CITRUS CRUSADER

By John Labriola - Two years ago, former Citrus County Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach, who had just been chosen by her colleagues as commission chairwoman, proposed eliminating the Open to the Public period at the beginning of county commission meetings.  Her move to silence the public, who often voiced their opposition to her liberal agenda, generated a flood of angry protests from residents. When her proposal came up at a November 2022 commission meeting, many residents loudly denounced the idea, and she was forced to withdraw it under withering criticism.  At the time, Commissioner Jeff Kinnard was among those who opposed the move. "The Open to the Public at the start of the meeting is an opportunity for people to run out on a lunch break, come in, speak their piece and get out of here,” he had said. “I think we might be trying to fix a problem that does not necessarily exist...I do think it's an important time to keep on the agenda." (See video HERE .) Now safely reele

By John Labriola - Tuesday was a remarkable night for America. President Donald Trump performed the greatest political comeback in the nation's history, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to take back the White House in a sweeping electoral and popular vote victory after being impeached, indicted and convicted and surviving an assassination attempt by his political enemies.  Voters across the nation had clearly soured on the Democrats' gross mishandling of the country, especially President Joe Biden's decision to open the U.S. southern border to millions of illegal and criminal migrants, years of runaway inflation, and Biden's demented promotion of insane woke policies like taxpayer-funded sex-change operations. In Florida, Trump enjoyed a massive 13-point victory, even winning historically blue counties like Miami-Dade, where no Republican presidential candidate had won in 36 years, and carrying Citrus County by 72 percent.  In a huge victory for the right to life

By John Labriola - This Tuesday is Election Day. If you haven't cast your ballot yet, please vote on Nov. 5.  The stakes are high. At the federal level, it's a choice between Donald Trump, a tested leader who strengthened our economy and secured our border during his first term as president, and Kamala Harris, the failed vice president of the worst administration in American history.  Apart from the presidency, the most important battle in the state of Florida this election is the fight against pro-abortion Amendment 4, the extreme measure financed by the abortion industry that would allow the unrestricted murder of preborn children right up to the moment of birth, with taxpayers being forced to foot the bill. Abortionists are salivating at the prospect of the millions of dollars in blood money they will make if the proposal passes. If you don't want to pay for Planned Parenthood's evil butchery, vote No on 4.   Far-left Citrus County Commissioner Holly Davis is also on

By John Labriola - Only one week remains until one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime.  On Nov. 5, voters will decide whether we continue on the path of open borders, transgender insanity and far-left socialism under Kamala Harris or restore American strength by voting for Donald Trump.  In Florida, voters will determine the fate of a slate of constitutional amendments, two of which are being financed by deep-pocketed special interest groups of the left. Amendment 3 would give one company a monopoly in the recreational marijuana business, while Amendment 4 would require taxpayer funding of late-term abortions, pouring millions of dollars into the bloody abortion industry. The Citrus Crusader strongly recommends that you vote No on both.  Here in Citrus, voters will have the opportunity to oust far-left County Commissioner Holly Davis by electing no-party conservative Paul Grogan to the commission. Davis is a Liz Cheney Republican who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes

By John Labriola - The Citrus County Chronicle has endorsed far-left pro-abortion Trump-hating Democrat Marilyn Holleran in the race for State Senate against Republican Blaise Ingoglia.  In doing so, the Chronicle has proven once again not only how out of touch they are with the values of Citrus County, but also how they lie to push their leftist agenda.  The Chronicle paints a caricature of Ingoglia as a do-nothing "showman" who makes "headlines with divisive stunts" and little else.   To make its case, the Chronicle cites just two bills Ingoglia sponsored. One of them was designed to make a statement against the Democratic Party's wholesale destruction of statutes of our Founding Fathers and other leaders by saying the party itself should be canceled for previously supporting slavery. It was a bill he knew would go nowhere, but it was an important statement to make about the hypocrisy of leftist cancel culture and why it needs to stop.  But the Chronicle igno

By John Labriola - The Citrus County Chronicle has given my opponent in the Nov. 5 race for Inverness City Council, Jacquie Hepfer, its liberal stamp of approval. That should come as no surprise. But the editorial, which was published last week, was more of a sloppy hit piece on me than an endorsement of her.    The newspaper described me as "a divisive figure who will likely bring turmoil to the council." That's typical leftist drivel. The left uses the term "divisive" to describe anyone it disagrees with, including President Donald Trump. The fact is they don't like me because, among other things, I led the successful push to stop the unpopular LGBT Pride propaganda displays in Citrus County libraries, a move the paper vociferously opposed. But if anything was divisive, it was using our taxpayer-funded libraries to promote sexual perversion to children.  The paper also falsely accused me of wanting to "ban books." That's a lie. Earlier this y

By John Labriola - "Diana" Guevara, a "male-to-female transgender" who sexually molested boys at his former home in Inverness before being arrested in 2022, was sentenced to just one year in state prison on Friday after agreeing to take a plea deal.  "I don't like this sentence," said Judge Joel Fritton, explaining he agreed to it only because Guevara's victims didn't want to be "revictimized" by having to testify.  Guevara, now 35, lied about his age to his victims, who were then 15, claiming to be much younger and using video games to lure them.  The Citrus County Chronicle was absent from the courtroom and chose not to report the sentence. When Guevara was arrested two years ago, the paper published a misleading article stating that Guevara was a "woman." The Chronicle has repeatedly sought to dismiss concerns about transgenders in Citrus County.   Following his prison term, Guevara will serve nine years on sex offender p