Land section responsibilities

Property Acquisition

Land Section is responsible for the acquisition of real property associated with Capital Improvement Projects such as road construction and widening, parks, utilities and other facilities. Depending upon the project, acquisition can be achieved by voluntary sale, donation, or through eminent domain proceedings.

When a Capital Improvement Project is approved, the County determines which properties will be necessary. The number of parcels involved depends upon the project type, specific design and scale. Affected parcels usually fall within one of the following categories:

• Total Acquisition - The County purchases the entire parcel, including any improvements. The price paid for the property equals the fair market value of the property, not including relocation costs, business damages or professional fees.
• Partial Acquisition in Fee - The County purchases a portion of the property and pays fair market value for the portion taken plus additional damages occurring to the remainder of the property, if any.
• Permanent Easement - The County acquires permanent easement rights from the property owner.
• Temporary Easement - The County acquires a temporary easement from a property owner to facilitate construction.

Eminent Domain

The County only exercises this right when the County and the Property Owner cannot reach an agreement voluntarily. Staff is dedicated to keeping the lines of communication open. This is the only way we can address concerns and resolve issues before they become problematic. Our goal is to reach an agreement with every affected property owner. The laws pertaining to eminent domain can be found at the State of Florida web site.

Land Section handles title search/examination, appraisal/review, cost estimates, negotiations for acquisition, and condemnation suit preparation.

Prepare and process easements

Land Section prepares easements for utility and drainage projects for all departments and processes these easements for Board approval and acceptance and recording.

Release of Easements

Once a project is completed, Land Section will obtain Board approval to release temporary easements.

Inventory of all real property owned by Citrus County

Land Section maintains an inventory of all real property owned by Citrus County. All parcels included in the inventory are verified by Land Section each year against the Property Appraiser and Tax Collector records. A map showing all County property can be found at the GIS web site.

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County-owned Surplus real property

Land Section is responsible for coordinating identification of County owned surplus real property. In periodically developing lists proposed to be disposed of, Land Section coordinates reviews by other County departments and prepares the applicable agenda item for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners. If approved by the Board, Land Section contacts other governmental agencies to identify public need. If there is no public need, Land Section arranges disposal according to Administrative Regulation 8.03.

Land Section maintains an inventory of possible surplus properties and an inventory of Board approved surplus properties. We hope to have this on line in the near future. If you are interested in a specific parcel, please contact Pam.Benjamin@bocc.citrus.fl.us or call Pam at (352) 527-5458.

Property Donations

To be acceptable for donation, Land Section coordinates with other Departments to determine a public need for the property. All property must be free of any outstanding liens, mortgages, assessments and taxes. If your lot can be accepted, you will be asked to execute and return a warranty deed and a notarized statement that the property is being conveyed free and clear of all mortgages, liens, assessments and taxes. Land Section will provide you with both documents.

Land Section cannot advise you if your donation will be tax deductible. Please contact your local Internal Revenue Service Office and/or your State Income Tax agency.

Consulting Services

Land Section provides a variety of real property consulting and advisory functions to County Departments. It also assists in developing strategies and packages for the sale of unique County owned properties. To provide these services Land Section secures necessary appraisals, advertises sales, coordinates with various State agencies as needed, and conducts negotiations with property owners. If an agreement for sale or purchase is reached, Land Section coordinates the closing process among the property owner, County Departments and the closing agent.

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Private Roads - Special Assessment District for Road Paving

Abutting property owners of private roads may petition to have their road paved according to current County standards and accepted as a County maintained road via the process outlined in Citrus County's Administrative Regulation AR 11.02. The costs for such improvements are borne by all abutting property owners on a front foot basis and can not be calculated until the process is initiated due to the unique and variable conditions encountered for private roads. To receive a petition, contact the Land section.

Street Lighting Districts

Property owners within recorded subdivisions may sign a petition requesting the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners to create a Municipal Service Lighting Unit within their subdivision for the purpose of installing and paying annual power costs for street lighting. Fifty–one percent (51%) or more of the record property owners must sign the petition to initiate the process. To receive a petition contact the Land section.

Limerock Road Paving Program

This program is designed to provide asphalt paving for those roads that have an existing limerock base and are currently owned and maintained by Citrus County as outlined in Citrus County's Administrative Regulation AR 11.06-3. The costs of such improvements are borne by each abutting property owner and will be collected as a special assessment on the annual property tax bill in equal annual installments (including interest) over a period of seven years unless paid in full within 30 days of project approval. The Department of Public Works will calculate annually an average cost per front foot for such improvements which is currently $5.75 per front foot. This program may be initiated by the owners of improved property abutting the specific road requesting in writing that their road be included in the program and also submit a petition bearing the signatures of 51% or more of the owners of improved property. Any interested parties may request the initial road inspection and obtain the necessary petition by contacting the Road Maintenance Department at (352) 527-7610.

Water Quality (Water and Wastewater)

Various water quality programs may be available whereby the improvement costs are borne by the benefited property owners. Recent projects include Hall’s River, Chassahowitzka, Lake Spivey and Citrus Springs.

Private Road Street Signage Program

In the interest of public safety, a Private Road Street Signage Program has been established under Administrative Regulation 11.09. The Board of County Commissioners established this process to assist property owners on private roads. Contact Land Section for further information.

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