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Special to the Chronicle - Editorial Section
THE ISSUE: Citrus 2030 launches website, speaker program. OUR OPINION: Help shape Citrus County’s future. What would the future of Citrus County look like if you were in charge? Thanks to the Citrus 2030 Vision Check, residents now have the opportunity to help shape the future of the county by participating in this strategic pathway event in October. The Citrus 2030 Vision Check is inspired by the Florida Chamber Foundation’s “Florida 2030 Project” to stimulate strategic thinking about Florida’s future and to engage business/community leaders in each of Florida’s 67 counties. Participants will be divided into 10 aspirational groups and guided through the visioning process by professional facilitators and subject matter experts.
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 Front row, from left are: Michael Shapot, Sandrew Wright, Janet Garvin, Bill Garvin, David Reed, Lace Blue McLean, Janice Warren, Ardath Prendergast, Connie Sachewicz and Curt Ebitz. Back row, from left, are: Nichole Zarkowski, Crysta Reaves and Cassie Cross. Special to the Chronicle On behalf of the Keep Citrus County Beautiful Save Our Waters Week Committee, Chairperson Lace Blue-McLean presented a $500 donation to Citrus 2030 Steering Committee Chairperson Janice Warren in support of the Citrus 2030 Vision Check scheduled for Oct. 5 at the College of Central Florida Citrus Campus Conference Center. With the theme "Destiny by Design," Vision Check participants from the community will be organized into 10 aspiration focus groups and guided by professional facilitators and subject matter experts to create Citrus County's strategic pathway to the year 2030. For more information visit www.citrus2030.org.  Travelers from across the world have found the Three Sisters Spring area in Crystal River. During the peak of manatee season, the area attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the county. Photo: MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle file By Buster Thompson, Citrus County Chronicle
Citrus 2030 wants to hear it. For decades, the draw of Citrus County has been its coast: Manatees, clear waters and the fruit of the sea. In the 1990s, strategists with Citrus 20/20 sought out ways to help regulate the booming tourism industry and implement professional standards. Discussions then gave rise to the Manatee Eco-Tourism Association, or META, a citizen-run group that’s still active today in ensuring best practices for area guides who are often the first points of contact for visitors. But does Citrus County want to be known just for ecotourism? Ardath Prendergast/Special to the Chronicle
In 1994, a forward-thinking Chamber of Commerce Leadership Citrus class came up with a project using their acquired leadership skills to look 25 years into the future of Citrus County. They developed a strategy to guide the community to a path of planning rather than happenstance. Named “Citrus 20/20: Focus Today for a Clear Vision of Tomorrow,” they welcomed interested community members to participate and take ownership in helping to direct that vision. For the next two decades, the vision and aspirations that developed out of that plan were treated almost like a bible by the County Commissioners and other leaders, guiding their actions on countless issues. In 2010, 15 years into the vision, the community came together again to review the progress to date, and fine tune the remaining 10 years. As we now move into that year that seemed so distant in 1995, Janice Warren, one of the original Citrus 20/20 steering committee members, took the initiative to revive the plan with the idea of moving it forward to 2030.  The Citrus 2030 Steering Committee has launched its website in advance of its Vision Check Oct. 5. They ask interested residents to rank their top three aspirations out of a list of 10 provided, which includes "arts and culture" and "youth development." Pictured, a young girl works on her art project at the 2016 Inverness Festival of the Arts. Special to the Chronicle
The Citrus 2030 Steering Committee has launched its website, www.citrus2030.org and guest speaker program in support of its Vision Check, which will be conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, at the College of Central Florida Citrus Campus Conference Center in Lecanto. The Citrus 2030 Vision Check is inspired by the Florida Chamber Foundation’s “Florida 2030 Project” to stimulate strategic thinking about Florida’s future and to engage business/community leaders in each of Florida’s 67 counties. With the theme "Destiny by Design," the Citrus 2030 Vision Check builds upon the Citrus 2020 visioning and action planning foundation with the goal of creating Citrus County's strategic pathway to the year 2030. Participating business/community leaders and interested citizens will be organized into 10 aspiration focus groups and guided through the visioning process by professional facilitators and subject matter experts. |