Four of five Hernando County commissioners scatter to new offices

BROOKSVILLE

The great Government Center space shuffle hit full stride this week as four of the five county commissioners moved out of their fourth-floor quarters and scattered across the county.

The series of office switches began several weeks ago and is designed to better use available space, streamline government operations and save money on county offices that have been in leased spaces.

County officials anticipate that cutting out those lease payments and moving operations of the Property Appraiser and the recording office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court back into the Government Center will save the county $250,000 over the next five years.

Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek, whose offices have been in leased space on the third floor of Brooksville City Hall for the last several years, will take over the fourth-floor office suite that has been used by county administration, the County Commission and the community relations office.

Administrator David Hamilton's office will move to the second floor, Room 260, space previously occupied by the Parks and Recreation Department. That department moved several weeks ago to the Community Activity Center, also known as the Teen Hall, on Fort Dade Avenue.

Hamilton's office will move next week and will be closed Monday to accommodate that transition.

Community relations has already been moved down the hall and into the Office of Management and Budget, Room 464.

Also on the second floor will be the new office for County Commission Rose Rocco. Her district is in Hernando Beach, but Rocco has said that she believes commissioners should be in the Government Center, so Hamilton found her office space in Room 265.

There will also be a communal space set aside for any other commissioners who want to use it on the second floor. The phone number for Hamilton's office and commissioners will remain the same — 352-754-4002.

Commission Chairman Dave Russell has moved his office to the Hernando County Airport Administrative Office at 15800 Flight Path Drive. The Department of Public Works office at 1525 E Jefferson St. is the new home for Commissioner Jim Adkins.

Commissioner John Druzbick's new digs are at the Westside Library at 6335 Blackbird Avenue and Commissioner Jeff Stabins has moved to the Hernando County Utilities Customer Service Office at 7429 Spring Hill Drive.

The moves will continue the week of July 6 when the purchasing department on the second floor will switch office spaces with the Human Resources Department on the third floor to better use space.

The Property Appraiser is expected to make his move to the Government Center the week of Sept. 14 and the Clerk's records recording office will move from its leased space at 161 E Jefferson to the third floor of the Government Center the week of Nov. 16.

All phone numbers for the affected areas will remain the same.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1434.