Wakulla County officials have disabled public commenting on the county’s Facebook pages, sparking frustration and demands for transparency from residents who say they are being denied a vital avenue for civic engagement. The move, first implemented at the start of the year, has left many questioning the rationale behind the decision, with the county administration declining to provide a formal explanation.
The issue came to a head during the January 20th Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, where resident Ravyn Fears directly questioned County Administrator David Edwards about the change. “My first question is for everyone in my text messages over there asking me why y’all turned Facebook comments off on the meeting? Does anybody realize? Administration doesn’t know,” Fears asked, according to a livestream recording of the meeting. Edwards responded that Facebook was being used to “push information out,” but his response trailed off, leaving the question unanswered.
Emails obtained by WTXL-ABC 27 reveal the decision to disable comments originated with the County Administrator on January 6th. Residents like Michael Thomas argue that the move stifles public discourse. “That’s another form of communication, so there shouldn’t be any problem with it. That’s just another form of letting you know and speaking in your mind about what bothers you. You don’t like it. You have the right to say whether you like it or not. That’s the bottom line,” Thomas said.
During the February 2nd BOCC meeting, District 3 Commissioner Valerie Russell suggested a compromise, asking if comments could be re-enabled specifically during meetings. “Is that something we could do? Turn it back on just for the meetings, just to give everybody an…none of us respond to those comments,” Russell proposed. However, District 1 Commissioner Ralph Thomas opposed the idea, arguing that the lack of direct engagement from commissioners rendered the comment section “ineffective.” He suggested residents utilize phone calls or emails for “actual dialogue.”
Neighbor Chuck Hess countered that argument, pointing out that commissioners were not obligated to respond to comments. “They’re not required to respond to comments. They’re not required to do anything to the comments. They don’t have to seem at the comments. So what’s the purpose? There’s really no purpose,” Hess stated.
A poll conducted by WTXL-ABC 27 on the Wakulla Citizens Forum Facebook group revealed widespread opposition to the change, with approximately 88% of the 196 respondents expressing disapproval. Despite repeated requests for clarification, Wakulla County officials have refused to issue a statement explaining the decision to disable comments.
The next Wakulla County BOCC meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m.
