![]() Happy Tuesday! Let’s talk critters and politics. The County Commission’s agenda Tuesday includes final design and proposed cost of the new Citrus County Animal Shelter in Lecanto. Cutting to the chase: It’s an estimated $12.6 million for a shelter that’s roughly twice the size as the one we have now. Add-ons cost upwards of another $3 million. Take a look at the report to see the breakdown.
Not on the agenda, but in the back of everyone’s mind, is this hare-brained idea to use proceeds from the Betz Farm sale to help pay for the animal shelter. That was a bad idea when first presented, and it’s an even worse one today. The problem, as I see it, is we’ve somehow turned the animal shelter project into a feel-good story. Those orphaned cats and dogs would finally be able to meet their new forever moms and dads in a pleasing, encouraging environment. That’s nice. It’s what we want, right? Makes sense. None of it has merit here. Maybe it’s because I just took my shelter rescue Bunny for a pleasant walk in the soft Monday evening rain, but I’ve really had it up to here with the political hem and haw about this project. The county has a responsibility to provide animal services. The shelter is decades old and falling apart. Had this been ANY OTHER county asset, would there have been this much delay and handwringing? If you haven’t visited the current animal shelter, I suggest you do before deciding whether we need a new one or not. Cuz we do. Big time. Shelter workers and volunteers face a mountain of challenges each day, the least of which they work in an overcrowded environment that commissioners conveniently forget when they see dollar signs. So, this isn’t about public need. This county is growing, more critters are ending up at the shelter, which in turn means a stronger push for adoptions. Not to mention the location. The county is trying to expand Inverness Airport business opportunities. Moving the shelter to Lecanto accomplishes that goal. What’s the hangup? Politics, of course. While I admire former Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach’s attempts to corral the community on this project — she wrote thank-you notes to everyone who donated — in retrospect, I wonder if that was wise. It gave citizens the impression that this was a public-community partnership when, in reality, it’s just another significant county project. (I’ve always been confused about what the donations are supposed to pay for. I’m still confused and hopefully, someone will clear it up.) It’s very simple, commissioners. We need a new animal shelter. We hired a consultant for $987,000 to design one. That design is up for a vote. If your vote is no, you better have a good reason. Now, the second part. How we pay for it. We’ll borrow the money as we do for other big-ticket projects, but I do believe commissioners should clarify the Betz Farm tie-in. That’s what we’ve been hearing for two years. Sell Betz Farm, and that’s $6 million toward the new animal shelter. Those three things have always been part of the same conversation: Betz Farm…$6 million…animal shelter. County Administrator Steve Howard told me a year ago that was no longer the case, though there’s been zero public conversation about it. The entire Betz Farm sale, including the shelter connection, is a policy disaster. The very idea that we’d hold up a necessary public construction project while waiting on an entirely separate situation is absurd. I’ve been consistent: Betz Farm shouldn’t be sold, especially to a developer who is demanding permits in hand before closing on the sale. That conversation is for another day. What commissioners need to make clear Tuesday is that Betz Farm and the shelter are separate, the county will pay for the shelter as it pays for everything else, and we can all move on with our lives. At this point, any delay is indefensible. It’s a public works project, commissioners, not a homeless shelter for lost dogs. That’s my biscuit for the day. Enjoy it, 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 36 years. Archives
February 2025
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