Franklin County commission questions state cost-cutting measures

Franklin County commissioners are calling for a face-to-face meeting with newly elected Agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam to discuss some recent cost cutting measures at the Department of Agriculture that commissioners feel might be bad for the local oyster industry. 
Local commissioners are concerned about travel restrictions the Department is putting on its workers that will make it harder for Department workers to come to Franklin County to meet with commissioners or with members of the seafood industry. Commissioners feel that it is necessary for the Department of Agriculture to continue to send people to the county to keep the industry and local government up to date on ongoing oyster issues and added that the little bit of money the state might save by not driving from Tallahassee to Apalachicola is small in comparison to the impact not having state assistance could be to the oyster industry.   
Commissioner Smokey Parrish pointed out that Florida’s governor wants to create new jobs, but Mister Parrish said he also needs to look out for the ones that are already here.  
Commissioner Cheryl Sanders said that the move is an attempt to make the Department of Agriculture a strictly regulatory agency when it really needs to continue to provide support to the industries it oversees.  
Commissioners say they will try to change the no travel policy through a number of fronts including talking to our state representatives in the legislature and by meeting directly with the Agriculture chief.  
The board said they would be happy to make the trip to Tallahassee to meet with Mister Putnam just in case Mister Putnam the travel policy keeps Commissioner Putnam from attending an upcoming county commission meeting.


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