Levy County workshop frames housing and economic trade-offs, highlights 8,000‑person projection by 2050

Levy County held a public workshop on its 2050 comprehensive-plan update where consultants and residents discussed how to steer future economic development and housing so the county can accommodate population growth without eroding its rural character.

Dr. Dave Boston, a consultant leading the housing and economic-element work, told attendees the University of Florida projections and trend lines show a medium case of roughly 8,000 additional residents by 2050 and that county officials should plan where those new households will live to avoid development spreading across farmland. “We’re looking at that big picture... we’re trying to make sure that those 8,000 new people don’t go and live in new subdivisions built out in farmland that we want to preserve,” Boston said.

Why it matters: workshop presenters and residents framed the conversation as a balance — accommodating growth and new jobs while protecting agriculture, conservation lands and the county’s coastal areas. The data presented underpins that tension: Boston said Levy County’s median household income is about $50,000 versus roughly $75,000 for the state, 17% of households receive SNAP benefits, 53.7% of workers commute out of the county for employment, and the median age is 48.3 — older than state and national…