Associates, Mosaic, North Florida Economic Development Partnership, Opportunity Florida and Seminole Electric Cooperative Inc.
Clay Electric Cooperative Inc., Florida Economic Development Council, Jones Edmunds and Florida Regional Councils Association were rural-county partners.
Sponsorship for the event totaled $31,500, which helped lower the costs for renting booth space and attending the reception.
