Former Williston hospital
property up for auction
Base bid starts at least at $1,041,960.61
By Jeff M. Hardison © April 6, 2026 at 12 p.m.
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     BRONSON – Among the many pieces of real property being auctioned on April 13 is a former Hospital in Williston that has now been shuttered again for some years.

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     The last name for the property was “Regional General Hospital,” and the former hospital located in Williston closed in June of 2019 following severe financial issues, including mounting utility debt.
     As a public service, Levy County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Matt Brooks announced the tax deed auction of this prominent Williston commercial property.
     Due to its historical significance, size and location, the Levy County Clerk’s Office issued a special public notice to ensure broad public awareness.
     The auction is scheduled to take place at the Levy County Government Center, located at 310 School St., in Bronson, in the Levy County Board of County Commissioners Meeting Room at 10 a.m.. This property will be the first piece with its tax deed auctioned that morning -- April 13, starting at 10 a.m.
     This is Tax Certificate Number: 6574-19A. It is Levy County Parcel Number: 05076-001-00.
     The first bid will be at least $1,041,960.61 (more than $1 million), Brooks said on Monday (April 6). The Levy County Tax Collector’s Office will provided the Levy County Clerk’s Office with the updated figure before the auction opens that morning, and it will be announced.
     This function, like the other real property at auction on April 13, is to process the tax deed.
     All buyers who bid at auctions may want to remember to conduct their own research to discover any liens and encumbrances on property. This property has not been put up for auction earlier due to separate court proceedings involving its owner.
     After the first bid, the second bid could be just a bit higher but the minimum bid increments after the first bid must be at least $10,000, which is at the Clerk’s discretion. The next bids need not be limited to $10,000 more, but that is the set minimum for the auction process for this real property, which is a building and land.
     The winning bidder must submit a 5 percent deposit via bank cashier’s check only. 
     Tax Deed Sales are conducted based on certification received from the Tax Collector’s Office. All outstanding taxes from the original certification through the date of sale have been certified and included in the opening bid. Remember, additional taxes, liens, judgments or encumbrances not appearing in the certification may exist. Buyers are encouraged to conduct thorough due diligence and be aware of the potential “gap period” between report preparation and sale date.
     When a bidder is successful at a Levy County Tax Deed Auction and all statutory requirements are met, the Clerk issues a Tax Deed conveying ownership of the real property. The Tax Deed does not transfer ownership of personal property. Property NOT INCLUDED IN THE TAX DEED SALE is personal property. The Tax Deed does not convey ownership of personal or movable property, even if such items remain on site after the sale. Examples include furniture; medical or office equipment, computers, electronics, or supplies and the like.
     For additional information, please visit www.levyclerk.com (Tax Deeds section), or call 352-486-5266 ext. 1235, or email levypublic@levyclerk.com.

EXCLUSIVE FIRST
Case reopens
after emergency injunctive relief sought
By Jeff M. Hardison © April 2, 2026 at 11:30 p.m.
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     BRONSON – An Eighth Judicial Circuit Civil Circuit Court case that had its first hearing set for June 12, 2025, and had been scheduled with jury selection set for March 2, 2026, and then had that civil circuit court jury trial cancelled -- has reopened, according to records.     The case of plaintiffs Robert Asbell, Romaine Asbell, Robert Caleb Mills and Paul E. House versus defendants (or respondents) Rhonda Wilkerson, Alphus Leniel Wilkerson, Levy County, Raymond Carris and Rebecca Carris was set for trial.
     The Honorable Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Craig C. DeThomasis on Feb. 6 ordered the jury trial to be cancelled.
     The attorney for the plaintiffs was Victoria Rodicio based in Lutz. The attorney for Wilkerson and Carris was Kenneth Hood MacKay IV based in Ocala. The attorney defending Levy County from the complaint was Elmer Coronado Ignacio of the Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson law firm based in Tallahassee.
     On March 26, James Donald Holmes III filed an affidavit requesting Judge DeThomasis to impose action as emergency injunctive relief from a situation caused by someone erecting a significant barrier across what has been known for about 50 years now as Levy County Road 202 South, off of U.S. Alt. 27 – east of Chiefland and West of Levyville, on the south side of U.S. Alt. 27.
     Holmes noted he leases 20 acres on that road, which is also known as Northwest 20th Avenue. He maintains cattle on that land he leases. Access that existed before is now blocked.
     “I cannot access my cattle,” Holmes noted.
     In a recent conversation on the phone with Holmes, he told HardisonInk.com his issue is far less severe than some other property owners who are affected and significantly impacted by the barriers constructed recently.
     As of late Thursday afternoon (April 2), Judge DeThomasis had not set a date, time and place to rule on the request for emergency injunctive relief.
     In a separate by related action planned for the April 7 meeting of the Levy County Board of County Commissioners, there may be a petition provided to County Clerk Matt Brooks to show how some number of people in Levy County believe this situation where property owners are prevented from having access to their property – when that land had been accessible for decades before – is something the county government needs to either cure or at least prevent from happening again in the future.
     (Please see the related story, photos and video farther down on this page.)

Williston Rotary Club
wraps up March with stellar meeting
Mission slated to help African orphans

Williston Rotary Club President Robbie Sistrunk (left), Williston Rotary Club Treasurer Todd Etheridge (in back) and Williston Rotary Club Secretary Woodroe Blake Fugate walk toward the exit door as music from a choir singing in Bulembu, in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Africa plays over speakers. The gentlemen return to their work after the luncheon meeting on March 31.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © April 1, 2026 at 3 p.m.
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     WILLISTON – Members and guests of the Williston Rotary Club on Tuesday afternoon (March 31) were treated to a special lunch, an extraordinary dessert and a program presentation with an international flavor.
     The program was about four young adults going to be part of a mission group heading for southern Africa this summer to volunteer to help orphans and staff members at an orphanage.
     As usual for this weekly meeting, some Rotarians and guests began socializing at about 11:45 a.m., and they learned that the normal caterers were celebrating a matrimony. Hence, the $5 lunch of the day was chopped Italian salad subs, with chips and a drink.

In a Styrofoam holder, chips and a submarine sandwich are seen before they were enjoyed For lunch in a meeting room at First Presbyterian Church of Williston at a Rotary Club meeting.


Still in plastic wrap, this Three-Layer Granny Epperson’s German Chocolate Cake is among items auctioned the night before to help subsidize the WMHS Red Devils Football Program. It was enjoyed by many at the March 31 meeting of the Williston Rotary Club.

     Those delicious submarine sandwiches were prepared and packaged by the students in the culinary arts program at Williston Middle High School (WMHS).
     The dessert, though, must have cost far more than what could be paid for by members and guests who had planned their lunch that day to be in the Williston Rotary Club area for meetings at First Presbyterian Church, 247 N.E. First St., in Williston.
     This dessert was a Three-Layer Granny Epperson’s German Chocolate Cake. That very cake was among items auctioned the night before to help subsidize the WMHS Red Devils Football Program.
     Williston Rotary Club Secretary Woodroe Blake Fugate said the auction the night before brought in between $27,000 (twenty-seven thousand dollars) to $28,000. Williston Rotary Club Treasurer Todd Etheridge brought the cake to the meeting.
     Williston Rotary Club President Robbie Sistrunk started the meeting right on time with the clang of the Rotary Bell.
     Even after normal socializing before the start of the meeting, this club, which has “Is it fun?” as being one of the tenets of the modified Four-Way Test questions.
     “The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” is a test used by Rotarians worldwide as a moral code for personal and business relationships. The test may be applied to almost any aspect of life.
     The test was first scripted by Herbert J. Taylor, an American from Chicago. It was later adopted by Rotary International, the global federation of Rotary service clubs.
     The test questions follow:
     1. Is it the truth
     2. Is it fair to all concerned?
     3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
     4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
     As noted, the fifth question of these club members is “Is it fun?”
     With that fun-spirit in mind, there was some banter and joking related to peanuts covered in chocolate and who the actual chef of this item was, according to some recitation of alleged verbiage from the auction.
     So, among the many items bought at auction, in addition to this cake, were chocolate-covered peanuts. That set of auction-worthy chocolate-covered peanuts came into being thanks to none other than the work of Dedee McLeod, a longtime Williston Rotarian.


Seen before the start of the program during a photo opportunity are (from left) Joelle Higgins, Sarah Michelle Swartz, Bailey Wilkinson, Dedee McLeod, Riley Dority, Luna Martinez and Elizabeth Bloom are seen at a table.

     The program presented that Tuesday afternoon was more serious than fun, although there is joy heard from the young people who plan to travel far to help orphans and others in Africa.
     Sarah Michelle Swartz, Joelle Higgins, Riley Dority and Elizabeth Bloom are the people at the Rotary Club meeting who plan to be on this mission trip to a small, deserted former mining town named Bulembu, that is located in Swaziland, Africa.
     Ms. Swartz mentioned that her husband – Larry Swartz, a teacher at Bronson Elementary School – is going on this trip, too. He could not be at the Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday afternoon because he was teaching children.
     The trip will be from July 16 through July 29, Swartz said. The cost for the whole team of five people to go there for two weeks and then return is $20,000, she said. That includes airfare and everything.
     She is familiar with this part of Africa.
     Swartz spent almost all of the first six years of her life in Swaziland (now named Eswatini), Africa, as the child of her American missionary parents, she said. Since leaving Swaziland (now known as Eswatini), she has returned four previous times and this trip will mark a fifth trip there, she said.

 
Sarah Michelle Swartz points to an area she enjoyed seeing when she visited what is now Eswatini ( and was then Swaziland, Africa) 10 years ago.

    Her most recent venture was 10 years ago. A girl who Swartz saw and helped as a student a decade ago has completed coursework in college and is now a teacher in the very place where that young woman was a student, Swartz said.
     Higgins told the people at the meeting that her friend and co-worker at the Levy County Prevention Coalition (LCPC), Swartz, had spoken with her about Swaziland. They had discussed Higgins going on a mission there, and now it is coming to fruition.
     Bloom said she has been at the LCPC for three years and is an enrichment specialist. As she introduced her colleagues set to go on this mission trip to Africa, Swartz had mentioned that while some of the people on this mission are involved with the LCPC, this is not something connected with the group whose missions are all in Levy County.
     The group consisting of teachers and non-profit workers, aims to restore the town and support orphans.
     Bloom said she is familiar with mentoring young children, including those who are kindergarten students. When Bloom heard Swartz speak about the need for people to help the residents of Bulembu, she felt moved to go and do what she can.
     Dority said he is “the psych coordinator” at LCPC. He deals with behavioral issues and tries to help elementary-age children improve their lives. He said he looks forward to going to Bulembu and serving the children there as he serves the children at Williston Elementary School.
     As noted, Bulembu is a former mining town. The Bulembu asbestos mine (formerly Havelock Mine) in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, Africa, closed in October 2001 primarily due to the depletion of economically viable asbestos reserves and a sharp decline in global demand caused by severe health concerns regarding asbestos as a carcinogen. The closure marked the end of 62 years of operation.
     Now, it is a place where people are continuing to help orphans.
     Estimates suggest there are between 100,000 and 200,000 orphans in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), largely due to the world’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, which has left many children without caregivers.
     More than 50 percent of the country’s population is orphaned, Swartz said, and 31 percent of the population is living with HIV/AIDS. Swartz said Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is the geographical size of the state of New Jersey.
     The crisis is so severe that many orphaned children live in child-headed households, relying on community support for survival.
     By the year of 2050, Swartz said, the people of Swaziland were projected in the year 2000 to no longer exist – unless something did not happen to change that course. 
     Bulembu is a secluded mountain community, with only one way in and one way out, she said. 
     Entrepreneurs from Swaziland, Canada and South Africa, she said, bought the abandoned mining town and have been renovating it since 2000. The mission in Bulembu is to create a self-sustaining community, Swartz said.
     Current industries are helping support the children, Swartz said. These ventures are focused on forestry, tourism, and community enterprises. Key industries managed by Bulembu Ministries include a timber plantation (pine/eucalyptus), a sawmill, honey production, dairy farming, a bakery, and eco-tourism.
     Woman are creating arts and crafts to sell to visitors, Swartz said. There is a country lodge that is similar to a hotel, with a conference center, she added. Training groups are among the people hosted at the country lodge.
     She said the bakery creates “the best doughnuts in the whole wide world.”
     As for the dairy products, there is one that the children of the area enjoy but that Swartz prefers not to eat. The dairy product often consumed with porridge in the region (including Bulembu, Eswatini) is Amasi (or emasi in Swazi).
     It is a thick, fermented, and soured milk product similar to cottage cheese or plain yogurt. It is commonly poured over maize meal porridge (pap) or used as a staple dairy addition to porridge breakfasts to help provide the children with nutritious meals.
     Another industry that has come to be there is bottled water for people to buy there and elsewhere in Africa.
     Bulembu Water is a local enterprise established in 2008 to help make the town self-sufficient, producing over 94,000 liters (about 25,000 gallons) of spring water per month.
     The product range includes various sizes, including 500 milliliters and 18.9-liter bottles.
     The water bottling plant has updated its technology, using custom labelling machines and adding products like sparkling water.
     Bulembu Water produces both still and sparkling water in glass and plastic bottles, often sold under the “Emlembe” brand name. 
     The water initiative is part of Bulembu Ministries’ efforts to create a sustainable town that supports local orphaned and vulnerable children.
     Swartz shared information about many parts of the community including a point that is the highest mountain in the area.
     She let listeners know that the group needs some more funding to make the trip there and back. Her presentation intimated that this team of five wants to be part of many individuals who are demonstrating “the awesome power of God” to bring hope for this town to continue progress in its effort for sustainable child care for these many orphans.
     Anyone who has questions or wants to donate is asked to please send an email to smswartz@levyprevention.org, or to call 321-274-7145.
     “If you would like your donation to be tax deductible,” she noted, “please make a check out to ‘Mission Discovery’ and put ‘Bulembu Mission’ in the memo.”

EXCLUSIVE FIRST

Road barricade stops
Levy County man
from emergency services
Wheelchair-bound sister cannot
visit brother at his residence

Double yellow painted lines on asphalt show a motorist heading either way on Northwest 20th Avenue (Levy County Road 202 South) that they cannot legally pass another vehicle there. Whoops. No vehicles can go either north or south on that road now.

Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison © March 30, 2026 at 10 a.m.
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     LEVY COUNTY – Levy County Road 202 South, from U.S. Alt. 27 -- just east of Lighthouse Word Church -- has been barricaded so that no person can travel on it.
     Not only that, but there is a sign warning “No Trespassing – Violators Will Be Prosecuted.” This scene brings into question issues of property rights, public safety, love for neighbors and other concepts.
     On Palm Sunday (March 29), a few people provided an actual journalist with information to answer questions triggered by Romaine Asbell, when she asked the multiple award-winning reporter, editor and publisher to sign a petition that she said she plans to present to the Levy County Board of County Commissioners.
     “Will you sign my petition, Mr. Hardison?” she asked on Friday morning (March 27) as she recognized him at a Chiefland place of business.
     In a subsequent telephone call on Saturday evening (March 28), Asbell let the journalist know that Dulce Guerrero would be at a table with more petitions on the grass next to the intersection of U.S. Alt. 27 and Northwest 20th Avenue (Levy County Road 202 South) on Palm Sunday (March 29) starting at 9 a.m.
     The journalist put on his “Go-To-Town” sneakers and began seeking answers to see the purpose of this petition. People in the United States have a constitutional right to petition the government with complaints. This is known as the right to “redress of grievances.” 


Looking north toward U.S. Alt. 27, there is a stop sign, indicating that not long prior to Palm Sunday 2026, there were vehicles heading this way.

Levy CR 202 South intersects with U.S. Alt. 27, a paved, divided highway. Paul Edward House has his mailbox here, and it sits next to a neighbor’s mailbox on U.S. Alt. 27, just to the east of Levy County Road 202 South (aka Northwest 20th Avenue).


Paul House and Dulce Guerrero stand in front of the formidable barrier to anyone who may want to use a road that had been used for several years before the blockage was placed.


Paul House’s wheelchair-bound sister Wanda House Perez can no longer visit her brother because that wheelchair cannot jump the fences or cross the rough terrain required by humans now who want to reach his residence. 'Why?' she and others ask.


Westbound motorists on U.S. Alt. 27 see that Levy County Road 202 North is open for travel.

Eastbound motorists on U.S. Alt. 27 see that Levy County Road 202 is a junction of this highway. Reaching that intersection, there is only an arrow to go to CR 202 North.


Dulce Guerrero’s cattle are among the first of her livestock and pets to meet a visiting journalist. Pigs, goats and dogs saw the visiting man on Palm Sunday too.


Once past a gate, the presence of large farm animals is more interesting for a writer who is not a rancher.


This is Northwest 97th Lane as seen from one side of a barbed wire fence, looking south. This dirt road would be the road Paul House would use to go to Northwest 20th Avenue to reach U.S. Alt. 27 from his house, but a neighbor has barricaded the easement.


Looking through briars and brambles, this is the residence of Paul House. He no longer has easy methods to reach stores because he must walk across about two or three city blocks of property that is very rough to reach where a neighbor lets him park his truck now.


This is the scene of blockage as photographed from the median of U.S. Alt. 27 on Palm Sunday.


Some of the cattle owned by Dulce Guerrero are seen as the animals greet a visiting journalist who took a ride in an all-terrain utility vehicle across land on Palm Sunday 2026, where he saw cattle, pigs and goats, demonstrating where Paul House must walk to reach his pickup truck. This video shows about one-quarter of the path House must take now on foot to reach his pickup truck. Click on the PHOTO to see and hear the video.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison – All Rights Reserved

     Protected by The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, this right allows Americans to ask federal, state or local governments to fix problems or change policies without fear of punishment from the government.
     Free speech, free press, free assembly and free religion – are among the rights currently protected for Americans under The First Amendment. The first 10 amendments are known as The Bill of Rights, but this story reflects existing circumstances related to property rights, the law, and hints at what is legal may not be morally sound from a Christian perspective.
     Facts and evidence found on Palm Sunday 2026 indicate actions by one or more property owner(s) have (or has) physically stopped ingress and egress on what was not-so-long ago a public road designated with a numeric identity, where ambulances and vehicles necessary to provide utility service could travel with relative ease.
     For at least a few days, as of March 29, a Levy County man who lives in a mobile home can no longer take his pickup truck to or from his residence.
     Likewise, any cruiser, ambulance or fire truck from Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), Levy County Fire Rescue would need staff members to carry bolt cutters and a large chainsaw to render aid to him.
     Paul E. House now resides in a landlocked residence, according to what was found on Palm Sunday by visiting the area.
     A person can own a residence in Florida that lacks direct access by road, often referred to as landlocked property. While this means no public road connects to the property, the owner typically has a legal right to access it via an easement across neighboring land for vehicles and utilities.
     House and others in 2024 faced a similar issue, Guerrero said. There was a gate across the road. A judge ruled that gate must be removed, she said, but it took five months back then, for the wheels of justice to turn in favor of the people of Florida in that civil circuit court case.
     Guerrero owns cows that graze on property that is on the southwest corner of the intersection of Alt. 27 and Levy County Road 202 South (Northwest 20th Avenue). That land is owned by her former cousins-in-law, the Pinero family, who allow that agricultural enterprise to occur there, she said. Guerrero’s husband died four months ago, in November. The Pineros are his cousins by blood.
     She lets House park his pickup truck on her property -- that is a bit to the west of Northwest 20th Avenue, and immediately adjacent to Lighthouse Word Church on U.S. Alt. 27. To reach his truck parked there now, because it no longer has a drivable route to U.S. Alt. 27, he has a bit of walking.
     To get into his truck and drive, House, a 64-year-old man must cross fences and go through livestock gates and walk through rough terrain.
     During a conversation with House on Palm Sunday, he said the deed for his property includes a designated easement for access to it. Over time, since the Seven Chiefs Development Co. subdivided the land and parcels were subdivided more and sold, easements were revised.
     Neighbors to the east of the Pinero property, on the other side of Northwest 20th Avenue – Raymond and Rebecca Carris, and to the south of them Alphus and Rhonda Wilkerson, may be the families who erected the barrier that stops easement along Levy CR 202 South.
     Not only are emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles, utility vehicles and others no longer able to use Northwest 20th Avenue off of U.S. Alt. 27 to reach House’s mobile home, but his wheelchair-bound sister Wanda House Perez can no longer visit her brother.
     Perez and her husband have been visiting her brother there for the past four years as they come to Florida from Maryland for a seasonal escape from snow.
     On Palm Sunday, she was ready to show photos of them making cookies at his residence as proof of this truth.
     What can be done to overcome what Alphus Wilkerson, or others, did as the created this barrier that stops emergency vehicles and sisterly visits, and more?
     As for House, Guerrero will let him continue to walk across pastureland and through thorny underbrush of undeveloped property to reach his truck parked on her residential property next to Alt. 27.
     She told a story about how she met this neighbor years ago. She and her husband were living in an RV as they built their house. The woods were far thicker back then. One early night, when it was relatively dark, she saw a man walking through the woods.
     Her husband armed himself, as one does when one answers a knock on a door by a stranger at their home in the woods at night.
    House introduced himself as their neighbor and he gave them a carton of fresh eggs. From then on, they remained friendly neighbors, including when her husband spent his last days at Haven Hospice – west on U.S. Alt. 27 in Chiefland, she said.
     And now, there are other neighbors who seem to be conducting unneighborly actions.
     Mending Wall is a famous 1914 poem by Robert Frost about two neighbors who meet annually to repair a stone wall between their properties, exploring themes of tradition, boundaries, and human separation through the simple act of rebuilding a fence.
     The narrator questions the wall’s purpose. His apple trees don’t need to be kept from his neighbor’s pines, but the neighbor insists, “Good fences make good neighbors,” a phrase that becomes central to the poem’s meditation on the need for and meaning of barriers in life. 
     The two farmers walk a line, replacing stones that have fallen, with the narrator questioning the necessity of the wall while the neighbor stubbornly upholds tradition. 
     The wall represents more than just a physical boundary; it symbolizes social, psychological and even personal barriers between people. 
     The poem contrasts the narrator’s desire for openness and questioning with the neighbor’s adherence to the old saying, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
     It explores the tension between tradition and change, the nature of community, and the unspoken barriers that separate one from another.
     As for this barrier in Levy County, several people have signed, are signing and will sign a petition for the Levy County Commission to do something to rectify issues caused by this formidable physical barrier.
     Eventually, though, the people may see the five county commissioners throw their hands in the air as they surrender to what has come to exist. The Levy County Commission cannot do anything about the Road Department that no longer maintains the road, which is on land owned by Wilkerson and others. That ship has sailed.
     As for an easement becoming closed by a landowner, that is a matter for a jury to rule upon if it reaches court.
     Ultimately, this may reach a magistrate, a county court judge or a circuit court judge, and perhaps a civil circuit jury will rule on a legal request for people affected by the barrier to “be made whole again” by restoration of access formerly enjoyed and now denied.
     Then again, maybe not.

FHP arrests two for battery 
Dixie County fatal hit-and-run
investigation continues

An FHP cruiser and a DCSO cruiser are seen here.
Photo Provided By FHP Lt. Joshua W. Seay, Troop B Public Affairs Officer – Cross City

Information Provided By FHP Lt. Joshua W. Seay
Troop B Public Affairs Officer – Cross City
Published March 26, 2026 at 7:30 a.m.
     DIXIE COUNTY -- During the early morning hours of Feb. 25, a fatal hit-and-run crash occurred on U.S. Highway 19 in Dixie County, resulting in the death of Ashlee Partain of Dixie County.     The crash was reported to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and remains an active and ongoing investigation.
     FHP traffic homicide investigators have been working to establish a timeline of events leading to the crash. Investigators determined that Partain had been a patron at a nearby establishment on the evening of Feb. 24.
     Investigators determined that at approximately 11:52 p.m., Partain engaged in a physical altercation at the establishment, during which she was struck by two individuals.
     Following the altercation, Partain left the business and began walking along U.S. 19. At a later time, she was struck by an unknown vehicle, driven by a person who fled the scene of that fatal crash.
     Today (Thursday, March 26), FHP troopers arrested two Cross City residents in connection with the earlier altercation. The individuals were booked into the Dixie County Jail on the following charges:
     ● Natalie Futch – Battery (Touch or Strike), F.S. 784.03(1)(a)(1)
     ● Chelsea Carter – Battery (Touch or Strike), F.S. 784.03(1)(a)(1)
     At this time, there is no indication that the individuals charged in the altercation were involved in the fatal hit-and-run crash.
     The investigation into the fatal hit-and-run remains active. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the vehicle or driver involved in that crash is urged to contact the Florida Highway Patrol or Crime Stoppers.

Tri-County Area elections heat up
Local candidates note intent to run
By Jeff M. Hardison © March 25, 2026 at 9:30 p.m.
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     TRI-COUNTY AREA – Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd sent a notice of general election to all 67 counties supervisors of election, including the three in the Tri-County Area.
     The March 20 notice shows a general election is scheduled for all 67 counties on Nov. 3.
     Levy County Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones, Gilchrist County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Darus and Dixie County Supervisor of Elections Darbi Chaires all three counties show the following offices open for voters to choose winners:
     ● United States Senator
     ● Representative in Congress: District 3
     ● Florida Cabinet - Governor
     ● Florida Cabinet - Lieutenant Governor
     ● Florida Cabinet - Attorney General
     ● Florida Cabinet - Chief Financial Officer
     ● Florida Cabinet - Commissioner of Agriculture
     Levy County and Gilchrist County share the same set of candidates in the following races, too:
     ● State Representative: District 22
     ● Circuit Judge, Eighth Judicial Circuit: Groups 1, 4, 7, 9, and 11
     ● County Commissioner: Districts 2 and 4
     ● School Board: Districts 1, 3, and 5
     Levy County has an election for County Judge: Group 1
     Gilchrist County has an election for Gilchrist Soil and Water Conservation District: Districts 1, 3, and 5
     Dixie County has elections for the following posts:
     ● State Representative: District 7
     ● Circuit Judge, Third Judicial Circuit: Groups 4 and 6
     ● County Judge: Group 1
     ● County Commissioner: Districts 2 and 4
     ● School Board: Districts 2, 3, and 5
     ● Suwannee Water and Sewer District: Seats 2 and 3
     Candidates listing an intent to run as of March 25, as listed on the three elections supervisors’ websites are noted below:

Levy County 
County Judge
● Luis Bustamante (NP)
● Darla Whistler (NP)
County Commissioner, District 2
● Emily Casey (ECO)
● Wesley Langston (REP)
● Matt Lemery (REP)
County Commissioner, District 4
● Tim Hodge (REP)
● David Sharpe (REP)
School Board, District 1
● Cameron Asbell (NP)
School Board, District 5
● Devin Whitehurst (NP)

Gilchrist County
County Commissioner, Dist. 2
● Bill Martin (REP)
● Cody NesSmith (REP)
County Commissioner, Dist. 4
● Tommy Langford
School Board, Dist. 1
● David Biddle
School Board, Dist. 3
● Roy Smith
School Board, Dist. 5
● Charlotte Kearney
● D. Deen Lancaster

Dixie County
County Commissioner, Dist. 2
● John Mash Jr. (REP)
● Keith Tuten (REP)
● Daniel Wood III (REP)
County Commissioner, Dist. 4
● Jamie Storey (REP)
School Board Member, Dist. 2
● Amanda Mills NesSmith
● Claude Sidney Smith Jr.
School Board Member, Dist. 5
● Lucas Jackson Rollison
County Judge
● Natasha Munkittrick Allen
● Jennifer Johnson

City of Chiefland
launches 30-day warning period
Automated speeding tickets
in school zone starts
Information Provided By Chiefland Police Department
Published March 23, 2026 at 9 a.m.
     CHIEFLAND -- The City of Chiefland sent a press release Monday (March 23) to announce the launch of its new school zone speed safety program, beginning with a 30-day warning period.
     Automated cameras will photograph license plates of speeding vehicles in the school zone for Chiefland Elementary School, and the owner of the offending vehicle will receive an automated notice in the mail.
     This 30-day grace period is designed to provide an opportunity for the city to educate motorists about its newly installed automated school zone speed enforcement system for Chiefland Elementary School.
     The following school zone will be monitored -- for Chiefland Elementary School, Northwest 14th Street, which is also known as Levy County Road 341 -- northbound and southbound, in the marked school zone area.
     Future school zones to be monitored include those for Chiefland Middle High School (CMHS) at North Young Boulevard (U.S. Alt. 27) westbound; CMHS Main Street (U.S. Highway 19) northbound and southbound.
     Based on speeding complaints, observations and speed studies, the school zone at CES was chosen. The warning phase aims to promote full compliance with posted school zone speed limits before any civil penalties are issued. Enforcement is part of the city’s broader commitment to keeping students in school zones safe.
     Chiefland Police Chief Scott Anderson said the city and the Police Department want to ensure everyone is aware of school zone speeds before enforcement begins.
     “Our highest priority remains the safety of our children,” Chief Anderson said.
     Every driver is being asked to join the city in protecting those young lives.
     The automated speed ticketing program was launched in response to data showing excessive speeding in school zones. While enforcement is the best way to get drivers to comply with any law, it is impossible for police to be everywhere. An initial speed study at Chiefland Elementary as well as CMHS conducted by NovoaGlobal revealed an average of more than 1,000 speeding violations per day, underscoring the urgent need for continuous enforcement.
     Advanced traffic enforcement cameras will monitor vehicle speeds in the designated school zones. No fines will be issued during this initial 30-day time; however, after that, civil penalties of $100 will be assessed for each violation. These citations are civil, and are similar to a parking ticket.

Bronson Town Council votes 3-1 to reject
W3C implementation agreement
Town manager says
person with gavel never votes
By Jeff M. Hardison© March 19, 2026 at 8 p.m.
     BRONSON – The Waccasassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative (W3C) started as a venture by the Cedar Key Water and Wastewater Special District, the Town of Bronson and the Town of Otter Creek to provide water and wastewater services at wholesale rates to those three entities.     At its regular Town Council meeting on March 16, the Bronson Town Council voted 3-to-1 against signing an implementation agreement that is needed to continue on the path to reach fruition of this multimillion-dollar project.
   The vote came after a presentation by a representative from Kimley Horn spoke.
     Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. is an American planning, surveying, engineering, and design consulting firm. The firm was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1967. The Town of Bronson paid $18,000 for a “third opinion.” This is an engineering firm other than the one used by W3C.
     Kinley-Horn is the third engineering firm to weigh in on the issues of water supplies and wastewater system needs for Bronson. The town’s engineering firm, CPH, and W3C’s firm, Dewberry, were at odds on the potential $150M project.
     CPH has its headquarters in Sanford (Seminole County).
     Dewberry has 12 offices listed in Florida alone, with the closest of those being in Gainesville.
     During the discussion, Bronson Mayor Bruce Greenlee said he sees the small current population of Bronson having to bear an expense that is too high.
     Town Councilwoman Rachael Weeks reminded the Town Council of the current funding for the water is 100 percent and the wastewater portion is already at 80 percent for its initial capital expenses.
     She said the W3C has the money to build the facilities.
     “I just think we’re playing Russian roulette if we say ‘No’ to it (the W3C implementation agreement),” Weeks said.
     So far, the Suwannee River Water Management District has contributed $200,000 and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has put in another $200,000 to build a test well.
     The well has been tested. It works extremely well. In fact, even with a drought during the test time there is no noticed draw down of neighboring wells, and this well provided more than enough water to meet demand.
     The W3C owns the well, but Bronson owns the one acre of land around it. Regardless of whether Bronson wants to take the next step and leave the cooperative venture, The W3C probably would like to buy the land around the well from Bronson to use it as a source for the Town of Otter Creek and the Cedar Key Water and Wastewater Special District.
     Bronson’s town leaders appear to not want to keep going – despite the progress already made.
     The day after the March 16 action by Bronson, Dewberry Engineering presented information at a W3C meeting.
     The Regional Infrastructure will be a water treatment plant, a wastewater treatment plant and approximately 35 miles of both water and wastewater force main (pipes).
     As noted, the drinking water well is completed. The well is at a total depth of 170 feet below the surface, and it is capped now. The pump crew developed the well to run performance testing and evaluate any local impacts. The testing is completed, and there were no impacts observed.
     So far, there is $42,076,289 ($42 million) of grant money secured. the water program is 100 percent funded and the wastewater 80 percent funded to date.
     One gift horse’s tooth that Bronson is looking at is an offer by the SRWMD and FDEP to demolish the wastewater plant and build a new one for the town.
     After more discussion on March 16 by the Bronson Town Council, including the current capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, the 270 existing septic tanks in the town limits, and the future demands of the state government concerning abolition of septic tanks, Weeks made a motion to adopt the implementation agreement with the W3C.
     Vice Mayor Virginia Phillips said she thinks the W3C is good for the other two municipal interests that are part of the cooperative, but it is not as good for Bronson.
     Mayor Greenlee asked if that statement meant Phillips was seconding Weeks’ motion. Phillips was not making a second, she said. 
     Weeks’ motion did not receive a second, and therefore it died.
     Mayor Greenlee is among the people who believe he cannot make a motion if he is leading the meeting. He passed the gavel to Phillips and made a motion to reject the invitation for Bronson to remain as part of the W3C.
     Councilman Reggie Stacy seconded Greenlee’s motion. 
     When Vice Mayor Phillips –acting then as mayor -- called for the vote in favor of Greenlee’s motion to drop out of the W3C, it was 3-1 with Weeks dissenting. Mayor Greenlee, Councilman Stacy and Councilman Franklin Schuler voted against the implementation agreement that the W3C had requested the town to adopt.
     Vice Mayor Phillips did not vote, because she had the gavel at the time.
     Town Manager Amanda Huber explained to HardisonInk.com that in Bronson, whoever is leading the meeting and has the gavel does not vote. 
     Apparently, Bronson has returned to its method where if there was a tie vote, then the mayor would vote to break the tie, but the mayor does not vote on motions.
     Mayor Greenlee on March 19 told HardisonInk.com that if Phillips had voted with Weeks, it would still be a 3-2 vote against the implementation agreement with the W3c.
     Greenlee went on to say that Thursday that the town’s leaders previously had signed an agreement with the W3C when other people were on the Town Council. Now, Greenlee intimated, the current Town Council may need to vote to change that agreement – dropping out of the W3C completely, given the majority vote against the implementation agreement.
     Greenlee believes Bronson is not getting enough from the current W3C structure of wholesale water and wastewater services to make the return on investment by Bronson to be something he sees as an idea he wants to move forward with.
     The mayor said he may be proved in the future to have made a bad choice, or the future may unfold to show this was the best choice for the residents and visitors of Bronson.
     As for what the town can do with the well that was built, Greenlee said the well is W3C property and the town owns the land around it.
     It may just remain as a $400,000 capped well. It may be like a road to nowhere, it will be a well for no one.

‘Homeless Dave’ allegedly permits
unlawful RV camping
One code enforcement case
requires more research

Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate looks at paperwork involved with one of the cases upon which he ruled on March 18.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © March 19, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     BRONSON – A two and one-half hour set of 10 Levy County Code Enforcement hearings on Wednesday (March 18) revealed “homeless Dave” allegedly said a recreation vehicle could park on property where he was “squatting” in an abandoned and dilapidated residential structure.
     In another case, a man who said his plant nursery business is “on life support,” indicating that it is not flourishing, explained why he believes he is exempted from needing a building permit or filing an affidavit to build a pole barn. That case was not resolved that day. Both the man and the Code Enforcement Department each have 30 days to add to their arguments, and then there will be 10 days for each of the two sides in this dispute to respond to the added evidence from the other side.
     Levy County Code Enforcement Special Magistrate Norm D. Fugate on March 18 determined if code enforcement violations existed. He also ruled on fines to be applied at a daily level for noncompliance with the building and zoning laws. As for the unpermitted pole barn, Fugate is destined to decide that matter, too.
     Special Magistrate Fugate moved certain cases to the point where the owners’ property had liens assessed against the land and structures, which then puts those matters at a point where the Levy County Board of County Commissioners may vote to clean the land, accept the property for county purposes or sell it via auction.


Levy County Code Enforcement Department Manager and Code Enforcement Officer Dave Banton (left) and Levy Code Enforcement Officer Bradley Frazier are seen at a table with case files on it before the hearings on March 18.


Trinity Sanders, owner of Trinity Sanders Construction of Williston, speaks to Special Magistrate Norm Fugate regarding an unpermitted structure that is also believed to be violating setback rules.

     The first case of the morning showed Trinity Sanders, owner of Trinity Sanders Construction of Williston, as the respondent. 
     Sanders’ property at 15130 N.E. 11th St., in the Williston Highlands Golf & Country Club Estates Subdivision. Sanders admitted the structure exists. He said he rents the property and the people renting the house and land erected the small building without a permit, on the adjoining property line.
      He said that when he learned of the code violation, he told them to remove the structure.
     Special Magistrate Fugate found the structure had been placed without getting a building permit. Within 30 days, Sanders must remove the structure or obtain an after-the-fact building permit, which will not be provided for a structure that lacks proper distance from adjoining property lines.
     If Sanders fails to comply with the order, then a fine of $100 will be imposed for each day until he cures the issues, Fugate ruled.
     The next listed case was Ann Backman and Dejuan Maxwell, who live in two states other than Florida.
     They are the owners of property at 11871 N.W. 80th Court, Chiefland - in the at Manatee Springs Terrace Subdivision. Neither of them was present for the hearing.
     Code Enforcement Officer Dave Banton provided Fugate with evidence to show they are violating three codes by allowing a person to live in an RV there, and to have a structure that is uninhabitable as well as debris on the property. The owners have 30 days to cure all three issues. This is where homeless squatter “Dave” allegedly told people they could live in their RV on that property.
     The cost for failure is $100 for each of the three violations that Fugate determined exist. Therefore, these absentee property owners may be paying Levy County $300 a day.
     Fugate said he wants a follow-up compliance hearing in 20 days – on April 15, and this is a case where it may have a lien placed on the property, he said.


Tamar Jones tells Special Magistrate Norm Fugate that this is the first house that he (Jones) and his wife Merlonda Jones have owned. He was unfamiliar with the process of converting a garage into a room, and a contractor allegedly has not kept the promises that contractor allegedly made to the couple about completing the work.

     Third of the 10 cases was Tamar and Merlonda Jones, regarding their property at 971 N.E. 150th Court, Williston -- in the Williston Highlands Golf & Country Club Estates Subdivision.
     The Jones couple hired a contractor to convert a garage into an enclosed room. Tamar Jones obtained the building permit, but it expired before the project was completed, which was back in 2024.
     Fugate found the permit expired and was not renewed.
     The cost to renew the two required building permits equals a combined cost of $1,289.76. Fugate ruled the issue must be cured in 60 days or Jones will pay $50 as a daily fine after that until it is cured.
     Fugate intends to request the contractor to appear at a compliance hearing in 60 days if this remains a violation.


Jason Sierens presents his verbal arguments that he is in a bona fide agricultural business and therefore did not need a building permit for a pole barn that has a concrete floor and electric power service.


 Jason Sierens gives Special Magistrate Norm Fugate his written defense to the charge of having an unpermitted pole barn, because it was built with no building permit.

     Jason Sierens is accused of having an unpermitted structure. At first, a pole barn was on a one-acre parcel. Then Sierens combined parcels to make a three-acre piece. He showed how the pole barn is used as part of his plant nursery business.
     This property is described at 13550 N.E. 10th St., Williston, in the Williston Highlands neighborhood.
     Sierens was relatively curt with Fugate. He also alleged that County Commissioner Johnny Hiers, County Commissioner Desiree Mills, Property Appraiser Jason Whistler and others would all vouch for him as being involved in a trade related to agriculture.
     Fugate asked if the man had brought any of those witnesses to the hearing that day. Sierens said he had not, but he offered to call Hiers.
     After a long discussion, Fugate said he will consider the evidence Sierens submitted. He gave that respondent and the county Code Enforcement Department 30 days to submit any other evidence, and then 10 days to each side after then to counter whatever was submitted, and then he would consider all of the facts, evidence, and applicable law to make a finding.


Dave Banton, department manager and code enforcement officer, speaks with Special Magistrate Norm Fugate during the March 18 hearing.


Cecilia Sliney, daughter of Ann Sliney (who is the property owner cited for alleged code violations), says she will have yard debris removed within the 30-day period allowed, and she will have an engineer provide what is required for the hayloft and stairs built as additions to a pole barn within 60 days, or her mother will pay $50 a day for one or $100 for  both of those two code violations in the Chiefland area.


Code Enforcement Officer Dave Banton stands at the lectern with Michael Faroni. Faroni must pay $240 in administration costs for two hearings, even though he cured issues. Fugate waived daily fines of $100-a-day that were previously imposed.


Trice Joy Roberts fixed one problem by hiding debris in a yard by putting up a privacy fence. Two camper trailers, though, remain on her property. This issue has gone on since June of 2024. She told about how her father died and her car broke down. She was among the people appearing to fail to comply with previous commands to cure a code enforcement issue or pay a daily fine.


Randal Jacobs learned he has a lien of at least $4,600 so far, and he is being fined $50 a day for the tiny home he built without a permit. He is alleged, also, to have an RV on the property with no permit. He said he plans to sell the property. Special Magistrate Norm Fugate explained the property sales may be a bit more difficult than usual with the lien and the ongoing code violation(s). 

     In another case, Michael Reynolds owns property at 20 Squire Court, Dunedin - in Rainbow Lake Estates. He was absent from the hearing. Fugate found he has two code violations. Reynolds is to be fined $100 a day, plus administration costs, because of Reynolds’ failure to comply since an order issued in January, with those fines being from Feb. 26 daily. This is being entered as a lien against the property.
     Fugate said he is recommending to the Levy County Board of County Commissioners that they clean up the property owned by Reynolds currently, and add that expense to the lien.

People begin pushing back against
project to import recycled wastewater
By Jeff M. Hardison © March 16, 2026 at 9 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     TRENTON – Tammy Hale told the Gilchrist County Commission meeting on Monday evening (Narch 16) that a program at the Gilchrist County Rotary Club that very afternoon caused her to want to attend the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) meeting scheduled for Thursday (March 19) starting at 6 p.m. in Live Oak.
     There are two of those meetings at the same time in the same area. The SRWMD meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 19, and will take place at the SRWMD Headquarters, 9225 Suwannee County Road 49, Live Oak. Additionally, there will be a community open house at the UF-IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, 8202 Suwannee County Road 417, Live Oak, FL 32060 from 6 to 8 p.m. on the same night.
     The Water First North Florida Project, supported by SRWMD and JEA, aims to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville to the Suwannee River Basin, potentially returning in excess of 40 million gallons daily to the Floridan aquifer by 2039.
      This initiative seeks to restore springs and ensure long-term water supplies as part of mandatory Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) reuse regulations.
     JEA is the largest municipal electric utility in Florida and a major water/sewer provider, serving more than one million residents in Jacksonville and surrounding Northeast Florida.
     As a community-owned, not-for-profit utility created in 1895, the JEA serves in excess of 478,000 electric customers, operating power plants, water wells, and sewer systems.
     The project that has people in Dixie County, Gilchrist County, Levy County and elsewhere becoming concerned is a plan to mitigate water shortages, reduce surface water discharge and increase aquifer recharge, according to engineers and hydrologists.
     The plan involves transporting reclaimed wastewater from the Jacksonville area for use in the Suwannee River and North Central Florida area.
     Although this is wastewater, that water will undergo advanced treatment, including chemical treatment and filtration through wetlands – with those wetlands being in the Suwannee River basin.
     The project is in the research stage now. It could be implemented within 13 years -- by 2039.
     The project is a collaborative effort involving the SRWMD, the JEA, the FDEP and other “stakeholders” to maintain water levels in the Florida aquifer system. 
     The St. Johns River Water Management District, which is the district where Jacksonville is included, is one of the entities engaged in the broader discussion about managing water resources in the state.
     Both the Dixie County board of County Commissioners and the Gilchrist County Commission plan to send representatives to the SRWMD meeting on Thursday (March 19).
     “Like many North Florida residents,” Hale told the Gilchrist County Commission on March 16, “I am deeply concerned about the Water First North Florida project, injecting wastewater into our Florida Aquifer.”
     The actual name of the main aquifer is Floridan Aquifer.
     She noted that the aquifer is a source for drinking water, agricultural irrigation and more.
     Rural communities should not be tasked with relieving urban centers of wastewater disposal.
     She wants proved science, full transparency and legal accountability by the people involved with this project. 
     Gilchrist County Commissioner Tommy Langford asked if the county and municipal governments within the SRWMD will have a vote on whether this project moves forward, or if the water management district will be the end-all absolute decider of facts and actions.
     There is bound to be a series of public hearings as the project continues. Generally, state government trumps county and municipal government.
Open House Meeting Details
     Thursday, March 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the UF-IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley, 8202 Suwannee County Road 417, Live Oak.
     This is a Community Open House (staffed tables with information, rather than a traditional lecture-style presentation). 
Requirements to Attend
     Sign-in/Registration -- No pre-registration is explicitly required in the announcement, but attendees should be prepared to sign in at the venue.
Public Comments
     Written public comments will be received at the event.
     The meeting is open to the public and aimed at residents, stakeholders, and anyone with concerns or questions about the project.
Recommendations
     Arrive on Time. The meeting is open-house style, meaning individuals can walk around and speak to staff, making it recommended to allow enough time to visit all stations.
     Due to the open-house format, it is recommended to take pictures or videos of the materials and to take notes of questions and answers. 
     The meeting aims to provide an in-depth look at the project, including alternatives like desalination, and to gather feedback on the project's specifics.

197^th Performance

Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz sings the HardisonInk.com jingle at the Historic Trenton Train Depot on March 4, 2026. Jeff M. Hardison asks people to sing the jingle, and some of them agree to sing it. (Thanks people!) CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO SEE AND HEAR THE VIDEO ON YouTube.com. The very first person to sing the jingle was Danesh “Danny” Patel of Danny’s Food Mart in Chiefland in March of 2013. HardisonInk.com started as a daily news website on Feb. 1, 2011.
Photo and Video by Jeff M. Hardison © March 4, 2026 at 9 p.m.
All Rights Reserved - Do Not Copy And Paste Anywhere Else