February 25, 2006
Landowner objects to sewer service change - CRYSTAL RIVER - A local landowner is challenging Crystal River’s decision to extend sewer service to RealtiCorp’s land south of the city. Lewis Ranieri and his Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc. (FAMSI), say such a move would, among other things, violate the county’s Comprehensive Plan and policies, which prohibit the expansion of public infrastructure or the expenditure of public funds in the Coastal High Hazard Area. - St. Petersburg Times

Community Development Comprehensive Plan for Citrus County, Florida - The Community Development Division oversees the maintenance of the County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. The staff includes nine professionals who provide support to the various County boards including the Board of County Commissioners, the Planning and Development Review Board (PDRB), and the Aviation Advisory Board.

Land Development Code for Citrus County, Florida

Comprehensive Plan Table of Land Use Designations

Citrus County Generalized Future Land Use Map (GFLUM)
The map depicts the desired general pattern for the location, distribution, and intensity of land uses to the year 2020. This map is used to guide future development to the most suitable areas of the County in conjunction with the associated policies and text in the Future Land Use Element of the Plan. All development decisions must be consistent with provisions of the plan and GFLUM. Due to the small scale of the map, parcels of less then 10 acres in size are not represented on the map. The map is reviewed and updated at least every seven years in conjunction with the Evaluation and Appraisal Report process. Adjustments to the GFLUM are made through the Comprehensive Plan amendment process.

Citrus County Land Development Code Atlas (LDCA)
The Division of Community Development also maintains the more detailed Land Development Code Atlas (LDCA), which depicts permitted land uses on a parcel specific basis. In cases where there is a difference between the designation on the LDCA and the GFLUM, the Comprehensive Plan is the controlling regulatory document. The purpose of these maps is to convey land use and zoning information pursuant to ordinance 90-14 as amended. Information regarding property ownership and recognition of individual lots or lot boundaries is subject to verification and these maps should not be relied upon for this purpose.

February 18, 2006
RealtiCorp withdraws application - The hearing about surface water permits submitted to the southwest Florida Water Management District scheduled for next week had already been postponed a few times, and on Friday, a spokesman for RealtiCorp requested the application be withdrawn, according to Michael Molligan of the water district. ...Molligan said Friday the company representative told the district a new application will be submitted in the near future. The company has been working with the county on the project it calls the Preserve of Crystal River and has removed commercial development from most of the areas along U.S. 19 – most significantly in what has been called the connected wetlands, according to Citrus County Development Services Director Gary Maidhof. - by Jim Hunter, Citrus County Chronicle.

December 25, 2005
Crystal River "is at its best," Farley says - The newest council member sees a bright future but only if it remains a city and retains its tough controls on all types of development. ...From the start, Farley and the others faced one of the council’s most publicized debacles: annexation of 520 acres to the city’s south. RealtiCorp, a South Carolina developer, had approached the council after negotiations to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the property fell through with the county. - by Elena Lesley, St. Petersburg Times.

December 8, 2005
Developer’s new plan cuts impact on wetlands - A new proposal from RealtiCorp for a 212-acre development along U.S. 19 features a "significantly reduced" impact on area wetlands, director of Development Services Gary Maidhof said Wednesday. Maidhof met with RealtiCorp officials for about an hour Wednesday morning to discuss the revisions. Maidhof said the developer likely will submit plans to the county for formal review in the next 30 days. - St. Petersburg Times.
**February 23, 2006 TOOFAR’s Guest Speaker: Gary Maidhof, Director, Citrus County Department of Development Services.

October 5, 2005
Funny fumes waft from meetings with developer - ...Suddenly, it’s reported that RealtiCorp representatives are in meetings with no less than County Administrator Richard Wesch. And while there are no specific laws against it, the faint scent of something sulfurous hangs in the air. Low-level meetings between developers and Development Services staff are par for the course. It’s only fair that developers know where they stand before running the gantlet of planning board and County Commission workshops and review. But this upper-level stuff indicates negotiations, and negotiations suggest agreements, and agreements imply deals. Perhaps the public’s right to sunshine is getting compromised.... I am not, for the record, making accusations of impropriety. Yet, neither can I imagine circumstances more apt to give the appearances of the same -- by Jim Nicoll, guest columnist, St. Petersburg Times.

September 20, 2005
Despite losing annexation fight, city still concerned about wetlands
RealtiCorp has proposed the 212 acres of property, known as the Preserve at Crystal River, for commercial and residential development, with some destruction of wetlands in both areas. The portion fronting U.S. 19 is the commercial tract, where RealtiCorp proposes to build a Super Wal-Mart. The wetlands on that portion are considered connected, meaning they ultimately connect to the gulf. At first it was thought those wetland connected to Kings Bay, though it was later realized they connected to the St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve. Citrus County Chronicle

September 13, 2005
Foundation opposition brings backing
A Crystal River foundation’s opposition to a permit for destruction of wetlands on U.S. 19 just north of Ozello Trail adds solid backing to those who oppose development on that property. Citrus County Chronicle

September 3, 2005
Local foundation challenges RealtiCorp permit
The foundation has challenged a wetlands mitigation permit that RealtiCorp has pending with the regional water district. Part of the basis of the challenge is that the proposed destruction of the wetlands on the RealtiCorp property across U.S. 19 would destroy connected wetlands on the FAMSI property. That wetland and pond, as it turns out, are envisioned to be an integral part of a 17,000-square-foot Mesoamerican museum and education / research center that could be operational in two years. The wetlands will be a physical part of the museum, inside and around it, and would display the natural flora and fauna of the area, but the foundation’s architect has expressed concern that if RealtiCorp disturbs wetlands that feed FAMSI’s wetlands, the design will be in jeopardy. Citrus County Chronicle

August 28, 2005
Developer unites residents in fight
The environmentally sensitive lands need to be preserved because they play a role in the entire ecosystem. This stuff is all tied together. We can’t destroy one piece of the puzzle and not expect everything else to be impacted... ...RealtiCorp came to Citrus County thinking it was going to use its high-priced lawyers and lobbyists and push around local government. Instead, they’ve helped pull together a coalition of residents who are beginning to realize what’s worth fighting for. Citrus County Chronicle

August 26, 2005
County tries to head off development of wetlands
Concerned about potential environmental damage, Citrus County commissioners sent a letter... Commissioners said they don’t want high-value wetlands connected to the Kings Bay and Crystal River ecosystem destroyed for a commercial development along U.S. 19. The letter asks the district to postpone action until the county, district staff and RealtiCorp complete their ongoing negotiations. Citrus County Chronicle

August 25, 2005
County is right to weigh in on RealtiCorp plans
A handful of citizens who have been battling to protect the vital Crystal River watershed from being bulldozed by developers gained some critical reinforcements Tuesday when the Board of County Commissioners decided to enter the fray. ...Southwest Florida Water Management District, or Swiftmud, have already recommended that the agency’s governing board approve an environmental resource permit that would allow RealtiCorp to ruin 15 acres of wetlands within a 212-acre site along U.S. 19 south of the Crystal River Airport. St. Petersburg Times

August 24, 2005
Commission wants to defend wetlands
A proposed 212-acre development along U.S. 19 would have a detrimental impact on area wetlands, county officials said Tuesday. Commissioners want a bigger role in deciding whether permits are issued to develop 212 acres. The developer is willing to add to a park. St. Petersburg Times

August 21, 2005
Groups seek to halt wetlands destruction
Some community groups are mobilizing again to oppose another environmental permit on the RealtiCorp property just south of Crystal River. This time, the organizations don’t like the idea of destroying what are called isolated wetlands on the eastern portion of the property where a subdivision is proposed. The permit would come from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Citrus County Chronicle

August 9, 2005
Project would affect wetlands
County officials have some concerns about the environmental effects of the housing and retail development along U.S. 19. - by Catherine E. Shoichet, St. Petersburg Times

June 17, 2005
Court voids Crystal River annexation
In late June, a Florida Circuit Judge annulled the City of Crystal River’s 2004 annexation of certain land in order to allow a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter to be built on what was then unincorporated county land by RealtiCorp, a South Carolina developer. In its ruling, the court cited a number of reasons for revoking the annexation, including gerrymandering to avoid a potential challenge from a resident that could have ended up with a referendum on the annexation, the fact that a large portion of the land was undeveloped and unimproved and that insufficient urban services could be provided to the area in the short term. - source: Raghuram Vadarevu, St. Petersburg Times

April 22, 2005
County scrutinizes plans for land in legal battle
CRYSTAL RIVER - Citrus County planners are reviewing a developer’s application to subdivide about 124 acres in the area that Crystal River annexed a year ago. The review began at interim City Manager Phil Deaton’s request, county officials said. Cynthia Jones, a county planner, said Thursday that RealtiCorp. has asked to divide the 124 acres into nine lots. The two largest lots would be 54 acres and 50 acres, and the remaining 20 acres would be divided into seven lots of various sizes, Jones said. - St. Petersburg Times

November 30, 2004
Judge: City must defend annexation
For months, attorneys representing Citrus County and a citizens group have challenged the legality of Crystal River’s annexation of 500-plus acres just south of the city limits. Now, City Attorney David La Croix has been ordered to respond to the challenge. In an order signed Nov. 20 and mailed to the parties last week, Senior Judge Richard G. Weinberg instructed the city to file papers with the court within 20 days defending the annexation’s legality. The judge then will consider arguments and make a ruling. - by Raghuram Vadarevu, St. Petersburg Times

October 4, 2004
Council opposes wetland request
Despite backing annexation of more than 12 acres on U.S. 19, Crystal River doesn’t want a South Carolina developer to fill the property. The RealtiCorp project, known as The Preserve at Crystal River, straddles Penn Drive and abuts W Venable Street, just south of the Crystal River Airport, and is part of the 500-plus acres that the city annexed in April. The project would accommodate an anchor retail store, smaller shops and a complex of single-family homes. St. Petersburg Times

Sept. 19, 2004
Crystal River, FL. Residents Pleased That Wal-Mart’s Not Coming
Realticorp has been working on a deal to buy another 170 acres of land, donated it to Crystal River as a preserve, in order to get approval to fill in 13 acres of wetlands for the Wal-Mart site. When the developer got into disagreements with county officials over the supercenter, they tried to get the city of Crystal River to just annex the land away from the county.

August 26, 2004
Developer proposes land trade
The developer that wants to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the newly annexed portion of Crystal River is seeking federal regulators’ permission to fill in some of the wetlands on the site. In return, RealtiCorp would purchase about 170 acres of mixed uplands and wetland habitat west of U.S. 19 and north of downtown Crystal River, then donate the land to the Crystal River State Buffer Preserve. St. Petersburg Times

May 27, 2004
Businesses sue Crystal River over annexation
Citizens Opposed to RealtiCorp Annexation sued Crystal River on Wednesday, the deadline to challenge the city’s annexation of about 520 acres... Among the points of contention: Large-scale development in the area could jeopardize federal funds for nearby county-run Crystal River Airport, could create the need for expensive new roads, could stress water service and undermine a water rights agreement, and could violate state statutes guiding urban growth. St. Petersburg Times

April 29, 2004
Home is where they hang up Wal-Mart
It began when RealtiCorp, a South Carolina developer, approached Citrus County about building a Wal-Mart Supercenter. But the two couldn’t agree on wetlands protection near the proposed site. St. Petersburg Times

April 28, 2004
Is the plan legal or not?
Does Crystal River’s annexation plan meet legal requirements? Opponents say it doesn’t and will appeal Monday’s City Council vote in favor of it. Critics vowed Tuesday to mount a legal fight against the annexation, which the City Council approved late Monday on a 4-1 vote. Citizens Opposed to RealtiCorp Annexation (CORA) will file an appeal in circuit court in the next 30 days, and the County Commission also was mulling its options. The question, CORA attorney Carl Bertoch said, will be whether the involuntary annexation meets legal requirements. - by Colleen Jenkins, St. Petersburg Times

April 28, 2004
County, Crystal River debate annexation
Crystal River attorney: McPheeters’ claims invalid, constitute 3rd degree felony... Heads were spinning following Monday’s Crystal River City Council meeting where the city’s plan to annex more than 500 acres south of the city faced fierce opposition. - by Michael Terry, Citrus County Chronicle

February 24, 2004
Annexation vote stalls over count
The City Council agreed Monday night to delay until March a final vote on a contentious annexation plan. The time is needed so the city’s attorney can review the parcel count being used to justify the proposed annexation. Crystal River is considering an involuntary annexation of more than 500 acres south of the city. St. Petersburg Times

February 19, 2004
County, Wal-Mart attorney to confer
The parties will likely discuss county concerns about a proposal to build a Supercenter in a wetlands area. St. Petersburg Times

October 29, 2003
Crystal River, FL. Annexation for Wal-Mart Is Rejected
Citizens have won the first victory in Crystal River. But the developer owns 200 acres, and no doubt will begin bargaining with city officials to try to get them to be more favorable to the annexation process. Anyone who has watched Wal-Mart and its developers in action, knows that these projects spread like crab grass, and unless you pull them out by the roots, they will sprout up again.

October 23, 2003
Keep big boxes off our watershed
Wal-Mart is planning a supercenter on a site where the aquifer is only a few feet down, unprotected and extremely vulnerable. The developers would callously destroy wetlands that protect the Crystal River. Furthermore, when stormwater retention areas are constructed at this site, there is a high probability that the aquifer will be breached. No doubt about it. It happened right across the street at Home Depot. This is the worst possible thing that could be done to the Crystal River. Letters to the Editor, St. Petersburg Times from Ron Miller, president, Homosassa River Alliance

October 02, 2003
Diocese turns down offer for land, stifles development project
CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. -- The Diocese of St. Petersburg turned down a $120,000 offer for an 80-foot strip of land next to St. Benedict Catholic Church that would be used for an access road for a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter... RealtiCorp has asked the Crystal River to annex the land. If that occurs, the City Council would be responsible for deciding whether RealtiCorp’s plans meet county land development code. The city would also receive a tax windfall for taking in more than 400 acres of commercial development.

June 5, 2003
New Wal-Mart hits a hurdle with wetlands
CRYSTAL RIVER - At Ozello Trail, U.S. 19 is not the busy commercial corridor that it is in downtown Crystal River. Here the highway cuts through a swamp filled with towering cypress trees, lush cinnamon fern and sleepy gopher tortoises. St. Petersburg Times

May 3, 2002
Doubts dog plan for giant retailer
CRYSTAL RIVER - Some planning board members say that although the site is the best proposed for a mega-store, it may contain more wetlands than are apparent in these dry times... several members of the county’s Planning and Development Review Board questioned Thursday whether the 27-acre tract at the southeast corner of U.S. 19 and W Penn Drive, even with these advantages over previously proposed sites, is suitable for a 200,000-square-foot, unnamed commercial giant. - by Bridget Hall Grumet, St. Petersburg Times

January 25, 2002
New site targeted for retail ’big box’
The land at U.S. 19 and W Penn Drive appears to have fewer environmental liabilities than an earlier one nearby... Like the previous site at U.S. 19 and W Venable Street, much of the new site at U.S. 19 and W Penn Drive would have to be rezoned before the project could go forward. And like the last version of this project, the new plans submitted last week will face opposition from environmentalists who fear a repeat of a Home Depot incident, in which workers digging the hardware store’s retention pond a year and a half ago breached the water table. - by Bridget Hall Grumet, St. Petersburg Times

Learn more about wetlands.