LECANTO, Fla. — Citrus County’s population is seeing some growth.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county saw a 2.45% surge in its population in the past year. But as the county grows, so too are concerns about whether roads and other infrastructure can keep up. Plans are being made to help ensure stability.

What You Need To Know

  • With population growth spreading throughout Citrus County, concerns are also growing over whether roads and other infrastructure can keep up

  • According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county saw a 2.45% increase in its population in the past year
  • County officials say an additional 22,000 residents have come to Citrus County in the past 10 years

It’s often described as one of those places off the beaten path.

“Citrus County is one of those places that is super special,” District 4 Commissioner Rebecca Bays said.

And Citrus County has seen its fair share of growth in recent years, with new roads and other infrastructure projects being a visual representation.

“I know it upsets some,' Bays said. "They think it’s happening a little too fast, but we believe that we’re controlling it."

Bays understands that sentiment a little more than most. There has been some recent pushback as to whether the county is sustainable for a larger population.

But Bays said work is being done.

“The planning that we’re doing now is really on the front edge," Bays said. "We’ve worked with a company to do a growth-modeling component, and it is telling us exactly what’s happening in our county in real time.”

It’s showing where in the county growth is happening, giving Bays and others insight on housing and what’s needed to accommodate it.

“It tells us exactly where people are moving, how we need to bring in the commercial, how we need to bring in the industrial, and we have some shovel-ready projects," Bays said. "Our Inverness airport has an industrial park that is basically shovel ready. We’re ready for the first tenant to go in there. It’s an opportunity to create those higher-wage jobs.”

Bays said there has been an additional 22,000 residents in Citrus County in the past 10 years. And it all comes back to location.

“We want our kids to have a home that if they decide to go away and get their education, we want them to come back, and we want them to live here and have that good job so that we have that multigenerational family unit here in Citrus County,” Bays said.