BY DAN HILDEBRAN
During the September 9 Union County School Board meeting, State Representative Chuck Brannan displayed a ceremonial check for $29.5 million for the first phase of a new elementary school in Lake Butler.
The funding is part of a broader $55.9 million secured for Union County over the past two and a half years. Brannan’s district includes Union, Bradford, Baker, Columbia, and half of Alachua County.
Brannan, who has represented Union County since redistricting in 2022, highlighted the elementary school project as a top priority, noting it was ranked number one among school construction projects statewide.
“We’re only funding two schools in the whole state this year, and I said, ‘I’m going with my number one ranked school, Lake Butler Elementary,’” he recalled. The $29.5 million allocation for phase one will kickstart construction, with plans for additional phases to complete the project. The lawmaker referenced a similar school project in Baker County, initially budgeted at $29 million but completed at $40 million due to cost increases during the COVID-19 period.
In addition to the school funding, Brannan detailed other recent allocations for Union County, including nearly $7 million in 2023 and another $7 million in 2024 for Phases 2 and 3 of the public safety complex, which includes the county jail and 911 center. He noted his long-standing collaboration with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, recalling his time delivering a prisoner to the county jail in 1986 as a U.S. Marshal Service employee and joking, “Y’all needed a new jail in 1986. I’m sorry it took so long to help you.”
Other funded projects include $305,000 for fire rescue equipment, $190,000 for ball fields, $375,000 for courthouse restoration, and $50,000 for the Townsend Building in Lake Butler.
Brannan also secured a recurring $300,000 annual payment in lieu of taxes from the Department of Corrections to offset costs for county services like fire and police response in areas with state facilities.
For 2025, an additional $750,000 was allocated to complete the public safety complex, and $850,000 was designated for further courthouse renovations.
The county also receives $454,552 annually for sheriff’s office salary enhancements.
Brannan’s district, the second-largest geographically in Florida, secured $223.5 million in 2025 across five counties, contributing to a total of $625 million since he took office.
He attributed this success to strategic advocacy in a competitive legislative environment, where 31 of his 41 proposed projects passed the House and Senate, and four were vetoed by the governor, three in Alachua County and one in Bradford.
“A blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while, and I root around hard,” the legislator quipped, emphasizing his efforts to prioritize rural counties.
The representative also addressed fiscal challenges ahead, noting a projected state budget surplus for 2026 but deficits of $1.5 billion and $6.6 billion in the following two years, according to a recent economic outlook. To mitigate future cuts, the legislature has built record reserves, a strategy informed by the 2008 economic downturn. Brannan urged Union County to expedite the elementary school project to avoid funding uncertainties, particularly as discussions about eliminating property taxes loom.
