County offices open at Meadowcrest

CRYSTAL RIVER — Tuesday was a busy first day for the county’s new satellite offices.

CATHY KAPULKA/Chronicle

Customers enter and exit the newly opened building that houses the West Citrus Government Center Tuesday at 1540 N. Meadowcrest Blvd. in Crystal River. Telephone numbers have changed.Contact the center at 352-341-6424.

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“We opened at 8 o’clock this morning,” said Charlie Gatto, director of the facilities management division in the public works department. “Today, that waiting room was pretty much full.”

The waiting room is to the right of the front door of the West Citrus Government Center at 1540 N. Meadowcrest Blvd., Crystal River, and holds about 30 seats for residents needing the services of the tax collector’s office.

However, residents can’t get driver’s licenses there yet. The state of Florida has to move over that operation. The Crystal River Driver License Office will stay at its current address at 1020 N.E. Fifth St., Crystal River, for the next few weeks.

“Only the state can move their equipment: the servers, printers, computers and cameras,” said Janice Warren, tax collector. “The only missing element is driver’s licenses and then it will be one-stop
shopping.”

County satellite offices had been housed for 20 years in a strip mall on U.S. 19. The space was outgrown, but the deciding factor to move to larger facilities was when the state gave the driver’s licensing duties to the tax collector. To keep all services under one roof, the county had to find more space.

The required space was found in a building in the Meadowcrest community, about four miles east of U.S. 19 in Crystal River off State Road 44 (Gulf-to-Lake Highway), near Winn-Dixie. The space was refurbished to suit the county’s uses. In addition to the tax collector, it houses the property appraiser, the supervisor of elections and the clerk of courts.

After the offices were prepared, it took staff a few days to move in. The move went smoothly.

“The constitutional officers were well organized,” Gatto said. “The grounds maintenance crew did a wonderful job.”

Computers have been switched over and switched on.

However, phone numbers have changed. Each office has to be called on its own line — one cannot switch to another as the system has no central switchboard for all offices. Early voting will be offered this weekend at the Meadowcrest office of the supervisor of elections. Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, the last day.

Government services still are available at the Inverness offices.

A ceremony marking the official grand opening has been set for 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in front of the new building. The public is invited to attend.

Chronicle reporter Cathy Kapulka contributed material to this report. Chronicle reporter Chris Van Ormer can be reached at cvanormer@chronicleonline.com or 352-564-2916.

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 The West Citrus Government Center is now open in Crystal River. Residents can now take care of county or state business from the Crystal River offices of the tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of circuit court and supervisor of elections. The new center is located at 1540 N. Meadowcrest Blvd.
   Driver License services on the west side of Citrus County will continue to be offered at the present location: 1020 N.E. 5th St., Crystal River.
   Offices can be reached at the following numbers:
 Tag Department fax: 352-341-6513
 Tag renewals: 352-341-6500
 Title transfers: 352-341-6500
 Driver license services: 352-341-6500
 Vessel Registration: 352-341-6500
 Tax Department: 352-341-6509
 Tax Department Fax Line: 352-341-6514
 Hunting and Fishing Licenses/ Business Tax Receipts: 352-341-6512
Property appraiser
 Main line: 352-564-7130
 Fax line: 352-564-7131
Clerk of Circuit Court
 Main line: 352-341-6424
 Supervisor of elections
 Main line (now until
Feb. 1): 352-795-5338
 Main line (after Feb. 1): 352-564-7120