The Florida Department of Health works to protect and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state New- WIC Events Mom and Baby Group Virtual Breastfeeding Class Poster Eat Right Diabetes Womens Health WomensHealth.gov-Breastfeeding Florida Breastfeeding Coalition USDA-WIC U.S. Breastfeeding Committee Breastmilk Counts la leche league Smart Mouth WIC is a nutrition education and special supplemental food program for women WIC is a federally funded nutrition program for Women WIC provides the following at no cost: healthy foods and referrals for health care and community services we provide breastfeeding support for new moms through our certified lactation consultants and breastfeeding peer counselors It is recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives and that moms continue breastfeeding after solid foods are introduced We can help you work through common breastfeeding road bumps so you can be as successful as possible in meeting that recommendation We can also help you adapt your breastfeeding routine for returning to school or work WIC also offers a 7 day-a-week Infant Feeding Line to provide support for topics that include breastfeeding To be income-eligible for WIC, you must have a total household income that is equal to or less than the amounts listed in the WIC income guidelines and be a Florida resident You are automatically income-eligible if you are currently receiving any of the following: call the Lecanto WIC office at 352-527-8490, the Inverness WIC office at 352-726-5222, or call toll-free 1-800-342-3556 and ask to apply for WIC.  What to bring to your WIC certification visit: If you suspect someone is misusing or abusing WIC program benefits please call Toll-Free 1-855-283-5135.  Proposed state budgets are providing a mixed bag for Citrus County Three Citrus County projects are included in both budgets The House budget has $175,000 earmarked for Crystal Memorial Gardens the Senate’s list of Citrus projects far exceeds that of the House Citrus projects total $1.4 million in the House and $8.9 million in the Senate — Jessie’s Place, the Child Advocacy Center of Citrus County named for Jessica Lunsford is in the House budget for $100,000 and Senate for $200,000 for an expansion — The Homosassa River Restoration Project which has had mixed success obtaining consistent year-to-year state funding has $1 million in the House budget and $2 million in the Senate — The Academy of Environmental Sciences has $120,000 in the House budget but nothing in the Senate for upgrades to the public charter school — The Senate budget has $573,554 for LifeStream Behavioral Centers’ Baker Act facility in Citrus County There is no money in the House budget for the Baker Act project — Only one Citrus County government project made either budget The County requested $5 million for the Halls River Road multiuse path in Homosassa The Senate has $1 million; there is nothing in the House version — The Senate proposes $350,000 for new Sheriff Dave Vincent’s plan for body-worn cameras; there’s nothing in the House budget — $2 million is in the Senate budget for the Save Crystal River restoration project The project has yet to go through the public hearing process The County is undergoing a corridor study for an eventual widening project County Administrator Steve Howard said the developer made the request with the county agreeing to accept funds if they’re approved “This is something this developer has done in other places,” Bays said “If they can get funding for roads and offset what it takes from the county coffers I guess it’s trying to be a good partner.” Mike Wright is a former reporter with the Citrus County Chronicle where he had covered county government and politics since 1987 Mike's skills as an investigative reporter earned him first-place awards in investigative writing Mike also helped the Chronicle win the Frances Devore Award for Public Service in 2002 This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL © Copyright by Extensive-Enterprises 2025. All rights reserved. STAFF LOGIN 05:24 Citrus County FL particularly vulnerable to Helene's storm surge Hurricane Helene Coastal towns are bracing for a devastating impact is particularly vulnerable to Helene's storm surge Mandatory evacuations are in effect for Zone A as residents await the storm's arrival Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast joins FOX Weather now to discuss the situation Florida claimed the $1 million prize from the 500x The Cash scratch-off game (CBS12) — A Central Florida man turned $50 into $1 million after buying a scratch-off game The 63-year-old bought his winning ticket from a Publix at 6760 West Gulf to Lake Highway in Crystal River Breseman chose to receive his winnings as a one-time The Publix will also receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.23 CBS12 News is your official Florida Lottery station The next drawing for the Mega Millions jackpot prize worth an estimated $800 million will take place on Tuesday at 11 p.m — Hurricane Helene caused storm surge of up to 10 feet in some parts of Citrus County devastating many of the communities close to the Gulf residents are beginning the long process of cleaning up Just about everywhere you look west of Highway 19 there are piles of debris dragged out of homes The shock is now wearing off as people are working to repair the massive damage from Hurricane Helene Mother Nature unleashed a wall of water on the Nature Coast as Hurricane Helene arrived and piles of once-treasured belongings show the depths of devastation We met Wade Manis while he was getting ice "We have a lot of moving parts right now with pods He took us to his home on Deepwater Point in the Riverhaven Community destroying nearly everything at ground level We’ve got people helping us and we’re still alive," Manis said Jerry Bass was lucky to escape with his life "I fell asleep and I had a Ring camera right there," Bass said as she watched floodwaters rise from the place where she evacuated Jerry's wife Eve began shouting at Jerry through the Ring camera's speaker Jerry climbed out a window because his doors were sealed from the outside got in the middle of the road and then walked to the house," he said Bass managed to get to a neighbor's home on higher ground I felt something alive get on my leg and then I jumped," he said Pictures he took show the mess inside his home Jerry says he’ll never ignore an evacuation warning again Kevin Flaherty and his wife Merry spent the day at the Spin City Laundry cleaning mud out of their clothes "Everything’s soaked in mud it’s a mess," Kevin Flaherty said Their mobile home was filled with two feet of water and is now covered in muck and furniture will all have to be replaced Staying in a hotel for the last five nights It’s going to be a lot of work," Kevin said this will be the third time they’ve had to make storm repairs in the past year and a few say they are considering moving away and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark Report a typo Citrus County planned for the worst and hoped for the best While it didn’t escape unscathed, county officials were overall pleased that Hurricane Milton’s winds and rain caused little more than fallen trees and power outages Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek, whose painstaking Facebook posts detailed a 6-foot surge during Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago, welcomed Milton’s aftermath Thursday morning “Some damage reports from wind on a few commercial businesses … and I have seen pictures of some seawalls collapsing as a result of the extreme low tides,” Meek said I will take this over storm surge any day.” The hurricane did produce one Citrus County fatality. Authorities said an Inverness man died early Thursday morning when the car he was driving struck a fallen tree on Parsons Point Road in Hernando Citrus County Commission Chair Holly Davis said Citrus fared better than expected “We really lucked out here in Citrus County with Milton,” she said “Wind speed may have gusted to just barely hurricane force but most of the readings were 50-70 mph county-wide.” Emergency workers scrambled Thursday to clear trees from roadways and powerlines Power companies were trying to restore electricity to 40,000 customers; by 3 p.m. Sumter Electric Cooperative (SECO) warned customers it might take a while to get the lights turned back on “Hurricane Milton’s heavy rains and high-speed winds have caused thousands of power outages across our service area,” SECO said on its outage website “SECO Energy home team crews and mutual aid crews are out in full force to restore service to all affected Officials lifted the mandatory evacuation, and shelters were being emptied of storm evacuees. The 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. curfew for areas west of U.S. 19, related to Hurricane Helene cleanup, remains in effect though Citrus County government offices are open Friday Davis said attention will soon return to Helene aftermath “Comfort stations should be returning soon to Homosassa and Ozello,” she said “Our west coast has a long road to recovery ahead from Helene damage I’m just grateful Milton didn’t add much to it.” Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — The National Transportation Safety Board is in Citrus County Wednesday to investigate a fatal small plane crash According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office one person was killed Tuesday just after 5:30 p.m when a small plane crashed near Fort Island Trail Park in Crystal River.  was the lone occupant of the aircraft.  Citrus Fire Rescue responded to the scene after the Beechcraft B55 Baron twin-engine plane went down in a marsh area near the park’s boat ramp The sheriff’s office is asking he public to avoid the area during the investigation — Three people in Citrus County have been arrested for allegedly killing a man during a robbery in mid-December According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to a home on South Scarlet Oak Terrace in Homosassa after a man was shot A witness gave detailed descriptions of the suspect and the suspect vehicle Deputies said they determined that multiple suspects were involved in the shooting died from his injuries while being treated at a nearby hospital The sheriff's office said three people had been arrested and charged in the murder: Shawn Michael Hutton All three face charges of murder while engaged in a home invasion robbery home invasion with a firearm or another deadly weapon and kidnapping with intent to commit/commission a felony More Hernando and Citrus County News from ABC Action News