Columbia county clerk of courts lake city fl

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Internet Speed Test Survey
CDBG Grant - Housing Rehab Program has been Reopened
Investigators say 60-year-old Lake City woman defrauded Columbia County of about $27,600 in total

Internet Speed Test Survey

Columbia County, FL is seeking citizen participation to test high speed internet availability in Columbia County. The results from this test will help obtain grant funding to expand and provide high speed internet to rural and underserved communities. This survey only takes a few minutes and all that is needed is your physical address.

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CDBG Grant - Housing Rehab Program has been Reopened

The CDBG Grant - Housing Rehab program is accepting applications until funds are expired.
Please call (352) 437-3902 to find out if funding is still available.

This program will assist eligible homeowner(s) who live in Unincorporated Columbia County and are interested in seeking to remedy code and Housing Quality Standard deficiencies in their owner-occupied residence in Unincorporated Columbia County by providing Homeownership Rehab Assistance as a part of the FFY 2019 Community Development Block Grant Housing Rehabilitation Program.

To be eligible for all CDBG programs, the property must be fully insured for basic hazard/homeownership insurance. Flood Insurance also applies in the one hundred (100) year flood plain and the County must be named as a policy holder if the home is in the one hundred (100) year flood plain. Flood insurance must remain in effect for the entire period of the Deferred Payment Loan Agreement.

All projects must benefit very low (VLI), low (LI), and low to moderate income (LMI) households. To qualify for the program, the property must be within the legal County Limits (not within incorporated Lake City or Fort White); and must not exceed 80% of the Median Family Income (MFI) for the area, as determined by the 2022 Adjusted HOME Income Limits determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Check to see if you live in an eligible area.

All applications must be submitted to the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners: 135 NE Hernando Ave., Lake City, FL

Columbia County CDBG Housing Rehab Application

Corona/COVID19 Virus If you have questions about COVID-19 testing call the local Health Department at (386) 758-1068, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. The State Department of Health has a 24/7 COVID-19 Information Line at (866) 779-6121. Please follow CDC guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at www.cdc.gov.

Local News

Investigators say 60-year-old Lake City woman defrauded Columbia County of about $27,600 in total

A former records supervisor for the Columbia County Clerk of Courts was arrested in a fraud scheme, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Friday.

FDLE said it arrested Katrina Vercher, 60, of Lake City, on one felony count of scheme to defraud and three felony counts of official misconduct.

According to FDLE, Vercher previously worked as a records supervisor for the Columbia County Clerk of Courts, and in June 2021, the Clerk of Courts identified discrepancies associated with tax deed sales and requested an investigation.

Agents said they audited past tax deed sales in Columbia County and identified 46 transactions where Vercher either altered tax deed records by recording a reduced sale price or by reducing the fees associated with the tax deed sale. In almost every occurrence, according to FDLE, the discrepancy correlated with the amount of cash collected by Vercher from the winning bidder of the corresponding tax deed sale as a deposit.

The investigation revealed numerous cash deposits made into Vercher’s personal bank account occurring either on the same day or the day after tax deeds sold that were determined to have a discrepancy, according to FDLE. Agents said they also identified multiple instances where Vercher appeared to physically alter tax deed documents to disguise the price discrepancies.

Investigators said Vercher defrauded Columbia County of about $27,600 in total.

“The Columbia County Clerk’s Office remains committed to the highest standard of integrity and public trust, and this unfortunate situation does not represent the character or values of this office. I wish to thank the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pinellas County Division of Inspector General’s Office and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for the thorough and professional investigation over the past 13 months. If anyone has specific questions or concerns about their tax deed purchase I would encourage them to contact the Clerk’s Office,” said Columbia County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller James M. Swisher Jr.

Vercher was booked at 7 p.m. Thursday into the Columbia County jail and was released 30 minutes later on $55,000 bond, according to online jail records.

The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for Eighth Judicial Circuit.