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Events chill county business
By JIM ROSS and JORGE SANCHEZ Here's a look at some of Citrus County's top business and entertainment stories from 2001. TOURISM: The ailing economy and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks hurt tourism in Florida, as people became less willing to travel. How did this affect Citrus? During October, the first full month after the terrorist attacks, the county's hotel and motel owners paid $22,226 in tourist tax, which is a 2 percent charge on overnight lodging. During the same month in 2000, proprietors paid $26,938. Dive shop owners were unsure how their big business -- leading winter tours of divers who want to see manatees -- would be affected. But tourism leaders remained confident that Citrus' position as a drive-to tourism destination, popular mostly with in-state visitors, would make the county somewhat immune from the broader tourism slowdown. SHUTDOWNS: Metal Industries Inc. shut down its Crystal River manufacturing plant, at least temporarily, because of decreasing sales. The 50 or so employees were offered jobs at similar plants in Bushnell and Tarpon Springs. Metal Industries makes grills for the air conditioning and heating industry. Fedco Discount Drugs in downtown Inverness closed its doors with little warning to customers. LET'S EAT: Outback Steakhouse opened a restaurant on State Road 44 in Inverness, not far from the successful Applebee's branch. The Cove Pub and Grub re-opened in December following a fire in June that destroyed the old building. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE: The Citrus County and Homosassa Springs chambers joined forces in December, creating a unified voice for the local business community. COMPANY COMING: The Economic Development Council announced that it was helping a California arcade game manufacturer move to Lecanto, bringing up to 30 jobs. The EDC didn't release the name of the California manufacturer, which makes an arcade game in which players try to grab a stuffed animal in a large plastic case using a dangling metal claw. The company plans to lease the old Fagan's lumber building on State Road 44, east of County Road 491. CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Jill and Nigel Sumner sold the Crown Hotel to Thomas Dryburg and his business partner, P.C. Hyland. The new owners promised to restore the Crown to its previous splendor. BROWN SCHOOLS: This time last year, Brown was reeling. State regulators had issued a scathing report card, frozen admissions and hinted at a contract cancellation. What a difference a year makes. Now the Department of Children and Families is praising Brown for making "drastic improvements" at its residential treatment center in Lecanto. Brown leaders these days are hoping to negotiate a contract extension. Brown treats emotionally disturbed adolescents at its facility, housed inside the former Heritage Hospital building off County Road 491 north of County Road 486. Management changes and a key policy change -- no more acceptance of residents who have cases pending in the juvenile criminal justice system -- seem to have made a big difference at Brown, whose early tenure was marked by constant problems. Brown still is engaged in a legal battle with the nearby Black Diamond development. Residents still believe the county should have required Brown to go through the standard zoning process, including public hearings, before the company was allowed to occupy the former Heritage building. Black Diamond won a short-lived victory this year when a state hearing officer agreed with its legal position. But the county refused to change its posture. Now the case is in court. CITRUS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: After years of trying, the hospital all but claimed a coveted "certificate of need" that would clear the way for establishment of an adult open heart surgery program. The state's formal blessing should be forthcoming soon. Doctors say you can't overstate the effect this program would have on them, on their patients, on their patients' families -- and more. About 450 Citrus residents go to Ocala or Gainesville each year for open heart surgical procedures; 800 more travel out of county for angioplasty. If Citrus Memorial establishes a program, such patients would have the opportunity to seek treatment in county. CRYSTAL RIVER JAM: The 2001 version was a huge success, even though it didn't feature the normal two-day festival of back-to-back country acts. Co-headliners Glen Campbell and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers played to one of the largest audiences, including a sold-out VIP section, ever at Rock Crusher Canyon Amphitheater. THEATER: Playhouse 19 in Crystal River purchased an adjoining building for use as a box office and redecorated the theater and lobby. This is the first full year under the tenure of managing director Ray Hill. ARTS: The Citrus County outdoor art festival scene was lessened by the absence of the Inverness Festival of the Arts, which withdrew from the Courthouse Square after a 30-year run. A smaller festival held on the same weekend failed to attract the same size of crowd. The Studio Art Center in Crystal River, a coffeehouse for folk musicians, also closed after a seven-year run.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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