 Bunny is moving up in the world.
Thanks to lightning and thunder. My beagle mix is terrified of storms. Even when she hears rain on the roof, Bunny is looking for a place to hide. Let me back up some.  Now, that’s what I call politics.
Give me a six-hour public hearing, concluding a 15-hour day that pushes commissioners to the brink of exhaustion, and I’m on the edge of my seat. OK, not literally. Let’s not get too goofy. It’s not the World Series.  It’s Wednesday, and plenty to discuss.
T’was a long County Commission day. I watched most of it from home, including the marathon Tuscany hearing. Judge me if you must. Youthful exuberant reporter Mike wanted to be there in person; 66-year-old blogger Mike said to watch online from the World Headquarters. The old dude won.  This is how it starts.
Smart people with passion gathering in one room Tuesday, staring at a seemingly impossible task but eager to make it work. So goes the Citrus Hope discussion.  Happy Monday after July 4th weekend! All rested and ready to continue summer?
Good, let’s go. So, a few months back, Commissioner Jeff Kinnard returned from a wonderful wedding anniversary vacation to Spain with a crazy idea: 11-month building moratorium.  It’s July 2, so let’s talk about free speech.
We had a protest in Inverness a few weeks back that was well attended. I can’t say it’s the largest attendance for a protest in Citrus County, but right up there. Wandering through the crowds that day, it struck me what a glorious freedom we have:  Learned a long time back not to write about things I know nothing about.
Sgt. Kyle Lovelady, the soldier in today’s photo, changed my mind for one day. I’ll return to him in a minute. It's the Fourth of July week. It’s fireworks, burgers on the grill, plenty of red, white, and blue, and the general happiness that accompanies our nation’s birthday bash.  Hey, it’s July 4th week, so let’s celebrate civic involvement.
Folks are getting citizen feedback for a potential referendum on the 2026 ballot to raise the sales tax from 6 cents on the dollar to 7 cents. That extra penny would bring Citrus County tens of millions of dollars for potential projects. The Chamber of Commerce took on the role of receiving community feedback. It conducted four sparsely attended town hall meetings, and now has the matter online for folks to participate virtually.  Someone asked me recently what I do in my spare time.
I stared at her for a moment. “That’s a good question,” I responded, and then didn’t really give an answer. It’s not that I don’t have spare time. I just don’t have much of it. The blog consumes practically the entire day. I’m always researching online, texting with a source, having Cattle Dog chats with community leaders, or on the road traveling the byways of Citrus County.  It’s Wednesday, so let’s have a little Q-and-A.
This is the specialized JWC feature where I talk to myself. I ask the questions, I provide the answers. It’s like a typical evening at the World Headquarters. Let’s get to it: |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 37 years. 
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