Franklin County Commissioners are concerned that this year’s census count for Franklin County will not be accurate. The board last week discussed some of their concerns with the census, including why such a large number of local people did not receive a census form.
County administrator Alan Pierce reported that census forms were not sent to Post Office Boxes which means any PO Box holder will have to talk to a census worker. Census forms were also not sent to many of the homes on St. George Island, Alligator Point, Bald Point, St. Theresa and some of the beaches along Highway 98 because the census felt those communities were likely majority, second homes, rentals or investment properties.
Census workers will visit each of the homes that did not get a census form. Each home should be visited at least 3 times by a census worker; after that the census worker will try to find out how many people live in your home from a neighbor – something they call census by proxy.
County commissioners are concerned this will lead to an undercount in the local population which could affect the amount of federal funds that come to the county and can also affect local county commission and school board districts.
The board has some reason to be concerned – during the 2000 census the official census numbers found close to 800 African Americans in the city of Carrabelle which local officials believed was a large overcount. It turned out that the census mistakenly added the population count from a state prison from either Gulf County or Wakulla County to the Carrabelle numbers.
County Commissioners are asking that anyone who did not receive a census form this year take the initiative to insure that they are counted. You can do that by calling the census office in Tallahassee at 850-205-6200.
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