TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The second busiest Saturday on record, and new leadership at the fair board seems to have eased some tensions between the fair association and Leon County Commissioners.
Commissioner Bill Proctor said an investigation into a $28,000 watch given to the former fair director is closed, and both he and fair officials touted a successful 2025.
“We had a great fair,” said Miranda Muir, the fairgrounds executive director. “We have a great team, we have a great community, and overall we had a safe, fun, fair, and I couldn’t be more proud of everybody.”
Proctor said the fairgrounds had a “robust” 10-day stretch. According to fair officials, some 110,000 people visited the fair over those 10 days. Plus, they said in the Southeast region, fairs had more than three billion dollars in economic impact.
“The 2025 fair was a robust 10-day activity that provided traditional fun and enjoyment for our community,” he said. “I am supportive of fair activities and traditions.”
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Still, there is no substantive update for significant changes to the fairgrounds that a joint city-county board wants to make. Muir said Blueprint staff had not reached out recently about amending the fairgrounds lease, which would be a key step before a $30 million makeover.
Previously, tensions arose because the fair association did not seek the $30 million investment, and despite a majority vote from local elected commissioners, the lease would need to be changed before any construction.
Commissioner Proctor sponsored a motion last month to have the fair association present a sort of report card to the county commission, something Muir said the fair is open to.
“And again, we’re happy to have long, great conversations with our community leaders,” Muir said. “We want to advance both the community and the fair. And so we’re happy to do that.”
In his statement, Proctor also mentioned expanding the grounds.
“There are positive talks and hopes of enlarging the service capacity of this over 100-acre property,” he wrote. “We at the County, Blueprint and Fair Association have positive thoughts about the future possibilities of this Jewel of a property.”
Commissioner Brian Welch, who previously called the decision to gift the watch “inappropriate and utterly confounding,” declined to comment at this time. Instead, he referred WCTV to Commission Chair Christian Caban, who has yet to comment.
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