Livewire Aviation breaks ground on Inverness Heliplex, says project will bring skilled jobs to Citrus County

Livewire Aviation held a groundbreaking at Inverness Airport to mark construction of an Inverness Heliplex and a new corporate hangar, the company’s CEO said.

Alana McCarty, CEO of Livewire Aviation, told attendees the company is relocating operations to the Inverness Airport and described the business as a Part 133 helicopter operation that performs aerial utility work, aerial saw work, power-line construction and other external-load specialties. "I believe in Citrus County, and I think with the positioning of what we're doing here with the Heliplex that it will put the Inverness Airport on the map," McCarty said.

McCarty outlined the types of jobs the company expects to employ locally, including pilots, mechanics, A&P mechanics, groundmen, fuel-truck drivers and fabricators, and said the location would provide strategic positioning for disaster response operations. An unidentified speaker at the event framed the development as "a great opportunity for Citrus County to create higher-wage jobs, more career jobs," and said it could help families who have lived in the area for generations remain in the community.

Another speaker described Livewire as "a pretty interesting and unique company" and gave a lay description of the helicopters' work, saying they use large saws suspended beneath the aircraft to trim trees and remove debris that can obstruct power lines.

No vote or formal county action was recorded in the remarks. Organizers emphasized local employment and emergency-response readiness as the primary benefits; specifics about project costs, implementation timeline and expected hiring figures were not provided at the event and were not specified in the remarks. The ceremony concluded with the company and speakers describing the heliplex as a long-term investment in Citrus County's aviation infrastructure and emergency capabilities.