🧑 Who: Freeport City Council, Mayor Russ Barley, City Clerk Rebecca King, Planning Director Latilda Hughes-Neel, City Attorney Clay Adkinson, Mosquito Control Director Daniel DeBord, Finance Department employee April Nickens, Walton County Supervisor of Elections Ryan Messer
📌 What: Approved new election polling location, recognized city employees, reviewed mosquito control equipment request, and discussed proposed construction noise ordinance
📅 When: City Council meeting held this week (October 2025)
📍 Where: Freeport, Florida, City Council Chambers and Freeport Community Center
❓ Why: To manage city growth, ensure accessible elections, improve mosquito control, and address resident concerns about construction noise
The City Council of Freeport met this week, and at the top of their agenda was the proposed change of location for casting ballots in the city. Voting for elections will now take place at the Freeport Community Center located at 124 W. Highway 20 West near City Hall.
Recently, Ryan Messer, County Supervisor of Elections in Walton County, contacted Rebecca King, City Clerk, to inquire whether the City Council had made a formal decision regarding its polling location. King informed the Council that Messer had inquired about the Freeport Community Center as the selected location for the upcoming elections. The City Council voted in favor of the change and indicated that the venue would work well. This will be the only venue in the city for Freeport residents to cast votes.
Mayor Russ Barley announced the City employee and supervisor of the quarter for the City. April Nickens, who works in the Finance Department for the City, was named employee of the quarter, and Daniel DeBord, Director of Mosquito Control, was named supervisor of the quarter. During the meeting, the Mosquito Control Department requested the purchase of a Segway Electric Scooter. The Council heard the request, and DeBord indicated that a critical component for the work of “pest control” is the treatment of the 3,000+ storm drains throughout the city.
DeBord said that mosquitoes cannot be treated with the sprayer alone that traverses down neighborhood streets within the City. The storm drains must also be treated, and the best way to get to the drains is by the “mosquito segway scooter” that will allow the Mosquito Control team easier mobility – allowing them to get to the drains and place the slow-dissolving mosquito briquets in the drainage area. DeBord told Mid Bay News that the briquets are placed in a satchel that he wears, and as he goes to each of the drains, the briquets are easily deployed. He indicated that the industrial briquets last for 6 months, requiring treatment two times per year.
BeBord shared his enthusiasm about his new position with the City of Freeport, and when asked about his experience with Mosquito Control, he shared that he has worked in this industry for over 12 years. He shared that he is also very familiar with ‘mosquito trapping,’ and he is capable of determining the species of the mosquitoes in the City. He told Mid Bay News that when a mosquito lands on his arm, he can tell you many things about the pest. This is very helpful when it comes to identifying those insects that spread disease and in determining which areas of the City need immediate or more attention.” DeBord is a certified entomologist and has great experience in identifying the pesky critters.
The Planning Director, Latilda Hughes-Neel, then brought to the City Council another area of public concern from the Planning Department. Hughes-Neel began her remarks by saying that.
Freeport does not currently have a noise ordinance for a city that is growing rapidly. City Planning Director Latilda Hughes-Neel reported that the City is receiving calls in which the callers report construction-related activities “as early as 4 a.m. until late at night.” She added that construction is easily happening “in places from daylight until dark.” The motivation for bringing this before the Council was due to the large number of calls being received. She referred to several callers “pitching a holy fit.” With concern for the quality of life for citizens living in new subdivisions or in the heavy construction environments, Hughes-Neel suggested that the Council consider limiting construction in the city from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Freeport City Attorney, Clay Adkinson, commented and acknowledged that he and the Planning Director had met about the noise issue before the City Council meeting. He acknowledged the problem, but he suggested that enforcing a noise ordinance is difficult. He spoke about the challenges of measuring noise levels. In order to enforce noise ordinances, code officers would have to be available in the early morning hours and then would need “decibel meters” that validate the noise is actually causing a disturbance.
Hughes-Neel was clear that the ordinance would be recommended for construction sites and not for neighborhoods where an individual is blowing their driveway or cutting their grass before going to the office. The goal she expressed was to “reduce the bulk of [construction] noise to manageable hours.” She added that developers and construction crews need to use common sense and discretion when it comes to construction.] But also, “we want compliance but in a kind and cooperative way.”
The City Council asked the Planning Director to work with the City Attorney and get the (written) proposed ordinance or “Draft” to the Council before it is officially presented at a future City Council Meeting.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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