Organizations Where HardisonInk.com Is A Member
CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERSHIP ADS

FDOT reports
on future Levy County road work

Community Planning Coordinator Brian Austin of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 2 (Lake City) Planning Office speaks with the Levy County Commission on Nov. 4 about planned roadwork in the future. Commission Chair Desiree Mills asked the man for his business card so that she would have contact information. He intimated that he had one with him and would provide her with one soon.

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 6, 2025 at 6 a.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     BRONSON – Community Planning Coordinator Brian Austin of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 2 (Lake City) Planning Office spoke with the Levy County Commission on Nov. 4 about planned roadwork in the future.

More Below This Ad

Click On Ad To Visit Website

     FDOT District 2 includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor and Union counties.
     Also, in the audience that morning, there was the FDOT District 2 Transportation Planning Manager based at the Lake City office.
     Austin spoke about the FDOT work program for Levy County.


The FDOT representative gave a ‘shout-out’ to Road Department Administrative Coordinator Alice LaLonde and spoke highly of her work to coordinate the state and county efforts for roadwork in Levy County. Levy County Road and Bridge Department Director Don Clifton is seen sitting behind LaLonde at the Oct. 4 meeting.

     The FDOT has developed the Five-Year Work Program in accordance with Florida Statutes section 339.135. The development of this work program involves extensive coordination with local governments, including Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other city and county officials.
     Public hearings were held in each of the seven transportation districts, and a statewide public hearing was held by the Florida Transportation Commission. 
     The work program is based on sound, multi-modal transportation concepts and the best available forecasts of costs and funding.
     The following circumstances, which are beyond the control of the FDOT, may significantly influence the stability of this work program:
     ● Changes in federal or state revenue estimates
     ● Increased inflation rates
     ● Changes in bond market conditions
     ● Changing federal regulations
     ● Difficulty in acquiring right of way
     ● Ecological and environmental factors
     ● Extraordinary increases in right of way costs
     ● Unanticipated contract litigation
     ● Other economic forces impacting state transportation revenues
     ● Changes in MPO/Local priorities
     As of Sept. 30, the program for 2027 through 2031 was officially closed, Austin said. This plan sets the direction for work by the FDOT, he added, as he began speaking about the state plan for FDOT roads.
     The state budget year is July 1 through June 30. Starting July 1, 2026, is where he addressed the plans for these roads.
     FDOT District 2 held the 2025 In-Person and Virtual Public Hearing Oct. 21, with an open house from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Jacksonville Urban Office Training Facility and online through a GoTo webinar.
     This meeting served as the official public hearing for the Tentative Five-Year Work Program for FDOT District Two. 
For additional information on projects currently underway in Northeast Florida, visit NFLRoads.com. (https://nflroads.com/)
     Public comment about this proposed work program is open through Nov. 30, he said, and people can do this via the Internet.
     In more immediate Levy County Road and Bridge Department news, Director Don Clifton found a 3-0 vote of approval for his request to award the lowest bidder -- Anderson Columbia – for the $4,299,833.40. ($4.3 million) state-funded grant project of widening and resurfacing of Levy County Road 330.


Levy County Road and Bridge Department Director Don Clifton presents his request. After a commissioner asked about adding crews for more mowing and trimming, County Manager Mary-Ellen Harper explained there is a plan to be presented soon about upcoming employment opportunities in the department, however to speak about adding one crew now would be inefficient in contrast with dealing with the bigger plan as a whole in the near future.

Levy County invites
input for future development 
Information Provided
Published Oct. 31, 2025 at 7 a.m.
     BRONSON – The Levy County Board of County Commissioners is inviting residents, businesses, and community stakeholders to participate in an online survey that will help guide the county’s future growth, conservation, and investment through the year 2050. 
     The Comprehensive Growth Management Plan serves as a blueprint for how Levy County will manage land use, protect natural resources, and invest in infrastructure and public services.   
     Community input is essential to ensure that the updated plan reflects local values and priorities. 
     “We want to hear directly from the people who live, work and invest in Levy County,” Levy County Development Services Director Bo Cox said. “Your feedback will shape the policies that guide how our communities grow and how we protect what makes Levy County special.”
     Take the survey today at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNJYXHN
     Paper copies of the survey are available at Levy County offices and the five public libraries in the county. People who need accessibility accommodations, are asked to please email the Planning Department at planning@levycounty.org. 
     The survey will remain open through Jan. 31, 2026. Survey results will directly inform the government leaders who create policies and strategies that guide the county’s future growth for the next 25 years through the year 2050.

Water management district
awards grant to a Williston school
By Susanna Martinez Tarokh, Public Information Officer
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Published Oct. 23, 2025 at 8 a.m.
     BROOKSVILLE -- The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $113,138 in grants to 52 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program.
     The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.
     Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness campaigns. Each school district allocates a portion of their annual youth education funding provided by the District to support the Splash! grants in their county.
     The District awarded grants to the following schools/teachers in its northern region:
     ● Williston Middle-High School – Kristen Brown (Levy)
     ● Central High School – Rachel Kingdom (Hernando)
     ● Citrus Springs Middle School – Alberta Okoro (Citrus)
     ● Dunnellon Elementary School – Nancy Garvin (Marion)
     ● Harbour View Elementary School – Melissa Leon (Marion)
     ● South Sumter High School – Stephanie Yarbrough (Sumter)
     ● Sumter P.R.E.P. Academy – Robert A. Piwowar (Sumter)
     ● Webster Elementary School – Brandon Cockayne (Sumter)
     ● Wildwood Elementary School – Paul Mannino (Sumter)
     ● Wildwood Middle High School – Brittny Sanders (Sumter)
     Grants are available to support water education programs and activities that are   focused on water cycle basics, freshwater or estuarian ecosystems, water quality and water conservation. For more information, please visit the District’s website by clicking HERE.

Special magistrate rules
on Levy County code enforcement cases

Levy County Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate prepares to open the hearings of cases on Oct. 14 in Bronson.

Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison © Oct. 16, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     BRONSON – Levy County Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate ruled on five code enforcement cases Wednesday morning (Oct. 15), which continues to demonstrate this county’s progressive and successful approach to enforcing law to protect the quality of life for the community as well as staying within bounds for individual property rights.     Two ongoing cases – Levy County versus Samuel Allen Fant, and Levy County versus Randall and Merline Jacobs – were listed as “old business.”
     Three other cases brought by the county were dealt with as well by Special Magistrate Fugate and they were Myra Miller-Monroe; Shanti Mitchell and Kendrick Mills; and Stephany Morlero-Fernandez.
     In every case, Fugate listened to Levy County Code Enforcement Officer Dave Banton, who is also the department manager, or Code Enforcement Officer Bradley Frazer as those gentlemen present facts and evidence to prosecute the cases – as everyone seeks to bring offenders into compliance.
     The special magistrate, in each instance confirmed, adequate notice had been provided for the accused to know to attend the hearing. Some people showed up, and one brought a professional engineer to help her with a Spanish-to-English language barrier as well as to let the magistrate know her intention to construct a residence in Levy County.


Levy County Code Enforcement Officer Dave Banton, who is also the department manager, gives his testimony about cases. Code Enforcement Officer Bradley Frazer (blue shirt) and Code Enforcement Administrative Assistant Penny Hilligoss are seen at the table for the prosecution.


     Following is the order in which the cases were ruled upon from start to finish that day.


Samuel Allen Fant addresses Levy County Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate on Oct. 15.

Samuel Allen Fant
     This matter was a compliance issue.
     After listening to the facts and evidence presented by the prosecution and the defendant, Fugate ruled there had been no compliance with order he had issued previously against Fant.
     Fines listed in that prior order will be applied, he said, and a non-compliance order will be issued in the next few days.
     Fugate told Fant that he knows of the existence of an appeal, and state law does not preclude moving forward with this case despite a previous code enforcement ruling by Fugate. Therefore, the case continues.
     The reason this case is continuing, Fugate said, is because there has been no stay order by a court, and in fact, there is no known motion for a stay order having been filed as of Oct. 14. Fant confirmed that and he said he has obtained a new attorney to deal with the relevant legal issues.
     This matter relates to county ordinances regarding allegedly large quantities of horse manure and stable bedding materials not being moved from particular property as had been ordered. This case shows Fant’s continued resistance against the government dealing with an issue that goes back to manure that Fant said was placed there years ago.
     Although he did not say much, Fant said he has not brought new manure to the location since this matter began.


The honorable Levy County Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate rules that Allen Fant failed to comply with a previous order Fugate had issued against Fant. Fines listed in that prior order will be applied, and a non-compliance order will be issued in the next few days. Click on the PHOTO to see and hear the video.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison - All Rights Reserved

     Fant told Fugate that he was declining to participate in the hearing on Oct. 14.
     Nevertheless, he noted, in part, in writing that “… our agricultural exemption was reinstated April 8, that we are fully enrolled in the state’s Best Management Practices program, and the materials in question are lawful agricultural products regulated under DEP Rule 62-709, Florida Administrative Code.”

Myra Sharee Miller-Monroe, who said her name is Myra Miller appears at the code enforcement hearing. She testified under oath that she will evict ‘Mr. Monroe’ from property she owns after her divorce from him.

Myra Sharee Miller-Monroe
     Code Enforcement Manager Banton said the location of the violations here is 20671 N.E. 40th St., Williston.
     Banton proved to Fugate that a “Mr. Monroe” is operating a business at the location in violation of the residential zoning for the property. In addition to that code violation, there is the accumulation of junk, trash, unserviceable vehicles, and the like, which is a separate code violation.
     This mobile tire venture has been going on for years, according to facts and evidence shown at the hearing and in public records.
      After discussion with Myra Miller-Monroe, who became the sole owner of the property after her divorce from “Mr. Monroe,” the magistrate and others learned at the hearing that she is seeking to force him to remove whatever property is ruled to be his.
     Banton said he does not know the first name of “Mr. Monroe.”
     The property owner identified herself under oath to be Myra Miller and that she had been divorced since 2012. She told the special magistrate that she will lawfully evict “Mr. Monroe.” Fugate made certain that she understood that as the sole owner of the property fine that may be levied will be her responsibility if she continues to fail to comply with the applicable codes.
     Fugate ruled a code violation exists. He ruled as well that “Mr. Monroe,” although not an owner of the land, will be cited as well in this order. Fugate is allowing 60 days from the date of the order to cure the violation by complying with code. 
     After those 60 days, Fugate ordered a compliance hearing to be scheduled. If the violation remains active, he will review the extent of control that the property owner has at that time. There will be a $50-a-day fine imposed after 60 days, subject to review at the compliance hearing.


Stephany Caroline Morlero-Fernandez (left) and licensed professional engineer Jesus Rodriguez address the special magistrate on Oct. 15 regarding code violations on property she owns.

Stephany Caroline Morlero-Fernandez
     In this case licensed professional engineer Jesus Rodriguez represented Morlero-Fernandez.
     Code Enforcement Officer Frazer prosecuted. 
     Frazer said this quarter-acre of property is in the Oak Ridge Estates subdivision. It is vacant property. The landowner has placed an inoperable RV there, which remains parked and is not occupied except on occasion it may have been used. There is an above-ground pool built on the vacant lot. And there is a storage shed on the vacant lot.
     As of Oct. 14, the landowner has not applied for any permit to build a storage building or anything else on the property, Frazer said.
     Rodriguez, Fugate and Code Enforcement staff ironed out an address error so that the defendant will have information more quickly. Rodriguez and the landowner appeared because they saw notification of the hearing by the red tag placed on the property.
     Fugate helped Rodriguez understand how there is noncompliance with building codes on the property. Morlero-Fernandez was present and Rodriguez explained to her in Spanish what he came to understand.
     Based on facts and evidence, Fugate found there was a violation by parking an RV on a vacant lot. Fugate combined the pool construction and shed construction on vacant land to be one violation. 
      Fugate explained that the building code in Levy County requires the property owner to obtain a building permit for a permanent structure, or the RV must go. The RV will be allowed during construction.
     Fugate ruled violations exist, with one being for the RV, and the second violation combines the pool and shed construction.
     If those violations are not cured withing 60 days, then there will be imposed a $50-per-day violation for each of those two. 

Shanti Mitchell and Kendrick Mills
     Shanti Vernell Mitchell and Kendrick Shanard Mills have violated codes in the University Estates Subdivision, Code Enforcement Officer Frazer said.
     This is vacant property that looks abandoned, Frazer said. There is an RV on it, and it is “broken down,” Frazer said. There is excessive debris on the property as well, he said. Mitchell told him in late June that she would have the RV removed and the property would be cleaned.
     As of Oct. 13, the property remained as it has been since he cited it in early July, Frazer said.
      The landowner who lives in Jacksonville was not present for the hearing.
     After facts and testimony were presented, Fugate found two code violations continue to exist – RV on vacant land and excessive debris on vacant land.
     If the violations are not cured within 30 days, Fugate ruled, then there will be a $100-per-daay find for each of the two violations that persist.

Randall Jacobs and Merline Jacobs
     Randall Jacobs and Merline Jacobs, who list a residence in Dunedin, were not present for this compliance hearing.
     Frazer said an order to remove an RV was followed in June, but that RV was returned to the property after one day and it remained there ever since for the past three months – as shown by photos.
     Fugate found that there is a violation of that RV being present, and a $100-a-day fine is to begin immediately for that failure to comply now. As for another violation of code that was not brought into compliance, another $100-a-day fine is imposed – effective as of July 19 and for every day going forward until it is bought into compliance – for the four wooden structures on the property that are in violation of county codes.