Planning now for what I won't see

Happy Tuesday! Three random thoughts while pondering whether the City of Inverness should dye Big Lake Henderson green for St. Paddy’s Day next year:

— No developer takes it on the chin here more than James Dicks. Through his numerous sub-companies, Dix Development and I don’t view life in Citrus County the same way. Dicks wants to develop much of it to make money. Me, I’d like us to slow up a bit.

Dicks is the developer holding Betz Farm at bay. Despite the property being cleared of all title issues, we have yet to see Dicks’ grand plans for it. County commissioners seem only interested in the $6 million he plans to fork over once they rubber stamp his project.

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And I’ve been rather blunt about my opinion on Betz Farm. The county should not sell it to this or any developer. At a time when fresh dirt is disappearing, we need to hold on to what we have for public use.

Despite all that, I give Dicks credit. He’s bullish in his style, and people like that are not offended by little slights.

So, I wasn’t too surprised last week when he emailed me plans to come back with another housing development idea for the Pine Ridge Golf Course. He knew I’d write something about it (which I did on Facebook), and he knew public outrage would follow.

This guy isn’t in the public opinion business. He’s in the development business, where public opinion has only a role. Dicks doesn’t mind playing the villain. It doesn’t hurt his cause.

— Speaking of development, JWC readers were aghast to read the monthly “Look What’s Coming” link that the county now has on its website. This is the report Land Development Director Joanna Coutu puts together showing all the pending stuff that’s in the permitting process.

I’ve been reading this report for a few years but noticed a significant uptick in activity since 2022. And now we have thousands of potential new houses in the county regulatory stage. 

People are naturally freaked out, but it took my friend James Holder to suggest, in a somewhat off-hand way, something I’ve often considered.

Um…it’s very possible many of us will be walking with our Maker before half of this stuff sees the light of day. James notes that we’re an older community, and facts are facts. Most developments will build a few hundred homes a year, tops. We’ll run out of gas before they do.

That’s admittedly weird to ponder. Think about it. We fight the next big development as if we expect a thousand homes tomorrow. It’s how we’re wired. I don’t picture developments in 10 years as a 76-year-old man (WHAT???) I think of them as I am today, a spry 66.

None of us have any experience being older than the age we are at this moment. It’s impossible to picture whether a lagoon, for example, fits in with the Citrus County of tomorrow.

I disagree with James, though. When the fight’s worth fighting, age doesn’t matter. If anything, I’m more determined now to get it right. I truly want to leave this place better than when I found it.

— Plenty of comments in recent days about development. Someone pointed out the traffic congestion on Rock Crusher Road when school gets out in the afternoon, and can only wonder about future housing developments already on the books or planned in the immediate area.

“I hope the county commissioners are cognizant of the big picture,” the person wrote.

Great point. And I can’t really say collectively they are. It’s a board of five individuals.

Let’s be truthful, though. The board reflects where we are as a community. Right now, we're all over the board. Other than a general belief that the county is being overrun by rooftops, citizens aren’t giving commissioners much consistency these days to go on.

That’s why I’m looking forward to the One for All community conversation. See if we can narrow our ideals a bit and come up with a sales tax plan that makes sense.

Today is Tuesday, March 18, 2025. It’s the only Tuesday, March 18, 2025 in existence. There will never be another one. Enjoy it, friends.

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