The District’s Governing Board honored Bob Mercer at its meeting Tuesday for his passion and dedication to improving the Crystal River/Kings Bay spring system. Mercer passed away in January.
Mercer’s wife of many years, Phillis Rosetti-Mercer, accepted the Springs Community Partner Award in her husband’s memory.
“Bob would have loved this so much,” she said during the Governing Board presentation, as she wiped away tears.
The award is given to individuals and organizations in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties that join the District in the community effort to improve area springs.
Mercer was active in the Crystal River community, serving on the City of Crystal River Planning Commission for more than 11 years. He also co-founded Save Crystal River in 2010, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting the natural resources of Crystal River and Citrus County. Mercer served as president until 2015.
He was named Crystal River Citizen of the Year in 2016 and was active in the Kings Bay Rotary Club’s “One Rake at a Time” project to remove Lyngbya algae from Kings Bay.