Proposal to silence public set for commission vote on Tuesday

By John Labriola - Citrus County Commission will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 10, to discuss eliminating the public comment period at the beginning of meetings, which has been a mainstay in Citrus County for decades.

The radical change, which requires amending the county’s public participation ordinance, is on the agenda because Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, who was just reelected to a third term, demanded it at last month’s commission meeting after previously taking the opposite position.

He said the change is needed to improve the “efficiency” of meetings and prevent county staff from having to wait in the chamber for the public to finish their comments.

Residents have flooded commissioners with emails opposing the move, saying it would deprive them of the opportunity to address the board on important agenda and non-agenda items without having to wait through a lengthy meeting. The vast majority of county commissions in the state allow public comment at the beginning of meetings.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 1 p.m. in the Citrus County Courthouse, 110 N. Apopka Ave., Inverness, FL 34450.

If you haven’t emailed commissioners yet to express your opposition to this attempt to silence the public, their email addresses are below:

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