 Happy Friday! It’s annual report time. We started the annual report after Year One of Just Wright Citrus, kept it going last year, and now we’re seeing Year Three conclude. Before the details, this little story illustrates well how we’re doing: Took a walk with Bunny on the state trail the other day. Approaching were two bicyclists. As one zipped by, I heard a voice: “Love the blog!”
That stuff happens all the time. Random readers appear out of nowhere to tell me they read the blog, enjoy the blog, or disagree with the blog. It’s incredibly humbling. It also backs up what the numbers suggest: Just Wright Citrus is becoming a household name in Citrus County. We didn’t exist three years ago. Now we’re headed into a fourth year and have become a regular 3-to-5-minute daily reading habit for folks. So, let’s get to it.
We did quite well, thank you. Strictly numbers: We started the year with 4,800 Facebook followers and finished with 7,100 followers. Just Wright Citrus continues to grow at a steady pace. Adding followers means we expand the net of people joining the conversation. My mission: Tell Citrus Countians things they should know and wouldn’t know if I didn’t tell them. I look back at 2024 and see we had detailed conversations about stuff that matters. Heck, the sheriff’s race alone was decided by the folks who read this blog. So, overall, we kept on mission. May have strayed here and there, but our focus remains sharp.
— Conversation. Yup. Had a lot of that here. I want a place where people feel safe to offer opinions without being labeled or called out, and Just Wright Citrus is that place. I removed far, far fewer comments in 2024 than the year before. I blocked one or two people who insisted on being jerks. If it hadn’t done so already, in 2024 JWC established itself as Citrus County’s thinktank. — Community involvement. I really want Just Wright Citrus to have a community presence. It’s not enough for me to write about Citrus County; I want to contribute as well. I dabbled in T-shirts this year (I still have several small size “I am frequently wrong” shirts if anyone wants one) and had a crazy idea about “W” stickers adorning bumpers throughout Citrus County. I think there are 20 or so out there. The big contribution, of course, is the Buddy Bandana Scholarship. I’ll get into this another time, but we made our $1,000 goal. I look forward to awarding that scholarship to a deserving Crystal River High School student. What a loving legacy for my Buddy.
Well, I hope so. I had a Cattle Dog chat with a longtime friend the other day who wondered how I reconcile taking advertising sponsorships from politically connected people when I’m the sole writer of an opinion blog. Good question. Let me explain. Despite what you might think, few people have higher journalistic ethical standards than me. It’s imperative to get this right. I am the face and voice of the blog. I lose your trust; I lose it all. I also need to make a living. I don’t talk about that much here, but sponsoring advertisers pays the bills. Readers offer occasional donations, and some actually have a Patreon subscription that pays me $8 a month (links are below each day's blog). So, I’m trying to balance earning a living with making sure it’s done ethically. After 2022, I haven’t taken campaign ads because it simply wasn’t a good look. Perception is everything in this business. Just Wright Citrus advertising sponsors are locked into the community, and that’s all I care about. I’m appreciative of every single one of them. (Along with their ads on the website, each sponsor is listed atop my homepage. Please consider supporting them.) I could not do this without an income. That’s reality. My goal is to balance that business side with the mission but not make it the mission. See the difference? As always, please let me know if there are concerns. (Also message me if you’d like to join the Just Wright Citrus effort.)
Yup.
Simply, we want to increase Just Wright Citrus’ influence and relevance as we tackle the big issues that drive us nuts: roads, traffic, growth, housing, politics, taxes, and development. We don’t simply gripe here every day. Decision-makers follow these conversations. And we’re going to keep having fun. I never want to take myself too seriously. I don’t have answers, I just ask questions and then see where the conversation goes. We have something very interesting here, Citrus County. It’s a hybrid, one that other communities wished they had. If that sounds like bragging, know this. The bragging is on YOU. Voices have always shaped this community. Now, more so than ever. Eager for what 2025 brings. So happy to share it with friends. Join the discussion on our Facebook page. Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. 
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January 2025
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