How 1,400 Residents Are Guiding the County's 2050 Blueprint
Lecanto, FL · November 8, 2026
Morning mist is drifting over the sandhills, leaving just enough quiet for a second cup of coffee before the Sunday festival crowds begin moving. Whether you are heading over to browse downtown art booths or taking it easy out on the back porch, today offers a welcome pause.
The Lead
For the first time since 1990, Citrus County is rewriting the master roadmap governing where homes, commercial hubs, and conservation lands will go over the next quarter-century. The Citrus 2050 Comprehensive Plan, crafted alongside planning consultant Inspire Placemaking Collective, seeks to balance rural preservation with steady population growth along major corridors like State Road 44 and the Suncoast Parkway extension. Planners gathered more than 1,400 resident surveys during recent community workshops, with public feedback heavily emphasizing the protection of groundwater recharge areas and the preservation of open space across the central ridge. The draft recommendations will next go before the Planning and Development Commission for formal workshop review before heading to county commissioners for adoption hearings.
Local Pulse
Stone Crab Season Kicks Off Across Coast Business Local seafood docks hold counter prices steady despite higher operating expenses as coastal commercial fleets retrieve early winter traps.
Early Property Tax Discounts Now In Effect City Hall County property owners who settle annual tax statements before November ends automatically receive a four percent early payment reduction.
Today's Outlook
- High 77°F · Low 53°F — Overcast
- Keep a light layer handy for the cool low once daylight fades under grey skies.
What's On Around Town
Today
Inverness Festival of the Arts Courthouse Square (207 Courthouse Sq), Inverness, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM · Free Juried fine crafts, demonstrations, and student art across the courthouse square.
Homosassa Arts, Crafts & Seafood Festival Homosassa Civic Club (5530 S Mason Creek Rd), Homosassa, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM · $5 Fresh coastal fare, artisan booths, and live tunes benefiting community programs.
Tomorrow
Genealogy One-on-One Research Lakes Region Library (1511 Druid Rd), Inverness, 9:30–11:00 AM · Free
Books & Babies Lakes Region Library (1511 Druid Rd), Inverness, 10:00–10:30 AM · Free
Wii Game Night Floral City Public Library (8360 E Orange Ave), Floral City, 5:00–6:00 PM · Free
Tuesday
Walk-in Tech Help Floral City Public Library (8360 E Orange Ave), Floral City, 9:30 AM–12:30 PM · Free
Crafty Kids Corner Coastal Region Library (8619 W Crystal St), Crystal River, 2:00–3:00 PM · Free
Gobble Up Some Fun Craft Workshop Lakes Region Library (1511 Druid Rd), Inverness, 4:30–5:30 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Magnolia Cemetery
- Tucked beside State Road 44 near County Road 491, this quiet ground predates the county itself. Established around 1869 following the death of a traveler at a nearby roadside hotel, its earliest headstone uniquely faces northwest toward where the lodge once stood.
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