HOMOSASSA, Fla. — Shipping container homes are quickly becoming a hot commodity in Citrus County, and owners say downsizing and affordability are just some of the reasons behind it.

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But officials are raising concerns about the manner in which they are built. Citrus County Commissioner Jeff Kinnard spoke of his worries during a commission meeting Tuesday, saying the county should have a process in place for making sure homes are completed in a timely manner.

“For making sure that they are completed, completed in a reasonable time, and that we don’t have a hobbyist out there cutting holes in the side of a shipping container with a hacksaw on the weekends deciding that someday it might be a home for them,” Kinnard said.

There is one group in Citrus County that specializes in converting shipping containers into homes.

Resting on top of a sandy mound in Homosassa sits Darren Nichter’s latest project — a shipping container that will soon be a home.

“I think that’s what attracts people a lot to it is not only the cost savings, but also doing a little DIY project as well,” Nichter said.

Nichter is a managing partner of Citrus Container Park, specializing in turning a standard high cube shipping container into an affordable living space.

“When you get through that welding and making sure the container and the structure is strong again, it’s really built out like a normal home," he said. "We frame 2x4 walls on the inside out of wood. That’s where you run your plumbing and electric.”

Containers are outfitted with plumbing, electric and HVAC. The foundation slab work, Nichter said, is done by licensed contractors.

“To do it properly, they need to be on a foundation, they need to be secured," he said. "There are flat sides to them and in a bad storm they are going to get hit. That is the reasoning why he’s bringing it up — that they’re not just dropped on the ground, that they’re done correctly.”

It’s about a six-month process from the build until it is move-in ready, Nichter said. Architect stamped drawings are permitted through the county, ensuring proper building protocols are followed.

“There’s a lot of myths out there about what it takes to do one of these, and they just make it seem like it’s just so easy, that you can live off the grid and it should only cost $10,000 to do one of these," he said. "When that is the farthest from the truth."

It’s a unique way to live that is starting to catch on.

“I don’t think they’re going to replace traditional homes, but I think they’re going to become more prevalent," Nichter said. "Especially with some of the building costs coming down.”

Citrus County’s projects were a mixed bag of success in the final state budget, with some getting no funding and two projects receiving their full ask.

Crystal River City Hall received the county’s lone sprinkle boost of $5 million, on top of $5 million lawmakers had already approved. The City of Crystal River had requested $10 million to replace City Hall, which has not reopened since being flooded during Hurricane Idalia.

Three projects were totally shut out: U.S. 41 widening, the Crystal River boat ramp and the Cross Florida Barge Canal boat ramp.

Others received a fraction of their requests.

Lawmakers agreed to $25.7 million in Citrus County projects. Here’s a rundown:

— $3.6 million for the Watson Road expansion as related to the Inverness Airport Business Park. The county had requested double that.

— Halls River Road multiuse path, $2 million. The county requested $5 million.

—The county sought $22 million to speed up the widening of U.S. 41 in Inverness. It also requested $3.5 million to expand parking at the Fort Island Trail Park for a joint boat ramp project with the City of Crystal River. And it asked for $7.35 million to aid in construction of a multilane boat ramp on the Cross Florida Barge Canal. All three were denied funding.

— The City of Inverness requested $2.25 million to connect the Withlacoochee State Trail with Whispering Pines Park. The city received $1.125 million. Legislators approved the same amount the last two years, and it was vetoed both times.

— Homosassa River Restoration received $2 million after asking for $4 million. The King’s Bay restoration received $2.5 million after requesting $5 million.

— Crystal River High School’s Health Academy received the full ask of $495,833.

— The Academy of Environmental Sciences requested $84,000 for a new elevator and received half that.

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla.—Today, Senator Rick Scott visited Lecanto for a roundtable as part of his ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe Tour’ to highlight his legislative priorities and actions to protect Florida kids and families. Throughout this week and last, Senator Scott has visited cities across Florida to hear from families and local leaders about making Washington work to keep families safe and ensure Florida is the best state to work, go to school, visit and raise a family. See more from his Keeping Our Kids Safe Tour stops in Pensacola, Ruskin, Fleming Island, DeLand, West Palm Beach, and North Miami Beach HERE.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Parents know what is best for their children and keeping them safe is my top priority. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel to Citrus County and hear from parents and law enforcement about keeping kids safe, as well as tour their Emergency Operations Center to see how they get prepared so Florida families are taken care of—especially during Hurricane season.

“Unfortunately, across Florida and the U.S. the fentanyl crisis continues to rage, AI has started to creep into our kids’ lives, the border is wide open and I hear from parents that they’re constantly worried about their children—it is time to act. That is why I have introduced extensive legislation such as my UPDATED USPS Act and Opioid RADAR Act to combat the fentanyl crisis, and my School Guardian Act and Luke and Alex School Safety Act to bolster school safety measures. We need to build a world that they are safe to grow up and go to school in, and I am fighting to give parents the comfort of waking up, dropping their kids off at school and feeling reassured that they will return home every single day. We can all agree we must do everything we can to keep our kids safe at school, home and online. We’ve made progress, but I won’t stop fighting until we get this all done.”

Read more about Senator Scott’s proposals HERE.

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It's been a long day for those working to rescue residents who chose to ride out Hurricane Idalia.

The storm surge swamped coastal areas all along the Tampa Bay area, and it led to a lot of rescues inside the evacuation zones. Citrus County deputies have been using airboats to reach people who are calling 911, saying they need to be rescued.

They said 18,000 people live in Flood Zone A, which is mostly on the west side of the county near the Gulf of Mexico. Right now, they don't know how many evacuated or how many are still waiting to be rescued.

So far, 60 people have been rescued who found themselves trapped by water in unlivable conditions. Citrus County Board of Commissioners issued a mandatory curfew Wednesday for Zone A from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., prohibiting travel within Zone A.

Citizens who live in this area will not be permitted to return until this curfew is lifted and conditions have been deemed safe. More than likely, those in the affected area are without power as well. Restoration efforts have begun and will continue for an unknown period of time.

Those who have lived in Citrus County for decades are at a loss for words, especially ones who were chased from their homes by rising water.

"I am 64 years old. This is home. I thank God it is not as bad as it is," said Bernice Brown, a Crystal River resident. "At the end of the day, this little town is home. It has been good to us. We are blessed. We are surrounded by water, it could have been worse. Just to see how heartbroken people are, who lost so much."

"Everybody who was in Zone A, last night and early this morning, before the surge started coming in when Hurricane Idalia was making landfall in the panhandle and big bend area, there were still people at home in Crystal River, at home in Homosassa, and down in Chasa, they hadn't left, unfortunately we don't have the assets to knock on every person's door," Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said.

As of Wednesday night, floodwaters had receded quite a bit, but parts of U.S. 19 and side streets throughout Crystal River remained closed due to flooding.

US HWY 19, from CR 488 (West Dunnellon Road) to West Venable Street in Crystal River, and the portion of roadway from West Gulf to Lake HWY (SR 44) to US HWY 19 are still closed.

Idalia causes major damage in Citrus County

Evan Axelbank reports

As of Wednesday night, several thousand people throughout Citrus County were still without power.

Neighbors spent Wednesday afternoon wading through floodwaters to get back to their homes and assess the damage.

"We were just watching on security cameras," Crystal River resident Sonya Sheppard said. "And 6:00 this morning, it, you know, it didn't look that bad."

Some neighbors evacuated, heeding the warnings from officials. Sheppard and her family watched the flooding Wednesday morning from their security cameras.

She said the water came fast and furiously toward their home.

"9 a.m. or 9:15 a.m., that's when we noticed the water starting to flow in between our apartment and the actual main house," Sheppard said. "And it was like a river. And it just filled up fast."

"It's probably better than I was expecting," Sheppard said. "Like, I was expecting worse. Because after we lost power, I had no idea how high it went."

Cars were left abandoned in the streets around Crystal River.

"Devastated, my car is full of water," Homosassa resident Marcia Rozier said. "I was scared, the water can sweep you away in a matter of minutes. I am from Texas and have seen it happen a lot of times, and it is horrifying."

The Citizen Information Line, 352-249-2775, will close at 5 p.m. on Friday. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said all shelters will close on Thursday.

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CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Some parents in Citrus County say school bus driver shortages are posing a major problem for them, with many routes being cut indefinitely because there are no drivers available.

What You Need To Know

One father who spoke to Spectrum News said that while he understands the shortage, something needs to be done.

Sean O’Brien has a daughter in middle school and said they’ve had issues with her bus throughout this school year.

Last Friday, she came home and told him she no longer had a bus ride to school because there was no driver, and no one to fill in.

“I have to tell my job that I’m going to be late, I have to tell them I’m going to have to leave early to go pick her up, it’s getting ridiculous,” Sean O’Brien said. “I’m going to lose my job and making a living to get her to school. I want her to go to school but I can’t afford to.”

The Citrus County School District said there are no other drivers available for that route and that while it will do its best to offer alternatives, it's still trying to tackle the bus driver shortage countywide.

Nataleigh O’Brien said she has missed a lot of school because of the problem.

“My grades have been going down because I haven’t found a way to get to school yet, and I have a lot of missing assignments,” she said.

Sean O’Brien said this isn’t just a problem for students on her bus, either, saying it is a district-wide problem. His friend, Brian Perine, lives in Crystal River, and his kids also have no bus to school, only for the trip home.

They say they understand the district is having a hard filling those spots but that something needs to give.

“I understand getting more bus drivers, you have to figure out how, well, the pay needs to be helpful,” Perine said. “And from what I’ve heard, even from a bus driver last year who I talked to personally, a lot of the issues they’re having is kids who just don’t want to listen to the bus driver. And they want to quit, they don’t want to deal with it.”

The district has gone so far as having administrators driving vans to cover routes and get students to and from school safely.