Commissioners Decide Fate of Historic Spring Hill Waterfall

BROOKSVILLE – Earlier this month the Hernando Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) opened debate over what should be done with the historic Spring Hill Waterfall located at the intersection of Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way. During the June 11th meeting, commissioners weighed the option of demolishing the waterfall and replacing it with a more modern structure but that didn't sit well with local residents.

Following the meeting, grumblings over the BOCC considering the removal of the historic site resonated across the county and even prompted a few residents to protest in front of the waterfall.

During last Tuesday's BOCC meeting, Commissioner Steve Champion told his fellow commissioners that he heard the citizens' pleas to preserve the waterfall and said he would not be in favor of demolishing a valuable piece of Spring Hill history. "Since that time (referring to the last meeting) there have been a lot of outcries to keep the fountain and I think we need to talk about it before the citizens come up and I think we should just restore it," said Champion.

Commissioner John Allocco originally introduced the idea of replacing the waterfall with something easier to maintain and would not use water, but during Tuesday's meeting, he changed his opinion and agreed with Champion and the other commissioners that the waterfall should remain in place.

The county is now considering ways to beautify the landmark with Florida-friendly landscaping.