See this in my blog post!
Nothing is coming out of the Citrus County Chamber beyond acting as a pass‑through account and an event organizer, and that is a direct conflict with what it says it exists to do.
From my perspective, the Chamber’s own mission talks about advancing economic growth, improving business conditions, and providing leadership for the business community. Yet what we actually see on the ground is a calendar full of luncheons, ribbon cuttings, festivals, and PR, while the hard work of recruiting employers, growing higher‑wage jobs, and broadening our tax base is either missing or opaque. The money flows in, it pays staff and keeps the event machine running, but there is no clear, public accounting that ties those dollars to measurable outcomes for small businesses or working families in Citrus County.
As a business league, the Chamber should be focused on improving business conditions county‑wide, not just maintaining a social and political club for insiders. When the mission promises economic leadership and real growth, but the function is mostly festivals, photo‑ops, and pass‑through funding, that is mission drift. As Paul M. Grogan, I’m saying plainly: our Chamber is not living up to its own stated purpose, and Citrus County deserves a chamber that actually delivers measurable economic results—not just events and overhead.
Here’s how I see it, using PaulMGrogan’s Ten Sayin’s as my filter:
- I want a chamber that measurably grows jobs, wages, and real opportunity for Citrus County—not just one that fills a calendar with festivals and photo‑ops.
- I don’t want a chamber that functions mainly as a social club and pass‑through account, where money comes in and goes out for staff, overhead, and parties while small businesses are still struggling.
- I understand I have to give up the illusion that “busy” equals “effective”; if the numbers don’t show better jobs, more local businesses, and a stronger tax base, then the model is not working.
- My actions will be to demand transparency, insist on performance metrics, and build or support institutions that actually deliver economic results for regular people.
- I will have clear stepping stones to show achievement along the way—more quality employers, higher‑wage jobs, thriving local businesses instead of a trail of failed ribbon‑cuttings, and honest reporting the public can understand.
- I have, or know someone who has, a testimony about what I want: business owners who’ve been left to fend for themselves while the Chamber chases events instead of real advocacy and growth.
- I know why I want it: because families, workers, and small business owners in Citrus County deserve better than PR; they deserve a chamber that fights for their prosperity, not just its own survival.
- There are some things I don’t do: I don’t accept “that’s how it’s always been,” I don’t look the other way on insider games, and I don’t confuse access with accountability.
- I share and help others to accomplish the same, by giving them a simple way to think about what a chamber should be: focused on outcomes, transparent with money, and accountable to the community—not just the insiders on the guest list.
- Here is my success story—when we finally have a chamber, or a competing organization, that can point to real numbers: businesses started and kept alive, good jobs brought here and kept here, and a clear accounting of every public dollar matched to real results for Citrus County.
