Mike Wright
It’s too early for Christmas, but there’s plenty to celebrate in Citrus County.
Gov. Ron DeSantis kept all but one Citrus County project in the 2025-26 state budget, providing over $16 million in funding.
Only Sheriff Dave Vincent lost out with the veto of $350,000 for body-worn cameras. Vincent, coincidentally, recently announced the body-worn camera system for the agency using money in his current budget.
The state funding includes $1.04 million for Crystal River High School to expand its popular Health Careers Academy.
Citrus County School Board member Thomas Kennedy was thrilled.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Governor DeSantis for approving full funding for the expansion of the Academy of Health Careers at Crystal River High School. This investment will support both expanded programming and state of the art facility upgrades. It represents a major leap forward for health science education in our community,” Kennedy said.
“The impact of this expansion cannot be overstated. It will be transformative, opening new doors for students to pursue meaningful, in-demand careers in healthcare and emergency response.”
Other Citrus County projects in the state budget:
— $120,000 for the Academy of Environmental Science, a public charter school in Crystal River. Funding is for repairs and upkeep.
— $2.5 million for a public safety training annex and indoor gun range for Citrus County Schools.
— $1 million for LifeStream Behavioral Center’s new Baker Act campus being built in Lecanto.
— $200,000 toward expansion of Jesse’s Place, a child-advocacy center in Lecanto.
— $2.9 million toward a new multiuse path on Halls River Road in Homosassa.
— $500,000 for expansion of the Citrus Memorial Health Foundation YMCA.
— $3.5 million for a new fire station at Inverness Airport. The county is also developing a business park at the airport.
— $350,000 for the City of Crystal River to build a new seawall at Hunter Springs Park.
— $5 million for Save Crystal River’s ongoing efforts to remove sediment from King’s Bay and associated canals.
— $2 million for the Homosassa River Restoration Project, which is similar to the Crystal River effort.
— $81,000 toward restoration of the historic Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Many of Crystal River’s African American descendants are interred there.
