Citrus County Florida: Local Scandals, Oddities and Attractions

Every state has at least one county of which no one has ever heard but where bizarre events have occurred. From locals to local scandals, small-town living can quickly differ from the prevalent, boring stereotype to a hot bed of controversy on a national and worldwide level. One such place is Citrus County, Florida.

I lived in Citrus County for four years. The town I called home during this time was Lecanto, a little district in-between Inverness and Crystal River. Inverness has a charming OldeTown district, with shops and a vintage courthouse, but it is like many small towns, it has a hub of activity in one place, then after 9p.m. they practically roll in the sidewalks. The greatest claim to fame Inverness had is that Elvis filmed scenes in the courthouse for "Follow That Dream", one of his early films. Other than that, Inverness was barely a fly speck on the map, until one fateful night when the hamburgers stopped sizzling on the grill.

There is a popular burger joint that is frequented by the after hours crowd, truckers mostly, and police officers looking for a late night snack while on patrol. Apparently, one police officer was a little grumpy about not getting his hamburger through the drive through, and when he was told that the grill was turned off for the night, he went inside and arrested the owner. This story gained worldwide attention, news broadcasts of the disgruntled cop in utter hamburger distress reached as faraway as England and other parts of Europe. Not only did this bring attention to the local greasy spoon, but people came from all over the world to eat there. This is just one odd occurrence and misuse of power.

A certain judge gave a teenager ten years in jail for stealing beer from his neighbor's garage. Apparently the judge wanted to teach the boy, with mental health issues a lesson, and when people protested, even the neighbor who was victim to the thievery protested, it did no good. The boy was sent away to prison where he would "learn his lesson". The Judge later redeemed himself when he sentenced a local child rapist and killer to the death penalty.

If this place couldn't get any weirder, there was a small town just passed Crystal River. The local mayor, a woman, put a sign up that said "Satan Stay Away", and Citrus County was again thrust into the spotlight when reporters from all over the world arriving to interview the mayor. They even made fun of this on Saturday Night Live during their news skit.

Aside from these utter nonsensical moments and one horrendous act, Citrus County is a nature lover's dream, if you like oak trees. This place was situated in the middle of old Florida flora and fauna with King's Bay, a manatee gathering place, and Homosassa Springs, where people would snorkel with the manatees up close, the occasional alligator floating by on the bottom. Once I saw a baby alligator floating on the top, enough to keep me out of the water. Now I live in Volusia County, closer to the Atlantic Ocean. Am I glad I moved? Yes. Will I ever forget Citrus County? Never!