Citrus County, Florida

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 C I TRUS COUNTY , FLOR IDA Kissimmee are,” Saunders explains. Things are so different in Citrus County that they are one of the rare places in North America to not have a Starbucks. “That gives you a sense of how small we are,” Saunders says, “but not too small. You get all the comfort and all the services you are used to – minus Starbucks. But you also have this rural feel.” Inverness, the county’s biggest city at around 8000 people, is located along the Tsala Apopka and Henderson lakes. On the other side is Crystal River, made up of about 3400 people and situated around Kings Bay near the Gulf of Mexico. “The county basically goes from the gulf to the lakes,” Saunders explains. “This part of Florida is so different than every other part of the state. There’s forest, there’s beautiful spring- fed rivers and lakes. It’s a special place and people here really enjoy the quality of life.” Aside from the relaxed pace, the area’s unique geography and wildlife also makes Citrus County stand out – thanks to the 600-acre Kings Bay. Connected via Crystal River to the Gulf of Mexico, the freshwater bay is fed by about 70 freshwater springs that maintain a constant temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit, year- round. According to Saunders, “What makes Kings Bay unique is that it is essentially a freshwater body within seven miles of a saltwater body... usually anywhere else in the world that would make us an estuary, which would be a place where fresh and saltwater mix. But because we have those 70 springs in Kings Bay, there’s 225 million gallons of fresh water coming out every day. So, we have a freshwater environment just seven miles from the Gulf of Mexico and that makes us the Manatee Capital of the World.” Manatee season runs from about November 15 to March 31 of each year, which is when the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge puts up manatee sanctuaries. Around 6000 to 8000 manatees flock to the area each year