Despite budget cuts, the FHP station in Bradford County remains open.
The station was one of ten put on the list for closures beginning July 1st, but the Bradford County Sheriff's office kept it open. Sheriff Gordon Smith says it cost between 250 to 300 dollars to keep the lights on, phones ringing, and internet streaming which smith says will be connected sometime next week.
Other than the Florida Highway Patrol troopers using the facility, it has no ties to FHP anymore. The Sheriff's Office is using fines, like late fees on tickets, to keep the building open.
Sheriff Gordon Smith says, "that's very beneficial to the small counties, such as Bradford county, to have our local FHP station that's another facility where people can go to, without having to leave our county to have access to the same things as those in a large county."
Had the sheriff decided not to keep this station open, troopers covering this area would have to go to the Jacksonville office. A distance they won't have to travel anytime soon.