World Cup: Lloyd leads US to win over Chile /B1

M O N D AY
TODAY
& next
morning
HIGH
89 Partly sunny with
LOW scattered storms.
PAGE A4
71 www.chronicleonline.com
JUNE 17, 2019 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50 ¢ VOL. 124 ISSUE 252

The show will go on NEWS 

BRIEFS
Group bails out
inmates unable
Inverness still planning fireworks, but you can’t watch them at the parks to afford bond
Mike Wright TAMPA — A coalition of
Staff writer religious groups bailed
out three Florida men
For 20-some years, the July 3 Patriotic who couldn’t afford to pay
Evening has had special meaning in the for their releases from jail
city of Inverness. after being charged with
Thousands of families flock to Liberty or nonviolent misdemeanor
Wallace Brooks parks to enjoy food, enter- offenses.
tainment, games and, of course, the grand The “Father’s Day Bail-
finale: blazing fireworks above Big Lake
out” conducted on Thurs-
Henderson.
This year, forget all that — except the day in Tampa was aimed
fireworks. at shining a spotlight on
The city, which is undergoing a $13 mil- the problems of people
lion Depot District renovation, has both who get stuck in jail be-
parks closed for construction until late cause they can’t afford
October. bail.
City officials considered cancelling the Bernice Lauredan, one
fireworks, but decided to go ahead and en- of the group’s organizers,
courage visitors to find somewhere to view told the Tampa Bay Times
them. their efforts help put a
“We looked for other places but couldn’t face to the issue of mass
find a venue where there would be safety,” incarceration.
City Manager Frank DiGiovanni said. The group worked with
“There are high points of the city all an attorney to identify in-
around. And the lake has an unobstructed
mates who had been
view.”
Still, he acknowledged: “It’s not the best locked up at the Tampa
situation.” jail for a long time for non-
The fireworks program and associated violent misdemeanors.
costs total about $17,000 to the city, market- As the men left jail,
ing manager Liz Fernley said. group members gave
The city is getting the word out through a them a bag containing
marketing campaign that there will be no snacks, a hygiene kit and
Patriotic Evening event and parks will be a bus pass.
closed for the fireworks as well.
“We’re expecting more people to crowd Firefighters
other parks to get the best seat they can,” rescue seven
Fernley said.
Council members Jacquie Hepfer and stuck on ride
David Ryan said they didn’t realize the city ORLANDO — Fire-
decided to keep fireworks until they read fighters in Florida rescued
about it. seven passengers from
“It hasn’t come up at council,” Ryan said. an amusement park ride.
“I was just as much in the dark as anybody The Orlando Fire De-
else.” partment tweeted that the
Hepfer said she doesn’t know what to tell
agency’s “high angle”
people who ask for the best viewing
locations.
team rescued the passen-
“I’m concerned the town is going to be a gers at the Fun Spot
free-for-all,” she said. “Thousands of peo- America amusement park
ple will show up and there will be nowhere in the heart of Orlando’s
for them to go.” tourist district after the
Ryan admitted it won’t be the same as in park’s “Screamer” ride be-
past years. came stuck Saturday af-
“Nothing beats Liberty Park,” he said. ternoon. No injuries were
“This year we’re all just going to have to reported. The ride shoots
deal with a little bit of congestion and a lit- passenger strapped in
tle bit of patience.” their seats up and down
Fireworks blast over Lake Henderson during along a column.
the July 3, 2018 Inverness Patriotic Evening. — From wire reports
Fireworks will occur this July 3, but both
Liberty and Wallace Brooks parks are closed P O L L
for construction.
ONLINE POLL:
STEPHEN E. LASKO/For the Chronicle

Your choice?
Reading is a popular

Resurfacing set for CR post office

Buster Thompson
Staff writer
Motorists stopping by
the U.S. Post Office in
Crystal River will soon
have a smoother ride after
workers resurface the
parking lot early next
week.
U.S. Postal Service
spokesman Floyd Wagoner
said crews will start on
pavement improvements,
weather permitting,
June 18 and 19, with mini-
mal disruptions to custom-
ers entering the building
at 18 NE 4th Ave.
“The Postal Service
works hard to ensure its
facilities are safe and con-
venient for our custom-
ers,” Wagoner said. “We
appreciate our customers’
patience as we strive to en-
sure our postal facilities
remain safe, secure, and
accessible for the Crystal
River community.”
Slabs of cement parking
space curbs are already
piled up alongside the lot,
where vehicles bob and
weave around the few, but
noticeable and obstructive
potholes near the main
entrance.
Crystal River officials
reached out to U.S. Rep.
Daniel Webster’s office
within the past two months
to expedite the fixes.
“They’ve been all over
over it,” Mayor Joe Meek
said, thanking the con-
gressman and his staff.
Meek said while the re-
surfacing is a good start,
more needs to be done to
the building itself and its
grounds.
“The post office is a
place that folks go to quite
often, and, right now, the
condition … is not in a
good condition and hasn’t
been for a long time.” Crys-
tal River Mayor Joe Meek
said, “Clean the building
up, pressure wash it.”
Wagoner said there are
no other improvement
pastime over the
summer. What genre of
literature is on your
book stand or beside
you at the pool? Feel
free to elaborate on
your favorite authors in
the comment section.
A. Fantasy
B. Science Fiction
C. Westerns
D. Romance
E. Thriller
F. Mystery
G. Detective story
H. Dystopia
I. Biography
J. Legal thriller
K. I don’t see my book
BUSTER THOMPSON/Chronicle genre — I will comment
An SUV rides over a pothole in the parking lot of the U.S. below.
Post Office in Crystal River. Plans are in place to resurface To vote, visit www.
the pavement early next week. chronicleonline.com.
projects planned for the local post office. Scroll down the home
page and look for the

Citrus expected to gain 28,000 more people

Michael D. Bates
Staff writer
Growth is coming to Citrus
County — the choice for residents
and officials here is whether and
how to plan for it.
That was the message Carolyn
Gosselin, senior vice president of
investor relations at the Florida
Chamber, sent attendees at Fri-
day’s Citrus County Chamber of
Commerce luncheon at Citrus
Hills Golf & Country Club.
“Florida is changing very rap-
idly and you (Citrus County) are
very close to the epicenter of that
change,” Gosselin told the
150-member chamber crowd.
Currently, Citrus County has
poll box in the right-
hand column.
Results will appear
next Monday. Find last
week’s online poll
148,000 people. By 2030, that Parkway 2 is complete, that com- where each of the 67 counties in results./Page A3
population is expected to grow by mute will be even easier. Florida need to focus their re-
another 28,000, Gosselin That means Citrus sources — from jobs and eco- I N D E X
said. County needs to fine-tune nomic diversity to global Classifieds................ B6
Why the big influx? its vision of where it competitiveness and the vibrancy
Comics..................... B5
First look south, and then wants to be in the future of communities.
southeast. and work on roads and Gosselin lauded Citrus County Crossword................. B8
Right now, 21.5 million other infrastructure, for already moving forward with Editorial.....................A6
people live in Florida. By because it’s going to get its own 2030 plan developed by Entertainment............A4
2030, that number will be busier around here, ac- Leadership Citrus. Horoscope.................A4
26 million. And 33% will Carolyn cording to Gosselin, who The goal of that plan is to give Lottery Numbers....... B3
settle in three counties: Gosselin took the data from the county stakeholders — especially Lottery Payouts......... B3
Miami-Dade, Orange and senior vice state chamber’s Florida younger generations — a chance Movies...................... B5
Hillsborough. president of Scorecard. to shape the county over the next Obituaries..................A5
Given that Citrus is investor The scorecard provides decade. TV Listings................ B4
only 90 minutes from relations at the key indicators that local Gosselin said the way to pre-
Tampa, the number of Florida and state leaders can use pare for that growth is through
folks who want to move Chamber. to measure growth within higher-paying jobs, a better-
here and commute to the big city their communities. educated populace, a more skilled
should swell. And once Suncoast It provides a birds-eye view of workforce and smart growth.