Schlabach still causing Citrus County problems
By John Labriola - Citrus County voters thought they had seen the last of former County Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach after her humiliating election loss last year. Sadly for the public, Schlabach is still finding ways to cause problems for the county. The latest controversy involves her role as a lobbyist for The Southern Group. Last month, she convinced the commission's current chairwoman Rebecca Bays to nudge County Administrator Steve Howard into secretly signing a $3 million appropriations request to the state legislature to widen County Road 491 on behalf of the lobbying firm's client, Metro Development Group, which has an open application to build a 5,000-unit project along 491 called Tuscany Ranch. In an email to Howard, Schlabach asked him to sign the funding request as soon as possible. “That way, we can show you the money!” she wrote. The problem is that the rest of the commission never approved or even knew about the request, a serious breach of protocol, ...

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