​Citrus 2030 "Destiny by Design" Results: Community Input Opportunity

    Welcome!

    100+ Citrus County residents and community leaders met during a one-day Vision Check event to develop strategies for planning the next ten years of our county's future. We appreciate your review and input on these Vision Check results, especially by those who were not able to attend. Your insights will contribute to the success of following Citrus 2030 initiatives and the shared solutions that will help those in each of the aspiration groups meet their goals to help our community grow and prosper.

    ​​Overview

    The Citrus 2030 Vision Check was conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at the College of Central Florida Citrus Campus Conference Center in Lecanto. Trained facilitators and subject matter experts guided participating community leaders and interested citizens, organized into 10 aspiration groups, through the visioning process for the purpose of creating Citrus County's strategic pathway to the year 2030.

    The objectives of the Kickoff Summit were to:

    1. Evaluate Citrus County's progress since the initial Citrus 20/20 project
    2. Identify and clarify goals for the 10 aspiration groups
    3. Shape strategies for what is needed to accomplish those goals
    4. Agree on next steps and responsibilities within each subcommittee

    ​​Aspiration Groups

    The 10 aspiration groups focused on the topics of:
    • Arts & Culture
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health & Social Services
    • Nature & Man
    • Public Safety & Security
    • Smart Growth
    • Tourism, Recreation, & Social Venues
    • Trade/Career & Technical Education
    • Youth Development
    ​
    Strategies

    ​These strategies were developed by 10 aspiration groups at the Vision Check.  Please rate the acceptability of each, suggest additional strategies and provide comments to help everyone better understand the community's vision for the future of Citrus County:
    1: ARTS & CULTURE
    ​
    Strategy #1: Emphasize & quantify the value of arts & culture
    • Identify current local organizations who can assist
    • Identify relevant models
    • Identify key leaders to advocate (Economic, State, Civic & Social)

    Strategy #2: Establish the nucleus of local arts agencies (L.A.A.)
    • Develop a relationship with county government & business to support the role of the L.A.A.
    • Deliver the value of the message of the arts
    • Develop action plan

    Strategy #3: ​Organize all artist culture groups into a network
    • Create map of art/culture locations & events utilizing technology
    Inventory market & shared cost centers

    ​Strategy #4: By 2030, have a sustainable arts agency & a physical center for the arts/culture
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Visual Arts
    • Crafts
    • Dance
    • Rehearsal Rooms
    • Classrooms
    • Digital Film & Design
    • Photography
    2: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

    Put out the "Welcome Mat" in Citrus County.

    Strategy #1: Make infrastructure available for prioritized sites
    • Focus on Areas of Economic Opportunity
      • Leverage Suncoast Parkway interchanges
        • Public sector to address current shortcomings/ deficiencies, including funding, zoning and infrastructure 
      • Public sector to identify  and create master plan for prioritized sites
      • Create a dedicated funding mechanism for strategic infrastructure

    Strategy #2: Prepare the workforce of tomorrow for the modern economy
    • Identify the future workforce needs
      • Entities that can identify business trends nationwide
    • Insure availability of strong communications/connectivity infrastructure
      • Public / private partnerships
    • Train new workforce​
      • Citrus Business Alliance partner together to implement (WTC, CF, CCBA, Chamber, School District, etc.) – a Quick Response Training
    • Re-train existing workforce
      • CareerSource, with assistance from Citrus Business Alliance
    • Recruit new workforce (as needed)
      • FDEO, Enterprise Florida

    Strategy #3: Create a business-friendly administrative structure that provides for consistent permitting process
    • Train staff at the county level
      • Growth Management Director
    • Institute liaison activity as an official part of the permitting process
      • TBD

    Strategy #4: Create cultural change regarding economic development
    • Market economic development as a benefit to the whole community 
      • County, cities, Citrus Business Alliance and private sector
    • Market future revenue development as an investment in the community
      • County, cities, Citrus Business Alliance and private sector

    Strategy #5: Encourage a balanced inventory of housing that is attainable to citizens of every income level 
    • Encourage affordable & middle income housing / diversity of housing availability, including:
      • Apartments / high density / smart growth
      • Affordable rentals
        • County, non-profits, realtors, builders​
    3: EDUCATION
    Strategy #1: Establish a Community Education Council (CEC) for coordination of educational resources, including creating community awareness about all of the available opportunities and options
    • Identify partners, resources and organizations
    • Populate the Council to carry-out the mission

    Strategy #2: Promote and support WTC & CF
    • Reach out to Patrick Simon with the CCCC
    • Create marketing plan
    • Give WTC and CF access to the secondary education facilities
    • Identify organizations that will designate a percentage of their scholarship funds in Citrus to WTC and CF

    Strategy #3: Recruit, develop, and retain talented educators
    • Develop a Teacher Academy with CF (already in conversation)
    • Identify the link with behavioral health initiatives to retain teachers
    • Identify local challenges i.e. housing, extracurricular activities, etc…
    • Cultivate a community for new teachers to assimilate
    • Address affordable housing

    Strategy #4: Leverage and embrace the use of ever-changing technology in education and life
    • Identify the barriers for each age group
    • Recognize “knowledge is power”
    4: HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
    Strategy #1: Build a central receiving facility for behavioral health with a full continuum of services

    Strategy #2: Free health clinics for the under-insured and non-insured modeling a successful program

    Strategy #3: Housing that our vulnerable population and workforce can afford

    Strategy #4: Increase physical activity and encouraging better nutrition & healthier lifestyles through education

    Strategy #5: Facilitate sharing & collaboration between all stakeholder agencies to maximize the effectiveness of service delivery to our citizens

    Strategy #6: Target vulnerable seniors and at-risk youth

    Strategy #7: Encourage political, business, & civic leaders to adopt a "Health in All Policies" approach
    5: NATURE & MAN
    Living in harmony with nature.

    Strategy #1: Continue the legacy of water stewardship this county has created

    Strategy #2: Focus on combating/mitigating the effects of climate change

    Strategy #3: Promote sustainable community development

    Strategy #4: Work to reduce waste and promote effective recycling & composting measures
    6: PUBLIC SAFETY & SECURITY
    ​Strategy #1: Funding – Capital Improvement
    • “Pay me now or pay me later”

    Strategy #2: Educate Policy Makers & Community

    Strategy #3: Stakeholder Groups/Incorporation
    • Cultivate relationships (private, public, non-profit)

    Strategy #4: Establish Mental Health Resources
    • Drug Use/Abuse

    Strategy #5: Firearm safety/education

    Ways to Get it Done:
    1. Transparency (social media, print, annual reports / publish)
    2. Identify pathways
    3. Attend board meetings
    4. Survey stakeholders
    5. Unified message
    6. Address barriers / communication (right too for message)
    7. Feedback mechanism
    7: SMART GROWTH
    Strategy 1 (Short Term): Educate community on the importance of smart growth
    • Editorials
    • Citizens Academy
    • Media campaign
    • Meetings
    Task 1) Create a media campaign:
    • Resources: Chronicle, CF Marketing Program, local media partners, SmartGrowth.org, AARP, exisiting campaigns, EPA technical assistance, USF, Florida Institute of Government
    Task 2) Create a speakers bureau:
    • Resources: Smart Growth subcommittee

    Strategy 2 (Mid-Term): Establish a coalition/task force made up of community leaders & stakeholders
    • Identify areas for smart growth
    Task 1) Identify key community leaders & stakeholders
    • Resources: BOCC, city officials, Chamber of Commerce
    Task 2) Conduct county-wide and city-wide inventory of land use to determine infrastructure needs including areas around the Suncoast Parkway and north connector.
    • Resources: Citrus Business Alliance, Citrus County, GIS mapping

    Strategy 3 (Long Term): Implement smart growth principles into existing policies & plans
    ​Task 1) Develop a resolution recommended by coalition/task force
    8: TOURISM, RECREATION, & SOCIAL VENUES
    Strategy #1: Create engaging recreational opportunities for locals
    • How to keep our kids happy, healthy, & here
    • Flexible public space: convention, social, & recreational <- get messaging to investors

    Strategy #2: Balancing tourism growth with ecological stewardship
    • Attract visitors who spend money, respect nature (number of tourists vs. quality of experience)
    • Public buy-in to environmental causes: scallop, reef, etc. -- public projects/environmental maintenance
    • Education to express past & present local efforts (i.e. signage, literature)
    • Plans to sustain future ecosystems: awareness of nitrates, environmental mitigation requirements/incentives for builders

    Strategy #3: Create Citrus County Ambassadors
    • Incentivize low-paid hospitality workers to engage in training
    • Promote local resident knowledge: "Pop Ups for a Purpose"/"Better the Block"-type programs

    Strategy #4: Eliminate tourism divisiveness between communities
    • Create county-wide partnerships/focus group
    9: TRADE/CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION
    Strategy #1: Business Engagement
    • To engage our businesses to want to partner with our schools to create sustainable career opportunities for our post-secondary education system
    • Build partnerships with the CareerSource and Building Alliance and a medial alliance partner

    Strategy #2: Expansion
    • Expand CTE Opportunities K-12 to incorporate further education beyond college thinking into trade and career

    Strategy #3: Create Positive Perception
    • Market CTE programs to improve the image of the post-secondary education.

    Strategy #4: Effective Partnerships
    • Create partnerships for life not only with the community and government but also within the other Citrus 2030 groups so we can grow a better post-secondary program that will create more opportunity for our educated to live and work in Citrus County
    10: YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
    Strategy #1: Advise & influence local government decisions related to youth (1-2 years)
    • Explore requirements to become an advisory council
      • Resources: County Attorney, County Commissioners
    • Identify and engage key stakeholders
      • Resources: Education Foundation, Community Alliance, Student Services, student peers
    • Create Youth Development Council
      • Resources: Community Alliance, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Jessie's Place
    • Collaborate with schools to incorporate into curriculum
      • Resources: School Board, Education Foundation, Youth Development Council

    Strategy #2: Build capacity to engage families (3-5 years)
    • App database for Citrus County's Youth Services
      • Resources: CF interns, WTC IT students, Chamber of Commerce, Jessie's Place
    • Referral partnerships
      • Resources: Youth Development Council, Early Learning Coalition
    • Create a Youth Program Specialist
      • Resources: BOCC, schools (tax-funded)

    ​Strategy #3: Expand infrastructure to positively impact youth services (8-10 years)
    • Create, expand, improve, and/or update recreational facilities to be all-inclusive
      • Resources: BOCC, Parks & Recreations, Youth Development Council
    • Reduce barriers to access
      • Transportation
      • Safety
      • Communication
        • Resources: Youth Development Council, BOCC, Department of Transportation
    • Build youth development programs
      • Arts
      • Recreation
      • Mental health
      • Behavioral health
        • Resources: Private organizations
    ​WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN JOINING ANY OF THE CITRUS 2030 SUBCOMMITTEES?
    ​ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING TO OR PARTICIPATING IN FUTURE CITRUS 2030 INITIATIVES?
    IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT UPCOMING CITRUS 2030 INITIATIVES, PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION:
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