Dear Editor,
I have lived in Jefferson County since 2014 and served as the County Budget Officer from April 2023 to July 2025 under County Manager Shannon Metty. I am compelled to write this letter because, for the better part of a year, Ms. Metty has faced persistent unfounded claims in letters to the editor and on social media regarding her tenure. These criticisms often overlook the tangible progress our county has made and the dedicated leadership she provides.
I fully support our current County Manager, Shannon Metty. She is pragmatic, professional, and fiscally responsible. These qualities are essential as we navigate the ongoing challenge of managing controlled growth while preserving Jefferson County's rural character. Her management style fits our small county perfectly, collaborative, detail-oriented, and focused on results rather than self-promotion. Even though Ms. Metty was not born here, she is from here. She understands and champions what makes Jefferson County special, putting the community's needs first in every decision.
During my time working closely with her, I witnessed firsthand the improvements she spearheaded. She strengthened our relationships with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Division of Emergency Management (DEM). This led to significant progress in infrastructure. Whereas road paving projects were largely stagnant from 2019 to 2023, under her leadership the county caught up and secured multi-million-dollar resurfacing projects. Key improvements include major work on Waukeenah Highway and Ashville Highway, along with a robust five-year plan filled with enhancements.
With DEM, she collaborated effectively with our Sheriff and his team to expand services, including debris pickup on private roads, which benefits all residents, while securing state and federal grants to offset costs. In the past three years alone, the county has secured $18.8 million in grants for resurfacing and widening critical roadways, $7.2 million for capital improvements (including hurricane-related private road repairs), and over $7 million in hurricane debris pickup relief.
Regarding the recent announcement by Governor Ron DeSantis of $167.5 million in awards to improve infrastructure in 34 Florida rural communities, I want to clarify one point. While Jefferson County proper did not receive direct funding in this round, the City of Monticello was awarded approximately $14.1 million for vital sewer and storm-hardening projects. This is a tremendous win for Monticello's residents and, by extension, for our entire county. We should celebrate these successes for our community partners. They benefit us all.
Serving as Budget Officer was an honor, and I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity. Under Ms. Metty's leadership, even amid exceptionally difficult times including the fallout from former Clerk Reams' arrest and convictions along with transitions involving Clerks Osteen, Welty, and Hightower, we maintained a fully compliant budget process for three consecutive years. We strengthened procurement transparency as adopted by the Board, implemented a new integrated procurement and accounting system to safeguard tax dollars, improved internal controls, and kept operations moving forward.
The current budgets reflect the Board's demands, better monitoring of funds, reduced reliance on general revenues for special funds, full funding for law enforcement, constitutional officers, and first responders, integration of pay studies to bring employees closer to market rates, and stronger grant oversight, all achieved through hard work, often beyond standard hours.
Ms. Metty has been a true champion of transparency, rooting out past issues of fraud and corruption while driving governmental improvement. More grants, more accountability, more services. Her recent performance evaluation, the first formal review since she became County Manager, reflects this progress, with commissioners rating her in the superior and excellent ranges across nearly all areas, and no fair or unsatisfactory scores.
An environment where opposing views can be debated openly fosters positive change, and I believe healthy discourse strengthens our community. However, calls for Ms. Metty's dismissal overlook her selfless dedication. She may not be the leader some envision, but she is the leader we need, one who consistently carries out the Board's intentions with integrity and pride.
We must keep strong, selfless leaders like Shannon Metty to maintain our slow, thoughtful growth and protect our rural identity. This is how we keep Jefferson County small, rural, and true to itself.
Sincerely,
Gus Rojas
Jefferson County Resident
Former County Budget Officer