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Fixing EDC's image a priority

County criticism of the Economic Development Council stings, but what can the council do to boost jobs and business in the area?

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published February 10, 2006

LECANTO - Still smarting from recent public criticism by several county commissioners, Economic Development Council board members agreed Thursday that the group needs to improve its image.

"We're doing something wrong. ... I've gone through this turmoil before. How do we fix it?" EDC board member David Langer asked. "I've been in government long enough to know when they start criticizing in public, this organization is in trouble."

One possible solution came from the county's director of Development Services, Gary Maidhof, who serves on the board at the request of County Administrator Richard Wesch.

Maidhof suggested that the EDC volunteer to take the lead in the reconvening of Citrus 20/20 to revisit the vision for the county's future.

"The Economic Development Council is in a prime location to take on the economic development aspect of that," Maidhof said.

County Commissioner Jim Fowler said the EDC should offer to lead the entire process, since everything in the county's future relates to economic development.

The board ultimately voted unanimously to send letters to the County Commission and Citrus 20/20 expressing the EDC's interest in hosting the event.

Thursday morning's discussion came just more than a week after several county commissioners criticized the EDC during the commission's annual goal-setting session.

Commissioner Dennis Damato criticized the group for not doing enough to create jobs, Commissioner Joyce Valentino said the EDC should not receive county funding, and Commissioner Vicki Phillips said the county should seek more bang for its buck.

The EDC receives $131,000 each year from the county's occupational license fund.

"If you look at the history of this organization, we have accomplished a significant amount in the last three years," EDC president Jack Reynolds said.

EDC executive director Brett Wattles said that Florida law and professional ethics prevent him from discussing much of the work he does.

"That's kind of the frustrating part of this position at times," he said. "You want to talk about things but you can't."

The problem, Inverness City Manager and EDC board member Frank DiGiovanni said, is one of perception.

People directly involved in the EDC understand the importance of staffers or board members meeting confidentially with prospective Citrus County businesses, he said, but "that means nothing to someone who's only looking at the measurable outcome."

He said some of the EDC's activities echo functions of other county groups like the Chamber of Commerce or the Tourism Development Council.

Inverness City Council member Bill Sheen described many of the EDC's activities as "redundant" with other organizations.

But Wattles said the EDC serves a crucial - and completely different - purpose.

Next week members of the EDC executive committee will meet with county commissioners to discuss the group's quarterly report, which they will officially present before the County Commission on Tuesday.

At Thursday's meeting the board did not craft a formal response to the commissioners' concerns, but several members noted the importance of improving the EDC's image.

"If we're not stepping up and showing leadership, we're going to end up with more articles like this," said Sheen, pointing to a recent Citrus Times story about the commissioners' criticism.

Earlier in Thursday's meeting, board members disagreed on how much leadership the EDC should provide in what they said was a critical issue facing the county: a dwindling supply of affordable housing.

"It would not be our primary focus. It would not be something that we're going to pick up the ball and run with," EDC president Jack Reynolds said. But he and Wattles said it was a key issue in the county's economic health.

Ensuring the availability of affordable housing is the County Commission's responsibility, Sheen said. But he said the EDC should do more to create higher paying jobs in the area.

"We're not doing that. That's what our job is," he said. "We need to find the jobs to enable people to be able to afford to live here."

At Thursday's meeting, EDC board members also discussed the possibility of Progress Energy building another nuclear plant at the company's Crystal River complex.

Wattles said he talked with a Progress Energy official about the Crystal River site this week. The official told him about several "positives that we had not thought about that seem to be significant," Wattles said.

He said company officials have taken note of the recent county resolution supporting Progress Energy's expansion here.

"I think we're still in the hunt," Reynolds said.

Progress Energy will decide on a site for a new nuclear plant in Florida within the next month, Wattles said.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

[Last modified February 10, 2006, 01:11:18]