A Citrus County security company is in a legal battle with the county over a fence that county leaders insist is a code violation.

  • Schlabach Security and Sound located near CR 486
  • Owners put up fence years ago after no help came from county
  • Suit brings up question of county's "business-friendliness"

The owners of Schlabach Security and Sound in Lecanto, Jarey and Ruthie Schlabach, told us the problem started when County Road 486 was widened years ago. They said at the new intersection, there was no way for cars to make a left, so they started cutting through their parking lot.

"A lot of them were speeding, and I counted like 50 cars in one hour one day, and it just became a safety hazard for all my employees," Jarey said.

To illustrate the point, Jarey told us one of his employees almost got hit trying to get the mail. When the Schlabachs tried to get the county to help, he said nothing happened.

That's when they put up the fence. Now, the county says the fence isn't up to code, but the couple refuses to take it down.

"How can the county take private owner's land and say it's going to become a road?" said Ruthie Schlabach. "Even the definition of a cross access, what they're trying to do doesn't meet the definition."

The Schlabachs said they've had this fence up for nearly three years now, and only recently the county has said it's not in compliance. Their question: “Why now?"

Citrus County Attorney Denise Lyn could not comment specifically, but she said there were complaints that led code enforcement officers to Schlabach Security and Sound, as is normal any time a code violation is issued.

Ruthie, however, thinks this issue goes further than just a code violations. She told us she knows many other business owners that also have lawsuits with the county.

"You can't just take our land and not share any responsibility," said Ruthie. "But Citrus County is kind of treating its business owners like that through bullying tactics.

"A lot of people just give up because they don't want to spend the money fighting, it but we're not going to let somebody get killed trying to go to the mailbox," she explained.

Lyn disagreed with that statement, saying the county strives to be business friendly.

The Schlabachs have a court date in June. They're being fined 50 dollars a day, every day the fence is still up.

The couple estimates they've spent about $20,000 in repairs, fines and legal fees.