Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 Preakness: Derby winner Medina Spirit cleared to race/B4 SATURDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 84 Mostly sunny, LOW warm and 57 breezy. PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com MAY 15, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 219 NEWS BRIEFS Crystal Square faces scrutiny Citrus County validated violations was COVID cases Must address for its leaking roof, crum- According to the Florida bling facades, inoperable fire alarm, untested fire Department of Health, code violations sprinklers, exposed wir- 8 positive cases were re- ing, missing ceiling tiles, ported in Citrus County USTER B peeling paint and over- since the latest update. THOMPSON grown grass. No new deaths were re- Staff writer Christensen scheduled ported, for a total of 451. an inspection of the vacant Owners of the Crystal To date in the county, property for June 14, and a Square shopping plaza 11,212 people have tested Massey Hearing for the have roughly a month to positive (including following day to deter- address almost a dozen 99 non-residents). mine if it came into No new hospitalizations code violations from Crys- tal River before the city compliance. were reported, for a total If Crystal Square owner- of 727 hospitalized. adds more fines to the lot’s current debt. ship, which shares the Totals reflect preliminary Magistrate Robert same name as its proper- reports received by the Christensen made the rul- ty’s 579 SE U.S. 19 address, state, and are subject to ing Thursday, May 13, at a hasn’t satisfied Chris- revision. city code enforcement tensen’s order, the city will Royal Oaks to hearing, after finding the fine it $250 a day until it city presented enough evi- does. MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle host vaccine site dence to prove 11 of its 12 Repairs not requiring a The Crystal Square shopping plaza in Crystal River has had many vacant store fronts in The Royal Oaks home- citations. city permit must be recent years. The city of Crystal River is currently working with the owner of the property owners association will Crystal Square’s See PLAZA/Page A7 to find a solution to the mostly vacant plaza that some see as blight. host a full day of immuni- zation using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. There are 140 vaccines available and will be administered Tuesday, May 18. To reg- ister, call 352-341-6269. Inverness mobile Help much wanted vaccine site The Florida Division of Emergency Management will have a mobile vaccina- tion site from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sun- day, May 15-16, at Whis- pering Pines Park. The mobile vaccination program this weekend at Whispering Pines Park is open for anyone 12 or older. Appointments are not necessary; anyone can walk up and receive the vaccine. Officials are providing the Pfizer vaccine. The mobile vaccine bus will re- turn 21 days later to ad- minister the second shot. To see a list of Citrus County vaccination sites, go to www.floridahealth19.gov/ vaccines/vaccine-locator. Drive-thru food drives for SOS The Esther Chapter of the Daughters of the King at Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Le- canto is asking for food donations to benefit SOS food pantry, which feeds MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle thousands of families in Logllygaggers Sports Pub and Grill in Crystal River’s bar manager and bartender Erica Rhodes pours red sangria Friday afternoon, May Citrus County. 14. Businesses like Lollygaggers are struggling to fill open employment positions. The monthly drive-thru food donation collection is furloughed workers, is also Marion. The bonuses will be said she is targeting an open- the third Tuesday of each Plan aimed at now paying workers to take available to businesses with 75 ing the first week of June, but month from 9 a.m. to noon jobs because employers are or fewer workers. she and her mother, Brenda at Shepherd of the Hills desperate for help. County commission Chair- Barco, weren’t so sure just Episcopal Church, 2540 drawing in Citrus County commission- man Scott Carnahan said he recently. West Norvell Bryant High- ers this week approved a fed- knows of restaurants in Citrus “If three weeks ago Floral way (County Road 486), erally funded program that County that are reducing hours City was ready, we could not Lecanto. more workers provides $1,000 sign-on bo- or closing one day a week be- have opened,” Barco, who han- “Our June food drive will MIKE WRIGHT nuses to new workers in jobs cause they don’t have enough dles hiring for her daughter, mark one full year of deliv- Staff writer that pay $14.99 an hour or help. said. “I did not have anybody ering food to SOS food under. He mentioned Lollygagger’s to cook the food.” pantry,” said Cathy Allen, This is the extreme shift in Workers must be on the job by name, saying the restaurant Funding from the program Esther Chapter president. the unemployment situation for 90 days before receiving was unable to open its new comes from the CARES Act The donation drop-off is from COVID-19: the bonus, which is paid by the Floral City location due to lack and related legislation aimed at the portico entrance at The government, which is employer and reimbursed by of staff. at boosting the workforce the church. paying employers to hire back CareerSource Citrus Levy Owner Morgan Sundberg See WORK/Page A5 The food collected on Tuesdays is taken to SOS on Wednesday in time for distribution on Thursday. Also, coolers will be on hand to store refrigerated Baird: Note new election law Bypass study sought or even frozen items. — From staff reports MIKE WRIGHT mail and want to know if they must be renewed for MICHAEL D. BATES Joe Meek concurred and Staff writer their applications are each election year. Staff writer said “the sooner the bet- INDEX still valid. As mentioned, vote-by- ter” for the city. The next election is Now that the comple- Classifieds . .B7 The answer: Yes, until mail applications cur- The State Road 44 and over a year away but the 2022 election, then tion date for the Suncoast Comics . B6. rently on file with the U.S. 19 intersection got Maureen “Mo” Baird’s they must be renewed for elections office remain Parkway extension has even more congested with Crossword . .B10 phone is ringing each general valid for the 2022 been moved up, it is more the recent opening of Editorial . A10 off the hook as election. election. urgent than ever to move Wawa. Entertainment . .A4 voters try to That’s just one n Applications for forward with a Turkey Oak City officials are con- Horoscope . A4 make sense of of the changes vote-by-mail ballots and bypass study, two mem- cerned that once the park- Lottery Numbers . B3. Florida’s new Senate Bill 90 to change a voter’s ad- bers of the Hernando-Cit- way’s extension to State Lottery Payouts . B3. election law and brings to the vot- dress now require proof rus Metropolitan Planning Road 44 and ultimately to Obituaries . .None what it means to ing process. The of identity, including Organization (MPO) said County Road 486 is done, Religion . A14 them. Chronicle sat driver’s license, Florida at its Thursday meeting. much of the traffic would Stocks . A9 Baird, elected Maureen down with Baird identification card or the “It’s critically important head toward U.S. 19 and TV Listings . .B5 in November as “Mo” Baird to go over the last four digits of a Social we get (that) study going,” cause significant block- Citrus County’s highlights. Security number. County Commissioner and ages in downtown Crystal supervisor of elections, n Vote-by-mail applica- n Ballots mailed to vot- MPO Chairman Jeff Kin- River. said much of the re- tions. They used to be ers will no longer have an nard said. Some progress on a sponse is coming from good for two election cy- Crystal River Mayor and voters who cast ballots by cles, or four years. Now See VOTERS/Page A7 alternate MPO member See BYPASS/Page A8 A2 Saturday, May 15, 2021 Citrus County (FL) ChroniCLe 2021 TOYOTA 2021 TOYOTA 2021 TOYOTA 2021 TOYOTA COROLLA CAMRY LE RAV4 LE HIGHLANDER 0% APR LE 0% APR 0% APR 0% APR LE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE MODEL#1852 MODEL#2532 MODEL#4430 MODEL#6946 LEASE FOR LEASE FOR LEASE FOR LEASE FOR $ -OR- ZERO $ -OR- ZERO $ -OR- ZERO $ -OR- ZERO 159 DOWN 199 DOWN 228 DOWN 298 DOWN PER MONTH FOR 36 MONTHS PER MONTH FOR 36 MONTHS PER MONTH FOR 36 MONTHS PER MONTH FOR 36 MONTHS WITH $3999 DOWN $276/MO. FOR 36 MOS. WITH $3999 DOWN $315/MO. FOR 36 MOS. WITH $3999 DOWN $349/MO. FOR 36 MOS. WITH $3999 DOWN $419/MO. FOR 36 MOS. FOR WELL-QUALIFIED LESSEES WITH APPROVED CREDIT THROUGH SETF. NOT ALL LESSEES WILL QUALIFY. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. MONTHLY PAYMENTS DO NOT INCLUDE TAXES. 12,000 MILES PER YEAR. APR OFFER: WITH APPROVED CREDIT AND FINANCING THROUGH SET. MONTHLY PAYMENT FOR EVERY $1,000 FINANCED IS 0% - 36 MONTHS = $27.78, 0% - 48 MONTHS = $20.83. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH CERTAIN OTHER OFFERS. PRICES ARE PLUS TAX TAG AND $995 DEALER FEE. EXPIRES 6/1/2021. Credit Less Than Perfect? 1ST PAYMENT Village Toyota Can Help! DEFERRED FOR GET PRE- UP TO 90 DAYS APPROVED On approved credit. Payments may be deferred for the first 90 days on retail contracts for terms up to 75 months when financed through Southeast Toyota Finance.