 Happy Monday! We start off the week with a question: Are we done griping? Tired of whining, finger-pointing, and blaming others for our ills? Have we reached that point when Citrus County takes charge of its destination, instead of watching while someone else does? Are we ready to get off the sidelines and into the game?
Good. Let’s talk. I have in hand the sales tax survey presentation. I’ll link it when the County Commission agenda comes out Tuesday. The news is good. Nearly 60% of participants supported placing a sales tax referendum on the 2026 ballot. The overwhelming favorite purpose: Repairing and improving our road network. Something else, though: Participants set a very high bar for county commissioners to do this correctly. Their concern is the County Commission is placing a higher emphasis on new growth than solving problems we currently face. Before I break down the details, a little bit about the process. While politicians have talked about the need for the local option sales tax, this is the first time citizens were asked their opinion first. The Chamber of Commerce, led by Don Taylor and Patricia Thomas, sought input online and through town hall meetings. Trish will present the report to commissioners at their Sept. 23 meeting. I’m guessing chamber organizers will seek consensus from the board to draft a proposed ordinance that, once passed, would place the 1-cent sales tax referendum on the 2026 general election ballot. Remember, the idea behind the effort I’ve dubbed “One for All” is to create a sales tax that solves our major wants/needs, and that nearly every single person in the county benefits. We’re talking at least $25 million a year; bundled and bonded over time, the potential is in the hundreds of millions. Here we go: — Total participation: 509 people responded to the survey. I’d say anything over 500 is a good number. — Results: 59% said they’d consider voting for a 1% sales tax; 28% said no. The rest, about 12%, were undecided. That is extremely encouraging. All we’re doing is starting a formal conversation that ends in a November 2026 vote. Being open to the conversation is a positive start. — Organizers gave participants a list of possible uses. Rather than rank them, they were allowed to make multiple selections. That’s why the numbers don’t add up to 509, and percentages won’t tell the story either. Here’s the list:
If we group similar topics, roads/stormwater has the most interest, followed by land conservation/parks. However, because the survey allowed multiple selections, it left wiggle room for commissioners to interpret what participants meant. I mean…look what I just did. I grouped together categories based on assumptions. Those are probably fair assumptions, but as this process continues we’re gonna want to narrow that down. The very last thing we want commissioners to do is guess our intentions. — Very interestingly, the survey asked participants to list their “concerns” with a sales tax vote. “Government” was the top concern at 38%. Some examples:
— 19% had “affordability” concerns:
— “Development” concerns, 16%:
It’s a lot, and I’m going to break it down frame by frame between now and the County Commission meeting. But I will say: This is good news for our frazzled commissioners. Over 500 of their citizens have engaged in one of the most significant conversations this county has ever seen. They’ve laid out goals and expectations in a very clear fashion. We'd like to see unanimous County Commission consensus to advance One for All to the next stage. Not a single reason for any commissioner to stop the process. It’s time this community moves as one. Looks like a beautiful Monday. Enjoy it, 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. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 37 years. 
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March 2026
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