Adams: 'Our Leaders Have Failed You'

Garden fresh: Create a feast using local vegetables /C1 THURSDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning HIGH 91 Mostly sunny. LOW PAGE A4 71 www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 13, 2013 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 118 ISSUE 310 Adams: ‘Our leaders have failed you’ Adams, who took office in Novem- Adams said he opposes the new Commissioner speaks to watchdog group ber, spoke to about 60 members of fire fee, along with other proposed the Citrus County Council, a group fees or taxes for law enforcement MIKE WRIGHT paint a picture of misrepresentation, historically known for being a local and stormwater projects. Staff writer one in which his fellow commission- government watchdog. He said the county can offer “all ers do not have the public’s best in- His talk came just a day after the services you need” if it elimi- BEVERLY HILLS — Scott Adams terest at heart. county commissioners voted 3-2 to nated what he said were special- isn’t slowing down. “I’m going to stick with the truth,” set a public hearing in July for a new interest programs aimed at helping Speaking Wednesday before Cit- Adams said. “If they choose to do the fire services fee, which would in- only a few well-connected people. Scott rus County’s largest coalition of civic right thing, that’s up to them.” clude $60 for homeowners. Adams His biggest targets are the Port Adams and homeowners groups, the fresh- Then he added: “Do I expect them and Commissioner Rebecca Bays county man commissioner continued to to do the right thing? Absolutely not.” voted against it. See ADAMS/ Page A2 commissioner. Study: Hands-free Fire in the hole phone no safer than hand-held Associated Press WASHINGTON — Dash- board technology that lets drivers text and email with voice commands — marketed as a safer alternative — actually is more distracting than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found. Automakers have been trying to excite new-car buyers, espe- cially younger ones, with dash- board infotainment systems that let drivers use voice commands to do things like turning on windshield wipers, posting Facebook messages or ordering pizza. The pitch has been that hands-free devices are safer be- cause they enable drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. But talking on a hands-free phone isn’t significantly safer for drivers than talking on a MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle hand-held phone, and using Colin Beagan, a part-time driver, engineer and emergency medical technician, washes a tanker Wednesday afternoon outside hands-free devices that trans- of his station in downtown Inverness. Citrus County commissioners are considering a combination of a flat fee and a tax to pay late speech into text is the most for firefighters, fire services and equipment. distracting of all, researchers reported in a study released Wednesday. Speech-to-text systems that enable drivers to Officials offer their Meek: All will pay some send, scroll through, or delete email and text messages re- CHRIS VAN ORMER quired greater concentration by Staff writer drivers than other potentially case for tax/fee combo distracting activities examined The county’s proposed flat fees for fire pro- in the study like talking on the phone, talking to a passenger, A.B. SIDIBE Tuesday on a resolution to add a tection service will raise some residents’ Staff Writer $60 fee to residents’ tax bills for taxes while not affecting others, the county listening to a book on tape or fire protection services to offset commission chairman acknowledged listening to the radio. Citrus County officials are doing the shortfall caused by Duke En- Wednesday. The greater the concentra- their best to lay bare the essentials ergy’s tax dispute. Other fees are “In certain instances, people are not going tion required to perform a task, of a public safety budget ahead of proposed for commercial, indus- to see an increase,” Commissioner Joe Meek the more likely a driver is to de- a July 23 public trial and vacant land. told the Chronicle’s editorial board. “In cer- velop what researchers call meeting which will The new fee would be paired tain instances, people are. It “tunnel vision” or “inattention ratify a flat fee on with current property tax for fire depends on what the prop- blindness.” Drivers will stop taxpayers and pro- service, but the tax would reduce erty appraiser values your scanning the roadway or ignore vide for a concur- the millage rate of 0.80 to house.” their side and rearview mir- rent adjustment to 0.75. Commissioners Rebecca Bays The new flat fee of a pro- rors. Instead, they look straight property taxes. and Scott Adams voted against the posed $60 per household ahead, but fail to see what’s in Wednesday, measure. would join a current prop- front of them, like red lights and Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, The taxes and fees are expected erty tax for fire service, but pedestrians. Jeff Dawsy his top brass, in- to generate about $10 million in tax would decrease from a “People aren’t seeing what Citrus County cluding fire chief revenue. Joe Meek millage rate of 0.80 to 0.75. they need to see to drive. That’s sheriff. commission One mill is equivalent to $1 of the scariest part to me,” said Larry Morabito, Dawsy and his team struck a chairman. and County Commission Chairman common chord: the importance of tax for each $1,000 of as- Peter Kissinger, president and Joe Meek visited the Chronicle’s a solid public safety system and the sessed, nonexempt real property. For exam- CEO of the AAA Foundation for Editorial Board to talk about the need for more personnel and ple, a house assessed at $100,000 would pay a Traffic Safety, the group’s safety proposed municipal service taxing equipment. fire tax of $75 and the additional new flat fee research arm. “Police accident unit and the municipal service Dawsy said Deputy Fire Chief proposed at $60 for the next budget year investigative reports are filled benefit unit. with comments like the ‘looked, See MEEK/ Page A2 but did not see.’ That’s what County commissioners voted 3-2 See DAWSY /Page A2 See DRIVING/ Page A5 Classifieds . .C6 Community . .C3 INDEX Lottery Numbers . .B3 Obituaries . .A6 Comics . .C5 Editorial . .A8 Lottery Payouts . .B3 TV Listings . .C4 Crossword . .C4 Entertainment . .A4 Horoscope . .A4 Movies . .C5 PAID ADVERTISEMENT CRYSTAL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP Crystal Automotive Group PAYS CUSTOMERS’ INTEREST Homosassa, FL Crystal Automotive Group has agreed to This time Crystal decided to pay every Ted Nipper, Director of Finance was the most popular models first. 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Crystal Automotive Group is sure to sell *Customer must qualify for 5-year financing at 4.99% APR. 000F4JX A2 THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013 LOCAL/STATE CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE PAID VOLUNTEER AND CAREER State BRIEFS FIREFIGHTERS ASSIGNED TO EACH STATION: Man executed for State officials encourage STATION PAID ON-CALL/VOLUNTEER CAREER prison guard’s murder lionfish harvests 2. Invernesss 3 6 STARKE — A man who orchestrated a TALLAHASSEE — A temporary rule making 3. Homosassa 3 6 prison van ambush in 1987 in an attempt to it easier to catch lionfish in Florida waters will free a prisoner has been executed. soon be permanent. 5. Hernando 8 0 William Van Poyck died at 7:24 p.m. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 7. Connell Heights 4 9 Wednesday by injection at the Florida State Commission on Wednesday adopted changes Prison. that will waive the recreational license require- 8. Inverness Highlands 9 0 The 58-year-old was convicted of murdering ment for divers harvesting lionfish using pole 9.

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