![]() Welcome to my first annual Feb. 29 blog. Just for today, 29 random thoughts: 1. This weekend is the Floral City Strawberry Festival at Floral Park. I can say a bunch of cool things about the festival but know this: Just a ton of fun. And never too early to get a jump on Ferris Groves’ strawberry milkshakes. 2. Wawa needs a tip jar. 3. In the growth debate, how will we know when enough is enough?
4. Thank goodness for the Withlacoochee State Forest clogging up our midsection. Can you imagine what S.R. 44 east of C.R. 491 would look like if both sides of the road could be developed? 5. I’ve attended race nights only one or two times at the Citrus County Speedway, and I’m glad it’s there. Another somewhat iconic entertainment venue that makes Inverness special. 6. The reaction from Wednesday’s blog made me smile. Here I write about something that needs plenty of conversation — and it attracts plenty of conversation. Thanks for proving my point. 7. Homosassa Elementary School has kids from some of the county’s poorest families and yet is an “A” school for two straight years. That close-knit community has always taken care of its own. 8. The Chamber of Commerce puts on the Strawberry Festival. It’s a ton of work. Hundreds of volunteers are preparing the grounds this week, will be on hand Saturday and Sunday, and then clean the park afterward. We think the Chamber is some sort of political strongarm in Citrus County. In some ways, maybe. But it’s generally composed of people who just want to help make our community a better place to live. 9. We have great trails in this county. Plenty of places to walk. 10. My golf clubs are out of the trunk and in the garage. Guess that means I'm semi semi-retired. 11. When I’m king of the world parking lot speed bumps are first to go. 12. I'm dropping the long-held tradition of flashing brights to alert motorists if a cop is running radar. Citrus County roads have become too dangerous. Strict enforcement of traffic laws should be a top sheriff’s office priority. 13. Did I ever mention that Sanddollar Lane in Ozello, out by the county boat ramp, was once an airstrip? Before my time. 14. An urban legend I’m fairly certain is untrue: A train derailed and sunk into Cooter Pond. Someone would have fished it out by now, right? 15. I get such a kick out of Florida politicians who take credit for people moving here from other states. Are you kidding? It’s 80 in February! 16. I have a Cattle Dog chat scheduled for Friday morning with County Administrator Steve Howard. Anything you want me to ask him? 17. Hernando can be quite the traffic bottleneck, but there’s an advantage to that. Crawling slowly along U.S. 41 affords me a pleasant view of Lake Hernando. 18. Fun story: I attended a chamber mixer recently and tossed my business card in the hat for gift basket drawings. I never win, but I did this time: two bottles of wine. Well, as a sober alcoholic, no way those things were getting in my car, so they ended up going to someone else. I didn’t leave empty handed, though — got myself a nice Titleist cap. 19. Someone asked me the other day if Citrus County is urban or rural. Interesting question. I’m sure that depends on perspective. Longtimers would say we’re urban. Folks still unpacking from Fort Lauderdale might say we’re rural. Maybe we’re a hybrid. 20. Cattle Dog beverage of choice: Frozen hot chocolate, extra chocolate. Wawa beverage of choice: Either black/white shake or a chocolate-chip smoothie without the chocolate chips. 21. I mentioned Wednesday that Chuck Dixon is one of the three or four people who really know the history of development in this county. The others are Clark Stillwell, Avis Craig, and Joanna Coutu. All four are Citrus County land-use experts. 22. One of the best aspects of semi semi-retirement is my daily clothing choices. I’m big on T-shirts and sweatshirts, and I’ve changed out the wardrobe so that it’s nearly all themed Citrus County or Florida. I have every region of the county covered, though I could use something like, “My grandparents moved to Citrus Springs and all they got me was this lousy T-shirt.” I am constantly on the lookout for Citrus County shirts. 23. Citrus County’s comprehensive plan is nearly 40 years old. Time for a new one. 24. Two things that can’t happen fast enough in Crystal River: Completion of Riverwalk and tearing down a building so ugly it’s referred to not by its name, but by its address — 579. 25. Not looking for trouble, but I can’t help but notice that the contractor on the U.S. 41 project has vague “business” signs to note entrances in construction zones, but the U.S. 19 job has the name of each business on the blue signs. 26. Speaking of that, Inverness could use a Wawa. There’s a business for sale on U.S. 41 near S.R. 44 East that looks plenty big enough. I could walk there from Just Wright Citrus World Headquarters on the shores of Big Lake Henderson. So…Wawa…your move. 27. My wife, who swore she would never own a dog, has placed beds strategically throughout the house for Buddy. He doesn't have to walk 10 steps without a comfy place to snooze. Don’t know what Buddy's former life was like, but that pup sure seems content now. 28. Coming home from church Wednesday night, I saw a guy riding a unicycle on the S.R. 44 sidewalk. Very cool. 29. Today is Feb. 29, an extra day on the calendar. Make it memorable, 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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