Flying high over business park

Tuesday morning was celebration time near the Inverness Airport.

Over 20 years since the idea of an industrial park at the airport first saw the light of day, county commissioners and business leaders gathered to toss some dirt with gold-colored shovels.

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More than just a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Inverness Airport Business Park, Tuesday was a sigh of relief for county officials and business leaders who wondered if we were ever going to get anything moving.

They needed something to smile at. Something to celebrate.

Tuesday morning was it.

I recall, barely, the county buying that 80-acre property at the south end of the airport. I recall, barely, County Commission conversations over the years here and there about developing it for a business park.

But it never really got off the ground. It seemed to fade like so many other economic development opportunities over the last three decades. Another idea kicked to the curb.

Behind the scenes, though, the economic and political brain trust of the county didn’t give up. The county twice asked for and received state funds to get the site “shovel-ready” for development.

We’re at the official start of site prep work. The clock for development of a business park that will bring high-wage jobs has begun.

Chamber CEO Josh Wooten was a county commissioner when the county bought this land in 2001. They had a vision then and Tuesday he was grinning ear to ear watching it finally start to play out.

“We’ve gone from a culture of ‘that ain’t going to happen’ to, it’s happening,” he said.

So just because something seems out of reach right now doesn’t make it impossible. We need to keep that in mind these days as we’re discussing the county’s future.

Two quick observations from the groundbreaking:

— It sure was nice seeing Chairman Ruthie Davis Schlabach not only attend the ceremony but also give brief remarks.

— Added bonus: Former Senate President Bill Galvano was there. Galvano preceded Wilton Simpson as president and supported the business park funding.

Now his law firm represents the engineering consultant on the business park project. I interviewed him for my Florida Politics story, and Ruthie’s husband Jarey sent me a photo of me doing that interview.

Galvano was a good sport with me. In turn, I didn’t mention that whole M-CORES yuck. Win-win.

One more thing.

It’s true we Citrus Countians like to debate the airports and using public funds on them and such, but let me suggest something.

I know squat about airports. No idea how they operate, how they make money, their regulations or how they prevent all those planes from bumping into one another. I have no idea how any of that works.

Fortunately, in Citrus County, we have two well-run airports overseen by people who know what they’re doing. A county airport advisory board keeps tabs as well. Our business and political leaders with the best Tallahassee connections secured $14 million to get the property ready for development.

My point is, the experts are solidly behind this project. Some, like Wooten, have waited a very long time to reach the point of Tuesday’s groundbreaking. Why would people keep with that kind of dedication if they didn’t think the community benefited from the end result?

It’s simple for me. I trust ‘em. If they’re happy, I’m happy.

County Administrator Steve Howard says we’re two years away from the property being ready for development. In the meantime, the county will install the roads, sewers and stormwater — make it shovel-ready. 

The county will also create a master plan for the airports that pull all this together, including what to do with the animal shelter property once the county is able to open a new shelter in Lecanto.

I’m mentioning that to suggest this is a good one to pay attention to, especially for those with a keen interest in the airports, economic development and business parks. I’ll make sure it stays on the Just Wright Citrus radar. I’m confident it’ll be a county commission campaign issue in 2024.

Look. Citrus County is going through so many changes and we’re just starting. Every day there’s something new. It can feel a little overwhelming.

To that extent, we need to celebrate important milestones, days we’ll look back on fondly. Tuesday’s groundbreaking didn’t create a single job (unless you’re in the gold shovel business) but it opens the door to so many possibilities a short distance down the road.

This is good stuff folks. It’s OK to smile.

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