Linking Citrus County Government with Citizens February 2017

Water School was back at UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County! Citrus County Water School was held on February 9, 2017. Hosted by UF/IFAS Ex-tension Service Citrus County, the event’s objective is to provide local decision makers and community leaders with an opportunity to discuss the county’s current and future water issues, along with possible solutions. This policy-neutral, fact-based event is of-fered free of charge. Seven counties were represented at this year’s successful event. Citrus County Administrator Randy Oliver welcomed the full house and thanked at-tendees for their commitment to water quality in the region.

The event featured timely topics including:

Water: Who is Using it and What For? Alternative Sources: What is Cost Effec-tive and Sustainable? Including water con-servation, reclaimed water, WaterStar, and more. Minimum Flows and Levels: Why Do We Need to Care about Surface Water Flows? Public Opinion: Where Do Floridians Want to Put Their Money and Their Votes? For more information on the many programs offered by the UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County visit their webpage at:

http://www.citrusbocc.com/commserv/extension/extension-services.htm

Contact Us

Give us a call for more

information or if you have

questions

Cynthia Oswald,

Public Information Officer

cynthia.oswald@citrusbocc.com

(352) 527-5484

Visit us on the web at

www.citrusbocc.com

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CitrusCountyBOCC

twitter@citrusbocc

Mission Statement

Citrus County Govern-

ment will be a value-

driven organization dedi-

cated to responsive citizen

service by providing quali-

ty programs, services and

facilities to build a strong

community and promote

the best quality of life for

our citizens.

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February 27, 2017

Zumba Citrus Homosassa Donates 297 Teddy Bears

For four years straight Zumba Citrus members in Homosassa have been col-

lecting and donating Valentines Bears to give some love to Citrus County

home bound seniors that receive Meals on Wheels.

This year Zumba Citrus collected 297 adorable teddy bears in gift bags. This

number was enough for all Citrus County home delivered meal clients to re-

ceive a bear of their own.

Special thanks to Joyce Groh, Zumba Instructor and Betsy King at Zumba Cit-

rus, and all the Zumba Citrus members for donating and organizing this heart-

warming program. In the picture Joyce Groh, left, is delivering 297 bears to

Kriss Hornaday, Central Citrus Community Center Coordinator, right.

Extension Director BJ Jarvis opens the 2017 Water

School and introduces County Administrator Randy Oliver.

Have You Heard the Latest? Here is the latest update on sewer projects in Old Homosassa: The County is currently working on a multiyear program to provide wastewater collection service to the Old Homosassa and Mason Creek areas. The program is intended to take advantage of Springs Initiative funding from the State of Florida and Cooperative Funding through the Southwest Florida Water Management District to buy down the costs to individual property owners. The program is solely dependent on funding from those agencies and will only proceed if funding is approved. It is

expected that the program will take approximately 10-years to complete. The first phase of the program is funded and will serve the Garcia Point area. The County hosted an open house on February 23rd to provide information to the public regarding the proposed project and to receive questions and com-ments. Provided that the Board of County Commissioners approves the project, engineering design of the project is expected to begin this spring, with construction to begin later this year.

W. Cardinal Street now has a route number designation - CR 482! Signs have been placed at W. Cardinal

Street and Rt.491.

CareerSource to hold two

career fairs

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion

will hold a pair of career fairs in

March in Marion and Citrus coun-

ties. The career fairs, which take place March 21 and 23, are free and open to anyone

seeking employment. To date, more than 30 employers with open positions plan on partici-

pating.

“Holding these on two days and in two locations provides plenty of opportunities for career

seekers and employers,” said Brenda Chrisman, CareerSource CLM’s business services

officer. Chrisman said the annual fairs provide a “fast, efficient and effective” recruiting op-

tion for businesses while offering career seekers the ability to meet one-on-one with hiring

managers.

While there is no need to register, professional dress is required.

Both career fairs take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Marion County Spring Career Fair is set for Tuesday, March 21 at CF’s Klein Conference

Center in Ocala. To date, 26 area employers plan to participate: Aflac, ASB Financial, Auto

Customs, Benefit Advisors, Cardinal LG – Ocala, College of Central Florida, City of Ocala -

Water Resources, Episcopal Children’s Services, Florida Department of Children and Fami-

lies Mental Health Treatment Facilities, Florida Department of Corrections, Harmony United

Psychiatric Care, Health Matters, Kindred Hospice, Marion County Board of County Com-

missioners, McCall Technology Group, MGM Hotels, Middlesex, Ocala Community Care,

Ocala Electric Utility, Ocala Police Department, On Top of the World, Raney’s, Silver

Springs Bottled Water Company and Sitel.

Citrus County Spring Career Fair takes place Thursday, March 23 at CF’s Citrus County

campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, in Lecanto. More than a dozen employers are lined up

for the event: Aflac, ASB Financial, Auto Customs, Benefit Advisors, Citrus County Sheriff’s

Office, Citrus County Fire Rescue, Episcopal Children’s Services, Florida Department of

Corrections, Health Matters, Home Instead Senior Care, Key Training Center, Middlesex

and Teleiman, LLC.

Free career fair preparation assistance is available at CareerSource CLM career centers.

For more information, visit Career Fairs at careersourceclm.com or call 800-434-JOBS, ext.

1200.

Commissioner Scott Carnahan held a Town Hall

Meeting at the Floral City Library on Wednesday,

February 8th.

Commissioner Brian Coleman held a Town Hall

Meeting at the Historic Courthouse Museum in

Inverness on Monday, February 20th.

Upcoming Town Hall Meetings

Commissioner Scott Carnahan

April 6th, Homosassa Library 5:30pm—7pm

Commissioner Jeff Kinnard

April 20th, Coastal Region Library, Crystal River

11am—12:30pm

BOCC Recognitions, Honors & EventsBOCC Recognitions, Honors & EventsBOCC Recognitions, Honors & Events

Citrus County Veterans Services Director Kim Men-

ster and her son Kellen, along with Commissioner

Ron Kitchen, Crystal River Mayor Jim Farley and

Fire Chief Jim Goodworth served as judges for the

American Legion Post 155 Chili Cook-off.

4-H girls from Inverness

take top honors in the

Showmanship category at

the 2017 Florida State

Fair. Congratulations!

BOCC PIO Cynthia Oswald volunteers as judge at

Citrus County CSD annual Science Fair.

The BOCC proclaimed February

“National Children’s Dental Health

Month in Citrus County” at their Febru-

ary 14 meeting.

The BOCC proclaimed Feb. 19-24

“Through with Chew Week in Citrus Coun-

ty” at their February 14 meeting.

BOCC Chairman Scott Carnahan serves as the

Chamber’s February luncheon guest speaker.

Citrus County attorney Denise

Dymond Lyn is guest speaker

at the February meeting of the

Citrus Springs MSBU.

The BOCC proclaimed Feb. 20-

24 “YMCA Youth in Govern-

ment Week in Citrus County”

The BOCC recognized Frank

Peters outgoing member of

the Tourist Development

Council at their February 14

meeting.

LEARN HOW TO BUILD HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County is pleased to offer 2 different educational series to help you improve your relationships. SMART Couples Florida clas-ses are designed to teach you how to communicate needs, listen to the needs of others, successfully resolve conflict, and maintain happy and healthy relationships with everyone in your life. “Elevate,” is a fun and powerful relationship-enhancement workshop to help couples improve their communication skills and strengthen their relationships. This program runs Fridays from 6 pm-8:30 p.m. from March 24 - April 21. At the UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County 3650 W. Sovereign Path, Ste. 1, Lecanto. “Smart Steps” is a fun and empowering stepfamily workshop designed to help strengthen the relationship of the couple and their children, including non-custodial parents. The program runs Thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m. from March 23-April 20. At the UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County 3650 W. Sovereign Path, Ste. 1, Lecanto. A light meal is served each week. To register by March 17th, or for more in-formation, visit the SMARTcouples.org Classes and Events page or contact UF/IFAS Extension Citrus County at 352-527-5700.

Florida Forest Service creates new App

The “FLBurnTools” app is now available in both Ap-ple's App Store and on Google Play. The “FLBurnTools” app provides the following tools: Drought information Interactive fire maps Wildfire information Burning authorization requests Smoke dispersion models Spot weather forecasts “Wildfire activity is on the rise and wildfire danger is expected to increase greatly in the coming months,” said Jim Karels, Florida State Forester. “Floridians equipped with the ‘FLBurnTools' app can view the locations of nearby wildfires and see up-to-date drought and wildfire danger information.” The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community for-ests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FloridaForestService.com.

To view monthly calendar of events, please visit

www.citrusbocc.com

Child advocate volunteers sought for Guardian ad Litem program

The Guardian ad Litem (GAL) pro-gram is currently seeking volun-

teers to be advocates a voice for abused, neglected or aban-doned children whose cases are in the court system. A GAL is a trained volunteer appointed by the court to advocate on be-half of a child. The GAL becomes familiar with the child’s case and makes recommendations to help ensure a safe, stable and permanent environment for the child. Eligible volunteers must be 21 years of age and older (adults between 19 and 21 years are also eligible to work alongside a certified volunteer GAL), successfully complete the pre-service training program and be cleared of any serious criminal history via a Level II criminal background check. A GAL must complete 30 hours of pre-service training. On average, volunteers should expect to spend 5-10 hours a month on a case, and most cases last 10 months. The volunteer works as part of a team including a volunteer supervisor and program attorney. To become a volunteer, contact Diana Hollwedel at 352-812-6971 or email Diana.hollwedel@gal.fl.gov. For more infor-mation, visit www.guardianadlitem5.org.

U.S. Congressman Daniel Webster paid Citrus County Veterans Services and Veteran Outpa-tient Clinic in Lecanto a visit on Tuesday, Feb-ruary 21. Left to Right: Ken Wells, Veterans Services Officer; Joanne Granger, Director of Support Services; Ellen Davis, Veterans Ser-vices Officer; U.S. Congressman Daniel Web-ster; Janet Gramann, Veterans Services Sec-retary and Kimberly Menster, Veterans Ser-vices Officer.

URGENT NEED! Veterans Court Seeks Male Veteran Mentors

The key component of any successful Veterans Court is a Veterans'

Mentor Program. In this program, a trained Veteran Mentor is paired with

a veteran participant to provide support as he/she navigates through the

court and treatment. Mentors are one of the most valuable components

of our program. If you are interested in volunteering for this program,

please contact Kelly Kell, Court Alternatives Supervisor: (352) 341-6721, Ext: 7035.

ADOPTION SPECIAL Find Your New Pet Today!

Animal Services continues to offer free adoption of dogs and cats that have been at the Shelter for over 30 days. Please visit the Shelter, located at 4030 S. Airport Road in Inverness, to find your new pet today! For more information, please call 746-8400 or visit www.citruscritters.com

FREE Florida Friendly Gardening Workshops

Turf basics

Citrus County Utilities Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program is offering a

free gardening workshop on March 7, 2017 from 2:00-3:30 pm. Managing

a healthy lawn is often a full time job and recurring expense. Selection of

the right materials to accomplish a specific task is always the best place to

start. Sustainable lawn varieties, typical weed infestations and pests which

target our lawns are highlighted during this

workshop.

Florida-friendly fertilizing

Citrus County Utilities Florida-Friendly

Landscaping™ Program is offering a free

gardening workshop on March 21, 2017

from 2:00-3:30 pm. Fertilization of your

lawn and landscape can be complicated.

Using several steps including soil testing, when and how to apply fertilizers

and effective irrigation practices after application are essential to proper

fertilization practices. This program will discuss proper Florida Friendly

fertilization practices developed by the University of Florida.

Classes are held at the Citrus County Extension Service building lo-cated at 3650 W Sovereign Path in Lecanto. Please contact Steven Davis at (352) 527-5708 to confirm your participation.

Kudos & Thanks Corner

“I had the pleasure of meeting Lanette Ferdinand (Land Development Division) yesterday. She was ex-tremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. She went above and beyond to help with my many questions. I wanted to take a moment to let you know what an exceptional person she is.” Thank you, Kim Calabrese “The irrigation system checkup by Edwin Bugbee was “Very helpful!” Citrus County Citizen

“I’m very happy that I called! This (irrigation checkup) by Edwin Bugbee was very helpful and informative.” Thank you!!! Judy Marchetti

“I recently retired from Sweetwater Homes of Citrus, Inc. after working there 26 years. I can easily say that 98% of those per-

mits were pulled in Citrus County. I have also permitted in Hernando, Pasco, Levy, Marion and Sumter County and the Citrus County Building Division is far and above a more consumer friendly experience. I have established a long relationship with many employees in the Building Division, Land Development and the Health Department. Occasionally there were issues with items missing or something submitted incomplete, but it was always resolved with a friendly phone call or email. When present-ing packages at the complex, I was always met with a professional smile or ‘hello’. everyone.” Sincerely, Suzannah S. HeydeBell, FL 32619

More than 1 trillion gallons of water are wasted in

U.S. homes each year from easy-to-fix leaks. That’s

why Citrus County Utilities is participating in the

EPA’s annual Fix a Leak Week, March 20 through 26,

2017. Concerned with preserving our water supply,

Citrus County Utilities and Sugarmill Woods associa-

tions are hosting a Fix a Leak Week water conserva-

tion expo on Friday, March 24, 2017, 1:00 PM to 4:00

PM, at the Sugarmill Woods Country Club. All citi-

zens are encouraged to attend and learn more about

saving our water. https://www3.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/fix_a_leak.

Look What’s Coming...

American Legion Post 155 has requested a building permit (2017-

01108) for a new smoking room at their site at 6585 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy. in Crystal River.

Freedom from Life Family Church has requested an interior remodel permit (2017-01677) for

their site at 6430 S. Lewdingar Drive in Homosassa.

Xtreme Fun Party Rentals, Inc. has requested an interior remodel permit (2017-00906) for a care-

taker residence at 2211 E. Norvell Bryant Highway in Hernando.

East Pine Lake Healthcare Clinic has requested an after-the-fact interior renovation permit (2017-

00999) for a new medical clinic at 7729 E. Pine Lake Ln. (corner of US-41) in Floral City.

Princess Nail Salon has requested an interior remodel permit (2017-01580) for a nail salon at

2464 N. Heritage Oaks Path in Hernando.

Save-A-Lot has requested an interior completion permit (2017-01750) for a site at 4516 S. Sun-

coast Blvd. in Homosassa (this is the former Sweetbay site at the corner of US-19 and W. Yulee

Dr.)

Bruce McLaughlin, on behalf of George Decker, has requested a Comprehensive Plan Amend-

ment/Atlas Amendment/Planned Unit Development application (CPA/AA/PUD-17-05) for Pirate’s

Cove at a site on the corner of N. Pirate Pt and W. Sanddollar Lane in Ozello. The application

proposes a change to the Coastal and Lakes Commercial District on approximately 3.6 acres to

allow five hotel buildings (six units in each) and a separate multi-purpose building with restaurant.

While a tentative PDC hearing date was set for April 6, 2017, the applicant has verbally requested

a continuance to allow time for a resubmittal to address staff comments. Accordingly, a hearing

date for the Planning and Development Commission has not yet been set.

Michael Wilburn, on behalf of Walker Coche, has requested a Comprehensive Plan Amend-

ment/Atlas Amendment /Planned Unit Development application (CPA/AA/PUD-17-06) on approxi-

mately 1.5 acres at a site at 927 S. Net Pt. in Inverness. The application proposes to change the

land use from CL (Low Intensity Coastal and Lakes) to GNC (General Commercial) allow a com-

mercial office with storage/warehouse space, and has been tentatively placed on the Planning and

Development Commission hearing on April 6, 2017 before being forwarded to the Board of County

Commissioners for their consideration.

Clark Stillwell, on behalf of Wayne and Marge Carter, has requested a Comprehensive Plan

Amendment/Atlas Amendment application (CPA/AA-17-07) on approximately 0.46 acres at 7857 E.

Spanish Trl. in Floral City. The application proposes to change the land use from LDR (Low Densi-

ty Residential) to GNC (General Commercial), and has been tentatively placed on the Planning and

Development Commission hearing on April 20, 2017 before being forwarded to the Board of County

Commissioners for their consideration.

Who do I call?

Job Opportunities

527-5370

Public Records Request

527-5235

Planner of the Day

527-5239

Road Maintenance

527-5477

Flood Management

527-5264

Utility Customer Service

527-7650

Building Permit Status

527-5310

We’re here to help!

Instant permitting allows a licensed contractor to obtain certain permits online 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

More information at www.citrusbocc.com

Commissioner Jimmie T. Smith named chairman of CLM CareerSource

Citrus County Commissioner Jimmie T. Smith has been named chairman of the Citrus Levy Marion Regional

Workforce Consortium. Smith, of Inverness, served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives

from 2010-2016 and is a US Army veteran whose 20 years included Operation Desert Storm. He was elect-

ed to the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners in November 2016.

“It's an honor to be nominated and selected to be the chair of the CLM Careersource consortium.” said

Smith. “I've enjoyed working with Careersource in the past and feel that with their continued efforts we will

be able to help create opportunities for people, help build a stronger workforce for business, and create a tool for prosperity for

the region.” The Consortium meets no less than two times a year, and approves the CareerSource CLM annual fiscal year

budget, promotes CareerSource CLM services, and assists the organization in conducting its business.