This October, a new stormwater assessment lands on the tax bill of nearly every property owner in unincorporated Clay County — $85 per "equivalent residential unit," on any parcel with more than 400 square feet of hard surface. Roughly 93,000 parcels. About $8.2 million a year.

Most of us learned about it from a mailer.

Let's be honest about what this is and isn't. The county's audit found its stormwater program couldn't meet its regulatory obligations — and anyone who's watched a road flood or a ditch fail out here knows the maintenance backlog is real. This petition does not pretend the problem is fake. But a real problem doesn't excuse a rushed charge, and residents have questions the county has not answered:

Why does a property with no county drainage serving it pay the same as one with full infrastructure? The assessment is based on your rooftop and driveway — not on whether a single county pipe, ditch, or pond serves your road. Thousands of rural parcels that handle their own runoff entirely are billed as if they receive the same service as a subdivision with county-maintained drainage.

Why do the credits stop where they do? The county offers 25% off for "privately maintained stormwater facilities," 50% for lots over five acres, and 100% for bona fide farms. Good — but a family on four acres whose pond detains every storm gets nothing extra, and the county hasn't published clear standards for what counts as a qualifying facility, or a simple way to apply. Credits that are hard to find and harder to claim aren't credits. They're decoration.

What stops $85 from becoming $120? Assessment notices reference higher maximum rates in future years. Residents deserve to know the ceiling, the schedule, and what public process — if any — stands between this year's rate and the maximum.

Why no hardship provision? The county has stated that financial hardship and veteran status qualify for nothing. A flat parcel charge takes no account of a fixed-income widow versus a commercial lot. Plenty of Florida counties build hardship deferrals into their assessments. Clay chose not to. That was a choice, and it can be unchosen.

We, the undersigned residents of unincorporated Clay County, call on the Board of County Commissioners to, before certifying this assessment:

1. Publish the service map. Show every parcel what county stormwater infrastructure — if any — serves it, so residents can see what they're buying.

2. Fix the credits. Publish clear, plain-language standards for the private-facility credit, including how existing ponds and detention features qualify; create a one-page application; and extend proportional credit to any parcel that demonstrably detains its own runoff, regardless of lot size.

3. Cap the climb. Commit on the record that any rate above $85 requires a new mailed notice to every assessed parcel and a fresh public hearing — not an automatic escalation.

4. Add a hardship deferral for low-income and fixed-income homeowners, as other Florida counties have done.

5. Answer before you certify. Put written responses to these questions in the public record before the final rate is adopted — not after the money starts flowing.

The drainage problems are real. So is the obligation to charge for them fairly, transparently, and with the consent of the people paying. Get the details right, and this program will have the public trust it needs to last. Certify it as-is, and it starts life as one more thing done to this county instead of with it.

The final rate hearing is Tuesday, August 25 at 5:00 PM, Clay County Administration Building, 477 Houston Street, Green Cove Springs — 4th floor. Sign here, then do the two things that count for more: mail a written objection before the 25th, and be in that room.

Three summers ago, I noticed something unsettling happening in my peaceful community of Clay County, Florida. Suddenly, without any of us having a chance to voice our opinions, 95 license plate reader cameras sprouted throughout the county like unannounced guests. These cameras, part of a $1.3 million, five-year arrangement between the Sheriff's Office and Flock Safety, now capture and log our every movement—whether we're commuting to work, driving to church, picking up our kids from school, or simply running errands.

This decision to install the cameras was made without a public vote. Our privacy is being intruded upon, and our community deserves to have a say in how our public spaces are monitored. We demand transparency, a comprehensive safety review, and the opportunity for Clay County residents to vote on whether we want these surveillance cameras to continue tracking our daily lives.

Surveillance cameras can be beneficial for crime reduction, but only if they have the consensus of the communities they monitor. There have been concerns nationwide about the ethical implications of such surveillance, including potential misuse of data and privacy infringement.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, these systems can disproportionally affect minority communities, leading to unwarranted tracking and profiling. Moreover, a study from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology warns how such technologies might escalate policing biases, raising concerns that should alarm anyone in a democracy.

Our county representatives did not adequately inform us before this contract was signed. We demand that our elected officials prioritize the rights and privacy of Clay County citizens over opaque agreements with private companies. We need transparency on how decisions like this are made, and a commitment to safety reviews that genuinely reflect community input.

We call on the Clay County Commission and the Sheriff's Office to bring this issue to a public vote, giving each of us the right to determine if and how we want to be surveilled. It’s time for our voices to be heard. Let’s hold them accountable to the people they serve.

Sign this petition to demand transparency, a rigorous safety assessment, and a public vote on the role of Flock Surveillance Cameras in our community. Together, we can make sure our voices are no longer ignored.