 “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.” — Herbert Spencer. One thing I’ve always said about Citrus County is we are an opinionated bunch. I recall very early in my Chronicle career when we first introduced Sound Off. No one was doing that, allowing nameless opinion in the newspaper. We also printed just about every letter to the editor. If you had an opinion about Citrus County, the Chronicle was the place to express it. In time, the conversation morphed from the newspages to online. Along with Just Wright Citrus, numerous online forums exist in Citrus County. We can debate all sorts of stuff these days. Nothing is off the table. So that brings me to One for All, my 2026 sales tax idea that is so much more than that. Today, though, I have a simple request: Keep an open mind. That’s all I ask. The One for All kickoff earlier this month didn’t generate much talk, which isn't surprising. I expect much more as this goes along. But I wanted to address two points in particular:  — One person said he’d support the sales tax, but not if the Chamber of Commerce brings it forward.
That response reminded me of years ago when the state created a citizens advisory board on the Suncoast Parkway. It had 20 members, equally divided among pro-parkway and anti-parkway folks. The first meeting disintegrated when they couldn’t agree on a chairman. Neither side would budge. Let’s hope we’ve evolved beyond that nonsense. We’re not going to get anywhere if we’re holding onto suspicions. Rather than be critical of whatever group steps to the plate, here’s a novel idea: Offer to help. I’m envisioning a process that invites opinions from all corners of the county. No one understands political perception better than me, but at some point, voters need to pay attention to details. The idea is a sales tax initiative that could fundamentally alter this community’s direction for decades to come. I think it’s worth a close look. — Another constant theme: Citrus County voters will never approve a sales tax. The inference is that given a choice, Citrus Countians will go cheap rather than invest. To which I say: Bull feathers! I’m not here to sell you on a sales tax. I’m here to sell you on the idea that we can be better than what we are. Maybe that’s a sales tax, maybe it’s not. To simply dismiss it out of hand — “I’m not voting for any new taxes!” — without information about what the tax would be, how much it would cost the average home, what exactly we’ll do with the money, and a vision of how all that plays out…well, that’s simply not the Citrus County I know. I dug today’s photo from the vast JWC archive. Looks familiar, doesn't it? Like, oh, every single day on S.R. 44 in Inverness. Or it could be C.R. 486, C.R. 491, U.S. 19…I mean, pick your spot. Traffic is crazy and will get crazier. We still have 50,000 platted vacant lots, plus all that commercial stuff and whatever increased density the County Commission gives us. We can either:
We are going to talk about this A LOT in 2025. And as mentioned, One for All is much more than simply an additional penny on the sales tax. We’ll be breaking all that down in the coming weeks/months. And addressing every concern. An open mind. That’s all I ask. Truly. Have a terrific Tuesday, 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 37 years. 
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June 2025
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