Many candidates for Citrus County Commissioner hold the conviction that the Suncoast Parkway2 “is a reality.” This phrase is often uttered without real reflection.

The construction of the road is actually so tenuous, it’s almost shocking: If 3 out of the 5 commissioners of Citrus County say “No” to the Suncoast 2, the road stops dead. Period. It’s the law.

The problem is, that has never happened because elected officials do not always represent the will of the people, and the people do not always force what they want by their vote. But this is election year, many things can change.

Despite support for the Suncoast2 by our current County Commissioners there is a lot we don’t know about this road.

We don’t know if it will accelerate unnatural growth, degrade the springs of Citrus County, increase air and noise pollution for residents, promote sinkholes, worsen local traffic, threaten local businesses as large chains are attracted by the rapid growth.

We don’t know if the road will attract outside developers who can build tens of thousands of homes a year who will edge out our local builders who can only handle a few hundred homes a year.

What we do know is that the Suncoast 1, years after construction, still cannot meet traffic projections, even against numbers lowered specifically to help it meet projections.

We know that it’s planned on top of the most pristine watershed in the State of Florida.

We know that a circuit court ruled that Florida Turnpike Enterprise violated Florida’s Sunshine Law.

Yet, we are asked to trust blindly that the “authorities” know what they’re doing.

They are at the gambling table and having lost $10 kept losing more to make that initial $10 bet worthwhile, then walking out the door $1000 poorer. The problem is, all that is our money.

Mistakes, especially those with high impact, must be stopped as early as possible. v I hope the people of Citrus County will vote what THEY want for Citrus County, and not feel they must resign to someone else’s unpalatable vision of how things “must” be.

Hanh Vu
Homosassa, FL