 It’s July, so let’s celebrate America.
Citrus County style. The tech gremlins are still causing havoc at World Headquarters III, so we’re coming today from the Lakes Region Library in Inverness, a place I’ve spent many a day.  Happy Monday! We’re celebrating ‘Merica’s 250th this week in Citrus County style.
I can’t remember when I first became interested in local politics, but I recall my dad having a campaign sign for our state representative in the front yard. I had no idea what it meant, or even why it was there. Sal Rocca was his name. Incredible that I know that.  Let’s see. We’re near the end of June, time to turn a calendar page, that can only mean one thing:
JWC photo page! I always enjoy the photo page. It serves as a gentle reminder that my photo, um, “skills” remain theoretical at best, despite my best attempts to jazz ‘em up.  And we’re done.
This news cycle. Thanks to Deltona dropping the Holder data center, we’ve completed another local news cycle. Good timing, too, because we’re headed into the news dead zone that starts July 1 and runs through July 5. See, Fourth of July isn’t one day, it’s an entire week of celebration. This year, more than ever.  It was halfway through a political event Tuesday night when I realized that the blog I had waiting for me at World Headquarters III wouldn’t cut it.
Nothing specifically wrong with the blog or its subject. I kinda like it. But I held it for now, a wise choice, but once again left me staring at a blank computer screen at 8:30 p.m. Candidates participated in a “stump speech social” event at the Chamber of Commerce office in Crystal River. While I was there to mingle with all candidates, I keyed in on a few in particular, including the subject of the blog back home.  Happy Tuesday! Rambling on the County Commission meeting that I watched from home, which accounts for today’s totally random photo of a Citrus County waterway:
— Deltona Corp. certainly has done itself no favors in the public perception arena. Bad enough for a wildly unpopular data center development in Holder, but Deltona’s request to delay the decision until November was a terribly dumb strategic move. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Deltona would even try such a maneuver. Everyone could see right through it. Clearly designed to buy time with the election.  Happy summer! You know, I was just thinking how we could use a little warmer weather around here.
Speaking of steamy subjects…data centers! They’ve captured our political imaginations like never before. Whether someone is fit for office or not boils down to her opinion on data centers. Anything less than a total thumbs down is met with derision and suspicion. Candidates have become sudden data center experts and advocates.  See our photo today? Pictured is the person most responsible for the creation of Just Wright Citrus.
And it’s not the guy on the left. We’ll come back to that. Today is a special message of grace. It’s a little story about how I arrived at this juncture in my life, and the truth that I wouldn’t be where I am if not for the grace of five specific individuals.  Full disclosure: I wouldn’t know a redfish if it swam into World Headquarters III and fixed me lunch.
But a mess of ‘em are getting released Saturday morning at Pirates Cove in Ozello as part of a fundraiser for the new park. Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, who spearheaded the county’s purchase of Pirates Cove, came up with the "Adopt-a-redfish" idea. It’s fairly basic: Businesses paid $100 to sponsor a fish; each one is tagged with a phone number for anglers to call for a gift worth a minimum of $50 from that sponsoring business.  It’s Wednesday, so let’s discuss, oh, I don’t know.
Just Wright Citrus broke the news Tuesday on its Facebook page that Chamber president/CEO Josh Wooten wouldn’t be criminally charged in the May 12 incident at the County Commission. The social media response was numerous and interesting. I only had to delete a few comments (remember, kids, no foul language!) as most were fairly spot on. Some supported the State Attorney’s decision, and some were against it. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 39 years. 
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