JUST WRIGHT CITRUS
  • Home
  • Just Blogs
  • About

Howard has this place cooking

8/16/2023

 
Picture
Here’s what I can tell you about County Administrator Steve Howard:

Very little.

​
I can’t figure that guy out at all.

I’ve written about every Citrus County administrator except the first one. Gotten to know some better than others. They all had particular strengths, challenges and quirks.

Howard’s been on the job for over eight months and it was pretty quiet there for a while. I’d ask county folks, “What’s up with the new administrator? Everyone happy?”

Howard talks at a fast clip but he’s soft spoken. He uses catchphrases quite often, which is both quirky but also fits his personality to a T. 

His slogan for 2023: “The year of, ‘make it happen.’”

Howard’s leadership was on full display this week at the County Commission’s strategic update workshop. Now. I had zero clue what to expect at this meeting. The board’s never had one before. Usually there’s the goal-setting workshop at the year’s start…and then nothing until the next year’s goal setting workshop.

That wasn’t the plan Tuesday morning at all. Instead, Howard laid out a map of progress to show the county really has a lot of irons in the fire.

It’s when I realized that the new administrator is not only an optimist, he’s a get-things-done kind of leader who inspires others to do the same.

Commissioner Diana Finegan, who while still a candidate participated in the interviewing of administrator applicants, said that within 10 minutes of speaking with Howard, “I knew without a shadow of doubt he was our guy.”

Howard and his staff provided a progress report on some of the county’s biggest projects, including:

  •  C.R. 491 widening to complete four lanes between S.R. 44 and C.R. 486: Construction bids expected for County Commission approval Oct. 24.– Animal Shelter will be at 60% design in December, which means no groundbreaking this year. An update on the project is on Tuesday’s commission agenda.
  • Approved $2 million in funding for a behavioral health center. LifeStream facility agreement on the board’s Aug. 22 agenda.
  • Broke ground on Inverness Airport Business Park. Funded in part with a $9 million state appropriation.
  • Conducted a pay and classification study with pay changes included in the proposed 2024 budget.
  • Moving toward returning traffic concurrency to Citrus County. This is huuuge and hopefully not too late, but we have many miles (ha!) to go before this becomes a reality. The board will talk about it Oct. 24.
  • Beverly Hills is getting pickleball courts to replace the filled-in pool. Bids go to the commission Sept. 1.

It was probably one of the smoothest planning workshops I’ve seen. These things can be clumsy if no one takes the lead, but Howard made sure that didn’t happen.

(Click here to see the reports commissioners viewed during Tuesday's workshop.)

Two other thoughts from the strategy meeting:

— There was some talk, very little, about the survey. This is the survey that went out to numerous well-connected community organizations but elicited less than 20 responses, and some of those were from county employees.

The consultant both went over results and downplayed them at the same time. Finegan, for one, was not impressed given the small sample.

“I don’t know if this is indicative of anything,” she said.

A communication plan is part of the county’s strategy. This survey plays some small part in it.

This is one where I’m not sure the vision has quite reached the public yet.

— I’m running a boring photo of the meeting for one reason: I miss Ruthie.

We forget sometimes that the County Commission is composed of five neighbors. And that Citrus County’s most influential local board has just five members.

Remove one and it’s quite noticeable.

I have not bothered Chairman Ruthie Davis Schlabach during her time away. A text or two to let her know I’m thinking of her, but that’s about it. 

Ruthie is head-strong and very much enjoys public service on the County Commission. She’s also being treated for cancer. The priorities are clear.

But I miss her. A four-member County Commission is no fun. Always a potential for tie votes, which do nothing but stall the process.

Here’s hoping that A) Ruthie is improving and taking care of her health, and B) she’s back driving us crazy, chairing County Commission meetings as soon as possible. 

Please continue to keep Ruthie in your prayers.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Mike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years.

    Picture
    Mike Bays State Farm Ad - Click to visit!
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Kovach Law Ad - Click to visit!
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Kinnard Chiropractic Ad - Click to visit!
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021

Home

Today's Blog

About

Just Wright Citrus Logo
 Copyright © 2022
Created by Joshua Brunk and Noah Breder
  • Home
  • Just Blogs
  • About