Everywhere we look, there it is

​Happy Tuesday!

Don’t be offended, but today’s blog is the one I had teed up for Monday with a few tweaks. Still timely, though.

Unless matters change, it’s good to ease up on the accelerator every so often. That’s this week. While I didn’t plan on booting Monday’s blog due to technical issues, it’s a good week for that to happen.

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You see, it’s all about pacing.

We just came away from a harrowing few months where the growth debate was hot and heavy. Centered in Beverly Hills with the Tuscany Ranch development, the ill-advised C.R. 491 appropriation request, and Chair Rebecca Bays casting the deciding yes vote.

It’s difficult to jump from that right into something else. We need a break from the heavy stuff. So, some random thoughts…

— A Crystal Oaks woman sent me a short video Friday of sand trucks lined up before 7 a.m. at Crystal Ridge, the new 950-home development being built right behind her house. The video was from the lanai. I could easily see how this development’s activities would disturb her morning peace.

Some in our community, no doubt, appreciate all the construction and land-clearing activities. Others, such as my Crystal Oaks friend, can’t escape from it even in her own home.

Welcome to the delicate balance that is Citrus County.

— A few readers noted with Monday’s photo of U.S. 19 that the state reduced the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph between Crystal River and Homosassa. Some wondered if it’ll go back to 55 mph now that the road widening is done.

Yes! Sorta, anyway. Parts will be 55 mph, parts 50 and parts 45. It isn't unusual to see speed limits drop when roads are widened.

The county used a similar guideline with the widening of C.R. 486. It was 55 mph at two lanes, then dropped to 45 mph when expanded to four lanes. Only after citizens grumbled did commissioners strike a balance, setting the speed limit at 50.

That’s probably more than you’ll ever want to know about speed limits. Certainly more than I want to know.

— The Southworth sand mine near Pine Ridge comes to the County Commission for a public hearing on Aug. 12. The recommendation from a special master, which the county uses in mining cases instead of the planning commission, is for denial because the land owner had no reclamation plan once the sand pit is dug out.

This will be very interesting. The reason the county went to a special master over the planning commission in mining cases was because of the complexity of extraction. So, now the county’s expert hearing officer is saying the sand pit doesn’t pass muster.

Meanwhile, FDOT is counting on that sand for its next section of the Suncoast Parkway construction. Without it, FDOT is strongly suggesting it could buy land nearby for sand mining and ignore county setback regulations.

The message is clear: Public, you’re BETTER OFF if Southworth is approved. If not, the state will come in here and pillage the land without a single care for Citrus Countians.

One hundred percent nonsense.

The first commissioner who uses that as an excuse to say yes needs a return to zoning school. Is the proposed use compatible with surrounding areas? Are rules in place to protect neighbors from noise, dirt, and groundwater contamination? That’s the issue in a zoning case. Not outside threats.

Drives me batty when a commissioner or city council person uses non-zoning reasons to support a zoning request. The property owner’s popularity or standing in the community has zero bearing on whether the project is compatible with neighbors.

This sand mine application shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as FDOT or the Suncoast Parkway, other than that the owner says the sand will be trucked directly to the parkway construction site without accessing public roads. That part is significant. That the state needs sand, and wants to get it from Southworth, is not.

And that’s your Tuesday. Enjoy it, friends.

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