TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The City Commission voted to postpone, but not cancel, a punitive hearing against The St. Joe Company, the developer of Southwood over road construction delays.<\/p>\n
They previously rejected the developer\u2019s extension<\/a> to finish the roads in the Southwood neighborhood. The St. Joe Company had said they were owed an extension because of an executive order citing storm damage. <\/p>\n That executive order cites the 2024 tornadoes, which one speaker at Wednesday\u2019s meeting argued it was ridiculous that those caused delays.<\/p>\n City official, John Reddick, said St. Joe is now \u201cacting with urgency\u201d and that a public hearing would punish the developer by withholding permits.<\/p>\n Mayor Dailey said the developer has agreed to expedite the road, but some commissioners think the enforcement process should be kept until the road is built.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m concerned that by holding the hearing on punitive damages, we\u2019ll actually slow construction of the road,\u201d Dailey said. He suggested canceling the punitive hearing to repair the relationship between the city and the developer.<\/p>\n Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox said the developer needs to meet with Southwood residents in person and asked for assurances that the project will be completed by set deadlines. <\/p>\n \u201cNo city should look like that,\u201d she said of the ongoing construction in the area.<\/p>\n Commissioner Jack Porter raised concerns about St. Joe \u201cacting in good faith.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m concerned that we would postpone without an enforceable agreement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe end goal is to build the road. Southwood has done a tremendous job of putting the pressure on St Joe,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the company says they\u2019re committed to doing this,\u201d Dailey said.<\/p>\n Dailey made a motion to cancel the hearing against The St. Joe Company, which failed 4-1.<\/p>\n Instead, the commission agreed to postpone the punitive hearing under assurances from a St Joe representative that the road would be built soon and that the developer would meet with Southwood residents.<\/p>\n If those \u201cbenchmarks\u201d aren\u2019t met, the punitive hearing will be put back on the agenda.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n Also at Wednesday\u2019s meeting, the city commission heard an update on the city\u2019s electric scooter program, run by Spin Scooters.<\/p>\n A local landlord, Dr. Jackson, said he\u2019s started collecting the scooters that are left on his property that Spin has never picked up. He suggests the city staff come up with a plan to create a \u201cparking facility\u201d on city property to keep the scooters off of his property.<\/p>\n City officials explained that if a scooter isn\u2019t picked up, the city has the option to fine Spin, but they haven\u2019t had to enact any fines.<\/p>\n Under the city\u2019s local ordinance, the scooters are banned from FSU, FAMU and TSC unless they want to allow the scooters. They are also banned at Cascades Park. <\/p>\n Dr. Jackson\u2019s property is geofenced, so the scooters cannot end the ride in the area. <\/p>\n Commissioner Jeremy Matlow asked if Dr. Jackson had made reports to the city. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spent five years talking with the city,\u201d Dr. Jackson said. \u201cThey drive the scooters as close as they can to FSU and then they die, so they\u2019re scattered all over my properties.\u201d<\/p>\n City officials said the number of scooters on Dr. Jackson\u2019s properties has gone down since 2024 when the geofence was put into place. <\/p>\n In general, the number of rides has dropped substantially since 2020. <\/p>\n The program currently generates abut $60,000 in revenue for the city each year, but it costs about the city as much to pay for a dedicated employee to oversee the program and handle complaints.<\/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