The headquarters of most Florida state offices are located in Tallahassee. Many services offered by the state are available through the state’s online portal.
http://www.myflorida.com
General County government
The county government is overseen by a board of 5 Commissioners. There are elected for four year terms with one or more terms ending every even year. Each Commissioner is required to live in a geographic district but the election for each district Commissioner is county-side (at-large). County government is overseen by a county administrator who is hired by and serves at the pleasure of the Commission.
The county provides general government services excluding services provided by cities (for those who live in the cities) as discussed below and those services provided by other officials who are independently elected as discussed below. Information on general county government services are found online at http://www.bocc.citrus.fl.us/
Cities
Florida law provides for areas to incorporate into municipalities (cities, towns or villages). Incorporated municipalities have their own authority under state law to provide services and levy taxes. There are two incorporated municipalities in Citrus County, Crystal River and Inverness. Other areas like Homosassa and Beverly Hills are not incorporated and are simply part of unincorporated Citrus County. Also, unlike many counties, in Citrus County the cities have a relatively small share of total population – Crystal River and Inverness account for less than 10% of total county population.
For those who live or own property in the City of Crystal River, the following online site provides information on the city. http://www.crystalriverfl.org/
For those who live or own property in the City of Inverness, the following online site provides information on the city. http://www.inverness-fl.gov/
Note that services provided by the two cities differ so residents and property owners need to do some research to determine what services are provided and who provides them. Until less than 10 years ago, for example, both Crystal River and Inverness provided their own police services but now both are provided by the Citrus County Sheriff. Fire services in Crystal River are provided by a city Fire Department while those for Inverness and the rest of the county are provided by the Sheriff by agreement between the Sheriff’s Department and the Board of County Commissioners. Regular contract trash pickup is provided in both Crystal River and Inverness but not in the rest of the county.
Sheriff
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, http://www.sheriffcitrus.org/ provides law enforcement services for the entire county including the two small cities. The Sheriff also provides fire and rescue services in Inverness and the unincorporated areas of the county under contract with the Board of County Commissioners.
Schools
The Citrus County school system operates 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools and 4 specialty schools. The school system is overseen by an elected School Board and under the direct control of a Superintendent of Schools who is selected by the Board. School District members represent individual districts but are elected at-large.
Their web site is http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/
The school system offers an online tool that will identify the appropriate zoned school for each grade as well as provide bus information. That tool is available at http://versatransweb.citrus.k12.fl.us/elinkrp2/Students/BasicTransBoundarySearch.aspx
The College of Central Florida has a campus in Lecanto. http://www.cf.edu/
Constitutional Officers
A variety of specialized services are provided by constitutional offers subject to election by the voters. These are summarized below.
Property Appraiser
The Citrus County Property Appraiser is responsible for preparing the tax role for real estate and personal property taxes. http://www.pa.citrus.fl.us
The tax roll lfor each tax year is prepared as of January 1 of that year and, after any adjustments, that roll becomes the basis for tax rates set for that calendar year.
The Property Appraiser also collects information and determines homestead exemptions available to Floridians maintaining a primary residence with the state.
The information collected and made publicly available by the Property Appraiser is of great value to the real estate industry. The included information on size and zoning of real estate parcels, information on improvements, etc. A Geographic Information System shows parcels and other improvements overlaid with aerial photos, flood and wetlands zones, etc.
Clerk of Courts
Clerk of Courts. The Clerk of courts maintains all of the court and official records of the county. The Clerks’ website can be found at http://www.clerk.citrus.fl.us
The official records maintained by the Clerk’s office of particular interest to the real estate industry include deeds, mortgage, deed restrictions, plats for subdivisions, etc.
Tax Collector
The tax collector issues and collects tax bills based on the tax role provided by the Property Appraiser and the tax rates set by the various taxing authorities. Real and personal property tax bills are issued in arrears, e.g., the tax bills for 2014 are issued early in November of 2014. The tax bills are due by April 1 of the year following the tax year, i.e., April 1, 2015 for 2014 tax bills. But very attractive discounts are offered for early payments.
The tax collector also handles vehicle and vessel registrations and license plates, driver’s licenses, hunting and fishing licenses and occupational licenses. (Note, some occupations require state certification). The website for the tax collector can be found at http://www.tc.citrus.fl.us/
Supervisor of Elections
The Supervisor of Elections is responsible for maintaining the voter registration database, qualified candidates for local office, preparing ballots and conducting elections. The website is http://www.votecitrus.com/