After weeks of public outcry and a protest in Homosassa, Florida, the Chassahowitzka River Campground is likely to remain open to the public. On Tuesday night, the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners approved a deal for a 40-year lease that will place the property under the management of the county and keep the campground open to the public.
The decision followed rising tension in the community after the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as SWFWMD, considered selling the land. SWFWMD is a governmental organization that manages the water resources of west-central Florida and owns the Chassahowitzka River Campground property. After it announced the park's potential closure and sale, protesters gathered in Homosassa just days before a county commission vote, demanding the county protect the site.
The Chassahowitzka River Campground is a 40-acre recreational site in Homosassa owned by SWFWMD. However, on Aug. 15, it was announced in a news release that the campground had seen significant damage during hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton in 2024, and that repairing the property would not be an effective way to utilize taxpayer dollars. In its release, SWFWMD said it would close the campground on Oct. 1 and mentioned the possibility of selling the property. This sparked public conversation and an outcry from the community.
Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, protesters gathered outside a Publix in Homosassa at 9525 S. Suncoast Blvd. to stand up for the campground and call for county leaders to push forward an agreement that would keep the property publicly owned.
“The whole area is a buffer for storms and stuff, and it’s just a wildlife refuge,” said Elizabeth Blauer, a Homosassa resident of 30 years and a manager of Chassahowitzka River Campground. “Why would they want to destroy a wildlife refuge? Don’t they have enough?”
Ryan Worthington, 49, of Clay County, helped schedule and manage the protest after SWFWMD alluded to a possible sale of the campground. He did so as part of Floridians Advancing Florida’s Outdoors, an organization that empowers the public to advocate for the protection of natural lands in Florida, in hopes of ensuring the campground remains publicly accessible for generations.
Worthington, who has visited 172 of Florida’s 175 state parks, described the campground as a large area that is majestic, undeveloped and in pristine condition. He also said almost all of Florida’s non-conservation land along waterways like the Chassahowitzka River has been developed and that it would be horrific if the public land of the campground were sold to a private developer.
“Taking any kind of our public lands and turning them over to a developer, especially conservation lands that are wetlands, it’s unthinkable,” Worthington said. “I think right now, we should have a zero loss of conservation areas that allow the public to enjoy things like this.”
Hoping Citrus County would lease the property from SWFWMD, he urged people to submit public comments to Citrus County commissioners and attend the county commission meeting on Tuesday, where a vote would be held on whether the county should enter an agreement with the district to take control of the campground.
Desiree Sanders, 29, of St. Augustine, also helped organize the protest as a member of Floridians Advancing Florida’s Outdoors. She said she wanted to see the campground stay untouched and hoped SWFWMD would take into account how much the land means to residents and local tourists.
“They don’t think it was worth taxpayer dollars to fix. That’s for us to decide,” she said. “I hope they understand that the reason why we want it to stay a campground is because we enjoy going out there and enjoying natural Florida.”
As far as SWFWMD’s claims of damage go, Blauer isn’t convinced the site needs a complete overhaul. She said the campground already has reservations booked through next July, and none of the storms caused significant property damage. Blauer also said the on-site store didn’t need repairs and could even be removed, and while the dock should be refurbished, it wasn’t a hardship that would justify closing the campground.
Her daughter, Heather Blauer, is the property supervisor at the Chassahowitzka River Campground. She said the river is the best way to enjoy the Homosassa area and losing the ability to camp there would be a significant loss of recreational opportunity. She also said her mother cooks food for around 100 people at the campground each Thanksgiving, recalling turkey, ham and “all the fixings” being served to create a close-knit camping family.
“The land is not ours,” said Heather Blauer, “We simply inherit it from our children and future generations, so I definitely want to make sure that it sticks around so that others in the future can enjoy it as well.”
Michael Bridges, the public information officer for Citrus County, said Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, state representative J.J. Grow and the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson got involved almost immediately and went to work on the issue. Bridges believed Citrus County’s goal is to keep the campground publicly accessible and offered assurance that the county is committed to holding onto and managing the campground property. He made it clear Citrus County’s number one interest is preserving the popular campground in Homosassa.
Although aware that anything can happen in the world of politics and legislation, Bridges showed confidence that the situation was moving toward an agreement and said there is an urgency around negotiations to avoid closure on Oct. 1.
“Everybody’s paddling in the same direction on this,” he said. “A lot of times, you’ll see all those layers of government like to point their fingers at each other, but I think this one’s a case where everybody’s pointing their finger at the issue, and more importantly, a solution to this issue.”
After listening to public comments from those invested in the future of the campground in Tuesday’s Citrus County commission meeting, all five commissioners unanimously approved the lease agreement. Under the agreement, SWFWMD will still own the land, but Citrus County will take over the management of campground operations. SWFWMD plans to chip in $200,000 for repairs, while the county will cover the cost of daily operations and keep any revenue generated by the campground.
SWFWMD is expected to take the last step of approving the agreement with Citrus County at the next county commission meeting. The meeting will be held Sept. 23.
“This is conservation land that belongs to Floridians, right? It belongs to all of us,” Worthington said. “It’s one of the best ways to access, affordably, one of the most pristine areas in Florida, and that’s why it’s extremely important.”