 Happy Friday before the weekend bone chill!
Three words for today’s blog: Bunny, crate, and Bible. Let’s get to it. Buddy had been gone for six months when I brought Bunny home. Buddy, as you recall, was not a planned adoption. He appeared on the road, and next thing I know, he was lounging on my couch.  Happy Thursday!
A Citrus County School District educator reached out a few months back, asking to discuss a nonprofit she and her husband had started. The three of us met for a Cattle Dog chat and talked for nearly two hours. I was so impressed with their nonprofit, Peer Leaders in Engineering, because its aim is to teach middle- and high-school kids hands-on skills for success. That’s simplifying it, but you get the picture.  Hey, it’s Wednesday! A little bit of this, a little bit of that:
— The County Commission will get proposals from consultants to do the design work and buy right of way for the C.R. 491 widening between Pine Ridge and Hampshire boulevards. Commissioner Janet Barek, whose district this project is in, brought up what I mentioned a few weeks ago. It makes zero sense to stop this project at Hampshire when another mile or so up the road gets us to Deltona Boulevard, an entrance into a growing area of Citrus Springs.  Blame it on Cattle Dog chats.
See, I had something planned for today that I’ve been thinking about for a few weeks, so you know I’m ready to spill it. It requires a fair amount of targeted research, which I planned to handle Monday between two Cattle Dog chats. Well, the two became three, and that sucked all the available minutes out of the day.  Happy Monday, Citrus County!
Time to grab the parka from the closet, fire up the electric blanket, and line up hot soups for the week. Cuz it’s going to get cold. Floridians have an arrogance about the winter cold. Sure, we say, it’ll be daytime 50s and a little chilly at night. But we’ll be at 70 again in no time while the rest of the nation freezes.  Happy Thursday, Citrus County! Sez the man in Tallahassee.
Let’s talk a little about U.S. 19 and perceptions. I can’t think of another 3-hour drive better than the one between Crystal River and Tallahassee. I am on the road a lot, constantly seeking scenic routes through Florida, and there are very few that touch this one.  This isn’t my typical Wilton Simpson blog.
I usually talk about the fond relationship he shares with Citrus County, both before as Senate President and now as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and how that’s parlayed into millions of dollars in state funding for local projects. Or how the “Wilton meeting” is one of the most sought-after during the annual Citrus County Legislative Days, taking place this week in Tallahassee.  It was around this time four years ago driving to Tallahassee when I received a text to call Stacey Worthington.
I had just penned a blog saying that the County Commission District 2 race, which at that time had just one candidate, needed competition. Stacey got into the race, battled it with Diana Finegan, and we had an election. Now Diana is running for re-election, Stacey is again challenging, and we’ll see who or what comes next.  A recent Cattle Dog chat rocked my world.
It occurred around New Year’s with a longtime friend. I’ve known this man for over 30 years in professional and personal circles. He’s a leader in our community; he follows and encourages the Just Wright Citrus mission. He came armed with a specific message: It’s time for personal responsibility.  Happy chill Friday!
The calendar may say mid-January, but we all know the Florida Manatee Festival kicks off the year in Citrus County. It should surprise no one that my favorite Manatee Fest memories involve Deb. Particularly, our first one together. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 37 years. 
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