BY JENN SAMSEL
Special to the Monitor
Clay County Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless headlined the Sheriff’s Net meeting on Thursday, October 24, at Keystone’s First Baptist Church.
“The very first day of early voting in Clay County, we had a record,” he said. “We had more voters on that day than any other early voting day in the history of early voting in Clay County.”
“We normally have a 76% turnout for presidential elections,” the supervisor added, “and at the present moment, we have a 26% turnout. We need everyone to go out and vote. If you can stand in line for two hours at the theme park for a two-minute ride, you can wait fifteen minutes to cast your vote.”
According to Chambless, “So far today, we’ve had 6,100 votes, and 22,300 people have voted in the last three days.”
The elections chief added that 14,500 people had already voted by mail.
Early voting is available at Keystone Heights City Hall every day until November 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Chambless then moved on to the constitutional amendments on the ballot.
The supervisor outlined all six proposed amendments and then took questions from the audience.
County sticking with trash contractor
Clay County commissioners will not be terminating their new trash contract anytime soon. Despite a rocky start, the trash service is moving along.
Clay County Commissioner Besty Condon updated the audience on trash service and tree pickup.
She said that during the first days of pickups, 50% of residents didn’t have a pickup when the new trash company started, but this number has gradually decreased to 30%. She said it will decline as the new service company continues its new routes.
The commissioner added that the new contractor, FCC, and Clay County officials, learned a lot from the problems that FCC faced in St. Johns County. She said both parties worked to ensure those problems were not duplicated in Clay.
Condon said that if the FCC misses pickups, the company has 21 days to remedy the omissions before penalties accrue.
Many residents were concerned about storm debris pickup since Governor DeSantis announced that FEMA would pay for it.
Condon reassured everyone that debris removal would be done, but it would take time.
She added that contractors are picking up debris from the hardest-hit areas and traveling to different places to ensure that all debris is removed.
Condon said Clay County contracted with a new company, Crowder Bolt, for yard waste while FEMA reimbursed the county for collection.
She said Crowder Bolt has big trucks with claws on them. They will remove all the large trees.
FCC will handle anything that is 3 feet or smaller.
“Right now, we have one debris truck from Green Cove Springs assisting in removing the tree debris,” she said.
Regarding the trash, she mentioned that residents with more trash than the trash bin can handle have a few options on how to fix that problem.
One option is to pay $66 for a second trash bin.
She said, “That’s good for going through the contract, which is 10 years, and then you’ll pay $5 a month or $15 a quarter for the extra pickup.”
Second, “If you’re just going to have a party every once in a while, a family reunion, Christmas, something like that, you can buy a sticker at the library for $4, which you can attach to a 40-gallon, 40-pound bag. So that’s like a contractor-size garbage bag.”
Third, you can take your extra trash to the Clay County Environmental Convenience Center on County Road 214, across from the Dollar General at Monongahela Avenue.
“It is still open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Condon said.
Fourth, the commissioner suggested, “Ask your neighbors if you can put some trash in their bins.”
Condon stressed the importance of not burning trash, as it could contain harmful chemicals and is illegal.
For residents dumping trash into business dumpsters. She said the dumpsters are for the business and fill up quickly, leaving the company with an expensive bill.
In the future, businesses will add padlocks to their dumpsters to prevent people from illegally dumping without permission.
She added that dumping trash into the business dumpster is illegal, and the sheriff’s office investigates anyone who dumps illegally.
The commissioner said the county and FCC are looking to re-establish the county’s recycling program, which should alleviate trash overflow.
The county’s contract with FCC runs for 10 years.
Friends of Keystone Heights
Todd Bealls, co-host of the Sheriff Net, gave a brief statement about the Friends of Keystone Heights and anyone interested in purchasing items for sale to help with the city’s centennial celebration.
Anyone wanting to purchase items or learn more about the Friends of Keystone Heights may contact Todd or Debbie Beals.
At least 3 deputies in this part of the county
Lastly, Clay County Sheriff’s Office leaders spoke about what’s happening in the community.
Assistant Chief Chad Ricks spoke about how he became an assistant chief and what it takes to become a law enforcement officer.
He said that to be a police officer, you would need about 1,500 to 1,600 hours of training over five years, along with continued training and schooling that would eventually get you where you want to be.
Ricks said, “It’s worth being a law enforcement officer, and it’s not hard to become one. It just takes time and dedication, and I welcome anyone who wants to become one.”
One audience member asked the chief what had happened on Wednesday, October 16, in Keystone Heights, which involved two schools being on lockdown.
The officer responded, “The case is still active,” and he could not provide any details at this time.
Ricks added that crime incidents are still as low as 10 years ago. He said the community is safe, and the office is trying to keep its response time low.
Ricks said the sheriff’s office has at least three deputies in this area of the county at all times.
Nobody wants to arrest an 11-year-old
Following Ricks’s comments, Assistant Chief Jeremy Clark, the chief of school safety and the new Veterans Affairs Office service department, spoke about school safety.
He said that the highest number of calls to the office is currently for school threats.
He added that the office receives an average of 40 to 50 recorded calls and 88 to 100 social media posts.
“We investigate every single one of those calls and posts,” he said. “Thankfully, most of them don’t turn out to be a whole lot, but we have to investigate every single one to ensure that the students and the staff are safe.”
Clark said the biggest issue is kids getting on their phones and saying things to each other.
Students are not allowed to use phones in their classrooms and must keep their devices in their backpacks during class time.
Clark said the hardest arrests are those of young kids.
“We investigated some of those who made threats and had to make arrests of 11, 12, or 13-year-olds, and it’s not fun,” Clark said. “Nobody wants to arrest an 11-year-old, but we have to.”
Clark said each school now executes active shooter drills, which are practiced like fire drills.
“We don’t know when or how often they are, but I’m sure there are many,” he said of the simulations.
He added that deputies practice active shooter response four times a year and that there is a program for civilians to learn what to do and how to protect themselves regarding active shooter training.
Clark also emphasized, “If you see something, say something, which has been working very well, and we want to make sure it continues.”
The next Sheriff’s Net meeting will occur on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
If you want more information regarding the meeting, contact Debbie Beals at [email protected].
