Waldo lawsuit at standstill awaiting state records

After signing a legal complaint against Alachua County, the City of Waldo is at a standstill in its attempt to sue the county.

The disagreement between Waldo and Alachua County comes out of the city’s complaint that the county misused money from the “$12.50 fund,” formally known as the Florida Statute, section 318.21.

The fund calls for $12.50 from every moving traffic ticket violation written in Waldo to go to the county. This money is supposed to go to the Intergovernmental Radio Communication Program (IRCP).

Waldo has made a public records request to the State of Florida for copies of documents relating to the IRCP and Alachua County.  The city is currently waiting for those documents in order to move on.

“We are going to hold off serving papers until we get this information,” said Waldo City Manager Kim Worley.

The county has been collecting money for the IRCP since 1993 to help pay for law enforcement radios and communications systems. In 1999, when the county switched to a different radio system, money from the IRCP agreement was supposed to pay for it. However, Waldo officials say that the city never received any financial help for the new radio system.

Waldo could possibly recover up to $616,007 if a court rules in favor of the city.