{"id":12815,"date":"2026-03-11T11:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spotlightonlevycountygovernment.com\/?p=12815"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:40:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:40:31","slug":"is-the-levy-bocc-entering-the-forestry-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spotlightonlevycountygovernment.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/is-the-levy-bocc-entering-the-forestry-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Levy BOCC Entering the Forestry Business?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Devil\u2019s Hammock Fire Plow Purchase Raises a Taxpayer Question: Is the County Expanding Into Work Already Handled by the State?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Linda Dean Cooper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BOCC approved a $30,005 fire-line plow for Devil\u2019s Hammock Wildlife Management Area without including the deed governing the property in the agenda packet provided to commissioners or the public before the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That deed clearly outlines how the property is supposed to be managed and is now available for public review on the Spotlight on Levy County Government<\/em> website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commissioners and the public should have had that document before approving the purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Devil\u2019s Hammock Deed Requires Coordination With State Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deed requires the property to be managed for conservation and natural resource protection and directs that management be coordinated with state agencies, including the Florida Division of Forestry, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Suwannee River Water Management District.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those agencies already possess the personnel, equipment, and expertise to conduct wildfire management, prescribed burns, and fire-line maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By accepting the deed, Levy County also accepted the covenants and restrictions attached to the property under the Grant Award Agreement referenced in the document. Those conditions run with the land.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did Anyone Read the Devil\u2019s Hammock Deed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course not \u2014 it wasn\u2019t included in the agenda packet provided to commissioners or the public before the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why didn\u2019t the BOCC reject the agenda item until a complete information packet was provided?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time commissioners have approved an agenda item without key documents included in the public packet. The DPS compound discussion<\/strong> moved forward the same way, with the lease governing that property missing from the agenda backup when the Board considered the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing complete agenda packets is the responsibility of the County Manager\u2019s office.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the BOCC has the authority \u2014 and the duty \u2014 to refuse action until the documentation is provided.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Levy County has now approved a $30,005 fire-line plow<\/strong> for the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a Plow Rarely Stands Alone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fire-line plow is rarely the end of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipment like this typically requires a compatible tractor or dozer, trained operators, maintenance, fuel, and ongoing operational costs. If the county is stepping into forest management at Devil\u2019s Hammock, taxpayers deserve to know whether this purchase is the first step in a larger expansion of equipment and responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had to File a Public Records Request Just to See the Deed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A public records request seeking the agreement referenced in the agenda item and communications with state agencies produced one document: the Devil\u2019s Hammock warranty deed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The request was submitted March 3. The county\u2019s response on March 10 produced only the deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agenda item itself referenced an agreement related to Devil\u2019s Hammock, but no such agreement was included in the agenda packet or produced in response to the records request.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without that request, the public would never have seen the document governing how the property is supposed to be managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The county produced no other documents of any kind.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No management plan.
No coordination records.
No correspondence with the Florida Division of Forestry.
No documentation showing state agencies were consulted before the purchase was approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the BOCC approved the purchase anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxpayers should not have to file public records requests just to see the documents the BOCC should have had before the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions the BOCC Never Answered Before Voting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before approving specialized equipment tied to conservation land, commissioners should have required clear documentation answering basic questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the BOCC approved the purchase without answering any of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n