 Ramblings from Tuesday’s County Commission meeting that I admittedly watched from the comfort of Just Wright Citrus World Headquarters on the shores of Big Lake Henderson: — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Free State of Florida” has snagged another victim. A woman approached commissioners Tuesday with a terrible tale of woe since relocating a year ago from the “Communist State of New York” (her words) to the Sunshine State. Along with encountering all sorts of shysters, skyrocketing homeowners' insurance, and vehicle taxes, the woman was particularly incensed with the $27 annual fee for the landfill that residents pay.
“I can’t afford any more money,” she said. I’ve seen this before. Folks who buy into the DeSantis “Free State” nonsense actually move to Florida thinking it’s a pass. They are genuinely shocked — shocked! — to learn Florida taxes its citizens just like other states do. Our Florida welcome signs now include the “Free State” propaganda. County commissioners catch the brunt of this. That’s because the “Free State” Legislature is constantly trying to circumvent local government by adding exemptions to the homestead property tax. That’s great, right? No taxes! Yay! Except, um, stuff costs money. Running a landfill is expensive. Parks, libraries, roads, law enforcement, fire protection, EMS — someone’s gotta pay for that. Florida is in competition with other states to see who can be the cheapest. While much more people move in than move out, we’re averaging a net of about 700 newcomers a day. I’m sure there are folks who move to Florida for tax reasons. Me, I came for a job. A job in Florida. Where it’s warm most of the year. See, I could have researched a newspaper job in South Dakota. I lived in Michigan at the time. Florida was the only logical destination. Our friend Jim Kimbrough, the retired bank executive who is considered the father of the Suncoast Parkway, always said that so long as the sun shines in Florida and the snow falls up North, we’ll continue to have migration. So, here’s a heads up to our potential new neighbors: Florida is no “freer” than the state you now reside. That’s a song-and-dance. A trick with mirrors. Political hay. Plus, I doubt you’re bragging to your northern friends in February about the sunny Florida tax structure. — That said, welcome to Citrus County! I love it here. Hope you do, too. Here are 5 favorite Citrus County activities that won’t cost a dime other than gas for the car:
— The county kept the landfill self-haul rate intact. But if you have a garbage hauler, like Waste Management for example, be prepared for higher monthly fees because the county raised tipping fees for haulers. Companies tend not to eat those extra costs if you catch my drift. The landfill is a tough nut to crack financially. It’s an “enterprise” fund, meaning it is self-sufficient through its fee structure. The county building division works the same way. Citizens are overall OK with that structure, but they’re not happy about the annual fee. They wonder why they pay to dump their garbage AND a tax assessment on top of it. I’ve always been a little fuzzy on that as well. Why not just skip the fee and charge what’s necessary at the landfill? The county, turns out, is headed in that direction. A rate study, coming in February, may eliminate the assessment. It brings in a chunk of change — $2.7 million annually in the residential and commercial landfill assessments. Commissioner Rebecca Bays suggested the county take another look at universal garbage collection, which brought a been-there, done-that groan from Chairman Holly Davis. Commissioner Diana Finegan said it’s worth a conversation. I’m just gonna jump out and say we should let that sleeping dog lie. This blog from 2021 explains why universal garbage failed. It’s a staff-consuming and expensive three-year process for a program most people don’t want. That’s it from the World Headquarters. Have an awesome Wednesday, 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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November 2025
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