 Plenty to cover in politics this week but let’s first dispense with the Meadowcrest apartments 3-2 vote.
Wow. Who saw that coming? Certainly not me, who skipped the entire thing for a dinner date in Tampa. I heard about it later and immediately questions came to mind.  The Crystal River Mall is a symbol of irony.
It was built 30-plus years ago on the city’s north end at a time when that entire area was expected to explode with growth.  Let’s talk about taxes. As in, going up.
The county commission set a tentative tax rate Tuesday of 8.2458 mills, which is the math calculation that determines what someone pays in property taxes. If commissioners stay the course, it’ll be the first significant increase in millage, other than cost of living, in at least 10 years. The rate will be the highest since 2017.  Tuesday was a crazy busy county commission day, with commissioners and the sheriff reaching common budget ground and the board voting 3-2 in favor of the Meadowcrest affordable apartments.
We’ll get to those soon but didn’t want to lose this in the hoopla:  People ask all the time, “How are you able to write every day?”
Wish I knew. Some days, the words just flow. Others, well, it’s a little more challenging, especially if I’m in between topics — as I was Monday at 5 p.m. when I realized if I didn’t get moving I’d be working 'til midnight again.  Happy Monday! Time for a Citrus County civics lesson.
It's in regard to a rule with a fancy name: quasi-judicial proceeding. Here’s what it means:  We can’t end this week without talking about Phil Royal.
It was six years ago that Phil, an extraordinary community leader, rising political star, and beacon of hope to — no exaggeration — thousands, died while participating in the annual Key Training Center’s Run for the Money.  There’s a reality in the pecking order of races at election time.
County commission gets all the local glory. It garners the most attention, usually the most campaign money, and definitely the best conversation. A competitive legislative race can get our attention, but more as a spectator rather than anything we’re actually invested in.  About ready to open that closet door and rip out a skeleton.
Port Citrus. Some of you are wincing, others are scratching your heads. We have a port? Cool.  Time to take this political show on the road.
Local politics now moves into the community realm, with four meet-the-candidate events scheduled over the next three weeks. It starts today (Tuesday) in Sugarmill Woods and has stops at Pine Ridge, Citrus Springs and Beverly Hills. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. 
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