Mike Wright
Citrus County is throwing caution to the wind with legislative project requests topping $66 million, including $10 million for a Crystal River City Hall rendered flooded and useless from Hurricane Idalia.
Some projects have had ongoing success. Others are either brand new to the process or won legislative support in the past only to be vetoed.
Crystal River officials were already eyeing a new City Hall when Hurricane Idalia caused enough damage to close the building. A temporary City Hall is set up at the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, and Mayor Joe Meek is proposing an elevated City Hall on the city’s current U.S. 19 site.
The city last year received $1.35 million for design and permitting of a new City Hall.
Other Citrus County project requests include:
— $7.2 million to upgrade Watson Road, a narrow two-lane residential street connecting U.S. 41 with the Inverness Airport Business Park. The county last year received $9 million in state funding to prepare the 75-acre park for development.
— $22 million for the Department of Transportation to speed up the next phase of widening U.S. 41 in Inverness. Construction on the first 1-mile phase began in October and is expected to last two years.
— $7.3 million to facilitate construction of a three-slip boat ramp on the Cross Florida Barge Canal.
— $3.5 million to expand the boat ramp at Fort Island Trail Park. The project is a cooperative effort between the county and city of Crystal River, which is losing its Kings Bay boat ramp with completion of the Riverwalk boardwalk project.
— $2.25 million for the city of Inverness to connect the Withlacoochee State Trail to Whispering Pines Park. Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $1.1 million last year for the same project.
— $5 million for a multiuse path on Halls River Road, a 3.2-mile roadway extending west from U.S. 19 to Homosassa.
— $4 million for the Homosassa River restoration; $5 million for Crystal River/Kings Bay restoration.
Rep. Ralph Massullo said he didn’t think the totality of projects is a concern.
“There is no way I’ll get everything,” the Lecanto Republican said. “I’m fairly frank with the appropriation Chairs. Each one of my projects is looked at individually.”
