Mike Wright
Citrus County Sheriff Dave Vincent came in hamstrung when he took office in January.
Vincent’s plans to reorganize the agency were met immediately by a little-known state law specific to Citrus County that protects employees during a new sheriff’s transition.
House Bill 629, added to Statute in 2001, says the new Citrus County Sheriff must keep the same staff for six months, can’t reduce anyone’s salary by more than 6%, and can’t drop a commander or captain by more than one rank.
Vincent’s predecessor, Mike Prendergast, had issued about a dozen promotions in the weeks following his Primary loss to Vincent.
That should no longer be an issue following this year’s Session.
The Citrus County Legislative Delegation — Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. JJ Grow — agreed Friday to file a local bill that would repeal HB 629.
“It was very obvious the bill was outdated,” Grow, an Inverness Republican, said.
Vincent said laws are already on the books with protections for sheriff’s employees. He said repealing the Citrus County law won’t help his transition, but it will remove restrictions for future sheriffs.
“I’m looking out for the next man or woman who takes my position,” he said.
Friday’s Legislative Delegation was the first for Grow, who was elected in November in House District 23.
Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican, chaired the meeting. Other highlights:
— Ingoglia said he and Grow will file a bill calling for military veterans with 100% disability to no longer pay tolls. “We hope this is a slam dunk,” he said.
— Grow said he supported the City of Inverness’ $2 million request for an RV campground at Whispering Pines Park to generate revenue. “Makes a lot of sense,” he said.
— Melissa Bowermaster, executive director of Jessie’s Place Child Advocacy Center, requested $150,000 for designing an expansion. Ingoglia not only supported the request, he suggested he may ask for more.
— LifeStream Behavioral Center sought $2 million toward construction of a 60-bed behavioral services campus in Lecanto. Citrus and Hernando counties combined have pledged $4 million, the Legislature previously awarded $2 million, and LifeStream is covering the rest of the estimated $16 million project.
— Citrus County YMCA, which opened its doors in Lecanto in 2016 after an $8.3 million local capital campaign, is seeking $1.2 million to complete an expansion.
— Ingoglia said he would be requesting $350,000 for the Crystal Memorial Gardens restoration project. Crystal Memorial Gardens is an historic African American cemetery just outside Crystal River. Ingoglia said he has support from the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.
