TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor is calling on lawmakers across the street to pay more attention to Tallahassee, even going so far as to call for a \u201cNorth Florida 2050 Commission\u201d to revitalize the region. <\/p>\n
Proctor said Leon County was left out of the \u201crural renaissance\u201d bill that unanimously passed the house earlier this month, though legislative leaders noted<\/a> that relief was aimed at \u201cfiscally constrained counties.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe rural Renaissance legislation red lines and it carves out Leon County, we ain\u2019t getting none,\u201d Proctor said. \u201cThis is electoral gerrymandering, not electoral, but legislative financial gerrymandering because we are being redlined.\u201d <\/p>\n WCTV asked Proctor if there\u2019s a risk of the state paying too close attention. A bill has been filed at the Capitol building that would expand the jurisdiction of the Capitol Police out into downtown, an area traditionally covered by the Tallahassee Police Department. <\/p>\n Requests for comment with the speaker of the house and senate president are pending. When we hear back, we\u2019ll update this page. <\/p>\n More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n The idea of the state paying closer attention, especially to downtown security, excites Barney Bishop, CEO at Barney Bishop Consulting, LLC. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd there\u2019ll probably be some additional high-definition security cameras. Hopefully, there\u2019ll be some extra officers that\u2019ll be walking around. So this will provide some help to local law enforcement when Tallahassee is inundated with hundreds and thousands of people during the 60-day legislative session,\u201d Bishop said. <\/p>\n Before the Capitol Police perimeter could be expanded, the legislature would need to pass a bill that the governor would need to sign into law. <\/p>\n \u201cBut I think that they\u2019ll be mostly looking on the public safety side, vagrancy of potential threats to any legislators or elected officials, whether they live here or they just happened to be here at the time,\u201d Bishop said. <\/p>\n Proctor said a majority of lawmakers already see Tallahassee \u201ca certain way.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe Capitol Police is a part of what the governor thinks is their domain and fiefdom and ICE and them,\u201d Proctor said. \u201cThat\u2019s a different mentality.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite ideological differences, he thinks an ad-hoc committee to study a rebirth of North Florida could take a year to make recommendations, engaging county and city commissioners from across the panhandle. <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get a citizen group of all these smart people and come together with recommendations that can be a 25 year master plan,\u201d Proctor said.<\/p>\n Tune in to Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the full story. This article will also be updated this evening with all the details.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n