BY DAN HILDEBRAN
State Rep. Chuck Brannan briefed county commissioners on the amount of state money he and other lawmakers brought to Union County. The former Deputy U.S. Marshall and Chief Investigator for the Baker County Sheriff’s Office also brought a ceremonial check symbolizing money flowing from Tallahassee to Lake Butler.
The two bookends of Union projects are the county’s public safety complex, now in its final stages, and a new Lake Butler Elementary School, of which school district officials have yet to break ground.
Total funding for the combination 911 call center, emergency operations center and jail is now nearly $10 million.
The lawmaker expressed astonishment at the cost of the school, explaining that schools recently built in Bradford and Baker counties cost between $40 million and $50 million.
“Here y’all’s is going to be 80 (million dollars),” he said. That’s just crazy.”
Brannan went on to say that the state only funded two schools this year, Lake Butler Elementary and a school in Desoto County.
“Only two projects,” he said, so that’s something to be grateful for and thankful for. That’s hard-fought money. Not everybody on that list got funded; some people were skipped. But that’s just politics.”
Brannan said additional state funding landing in Union County during his term was
Transportation (2023): $2.5 million for resurfacing State Road 121,
Courthouse Restoration (2023): $374,996 allocated for courthouse renovations,
City of Lake Butler (2023): $49,740 for town building rehabilitation,
Softball Fields (2023): $190,000 to upgrade recreational facilities,
Fire and Rescue Equipment (2023): $305,000 to enhance emergency response capabilities.
Payment in Lieu of Taxes (2023–2025): A recurring $300,000 annual payment from the Department of Corrections, totaling $900,000 over three years, to offset costs for housing state inmates.
Small County Assistance (2024): $1.5 million through the Small County Resurfacing Assistance Program and $1,551,303 via the Small County Outreach Program for additional road improvements.
New Fire Rescue Station (2024): $2,250,000 to construct a modern fire rescue facility,
Sheriff’s office salary increases (2023–2025): $454,550 annually for three years to support law enforcement and correctional officer salaries.
