![]() As Wednesday came to a close, all the Citrus County candidates who said they are running for office had qualified for the ballot. Deadline is noon Friday so anything can happen between now and then. I mentioned the other day that when candidates officially qualify for the ballot, either through the petition method or paying a qualifying fee, they fill out a financial disclosure form that lists all their assets and liabilities. ![]() Here at Just Wright Citrus we work our fingers to the bone getting to the crux of Citrus County politics. And I know a lot of it reads like a civics lesson. The one we all slept through in 11th grade. “My gosh,” readers say, “can’t you write about something we CARE about?” ![]() Someone asked the other day if I’ve seen the sheriff’s budget. Actually, I hadn’t. And I just glanced at it because it’s on Tuesday’s county commission agenda. ![]() It’s qualifying week in Citrus County and throughout Florida, the noon Monday to noon Friday finale to see who’s on the primary and/or general election ballot. Most names are fairly known by now. It’s rare that candidates who actually campaign prior to qualifying decide not to put their name on the ballot. Many already collected enough petition signatures to qualify. ![]() Some odds and ends after a night of light TV… — Got to give the Florida Department of Transportation credit for jumping right in when called upon. Not long after the Suncoast Parkway opened, the county started receiving complaints from Crystal Oaks residents about the turn lane problem. ![]() I’ve heard from many people over the years who were wronged by the government, but the ones I feel for most are victims of unintended consequences. That’s when the government does one thing that makes sense but it adversely affects someone who had no role in the government’s original intent. Sort of an innocent bystander. ![]() T’was 10 years ago that I first experienced the ghost candidate. His name was Robert Goocher, a 24-year-old Inverness auto mechanic, who put his name on the ballot to run for state House as a Democrat. It was a head-scratcher from the start. ![]() It is ironic that the calls to lift watering restrictions seem to get louder during the rainy summer season, but that’s exactly what happens. This time of year county commissioners receive emails from residents of Citrus Hills, Pine Ridge, Sugarmill Woods and the like asking the county to lift the once-weekly watering restriction for their lawns. ![]() It’s the first Monday in June, perfect time for a civics lesson. (Groan!) One of the more interesting government stories in Florida is the annual rite of the governor signing the state budget and at the same time exercising his line-item veto authority to eliminate specific projects. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
February 2025
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