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Levy County launches 2050 comprehensive plan update, consultants outline 14-month engagement
Summary
Consultants from Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering told Levy County officials and residents they will run six topic workshops, three surveys (general, youth and seniors), a project website and interactive polling as part of a 14-month plan update aimed at meeting Florida Statute Chapter 163 requirements; residents pressed for evening meetings and raised concerns about water, housing and SB 180.
Consultants leading Levy County’s 2050 comprehensive plan update launched the public phase of the effort at a packed kickoff workshop, outlining a 14-month schedule that they said will include six topic-specific workshops, multiple surveys and interactive public polling.
Chris Primo, project manager for Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering, told the county board, planning commissioners and attendees that the team aims to gather broad public input before drafting changes to the county’s comprehensive plan. "I'm Chris Primo. I'm the project manager" he said, and described a package of outreach tools that includes two-page summaries, contact forms and a dedicated project page on the county website. "We will not put anything on your website that has not been vetted by staff," Primo said.
Why it matters: The comprehensive plan guides land use, growth and infrastructure investments for the next several decades, and the county’s update must comply with Florida Statute Chapter 163 (the Community Planning Act). Primo said the plan will be a working document that can be amended over time and that the team will document and publish comments and survey results.
Process and schedule: The consultant team proposed interactive workshops beginning in November and running through March, with a planning commission review in August and final transmittal/adoption targeted for December 2026. The outreach package includes a short and long community survey, a targeted youth survey (ages 12–18) and a senior survey, all available in paper and online. The team plans to use live, in-workshop polling for attendees with smartphones.
Public input and local priorities: Residents and commissioners asked for evening meeting options to increase participation; one attendee said, "I would like to incorporate a couple of public engagement meetings in the evening hours," and Primo agreed to coordinate times with the county manager. Attendees also urged the consultants to incorporate results from a 2024 county planning survey that reportedly returned "hundreds of responses," and Primo agreed to review that data so the new survey will not duplicate prior work.
Policy context and legal concerns: Speakers raised concerns about recent state-level changes. Primo highlighted the Live Local Act and Senate Bill 180, saying some provisions reduce local discretion and that legal challenges are already pending. "There already been challenges and lawsuits pending against the bill," he said, and recommended continuing work on the plan while preparing policy language and amendments that county attorneys can review.
Emerging topics for workshops: Participants flagged recurring priorities for Levy County: protecting springs and coastal water quality, directing growth to serviced corridors, preserving agricultural land and forestry, addressing housing affordability and homelessness, and improving transit or cooperative commuter options for residents who work outside the county.
Next steps: Consultants said they will finalize survey language (after reviewing existing 2024 survey results), post vetted materials on a project web page, and launch the first public workshops. The firm also named David Boston as a specialist who will help lead economic development and housing discussions.
The kickoff closed with consultants thanking the public for extensive early input and promising follow-up on survey distribution and workshop scheduling.
