Gee, we're the center of Florida?

In the past year, I’ve heard several citizen speakers at County Commissioners’ meetings ask repeatedly, Where are the jobs? Indeed, other than the limited opportunities of construction and retail, there is nothing for young adults to set their goals in Hernando County for a prosperous, enriching life of employment with careers and salaries reaching onward and upward.

It’s a quaint fact, but claiming the home of the “geographical center” of the State of Florida is as meaningful as its invisible location on the glossy pages of the Official Map Of Hernando County. I believe it’s somewhat north of Pine Island along the marshy shores in the northwest of the county, but it’s nowhere near an area that would bring notoriety to the county.

Somewhere along the way of drafting a master plan for the future, Hernando County was set aside for thoughtless residential development. Look where we are now.

Taking a broader view of west central Florida, to the south, Tampa is webbed with roadways intertwined for intra-state traffic to accommodate commerce along I-4, I-75 and I-275, with the Sunshine Parkway at a dead-end at Hwy 98 in northwest Hernando County.

To the north, I-75 still maintains an integral part of commerce traffic with Hwy 44 freshly paved with six lanes, plus dividers for left turns, heading westward to Inverness. The Florida Turnpike is within minutes of Hwy 44, which makes I-75 ever more strategically routed to move traffic through Citrus and Sumter Counties, and northward to Ocala and Gainesville toward the next bountiful expressway of traffic on I-10 or points further north on I-75.

Hernando County has but a short stretch along Hwy 50, which is in disrepair, intersecting with I-75 and Hwy 301. Hwy 98 is another prospective route but its importance is also limited, at least for the time being.

Hernando County is frighteningly handicapped to provide the diverse employment base necessary to maintain jobs for its residents. The road structure is poorly positioned to meet those needs.

The Florida primary election is little more than 30 days from now, so it would be in the best interest of parents to question each candidate what and how they intend to broaden the spectrum of employment in the county.

As the candidates, whether incumbents or first-time political aspirants, campaign for nominations for commissioner seats in Districts 1, 3 and 5, future job opportunities should be of primary concern to parents dedicated to the success of their children.
Of course, there are other pressing and immediate concerns that must be addressed, but having a diverse base of employment is paramount to the economic well being to the Hernando County of tomorrow.

When citizens voice their concerns at the county commission hearings and they seek answers about where the jobs are, they are not talking about the simplicity of construction and retail jobs; they are expecting something more than dialogue. They are seeking specific information to carry with them to the voting booth. Regardless of who the candidate is, if answers aren’t immediately forthcoming, they will have already displayed how shortsighted their visions will be during the following four, long years.