County Opens Access to Ft. Island Beach

February 13, 2025

Citrus County’s Fort Island Beach is once again accessible to the public, after a monumental effort to have the area clean and safe for citizens.

“There were delays that impacted our original timeline, and we were confident that we would have the Beach accessible next weekend (February 21),” said County Community Services Director Eric Head.  “After a lot of hard work from a lot of our County staff, we are thrilled to have the area open today.”  Head also expressed thanks to Citrus Countians for their patience through the process.   

County Administrator Steve Howard said, “The goal since Hurricane Helene hit the area was to have the Beach available to our citizens as soon as it was safe.  Once we got those assurances, we weren’t going to keep the area closed a minute longer.”  Howard also praised County staff for their efforts throughout the process.

As of now, access is limited to the Beach only, with limited temporary/portable restrooms on-site.  The Boat Ramp will remain closed, but crews are at work to get that area open quickly.  “Stay tuned for some good news about the Boat Ramp soon,”  Howard added.