I have questions. I have answers

It’s Wednesday, so let’s have a little Q-and-A.

This is the specialized JWC feature where I talk to myself. I ask the questions, I provide the answers. It’s like a typical evening at the World Headquarters.

Let’s get to it:

---

Q: Wassup?

A: Get serious.

Q: Why weren’t you at the County Commission meeting on Monday?

A: I planned to go, but ended up watching from home.

Q: That seems easier. Why not watch all the meetings from home?

A: That’s actually a good question, Just Wright. You’re correct…it would be much easier to watch County Commission meetings online. Certainly would make Bunny happier to have me around all day. And I can do other things at home while the meeting is taking place.

But it’s not comfortable. In the same way I’d rather attend a sporting event live than watch it on TV, I want to be in the room when commissioners and citizens are doing business. I can look around the room and see who’s paying attention. There are so many nuances — a smirk here, a side glance there — that are easily picked up from my seat in the back row.

That said, I’m more than happy to watch the planning commission or other county boards online. This Friday is the Pine Ridge sand mine hearing before a special master. I’ll probably watch that from home.

Q: OK, well, that was a little more explanation than we needed. Let’s talk about Monday. Commissioners had little trouble with the impact fee info. Were you surprised to see no pushback?

A: Not really. It’d be political suicide right now to come out against raising impact fees. We still have another workshop and public hearing in July before they’re approved.

Q: What about Port Citrus?

A: Back on the shelf where it belongs.

Q: Why do you say that?

A: There’s no vision, no plan, no idea, or deep thought that’s gone into this, other than the grand scheme of someone out there waiting for a Citrus County port to do business. It all seems rather vague. Lacking a strategic plan, if you will.

Q: We heard something about the barge canal boat ramp.

A: Don’t get me started.

Q: Did the workshop agenda mention anything about swapping property with the state so that the county could own acreage on the barge canal?

A: No.

Q: And did the workshop agenda mention anything about putting the brakes on a boat ramp project that’s been in the works for over 10 years and has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in plans, permitting, and staff time?

A: No.

Q: And did the workshop agenda mention anything about the county spending over $3 million to modify an existing boat ramp on the south side of the canal that's on state property?

A: No.

Q: And did commissioners reach consensus, which doesn’t carry the formal weight of an official vote, but still conveys the board’s intentions?

A: Yes.

Q: All this happened with no public notice? Is that proper?

A: No comment.

Q: OK, what about Inverness Airport? 

A: This has a political stink smeared all over it.

Q: Tell us what you really think. Don’t be shy.

A: The county just severed ties with the one businessman who made this airport successful for the first time in its existence. Without so much as a thank-you for a job well done. The B.S. meter from two commissioners was off the charts.

Q: Why is it bad for the county to want an efficiently run airport?

A: It’s not. That’s why it's so alarming. This decision has the opposite effect. 

Q: Explain, please.

A: It’s certainly a massive flag when the board votes to terminate the contract on June 23, that termination takes effect on July 1, and there is ZERO plan for what happens next. NONE. The board gave no direction. No commissioner bothered to ask. Are we putting up “no landing” signs come Tuesday?

Q: What do YOU expect will happen next?

A: No clue. I do know this: We're staring at yet another unforced error. Unnecessary drama this county doesn't need.

Q: We’re running out of blog space. Didn't you feel a little silly writing an entire blog on the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park Fish Bowl?

A: No. But I can't believe I referred to the old park as Nature World. Longtime Citrus Countians are correct: It was always the "Attraction."

Q: Anything else?

A: Lots and lots! For another day.

Have a spectacular Wednesday, friends.

​Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Support the blog by subscribing to JWC Inner Circle for 99 cents/month.

Individual donations are appreciated through Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.