Michael Bates

6 days ago | chronicleonline.com | Michael Bates

Explosive population growth is putting a serious strain on Citrus County’s roads, water systems and public infrastructure — and the numbers are sobering. That was the message from County Commission Chairwoman Rebecca Bays at Friday’s Citrus County Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where she delivered a presentation titled, “The Road Ahead: Meeting Citrus County’s Infrastructure Challenge.”The event drew a packed audience to the Citrus Springs Golf & Country Club.

6 days ago | chronicleonline.com | Michael Bates

As traffic increases and development expands, Citrus County officials are exploring ways to make sure roads and infrastructure can keep up. There was hope that two transportation concurrency bills in the Florida Legislature would help but both have stalled. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. J.J. Grow filed the bills to bring back a policy that required roads and other infrastructure to be in place before new development is approved.

6 days ago | chronicleonline.com | Michael Bates

As Citrus County continues to expand, concerns are mounting over whether roads and other infrastructure can keep up with the pace of growth. This is where the concept of transportation concurrency comes into play – a term that’s been making local headlines, particularly amid recent efforts to bring it back to the county through state legislation. To shed light on what transportation concurrency is and why it’s important for Citrus County, the Chronicle has put together this Q&A guide.

6 days ago | chronicleonline.com | Michael Bates

Citrus County Commissioner Diana Finegan will present a trio of proposed ordinances Tuesday aimed at tightening lobbying rules tied to development applications. Originally scheduled to introduce two ordinances at a previous meeting, Finegan postponed the presentation due to Commissioner Jeff Kinnard’s absence. Since then, she has added a third proposal: a lobbying registration ordinance that would require all lobbyists to register with the county before engaging in any such activity.

6 days ago | chronicleonline.com | Michael Bates

Citrus County Commissioner Janet Barek is following through on her promise to hold county leadership accountable, formally placing a series of bold proposals on the agenda for Tuesday’s commission meeting. At the center of Barek’s push is County Administrator Steve Howard, whom she accuses of overstepping his authority by facilitating a funding request for improvements to County Road 491. Barek is calling for his termination.