This 2007 GMC, driven through running water across US-90 west, hydroplaned off into the ditch, hitting a tree and coming to a rest in a deep pool of water.

The rains began late Wednesday night, Jan. 20, and continued to fall throughout the day Thursday, leaving many county roads badly damaged, roads under water, and flooding. Local law enforcement agencies joined to protect the citizens from dangerous driving hazards and preparing for any rescues which may be needed.

Thursday morning, Jan. 21, began with a tornado watch issued at by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Tallahassee at 8:25 a.m., for counties including Jefferson, Alachua, Baker Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Franklin, Gulf, Lafayette, Madison, Taylor, Dixie, Gadsden, Hamilton, Leon, Nassau, Union, Duvall, Gilchrist, Liberty, Suwannee and Wakulla.

As the morning lingered, NWS issued a flood watch. The rains became much heavier, flooding city streets to the top of curbs, county roads suffering from severe washouts, roads being submerged in deep fast moving water, ditches quickly overflowing and the yards and pastures of county residents suddenly playing host to small lakes.

NWS warned that the flooding of the Aucilla River at Lamont would be affecting not only Jefferson County, but Madison and Taylor counties as well. NWS estimated at 7 a.m. Thursday, the stage would climb from 9.4 feet to 11.34 feet on Friday (the flood stage is at 9.0 feet). (Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) had estimated that by Monday, the Aucilla River would have risen to 13.1 feet.

NWS estimated that rainfall Thursday was 2-3 inches per hour. By the time it was all over with, Monticello and Jefferson County had the highest rainfall level in all surrounding areas, having been doused with 8.52 inches of rain.

City workers as well as Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputies and officers from the Monticello Police Department quickly reported to flooded areas, which were being reported one right after the other. MPD Chief Fred Mosley reported that the roads south of the courthouse were flooded with 8-10 inches of water, including South Jefferson, South Mulberry, South Waukeenah, and South Water Street near the old bus barn.

In the county, deputies were dispatched to flood areas with road barricades and to divert traffic around any water hazards. On CR-59 and Hawkins Road, fast moving water, approximately two feet deep, was covering the roadway. Waukeenah Highway, Cook Road, Boston Highway at Dills Road, and US-19 North was flooded in the southbound lane. South Salt and Hartsfield Road all the way to the Bassett Dairy Road intersection, South Jefferson in front of Pizza Hut, CVS and IGA, were also reported under water. Deputies and officers were reporting that culverts were blocked with debris and overflowing with high fast moving water.

Sheriff David Hobbs put out a call of mutual aid from Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and the Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to man the US roads. He also called to have Transfield, formerly VMS, dispatched to remove reported trees across roadways. FHP was already on scene in the county and FWC responded to say they were bringing in the airboats and four-wheelers to assist. FWC Lt. Kent Harvey reported that officers who had been stationed in Leon County were called in to assist Jefferson County.

FWC Officer Chris Jones reported that FWC officers manned the airboats to assist in searching around homes where flooding was reported and remove residents if need be. "Though the boats were manned and ready to go, we didn't have to evacuate anyone from their homes," said Jones. "Thankfully, no was hurt or injured."

County Road Department Field Supervisor Jim Self reported that road crews worked overtime until about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, to make all roads passable. "A standby crew worked throughout the night putting out signs and checking on road conditions reported by the Sheriff's Office," said Self. "And road crews and graders were out early Friday morning, handling reported problems and putting out signs." He added that as of early Friday morning, county roads had sustained over $2 million in damage and the number was still climbing.

Problems in the county were reported at Upper Cody Church Road at the old wooden bridge; Casa Bianca Road had reported washouts; Attatulga Road (temporarily repaired) was under water; Flatwoods Road was under water; Robert Thompson Road at Whitehouse Road (temporarily repaired) had one and one half feet of pavement that was missing; WT Lewis Road was closed due to being under water; West Lake Road was submerged; Smith Road was flooded; Barnes Road was washed out; Still Road was closed; Ashville Highway, Rabon Road, Mamie Scott Drive, Rocky Branch Road, Basset Dairy Road, Thompson Valley Road, and Tyson Road, all had water over the road. Steen, New Monticello Road and Curtis Mill Roads, were also closed.

County Road Department Supervisor David Harvey reported Monday morning that the damage to the roads had climbed to over $3 million. "The problem is, that our annual budget for the roadways is $2 million, so we won't be able to get all the work done," said Harvey. He added that Governor Charlie Christ would have to declare a state of emergency in the state for Jefferson County to get federal funding for repairs, and then, since grants are handed out per capita, the county wouldn't see much compared to larger areas in the state.

"This was a strange flash flood," said Harvey. "This flood caused a lot of damage to the network of county roads and most of the widespread damage was to dirt roads. When Tropical Storm Faye and the flood following came through, we did a lot of repairs and this flood, damaged those repairs along with a very significant number of additional county roads," he added.

Severe rainwater runoff from I-10 also caused massive flooding and damage on the land of Gretchen Taylor of Campground Road. Rapidly moving water quickly eroded through the driveway, down several feet and down into her lake, all the while representing the white water rapids. The erosion made getting in or out impossible. (see video at ecbpublishing.com).

City Manager Steve Wingate said that there were problems with street flooding all over town Thursday, but by Friday afternoon all of those problem city streets were passable. Wingate also offered his sincere appreciation to MPD for guiding traffic through detour areas, blocking roads where flooding was severe and for standing out in 2-3 feet of water for at least two to three hours.

Despite the heavy rains and strong wind, Progress Energy reported that power outages were few and those which were reported, were handled quickly with no residents going without for the night.

Emergency Management Director Carol Ellerbee reported that Thursday during the County Commission meeting, commissioners declared a state of emergency in the county. "We meet the criteria for taking it to the state and if the state meets the total criteria of $21 million in damage, then it will go to get the Presidential Declaration, but that'll be determined later on," said Ellerbee. She added that the county was currently accepting bids in order to help restore county resident's property. She said that in the case of Campground Road (a privately owned road), that volunteer organizations had been contacted but as of Friday morning, nothing had been heard back yet. "Our goal is to try to help any way we can," she said. "The county is going to be having discussions in the future about handling problems like the one we did on Campground Road."

Police Chief Fred Mosley reported having to call in one additional officer during the storm. "We were just trying to keep the accidents down and we went out to check the roads with reported conditions," said Mosley. "We are always out there keeping the community safe and the traffic moving. We were rerouting traffic through the back roads and monitoring those detours and rerouting if necessary," he concluded.

Sheriff David Hobbs said he did not have to call in additional county deputies to assist. Deputies were out in force monitoring road conditions, blocking traffic where necessary, checking on residents who are known to live in low lying areas which flood easily and putting up street barricades where needed. "I really want to thank FHP and FWC for coming out to help us," said Hobbs. He also reported that on CR-59, several vehicles had stalled in the deep standing water and one or two vehicles had hydroplaned off the road in other areas, but there were no injuries reported.

Trooper Bill Grubbs reported that at 1:10 p.m., Joe L. Roberts, 62, of Monticello, was driving a 2007 GMC Youkon SL SUV traveling westbound on US-90. It was raining and there was running water completely across the roadway. Roberts drove through the water on the road, lost control of the vehicle and traveled onto the north shoulder and side of US-19. The front of the vehicle struck a tree and came to a rest facing West on the north side of the road in a pool of deep water.

Grubbs reported that the vehicle also sustained water damage inside due to water flowing into the interior after the vehicle came to a rest. He also noted that a Jefferson County deputy sheriff was warning oncoming traffic concerning the water across the road, when the crash happened.

The vehicle sustained $15,000 damage and Roberts was cited for careless driving.

Chief Financial Officer Marsha Willis and Dr. Kelvin Norton, executive director of operations and human resources, recently talked to the Journal about the improvements in the district.

When and how did all this come about?

It appears that the changes have been occurring quietly for some time and simply went unreported. As for the how, the changes came about because school officials — with the assistance of state staff — took the bull by the horns, to use the vernacular, and made some tough decisions regarding the budget, personnel and performance standards.

Here's a significant figure: a $980,000 swing, from the $580,000 deficit that the district faced at the start of the fiscal year on July 1, 2009, to a $400,000 fund balance on Jan. 1, 2010, according to Chief Financial Officer Marsha Willis.

Willis notes that a more ideal reserve fund for a small district to have on hand to deal with any contingency would be about $900,000. But $400,000 is adequate, and more importantly, meets the state's mandate of a three-percent reserve, she adds.

"The big news is that we're out of the hole," Willis says. "We're not yet where we need to be, but we're not in a deficit any longer."

Here's another telling figure: Enrollment up almost 11 percent from the projections, according to Dr. Kelvin Norton, executive director of operations and human resources. The increase translates into 109 more enrollees than the state projected, for a total student population of 1,171. Not only was the increase in enrollment the first for the district in at least five years, Jefferson County was one of the few districts in the state to gain students. The gain, according to Dr. Norton, occurred most significantly in pre-school registrations, with a noticeable increase in Spanish-speaking children. But accounting also for the increase were move-ins and transfers from private and out-of-district schools, he offers.

Here's a related statistic of interest coming from Jim Hamilton, a retired educator with 38 years of experience in the Hillsborough County School District and a present-day consultant who is helping the Jefferson County School District deal with its financial crisis. Hamilton notes that statewide, 13,000 students have returned to public schools from private and other schools as a result of the recession and their parents' newfound inability to afford the associated costs.

How much of a factor did the recession play in the local increase?

Hamilton doesn't disallow the possibility that it may have contributed to a degree. But he offers that the greater reason for the increase in enrollment derives from the culture of discipline and high-quality programs being established at the high school and elsewhere. He credits School Superintendent Bill Brumfield and the School Board in no part for helping bring about the changes, including some very tough calls relating to budget cutbacks and personnel and program reductions.

"I credit the superintendent and the board for the leadership to bring this district forward," Hamilton says. "Brumfield is a man of pure heart who has the best interest of the kids and the community."

He cautions, however, that the district still has a ways to go, and it can't simply cut its way out of its financial problems, especially given that more state funding cuts likely loom ahead. No, the way out of the district's financial problems, Hamilton preaches, is for it to grow itself into financial health.

How does a school district grow itself into financial health? By attracting more students and the FTEs — or per-student-funding — that comes with each child, Hamilton says. And the way to attract students is to provide high-quality programs in conjunction with academic excellence and high performance standards, he says.

It's a conundrum of sorts, akin to the chicken-and-egg dilemma: Which comes first, the students or the programs? Students bring the money, but in order to attract the students, the programs must be in place, and it takes money to implement the programs.

A difficult task, yes; but not an impossible one, is Hamilton' mantra. He maintains that the school district is already on the path to achieving the goal, evident by the behavioral, academic and other and improvements being brought about at the high school in particular under the new administration.

"I'm comfortable with the progress," Hamilton told the School Board on Monday evening, Jan. 11. "You have intelligent, committed people here. The good news is that the district has grown in students but it has not grown in expenditures. You now have a $400,000 reserve fund, which is significant. I think you're going to make the (state-mandated) goal of balancing the books."

"I'm pleased with where you're at now," Hamilton went on. "But I always like to say that every silver lining has a dark cloud. I think you're on the right track and doing well, but you still have some hard decisions ahead. And none of this will happen without more direct planning and you put together a road map for the future."

Neighbors say these structures on N. Jefferson Street are a haven for vagrants, drug users and drug dealers.

High visibility potential targets are the tumbling former Brahman Restaurant building on West Washington, the Georgia Florida Motor Court on North Jefferson Street, and the several derelict and abandoned structures and weedy lots in the southeast part of town.

Two citizens who addressed the City Council about the situation on Tuesday evening, Jan. 5, were Lee Anderson and Ronald James.

Anderson's concern centered on the Georgia Motor Court. A grouping of multiple structures formerly serving as overnight lodging facility for travelers and than converted into rental units, the structures now are abandoned and unsightly. They are serving, moreover, as a haven for vagrants, drug dealers, users and squatters, according to Anderson, who lives across the street from the property and who says she has been trying to get the problem addressed for more than five years.

Anderson said for five years the owner has been making promises to clean up the property but then has failed to follow through.

"He makes promises and does nothing about it," Anderson said. "I've been asking for five years for help on this place, and the chief of police is the only one who has helped us."

But the police alone couldn't solve the problem, as the transients and others scattered as soon as the patrol car arrived, Anderson said.

She said the neighborhood overall was getting dangerous and undesirable for folks like herself who had purchased houses there and put money into improving them. One neighbor was already selling his property and others were considering their options, she said.

Anderson praised city officials for adopting the nuisance ordinance. But she worried that that the document didn't seem to specify timelines to force property owners to correct the problems in a timely manner.

"I see no timelines in the ordinance," Anderson said.

City Attorney Bruce Leinback assured Anderson that timelines existed in the document.

"The owner has to be notified and other procedures followed," Leinback said. "But there are timeframes in the ordinance."

Notwithstanding the assurance, Anderson remained skeptical.

"He has made promises for five years and has done nothing about it," she repeated.

James, in his brief comments, expressed a like concern and evident frustration about a condemned building on Second and Tung streets in the southeast quadrant of the city. He said the condemnation signs had been posted four or five years ago and nothing had been done about the structure. Did it require a child been injured or harmed in the building before the problem was addressed? James asked.

Mayor Tom Vogelgesang offered that the city now had the means to address the problem, something it had not had before.

"I know it's been four or five years," Vogelgesang said. "But we didn't have what we thought was an enforceable process before without it being two costly. We feel that with this new ordinance we have an enforceable measure where we can move forward. But there is a process of notification that we have to follow."

That notification entails a public notice in the newspaper forewarning property owners of the consequences of failing to abide by the new rules, a notice that the ordinance sets for publication in April. Leinback, however, said the notice could be published earlier and more than once if the city desired to move forward on enforcement sooner.

The city ordinance makes it the responsibility of property owners to abate nuisances on their properties or suffer financial penalties if they fail to act to correct the problem. Among the possible outcomes not acting is that the city will abate the problem and impose a lien on the property as a way of seeking reimbursement for its cost. Before the city can take action, however, it entails a lengthy process that includes identification of the nuisance by a designated inspector, written notification of the problem to the property owner, a review and public hearing by a nuisance abatement board, and a resolution by the City Council formally declaring the property a nuisance.

The council must then give the property owner "a reasonable time" to abate the nuisance, with the determination of what constitutes a reasonable time to be decided by the council based on such factors as the nature of the nuisance, the danger it poses to the public, and the amount of work required to abate the problem.

The offending property owner, however, can always get an extension on the compliance time if he or she can prove that extenuating circumstance make meeting the timeline impossible or a hardship. And they can always appeal the council's decision to the Circuit Court, which will slow if not stop the abatement action until the court issues a decision.

The only time the city can act to abate a nuisance expediently is if the council determines that the violation poses "an immediate threat to life, limb, health, welfare or property." Which is to say that the ordinance contains sufficient safeguard to protect the rights of property owners that the process to address any particular ordinance will prove lengthy and possibly legally onerous.

Still, it's more than the city, and citizens, had before to address dangerous and/or unsightly properties in specific locations and neighborhoods.

The low temperatures that brought ice to local ponds and lakes did not deter the ducks and geese from the water.

Indeed, the overnight low for Monticello was supposed to be 19 to 22 degrees on Monday night, 17 degrees on Tuesday night, and 22 to 26 degrees on Wednesday night, with possible flurries on Thursday night and another cold blast predicted for the weekend. Even central and south Florida weren't spared the cold, with freeze warning issued as far down as the Everglades and citrus and sugarcane growers worried about potential damage to their crops.

Citruses and sugarcane weren't the only Florida crops at risk, however. Given that the state produces much of the nation's winter crops, everything from broccoli and cabbage in the northern part to strawberries, tomatoes and corn in the southern part stood to be affected.

Indications on Monday were that the damage to most crops would be isolated and not as bad as feared, as most crops growing in northern part of the state are capable of withstanding short cold snaps. But it may be days before farmers can truly gauge the extent of any damage.

Notwithstanding that potential damage, however, Jefferson County Extension Services Director John Lilly said the cold snap would have little effect on the agriculture sector here. Had the cold snap occurred in March or April, when the watermelon and other summer crops were sprouting, it would be a different story, he said.

Lilly said area crops likely to suffer were strawberry and peaches. But given that Jefferson County had no commercial production of strawberries or peaches, the effect would be negligible, he said. Nonetheless, he recommended that residents with strawberry patches in their gardens or peach trees in the yard take steps to protect them, as well as other valued outdoors plants.

"Use clothe or landscape fabric and cover them," Lilly said. "Don't use plastic."

Residents also are encouraged to bring pets indoor, or at least insulate the pets' shelters with straw or blankets and make sure the animals have plenty of fresh water.

Meteorologists are calling this a pretty significant cold snap, with temperatures possibly topping lows not seen in the state since the 1800s. And the cold blast for the coming weekend is expected to be even stronger.

What accounts for the unusually cold weather?

Meteorologists say one reason is that the jet stream, which normally keeps the coldest air north of the Hudson Bay in Canada, is now centered over parts of Alabama and Mississippi.

With temperatures at or near record lows and more cold forecast for the weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Tallahassee had all kinds of area warnings and watches posted on its webpage on Monday, Jan. 4. Specifically, the NWS had a fire weather watch, a flood and hard freeze warning, a hazardous weather outlook and a red flag warning.

The fire weather watch and red flag warning result from the long durations of low relative humidity, which enhance the potential for fire. A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly. A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are possible.

The flood warning was for the Aucilla River at Lamont, with the river expected to rise to near flood stage on Monday afternoon. The flooding was forecast to be minor. Even so, the weather service advised all persons with interests along the river to monitor conditions and to be prepared to take precautions if necessary. It urged motorists not to drive through flooded areas.

The hard freeze warning was expected to remain in effect for several days more, as the artic air mass continued to hang over much of the central and eastern United States.

According to the weather service, a hard freeze warning means temperatures will likely drop into the mid 20s or lower for two or more hours, with a prolonged period of subfreezing temperatures.

"These condition can kill crops and can also be harmful to persons not properly dressed for the cold, as well as sensitive outdoors pets," the NWS website states. "A hard freeze can cause unprotected pipes to burst. Unprotected pipes are usually confined to trailers and houses on stilts along the coast."

The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday evening, Dec. 17, selected Riley Palmer Construction Company to oversee the repair of the leaking roof and other needed work on the courthouse building.

Riley Palmer was one of two contractors who responded to the county's Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation. The other was the LLT Building Corporation of Tallahassee, represented by project manager Vanessa Anderson.

Based on Clerk of Court Kirk Reams' recommendation, the commission approved the listing of both contractors on the county's list of companies to be considered in future for general projects of $1 million and less. But for the current courthouse repairs, the commission went with Palmer, based on the latter's familiarity with the project. It was in fact Palmer's preliminary assessment of the courthouse roof and associated problems that prompted the search for a construction manager to oversee the repairs.

Palmer explained on Thursday that his task as construction manager will be to coordinate the repairs, meaning that he will identify the scope of the work, prepare the job specifications, bid out the project, make recommendations to the commission, and generally oversee the work. Because of the historic nature of the building, Palmer said he wanted to engage the expertise of an architect to ensure that the building's architectural and historical integrity were maintained. He promised to return to commissioners with a list of all the projected costs before proceeding with any of the work.

Palmer first addressed commissioners about the courthouse's roof and other problems in April 2009, after doing a preliminary assessment of the structure at Reams' request. At the time, Palmer estimated the roof repairs would cost between $150,000 and $250,000. Overall, he rated the condition of the roof as good, especially where it concerned the bell tower and cupola, which appeared to be the source of much of the leaking problems.

The money for the repairs will come from a special fund that's specifically designated for the repair and maintenance of courthouse facilities. The money in the fund comes from a surcharge that the county imposes on all traffic citations issued here. The surcharge used to be $15, but the county recently raised it to $30. Nearly $300,000 has accumulated in the fund since the county began collecting the surcharge in 2004.

The crew from Imani Environmental Group began working on the inflow and infiltration project on Pearl Street, Dec. 14, digging up nearly half a block to replace the laterals and blow the new liners into place. Work on Pearl Street should be completed by Jan. 15.

City Manager Steve Wingate said when the project was completed, the city will have saved money because at present, ground water runoff was infiltrating the sewer system, therefore, overloading the water treatment plant, but with the new system in place, that storm water runoff would not get into the sewer system, therefore saving tax dollars and wear and tear on the water treatment plant equipment and services.

Wingate explained that back when the city was accepting bids for the project contract, friends of his advised him that if the city were to change one of the specifications for the project, the City would save $500,000-$700,000 in the long run, which could be used for paving the streets afterward.

"Originally, we were going to have T-lines put in, working from manhole to manhole with the liner blown through the lines from the service lateral to the mains, cutting out the holes and placing the T-lines, which is a very expensive process," said Wingate. "We decided to go with the alteration and obtained permission from DEP and went ahead with the project. Everywhere they cut the roads, the Citywill be resurfacing with 1 ¼" to 1 ½ " of blacktop. Some of the streets which are in bad shape, such as Dogwood and Pearl, will not be smooth like new, but they will be in a lot better shape than they are now."

Wingate added that the project was of great economic significance to the City, as well. "The crews began working in Sept.and will be working until March, so for six months, 30 men will be buying parts and equipment, hardware, grocery items, dining, and any other shopping needs, locally." He added that the company which won the contract, Imani Environmental Group of Alpharetta, GA, just outside of Atlanta, did also hire some people locally. "It's a very specialized kind of work, so they couldn't hire just anyone off the street," said Wingate.

Wingate estimates that the inflow and infiltration project would be completed about mid-March and the streets would be resurfaced shortly afterward.

Those streets include streets being fully resurfaced, including; Alabama, Carolina, Hagan, Pearl, East Branch, Marvin, Hill, Palmer Mill, Dogwood, Anderson, Mulberry, and Bowman.

Those streets slated to be partially resurfaced include; Virginia, Georgia Avenue, Chestnut, Cherry, Waukeenah, Cypress, Railroad, Poplar, Holly, East Fourth, South Water, Mulberry, Olive, Hickory, Madison, Pugsley Drive, and Independent.

Imani Environmental Group foreman Josh Higgenbotham said the crew began working on Pearl Street Dec. 14 and 15 and then took a break for the holidays. They will return to work on Pearl Street after the first of the year, beginning with just east of Simpson Road, and go to the NAPA parts store and should be completed with that area about Jan. 15, at which point, the City will begin resurfacing that road.

Corteze Woody, was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Monday for the death of Ruth DiBiase, a passenger in a parked car that Woody's vehicle rear-ended on North Jefferson Street during the Watermelon Festival in June.

The arrest stems from the major crash in downtown Monticello during the Watermelon Festival activities, just after the parade, which resulted in an ambulance being rear-ended, which then hit the vehicle in front of it, and resulted in a chain reaction that ended with five vehicles and one pedestrian involved. Four people received injuries.

FHP reported that at 11:05 a.m., June 20, just about 15 minutes after the Watermelon Festival parade had concluded, Corteze Woody, was driving a 2006 Honda four-door traveling south on North Jefferson Street at a minimum of 61 miles per hour with four-year-old Je'Mekia McCray, 4, in the vehicle as a passenger.

According to witnesses, Woody had passed several slower moving vehicles on the right, while approaching the highly congested business area. Witnesses also stated that while approaching the area, Woody passed several more vehicles.

The right front of Woody's vehicle struck the left rear corner of a 2005 Ford F-350 ambulance which was properly parked at the corner of North Jefferson and Pearl street.

Debris from the collision was thrown forward and struck the rear of a properly parked 2009 Toyota RAV 4, in a parking space next to the ambulance.

After the collision, Woody's vehicle continued traveling forward for approximately 150 feet, and struck the rear of a properly parked 1994 Chevrolet SUV on the west side of the roadway and the collision caused the SUV to overturn onto it's roof, debris striking pedestrian, Susan Simmons, 57, of Las Vegas NV and ejecting DiBiase, who was a passenger in the right front seat.

During the overturning sequence, the SUV struck the rear of a properly parked 2007 Suzuki motorcycle.

Woody, the driver, received minor injuries and McCray, the four-year-old, was seriously injured. Both were transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH); Simmons (pedestrian) was seriously injured and transported to TMH for treatment. DiBiase (ejected passenger), also sustained serious injuries and was transported to TMH.

Simmons, Dibiase's daughter, had just gotten out of the vehicle, witnesses reported. Simmons, who was injured after being hit by crash debris, was downgraded Tuesday June 30, to good condition at TMH.

Woody's vehicle sustained $12,000 damager; the ambulance sustained $10,000 damage; the RAV 4 received $500 damage; the SUV sustained $8,000 damage and the motorcycle, $2,500 damage.

FHP reported that the crash was not alcohol-related and charges were pending further investigation. Lt. Kenneth Ellis reported that with the death of Ruth G. DiBiase, 83, of Monticello, the Florida Highway Patrol started a criminal investigation into the June 20 Watermelon Festival crash in Monticello now that one of the victims has died.

DiBiase died at approximately 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, June 30, 2009 at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital as a result from injuries she sustained in the crash, said Ellis,.

"With her fatality, the investigation has now changed to a criminal investigation," Ellis said. "At the end of the investigation, we will confer with the State Attorney to determine the appropriate charges."

Ellis said it's routine for crash investigations to become traffic-homicide investigations once someone has died. The investigation entailed the interviews of numerous witnesses to the incident, both with those who were spoken to previously, and additional witnesses Ellis said. Also, A post crash inspection was conducted on the vehicle of Corteze Devone Woody, 18, of Monticello, to determine if there were any type of mechanical malfunction, which may have contributed to the crash. He said it is a very time-consuming and lengthy process and investigators have numerous cases awaiting further investigation as well.

In October 2009, Ellis reported that FHP "had all it's ducks in a ro0w and was handing what they had over to Assistant State Attorney Neil Wade.

An FHP arrest document submitted to Wade Oct. 13, 2009, provided a narrative describing how Woody had been experiencing seizures since April, 2009 and that the information conflicted with the information on his driver's license application.

On May 1, 2009, Woody was involved in a minor crash when he rear-ended the vehicle of county resident Chuck Sarkisian, which was properly stopped at a stop sign, located at Basset Dairy Road and Ashville Highway. On the scene, he reported to FHP Trooper Bill Grubbs that his brakes had failed. However, Grubbs reported checking the brakes and that there was no problem. Woody was cited for careless driving. Sarkisian reported that immediately following the crash Woody was acting as if he were in a daze.

June 4, 2009, Woody signed an application upgrading his learner's permit to a regular operator's license. In that application, Woody signed, stating that he had not "suffered from epilepsy, fainting or dizzy spells in the past two years, FHP reported.

During the investigation FHP also determined at Woody was traveling at a minimum of 61 mph in the 25 mph zone for 3/10 of a mile prior to the first crash.

Woody was arrested Jan. 11and bond was set at $25,000. A recommendation by the State Attorney said that Woody was to do no driving without medical and court approval, which became one of his conditions of release on bond. Woody bonded out of jail the same day and is set to attend his next court date, 9 a.m., Monday, Feb. 1.

Good news is coming from the state via Property Appraiser Angela Gray's office relative to the monies that Jefferson County will be receiving in compensation for lost tax revenues caused by the implementation of Amendment 1.

The preliminary calculations, released by Florida Department of Revenue (FDOR) on Wednesday, Jan. 13, indicate that Jefferson County will receive approximately 91 percent of its reported tax losses due to Amendment 1. Or more concretely, it will receive $471,696 of the $518,470 that it lost in 2009 as a result of the property tax reform amendment.

"This is quite an improvement compared to last year's distribution of only 43 percent," Gray emailed the News. "Hats off to our legislators for ensuring that the funding was available for us to receive most of the 95 percent as promised."

Meanwhile, revenue losses to the city and school district as a result of Amendment 1 were $54,517 and $110,648 respectively, but the state reimburses neither of these two entities for their losses.

The latest cited figures — $518,470 for the county and $54,517 for the city — vary slightly from the $520,500 and $55,642 respectively that Gray reported to the Jefferson Legislative Committee in early November. A revision occasioned by the discovery of a programming error in the initial calculations accounts for the new figures, according to Gray. Namely, this and some other counties had to revisit their figures and delete all losses associated with government buildings and churches, as these latter properties don't pay property taxes to begin with, she said.

During its first year of implementation, when only three of Amendment 1's four components were in place, the county lost $$421,688 in revenues and recouped only $181,807 from thestate, a loss of $239,881. Local officials' concern this year was that once again the state wouldn't abide by the 95-percent reimbursement formula stipulated by lawmakers and that the county would get shortchanged again. But that concern appears allayed at present.

Amendment 1's four components, briefly stated, are: a second $25,000 homestead exemption on homesteaded properties valued at more than $50,000; portability of the accumulated Save Our Homes (SOH) saving benefits for homeowners who move from one homestead to another; a $25,000 exemption on tangible personal property; and 10 percent growth limitations on the assessments of non-homestead real properties, such as rental, commercial or recreational units — the last component to kick in during the last year.

Now local officials get to worry about the reimbursement of tax revenue losses caused by Amendment 4, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. The aim of this legislation is to prevent urban sprawl by encouraging private property owners to place their lands into permanent conservation easements. Meaning that the property owners can still use their lands for farming, ranching, logging and other agriculture-related uses, but they give up their rights to ever develop the lands for commercial uses and in return are exempted from property taxes on the lands put into conservation.

Gray's best estimates are that Amendment 4 will cause revenue losses of $139,000 to Jefferson County and $131,000 to the school district.