01/06/2026 Pierce County Commissioners Meeting:
TBD
12/02/2025 Pierce County Commission Meeting:
Youtube Link for video
Good evening, Commissioners and County Manager Maddox, thank you for allowing me to speak. I’m sure you all know by now what I am here to discuss this evening: The Waycross Bypass. You may have read my letter to the editor in the Blackshear Times last week, or seen it circulated on Facebook. I had over 200 shares just from my page, it was shared to numerous other pages as well and shared from there. Last check there were over 40,000 views. After yesterday’s meeting, I shared my account of the meeting, and by yesterday evening it was shared over 100 times, re-shared on multiple pages, and had 15,000 views in less than 24 hours. I have tens of thousands of residents of Pierce, Ware, and Brantley Counties locked in on this issue. I know for a fact that dozens in attendance yesterday were a direct result of my messaging, and maybe a few here tonight are here because of my voice in the community. I am not going anywhere any time soon, and until you stop this fallacy that somehow diverting Waycross’ problems right through the heart of our neighborhoods is a good idea for Pierce County, I will continue to show up, meeting after meeting, public hearing after public hearing. I will continue researching every facet of this project, and every elected official who has any part of this disaster. Until not only my family land is safe, but until not a single home in Pierce County is in harms way, I will do everything I can to keep this at the forefront of the minds of residents in all 3 counties. Typically I would offer an apology if this has led to an increase in phone calls, complaints, and concerned citizens reaching out to you. However, I also want to remind you that this is of your own doing. Had you not approved the resolution to move forward to begin with, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight. To be honest, if someone had not leaked that map online, I probably wouldn’t be standing here tonight either. Some of you are upset over the public outrage and believe people are over-reacting, or don’t have all the facts. Well, I blame you. Had this map not come out online, most of the 3 counties would still be completely in the dark about this issue. The way this entire issue has been handled by you, the commissioners, led to the frustration and panic. Meetings have been held behind closed doors, meeting minutes have not been made available, no public hearings on an issue that potentially puts hundreds of people out of their homes. There has been no transparency in this process. So yes, people are angry, and potentially uninformed. That falls on your shoulders.
Luke 12:13: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight.”
I hope I did my part to shed daylight on this for all to see, and Lord willing I’m not done yet. This issue was killed 20 years ago. It was killed again 10 years ago. You had the opportunity to kill it last month, but since you didn’t, and you voted to re-open this nightmare for our community, I’ll do everything I can to make sure it is once again stopped.
My first question is at what point were you going to let the citizens of Pierce County know anything about this “tri-county” resolution you agreed to, or anything about this bypass?
NO RESPONSE FROM THE COMMISSIONERS. THEY STATED MY TIME WAS UP AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO CONTINUE. MY FOLLOW-UP RESPONSE WILL BE BE IN THE NEXT EDITION OF THE BLACKSHEAR TIMES, AND POSTED HERE AFTER IT IS PUBLISHED. I HAVE NUMEROUS STATEMENTS AND QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ASKED DURING THE NEXT COMMISSIONERS MEETING, AND ALREADY HAVE DOZENS OF CONCERNED CITIZENS ON THE AGENDA THAT WILL YIELD ME THEIR TIME. IF THE COMMISSIONERS STILL WANT TO PLAY GAMES, I WILL HAVE PRINTOUTS FOR THOSE CITIZENS TO READ OFF OF.