After about two hours of public comment and discussion, the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged denied the approval of the Apalachee Regional Planning Council's recommendation for Big Bend Transit to become C ommunity Transportation Coordinator in Wakulla County.Wakulla Transportation has been the Wakulla County Community Transportation Coordinator for the past 35 years. During the Request for Qualifications process for the 2026-2031 designation, both Wakulla Transportation and Big Bend Transit submitted applications.During the Request for Proposal process, Big Bend Transit scored higher than Wakulla Transportation and recieved a favorable recommendation from the Apalachee Regional Planning Council.But the local board voted against the recommendation, favoring Wakulla Transportation.The commission wanted more information, including cost comparisons, assurance of compliance with the Chapter 427 statute, and more information about why the local board disapproved.Lara Edwards, the Executive Director of the Wakulla Senior Center, responded to Wednesday's decision saying, "I was very impressed by the way, their diligence, their due diligence, and not just going, 'Okay, this is recommended, approved, you know, stamp, stamp, stamp.' They were like, 'No, there's obviously some concern here. Let's look deeper into this.' And that made a big impact on me."The decision now goes back to the ARPC who will make another recommendation to the FCTD. They will host an emergency meeting following that recommendation. No dates have been set yet.This is a developing story.We'll share more updates as we get them.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less