Learn More Inside on Page 10A
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A3 Could Your Business Use Up To $40,000? Learn more inside on page 10A www.columbiacountyfla.com WEEKEND EDITION SATURDAY/SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21-22, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $2 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM SUNDAY + PLUS >> FOOTBALL FOOTBALL Expanded Columbia Fort Suwannee survives White against falls to Lights Seabreeze Union 6B unveiled Sean of the South SEE 3A SEE 12A SEE 12A SUPREME COURT: Death Red-Hot Real Estate penalty Columbia County housing OK for market sets October record Monthlyprison Market etail ctober 2020 Single Family Homes olumbia County killing ColumbiaColumbia County Housing SalesSales Percent Change Summary Statistics October 2020 October 2019 Appeal denied for inmate Year-over-Year who pleaded guilty to Closed Sales 69 47 46.8% murdering cellmate. Paid in Cash 24 18 33.3% By JAMIE WACHTER Median Sale Price $215,000 $175,000 22.9% [email protected] Average Sale Price $211,713 $190,357 11.2% The death penalty is an acceptable Dollar Volume $14.6 Million $8.9 Million 63.3% sentence for the former Columbia Median Percent of Original 98.5% 96.4% 2.2% Correctional Institution prisoner List Price Received who pleaded guilty to killing his cell- Median Time to Contract 8 Days 35 Days -77.1% mate. Median Time to Sale 61 Days 71 Days -14.1% The Supreme New Pending Sales 69 60 15.0% Court of Florida affirmed the Third New Listings 65 53 22.6% Judicial Circuit Pending Inventory 98 84 16.7% Craft Court’s conviction South Florida, Midwest and sentence in an Inventory (Active Listings) 124 182 -31.9% opinion issued Thursday, denying Months Supply of Inventory 2.3 3.7 -37.8% buyers flock to Lake City Robert Craft’s appeal. Craft, who strangled and beat Percent Change Darren Shira to death in their cell at Month losed Sales TODD WILSON/Lake City Reporter Year over-Year ClosedCCI onSales May 16, 2018, before repre- A single-family home on Lake City’s west side came under contingency contract in two weeks through Hallmark Real Estate of Lake City recently.Year-to-Date Home sales in Columbia533 County 3.7% continue to move quickly. The sentingnumber himself of sales and transactions pleading guilty which closed during ctober 2020 69 46.8% the tomonth the murder charge, appealed on September 2020 71 61.4% seven issues. By TODD WILSON August 2020 The 60track record0.0% for a speedy Record time. selling quickly. We have a strong Jul 2020 53 -22.1% Economists'Five of note those: Closed surrounded Sales are one mitiga- of the simplest—[email protected] most sale is there. The median time “Eight days on the market for demand everywhere.” June 2020 56 40.0% important—indicators for the residential real estate market. When tion, which Craft waived the right a 2020 from listing42 to contract-39.1% for a an average? That’s incredible! A total of 69 single-family comparing Closed Sales across markets of different sizes, we to present. That led to the State If you want to sellApril your 2020 house single-family52 home6.1% placed on I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it homes closed during the month recommend comparing the percent changes in sales rather than the Attorney’s office actually present- in Lake City or ColumbiaMarch 2020 County, the market43 during-25.9% the month of before,” said Dan Gherna, Lake of October, up from 47 transac- number of sales. Closed Sales (and many other market metrics) are February 2020 37 2.8% affecteding mitigatingby seasonal cycles,factors so actualfor Crafttrends areat more accuratelylist it with a local Realtor and October anywhere in Columbia City Board of Realtors executive tions that closed during the same Januar 2020 50 16.3% represented by year-over-year changes (i.e. comparingwait a month's a week. sales OK, it might take a County was eight days. vice president. “It cuts across continued on 6A ecember 2019 57 62.9% continued on 3A to the amount of sales KILLING in the same month in the previouslittle year), longer. rather Maybe ovembereight 2019days. Yes, 48eight days.20.0% all price ranges. Everything is HOUSING than changes from one month to the next. ctober 2019 47 14.6% 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 80 Make the We make financing easy with 60 competitive rates and flexible terms. 40 with Holidays Merry Give us a call to learn more: 386-755-0600 Closed Sales 20 a New ATV, Golf Cart or Vehicle 0 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFM AMJJASO Produced by Florida Realtors® with data provided by Florida's multiple listing services. Statistics for each month compiled from MLS feeds on the 15th day of the following month. Data released on Thursday, November 19, 2020. Next data release is Tuesday, December 22, 2020. ffbf.com All loans are subject to credit underwriting and approval. See a bank representative for more details. Vol. 146, No. 176 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Classifieds . 5A Sports . 12A SUBSCRIBE TO 77 59 THE REPORTER: Business . 1B Voice: 755-5445 Partly cloudy, 2A Fax: 752-9400 2A SATURDAY/SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21-22, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Jobless rate ticks back up locally QUICK HITS Scripture of the Day Columbia up to 5.3% increase from September’s with just 580 workers unem- (Ron) Desantis’ leadership, unemployment; adjusted 4.7% when 211 ployed. and working together with “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make Suwannee at 4.9%. fewer workers were with- Overall, the state’s Florida business leaders a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us out a job. rate dropped 0.7% from and economic development come before his presence with thanksgiving, and Staff report Last October, there were September to October to partners, we have begun to make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” just 2.9% of the county’s 6.5%, which was up 3.6% focus efforts on Floridians — Psalm 95:1-2 (KJV) After several months labor force of 30,511 unem- from October 2019. The returning to the workforce of falling, the local unem- ployed. state has had six straight and helping to rebuild our ployment rate rose ever so Similarly, Suwannee months of job growth, DEO great economy.” Thought for Today slightly last month. County’s unemployment said. The national unem- Change is the end result of all true learning. According to numbers rate rose 0.5% in October “Florida’s economy is ployment rate was 6.9% in — Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998, American author released Friday by the to 4.9% with 880 out of work strengthening as the unem- October. Florida Department of from a labor force of just ployment rate continues to The state’s highest Economic Opportunity, shy of 18,000. There were decrease,” Dane Eagle, exec- unemployment rate was there were 1,583 workers nearly 100 fewer workers utive director of the Florida in Osceola County (10.4%) Winning Lottery Numbers unemployed in Columbia unemployed in September. Department of Economic while Wakulla County’s Pick 3: (Thursday p.m.) 1-0-6 County in October, a 5.3% In October 2019, Opportunity, said in a 3.5% was the state’s lowest Pick 4: (Thursday p.m.) 2-1-7-6 jobless rate. That marked an Suwannee’s rate was 3.2% release. “Under Governor rate. Fantasy 5: (Thursday) 2-6-13-34-35 See an error? The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news New LO post office opens Monday items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will Staff report The new post office will run in this space. Thanks for reading. offer more space, more LIVE OAK — The long parking and more accessi- Submissions wait for a new post office bility than the historic build- The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption is over. ing. information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would Live Oak’s new post The post office will be like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture and information to [email protected]. office is scheduled to using 12,318 square feet open Monday at the Live of the 45,000-square foot Oak Commons along U.S. building — the old Pic ’N’ Lake City Reporter Highway 129 North. The Save shopping plaza on the HOW TO REACH US ADVERTISING move comes after post- northern end of the city Main number .......(386) 752-1293 Director Chris Ratliff al services were provided along U.S. 129 next to Walt’s Fax number ............ 752-9400 (386) 754-0417 Circulation............. 755-5445 ([email protected]) in the historic downtown Live Oak Ford. Online ....www.lakecityreporter.com JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter CLASSIFIED location for more than 104 It’s a move that has been The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate The new Live Oak Post Office at Live Oak Commons of Community Newspapers Inc., Kym Harrison will open Monday. years. long awaited. is published Tuesday through (386) 755-5440 Saturday/Sunday at 180 E. Duval (classifi[email protected]) The new location of the St., Lake City, FL 32055. Periodical post office was announced postage paid at Lake City, Florida, BUSINESS OFFICE Member of The Associated Press Vickie Busscher in October 2019, six months and the Florida Press Association. (386) 754-0436 after the United States All material herein is property of ([email protected]) the Lake City Reporter. No part of CIRCULATION Postal Service announced it the contents of this publication may jordan law firm pllc was moving the post office be reproduced in whole or in part Director Sara Mercer without written permission of the (386) 754-0408 attorneys at law from the historic building publisher.