Action postponed on lobbying controversy

By John Labriola - The Citrus County Commission last week postponed action to address a growing controversy involving a legislative funding request that did not go through the proper channels. 

Commissioner Diana Finegan, who is proposing two ordinances to restrict inappropriate lobbying activities, tabled them on April 22 so she could bring them back at the commission's May 13 meeting when Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, who was absent last week, will be present. 

Her legislation would forbid county commissioners, Planning and Development Commission members, and county staff from lobbying the state on behalf of a developer, and prohibit former county commissioners from lobbying the county for six years, in keeping with a Florida constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018.

Finegan's proposals are in response to a controversy involving former County Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach, who served one term on the commission before losing reelection last year. As a lobbyist for The Southern Group, Schlabach convinced Commission Chairwoman Rebecca Bays to persuade County Administrator Steve Howard to secretly sign a $3 million appropriations request to the state legislature to widen Lecanto Road (County Road 491) on behalf of the lobbying firm's client, Metro Development Group, which has a pending application to build a 5,000-unit project along 491 called Tuscany Ranch. The funding request was withdrawn by the commission earlier this month after coming to light. 

Commissioners approved their appropriations requests to the Florida Legislature at a publicly noticed meeting in December. Bays had argued for 491 funding, but the commission instead prioritized three funding requests for a boat ramp at the Cross Florida Barge Canal, relocating Citrus County Fire Rescue Station 8 to Inverness Airport, and construction of a Halls River multi-use path.

The May 13 agenda also will feature three proposed measures by Commissioner Janet Barek, who wants to fire Howard, censure Bays and have the county attorney file an ethics complaint against Schlabach for violating the state lobbying ban on former elected officials.

“What she did has cost us our good name,” Barek said of Schlabach, whom she defeated last year. “Our name is now tarnished with our representative in the House and our Senate representative.”

Barek’s proposal to fire Howard drew an angry reaction from Commissioner Holly Davis. 

“If this witch hunt against Mr. Howard continues, if you drive him to take a higher paying job elsewhere, shame on you,” Davis said. “I think all of this is completely unproportional. It’s like someone goes up and slaps you in the face and you’re going to pull out a gun and shoot them.”

Bays read a statement apologizing for her “misstep” but defending her motives.

“My heart was in the right place,” Bays said. “I won’t apologize for caring deeply or trying to make things better.”