Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 College: Oklahoma, Texas make request to join SEC /B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY C I T R U S C O U N T Y & ne t m o rn ng HIGH 90 M ostly cloudy LOW and hum id. S torm s likely. 75 PAGE A4 w w w.chronicleonline.com JULY 28, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 294 No noise ordinance, for now Commissioners say they’ll continue to study how to address the problem of rowdy boaters MIKE WRIGHT commissioners declined “I just think enough is deputies and a vessel for boaters. The law allows many wearing blue Staff writer to pursue a noise ordi- enough,” Schlabach said. marine patrols. Commis- only one narrow ordi- T-shirts, have pleaded nance to protect home- “The world is gray, not sioners Holly Davis and nance exception: 90 deci- with commissioners to Lots of talk Tuesday owners from problem black and white, and I’m Jeff Kinnard were on the bels at 50 feet. pass an ordinance to com- about noise from rowdy boaters, but promised the going to dive into that losing end. Commissioners said bat loud behavior from boaters, but no issue is not dead. gray.” County Attorney De- they doubted that would boaters that anchor in the ordinance. Commissioner Ruthie Later, commissioners nise Dymond Lyn said solve the problem be- main spring or adjacent And no extra law Davis Schlabach said she voted down a $561,562 state law prohibits local cause 90 decibels is still canals and party all day, enforcement. is convinced an enforce- proposal to add three Cit- governments from enact- loud. Without a vote, county able law exists. rus County sheriff ’s ing noise ordinances for Homosassa residents, See NOISE/Page A2 County caught off guard by closing MATTH W B C / C r o n i c l e Traffic passes along U.S. 19 Tuesday morning, July 27, as a D.A.B. Constructors Inc. motor grader sits idle along the busy highway. The construction company abruptly ceased work on the road-widening project Monday with miles of U.S. 19 still far from completion. D.A.B. shut down after dispute with FDOT 400 D.A.B. workers lose jobs MIKE WRIGHT Tuesday’s regular board MICHAEL D. BATES working on the U.S. 19 widen- dispute with the state, ac- Staff writer meeting. Staff writer ing through Homosassa and cording to the company. The county commis- Crystal River. “This is not only a blow to Citrus County commis- sion had planned to ap- Michaelle Prater’s hus- “The employees were given our family but a blow to every sioners expressed shock prove a contract band, who has worked for zero notice or made aware at one of the families who are and concern on Tuesday extension for D.A.B. to D.A.B. Constructors for al- any point that they would be now wondering how they are with news that D.A.B. complete neighborhood most 16 years, reported to unemployed when they ar- going to pay the bills and put Constructors Inc. had road resurfacing by Sep- work Monday only to find he rived for work Monday morn- food onto their families ta- closed its doors and tember. Instead, the mat- was out of a job. ing,” Prater said in an email bles,” Prater wrote. stopped all ongoing road ter was pulled from The Inglis-based company to the Citrus County Josh Wooten, president/ projects. Tuesday’s agenda and went out of business Monday Chronicle. CEO of the Citrus County “It is a surprise for County Administrator and let go 400 employees, in- D.A.B. Constructors closed sure,” Commissioner Jeff cluding those who had been its doors in Inglis over a See WORKERS/Page A2 Kinnard said prior to See CLOSED/Page A2 Local medical society: Health workers should get vaccines Group stops short of calling for mandatory inoculations for all working in health care jobs FRED HIERS the unvaccinated to hos- health care workers. last week to “remind all according to a media re- medical professionals, Staff writer pitals and morgues, na- Some are stopping health care personnel lease this week from the stopped short of calling tional and community short and only encourag- with contact with patients local organization. for mandatory As the surge of the new medical associations are ing vaccinations. to vaccinate against The Citrus County Med- vaccinations. Delta variant of corona- calling for mandatory Citrus County Medical COVID-19, except for mit- ical Society, which is a virus continues to send vaccinations among Society members voted igating circumstances,” nonprofit organization of See VIRUS/Page A7 Classifieds . .C8 Crossword . .C16 INDEX Lottery Numbers . .B3 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .C7 Editorial. A9 Lottery Payouts . .B3 TV Listings. .C6 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Movies . .C7 BESTBEST OF OF THE THE BESTBEST SPOTLIGHTSPOTLIGHT 2021 2020 Insurance You Need. Service You Deserve. R A N S U C N E I INSURANCE DEN, INC. All the coverage you need in one place ID Auto • Home • Boat D E N Commercial Insurance 8120 S. SUNCOAST BLVD. HOMOSASSA, FL (352)628-2331 Agency www.InsuranceDen.com • Email:[email protected] CC-0010EHD A2 WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE NOISE Continued from Page A1 playing loud music. Res- idents told of boaters using offensive language when they tell boaters to slow down in the no- wake canal. Commissioners said their challenge is pass- ing an ordinance that’ll hold up in court. Some made reference to Crystal River, which in 2020 established “quiet zones” in King’s Bay residential canals and coves to hush noisy boaters. Board Chairman Scott Carnahan said he MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle doubted the law is en- Motorists enter and exit Crystal River along U.S. 19 Tuesday morning, July 27. Work on the highway expansion has come to a halt after D.A.B. forceable in court. Constructors Inc. stopped working on the project Monday. Sheriff ’s Col. Justin The chamber, he said, is bring in other firms to But it will take time, he the 2.1-mile stretch from Ferrara said deputies reaching out to the Flor- complete the work. said, to get people to the West Green Acres Street to issue warnings, but not WORKERS ida Department of Trans- Wooten said the scope of right place. South Jump Court began citations, in the city’s Continued from Page A1 portation to find out what these layoffs is equal to or “Our biggest issue is we in November 2016 and was quiet zones. its plan is going forward. surpasses the 600 people need to figure out where supposed to wrap up in Kinnard said the Chamber of Commerce, The chamber is there to laid off when Duke Energy these people live,” Skin- the spring of 2019. That county shouldn’t get hung said he is meeting with help, as is the new Citrus closed its nuclear plant in ner said. date was extended to late up on citations. Simply CareerSource Citrus Levy One-Stop Recovery and 2013. If they don’t live in one 2020 and again to summer the additional presence Marion to explore employ- Economic (CORE) Busi- “From a human stand- of the three counties cov- 2021. of law enforcement will ment options for the ness Center in downtown point, this is as bad or ered by the agency, Skin- U.S. 19 widening from be an improvement. 400 workers. Inverness, he said. worse because these are ner said he would hook Jump Court in Homosassa “I couldn’t care less if “We’ve been through “We’re still trying to get working people who don’t them up with his counter- to Fort Island Trail in we ever write a citation,” things like this but never details of the depth of this have any other resources,” parts in, for example, Crystal River was sched- he said. “We want to to this magnitude,” Woo- closing,” Wooten said. “Will he said. Pasco County. uled to wrap up in Febru- change behavior.” ten said. other companies absorb Rusty Skinner, CEO of If necessary, he said ary 2022. While Schlabach said Wooten said some local them? Are they eligible for CareerSource Citrus Levy CareerSource Citrus Levy Contact Chronicle re- she would work to find a companies are chatting any benefits or will they get Marion, said he’s working Marion will bring in extra porter Michael D. Bates at solution to an ordinance, with the D.A.B. employees a severance package?” with Wooten at the cham- personnel from other of- 352-563-3205 or mbates@ she would not support on social media and advis- All ongoing projects will ber to see about providing fices to help the chronicleonline.com. To see additional law enforce- ing them of possible job be placed with D.A.B.’s resources to those sud- 400 workers. more of his stories, visit ment for waterways. openings. bonding companies to denly unemployed. The widening project on tinyurl.com/y6kb23vv. “This comes out of no- where. Where are we get- ting the money from?” stopping its county and ongoing contracts and ex- 33 years ago. a lot of work out there,” he she said, adding that Ho- state projects, forcing the pects them to meet their “We’re just horrified for said. “It shouldn’t be a hard mosassa residents should CLOSED layoff of 400 employees. obligations,” agency the family,” Davis said. time getting a job.” Continued from Page A1 hire off-duty officers to The company’s spokeswoman “Hopefully, all those folks Contact Chronicle re- patrol the waters.