‘We are fortunate to have the Board of County Commissioners that we have in place’, said Hawkins on Thursday morning, ‘and in these circumstances we need a unified board, all singing from the same sheet of music, and right now, we are making sweet music’.
Hawkins was referring to the cooperative, collaborative nature of the current sitting Board of County Commissioners in Washington County, Florida, and their support of him as Chair of that panel.
‘Washington County, Florida Sheriff Kevin Crews and I spent some quality time with Florida Governor yesterday, and Washington County Schools will be the beneficiary of that effort’, said Tray Hawkins about his meeting with Florida’s top official and his concern for school children in his home community.
‘Rick Scott has committed somewhere in the neighborhood of a half a billions dollars- yes, that’s ‘billion’ with a ‘b’- to secure our schools’, said Hawkins in a conversation on Thursday, March 1, 2018, ‘and we were fortunate enough to get his ear and he is amenable for us to spend the money in the way we it will do the most good’.
Hawkins is referring to Governor Rick Scott’s visit to several Florida communities, including Tampa, Jacksonville, and DeFuniak Springs, to highlight his action plan to make major changes to help keep Florida students safe, including a $500 million investment in school safety and mental health.
The Governor’s proposal, which was announced last week, followed the emergency meetings Governor Scott organized with law enforcement, school administrators, teachers, mental health experts, and state agency leadership, which included Washington County Commission Chairman Tray Hawkins and Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews.
One such instance was Florida Governor Rick Scott’s approval of $1.8 million towards the construction of water and sewer placement on Hwy. 79, from Douglas Ferry Road to I-10, commonly called the ’79 Corridor Project’, ensuring that Washington County, Holmes County and Bonifay would be able to move forward with development.
Elected in 2016, Hawkins has worked with the Washington County Board of Commissioner in cutting through red tape and bureaucracy, simplifying county systems and making aspects of county government easier to navigate for citizens.
‘We will now meet with County staff and officials and male sure that we are proceeding in the most expedient fashion, but with the utmost prudence and attention to detail’, said Hawkins, ‘and we are excited that we are moving forward with the implementation of enhanced safety systems for our school children’.
‘I am proud to represent my County and helping to make sure that we get exactly what we need to make our lives better, safer and more productive’, finishes Hawkins.
