I had my annual physical last week, and my doctor told me it’s good I’ve lost a significant amount of weight in the previous year because the rest of my numbers were outstanding.
My cholesterol and blood pressure figures were significantly low. And despite my best efforts, my liver and kidneys were in perfect shape.
Although I’m 67, he said I was healthier than most of his patients and could probably work until I’m 90.
It’s good because I love the newspaper business and need the money.
I got a notice from my mortgage company telling me that because of the economy, I didn’t have enough money in my escrow account for 2025. When I went to the bank to make up the difference, there was a line of customers to pay for their escrow shortages.
When I left the parking lot and turned on County Road 220, I was reminded how tight the money pinch would be in Clay County in the next few years.
We need new schools, roads and a first responder complex. These are facts, and we’ve put it off for too long. Granted, we’ve gone through an economic crisis and a pandemic. But the longer we wait, the more it will cost us, or our children, in the future.
This week, Boston-based Freehold Capital Management bought 2,445 acres for $70.02 million between County Road 315 and Magnolia West with plans to build a community called “Agrihood” with as many as 4,489 homes. That means the Clay County District Schools will need to make high school “RRR” known as Saratoga Springs High for 2,500 students with an opening target date of 2030, “AA” known as Governors Park Elementary for Kindergarten through eighth grade for 1,275 students with an opening target of 2031 and “C” known as Saratoga Springs Elementary for 862 students with an opening target date of 2032.
Clay County’s population has grown by 18.4% in the last 10 years, but its investment in itself hasn’t been able to keep pace. Others have quickly realized what we knew all along – Clay is a great place to be. The problem was we weren’t prepared to welcome them. And if you need a reminder, look at our roads.
The county deserves credit for its Bonded Transportation Program. According to its website, it has designated seven large road projects to increase public safety, improve traffic flow, and reduce congestion. Of course, accomplishing this will involve a year-long traffic nightmare, especially along County Road 220 in Middleburg.
That’s the price of foreseeing growth early – and absorbing growing pains.
Work between Knight Boxx Road and a block west of Henley Road will take more than a year to widen the roadway from two lanes to four. The work also includes improvements at Henley Road and C.R. 220 intersection, and it will involve one-lane shutdowns on C.R. 220 and complete shutdowns at the bridge over Little Black Creek.
Other projects include improvements to Sandridge Road and the new thoroughfare called Cathedral Oak Parkway (Agrihood).
The program emphasizes improving traffic flow, increasing public safety, increasing travel lanes, and adding drainage features, including sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
The project is estimated to cost $179 million and is funded through bonds and other revenue streams.
Another big ticket includes a much-needed safety complex.
Sheriff Michelle Cook has pleaded with the Clay County Commission and with the delegates who represent Clay County at the Florida Legislature on the need to replace the dilapidated Clay County Jail and Sheriff’s with a Safety Complex and would put all the agency’s departments, as well as the county’s 911 system, Fleet Maintenance and Fire Rescue on the same property. To do that, the county would need to invest in 50-to-60 acres.
The current jail was built in 1972, and it is outdated. Inmates must sleep on mattresses on the floor and in the hallways. On nights when there is no more room, CCSO must pay neighboring counties to house overflow inmates.
Another problem is the sheriff’s office has outgrown its current location.
“The fact that we have people and stuff in 30 different buildings throughout the county and our buildings are old is why we have to do something,” Cook said. “They're inefficient. The buildings are falling apart. That is not a smart way to do business. So, we must develop a comprehensive, long-term solution to this plan.”
With so much of the county having been developed, the only areas with 50-to-60 plots of land remaining would be around or south of Green Cove Springs. The sheriff’s office currently has a large plot of land for a shooting range off County Road 215. When asked if that would be a perfect place for a safety complex, Cook said it wouldn’t have sufficient utilities for another 10 years.
“We don’t have 10 years,” she said.
“We have people and stuff in 30 different buildings throughout the county, and our buildings are old,” she said. “They're inefficient. “Our buildings are falling apart. It is not a smart way to do business. We must come up with a comprehensive, long-term solution to this plan. It's not working.”
But it’s going to cost money. There’s no escaping that. We must pay for the welcome center for the people coming with the long-term hopes that we will realize the benefits of their property and that sales taxes will make our lives better down the road.
My doctor says I will be around long enough to enjoy it.