Ocala Gazette | January 1 - 7, 2021

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 27

Happy

$2

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021

Marion County Jail reports zero COVID-19 The report comes as local cases increase in the county and around the state

By Carlos Medina Ocala Gazette

T

he Marion County Jail has no active cases of COVID-19, even as cases continue to increase on the outside.

Sgt. Paul Bloom, Marion County Sheriff ’s spokesman, said the jail maintains Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved guidelines for COVID-19

screening and sanitation protocols, which allows them to identify active cases quickly and reduce the possibility of spread.

Those protocols do not include broad-based COVID-19 testing of most inmates inside the facility.

The CDC suggests that strategy for communities with “moderate to substantial levels of community transmission,” but it leaves the final

Total inmates tested 886 Current popluation 1,600

See Jail, page 6

Month

Tests Performed

Positive

Negative

Indeterminate

March

1

0

1

0

April

2

0

2

0

May

0

0

0

0

June

171

45

126

0

July

511

188

322

1

August

98

26

72

0

September

39

7

32

0

October

30

10

20

0

November

26

4

22

0

December

8

0

7

1

*Marion County Sheriff ’s Office

Dear 2020, good riddance

Ocala opioid crisis puts renewed focus on Marchman Act

By Ainslie Lee Ocala Gazette

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Illustration by David Vallejo

A quirky look at a crazy year

By Dave Schlenker Specal to the Ocala Gazette

W

riting a year-in-review for 2020 is like writing an obituary for the bloodthirsty school bully, the one voted Most Likely to Rob an Orphanage.

He’s gone. Words need to be said. But nobody has anything kind to say.

Deadly pandemic. Racial injustice. Collapsing economy.

A bile-boiled presidential election that was more nails on a chalkboard than nail biting.

We had to search hard for smiles

in 2020. We found a few, but mostly we found items that were, at the very least, interesting and awkward (we’re Dave Schlenker looking at you, Giuliani Hair Dye!).

Let’s start with the good old days, a golden age we called …

January • A ball drops, people pass out and, upon waking up, they vow to be

healthier humans. Democracy is solid. Newspapers are gasping, but we have Twitter for accurate, unbiased information.

• Most people are talking about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s brexit from the Royal family. Seeking a quieter life with less drama, they settle in Los Angeles.

February • According to social media, NASA proclaims brooms will balance perfectly on their bare straws on Feb. 10 due to the day’s gravitational force. Videos of standing brooms saturate the Internet, while the rest of us See Good Riddance, page 10

Top stories of See page 4

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cala Fire Chief Shane Alexander will tell you there’s a saying in drug treatment circles: “If you don’t know who the addict in your family is, it’s probably you.”

Alexander stresses the adage isn’t meant as an attack but rather a reminder that drug abuse touches almost everyone.

In 2017, Marion County had 132 drug-related deaths, translating to a death rate of 37.3 per 100,000 residents, according to a report from Well Florida Council.

That was more than Florida’s overall death rate of 24.2 per 100,000 during the same year.

The COVID-19 pandemic also brought a spike in drug overdose death in the county. Between March and June, 64 people died of overdoses, an increase of more than 100% over 2019, when 31 people died, according to a recent study by the Orlando-based Project Opioid.

With so many struggling with substance abuse, most people have an addict in their circle, Alexander said.

But most people don’t know family and friends have a legal option to help their loved ones get treatment, he said.

The Marchman Act is a Florida law allowing family and friends to petition the court for mandatory treatment for someone abusing drugs or alcohol and endangering themselves or others.

Physicians and law enforcement have the power to hold someone in protective custody for short term care. But the act also gives spouses, relatives, guardians or three nonrelative adults with “firsthand knowledge of the person’s impairment” the power to do the same, according to the Marchman Act Florida website.

Since launching the Ocala Recovery Project in August, Alexander said more than 200 Marchman Act petitions resulted in referrals for court-ordered, medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

“Since August, we have Capt. (Jesse) Blaire on 24/7 for someone who is in crisis in an See Marchman Act, page 3

Inside: William James at 100............ 2 CARES Act Update................ 3 Ageless Love Story.................. 8 Vaccine Update........................ 11 Top 10 Sports Stories............. 12 Calendar................................... 15

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Living for the Lord

William James outside the home that he was born in in 1921. James celebrates his 100th birthday on January 1. Photography by Meagan Gumpert.

Mentor, civic activist, retired school system supervisor and devout Christian William James reflects on his 100th birthday.

By Susan Smiley-Height Ocala Gazette

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hen the sun comes up on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, William James will open the blinds in his bedroom and pray for all the drivers he sees traveling past his home on Highway 441 north of Ocala.

Then he will celebrate his 100th birthday by reading his Bible.

James, the son of Mary and Grant James, was born in a home on the property and now lives in a newer house nearby. He had three younger siblings.

“My father died when I was 12 years old and my mother raised me and the rest of us,” he said. “I was always taught to honor thy father and thy mother that your days may be long upon the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.

So, I learned to honor my mother and everybody else old enough to be my mother or father. That’s one thing I always kept in mind.”

James said he still drives and lives alone, but with a lot of support from family members and friends.

“I’m doing really well at my old age,” he offered.

As for recalling some highlights of his life, he said “I’ve seen a lot more than I can talk about.

“I haven’t had any problems and have friends white and black all over the country. I never smoke, drank or cursed. Not one swallow of wine or whiskey, and I never missed it,” he explained. “I’ve never been in jail, except to visit people.”

He recalls key events over the years, such as man landing on the moon.

“I remember hearing about all kinds of things— good and bad,” he noted.

His faith has remained a very important part of his life and he still can’t wait for Sunday mornings so he can attend services at Mount Tabor AME Church.

“I tried to live a Christian life all my life,” he said. “I’m

proud of myself for the life I chose to live.”

He said he has one surviving sibling, his brother Grady, who lives in Chicago.

“I have a cousin who lives next door. She’s like a daughter to me. She cleans my house and calls me every morning and every night. She brings food and whatever I need,” he added.

That relative, Cheryl Hopkins Kendrick, said his reaching the age of 100 is “truly, truly a blessing.

“He is my cousin, but he thinks of me as his goddaughter,” she said. “I take him food and all that.”

As for any life lesson she has learned from him, she said, “He always told me to treat people like you want to be treated and to do the right thing and pray and read your Bible.”

James still raises cattle on his property and right now has six cows and a bull.

“They are all gentle. I feed them light bread over the fence. Even that big bull, who weighs 2,000 pounds, comes right over to eat out of my hand,” he said.

James retired in 1986 after 27 years with Marion County Public Schools.

He was the district’s first Black custodial supervisor and oversaw 17 schools.

Along the way he mentored students, including during the turbulent years of integration. He said he prayed for the day he could see black and white students under one roof.

“I have had the good fortune of knowing Mr. James for over 40 years,” said Scott Hackmyer, a longtime community supporter and retired educator. “For all those decades, one thing has never changed with Mr. James - he is a gentleman. I recently mailed Mr. James a birthday card and wrote that I hope his second 100 years are as wonderful as his first. He is indeed a fine man.”

James has been accorded many honors over the years. He received the Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. Commemorative Commission’s Legacy Pioneer Award, had the City of Ocala’s “William James Start!” walking trail on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue named for him, and was an inaugural inductee of the Legacy Park Community Service Recognition Program.

Cynthia Wilson Graham, a local educator, photographer and author, featured James in her book “Walking By Faith: My Story Collection: William Harding James.”

“He has always helped people in the community with the resources available to him,” she said. “The home he was born in, which is next to his current home, he would use it to store things to give to the less fortunate. He was a volunteer with the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office for a while. He is an NAACP member and was involved in the recent Souls to the Polls event. He had his signs and he was encouraging people to vote.”

James remains involved with FLIP FLOP Support Groups, Inc., which works with current and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families through monthly meetings, referrals and services, and providing gifts for children.

“Mr. James is our chaplain,” said Jaclyn Brown, executive director of the organization, who first met him in 2009 at a community meeting at the Ocala Police Department.

“We went to lunch at Golden Corral and now I’m

pretty much his caregiver,” she said. “It is so amazing that he is turning 100.”

Brown, along with local banker T.J. Wynn, is helping organize a special celebration for James on Jan. 9 at a venue in Ocala. The event is by invitation only in order to maintain appropriate social distancing.

“He was one of my first clients when I came here and our relationship has become more personal,” Wynn noted. “I am working with family members and we take great care to help protect him. He’s done so much. He’s more like a mentor. We talk two or three times a week.”

James, said he didn’t

have any special plans for his birthday, other than to do what he always does, which is to “live for the Lord.”

“I praise the Lord. I read the Bible. I even sleep with it in my bed. This morning, I had a problem with my pump and when a friend came to see about it and knocked on the door, I was laying in bed reading the Bible. I wake up with it; I sleep with it,” he said. “The Lord has blessed me, and I try to bless Him. I’m so proud of my life. I have seen so many different kinds of lives, but I had no fuss, no fights. One of my prayers is to pray for my enemies, if I have any.”

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Ocala’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board watches over Ocala’s history “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

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By Brendan Farrell Ocala Gazette

O

cala’s been making history since the 1870s, and it’s up to the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board to maintain as much of it as possible.

The board, which doesn’t always get much attention, is charged with keeping a watchful eye over the city’s multiple historic districts and properties.

The Ocala Historic District, Ocala Historic Commercial District, Tuscawilla Park Historic District and West Ocala Historic District are all areas in Ocala on the National Register of Historic Places. In total, there are 32 properties and districts in Marion County on the National Register.

Tom McCollough, chairman of the local preservation board, grew up outside of Jacksonville but later moved to Ocala and currently lives in the Tuscawilla Park Historic District. He says he became involved with OHPAB to see the revitalization of the area.

“There’s been several homes that have been torn down due to neglect or due to real estate venturers from individuals, things of that nature,” McCollough said. “So, I want to see

more preservation and see it get back to a character where it’s a nice neighborhood, pleasant to be in.”

Kristen Dreyer, a real-estate broker who also owns a historic home downtown, is OHPAB’s vice-chairwoman. She says that she has a passion for historic homes stemming from her northern roots.

“I’m from New York, but I spent a lot of time in all of the New England states,” Dreyer said.

“I guess I’m just used to being surrounded by history, and that’s kind of where it all started.”

Dreyer says that OHPAB’s biggest success in recent history was saving the former Marion County Transportation Planning Organization building near Watula Avenue and Fort King Street, across the street from City Hall.

The city was going to tear it down to make way for planned townhomes. OHPAB worked with the city and Ambleside School of Ocala to move the building a few blocks down. It became Ambleside’s new high school.

But OHPAB’s biggest job is reviewing Certificates of Appropriateness, which is required for a multitude of activities for properties in Ocala’s historic districts and landmarks. This includes any material change to

the exterior of existing buildings aside from paint, demolition or partial demolition of a building or structure, moving a building or structure, construction and more. OHPAB reviewed 18 COA applications in 2020, according to its annual report.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the board’s schedule, as it couldn’t meet in person, limiting the number of meetings it had this year.

But 2020 did bring a few bright spots.

“The most amazing thing about this year for the advisory board was the amount of new families or new owners who purchased historic homes in the district who were doing renovations and rehab,” Dreyer said. “I feel like over the past year, year and a half, we’ve seen more people come in, want to renovate, want to invest in the district than we have in years prior, and it’s great.

Dreyer is quick to note that the board is just an advisory board, not a punitive board.

“If our board has maybe a negative connotation to it, it’s certainly not the intention of the board to do that at all,” she said. “It’s to be as helpful to the residents of the historic district as we can be.”

Extension possible for Marion County to spend $63.8 million in CARES funding

By Jennifer Murty Ocala Gazette

A

s the year came to an end, local government, nonprofit and business groups grappled with confusion over when they had to spend almost $63.8 million in CARES Act money.

Under the initial U.S. Department of the Treasury Guidelines for Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) Marion County Board of County Commissioners has to spend the funds by Dec. 30, or lose it.

The original Department of Treasury guidelines for spending the funds required the money go “toward necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19; were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of the date of enactment (March 27, 2020); and were incurred during March 1 and Dec. 30.”

The Dec. 30 deadline became cumbersome for county employees to process grant applications and get the money distributed to the Ocala/Marion Community

Foundation and Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP).

At least $1.5 million in grants between both organizations remained pending approval from the county.

But word started trickling in that the Treasury Department was extending the deadline for a year.

Rich Delmar, Deputy Inspector General for the Treasury Department, confirmed in an email that the deadline to spend the money is now Dec. 31, 2021.

“President Trump signed the legislation on December 27, 2020, and the change is effective immediately,” Delmar wrote.

Still, the state has to approve the new deadline and word of that approval is yet to make its way to the local players.

Lauren Deiorio, president of the Community Foundation said she first heard of the possible extension on Dec 29. As of press time, Deiorio was waiting to hear from the county as to whether the extension is granted.

She said an extension would be “a relief ” after the working very hard over the past few months to try to help non-profits meet the

original deadline.

As of Dec. 30, Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the CEP said he also had not head official word on any extension of the deadline.

Jennifer Cole, Finance Director for the Marion County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, said they have not received final word of and extension either.

“According to the County’s liaison with the Florida Department of Emergency Management, none of the requirements or submission dates from the State have been changed yet. Until we receive further notice, we are still processing payments with the intent to meet the State’s final documentation reporting deadline of February 28,” Cole wrote in an email.

In addition to clarification from the state as to the deadline extension to spend the CRF, the county last reported that it was still waiting a decision from the state on their plan for the final draw of the money, totaling $34.5 million.

A request from the county for an update on the status of the third phase funding application with the state for approval was not returned by press time.

From Marchman Act, page 1 overdose,” Alexander said during a presentation before the Ocala City Council recently.

The project operates through a federal grant and is a collaborative effort between first responders, judicial, medical and mental health representatives to help improve services. “(Blaire) is at the hospital with the patients any time of the day, including nights and weekends.

Since August, all of our Marchman Acts have received treatment ... mostly medication-assisted treatment, which is known to be incredibly successful.”

According to Alexander, of the 200 patients OFR has aided with Marchman Acts, only seven have been repeat patients.

Alexander said the Marchman Act was underutilized in the Ocala area. Few knew about it, and others weren’t sure how to apply it effectively.

In Marion County, those seeking to use the Marchman Act must swear an affidavit that they are being truthful, according to the Marion County Clerk of Court’s website.

The county also requires that a counselor at a treatment facility verify there is a danger of harm.

The requirements are there to try to prevent people from using the act maliciously.

If a judge agrees, the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office takes the person to a treatment facility.

Judge Robert Landt of Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit said misunderstandings about the Marchman Ocala Fire Rescue Chief Shane Alexander talks to Ocala City Act prevent its Council about the Ocala Recovery Project on Dec. 15. Alexander is pushing for wider use of the Marchman Act to help those strugwidespread use. gling with addiction issues. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] “It has not, has been better than I think it ever historically, been nearly as has been. Unfortunately, that’s a understood as the Baker Act,” result of the opioid crisis because Landt said. “Everybody knows that everybody knows somebody who if my relative, my family member, has either died or whose family my friend, a guy on the street, is member has died of overdose. really struggling or talking about “I mean, it’s almost impossible suicide or they’re talking about not to.” hurting themselves or hurting The Ocala Fire Rescue is someone else, you can call and get committed to helping alleviate the this person Baker Acted. People opioid crisis in Ocala. Alexander may not know what it means, but attests that the Marchman Act is they know it’s there,” he said. one way of doing that. To learn But he said the Marchman Act more about OFR’s efforts and speak could also suffer from the stigma to someone about receiving help for associated with drug abuse. yourself or a loved one, please call “That’s a very difficult thing to 352-266-4769. do,” Landt says. “That aspect of it

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

COVID-19 heads list of Ocala’s top stories of 2020 Ocala also bids farewell to beloved chief and welcomes historic newcomers Ocala Gazette Staff

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The recent history of the United States is replete with events that caused seismic shifts in our lives, happenings that rattle us to our foundations – the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent war on terror, for example – or that vaulted us to new heights of human achievement.

The moon landing comes to mind.

The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 seems destined to occupy a morbid place in that pantheon of notable historical moments for its enormous death toll and

the sheer breadth of its destruction on our economy, our quality of life and our very sense of well-being.

What makes it the top story in Ocala in 2020 is that, while COVID-19 is a global phenomenon, its effects have spared no one. Every life in Ocala has been altered – some by the crushing loss or hospitalization of a loved one, and others by financial hardships or significant disruptions in our jobs, routines and relationships.

During the early part of 2020, it appeared that Florida in general, and

Top Ocala Stories

Ocala specifically, would escape the worst ravages of the virus. While urban areas like New York City were erecting makeshift morgues in hospital parking lots to store their dead, just 250 Marion County residents had tested positive for COVID by June 1 and just a small handful had succumbed to the disease.

That all changed rapidly as the positivity rate climbed through June and July. In the first two weeks of July, the area saw more than 600 new cases, new deaths were reported almost daily and the positivity rate

Ocala loses a leader

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On a perfect Sunday afternoon, in a bucolic grassy meadow on the outskirts of Marion County, Ocala lost a beloved community leader.

Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham died on Oct. 25 when his 1966 Cessna 172H singleengine plane crashed east of Dunnellon Airport. He was 58 and mulling retirement.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that Graham took off around 10:34 that Sunday morning from Back Archers Airport in Belleview and flew over Lake Weir before turning west and heading toward the Marion County Airport, also known as

the Dunnellon airport. The plane lost altitude and air speed, then climbed briefly before plummeting into a vacant field.

Investigators have not ruled on the cause of the crash.

They reported finding “heavy corrosion” in the bowl and the filter screen of the fuel strainer but gave no indication if this was a contributing factor.

While the cause of the crash is uncertain, the void left by Graham’s death was not.

Except for a fouryear stint as chief of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Police Department, Graham had spent his

climbed above 11 percent.

Suddenly, the social distancing and mask requirements that were already mainstays of life in other parts of the United States began to gain traction here. Social distancing signs and bottles of hand sanitizer became ubiquitous in public places. Hundreds of offices began mandating that employees work from home.

Many restaurants and bars yo-yoed back and forth between state-mandated closures and occupancy restrictions. The businesses that didn’t close mandated that customers wear

masks. Schools scrambled to salvage the upcoming academic year by offering a hybrid slate of online and in-classroom instruction.

Ocala and Marion County saw a brief, significant downturn in positive cases in late summer before experiencing an uptick again in the fall.

Six months after the virus arrived here in full force, the numbers tell a somber tale in Marion County: 17,000 total positive cases, 1,300 hospitalizations and more than 450 deaths by the final week of the year.

Racial injustice inflames passions Racial strife was, sadly, a major theme in 2020 as communities around the United States reacted strongly to a series of killings of unarmed black people by police Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, to name a few.

The Black Lives Matter movement that grew from these episodes found many supporters in Ocala as well, as citizens took to street corners on a number of occasions to demand police reform on a national level and held at least two

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rallies to call attention to the deaths.

One of the events on Ocala’s downtown square became tense as supporters of President Donald Trump staged a counter-protest across the street.

entire career in Ocala, working his way up from patrolman and earning a reputation as a fierce crime fighter and caring public servant.

Shortly after Graham’s death, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn appointed Deputy Chief Mike Balken to succeed Graham.

Here comes hope

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At a time when COVID-19 was surging for the second time in late 2020, drug makers Moderna and Pfizer announced that clinical trials of their coronavirus

vaccines were yielding remarkable results and that the vaccines could be ready for public use by the end of the year.

They were.

Ocala began receiving shipments of the vaccines in December to administer

to front-line healthcare workers and those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where COVID-19 was taking its worst toll. Next in line are people 65 and older and, eventually, the general public.

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

The World (Equestrian Center) is ours

Photo by John Jernigan

Dozens of area dignitaries got their first formal look in early December at the majestic World Equestrian Center, weeks before the sprawling horse and entertainment complex opened to the public.

The facility, the centerpiece of which is its stunning fivestory hotel Equestrian Hotel, also features the 8,000-seat Hunterland Stadium, four climate-controlled indoor arenas and 22 outdoor rings designed for equine events, as well as five expo centers capable of hosting sporting events, conventions, trade

shows, car shows, dog and other animal shows or party rentals.

Although the new World Equestrian Center was created to be the largest horse show complex in the country, the Roberts family who built it envision it as much more than a haven for horses and their owners.

The Roberts family, perhaps best known locally for their Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, created a luxurious but laid back event and entertainment complex with multiple dining

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establishments, flexible meeting and convention space, expansive grounds and entertainment programming designed to make this worldclass equine facility a regular destination for locals as well.

“We want to be everybody’s place,” Roby Roberts said in an interview in early December. “It’s so broad. I think we’re more than a horse show facility; I think we’re like a city that’s going to host so many different things.”

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

That Shaped

The fight over masks

President Trump visits Ocala

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The bitter divide between Republicans and Democrats, between progressives and conservatives, was on full display back in October when President Donald Trump flew into Ocala for a campaign rally.

And Trump did not disappoint.

Fresh off a bout with COVID-19, the 74-yearold president displayed no aftereffects and spent

nearly two hours on a hot fall afternoon attacking his Democratic rival and the media, pumping up his record, and promising supporters, as is his trademark, to make America great again if given another four years in the White House.

Surrounded by thousands of boisterous, mostly red-clad adorers, Trump took shots at Democratic nominee Joe Biden and warned of dark days ahead should the voters reject a second term for the incumbent.

“I will deliver opportunity, optimism and hope,” Trump told the crowd to raucous applause. “Biden will deliver poverty, pessimism and decline.

“This election is a choice between a Trump recovery and a Biden depression.”

As expected, Trump overwhelmed Biden in Marion County, which traditionally votes heavily Republican. The president claimed 62 percent of the popular vote and won 105 of 122 voting precincts.

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

As the number of positive COVID-19 cases exploded in Ocala in July, nearly 700 Marion County medical professionals signed a petition to city and county governing boards seeking ordinances that require masks be worn much of the time to stem the growing incidence of COVID-19 in our community.

The Ocala City Council took up the proposal in late July and after nearly three hours of public testimony and heated debate narrowly rejected a proposed mandate requiring that masks be worn in all indoor settings and outdoors when social distancing is not possible.

The council actually voted 3-2 for the mandate, but because the proposal was brought before the council as an “emergency” ordinance by Council Matt Wardell, the city charter requires four of the five council votes to be enacted.

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The ordinance got a second hearing in August and was approved by the City Council before Mayor Kent Guinn vetoed it. Guinn cited problems with enforcing the law, including churches in the law as “business establishments” and potential meddling with the privacy of people who claim a health-condition exemption to masking.

The council overturned the veto 4-1, with council President Jay Musleh dissenting. But the majority recognized the unpopularity of much of its language revised the ordinance. It has been extended twice since then, including once in December.

The ordinance does not punish anyone for not wearing a mask, but it does encourage mask usage.

Amazon, Dollar Tree announce plans for massive distribution centers It has been five years since FedEx broke ground on its Ocala facility with the promise that the project would springboard the area to being a major logistics hub. Since then, Ocala has become home to a long list of distribution and shipping facilities that have brought thousands of aboveaverage-paying jobs to our community.

That trend continued in a big way in 2020 when Dollar Tree committed to building 1.8 millionsquare feet of space and Amazon 617,000 square feet. They join a long list of national companies that had existing or have located logistics operations in Ocala, including FedEx, Chewy, AutoZone, Cheney Brothers, R&L Trucking, Cone Distributing, McLane,

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National Parts Depot, Transformco and TriEagle.

Kevin Sheilley, CEO/president of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, said the lure for these companies is Ocala’s central location in Florida. Sheilley noted that Ocala is strategically located halfway between Miami and Atlanta, midway between Tampa and Jacksonville and serves a driving distance population – 39 million – that is greater than the I-4 corridor through Central Florida.

Moreover, he said, operating costs in Ocala are 28 percent lower than the rest of Florida and labor costs are 7 percent lower.

Sandra Wilson becomes first black city manager in Ocala history

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Sandra Wilson made history in June when she became the first African American to be named city manager in Ocala.

Wilson, a 20-year veteran of City Hall, was named city manager by the Ocala City Council on June 2, after serving as interim in the post for six months. She succeeded John Zobler, who abruptly resigned late in 2019 after a half decade marked by significant progress in the city, particularly downtown. Wilson served as Zobler’s No. 2

for most of his tenure.

Wilson came aboard during a challenging time, just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to grip Ocala and a month after a court ruled that the city’s fire fee was unconstitutional and ordered the city to reimburse those who had paid it.

She had some immediate successes as well, continuing work on the Mary Sue Rich Community Center on the city’s westside and debuting the firstresponder campus on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (the third such facility).

Photo by Meagan Gumpert

Diane Gullett takes helm of Marion Public Schools

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

Diane Gullett started work as Marion County’s new superintendent of schools – its first-ever appointed superintendent – on July 1, just as those who now work for her were finalizing a plan for reopening local schools on Aug. 10.

And like Ocala City Manager Sandra Wilson, she took the reins at a time of great uncertainty in the school system, due in large part to COVID-19.

A University of Florida graduate, Gullet said her top priorities coming in were to create better communications, both inside and outside of the

10

school system; elevate the image of the school district; and improving the district’s underperforming schools.

Gullett replaced Dr. Heidi Maier, who was elected to the post in 2016. Until now, Marion County’s superintendents of schools were elected every four years. But Marion voters decided in 2018 to begin allowing the School Board to appoint the school superintendent instead.

6

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

From Jail, page 1 decision to local and state health officials.

Florida doesn’t require broad-based testing at detention or correctional facilities, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The Florida Department of Corrections has used broad-based testing but those were at prisons with outbreaks. It offers tests to all inmates and staff at those facilities. Inmates and staff can refuse.

It was not clear if the FDC routinely administers tests to those not showing symptoms. The department did not immediately respond to specific questions about testing.

But while other facilities in the state continue to report positive tests, including several inmates at Zephyrhills Correctional Institution recently, the Marion County Jail remains free of COVID-19 through most of December.

In late July, however, things looked bleaker. Back then, the Sheriff ’s Office reported 209 positive tests at the jail. July marked the single largest month for positive tests with 188, according to jail records.

Then things changed.

Over the next five months, the jail averaged just more than 14 positive tests per month.

For the year, through Dec. 29, the jail reported 280 total positive cases out of almost 1,150 total tests.

“Every inmate is screened for COVID-19 symptom,” Bloom said. “Our key mission is to catch it coming in. We have to be cautious at the entrance and make sure we are funneling these people to the right place.”

The Marion County Jail is shown at the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office complex on Dec. 28. The jail repots no COVID-19 case in December, even as cases in the county continue to increase. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

As part of the booking process, inmates have to answer a series of questions about their recent behavior and their contact with anyone possibly infected with COVID-19.

Jail workers then take temperatures and note any other symptoms, including a cough.

Anyone with a temperature or other physical symptom is sent for testing and isolated.

Those who test positive are kept isolated from others in the medical area. Those who report close contact with a suspected COVID-19 infected person are further evaluated, but may not go into isolation, Bloom said, adding the jail’s medical provider makes that call.

Ocala-based Heart of

Florida Health Center took over the medical contract at the jail in April, just as the pandemic was starting to roil.

The jail’s outbreak over the summer turned deadly in August. A 71-year-old nurse at the jail died of COVID-19 causes. A few days earlier, an 86-yearold Ocala man died after contracting COVID-19 while at the jail.

Since then, however, no other deaths have been reported and cases dropped significantly.

Bloom gives most of the credit to the medical workers at the jail. But he said jail employees and inmates all do their part in keeping numbers low.

Inside, the jail is scrubbed clean on a regular basis.

“As far as cleaning and disinfection, it’s pretty much concrete walls, floors and ceilings so it’s pretty straightforward,” Bloom said.

Trustys – non-violent inmates who work for time off their sentences – do much of the cleaning, including frequent disinfecting of high-touch areas. Some areas at the jail are disinfected using foggers, he said.

Jail employees and everyone else entering the facility also are screened for symptoms. Other than employees, not many people enter the facility. Years ago, the jail limited visitation to video conference. Today, families can use a phone app to video chat with an inmate. First appearances after arrest also are held

via video link with a judge.

Attorneys also are using video conferencing more often to visit with clients, Bloom said.

The cases of COVID-19 remain low even as the jail population increases.

Normally, the population hovers between 1,200-1,400 inmates. Most recently it was more than 1,600, Bloom said.

The jail population is up because Marion County is not holding trials. Still, he said they can house up to 1,924 inmates and have space for more if needed.

“The jail is a controlled environment. They aren’t going to Walmart or Aunt Susie’s. Your environment is very controlled. You’re kept away from anyone that is sick,” he said.

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Renovations on tap for Marion County Animal Shelter

W

ith its status as a no-kill shelter well established, Marion County Animal Services looks forward to a proposed $2.7 million renovation of its existing animal shelter.

The county will use funds from the recently approved penny sales tax to pay for the upgrades. In November, voters approved a renewal of the tax for another four years. The first round of the sales tax raised more than $200 million, which helped pay for numerous public safety and road projects.

The shelter remodel calls for a 2,000-squarefoot surgical center, almost 3,500-square-feet of staff space, an update to the lobby, more kennels and sound dampening for the existing kennel area.

Building a new shelter

would cost nearly $8.3 million. The renovations will take place between 2021 and 2023 and projects will move forward when funds are available.

Stephanie Kash, operations manager at the shelter, said the surgical center should provide the most impact to the community.

The surgical center will allow the shelter to do high-volume spaying and neutering of animals, which will help reduce the population by not allowing them to reproduce.

“That will be a feat for the department and the county,” Kash said.

But for the dogs at the shelter, the sound dampening will probably mean the most.

Right now, when one dog starts barking, they all start barking. The deafening roar envelops the kennel area making it hard to communicate even while shouting.

It’s not good for the dogs either.

“This is supposed to be a temporary environment. It creates anxiety,” said Stacie Causey, a Marion County spokeswoman.

For Aquarius, a mixedbreed dog, it has been more than a year since he arrived at the shelter. Aquarius entered the shelter in August 2019. He is high strung, but loving and playful.

“Sometimes that right owner doesn’t show up right away,” Kash said.

But at least he still has a chance. There was a time when dogs like Aquarius would end up euthanized.

For decades, the county took in any animal surrendered by an owner.

The county would hold them in the shelter for a time and if not adopted would put them to sleep.

In 2018, that all changed.

The shelter started to move toward a no-kill status. To qualify as a no-kill shelter,

Stephanie Kash, the operations manager of Animal Services, spends some time with a dog that is up for adoption. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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the facility must live-release at least 90% of their animals, either to other rescues, foster homes or through adoptions.

Euthanasia is reserved only for those animals too sick or injured or too dangerous to adopt.

Now, owners of animals are asked to take part in finding a new home for their pets. They also receive strategies to help overcome the issues causing them to give up the animal.

Some dogs like Anna, however, are part of cruelty cases. Those animals are taken from their owners.

Hailey Waldron and her boyfriend Sean Hamilton were considering adopting Anna, another mixed-breed dog.

“She’s beautiful. She’s hyper. She’s just like a puppy,” Waldron said. “I’d rather give a dog that’s been through something another chance.”

Stephanie Kash, the operations manager of Animal Services, spends some time with Humphrey, a 10-year-old cat that is up for adoption. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Al

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Melvin and Alice Brandis who are 92 and 90-years-old, pose together with photos from their wedding 72 years ago.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Ocala couple’s long love story still going strong

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette

Lauderdale. On the way home, Melvin told Alice he wanted to move to Florida.

The sunny, warm climate was better for her arthritis.

“The second day down here, she was riding a bicycle,” he said. “At home, she couldn’t even walk.”

They lived in South Florida for a short time and then many years in Fort Myers before moving to Ocala’s Rolling Greens Village in July 2019.

Now 92 and 90, Melvin and Alice enjoy playing bingo every week and going to church on Sundays. Alice attributes their longevity to the vegetable, fruit and peanut butter smoothies she makes every day.

Alice Sames-Hobbs, a niece who lives down the street, says her 92-year-old uncle just wants to make it to 100.

She said the couple can serve as role models for a healthy marriage, noting they hold hands all the time and are truthful, loving and kind to each other.

Alice Brandis believes the secret to a long, happy marriage is simple: “We tell each other every night we love each other. We kiss each other all the time.”

are the greatest. Love you so much and hope we can do it for a lot more years.”

“I always get cards from him; he writes nice things in them. He’s a keeper,” Alice Brandis said with a big smile.

This time of year has always been special for the couple; it was Christmas 1947, after nearly two years of roller skating, ice cream

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first sight.

Every year in the Christmas card he gives his wife, he writes the kind of heartfelt sentiments that have kept the spark in their love story all these years.

This year, the envelope was addressed: “My Dearest Love, Alice.” Inside, he wrote messages including “You are my sunshine” and “You

dates and Sunday drives, that Melvin asked her to become his wife.

“He asked me to marry him, and I said sure I would,” she said. “Then he had to ask my father. It was Christmas, and he gave me a ring.”

Her engagement ring cost $149, a tidy sum for a farmworker making $7 a week.

When they married on June 26, 1948, about 45 guests filled the little church in Telford, Pennsylvania.

Alice wore a simple white peplum dress, a white hat and a corsage. Melvin wore a double-breasted suit with a single white flower in his lapel. They honeymooned in Atlantic City for just one night; they both had to be back at work on Monday morning.

Early in their marriage, Melvin worked as a milkman by day, painting in the evenings and also helping at a butcher shop. Alice worked in a girdle factory. About 2 1/2 years after they married, they had the first of five children.

“We just lived one day at a time and helped others when we could,” Alice said.

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Ocala Rotary awarded grant to help “forgotten” school in Zimbabwe

By Kathy Mancil Correspondent

A

midst the excitement of the six Rotary Clubs in Marion County gearing up for their second annual Duck Derby on Lake Tuscawilla in Midtown Ocala to be held in conjunction with the Ocala Cattle Drive & Cowboy Round-Up on Feb. 13, members of the Ocala Rotary Club have another reason to celebrate.

They recently received news from Rotary International that their grant application for $120,250 for a project titled The Musingwa Simple School Project (Zimbabwe) was approved. The funds will be used to improve conditions at The Musingwa Primary School located in a very remote area of Zimbabwe in Africa, a project for which they are partnering with a Rotary Club in the capitol of Zimbabwe called Harare Highlands Rotary.

According to Ocala Rotary Club member Tom Coene, the school, which serves nearly 400 students up to grade level 7 with just 10 teachers in an area prone to flooding and drought, lacks a good water supply, electricity, sufficient classrooms and sufficient teacher housing. It also has an outside kitchen, which needs improvement, no health clinic or treatment

center, an unsafe playground rugged roads in the basin of the many needs of the made of tree branches, the Zambezi River,” he said. school. Through a series of poor school supplies and no Students must walk calls, he was directed to the library at all. about 18 miles to take their Rotary Foundation’s Simple “The grant will provide 7th year exams.

Schools grant initiative and two buildings each with two “This is an overnight trip, has been working on all the classrooms, electrification, and there has been abuse logistics of the application teacher and other training, a and pregnancies due to this for two years. “The amount wash station and sanitation, journey. As a result, students of work and communication and at last, water,” he are fearful and too often stop required was amazing,” he said, noting that a district their education,” he said. said, noting that it involved grant for effort and $15,000 coordination in 2016 between provided the Ocala funding Rotary, the to drill a Rotary Club productive of Harare borehole Highlands in to suit the Zimbabwe, school, but The Rotary the grant Foundation, failed. the relevant “Four Rotary boreholes Districts, the were school, the drilled and ministry of the one Education in Two boys sit with their water bottles. The area’s water quality is not consistent, and that had Zimbabwe, water borne diseases are a major concern. [submitted] a small World Vision amount Zimbabwe, the of water collapsed,” he said.

“And that’s not mentioning water and power agencies “So, no water.” the almost limitless needs at in Zimbabwe, various Together with his wife, the school.” contractors and the area’s Mary Lou, and some others, There are just four to five government, “but we got Coene visited the school in classrooms for 400 students, there.” the summer of 2017 to find outhouse sanitation in In 2015, said Coene, out why the effort failed need of improvement, no the percentage of students and to attempt to get some hand-washing facility, and from the school passing ideas about a path forward. students bringing or getting the 7th grade standard He said the trip was their water from a variety of testing was just 2%. “enlightening.” sources with questionable However, it improved to “First,” he said, “it is quality. Despite it all, he 42% in 2017 and dipped almost impossibly remote – noticed that the children back down to 38% in 2018. not in distance but in terrain were all delightful, engaging These improvements were and weather. It is only and very well-mannered, he attributed to the Harare accessible for seven to eight said.

Highlands Rotary Club in months of the year and then After the trip, Coene said conjunction with World 3.5” xextremely 2.5” | Maximum Font over rough andSize: 30 pt he felt challenged to address Vision Zimbabwe building

two block and mortar classroom buildings, replacing pole and thatched buildings, and the Denver Mile High Rotary Club sponsoring a building to house teachers, although it only covers about 50% of the housing needed.

In addition to the attempt at drilling for water in 2016, the Ocala Rotary Club also donated a small amount of much-needed school, dental and sanitation supplies.

“Small investments in this school have paid dividends,” said Coene. “But there is still a long way to go to improve attendance, teacher conditions, student well-being and student performance. This grant is intended to address these concerns.” He added: “The Minister of Education for the Muzaranbani District called this school ‘the forgotten school’ and we want to change that.”

Coene said that since the grant was approved in early December, progress can begin soon, and the project is expected to be completed by the next rainy season affecting the school which will occur in November 2021. Due to the school being in an area “infinitely more impoverished” than most Americans can imagine, Coene said it is hard to express what it means him and the Ocala Rotary Club to be awarded the grant. Simply put, he said, “I can sleep at night now.”

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

From Good Riddance, page 1 learn what NASA already knows: Brooms fall down on Feb. 10. As they do every day.

• The U.S. Senate caps a long, partisan impeachment process by acquitting President Donald J. Trump in a case centering on Trump’s maybe perfect/maybe illegal call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Seems so long ago. It was a divisive time, but we were able to yell at each other without masks and we had plenty of toilet paper.

March • The coronavirus is snowballing in the United States. Nothing funny about that. Nor is there anything funny about the new Netflix documentary series “Tiger King.”

Well, there is nothing funny about “Tiger King” if you are a good human being, that is. The rest of us could not get enough of this dungdelicious chronicle set in the tigercollecting business. This true story has everything you are not supposed to like in TV, but it does not have redeemable characters. None. Not a good human in the bunch.

It is the runaway hit of the year, pulling in 34 million viewers in its first 10 days. We felt guilty for watching, sure, but our punishment was the rest of 2020.

• As entertainment venues cancel shows across the country, the Reilly Arts Center in Ocala launches a digital performing arts series, streaming live concerts.

Musicians from many genres perform for thousands of people from an empty auditorium.

No snarky comments. Just a shout-out to great ideas during dark days. Same goes for Ocala Civic Theatre, which resumes plays and adheres to social distancing by filling seats with cardboard cut-outs of theater-loving people and dogs.

Truth.

April • Zoom meetings become the norm

for workplaces. In dire economic times, savvy businesses snap into action with creative strategies such as “YOU ARE ON MUTE!” and “Our profits are … hang on, Doodles is pooping on the rug again.”

• Alcohol distilleries – including Ocala’s James Two Brothers – start turning booze into hand sanitizer. Seriously great idea, just as long as they are able to keep making alcohol for the rest of 2020. Not that we need it or anything.

• During a brief, shining moment on April 17, an eight-pack of toilet paper was available at a southeast Ocala supermarket.

May • George Floyd is killed by police in Minneapolis. Protests over racial injustice and police brutality take to the streets (including in Ocala).

No jokes here. Just a plea for empathy. Treat each other with compassion and respect.

June • Amid heated protests in Washington, President Trump goes to the White House bunker for a short time. He later said he was simply inspecting the bunker. But as the election rotted into a steaming pot of awfulness, the rest of America tries to book the bunker on VRBO for all of November.

July • It is a big month for the word “continues,” as all the bad things of 2020 continued. The words “dumpster fire” make significant gains, as “rigged” prepares for heavy rotation.

• Kanye West announces his bid for the 2020 presidential race.

Meghan and Prince Harry call their real estate agent again.

August • Our renewed hunger for Florida man stories collides with politics when a naked man shows up at a polling place during the primary

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election in Leon County.

“A man possibly wearing a mask and nothing else showed up at one point at the Faith Christian Family Center on Laura Lee Avenue,” The Tallahassee Democrat reported.

“He did not attempt to vote, but he briefly greeted voters,” said Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley.

I love the use of “possibly wearing a mask,” as apparently witnesses were not – for the first time since April – glaring at a stranger’s face.

September • The first presidential debate – another pillar of American democracy – erupts in Cleveland with the decorum of a prison rap battle. Americans urge Elon Musk to hurry and colonize Mars.

• Nearing the end of the alphabetical list of 21 Atlantic tropical storm names for 2020, the World Meteorological Organization announces storm names will come from the Greek alphabet.

If the storm season then sucks up all the Greek names, WMO will name the storms after “Tiger King” characters.

October • A former FSU fraternity surrenders a smuggled pot-bellied pig named Petunia. The pig is checked by veterinarians and then recruited by FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell.

• Hilton Garden Inn opens in downtown Ocala. Rudy Giuliani celebrates with a speech in front of Hill’s Garden Center in Iowa.

• U.S. News & World Report ranks Ocala as one of the best places to retire. The Villages responds by selling another 6 million homes to retirees in Lake County.

• In Ocala, a severe gut punch suddenly silences the national clatter, as beloved Police Chief Greg Graham is killed in a plane crash. Tears are shed for a truly good guy – one who gave out his cellphone number to residents

demanding racial justice and protesting police brutality.

• Weeks after Graham’s death, we slowly get back to the business of protesting mask injustice by glaring at each other in supermarkets.

• We end the month celebrating Halloween by hoarding candy for quarantine and glaring at each other in supermarkets.

November • AdvisorSmith ranks Ocala No.1 in the nation for the greatest number of small business owners among mid-sized cities. Plus, Ocala did not have any naked people at the voting booth in November and was declared free of smuggled college pigs. We cope with crisis well.

• Joe Biden is declared the 46th president of the United States at least three times. Maybe more.

Trump changes the lock to the Oval Office.

December • Remember Alexey Navalny, that Russian opposition leader who was poisoned earlier this year?

And Vladimir Putin was all, like, “Poison? Nyet! That’s crazy talk.”

Well, we learned in December that not only did Putin’s posse poison Navalny, they put the poison in his underpants, which, according to the assassination community, is very effective. Except in this case.

Navalny survived. Then he tricked a Russian agent into confessing the whole plot, which means the Russian agent had better watch his underpants VERY carefully.

And perhaps that’s where we should end this year-in-review. 2020 was the poison in our underpants.

But 2021 offers us the possibility of toxin-free underwear, sanitizer-free alcohol and cretinfree entertainment in which the characters do not feed their spouses to tigers.

Happy New Year. May 2021 be filled with kind words and ample toilet paper.

Ocala-based company moves forward with COVID-19 drug trial early treatment will lead to better levels of efficacy.”

With nearly 17,000 cases in n Ocala-based Marion County and over 1.27 biopharmaceutical company million in the state of Florida, there is nearing clinical trials of will be plenty of Floridians who will one of its drugs for the possible suffer long-term effects from the treatment of long-term COVID-19 virus. According to Johns Hopkins symptoms.

Medicine, chronic fatigue syndrome AIM Immunotech announced is defined as “profound tiredness, on Thursday that the Institutional regardless of bed rest.” Symptoms Review Board paved the way include sensitivity to light, for a clinical trial using its drug headaches, joint and muscle pain, Ampligen for post-COVID-19 fatigue and weakness and tender treatment, according to a press lymph nodes, among others. release.

“While major global Ampligen was previously being pharmaceutical companies have used in a clinical trial for patients understandably focused their with chronic fatigue syndrome. efforts on developing COVID-19 Fatigue is one of the long-term vaccines, AIM believes there is effects of COVID-19, and treatment an equally essential need to help with Ampligen is geared toward post-COVID-19 patients who, “Long Haulers,” patients who suffer while having recovered from the from COVID-19 symptoms weeks acute infection, may be suffering or months after contracting the from long-term and debilitating virus.

COVID-induced “It is anticipated chronic fatigue that COVID-19 symptoms such will trigger a as brain fog large number and disabling ‘long haulers’ and profound suffering COVID post-exertional induced brain malaise,” AIM impairment and CEO Thomas K. disabling fatigue,” Equels said in a Dr. Charles Lapp release. of the HunterAIM now has Hopkins Center in the clearance to Charlotte, North enroll 100 patients Carolina, said in a in its trial, with 20 release. “I believe of them being long the investigational haulers. Ampligen immuneis currently the modulating sole late-stage drug antiviral drug in the pipeline for Ampligen might chronic fatigue Dr. Charles Lapp holds a vial of Amphave a role to play syndrome, and it which Ocala-based AIM Immuas a future therapy. ligen, has already been noTech hopes to test as a treatment for I believe the data to long-term COVID-19-induced sympauthorized for use toms. [Submitted] date suggests that in Argentina.

Staff Report

A

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JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Marion County surpasses 1,000 vaccinated, more than 20,000 register for vaccine

By Brendan Farrell Ocala Gazette

J

ust two weeks after Florida administered its first COVID-19 vaccine, Marion County has vaccinated over 1,000 residents, and more than 20,000 people have signed up to get the vaccine in the coming weeks and months.

Out of the 67 counties in Florida, Marion County is one of the 25 counties that has vaccinated at least 1,000 residents. The online form to sign up for a vaccine can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ y98cxp6s.

Additionally, residents without internet access can call the COVID-19 hotline at 352-644-2590.

The state began vaccinating long-term health care workers and residents along with highrisk frontline health care workers. On Monday, the Marion County Health Department announced that residents who are 65 or older could sign up to receive the Moderna vaccine.

Health Department Public Information Officer Christy Jergens said the

department has received more than 20,000 sign-ups as of 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

“Our initial vaccine shipment included 3,000 doses, and we are going to begin vaccinating individuals in the 65-and-over group starting next week,” Jergens said in an email. “We are not holding any vaccine back and are going to be scheduling additional appointments as more vaccine shipments arrive and become available.”

According to Jergens, the Health Department will finish the initial 3,000 vaccines within three weeks, with the help of partners like federally qualified health centers and hospitals.

Vaccinations for those who are 65 and older will go into February as well.

Marion County reported nine days with a positivity rate above 10 percent between Dec. 13 and Dec. 27. In that same span, the county has had 11 days where it has reported at least 100 new cases. The county also has the one of lowest hospital bed capacities in the state, with an available capacity of just over 10 percent.

Rae Austin, of ORMC, draws a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe on Wednesday. The hospital is vaccinating its health care workers. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Rosemary Keegan, a registered nurse, raises her arms in celebration after receiving the first Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at Ocala Regional Medical Center on Wednesday. Ocala Health, which operated ORMC, received 3,000 doses of the vaccine. They plan to dispense the vaccines at Ocala Regional and West Marion Community Hospital. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Rae Austin, the Ocala Regional Medical Center pharmacy operations manager, draws the COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe as she prepares the vaccinations for health care workers at the hospital on Wednesday. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Rae Austin, the ORMC Pharmacy Operations Manager, right, passes the first COVID-19 vaccination, as Jerry Cummings, the ORMC Pharmacy Director, left, prepares more vaccinations. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Dr. Nitin Dhaon, left, was the second health care worker to receive the COVID-19 vaccination at ORMC. Dr. Dhaon receives the shot from Jackie White, a registered nurse at ORMC. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

12

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports in review

All had some, some had all But regardless if their seasons were cut short or not, Marion County’s high school sports teams produced some great stories through 2020.

Here’s the Gazette’s top 10: Ainslie Lee Ocala Gazette

Forest volleyball makes it to region final

10

Jimmy Collins and the Wildcats’ volleyball program continued its reign of dominance in 2020, despite the many moving factors to the odd season.

After sweeping through county competition and beating each of the

other Marion County programs twice, Forest entered the postseason with a flawless 12-0 record. Remarkably, the Wildcats didn’t drop a single set in the regular season.

Junior outside hitter Emma Truluck led her team in kills and punished opponents all season long. With a tally of 225 kills, Truluck defied all odds after suffering a stroke in February.

Forest’s successful season came to an end on Halloween afternoon as the Wildcats dropped three, painfully close, sets to St. Petersburg.

In the 3-1 loss, just a combined seven points across three sets kept Forest from the Class 6A final four.

With a junior-heavy roster in 2020 Forest’s volleyball team will have eight seniors leading the way in 2021.

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

Vanguard football has nice playoff run Each year when high school football rolls around, you can bet that the Vanguard Knights will be one of the leading programs in Marion County.

This season made that especially prevalent as the Knights and the rest of the county played in an allcounty regular season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Knights finished the season 8-2, with both losses coming from incounty foe, Dunnellon.

The Knights’ pair of

Photo by Alan Youngblood

Belleview’s Sierra Harris makes history... again

8

Just three years after Belleview’s Sierra Harris became the first female to score a point in varsity football in Marion County, the Belleview studentathlete struck the record books again in July when she inked a scholarship to Webber International University to play flag football.

In putting pen to

paper, Harris became the first Marion County flag football player to take her talents to the next level. And while most of the feat is attributed to the Belleview quarterback and safety, the other part comes from the fact that up until May, flag football didn’t exist in college.

But Harris’ junior season, which featured 1,009 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns,

losses to the Tigers were decided by a combined five points, with the regular-season loss to the Tigers coming from a last-second touchdown.

The Knights saw their season end in the region final against a familiar opponent: Dunnellon.

Nonetheless, Edwin Farmer and the Vanguard football program displayed a lot of promise with its mature roster that featured 17 seniors.

Senior athlete

9

Trevonte Rucker, who is slated to play for the University of Florida next fall, was about as dangerous as they come as he flaunted abilities to score with his legs, his arm, his hands and on returns.

Defensively, junior Emile Sancho posed a huge threat to opposing quarterbacks as he hauled in six interceptions on the year.

North Marion’s Sterlin Thompson signs with No.1-ranked Gators in addition to 351 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, was all college coaches had to see of the Belleview competitor.

Jeff Melesky, Webber International’s head flag football coach, said that Harris was at the very top of his list when it came time to build his team.

And on July 1, Melesky got his wish and Harris, once again, made history.

The Ocala-to-Gainesville pipeline has always been strong and has been gaining momentum in recent years. And while it’s equally as impressive any time a Marion County student-athlete takes itself to the University of Florida, which is the sixth-ranked public university in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, for North Marion’s Sterling Thompson, the feat was even more impressive.

When Thompson inked his letter of intent to play with the Gators’ baseball team, Florida baseball was the top-ranked

7

program in the nation.

With the reign of dominance Florida baseball has seen in recent years, the Gators carry the privilege of being able to recruit any player in the country and have a legitimate chance at signing them. Which, all things considered, says a lot about Thompson’s talent.

The Colts’ three-hole hitter also had an opportunity to be drafted in the 2020 MLB Draft, but never heard his name called.

John Brantley returns to Trinity Catholic, signs three in first year back

6

The name John Brantley III rings familiar for high school sports fans in the Ocala area.

After coaching at Trinity Catholic from 2008 to 2014

and helping the Celtics to a state title in 2010, and then coaching one year at Belleview in 2016, Brantley took a brief break from the gridiron to focus on an endeavor with Cheney Bros.

However, back in March,

the Celtics announced that Brantley would be returning to Trinity Catholic to lead the Celtics’ football program once more. Brantley replaced Andrew Thomas, who, after a short stint with the Celtics, took the head coaching job at

Union County.

To date, anywhere Brantley goes, success follows.

And such was true in 2020.

In his first season back, Brantley saw three products of the Celtics sign scholarship offers to Power 5

programs. Offensive linemen Jake Slaughter (Florida Gators), Caleb Johnson (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) and Garner Langlo (Auburn Tigers) were all a testament of Brantley’s ability to get athletes to the college level.

13

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Trinity Catholic makes deep run, knocked off by state champs Keeping true to the Trinity Catholic theme, the Celtics were the second of three Marion County football programs to make a deep postseason run.

After posting a mundane 4-3 regular season record, which included a three gameskid in the middle of the season, the John Brantley-led Celtics peaked at the right time.

Following a three-point loss to Sandalwood (Jacksonville) on

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

October 16, Trinity Catholic went on to win five straight, including three playoff games. However, everyone knew that a matchup against the Trinity Christian Conquerors was likely on the docket somewhere down the road.

The Conquerors visited the Celtics on December 4 with a record of 10-1, with the lone loss coming in week one of play.

Trinity Christian, now ranked the eighth

Belleview softball’s hot start ends due to COVID-19

4

When the seasons of Marion County’s spring sports were scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic, every program around the county was crushed.

However, when you’re ranked at the best softball team in the state and the 24th-best program in the country, the sting of not finishing a season is intensified. That was the case for the Belleview Rattlers’ softball team in 2020.

5

best team in the state of Florida, left Ocala with a 5633 victory.

However, Trinity Christian, the same team that ended the Celtics’ season, would go on to claim the Class 3A state championship.

With an odd preseason in 2020 and a new head coach, the Celtics did the most with the fluid situation handed to them.

Dunnellon football reaches Final Four

After sprinting out to an 11-0 start and outscoring opponents 111 to 46, the Rattlers were slated to dominate their schedule. In their shortened season, the Rattlers were batting with a team average of .391.

Meanwhile, senior pitcher Autumn Oglesby had given up just 40 hits out of her 208 at-bats pitched.

While falling in love with potential is a risky move, looking at Belleview softball’s talented roster, it was hard not to wonder what could’ve been.

After earning the unofficial title of the best football team in Marion County in 2020, it’s only fitting that the Dunnellon Tigers were the last Marion County team standing this season.

Posting a perfect 6-0 record in an all-county regular season, the Tigers continued on its streak well into the postseason. In its opening four playoff games, one of which was a forfeit, the Tigers outscored their opponents 76-17, including a 13-10 victory over crosstown rival

3

Vanguard.

Following Dunnellon’s win at Booster Stadium in the playoffs, the Tigers traveled to Tallahassee to take on Rickards in the Final Four.

Despite a 26-24 heartbreaking loss to the Raiders on December 11, Dunnellon had a lot to be proud of for simply returning to the Final Four for the second time in three years.

Forest’s Elise Bauer qualifies for Olympic trials, signs at Florida

2

The Olympic swimming trials were slated to take place in June in Omaha, Nebraska. However, like many other sporting events, the trials were just one more casualty from the coronavirus pandemic.

And for Forest graduate Elise Bauer, the cancelation meant she wouldn’t be making the trip to Nebraska in the summer.

Despite not even graduating from high school, Bauer qualified for the Olympic trials in two events: the 800- and

1500-meter freestyle.

Bauer’s qualifying times came during the Phillips 66 National Championships in Stanford, California.

In the 800-meter, Bauer touched the wall in 8:45.42, which not only qualified her for the trials, but was a personal best.

The former Forest Wildcat and current Florida Gator set another personal best and qualifying time with a 16:39.87 effort in the 1500.

Though Bauer will have to wait for her shot in Omaha, being just a freshman on the Florida Gators’ swim team, she has plenty of time.

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

Trinity Catholic volleyball wins state title

1

For Trinity Catholic’s volleyball program, championship expectations are had each year. And more often than not, the Celtics live up to the expectations.

Photo by Bruce Ackerman

After all, two championships in three years are good by anyone’s standards.

A November trip to Fort Myers for the Celtics meant one thing in 2020: bringing a state title back to Ocala.

The Celtics won the championship in 2018, and

were an eyelash away from repeating in 2019. However, when head volleyball coach Jeff Reavis’ mother fell ill during the postseason in 2019 and Reavis couldn’t travel to the championship match, it threw a wrench into the Celtics momentum.

However, in 2020, despite all the uncertainty, the Celtics knew they weren’t going to let the runner-up bid define them this season.

Instead, all eyes were on a state championship.

Through 24 matches, the Celtics won 52 of the 76 sets

played.

But a 3-0 sweep against Westminster Christian on November 14 was all it took for the Celtics to shake the runner-up status from the year prior and bring home their second championship in two years.

14

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Ocala doctor establishes local COVID-19 dashboard

By Carlos Medina Ocala Gazette

D

r. Dave Kuhn started posting Marion County COVID-19 figures on Facebook early in the pandemic to keep people calm.

But the posts, on his Trinity Clinic page, quickly turned into a running source of information not easily found anywhere else, including the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at county hospitals.

“We were plugged into the local response very early on,” said Kuhn. “In those early days we were hearing horror stories out of New York and Italy. At that point we learned the importance of thinking local and raising awareness of what was going on locally.”

Through April and into May, Marion County avoided widespread outbreaks. Then in midJune, local cases started rising. Kuhn’s wife, Susie, noticed the trend and he started using graphics to better illustrate it.

The daily chart keeps a

running total of the number of active COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county, the positivity rate and total positive cases.

It also gives daily statistics, including a breakdown of the number of patients in the hospital.

On Dec. 29, there were Dr. David Kuhn poses for a photo at Trinity Healthcare Medical Center. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 121 people hospitalized in Marion County transparency to help asking it to pass a face mask at the area’s “Even though it was not reassure the public,” Kuhn mandate. He asked fellow three COVID-19 wards. a strong ordinance, it helped said. health care workers to also Twenty of those patients spread awareness. I think He said support from the sign the letter. were in the ICU. the mask ordinance had a public is overwhelming.

“Within 48 hours we had “Things aren’t looking lot to do with numbers going “We created a safe online more than 500 signatures. real good at this moment,” down,” Kuhn said. space where thousands of We knew that the stakes Kuhn said.

Kuhn, a native of Ocala, people are able to find the were very high. We had to Despite the troubling has practiced at Trinity support and encouragement make an effort,” Kuhn said. numbers, he said the Clinic for almost 10 years. that they may need In August, the city did medical community, He said he plans to keep the while getting the most pass a mask ordinance. including the area hospitals, daily updates going until comprehensive information While it does not require did not push back on him there is a high-level of herd that I can get as a doctor,” residents to wear masks, it publishing the numbers. immunity established locally.

Kuhn said. does require businesses to “I have had no resistance.

“We’ll stop when we Over the summer, when encourage mask wearing at Doctors are glad that I’m know the hospitals will cases first started rising their establishments. There doing this. They want never be in jeopardy of being locally, Kuhn wrote a letter are no fines connected with the community to know overwhelmed,” he said. to the Ocala City Council the ordinance. and have that level of That could take months.

Second round of PPP loans included in recent coronavirus relief package

By Jennifer Murty Ocala Gazette

T

he $900 billion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and recently signed by President Donald Trump provides another $284 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) allowing for additional relief to small businesses ravaged by the pandemic.

Details within the package also change the loan forgiveness process and the tax treatment of PPP loans.

The first wave of PPP loans ran out on Aug. 8.

While the Small Business Administration (SBA) did not immediately announce when new loans will become available, the program runs until March 31 or until the money is gone.

More than 3,000 people and businesses

headquartered in Ocala received PPP loans during the first round, according to Department of Treasury records.

While the exact amount of loans is not available, a minimum estimate is more than $232.7 million.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s website reports the new loans will be available for “small businesses, nonprofit organizations, veteran organizations, tribal businesses, certain selfemployed individuals, sole proprietors, independent contractors and small agricultural cooperatives” who qualify. Employers can have no more than 300 employees.

Qualifying for the loans is different this time around and is open only to those whose gross sales dropped 25% or more during a quarter before and after the

pandemic.

“For businesses established before 2019, the SBA will compare your gross receipts from any quarter in 2019 to the corresponding quarter in 2020 to quantify the drop. If your business was established after 2019, reach out to your banker or accountant for assistance as that scenario becomes a little more complex,” said Adam Woods, a senior vice president with F&M Bank and Trust in Ocala.

The amount of the second round of PPP loans will be similar to the first, and based on 2.5 months of payroll costs, said Jayme Zublick, a CPA at Collier, Jernigan, Eastman & Zublick, P.A. However, hotels and restaurants may receive up to 3.5 months of payroll costs.

Loan recipients will need to spend 60% of the total

loan for payroll to have it forgiven, according to the U.S. Chamber.

The costs and expenditures that can be forgiven under the loan must be incurred or paid “between the date of the origination of the loan and ending on a date of your choosing that is between 8 and 24 weeks after origination” and be used “for: (a) payroll costs, (b) qualifying mortgage interest or rent obligations, (c) covered utility costs, (d) covered operations costs, (e) covered property damage, (f ) covered supplier costs, and (g) covered worker protection expenditures.”

Zublick said the application process for full loan forgiveness for those businesses with loans of $150,000 or less is as simple as “submitting a certification to their lender that includes a description of the number

of employees they were able to retain with the loan proceeds, the amount spent on payroll costs and the total loan amount.”

The new law also allows those businesses that paid for regular business expenses with PPP loans to deduct those expenses for tax purposes.

Besides the changes to PPP loans, Congress has also made changes to other programs – including Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL Program), the Employee Retention Tax Credit, a Venue Grant program, and SBA loan programs.

“We are still researching the additional information regarding the dedicated funds set aside for shuttered live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions, businesses in low-income and minority communities,” Zublick said.

View more adoptable pets at www.marioncountyfl.org/animal Adoption price includes up-to-date vaccinations, county license, microchip and spay/neuter surgery.

Bug

Prancer

Cuddly Companion Sweet 3-year-old mixed breed dog seeks a human companion who enjoys walks and snuggles. He’s great on a leash, loves nature and would make the perfect hiking buddy.

Friendly Feline Sociable 4-year-old orange male tabby cat seeks a home with plenty of affection. He loves being petted, makes fast friends with everyone, and has the cutest nub tail.

352.671.8700

15

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Community

1/2

Astronaut Academy

1/2

Ocala Downtown Market

Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm Kids of all ages learn about space travel with hands-on exhibits exploring the space station, Mars rover and rockets. mydiscoverycenter.org

310 SE Third St. 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, arts and crafts, rain or shine. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

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Brownwood Farmers Market

1/3

Ocala Cars & Coffee

1/3

1/4 1/5 1/6 1/7

Farmers Market

1/7

Hispanic Business Council

1/7

How to Exit a Business

2726 Brownwood Blvd., Wildwood 9am-1pm More than 70 vendors offer fresh produce and crafts. Visit thevillagesentertainment.com for more information.

War Horse Harley-Davidson, 5331 N U.S. 441 7:30am-12pm Enjoy family-friendly live music, vendors and more than 300 unique cars, trucks and motorcycles. Visit fb.com/ carsandcoffeeocala for more information.

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Highway 475 1-3pm Bring your chairs, a picnic and the family and enjoy a live polo match. Visit ocalapolo.com for more information.

1/2

Raise the Curtain: From Broadway to Opera

1/2 -3

Lake Sumter Art & Craft Festival

Now -1/3

The Spaces Between

Now -1/3

Mid-Century Tourism on the Silver River

Now -1/3

The Art of Adventure

Now -1/15

Florida: Explored

CEP 75 West Networkers

Bank of the Ozarks, 8375 SW State Road 200 8-9:30am Contact Randy Ziemann at (847) 302-2400 for more information.

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 8am-5pm Artist Megan Welch, a portrait painter and educator who lives in Northeast Florida, has created an exhibition of portraits in oil and graphite that portray the stories of those navigating the temporal nature of life, the unknown and the human condition. Open Monday-Friday. Call (352) 629-8447 for more information.

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. 10am-5pm Last day to see the exhibition featuring artwork by Alma Lugo depicting her life as a Puerto Rico native living in the diaspora.

Open Tuesday-Saturday. Visit fb.com/mcaocala for more information.

Savannah Center, 1545 N. Buena Vista Blvd., The Villages 3 & 7pm Maestro Bill Doherty and the Central Florida Lyric Opera present music from musicals including Cats, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera as well as operas such as Madame Butterfly and La Traviata. Visit thevillagesentertainment.com for more information.

Lake Sumter Market Square, 3309 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages 10am-5pm The annual free festival features leather goods, paintings, photography, glassworks and other craftwork along with food and live music. Visit artfestival.com for more information.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday; 12-5pm Sunday A mixed media exhibition featuring the theatrical landscapes of Christian Duran. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday; 12-5pm Sunday An exhibition featuring Bruce Mozert’s iconic Silver Springs photographs plus ephemera from Silver Springs and Paradise Park. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday; 12-5pm Sunday The serigraphs of 1970s artist Clayton Pond highlighting his “Leisure-time Obsessions Series.” Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration, 828 NE Eighth Ave. 9am-5pm Ocala artist Dan McCarthy’s exhibition includes pieces created during his exploration of Indian Lake State Forest, a hidden gem in Marion County, capturing the mood and feeling of this wild space. Open Monday-Friday. Call (352) 629-8447 for more information.

Government

1/5

Marion County Board of Commissioners

1/5

Ocala City Council

1/5

Belleview City Commission

1/6

Dunnellon City Council Workshop

1/7

Ocala Municipal Arts Commission

1 Million Cups Ocala

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9:30-10:30am Two local startups present their business idea to an audience of community entrepreneurs. Email ryan@ocalacep.com for more information.

Arts

Explosion of the Flamboyans

Biz Promoters Networks Group

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 11:30am-12:30pm Bring your own lunch. Email tom@ocalacep.com for more information.

Virtual Mid-Florida SCORE hosts presenter Michael Cooper, a practicing Florida lawyer specializing in business law. He’ll present legal and practical considerations for business owners considering exiting their businesses. Visit midflorida.score.org for more information.

1/2

Ribbon Cutting

Collier, Jernigan, Eastman & Zublick, PA, 550 NE 25th Ave. 4:30pm Visit cepocala.com or email jzublick@colliercpas.com for more information.

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9:30-10:30am Email admin@hispanicbusinesscouncil.com for more information.

Hinterlands

Ride the Rails of Marion County

Ocala Public Library, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

3pm Explore the history of railroad travel and commerce in Marion County with history enthusiast and librarian Taylor Benson.

Call (352) 671-8551 for more information.

Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St. 9am-1pm Locally grown seasonal produce, baked goods, plants and more. Visit circlesquarecommons.com/farmersmarket for more information.

Now -1/1

Polo Match: New Resolutions

Photo by Jenna Petty of Sublime Photography

1/4

1/7

McPherson Government Complex Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am Call (352) 438-2323 for more information

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. and online 5pm Call (352) 629-8401 for more information. Visit https://zoom. us/j/446885807 to participate online.

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Dunnellon City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm Call (352) 465-8500 for more information.

MLK Community Center, 505 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. 3:30pm Call (352) 629-8447 for more information.

16

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR 1

5pm Scooter the DJ

3

Spanish Springs Town Square

1

5pm Blonde Ambition

The Club at Candler Hills

4

Brownwood Paddock Square

1

5pm Rocky & the Rollers

6pm John Johnson

4

7pm Miranda Madison

4

5pm The Mudds

5

5pm Second Slice

5

5pm Paradigm

5

5pm Dance Express

6

6pm The Big Bad

6

6pm John Johnson

6

6pm Mark Raisch

6

7pm Ronnie McDowell

7

1:30pm The Big Bad

7

5pm Treasure

7

5pm Greg Warren Band

7

3

Brownwood Paddock Square

5pm Big Chief

5pm Trip 19

6pm Jeff Jarrett Bank Street Patio Bar

7

7pm Orange Blossom Showcase

[Bruce Ackerman]

Orange Blossom Opry

Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

5pm Slickwood

wants to make downtown a place people will want to visit all week long, not just on Friday and Saturday nights.

To accomplish that, Gaekwad started playing music on the Terrace every night.

“It was really simple, what I did,” Gaekwad explained. “Most places downtown just play music on Friday and Saturday. I want to play music all seven days.

“So, if you are downtown and you hear that music, if you feel like coming up (to the Terrace), you’re welcome to come up.

Or you can just be out enjoying a cup of coffee and still hear the music ... still see the big screen.”

However, Gaekwad’s move hasn’t gone uncriticized.

Three of the Terrace’s seven Google reviews as of Dec. 29 weren’t pleased with the volume and music selection.

“I don’t restrict anything,” Gaekwad said. “Let the music flow. The music is such that you might love it, but your mom might not love it. You mom likes it, you might not love it.

“It’s like anything else, some might like it, some might not like it ... But at least there’s a melodious music, you know, different kinds of music and people love the beat. My attempt is to keep music seven days a week on the Terrace, which reflects on the square.”

So, for the time being, the music plays on.

Brownwood Paddock Square

Spanish Springs Town Square

3

G

rowing up can hurt. And downtown Ocala has done a lot of growing recently.

Managing those growing pains hasn’t been easy, especially during a pandemic.

After years of trying, Ocala’s downtown nightlife is steadily improving.

Bank Street Patio and Bar and The Black Sheep on Broadway each opened its doors late in 2019. In 2020, the Loft, Tipsy Skipper and the Terrace on the Square also joined downtown Ocala’s nightlife scene.

While some spots closed their doors during the pandemic, business seems to be blossoming once again.

However, it’s coming with a price.

Paula King, who owns AGAPANTHUS, a gift shop located downtown, says that she and other business owners are starting to see some of the consequences of a more vibrant downtown.

“I don’t want to come off as negative, believe me,” King said.

“But our issue is with the litter. There’s just more of it. On a Sunday, Monday morning, you just see a lot of it.”

King says she is often greeted in the mornings by plastic cups and, occasionally, broken glass.

Cammie McLeod, who is the head buyer and designer at Gause & Sons Jewelers, echoed many of King’s

concerns.

“As far as the dumpster and garbage, it’s been an issue for some time,” McLeod said. “It’s definitely a problem I’ve tried to address in the past.”

Ashley Dobbs, the City of Ocala’s communications manager, said commercial sanitation services are provided Monday through Saturday between 4 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“In regards to the sanitation collection, the City of Ocala Public Works department actively monitors this type of situation and adjusts service levels as needed,” Dobbs wrote in an email.

At a minimum, all solid waste must be collected one time per week, Dobbs explained. The division also reserves the right to adjust collection schedules to ensure that waste won’t accumulate outside of dumpsters or other sanitation containers.

Still, King and McLeod hope the city works out the kinks in the trash service.

While the litter issues may be a growing pain, Danny Gaekwad, owner of the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Ocala, believes that the area still has a lot of room to grow.

In November, Gaekwad’s hotel opened the doors to the Terrace on the Square, a second-story pavilion featuring a bar, nightly music and a large projection screen.

Gaekwad, long a champion of downtown’s growth,

Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

Gator Joe’s Beach Bar & Grill

3

5pm The Hooligans

By Ainslie Lee Ocala Gazette

Spanish Springs Town Square

Orange Blossom Opry

3

5pm Steve Hogie Band Spanish Springs Town Square

Circle Square Commons

2

5pm Anita Drink Band Brownwood Paddock Square

Locos Grill & Pub

2

5pm Uncle Bob’s Rock Shop Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

Ocala Downtown Square

2

5pm Take 2 The Club at Candler Hills

Brownwood Paddock Square

2

5pm Southbound Brownwood Paddock Square

Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

2

5pm Street Talk Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

Spanish Springs Town Square

2

5pm Johnny Wild & the Delights Spanish Springs Town Square

Milano Ristorante

2

5pm Steelhorse Brownwood Paddock Square

The Corkscrew

2

5pm The Band 4 Play Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

Horse & Hounds Restaurant & Pub

1

5pm Think Big Band Spanish Springs Town Square

Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

1

5pm Nate

Downtown Ocala businesses grapple with growing pains

31

9pm Black Sheep First & Last Tab

Marion County organizations create carpentry apprenticeship

By Brendan Farrell Ocala Gazette

T

he Marion County Building Industry Association has agreed to collaborate with Marion Technical College to develop a carpentry apprenticeship program for Marion County and the surrounding areas.

The planned fouryear apprenticeship will involve full-time employment in addition to classes during the program. Apprentices will work 40 hours a week with various local companies and attend six hours of classes

every week for nine months every year of the program.

The apprenticeship program will allow students to get a taste of the industry while making standard wages and attending classes.

Classes will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

The program is scheduled to begin in January 2021.

Applications for students and business owners who would like to be a part of the program can be found on the Marion County Building Industry Association’s website. Those who are new to carpentry

may be expected to work for a contractor first. According to the Marion County Building Industry Association, recent upticks in the economy have created a need for more carpenters.

The carpentry apprenticeship program with the Marion County Building Industry Association is just another program of many at Marion Technical College.

The college has programs across nine different categories, such as public safety, manufacturing, information technology and human services.

17

JANUARY 1 - JANUARY 7 , 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Jury trials unlikely for the month of January

Last Ocala Pizza Hut restaurant shuts doors, Publix and 7-11 move ahead with new locations

don’t change.”

The threshold referenced by Judge Scott, is the local community’s COVID-19 seven-day positivity rate. In past orders by the Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady he has charged “chief judges to monitor public health data and local conditions at least weekly to determine if a change in court operations, meaning a modification to operations, an amendment to the operational plan, or a reversion in phases, is necessary.”

Marion County courts transitioned to Phase 2 on Oct. 9 by order of Circuit Chief Judge Merritt. Under Phase 2, jury trials can be held, but only if the community positivity rates remain under the threshold.

Unfortunately, the constant changes to the schedule have made it hard to keep the Clerk of Court’s website updated with the latest information, says Clerk of the Court David Ellspermann.

Staff Report

A

Construction workers build a large block wall for the new Publix that is being rebuilt at Pearl Britain Plaza on Northeast 35th Street. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette]

By Carlos Medina Ocala Gazette

O

cala lost another iconic dining tradition recently.

The full-service Pizza Hut restaurant at 3815 E. Silver Springs Blvd. closed on Dec. 22. It was the last sitdown Pizza Hut restaurant in Ocala and ends the city’s history with the 1970s-era rooflines that once dotted the United States. A dine-in location on State Road 200 closed several years ago, as did another on South Pine Avenue.

The Silver Springs Boulevard Pizza Hut location went up in 1972, according to property records.

With the closure, only two of the sit-down restaurants remain in Marion County: One in Belleview and another in Dunnellon. The chain started moving toward a pick-up and delivery model years ago, but this year announced it would close 300 locations, including many of the remaining sitdown eateries.

Famous for their pizza buffet and salad bar, the restaurants once catered to families who wanted a budget-conscience meal in a sit-down atmosphere. But the restaurants started to see fewer diners as people shifted to delivery and takehome pizza habits. With the COVID-19 pandemic, dining out took another hit and in August, Pizza Hut’s largest franchisee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

There are about 7,000 Pizza Hut locations across the country. Yum! Brands operate Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell in the United States.

Publix rising The new Publix under construction at Pearl Britain Plaza is starting to take shape, with walls going up on the structure.

The new building at 2647 NE 35th St. is part of a $10.9 million renovation of the plaza.

Work began in late August and included

demolition of the old Publix.

The surrounding businesses in the plaza remain open during construction.

It wasn’t clear how long work on the new 50,000-square-foot building and the other renovations would take, but initial estimates said the job could take a year to finish.

The plaza first opened in 1991. In 2015, Coral Gablesbased 2655 Horsepower LLC bought the property for $4.4 million, according to property records.

Oh, thank heaven Plans for a third 7-Eleven location in Ocala were filed with the city’s growth management department recently.

The third location is proposed for the southeast corner of Southeast 25thAve. and Southeast 17thStreet near the Woodland Villages neighborhood.

The plan calls for a 4,724-square-foot store, eight gas pumps and a 980-square-foot automatic car wash, according to the application filed with the city.

The plans are under review.

After decades without a 7-11, the Texas-based convenience store chain is entering Ocala with multiple stores.

The company’s first application for a store was for the corner of North Pine Avenue and Bonnie Heath Boulevard at the site of a current Shell station.

The application calls for demolition of the current station and the erection of a 4,600-square-foot building with multiple gas pumps.

The second location is at the corner of Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest Blitchton Road, near the Rural King store, according to city raecords.

Those plans also include a 4,724-square-foot store with eight gas pumps and an automatic car wash.

On Dec. 15, the Ocala City Council approved a permit to allow the sale of beer and wine for off premise consumption at the first location off North Pine Ave.

Answers for pages 8,9

ll Marion County jury trials scheduled for the first two weeks of January have been cancelled, despite the court’s best attempts to schedule them and summon jurors.

This continues a months-long suspension of jury trials due to COVID-19 since March of 2020.

In a December 23rd email obtained by the Ocala Gazette, Marion County Administrative Judge Edward Scott notified other court personnel of the cancellations.

“In Marion, we have been staying at about 12% (positivity rate) for weeks now. This is over the 10 % threshold for conduction jury trials. In Marion we’re at 12.1% yesterday and we don’t see any changes for the foreseeable future... We are not cancelling the rest of January now, but that may well happen if our numbers

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