Local
Six years of publicly available audited financial statements document a structural deficit that has grown to negative $13.5 million while revenue nearly doubled. Two federal corruption cases. One closed fire station. Two paramedics left.
NewsOnScale Staff
September 12, 2026
Dixie County, Florida has a population of approximately 16,000 people. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, it received $39.8 million in total revenue. Its fire station in Old Town is temporarily closed. Eight paramedics and one EMT resigned over the summer. Two remain.
That gap between the money coming in and the services failing is not new. It is documented across years of publicly available audited financial statements.
The Money Coming In
FY2019: $21.5M revenue, $25.1M expenses. FY2022: $29.8M revenue, $27.9M expenses. FY2023: $38.2M revenue, $34.1M expenses. FY2024: $39.8M revenue, $37.7M expenses.
Revenue has nearly doubled from 2019 to 2024. The county spent $3.6 million more than it received in FY2019.
The Structural Deficit Nobody Talks About
The unrestricted net position shows county financial health after accounting for all assets and liabilities. FY2018: negative $5.4 million. FY2019: negative $9.7 million. FY2022: negative $7.9 million. FY2023: negative $9.3 million. FY2024: negative $13.5 million.
The structural deficit grew by $5.5 million in three years while revenue increased by $10 million.
Where the Money Goes
In FY2024 public safety consumed $22.4 million. General government spent $6.4 million. Transportation spent $3.7 million. The pension liability grew from $15.6 million in FY2019 to $22.4 million in FY2024. The county contributes nearly $3 million annually to pension obligations.
The Fire District Fund
In FY2024, the Fire District Fund received $6.76 million against a budget of $9.07 million — a $2.3 million shortfall from expected grant funding. The fire protection fee was $40 per household in FY2019. By FY2025 it increased to $125 — a 213% increase in six years. The fire station in Old Town is closed.
The EMS Fund
The EMS Fund balance declined by $375,912 in FY2024 and by $582,725 in FY2019. Eight paramedics resigned. Two remain. The financial record shows the staffing crisis developed over years.
The Documented Corruption History
In 2009 the FBI concluded an undercover investigation of corruption in Dixie County. Former County Commissioner John Driggers, former County Commissioner Alton Land, and former Building and Zoning Inspector Willie Keen Jr. were convicted of federal bribery charges. Driggers and Land were sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.
In 2022 former State Attorney Jeffrey Alan Siegmeister was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit extortion, wire fraud, and tax fraud. Siegmeister admitted to soliciting bribes from attorneys and diverting more than $518,000 from an elderly man estate.
His co-defendant, former Dixie County Attorney Marion Michael OSteen of Old Town, was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for extorting a client. Prosecutors documented that OSteen told a client that for $60,000 he could call in a favor with Siegmeister to make a charge go away.
The FBI Special Agent in Charge said: Instead of protecting the rights of citizens, both chose to abuse their positions of authority in an effort to line their own pocketbooks.
The Questions the Audits Raise
Why did General Government spending jump from $4.2 million in FY2022 to $11.6 million in FY2023 while public safety funding declined?
Why has the unrestricted net position deficit grown to negative $13.5 million while total revenue increased by $10 million?
Why has the fire protection fee increased 213% over six years while a fire station is now closed and nine emergency services staff have resigned?
What Comes Next
NewsOnScale will be submitting a public records request to Dixie County for all communications between commissioners, the county attorney, and any data center company or representative.
Dixie County residents have a right to know where their money is going. The audits are public. The corruption convictions are public. The questions are straightforward. The answers should be too.
DISCLOSURE: NewsOnScale is an independent media publication operated by AMILLI AI CORP. JJ Johnson is the founder of AMILLI AI CORP, a Dixie County resident, and a declared candidate for President of the United States in 2028. All financial figures are drawn from publicly available audited financial statements. All corruption convictions are drawn from US Department of Justice press releases and federal court records.