Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. If two recent bills filed in the Florida Legislature for the coming session become law, vehicle registration decals will become a thing of the past. The two…
Category: Front Page
County manager scores relatively high overall in job performance evaluation
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. In their first formal job evaluation of County Manager Shannon Metty since she assumed the position three years ago, commissioners on the Jefferson County Board of County…
Florida’s groundwater projected to be insufficient to meet demand in future
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. As Florida’s population continues to grow and ground water withdrawals exceed this source’s sustainable limit, experts expect that the state will increasingly have to meet new demand…
Fire destroys Lamont home
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. On Tuesday, Jan. 6, an electrical issue with a golf cart being charged behind a modular home in Lamont, Fla., apparently started a fire that ultimately destroyed…
New deputy county manager comes with wealth of experience
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. County Manager Shannon Metty has significantly stepped up her management team in the person of Ron Russo, whom she recently hired as deputy manager. Russo, who started…
The Jan/Feb Front Porch magazine has arrived!
Emerald Greene ECB Publishing, Inc. It is with great pleasure that we announce the arrival of the Jan/Feb 2026 edition of The Front Porch magazine. The new issue has been mailed and…
Dexter’s Law goes into effect
Rick Patrick ECB Publishing, Inc. One law that took effect on Thursday, Jan. 1, is called “Dexter’s Law,” although the actual designation is CS/HB 255 – Aggravated Animal Cruelty. The legislation has…
Bill aims to reduce cost of inmate health care in Jefferson County
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Acting on the request of Sheriff Mac McNeill, House Representative Allison Tant has introduced legislation for the coming session that seeks to cap the compensation that the…
FDC enhances public safety through innovation and accountability in 2025
Florida Dept. of Corrections Contributor In 2025, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) continued to advance Florida’s public safety mission through strategic investments in staffing, institutional security, officer safety, training and technology,…
Opponents of SB 180 see glimmer of hope in newly proposed legislation
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Opponents of the controversial Senate Bill 180, which became law in June 2025 and essentially restricts counties and municipalities from amending their comprehensive plans or land-development regulations…
Officials contemplate use of RESTORE Act funds for local projects
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County staff are seeking direction from elected officials on how the county should proceed in terms of the acquisition and use of some $12 million in…
Vendors and parade entries sought for MLK Day events
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Plans are well underway for Monticello’s 45th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. peace walk/parade and celebration, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 19. This year’s themes…
State tries to clear confusion over new license plate law
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Confusion continues to exist over a new state law that makes it a criminal offense to cover any part of a vehicle’s license plate, whether the obstruction…
Florida tests drones in schools to stop shootings
Merrilee Gasser The Center Square A taxpayer-funded program to test whether drones can ward off school shooters is set to launch in three Florida districts by the beginning of next year. The…
County renews and updates housing management contract
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners recently approved changes to the existing contract between the county and Accenture Infrastructure and Capital Projects, LLC, formerly known as…
Florida continues taking shots at vaccine mandates
Mickey Starling ECB Publishing, Inc. Florida continues its efforts to end all state vaccine mandates, including for schools, a major shift announced by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo in September of 2025. The…
Jefferson County hires a lobbyist
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County now has its own paid lobbyist to safeguard its interests, promote its agenda in the legislature and keep it abreast of happenings in the state…
Beware of the new tap to pay scam
Christian Peterson ECB Publishing, Inc. Scams and scammers are constantly evolving. It seems like every time the public figures out a way to combat a scam, a new one pops up. Now,…
City considering changing the way water use is measured
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Monticello may switch to using gallons instead of cubic feet to measure customers’ water usage. City Manager Kurt Mackiewicz broached the subject to the Monticello City Council…
Did you know you can read the Monticello News daily?
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. The year 2025 was full of exciting updates here at ECB Publishing. In September, the content of our Friday Jefferson County Journal and Wednesday Monticello News merged…