Fort White Water & Wastewater: Devising a Plan to Control Its Destiny – Who Will Be In Charge?
October 13, 2025 3:20 pm | 6 min read
Fort White Water Plant circa 2019
FORT WHITE, FL – The Fort White Town Council held special sessions on October 6, featuring a workshop and a Town Council meeting to discuss water issues, specifically, "In the future, who will be in charge of Fort White’s water and wastewater systems?"
With the Town's residents and other taxpayers potentially financing its water operations through their utility bills, and all the other taxpayers, who are doing the financing through grants funded by everyone, it's time the Town Fathers upped their game and took notifying the public seriously.
Background
Fort White has been doing a lot of talking about water. In special meetings and regular meetings, the Town’s water supply and future wastewater plans percolate into Councilmember discussions.
Fort White water has been an issue for a long time. See: Fort White Water Woes: A Municipal Water System That Is a Disaster Waiting To Happen
Missing from Town Hall has been County Commissioner Rocky Ford, whose district includes Fort White. He is also the Chairman of the fledgling North Florida Water Utility Authority, which wants to take over the Town’s utilities, particularly because of its customer base and revenue stream.
During the last meeting of Commissioner Ford’s Utility Authority, the Authority gave its cub Executive Director, Shannon Roberts, the go-ahead to negotiate terms with the Town and explore possible agreements.
Commissioner Ford is also working behind the scenes and in the public spotlight to turn the Fort White tide in the Utility Authority’s direction.
The Town continues to fail to notice its special meetings properly and to provide backup material to the public and possibly the Town Council members, other than the Mayor.
Mayor George Thomas has been chosen to negotiate utility
services for the Town of Fort White. Keeping the public
(the folks who pay for this) up to date is critical at
this juncture. Mayor George Thomas listens to Mike New
of Woodard & Curran.
Fort White Special Called Workshop & Special Meeting (Oct. 6)
The Special Called Workshop & Meeting was decided upon during the special called Town Council meeting on Sept. 29. There was no extra effort to notify the public or the media of this unscheduled special meeting. It is unclear when the meetings made it to the Town Calendar or the Town Bulletin Board. The Town does not refer to these meetings as “special” meetings, which they are, and the agendas posted on the internet provided no backup material to clarify anything.
The main presenters at the “Water Plant Workshop” were Todd-TwoFold of TwoFold and Mike New of Woodard & Curran.
A subsidiary presenter at the meetings was Shannon Roberts, the Executive Director of the fledgling North Florida Water Utility Authority (NFWUA or Authority). Thirteen days after its last meeting, the Authority still has not updated its website.
Prior to the meeting, the Town had received information from TwoFold and Woodard & Curran (W&C). That material was not made available to the public, and it is unclear when and what was received by the Town Councilmembers.
NFWUA's knapsack. Its executive director changed his
mind on sharing the information with the Town Council.
NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts, true to the Authority's usual 12th-hour material presentation, was sitting with a folder on his lap containing information appearing to be for the Council. Partway through the meeting, he put the material back into his knapsack and instead gave the Council a lecture on what a utility is.
Despite opinions from the Attorney General and the courts dating back to the 1970s, neither the Mayor nor the Council appears to be interested in advising the public in a timely manner regarding the information coming before the Council.
Mayor Thomas never introduced Todd from TwoFold Utility Services, and that is why this story refers to him as Todd-TwoFold.
Mike New, PE, of Curran & Woodard, is well known to the Town Council and this reporter.
The discussion revolved around the Town of Fort White's potential resumption of water plant operations, including plant condition, transition planning, procurement, and the wastewater facility being constructed in Fort White.
Todd-TwoFold: What did he have to bring to the table
Todd-TwoFold spoke as an experienced operator/contractor familiar with the Town's water system. TwoFold has been servicing the Town’s water plant since it was built. Todd-TwoFold’s remarks emphasized practical operational details, the current state of the water plant, and the willingness to assist in various capacities. He positioned TwoFold as flexible and service-oriented. He did not push his services on the Town.
Todd TwoFold from TwoFold engineering was never properly
introduced to the Town Council.
Todd-TwoFold alerted the Town that the water plant filter media needs urgent replacement in both filters.
Columbia County was servicing the plant, but did not keep up with maintenance, falling further and further behind on its water-supply pipeline from Ellisville, which was initially scheduled to go online in January 2025.
There are different stories about why this did not happen.
Todd-TwoFold advised the Council that the water storage tanks passed recent inspections (December) and said they are good for five more years. Mr. TwoFold also explained that a new hydro tank was installed by the County, and the ground storage tanks were rehabbed 10-15 years ago (sandblasted, epoxied).
Other infrastructure improvements and information were provided by Mr. TwoFold: a new generator was installed; no chemicals are provided by TwoFold, and historically, the chemical bills have been paid by the Town or County.
Councilman Bill Koon inquired about the Ellisville to
Fort White pipeline, which is almost a year behind.
Mr. TwoFold explained the Town has two wells in use. One has water color issues (e.g., iron and occasionally bacteria) and is used sparingly unless needed; it pumps more water but often shows coloration, especially after rain. The bacteria tests usually pass, but occasional "hits" require shocking. The other well has better quality and was deepened earlier in the year, potentially improving output without detrimental effects.
Todd-TwoFold focused on helping the Town avoid disruptions regardless of who operates the plant.
Mike New, Woodard & Curran:
A transition plan study in the works
Mike New delivered a detailed proposal for a
transition plan to help the Town resume water plant
operations. His remarks were structured around planning,
options analysis, procurement, and regulatory
compliance. He stressed a "checklist" approach for a
smooth handover, while noting limitations and potential
add-ons. Mr. New also discussed the integration of
wastewater into the Town's utility system.
Mr. New is an experienced water and wastewater engineer. He offered the Town a proposal for a fee of $9,975. His firm, Woodard & Curran, is a design-build water and wastewater firm and is qualified to provide the Town with expert guidance and advice.
Mr. New explained to the Council he would develop a streamlined transition plan (checklist-style). The plan aims to facilitate a smooth transition of water treatment facility operations from Columbia County (which has managed them since 2021 via an interlocal agreement) back to the Town, minimizing disruptions to water customers.
Mike New of Wodard & Curran, makes his presentation to
the Town Council before it unanamiously approved the
firm's contract.
Mr. New told the Council that his firm would proceed after it received a Notice to Proceed. It was clear that no one on the Town Council knew what a Notice to Proceed was.
Mr. New, recognizing the Town's urgency, is prepared to mobilize the W&C team quickly. A draft report will be delivered to the Town within 28 days of completing the site visit and staff interviews.
What's the Plan – Sam?
Mr. New’s proposal is broken down into three main tasks.
Task 1 is a kickoff meeting. This meeting can be held virtually or in person with Town representatives, Columbia County, Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA), and other stakeholders invited to review the scope, data needs, and schedule in preparation for drafting the proposal.
Task 2 is a site visit, an on-site observation of facility operations by W&C's Project Manager, Senior Operational Specialist(s), and Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) staff. It includes staff interviews, a review of processes, equipment conditions, and maintenance practices, as well as identifying deficiencies and areas for improvement.
Task 3 is the report and a little more. It includes the preparation of a letter report summarizing W&C’s findings and recommendations, and a prioritized list of administrative, regulatory, operational, and financial tasks the Town needs to complete before assuming operations.
Finally, Mr. New will present his findings to the Town Council at a public meeting.
A Big Take Away: necessity of a wastewater ordinance
Throughout the meeting, the impending launch of the Town’s new wastewater plant was a recurring topic. Mr. New advised that the Town must adopt a wastewater ordinance before putting the new system into operation.
Mr. New said that he had already sent draft ordinances to the Town Attorney weeks ago. No one on the Council mentioned this.
Mr. New recommended a short-term contract (e.g., 12 months) for water operations first. He said once the wastewater plant is ready to come online, the Town could issue a single, combined RFP (Request for Proposal) for a long-term contract covering both water and wastewater. Mr. New explained the RFP could be written to give preference to bidders who can manage both systems.
Epilogue
This meeting represented a critical juncture for Fort White's water/wastewater utility operations.
Todd-TwoFold and Mike New were focused on ensuring the Town is prepared to resume water system operations smoothly. Todd-TwoFold provided the on-the-ground insight into system condition and operations, while Mike New focused on the planning, procedural, and regulatory framework needed for a successful transition.
So far, the NFWUA is an outlier.