Note: I planned to update this blog to correct that Ozello Trail is not the only county road with mile markers, that they're also on Fort Island Trail.
We’ve spent a lot of time recently talking about Ozello so let’s end the week with a funny story from years gone by. Some people think all I do is sit in the back of the room and wait for county commissioners to trip up so I can point out their clumsiness
Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach did something last month that I’d never seen any commissioner do:
Driving up to the College of Central Florida campus Thursday night for the turnpike meeting I had the feeling I had been here before.
And I had – more times than I can count. Can anyone keep track of the Florida Department of Transportation public meetings on road projects? In the past few years, I’ve attended dozens and they all follow the same theme. This latest salvo is resurrecting an idea decades ago to extend Florida’s Turnpike from Wildwood to some part west, probably U.S. 19 between Crystal River and Chiefland. The idea is the future Suncoast Parkway will skirt U.S 19 and then skip around towns and communities, reaching I-10 in Jefferson County. Thursday night, yet another room full of concerned citizens wanted to know if this turnpike idea, which is seriously on no one’s radar, is really going anywhere. Like through their front yard. The likely answer: Maybe. The turnpike was the surviving project of three studied by M-CORES, yet another state highway idea brought by politicians who seem to have little regard with spending millions of dollars on projects that have little chance of survival. Not saying that’s the turnpike’s fate. Just saying we’ve been here many, many times. Citrus County seems to be the epicenter for the state’s toll road future. With the Suncoast opening in early 2022 at S.R. 44, and legislation now in place to move it further along to U.S. 19 at Red Level, the state has had various plans to move it further north in some direction. But it faces a political reality that didn’t exist in Citrus, which has longed for the Suncoast Parkway since it was a gleam in the eye of Tampa Bay lawmakers many years ago. It made sense from an economic standpoint to connect Citrus with the Tampa area, and the parkway does that. The state, though, has found less willing partners north of us. And therein lies the problem, so to speak. The Legislature and governor can say they want a new road, but the law requires local support. Sure enough, the FDOT maps for the four propose turnpike routes already have the city of Dunnellon up in arms and the city council there has come out in opposition. Based on past attempts – I-75 Relief Task Force, M-CORES, Coastal Connector – the state has found very little support in counties to the north to ram an expressway through their rural land. Gotta give FDOT folks credit though. No one runs a better public information meeting, probably because they’ve done it so often. So what’s going to happen with the turnpike? The law requires a report to the governor and Legislature by end of next year. Senate President Wilton Simpson said he expects the state to put turnpike plans into a work program, but the priority is extending the Suncoast. In other words, don’t get too frantic now. Several people have wondered where the county commission is on this. That’s a fair question, but rather than ask commissioners if they support or don’t support the turnpike extension, let’s have a conversation over how we feel about being connected via high-speed toll roads to Orlando. What’s the economic benefit for us then? Fortunately, there’s plenty of time. Our experience with FDOT tells us not to get too excited one way or another about the turnpike extension. Maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t. Hate to think of transportation planning in that way, but welcome to Florida. Your eyes do not deceive.
That’s me on the left, looking relaxed and content. On the right? Oh, that’s Citrus County Commission Chairman Ron Kitchen Jr. The one who, two years ago, said he would never speak with me again. More accurately, he said he would never talk to the Chronicle again. He meant a certain number of people, and I was near the top of that list. Other than an occasional “good afternoon” as a Tuesday board meeting begins, he hasn’t said a word to me since November 2019 when the New York Times thing exploded. Yet there we sat for nearly two hours, in his commission office, having a dynamic off the record chat that I count as an instant classic. You may be saying, “Off the record! What good is that, you dummy?” Perhaps you didn’t hear. I said TWO YEARS. I’ve never had a politician shut me out that long. I’ve known Ron for quite a while and we’ve had some conversations that went toe-to-toe, but I missed our chats. Besides, I don’t need to write the “Ron Kitchen’s Agenda as Chairman'' story. We seriously need to look beyond that rhetoric and start setting the conversation standard a little higher. And that is why Thursday’s time with Ron was so significant. He sees it too. Without getting into the details of how the feud began, because we are NOT going down that road again, I cannot overemphasize the significance here. Ask around. It was a big deal at the time. I attended the turnpike meeting Thursday night in Lecanto and told some people, who know ALL ABOUT IT, that Ron and I had healed that wound. They were genuinely shocked. Without saying a word, I showed one guy the photo of Ron and me. He looked at it for a moment and blurted, “You are (bad word) me.” Ron has long claimed he doesn’t read the Chronicle and he hasn’t read anything I’ve written since my retirement. After the dustup about whether he should be chairman or not, he seemed to have had a change of heart in one important area. At his first meeting as chairman, Kitchen expressed his admiration for veteran Chronicle reporter Mike Bates, someone we all respect, who’s on the county commission beat. A few days later, I saw Kitchen quoted in a Buster Thompson story, the first time that’s happened in the Chronicle in, well, two years. So I sent a note to Ron asking for a sit-down and he agreed. No one should take this as a sign Ron Kitchen is softening. Ron will be Ron until he bangs the gavel for the final time in November 2022. And he knows better to think I’ll be his lapdog. But we have a much deeper understanding of one another. As the clock moved closer to 12:30 p.m., I asked for one last favor: Could I get a photo and post it on Just Wright Citrus? He said absolutely and administrative assistant Doug Wright snapped a few pictures. I don’t make a habit of holding politicians on pedestals and that certainly isn’t the case here. But boy it is sure good to know the county commission chairman wants dialogue with the public through, at least in some part, Citrus County reporters. Let’s hope it lasts. And one more thing: If Ron Kitchen and Mike Wright can sweep away the past and focus on the future, even for one morning, it’s a huge victory. It shows what’s possible if we let old wounds heal and prepare for future battles, because they will come. Battles that don’t need to become wars. We don’t have time for that. After the photo we stood and shook hands, each wishing the other Merry Christmas. Old friends, old adversaries. A new day. What’s that you say? You’d like a rundown of Tuesday’s county commission agenda highlights and not make it boring?
That’s what I’m here for. –Scrolling down the agenda, I see tucked in the middle of a list of bid approvals is the one for the design/build of the Fort Island Trail trail. It’s a request for proposals with an interesting direction to the winning bidder: You have a $1 million budget. Build us as much of a bike trail you can with that money from Fort Island Gulf Beach heading east. A bike trail on Fort Island Trail is a very good idea and another boost to tourism. But starting it at the beach and working backwards seems, I don’t know, a little backwards. Not sure I understand the logic of starting a bike trail 10 miles from the highway where other bike trails are now located. I’d sure like to hear from bicyclists about that idea. – Three SCOP projects. These are county road repaving projects, not to be confused with neighborhood road repaving projects that we explained in detail Wednesday. SCOP is a state transportation program aimed at helping small counties. As grants go, it’s a great program. In counties of population under 150,000, the state will pay for 75% of repaving projects on regular county roads (as opposed to the one you live on). These three are: Sections of Yulee Drive in Homosassa, Withlacoochee Trail in Dunnellon and Turner Camp Road in Inverness. – “Juiced for Citrus” event funding. The agenda memo states that “Juiced for Citrus” is an event to “host site selectors to tour key development sites, participate in tourism and community networking opportunities and learn more about strategic sites and projects in Citrus County.” The event will be in February and cost about $7,400. Something tells me commissioners may have questions about this one. – Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach wants to have a specific time set for the second open-to-the public section. Right now public comment is set for 1:30 p.m. and again whenever the meeting comes to an end. Could be 4 p.m., could be 4:03 p.m. Schlabach is recommending a second public comment at 6 p.m. so that working folks can come give commissioners their opinions on various things. While that seems sound, it has a history of reality not matching the concept. The idea of having public comments reserved for a time when people are off work makes perfect sense. But every single time this has been tried it fails for the very basic reason that most folks don’t attend a county commission meeting unless they have to. Over the years the county commission and school board both have experimented with mixing meeting times and public comment portions to attract working men and women to meetings. It may have some public support but it fizzles quickly. And boards that set specific time for public comment every so often found themselves with the day’s business completed, but they had to hang around in an empty room until the time certain public comment in case someone showed up. Plus, new board Chairman Ron Kitchen Jr. hates time-certain items on the agenda because he believes they interfere with the flow of the meeting. Commissioners will be in the middle of some topic when they have to stop, put it aside, and handle an issue with a specific agenda time. – 5 p.m. zoning hearing on the RV resort that attorney John Eden is building just east of Inverness. This was the case of the ridiculous annexation lawsuit between the county and city of Inverness. The county “won”, which is why it is doing the zoning instead of the city. Nothing on your personal agenda Tuesday? Come out and watch your county government in action. A few weeks ago, while strumming through a county commissioner’s email, I came across one from a Citrus Springs resident about the lousy roads. The writer mentioned the condition of six streets in her neighborhood, but not from a driving standpoint.
This is what she said about one street: “Very dangerous, awful, potholes, cracks, dips, holes, crumbled road, patches on patches on patches. Very difficult walking. When the sun is in your eyes, you just can’t see these problems. Eventually someone is going to get very hurt. And it’s not good for cars either.” She added: “You can’t just drive down these roads or look on the computer. You have to walk them. Then you’ll see what I’m talking about.” Some observations: Citrus Springs folks, we feel your pain. I’m in Citrus Springs a lot and some of the streets there are unrecognizable as roads. Just a crumble of asphalt, weeds and, as the writer said, “patches on patches on patches.” But the idea that the roads are a problem for WALKING, well, sorry but that just isn’t going to cut it. County commissioners are not going to be swayed to repave streets so people can more easily walk on them. Hey, I get it. Neighborhood walks with friends, spouses, children and dogs is a great outdoor activity. I’m sure stumbling along some of these streets is annoying as heck. But it’s a terrible reason to spend millions of dollars repaving a street. A walkable street may be the result of resurfacing but not the aim. Another thing the writer mentioned is about the street being resurfaced when no one lives on them. A common misunderstanding in Citrus Springs. There are two neighborhood road repaving programs: The one for Citrus Springs and everyone else (excluding the cities), and the one just for Citrus Springs. The one for Citrus Springs and everyone else uses a formula that I could not even begin to explain. It’s a combination of road condition, density and whether there are utilities on the street. Also, in a decision I kind of understand but only a little, the county divides the road projects into the five commission districts. While Citrus Springs has a vast majority of the worst crumbling roads, it gets just one-fifth of the funding each year. I get geographic fairness, but that seems like a political decision and not a practical one. Then there’s the paving program for Citrus Springs only. Citrus Springs has an MSBU that charges $30 annually for a vacant lot, and $35 for one with a house. That money goes for beautification efforts (the Citrus Springs entrance off U.S. 41 is awesome) and about $300,000 a year for road repaving on top of what the county does. But there is a significant difference. MSBU money must be used equally to benefit property owners whether they have a house or not. So, unlike the county which can set criteria that includes density, the Citrus Springs MSBU criteria is very simple: worst goes first. Look. No one is happy with the neighborhood road situation, unless you’re a recipient of repaving. The county’s recent lackluster attempt to bring sales tax into the conversation fell flat, as it should. County commissioners have an annual think tank session in early January. Expect this to come up, as it has in the past and will until it’s solved one way or another. When it comes to the Suncoast Parkway, you won’t find a bigger collective supporter than the Citrus County Commission.
Not just the current board, but county commission majorities have enthusiastically backed the parkway into and through Citrus County for over 20 years. Commissioners are giddy about the parkway’s expected opening to S.R. 44 in January, and the work that’s expected to follow – parkway to C.R. 486, then to U.S. 19 near Red Level. So, all cheer for the parkway. The Florida Turnpike extension? Not so much. And that’s where it gets tricky. The state wants to extend the turnpike from Wildwood to either the Suncoast Parkway or U.S. 19. It has proposed four potential routes – two generally go through Marion and Levy counties, and the other two generally go through Citrus, slicing near Inverness and Hernando, into Citrus Springs. Two public meetings are set this week at the College of Central Florida – Tuesday in Chiefland and Thursday in Lecanto. I haven’t heard a soul in Citrus County who thinks this is a good idea so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of reaction state transportation folks get at these meetings. Also interesting is the county commission’s silence. Bill Hunter, a recent resident of Pine Ridge, attends the county commission meetings regularly. Near the conclusion of last Tuesday’s meeting, during the public comment portion, he got up and asked commissioners their views on the turnpike extension. Are they for it or against it? He received the political version of the deer in the headlights look. Commissioners talked in generalities and Chairman Ron Kitchen Jr. noted the board hasn’t taken a position. The county administrator said he would schedule an agenda item for commissioners to do that. The truth, though, is county commissioners want nothing to do with this turnpike issue. Citrus County has become known as a team player for regional transportation issues. Our commissioners and county staff are well versed in the numerous state studies that have taken place the last 10 years trying to create a regional toll road network in these parts. Even as the Suncoast Parkway took on different roles – 486 interchange yes! 486 no! 486 yes! – Citrus County has supported whatever Tallahassee has in mind for the parkway. That’s because the parkway routes have existed for years. A deviation here and there, but few people can say the parkway caught them off guard. Not so for the turnpike. The parkway connects Citrus with Tampa Bay. The turnpike connects Citrus with Wildwood. You see the difference. I’ve heard commissioners say their view on the turnpike and other toll roads is immaterial, that the state will do what it wants. Actually, that’s a cop out because the exact OPPOSITE is true. The state will not build a road without local support in the form of backing from the local government. That’s why the state has had such difficulty sending the parkway north out of Citrus. While Citrus County eagerly awaited its turn as the toll road connected Hernando and Pasco counties to Tampa, the same eagerness does not exist north of us. Levy and Marion counties, in particular, generally do not support new highways through their vast open spaces. Yet, the state Legislature wants a report by the end of next year on the best way to connect the turnpike to U.S. 19 or some who-knows-where spot on the parkway. Two of the four proposed alignments cut through Citrus County, particularly Citrus Springs. Citrus County commissioners support the parkway and all the political advantages that go with it. They don’t want to mess with that on the turnpike, but you can bet they’ll soon start hearing from constituents about a map showing asphalt and guardrails where their front yard is now. Where does the county commission stand on the turnpike extension? Between a rock and a hard place. There is nothing quite the collective groan that emits from a disappointed county commission crowd the moment they’ve lost a 3-2 vote.
I sit in the back of the room and it all unfolds before me, just as it did Tuesday when Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach paused before very quietly voting to dash the hopes of the Ozello residents who were hoping to leave happy. But they didn’t. The county commission majority – Schlabach, Scott Carnahan and new Chairman Ron Kitchen Jr. – said they didn’t want a dime of local money going to pay for the Pirates Cove property and that was that. But if anyone really thinks the conversation has ended, they don’t know Commissioner Jeff Kinnard and they don’t know Ozello. First off, this is just another in a long series of hurdles. Ozello residents (“Ozelloeans”? “Ozelloians?” I thought I heard something like that Tuesday) – have been all over this Pirates Cove issue since the “no-name” reduced it to splinters nearly 30 years ago. Ozello might be a sleepy little community known for its scenic 9-mile road and quiet Gulf access, but I’m serious when I say you don’t want to mess with these people. When the late owner of the Pirates Cove property wanted to turn it into a resort, Ozello residents did their homework, organized forces, made the contacts and got projects stopped. While at the Chronicle, I attended a few Ozello Civic Association meetings on Saturday mornings. The meeting hall was packed with residents who knew what the heck they were talking about. That’s the way it is for communities that don’t get a lot of attention. Over the years, the really successful community wins have occurred in areas most people wouldn’t have even known existed. The biggest of these is Heatherwood, a small rural neighborhood south of Inverness that for 10 years fought not only a big mining company, but also the county bureaucrats who wanted to give in to the big mining company. Heatherwood won. The mining that would have destroyed their peaceful lives didn’t happen. One of the neighborhood leaders in that group, Joyce Valentino, was elected to county commission. Things happen when passionate citizens unite for a cause. Ozello is in similar shape. It’s never been big on the county political stage. I’ll save my funny Ozello voting story for another day, but it’s a place that’s quiet for a reason. Then a stroke of political luck fell in their laps. Not long after Jeff Kinnard was elected to the county commission in 2016, he and his wife bought property in Ozello to build a house right down the street from where we’re talking about. Close enough that a Citizen Kinnard likely would have been there Tuesday, wearing a white shirt like his neighbors. Without planning to, Kinnard had walked into the middle of one of those Pirates Cove resort fights. Residents were coming to Kinnard, their new commissioner neighbor-to-be, imploring him to see the stupidity of condos in beautiful, quiet, Ozello. Kinnard kept a public straight-arrow demeanor about the issue, but, c’mon? Here’s the quote he gave me at the Chronicle in 2017: “Rezoning to commercial in the middle of a neighborhood – I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” The Kinnards eventually found themselves staying in Dixie Shores after their home in Woodland Estates flooded. They liked Dixie Shores and decided to build there instead of Ozello. But Kinnard never forgot Ozello and Pirates Cove. He fought the fight Tuesday but it wasn’t to be. When I called him Wednesday morning, the first thing he did was express optimism that something was going to work out. He didn’t complain about the vote at all. Ozelloians and Jeff Kinnard. We haven’t heard the last of them. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
November 2024
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