The Board of County Commissioners is a five-member board elected to represent the citizens of Columbia County.Each member represents a district and is elected by residents of the district.The commission establishes policies and appoints a County Manager to implement the policies and manage the operation of the County.The Commission adopts the millage rate and annually approves the budget, which determines the expenditures and revenue necessary to operate all County Departments. The powers and duties of the County Commission are established by Florida Statutes, Chapter 125.

The Board of County Commissioners meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month in the Columbia County School Board Administrative Complex Auditorium, 372 West Duval Street, Lake City, Florida 32055, unless otherwise specified. The first meeting of every month is at 9:30AM while the second meeting of every month takes place at 5:30PM.

A copy of the agenda for the Board meetings is available in the Office of the County Manager located at the Courthouse Annex, 135 NE Hernando Ave, Lake City, Florida 32055 or View the meeting calendar.

The Board accepts public comment on any issues on its agenda. You must contact the County Manager at 386-758-1005 two weeks prior to the Board meeting for inclusion on the agenda to address the Board. If you are not scheduled on an agenda to address the Board, you must complete a citizen's input card and submit to board staff, prior to the meeting commencing, for distribution to the Chair. The Chairman of the Board will recognize the public for comment after the pledge to the U.S. flag. You may also phone your commissioners directly at the number listed above, write them at the address above or email your commissioner.

Joel Foreman, Columbia County Attorney

Mr. Foreman graduated from the University of Florida College of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2005. He was elected as County Attorney in 2014 and began serving in 2015.

The County Attorney represents Columbia County and the Board of County Commissioners in various matters in and out of court, but he does not serve as a public defender for criminal cases and is not a legal aid attorney for indigent civil cases.

Mr. Foreman maintains a private law practice to serve clients in civil matters that do not involve disputes with the County.

ADA Accessibility

Columbia County is committed to ensuring accessibility to this website regardless of disability. If anyone encounters a feature on this website that is inaccessible due to a disability, please contact the Columbia County ADA Coordinator at (386) 758-3344. You may also email that office at patrick_weaver@columbiacountyfla.com and provide a brief description of the inaccessible feature. The County will either correct the inaccessible feature or, if correction is not possible due to technical limitations, provide the desired information through alternative means.

Columbia County strives to provide reasonable accommodations to help people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in our public meetings. Please notify our ADA Coordinator at least 48 hours prior to the public meeting to allow time for reasonable accommodations by calling (386)-758-3344.