Ocala Gazette | January 6 - January 12, 2023

WEC Jockey Club and opposing neighbors to face off

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Another volley in the fight against the massive WEC Jockey Club development is scheduled to take place next week, with expert witnesses offering testimony that either refutes or supports the reason for its approval in June.

A Formal Administrative Hearing will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday (Jan. 12-13) at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., with Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk presiding over the hearing.

In July, Cape Coral-based land use expert attorney Ralf Brookes filed the request for the hearing on behalf of the property owners living adjacent to or nearby the 1,029 Planned Unit Development, and the conservation group Save Our Rural Areas (SORA) following the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) June 21 approval of the project.

The suit challenges the Commission’s adoption of amendments to its Comprehensive Plan which allowed a rezoning of the property, which then subsequently allowed the 3-to-2 vote approving the PUD.

“The Administrative Hearing Request is because the Comprehensive Plan Amendments were not supported by data or analysis,” Brooks said after filing the request.

The former Ocala Jockey Club property is located within the Farmland Preservation Area on rural two-lane County Road 318 in northwest Marion County. It was purchased in August of 2021 by Golden Ocala Equestrian Land, LLC., owned by billionaires Larry and Mary Roberts, long-distance trucking magnates who also developed the World Equestrian Center in Ocala.

As approved, the project will allow Golden Ocala to build a similar multi-use equestrian venue on the property, with 94-site built homes, polo fields and stadiums 120,000-square-feet of commercial and retail space, 100-site RV park, and convenience store, but sans hotel, which the developer agreed to nix during the June meeting.

The petitioners include Damian and Rebecca Guthrie, who reside on 22 acres directly adjacent to the WEC Jockey Club and Don Love who lives nearby. SORA is listed as an intervenor.

Golden Ocala is represented by attorney Jimmy Gooding of the law firm Gooding and Batsel, PLLC. Gooding declined to comment for this story via email.

New Year’s Day Tragedy

Local black farmer dies pending marijuana license worth millions

By Andy Filmore Correspondent

Ocala farmer Moton Hopkins Sr.’s lifelong struggle for a fair shake from the government is continuing, even after his death.

Hopkins, who died April 11, 2022 at age 84, was among a dozen Black farmers seeking a state Medical Marijuana Treatment Center license set aside as part of a settlement in a class action suit from the 1990s that claimed the U.S. Department of Agriculture systematically discriminated against them when they applied for loans.

Hopkins’ heirs now are locked in a new fight on his behalf, this time with the Florida Department of Health, which is overseeing the granting of the licenses. The family hopes to honor their patriarch’s legacy by securing a license in what Forbes.com has called a $1 billion industry in Florida. A license can reportedly fetch upward of $50 million.

The DOH initially scored the application by Hopkins and his company, Hatchett Creek Farms LLC, as the best

choice for the lucrative license. But in September, months after Hopkins died and while his application was still being processed, the DOH stated that Hopkins’ application was tied to him personally and his legal interest in it died when he did.

The family’s attorney, Tom Sosnowski of the law firm Boies, Schiller, Flexner LLP, insists that nowhere in the state rules is this determination spelled out, adding that the DOH has dragged its feet for years in granting the license. Had the agency moved in a timely manner, he said, Hopkins might have been alive when the license was granted.

The DOH intends to grant the license to someone else.

A News Service of Florida article identified Terry Donnell Gwinn and Gwinn Brothers Medicinals of Suwanee County as the DOH’s choices. The article notes 11 other applicants sought the license and all are challenging the DOH’s decision.

The DOH and USDA communications offices have not responded to requests for comment from the Gazette.

Sosnowski, who is representing the Hopkins

estate and Hatchett Creek Farms, told the Gazette there are ample grounds for appealing the DOH decision. Foremost among them is that the Hopkins family suffered from the USDA discriminatory practices cited in the case from 1999 to 2008, and “the class action settlement was intended to benefit class action members

their heirs.”

A lifetime of hard work Hopkins, a native of Kendrick in Marion County, had only an eighth-grade education but his hard work for decades built a farming operation on 500 acres near County Road 484

and

A bicyclist rides by as flower are shown near the shooting scene during a double fatal shooting prayer vigil held by War Cry 4 Peace for Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, on Southwest 5th Street in Ocala on Monday, Jan. 2, 2022. Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey and D’amonta Harris both died during a shooting early New Year’s Day. Four other people were shot at the end of a large block party in the neighborhood. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Algene Burton-Hopkins, 83, the widow of Moton Hopkins Sr. with some of the items from her late husband’s funeral at her sister’s home on Southeast 31st Street in Ocala on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Noted Ocala attorney dies

Steven H. Gray was an expert in land use and development law.

“One of the first things you should know about Steve was that, in any room no matter how crowded, he was probably the brightest person with the quickest mind.”

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Family members, friends and colleagues of one of Marion County’s most preeminent land use and development attorneys are mourning his passing last month.

Attorney Steven H. Gray, a former partner in the Ocala law firm of Gray, Ackerman & Haines, P.A., founded in 2008, died Dec. 23 at his home. He was 72.

In the wake of his death, his former law partner, Timothy D. Haines, and others are fondly remembering Gray as a brilliant and especially keen lawyer.

“One of the first things you should know about Steve was that, in any room no matter how crowded, he was probably the brightest person with the quickest mind,” said Haines in an email to the Gazette.

Gray’s widow, Phyllis, who was married to him for nearly 25 years, said her late husband was humble and kind with a generosity that had no end.

“He was my wonderful husband, I loved him so much; he was so funny, so kind and so smart,” said the retired Dunnellon High School teacher. “I always came home with stories of my students and anything I asked of him he did it. He was just a good person who saw the need too; whether it was a winter coat or candy, he was just glad to do it.”

Gray was born at Monroe Memorial Hospital, now known as

AdventHealth Ocala. He attended the University of Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He worked in General Electric’s Corporate Management Program for a couple of years before he returned to UF to pursue a law degree.

After he graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1976, Gray returned to his hometown to practice and hone his craft, and gave back to his beloved community for nearly 50 years.

“He kept his talents in Ocala for virtually his whole life… has had an enormous impact on Ocala and Marion County,” wrote Haines, who worked alongside Gray a total of 37 years.

Tye Chighizola, growth management director for the city of Ocala, who worked with Gray on numerous real estate development projects over the years, said Gray was a brilliant land use attorney at the national, state, and local levels.

“He made it look easy,” Chighizola wrote in an email to the Gazette. “I had a great working relationship with Steve for over 30 years and he always provided the balance between his private sector client and the needs of the city.”

“He would take the time to listen,” he said, Haines said his former partner was among the deans of land use/real estate development law in Marion County, alongside attorneys Lanny Curry, the late John McKeever and Jimmy Gooding, whose depth of knowledge and understanding of land use law was unsurpassed.

“But I think what set him apart was his engineering background, which gave him an unmatched grasp of the practicalities of developing real estate, and his creativity,” he said. “With remarkable frequency he found ways to solve problems that were mutually beneficial to all concerned (like the creation of an in-fill zone).”

“In doing so he earned the respect of city and county elected officials and staff who were always

confident Steve knew what he was talking about, understood and weighed their concerns and the concerns of the public, and would never mislead them,” said Haines.

Attorney Janet Behnke, a friend of Gray’s since they were teenagers and the widow of McKeever, said Gray was an “exceptional lawyer with exceptional legal skills that were valued by his peers.”

“He made a difference,” she said.

Like most UF graduates, Gray was a rabid Gator fan his entire life and was a fixture at home Gator football and basketball games and, as he eased his workload the past few years, at home baseball games as well, said Haines.

“Each year included a trip to one or two away football games and to the SEC basketball tournament,” wrote Haines, who first met Gray in 1984 when he interviewed with Gray’s then law firm and worked with him until Gray’s retirement in 2021.

Chighizola said Gray was a caring man who loved horses, travel, and sports, especially playing and watching tennis, while Behnke remembered Gray as a funny man.

“He had a tremendous sense of humor; he always made me laugh,” she said.

Bev Hernandez, Gray’s legal assistant for roughly 30 years, said over time their connection evolved from a working relationship to friendship as well, and she often spent time with Steve and Phyllis.

“After he retired, we became even better friends,” she said.

A devoted Catholic, Gray attended parochial school before he graduated from Ocala High School. He was an active member of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church throughout his life and contributed substantial time and effort to Monroe Regional Hospital’s foundation, the forerunner of AdventHealth Ocala’s foundation.

In addition to Phyllis, Gray is survived by two brothers, Patrick of Tallahassee and Dennis of Hickory, N.C. and a sister, Nancy of Venice, Fl.

His funeral service was held on Dec. 31st.

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Steven Gray [Supplied]

Timothy D. Haines Former law partner

“He made a difference.”

Janet Behnke Attoroney

Fight for marijuana license

Continued from page A1

in southwest Marion County where he grew crops including watermelon, peanut and okra. At various points, he worked as a roofer and mechanic to support his family.

Hopkins’ wife of 57 years, Algene, described her husband as hard working and friendly, adding that “he never met a stranger.” When it came to friends, the color of their skin didn’t matter, and he would help anybody, she said.

She said there was “prejudice back then,” but her husband endured the treatment to support his family.

“He was the joy of my life,’’ Mrs. Hopkins said. “When God made him, he threw away the mold.”

In the late 1960s, the Hopkins family opened the Broadway Cafe and operated the eatery until about two years ago when it was closed due to the pandemic. Mrs. Hopkins, known as “Miss Gene” to her customers, served popular Southern dishes like chitlins.

In a 1999 document supporting his discrimination claim, Hopkins wrote, “If it weren’t for my wife’s income, I would have had no money for living expenses for myself and my family.”

Moton Hopkins Jr., a resident of San Antonio, Texas, is a 27-year Air Force veteran. He recalled his family’s hard work in operating the farm and how his parents served as “caregivers” and took food from the cafe into the community to help those in need.

“(The MMTC license) is part of my father’s legacy,” he said in a recent phone interview.

Black farmers face “the last plantation’’ Hopkins’ first clash with government bureaucracy began decades ago. He was among a number of Black farmers in a class action suit originally titled Pigford vs. Glickman, which claimed unfair lending practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture toward people of color from 1981 to 1997.

In a claim form for a later part of the suit, known as Black Farmers Litigation, Hopkins stated he applied for a $150,000 farm operating loan in 1981 at the Marion County office of the USDA and was approved for $80,000.

“As a stipulation of the loan, (Hopkins) was required to go back into the USDA for approval and disbursement of the funds,” his claim form states. A loan was “approved by the committee,” but the local USDA official “refused to approve it because (the USDA official said) he would lose his job.”

“This loan was never disbursed. Claimant needed the money to buy

seeds, fuel and fertilizer,” Hopkins’ form sates.

In a 1999 narrative for the class action filing, Hopkins provided more details of his treatment by the USDA.

“Every time I had to go to the county (USDA) office to get a check, I lost time I should’ve spent in the field. I plant by the sign (moon phase) and when I missed planting because the county office did not disburse my funds, I had to wait two to three weeks before I could plant,” the narrative reads.

Hopkins wrote this snag with the loan forced him to get commercial loans at a higher rate. He signed over his “entire crop” to repay FHA and commercial loans because of the delays. In 1982, he could not obtain a loan and his collateral--tractors, irrigation system and eventually his home--went into foreclosure, the narrative states.

“I was outraged,” Hopkins wrote. “I had to drop the leases on all the land I farmed.”

In a similar local case, Narvella Haynes of Ocala recalled seeing her father, Joseph Haynes, going to the USDA to make payments on a farm loan with “wads of cash, but he never got a receipt.”

She shared a March 22, 1999 article from the “St. Petersburg Times” concerning the resolution of the suit against the USDA. The article states the government “admits what Black farmers have long said: The Department of Agriculture, widely described as the last plantation, systematically discriminated against Black farmers for decades.”

Hopkins eventually received a $50,000 after-tax settlement on the Black Farmers Litigation claim. That amount, however, did not come close to making Hopkins whole, according to Sosnowski.

“(Moton Hopkins Sr.’s) total compensation from…Black Farmers Litigation was far below the damages Moton and his family suffered from the discrimination and resulting loss of the farm,” Sosnowski wrote in an email.

He also raised a key point.

“(The) Black Farmers Litigation settlement recognized that the discrimination affected not just the Black farmers but also their heirs,’’ he noted.

This legal determination of lineal connection is at the core of the current dispute the Hopkins family is engaged in with Florida.

For Black farmers, a chance at a golden ticket

In 2016, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing

medical marijuana to be grown and dispensed. The following year, the state Legislature determined that a qualified class member of either the Pigford or Black Farmers Litigation cases would be granted a license to operate a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center.

Florida lawmakers in 2018 told the DOH the license should be issued “as soon as practicable.’’ However, it wasn’t until December 2021 that the department said it would accept applications in March 2022.

Hopkins and Hatchett Creek Farms (Hopkins owned 51% of the company), applied received the highest score, according to Sosnowski. “That means the (DOH) determined that Hatchett Creek Farms was the business that was in the best position among all the applicants to best serve the citizens of Florida and the health and safety goals required for a medical marijuana treatment center,” he told The News Service of Florida.

But when Hopkins died in April, everything changed.

The DOH stated on Sept. 20, “Any interest Mr. Hopkins had in the MMTC application ceased upon Mr. Hopkins’ death, as the licensure qualifications are personal to Mr. Hopkins and do not flow to third parties.”

In a petition to the DOH, the Hopkins family argues the license belongs to the entity affiliated with the application.

“The department’s statement in its denial letter that ‘licensure qualifications’ are ‘personal to’ a Pigford/BFL class member is an unadopted rule that was created adhoc by the department and used for the first time in its denial letter,” the petition said. “Once the application is submitted, the ‘applicant’ conflates to include the entity for scoring and licensing purposes, as the applicant must satisfy certain licensing requirements that only an entity can satisfy, including the ability to ‘operate a food establishment,’ among others.”

The petition also blames the DOH for the years-long delay in issuing the Black farmer license. “If the department had complied with its statutory mandate, Moton Hopkins would not have died while his application was pending,” the petition states.

“Denial of the application simply because Mr. Hopkins … died during an interim period after his application was successfully submitted yet before the license award was announced is illogical and contrary to the purpose and goals of the federal legislation,” according to the petition.

The DOH has since announced it will grant the license to Gwinn. Jim

In what Sosnowski called a further injustice, “The Hopkins family and Hatchett Creek Farms will not be refunded the $146,000 application fee if the license is not granted.’’

FDOT reports to DeSantis on Northern Turnpike Extension effort

Dec. 27 to Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as to the heads of both chambers of the Florida Legislature.

The four potential routes traversed through parts of Citrus, Levy, Marion and or Sumter counties, with three of the routes running through areas of Marion.

this ‘pause,’” said the No Roads to Ruin Coalition, one of the most vocal critics of the potential extension, on its website after the news. “But collectively, using the grassroots power of local residents, the resources of small and large organizations and businesses around the state, we can stop these ‘roads to ruin.’”

The final report reinforces the success of the widespread opposition to the project and FDOT’s commitment to widening or improving the busy northsouth interstate, and noted high projected growth northbound at State Road 44 in Sumter County to Ocala and through to the Alachua County limits

FDOT began the study in October of 2021, publicizing the four potential corridors of the proposed extension and asked for public and community feedback. Proponents said the extension would facilitate evacuations during hurricanes, address traffic congestion and increases in traffic due to Florida’s rapid growth.

Backlash was swift and robust however, with residents and environmental groups saying any or all the possible routes would ruin their way of life as well as destroy the area’s critical wildlife and natural resources. Eight city or county governments unanimously adopted nobuild resolutions.

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) received nearly 4,000 public comments, had more than 50,000 visits to its website and hosted 36 well-attended public meetings during its months-long study of a possible Northern Turnpike Extension. The statistics are included in the final report and status of an Alternative Corridor Evaluation (ACE) conducted by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, part of FDOT, that assessed extending the turnpike northwest along four potential corridors from its end in Wildwood near Interstate 75.

As required, the final report was sent

In August, the project was abruptly halted after intense backlash from residents, local governments, grassroots organizations and environmental groups in the four counties affected, with FDOT stating it had completed its study without recommending a route and would not pursue the project any further until options could be reassessed to address the concerns raised.

Instead, the State said it would prioritize improvements to I-75 as a critical enhancement to regional mobility and reliability, as suggested in feedback.

While FDOT’s announcement was enthusiastically embraced by opponents of the extension, some said it did not go far enough. Most advocate a “No Build” option.

“We still have a lot of questions about

In the report, FDOT said: “Improvements to Interstate 75 are a critical component to the success of any northern extension of the Florida turnpike.” The ACE report further recommended FDOT initiate a regional study of need and include an emphasis on complementing I-75 and other regional transportation improvements within the study area.

“There’s a lot of bang for the buck in building new turnpike toll lanes on I-75 but they need to be separated,” Charles Lee, director of Advocacy for Florida Audubon said in a July interview with the Gazette.

“That’s what they did with the I-4 Ultimate project and it’s working fantastic,” he said.

The proposed turnpike extension is a result of Senate Bill 100, which repealed the 2019 M-CORES (Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance) toll road mandate that required FDOT to build three new turnpikes in 2023, but still allowing FDOT to evaluate a new northern extension of the turnpike.

All four proposed corridors began at the northern end of the turnpike and headed northwest to the future location of the Suncoast Parkway or U.S. Highway 19/98. The potential routes ranged from 42-to 81-miles-long, with the longest extending all the way to Chiefland.

One route cut through the heart of the historically Black community of Royal in Sumter County, near U.S. 301, founded in 1865 by freed slaves, who each received 40 acres of land under an order by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. It is one of Florida’s oldest African American communities and has a cemetery.

FDOT said in its report that as it continues to refine and develop viable corridors for the area, “it will prioritize engagement to avoid communities and other resources that have substantial cultural, historic, or other significance.”

“The goal of every project is to ensure all needs are met, environmental concerns are addressed, and community characteristics are protected,” the report said.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala

Moton Hopkins Sr. is shown in family photos. Hopkins passed away on April 11, 2022 and had qualified for a medical marijuana grower’s license prior to his death. The family is now legally pursuing getting the license through the Florida Department of Health.

McKee, an attorney who represents Gwinn, told The News Service of Florida that the law for the application “does not permit the license to be awarded to a trust or any other person or entity that is not a Pigford class member.”

Six people shot early New Year’s Day

Two are dead and four are hospitalized.

people—according to police estimates— congregated as part of what nearby residents called a block party in the 1600 block of Southwest 5th Street. The area is just north of State Road 200 (Southwest 10th Street) and west of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

were not aware of the incident when it happened.

One resident said she reached out to the new neighbors.

“I apologized to them for going through this on their first night here,” she said.

Walczak is asking the community for information.

By Andy Filmore Correspondent

Ocala Police Department (OPD) detectives are investigating what they are referring to as a double homicide, which occurred early on New Year’s Day in southwest Ocala.

D’amonta Harris, 30, and Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, died as the result of a shooting incident, according to a press release from OPD Public

Information Officer Jeff Walczak. Four people who were not identified were wounded and are in stable condition and being treated at an undisclosed location, according to the release.

OPD responded to a 911 call at 4:26 a.m. Sunday and barricades were set up in the area, Walczak stated in a text message. Ocala Fire Rescue, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Marion County Fire Rescue also responded to the scene.

The shootings occurred as perhaps 100

Mid-morning on Sunday, a resident who has lived in the area since 1955 said she “knew the (block party participants) were out there,” perhaps several hundred of them, she said, and added, “we don’t like it.” She said she heard men talking and then “bam, bam, bam,” the sound of about 10 gunshots in a row. She said it “wasn’t fireworks” and “scared me.”

One resident described the partygoers, perhaps as many as 400, as a mix of youth and adults.

Another said prior gatherings at the location, such as on the 4th of July, caused no problem.

A couple who just moved to Ocala from New York said they

“This tragic event has left many devastated and mourning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this terrible act. If anyone knows anything that might help law enforcement in their investigation, please come forward,” Walzak stated. “Please call OPD at 352369-7000 or call Crime Stoppers of Marion County anonymously by dialing **TIPS. If you use Crime Stoppers and your tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.”

To the house of mourning we shall go

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

In the summer of 2020—the summer of George Floyd’s death, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 national primary election—the Ocala Gazette was launched with the goal of holding those in power accountable but, just as importantly, better connecting our community.

We thought at the time that we’d leave covering crime to other outlets and only address larger social issues that were impacting crime.

That summer, a Black teenage football player was shot and killed. Over the next few months, more young men were killed or injured with guns in what appeared to be gang violence.

The incidents became more brazen, with shootings at our mall and in residential complexes in the middle of the day.

We tried to understand—by asking questions—what was behind the shootings. There were immediate roadblocks to information, and other than the cold delivery of facts through social media by law enforcement, we could find very little to give context to what was happening.

Our quest to talk to victims, family, and neighbors included knocking on doors around the scenes of incidents and on the doors where we believed victims’ families lived. We attempted to reach out to people on social media who seemed to be related to the victims.

One brave mother gave us the story about losing her son, however, no one else would talk to us.

Fear of retaliation seemed to be

at the crux of their concern, and we tried to understand that hesitancy. But why remain silent in telling us about what kinds of lives these Ocalans lived, or about their hopes and dreams?

And why also remain silent by not sharing factual details with the authorities who could bring those responsible to justice, possibly preventing yet more death and sorrow?

By the summer of 2021, the number of teenagers shot had continued to increase, yet we were no closer to understanding the scope of the problem or being able to report on it in a responsible way.

That summer, we reached out through a black pastor, Rev. Eric Cummings, to see if he could help us obtain permission to attend the funeral for one of those teenagers. He communicated to me the family’s acceptance of my attendance only as an observer. I had hoped that if I were among the mourners, I would understand better why they would not speak of the incidents, including a hesitancy to identify the aggressors.

I attended the funeral of Kobe Bradshaw, who was shot and killed in an act of gang violence, according to State Attorney’s office investigative reports.

After the service, I wrote what I had witnessed, but I never published it sidetracked in all the thoughts that often find one following a visit to the proverbial house of mourning.

I was bothered that I was the only white person in attendance. Surely there had to have been white friends, white teachers, white neighbors who knew Kobe?

On the second day of 2023,

I lamented that the prayer vigil following a neighborhood block party shooting early New Year’s Day, where two young men were killed and four people were injured, did not include even a handful of white people. I think if the same thing had happened in my neighborhood, many in the Black community would have come to pray and grieve with us.

I am choosing now to publish my writing about Kobe’s funeral as a way to share with you a taste of the utter devastation that the parents and grandparents in the Black community felt then and no doubt are feeling today.

I’m also giving you our commitment to explore this subject more. Our goal is not to report crime, but to report about the impact this violence has had on a portion of our community that is grieving its disproportionate share of loss. It’s about standing in witness to the pain our Black community is navigating as they continue to be wary of trusting journalists, law enforcement officials and even our government and criminal justice system.

It is my hope that by being able to gain some measure of trust, we will someday be able to share these narratives. As a community, I feel we should be able to cry together over wayward teenagers who lost their lives before they had the opportunity to become wiser and sons who were killed by bullets for the only mistake of celebrating a brand new year later than most of us would at our stage and age of life.

Everyone at the Gazette hopes to earn the trust of this community by showing up and listening—not by judging—we hope you will join us.

Kobe Bradshaw’s funeral

More than 200 mourners gathered at the historically black cemetery at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church for the graveside service of Kobe Jeremiah Bradshaw, who died on June 5, 2021, at 18 years of age from a gunshot wound.

The crowd gathered around a tent where the coffin lay open, surrounded by 30 or so chairs so his family members could sit. The crowd shuffled to find patches of shade under old live oaks, standing among the old tombstones. Those who came prepared opened their umbrellas.

The only sound as the crowd found their places was of insects buzzing from the midday sun, but as the family approached the tent, the sound of insects stopped as if they knew they needed to give way for the wailing of one elderly female family member.

She cried repeatedly through tears, “Lord, help me, Jesus. Help me!” Her plaintive pleas went on for at least 15 minutes as family members stopped at the casket to touch Kobe one last time. Eventually, the family huddled around Kobe for one last photograph with him.

Rev. Eric Cummings Sr. of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church asked for the group to give respect to the program carefully considered by the decedent’s family. And for almost an hour, the entire crowd stood and listened.

There were only a handful of children under the age of 10 in attendance, but many young adults. Everyone who attended was Black.

A Marion County Sheriff’s Office patrol car was parked at the cemetery, about 100 yards from the funeral tent. I could not see how many occupants were in the vehicle.

Albert Tuggerson sang “It’ll be all Over in the Morning” a capella as a prelude to Rev. Jason Sims, pastor of the church, preaching a sermon based on Psalms 30.

The gist of the sermon was that God works the night shift and never grows tired. So, while you may find yourself wary and crying, joy will come in the morning because God worked the night shift. That we should take comfort that the night is “temporary, tabulated, and therapeutic.” We come out better from the night because God used time to shape us, he offered.

One young man left before the sermon was done, driving away from the cemetery with music thumping as loudly as it had been when he had pulled in before the service started. Everyone acted as if they did not hear it.

After the service, the casket was opened again so mourners could say goodbye as they quietly walked back to their cars. Some leaned on each other for support.

The program said Kobe was born on Oct. 14, 2002. He attended Fessenden Elementary School, North Marion Middle and High schools, and West Port High School.

Kobe was baptized on March 24, 2013, and attended the church that is home to the cemetery in which he was now being buried. He enjoyed playing drums and was the church drummer for many years.

While growing up, Kobe played in the Marion County Youth Football League for the Jaguars, Ocala Pride, and also on the NMHS Junior and Senior Colts and WPHS Wolfpack teams.

He leaves behind his parents, Saundra Lewis Bradshaw and Kevin Bradshaw Sr., three brothers, Kevin Bradshaw Jr., Kevon Bradshaw and Caleb Schroeder, and one sister, Jada Schroeder, as well as many aunts, uncles, and extended family members.

Officers with the Ocala Police Department work at the scene of a shooting with multiple victims on Southwest 5th Street in Ocala on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Spent fireworks from a large block party with over 400 people are shown at the scene of a shooting with multiple victims on Southwest 5th Street in Ocala on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church for the grave-side service of Kobe Jeremiah Bradshaw, before mourners arrived on June 5, 2021.

[Jennifer Hunt Murty,

Kobe Bradshaw [Supplied]

A service of hope

Clergy and community members support family and friends of victims in block party shooting on New Year’s Day.

By Andy Fillmore Correspondent

Acommunity prayer service was held Monday near the site of a New Year’s Day shooting in southwest Ocala that claimed the lives of two men and sent four others to area hospitals.

Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, died from their injuries.

On Monday, about 50 members of the community and a large number of members of the clergy gathered just after noon in an open field adjacent to the site of the shootings to offer prayers for the victims and console family members. Several speakers called for the community to come together to end violence.

The shootings occurred on Southwest 5th Street, just west of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, as a block party was underway, nearby residents stated.

The Ocala Police Department estimated that about 100 people were on the street around the time of the shootings and said a 911 call came in at 4:26 a.m.

Corey Croskey Sr., the father of Abdul, attended the prayer service with the victim’s mother Bonita Croskey, older brothers Corey Croskey Jr. and Jamar Croskey, sister Toccara Woods and grandfather Wilbert Cole.

“My son Abdul was respectful and humble, never argued and had a soft smile. He carried all those qualities into adulthood,” said the young man’s father. “This is a hard pill.”

The family said Abdul was single, played sports, worked as a truck driver with a local inventory resupply company and that they felt he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I know my son. I raised three sons, and one was in the U.S. Army. Abdul was moving up in the company he worked for,” the elder Croskey said in a later phone interview.

He said he has turned to his faith in his grief.

“God works in mysterious ways,” he said, adding that people’s prayers and condolences are helping him cope.

Bonita Croskey was overcome with grief during the event.

Jamar Croskey, 29, said his younger brother was “always very reliable” and a “hard worker.” He said he did not believe his brother knew the other victim.

Harris’ mother, Teresa Williams, said in a phone interview that her son was a “loving, outgoing and caring” person whose smile lit up the room and that he was the “life of the party.”

She said he was a native of Ocala, had a daughter, 8, and son, 9, and had been working at Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille in downtown Ocala.

“D’amonta wanted peace for people, and he celebrated every holiday,” Williams said.

She said he liked to celebrate, but the “wrong thing” occurred while he was at the gathering.

Several members of the clergy and

friends stepped forward at the service to offer prayers and embrace the grieving family.

Benjamin Snowden III, with Immerse Church of Ocala, said violence is not a racial or creed issue, but an issue for the entire community.

Snowden said he recalled the Mad Dads community group from “when I was a kid.”

“(We must) make a difference and it starts with us… we must get mad. See something, say something,” he said.

Bishop Chris Stokes of The New Beginnings Christian Worship Center in Micanopy said some members of his church were related to the victims. He said the service was held to “lift the community in prayer and give the community hope (and to) know we can overcome this.”

Stokes, whose ministry includes violence prevention programs, said if people “know something (about the shootings) they should say something.”

The Rev. Eric Cummings, pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Ocala, said the tragedy effects not only the family but “the entire community.”

He implored social media users to “give the families of the victims a chance to heal” and not post photos or messages that might trouble the victims’ families.

Ire Bethea Sr., who represents District 2 on the Ocala City Council, which is the district in which the incident occurred, condemned the crime as a “bad thing that occurred in the community.”

Dennis McFatten, a former longtime member of local law enforcement, said he would like to see more information shared by the public and law enforcement.

“Somebody knows something,” he said.

A small sign was posted along Southwest 5th Street offering a “reward up to $1,000 for your anonymous information” from Crime Stoppers of Marion County.

OPD Public Information Officer Jeff Walczak wrote in an email Tuesday that detectives “are working hard to investigate this terrible act.” There was an OPD presence at the prayer service, including uniformed officers.

“We want to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable for their actions and work towards a safer community. We encourage anyone who witnessed this crime to please come forward and help our detectives with this investigation,” Walczak wrote.

Kim Wilkerson, founder and director of War Cry 4 Peace, organized the prayer service and thanked all those who supported the event, including officials and law enforcement.

“The gathering of the pastors and leaders was beautiful, along with the War Cry 4 Peace members and people from the community. It spoke volumes to see the love poured out to the victim’s family and others who were hurting,” she stated. “Through this tragedy, new life came, and a new beginning of hope was given. We seek to continue to bind together in love and support for our neighborhoods and our community to stop the gun violence.”

Photos below by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Bonita Croskey, the mother of shooting victim Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, is consoled by a woman as Abdul’s grandfather, Cole Croskey, left, holds her hand and consoles her during a double fatal shooting prayer vigil held by War Cry 4 Peace for Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, on Southwest 5th Street in Ocala on Monday, Jan. 2, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, left, and D’amonta Harris, 30, right, were shot and killed during a New Year’s Day block party. [Supplied]

Ben Marciano of Zone Health and Fitness, top left, and Ire Bethea of the Ocala City Council, third from right, pay their respects with other people during a double fatal shooting prayer vigil held by War Cry 4 Peace for Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, on Southwest 5th Street in Ocala on Monday, Jan. 2, 2022.

Pastor Lynn Tuggerson speaking during the prayer vigil.

Pastor Eric Cummings, also of the Marion County School Board, leading people in prayer during the prayer vigil.

DeSantis inaugural speech

ov. Ron DeSantis was sworn in Tuesday for a second term, offering a theme of “freedom” in Florida to counter “faddish ideology” nationally.

Speaking on the steps of the Old Capitol, the state’s 46th governor balanced some campaign-style rhetoric and generic policy stances with the confidence of a politician who won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points in November and whose name is repeatedly mentioned as a 2024 presidential contender.

“These last few years have witnessed a great test of governing philosophies as many jurisdictions pursued a much different path than we have pursued here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said during a 16-minute address before an overflow audience that exceeded the 2,400 seats arrayed in front of the stage.

“The policies pursued by these states have sparked a mass exodus of productive Americans from these jurisdictions --- with Florida serving as the most desired destination, a promised land of sanity,” DeSantis added. “Many of these cities and states have embraced faddish ideology at the expense of enduring principles.”

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muniz administered the oath to DeSantis, who placed his hand on a Bible held by First Lady Casey DeSantis.

The stage was backed by a pair of banners proclaiming DeSantis’ 2022 campaign theme of “The Free State of Florida.”

His political standing is vastly different from four years ago, when he took office as a relatively little-known former congressman who narrowly won the gubernatorial election.

Since then, he’s positioned himself as a national counter to the Biden administration on issues such as immigration policy and COVID-19. He also saw his stature as a leader grow as he appeared on television providing assistance after Hurricane Ian.

DeSantis was joined by Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez in being sworn in for second four-year terms.

The only office that changed hands Tuesday involved former Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican who was sworn in to replace Democrat Nikki Fried as agriculture commissioner.

Susan MacManus, a retired political-science professor at the University of South Florida, called the DeSantis address a “generic” message that balanced themes of economic and cultural issues.

“I think there was some concern he would just focus on the cultural,” MacManus said. “The economic message was first and foremost. And I think if you’re looking ahead, with what people expect to happen in the national economy in the next few years, was probably a

good thing to do.”

Before the inauguration ceremony, MacManus surmised DeSantis’ words would be closely dissected because of his perceived national ambitions.

Democrats criticized the speech, mostly because of what wasn’t said.

“He talked about Florida being such a stark contrast to the federal government, but made no mention that our budget was in the tank but for the dollars that we received from the Biden administration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, told The News Service of Florida. “So, there was a lot of, I thought, smoke and mirrors and misleading Florida voters.”

Driskell added that “everyday issues” such as property insurance, health-care affordability and housing affordability were also missing.

“It was incredible to me just to listen to this governor not actually address the people of Florida but rather project his remarks, in my opinion, to donors. Billionaire donors and Republican primary voters,” Driskell said. “It wasn’t a speech for Florida or really about Florida,” Driskell said.

DeSantis did not mention former president Donald Trump, a potential 2024 primary foe, or Democratic President Joe Biden. He also did not address issues such as his support for proposals to allow people to openly carry firearms.

But he said Florida schools need to be responsive to parents, “not partisan interest groups.” He also pointed to a desire for the Republican-dominated Legislature to approve more tax cuts amid a record budget surplus.

As he did throughout his re-election campaign against Democrat Charlie Crist, DeSantis accused the federal government of leaving the nation weaker through pandemic restrictions, inflationary spending and energy and immigration policies he opposes, while maintaining “we will never surrender to the woke mob.”

“They have harmed education by subordinating the interests of students and parents to partisan interest groups. They have imposed medical authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions that lack a scientific basis,” DeSantis said. “This bizarre, but prevalent, ideology that permeates these policy measures purports to act in the name of justice for the marginalized, but it frowns upon American institutions, it rejects merit and achievement, and it advocates identity essentialism.”

The inauguration ceremony was part of a series of events, including “A Toast to One Million Mamas” hosted by First Lady Casey DeSantis to recognize women who supported the governor, and an inaugural ball at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from left, waves as he arrives with his wife Casey, right, and their children Mason, Madison, and Mamie during his inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee. [AP Photo/Lynne Sladky]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the crowd after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee. [AP Photo/Lynne Sladky]

Citizens policy count up 50 percent in 2022

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

With private insurers dropping customers and raising rates, the statebacked Citizens Property Insurance Corp. saw its number of policies increase about 50 percent in 2022.

Citizens had 1,145,178 policies as of Dec. 30, up from 759,305 at the end of 2021, according to numbers posted Tuesday on the Citizens website. Citizens also added about 19,000 policies in December.

Citizens was created as an insurer of last resort and is something of a measuring stick for the health of the private insurance market. Citizens had 542,739 policies at the end of 2020 — meaning its policy count has more than doubled over the past two years.

During a special legislative session last month, lawmakers passed wideranging insurance changes that included trying to reduce litigation and help steer policies out of Citizens into the private market. Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway has long blamed heavy litigation for many of the industry’s problems.

“This is historic legislation,” Gilway said last week on The Florida Insurance Roundup podcast hosted by insurance lobbyist Lisa Miller. “It’s going to have a huge impact on this marketplace going forward.”

Gilway, who announced after the special session that he plans to retire, said he thinks the legislation will help draw new companies into the market, as they will not be stuck with past losses and will be able to charge actuarially sound rates. He expressed confidence that companies will take policies out of Citizens — though

that might not come until late 2023 after the threat of hurricane damage subsides.

“We’re getting calls from investors saying, ‘Hey, is now the time to come in and provide capacity in this overall marketplace?” Gilway said on the podcast. “And, of course, our attitude is yes. I would expect a significant … attempted depopulation (of Citizens) in the November-December ‘23 time frame. I think that’s probably when we’re going to see the biggest impact of more capacity entering the market. But it’s unlikely they would do it before that simply because they’re not going to come in before the storm season.”

State leaders have long sought to keep policies out of Citizens, at least in part because of the risk that policyholders across the state could get hit with extra costs — known as assessments — if Citizens can’t pay all of its claims after a hurricane or multiple hurricanes.

Along with trying to reduce litigation and taking steps to help insurers obtain critical reinsurance, lawmakers also made changes specifically geared toward Citizens.

As an example, they approved preventing Citizens policyholders from being able to renew coverage if they receive policy offers from private insurers that are within 20 percent of the cost of the Citizens premiums. Citizens often charges lower rates than private insurers, and the change is aimed at pushing more customers into the private market.

But for residents in some areas of the state, Citizens has been virtually the only option for coverage. With those residents paying thousands of dollars a year for policies, the Legislature in the past has constrained the ability of Citizens to raise rates.

DeSantis to scrutinize higher ed programs

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

As Gov. Ron DeSantis targets “trendy ideology” in higher education, his administration is asking state colleges and universities for information about resources they are putting into activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory.

DeSantis has made the fight against critical race theory — which is based on the premise that racism is embedded in American institutions — a linchpin of his education and political agenda.

During an inauguration speech Tuesday to start his second term, DeSantis took aim at ideological issues on campuses.

“We must ensure school systems are responsive to parents and to students, not partisan interest groups, and we must ensure that our institutions of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideology,” the governor said in his prepared remarks.

Chris Spencer, director of DeSantis’ Office of Policy and Budget, sent a memo Dec. 28 to Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and state university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, who oversee the college and university systems.

“As the Executive Office of the Governor prepares policy and budget proposals ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session, it is important that we have a full understanding of the operational expenses of state institutions,” Spencer wrote in the memo.

The memo said colleges and universities are required to “provide a comprehensive list of all staff, programs and campus activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory.”

In addition, they are directed to detail

“costs associated with the administration of each program or activity,” including a description of the activities, paid positions and how much of the money is provided by the state.

Diaz and Rodrigues are required to collect and submit the schools’ responses by Jan. 13.

DeSantis has repeatedly clashed with Democratic lawmakers and unions representing professors and teachers over his education initiatives.

United Faculty of Florida President Andrew Gothard, said Wednesday his union is “deeply concerned” about the Dec. 28 memo, which he called a “horrible directive.”

“Attempts such as these by the governor to chill speech and to intimidate those he disagrees with into remaining silent, altering their curriculum, and silencing their students are an affront to democracy and the American way of life,” Gothard, who is a professor at Florida Atlantic University, said in a statement to The News Service of Florida.. “Let those who supported Governor DeSantis in the recent election heed this warning: A man who will silence those whom he disagrees — in the classroom and beyond — will one day find a reason to silence you as well,”

Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, also blasted the memo in a Twitter post.

“In the so-called free state of Florida under Gov. DeSantis, the freedom to run DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs at public colleges and universities appears next on the radar for destruction. Nothing is safe and it’s sickening,” Nixon tweeted.

But Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow with The Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, praised the move.

“Gov. DeSantis is going to lay siege to university ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ programs,” Rufo said in a tweet.

Local officials seek to block lobbying restrictions

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

Afederal judge will hear arguments Jan. 27 in an attempt by a group of local elected officials to block new lobbying restrictions that they argue violate First Amendment rights.

The officials from Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Leon counties filed a lawsuit last week in federal court in Miami challenging the restrictions, which take effect Saturday. Florida voters in 2018 passed a constitutional amendment approving the restrictions, and the Legislature this year approved bills to carry out the amendment.

The lawsuit focuses heavily on part of the restrictions that will prevent state and local officials from lobbying other government bodies while in office. At least some of the plaintiffs do lobbying work.

“Under Amendment 12 (the 2018 constitutional amendment), a local elected official, such as a school board member, is prohibited from lobbying before Congress or a federal agency, even on matters wholly unrelated to the official’s role with local government,” the lawsuit said. “Similarly, the new restrictions would prohibit a city commissioner with a municipality in Palm Beach County from advocating in Orange County or elsewhere.”

In addition to restricting current public officials, the amendment also prevents former state and local officials from lobbying their former government bodies for six years after leaving office.

In the past, for example, former state lawmakers have been blocked from lobbying the Legislature for two years after leaving office.

The lawsuit, reported earlier Friday by the Broward Bulldog news site, contends that the restrictions are overly broad.

“The only government interest that could potentially be served by the advocacy restrictions is the prevention of quid pro quo corruption or the appearance of quid pro quo corruption,” a motion for a preliminary injunction filed Tuesday said. “But that purpose does not empower a broadly worded prohibition that effectively shuts off all access to political speech. … The restriction sweeps too broadly and impermissibly restricts substantial, legitimate First Amendment activity. Very plainly, it is a far cry from legislation that is tailored narrowly in its restrictions on political speech.”

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom on Thursday scheduled a Jan. 27 hearing in Miami on the preliminary-injunction motion. The defendants — the Florida Commission on Ethics, Attorney General Ashley Moody and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — had not filed arguments as of Friday afternoon,

according to an online docket.

The plaintiffs are Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia, a former state senator and House member; South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, a former state House member; Palm Beach County Commissioner Mack Bernard, a former state House member; Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor; and Miami Shores Village Council member Crystal Wagar.

As examples of the plaintiffs’ interest in the restrictions, Garcia is executive vice president of New Century Partnership, LLC, a consulting firm that provides lobbying services, according to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Fernandez is a lawyer who represents clients before county and municipal boards.

The 2018 constitutional amendment, which was placed on the ballot by the state Constitution Revision Commission, received support from nearly 79 percent of voters.

UF SAYS NO ‘STANDING’ TO REVIEW LADAPO GUIDANCE

Agroup of University of Florida medical-school faculty members challenged controversial guidance by state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on COVID-19 vaccinations, but a university official said Wednesday the guidance is outside the scope of Ladapo’s work with the school.

Ladapo, who holds a faculty position in the university’s College of Medicine, was tapped in September 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve as surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health. Ladapo has become a controversial national figure because of his positions on issues such as COVID-19 vaccines and mask requirements.

In October, Ladapo issued guidance advising males ages 18 through 39 to avoid getting shots with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The Department of Health published an analysis that showed an increase “in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death” among males in that age group roughly a month after receiving the shots.

The report by the UF College of Medicine’s Faculty Council Committee, first reported by The Washington Post, was shared with medical-school faculty Tuesday. It outlined seven “major critiques” of Ladapo’s vaccine guidance. Among the critiques was an assertion that Ladapo’s analysis committed “reporting bias by cherry picking results; focusing only on evidence that supports his stance, ignoring contradicting evidence, and failing to appropriately acknowledge the limitations of his own data set.” The committee said it has “concerns” that Ladapo violated UF’s research integrity policy and that the issue had been referred to the school’s research integrity officer.

But David Norton, vice president for research at the university, said in a statement Wednesday that UF’s research integrity office has “no standing” to look into the committee’s accusations. “As this work was done by the Dr. Joseph Ladapo in his role as the state of Florida Surgeon General and not in his role as a UF faculty member, the UF Office of Research Integrity, Security and Compliance has no standing to consider the allegations or concerns regarding research integrity set forth in the Faculty Council task force report,” Norton said.

CHANGE TO HOPE SCHOLARSHIP EYED

The state Department of Education is considering a rule change that would remove “COVID-19 harassment” as a reason that families could seek school vouchers under Florida’s Hope Scholarship. The Hope Scholarship, launched during the 2018-19 school year, is geared toward allowing students who have been bullied, harassed or assaulted at school to receive private-school vouchers or transfer to another public school.

Under an emergency rule that was approved by the State Board of Education in August 2021, the scholarships could be claimed based on students being subject to schools’ coronavirus mitigation measures.

The rule defined “COVID-19 harassment” as “any threatening, discriminatory, insulting, or dehumanizing verbal, written or physical conduct an individual student suffers in relation to, or as a result of, school district protocols for COVID-19,” including wearing masks, being quarantined and testing requirements.

Participation in the coronavirus-related vouchers got off to a slow start, with fewer than 100 students receiving the scholarships in the first month of the 2021-22 school year. The emergency rule was a result of an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that sought to prevent schools from imposing mask requirements during the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis made his fight against school mask requirements a major priority during the 2021-22 school year, and has claimed the prohibition of such requirements as a major political victory.

ATHLETE PAY LAW COULD SEE CHANGE

Ameasure filed Tuesday by a House Republican seeks to allow colleges, universities and their employees to steer endorsement opportunities toward student-athletes.

The bill (HB 99) was filed for the 2023 legislative session, which will begin in March. The proposal would make a major change to Florida’s athlete-pay law, commonly known as a name, image and likeness law, which went into effect in July 2021.

Under the law, compensation for studentathletes “may only be provided by a third party unaffiliated with the intercollegiate athlete’s postsecondary educational institution.” Schools and employees, meanwhile, “may not compensate or cause compensation to be directed” to student-

athletes. But the bill filed Tuesday would change that by allowing colleges, universities and employees to cause compensation to be directed to athletes.

The proposal also would make clear that coaches and other employees are not liable for “any damages to an intercollegiate athlete’s ability to earn compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness resulting from decisions and actions routinely taken in the course of intercollegiate athletics.” Rep. Chip LaMarca, a Lighthouse Point Republican who filed the measure, was a sponsor of a 2020 bill that led to college athletes being able to get paid based on their names, images and likenesses.

POT INITIATIVE PETITION NUMBERS GROW

Nearly 150,000 valid petition signatures have been submitted to the state as part of an initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

The initiative totaled 148,418 submitted signatures as of Tuesday evening, up from 49,692 at the end of November. The Safe & Smart Florida political committee, which is leading the initiative, would need to submit 891,589 signatures to get on the 2024 ballot. It also would need to submit 222,898 signatures to trigger a

crucial Florida Supreme Court review of the proposed ballot wording.

The “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” proposal would allow people 21 or older “to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.”

The initiative has received $15 million from Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana company. Voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment that broadly made medical marijuana available in Florida.

ASenate Republican on Wednesday filed a proposal that could give homeowners more savings under Florida’s “Save Our Homes” property-tax cap. Sen. Bryan Avila, R-Miami Springs, proposed a measure (SJR 122) for consideration during this year’s legislative session, which will start March 7.

Florida voters in 1992 approved the Save Our Homes constitutional amendment, which caps annual increases in assessed property values at 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.

Avila’s proposal would cap annual increases in assessed values at 2 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index. If Avila’s proposal is approved by the Legislature, it would require passage by voters during the 2024 election. That is because it would be a constitutional amendment.

Lawmakers Look to Stabilize Agriculture Industry

farm as he grew up because of “bad economic situations,” also laid out a series of issues he wants his committee to focus on heading into the session. That ranges from relatively small bills to reduce regulations on such things as signs and fencing to larger efforts to attract more veterans into farming and limit foreign ownership of agricultural lands.

“Foreign ownership of ag land is something we have to come to terms with,” Collins said.

Newly elected Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Collins, along with a group of state House members, in early December outlined proposed legislation to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural lands.

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

As Florida lawmakers look to reduce foreign ownership of farmland, Senate Agriculture Chairman Jay Collins said Wednesday he thinks growth is possible for the state’s agriculture industry.

But first, the freshman Republican senator from Tampa said the goal is to bring stability to the industry, which was battered by Hurricane Ian and has struggled for decades with foreign competition, residential and commercial development and a disease deadly to citrus crops.

“We’re going to build a consensus working with people, both left and right, to solve problems, because ultimately our farmers are worth fighting for, just like freedoms worth fighting for,” Collins said.

A preliminary report from the

state Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services estimated Ian’s overall agricultural damages at $1.18 billion to $1.9 billion, with citrus damage accounting for about one-third of the total.

“We have to stabilize those farmers who lost so much whether it was a cattleman, dairy farmers, citrus, strawberries, whoever else was affected,” Collins said. “We have to make sure we look at that very diligently.

Lawmakers have not determined how much money they could include in the budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to help farmers affected by Ian. The budget will be put together during the legislative session that starts March 7.

“We’re going to look at the numbers … see how we can keep things pushing forward. And we’re going to figure out what the right number is,” Collins said after his committee met Wednesday.

Collins, who said his family lost its

In a news release at the time, they said an estimated 1.3 million acres of agricultural land in Florida was under foreign ownership in 2020. The effort would be intended to restrict the purchase or holding of controlling interests in agricultural land and certain land near military bases.

Along with goals discussed Wednesday by Collins, Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, said attention needs to remain on the aquaculture industry,

particularly oyster farmers, mostly across Northwest Florida.

“They’re struggling,” Simon said. “So, we want to make sure that we’re showing reverence to the work that they do, the importance of that work.”

The state budget for the current year included several line items to help the struggling oyster industry, such as $160,000 for oyster planting, $500,000 for Choctawhatchee Bay oyster revitalization in Walton County and $495,000 for a similar effort in the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary.

Sen. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat who chaired the Agriculture Committee during the past two years, said lawmakers also need to ensure “fairness” for Black growers in awarding medical marijuana licenses.

“There’s a significant part of the agriculture community that needs to be respected,” Rouson said.

A 2017 law required the state to set aside one medical-marijuana license for Black farmers. The Department of Health last year announced its intent to award the Black farmer license to a Suwannee County grower, but the agency’s decision is being challenged by losing applicants.

Jay Collins Senate Agriculture Chairman

Strong & Healthy is the New Sexy

“We’re going to build a consensus working with people, both left and right, to solve problems, because ultimately our farmers are worth fighting for, just like freedoms worth fighting for.”

File photo: Orange grove

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People, Places & Things

Taking the helm

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

When she met Greg Thompson, the late-great Mary Britt had been involved with the Ocala Civic Theatre for more than three decades, including a number of those as executive director.

She regarded the then-newbie with a suspicious side eye because he seemed too young to have all the experience listed in his resume.

At the time, 1989, she would have never imagined that Thompson would officially sign on to oversee OCT’s casts and crews as producing artistic director in 2023.

Thompson had initially joined Britt and her team to oversee the theater’s 50th-anniversary production, “50 Grand.” When he first chatted in person with Britt about the anniversary show, he said something did not sit quite right, so he tactfully questioned her in his genteel Southern accent.

“She laughed, and she responded, ‘You know, I was expecting an older man because your resume is really impressive,’” Thompson recalled. “To her, I seemed like a jerk who’d lied on their resume. Needless to say, it was an interesting first conversation.”

Fortunately for Thompson, he and Britt would go on to have a close working relationship.

The theater, founded in 1950 by the Marion Players, became known as the Ocala Civic Theatre (OCT) in 1970. The current OCT venue next to the Appleton Museum of Art opened in October 1988. (Longtime leader Britt passed away in the spring of 2019 and was succeeded for a few years by Katrina Ploof.)

Thompson clocked in a lot of time with OCT since taking his first fateful Greyhound bus from Lighthouse Point, Fla., to Ocala.

Now that he has assumed the mantle as OCT’s producing artistic director, he isn’t putting off making moves as he transitions to his new role. He and his partner Michael Mehring, however, are still deciding where to live.

To the OCT board of directors, Thompson seemed like the obvious choice. The vote was unanimous. The longtime thespian hit that sweet spot between offering several years of experience with the theater and demonstrating a penchant for bringing new ideas to fruition.

“We felt that Greg was a breath of fresh air,” said board president James P. Hilty Sr., who also is president of Ocala City Council. Hilty praised Thompson for his experience with the theater as well as the positive energy he hopes the new leader will bring to the role.

“We were encouraged by the ideas that he wants to bring to the theater as well

as the talents that he’s gained over the years,” added Hilty.

Outside of Ocala, Thompson’s work has encompassed dramatic theater, musical theater, opera, light opera, film, television, dance, voiceover, academic theater, corporate theater and cruise ship and theme park entertainment.

He grew up in a musical household in Tennessee and, during his teens, in North Carolina, so he started performing at a young age. He sang at church and his love of show business grew from there.

An Eclectic Resume

Beyond too many shows and films to list here, Thompson has worked in large-scale corporate and showbiz productions. He served for six years as a resident performer for Miami’s Mega Entertainment, where he was seen in numerous productions, including “An Extraordinary Evening with Sophia Loren and Friends” to support AMFAR.

When asked why his resume is so varied, Thompson attributed his eclectic work experience to endless curiosity.

“I’m a little bit of an odd preacher in that my experience base is really kind of bizarre,” he said with a laugh. “It doesn’t match a lot of people’s but that was because I’m just so curious, you know. It was not like I set out to do this or that or the other per se, but it was like, ‘Oh, there’s an audition for cruise ships. Well, I need a job. Sure. I’ll go do that.’”

His brother J. Lynn Thompson, a conductor, was instrumental in bringing him to Georgia’s capital, where he led the Atlanta Lyric Theatre for 10 seasons as the resident stage director and choreographer.

Some of Greg’s prominent stage roles include Don Lockwood (the Gene Kelly role, performing the original choreography) in “Singin’ In The Rain,” Joe/Josephine (the Tony Curtis role) in “Some Like It Hot,” Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the emcee in “Cabaret,” Billy Crocker in “Anything Goes” (four productions) and Curly (dream ballet) in “Oklahoma!”

His film work includes more than 70 studio and independent features, shorts and series. He plays Darrell Waltrip in the highly acclaimed ESPN original film “3: The Dale Earnhardt Story,” starring Barry Pepper, and as FDR’s photographer in the multi-Emmy-Award-winning HBO original film “Warm Springs.” “Dawson’s Creek” fans will remember him as Peter, the slimy film producer, and, in “One Tree Hill,” he served in the recurring role of Dr. Adams.

As a filmmaker and screenwriter, Thompson currently has several scripts in development/optioned. In 2006 he debuted his first efforts as director/ producer /screenwriter with “Swimming to The Moon,” the first of his six short

films, which won the Audience Choice award at the Rome International Film Festival, followed by “Down a Dark Road,” which earned him the Mason Dixon Best Filmmaker award. The most recent, “MINE,” was nominated for Best Short Film in its debut festival and won two audience-choice and three juried awards for Best Short in its first seven festival screenings.

Thompson’s work on stage and screen has paired him with such notable performers as Kenneth Branagh, Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black, Sophia Loren and Melanie Griffith.

He brought the silver screen to Silver Springs while collaborating with Laurie Zink on the Silver Springs International Film Festival (2014-18).

Thompson served as festival director for the Ocala Film Foundation and Zink was executive director. The pair grew the festival from a few days to a week, more than doubling the film premieres and events. Sadly, it couldn’t continue due to a lack of local funding, but Zink said she’s confident that Thompson’s power of persuasion will overcome stumbling blocks going forward with OCT.

Zink, who also is the development and community outreach director at IHMC Ocala, sits on the OCT board but recused herself from voting on the artistic director position due to her ongoing friendship with Thompson.

“Greg is almost horribly passionate about what he does,” Zink said. “He wants the best for everyone involved, for everyone to have the best experience. He likes to educate people about the arts. He doesn’t want things to stay like they were in the past. His perspective of the quote-unquote old days at the theater is only going to enhance what he is able to do in the future.”

At the OCT

In recent years, OCT officials have recruited Thompson as a guest director, choreographer and perennial instructor, most recently as the choreographer for “Hands on a Hardbody.”

Other past OCT shows he directed and/or choreographed include “The Music Man,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” and several others.

This season, he will direct and choreograph OCT’s 2022-23 closer, Disney’s “Newsies.”

As for what Thompson potentially brings to Ocala theatergoers and thespians, many might say it is a knack for nurturing talent and self-esteem.

In the past few years, for example, he has taught theater and dance at the University of Texas. He also has instructed courses in directing, acting and musical theater.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned

along the way — and it doesn’t mean that it works for everybody, but just for my own practice — is if you can inspire confidence in people, they will achieve things they didn’t know they could,” he said.

Through his creation of the Arts for All summer youth program in 1991 and his teaching stints at numerous OCT workshops, Thompson has shown a knack for expanding the local talent pool, a vital skill in community theater.

Getting more people to the theater and creating a more recognizable brand for OCT is another of his priorities.

“We have got to create a name that people actually have a clue about what we do,” he said.

“More and more people don’t want to spend money just to go to the theater,” he added. “They spend the money on a whole experience. They’re thinking, ‘Why would I leave work and drive over there when I can just go home and watch my giant television with my fabulous surround sound system and get comfortable and have an experience.’”

Creative touches such as onstage multimedia enhancements and the grand piano in the lobby would ostensibly create a unique experience that will bring in new theatergoers.

“I want to help OCT move toward a place where it’s somewhere that people want to go,” Thompson added.

To that end, the new producing artistic director said he plans on working with the OCT board to engage the community in some new projects as well as a retread or two, including the Brick City Cabaret at the Marion Cultural Alliance’s Brick City Center for the Arts in February.

He spearheaded the event series at the Brick back in 2006 and is in rehearsals for a redux of the shows that he hopes will take on a more sophisticated, upscale ambiance.

“I think that you empower an audience,” Thompson said. “You also teach an audience. They can learn to see theater a little differently from what they may have seen at OCT in the past. For instance, we’re bringing in an amazing designer for ‘Outside Mullingar’ and looking at doing more high-end projection work, which has never been seen there.”

When asked if Ocala was ready for performances that are more contemporary and cutting-edge, Thompson hinted that something new and different might be in the works.

“I think Ocala is totally ready for it, and it’s something we’re discussing right now,” he said. “I don’t want to go into it because I don’t want to be premature, but there are some surprises coming and I think they are going to be really solid.”

For more information about the Ocala Civic Theatre’s season offerings, visit ocalacivictheatre.com.

Greg Thompson, the new producing artistic director, poses for a photo at the Ocala Civic Theatre on East Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Greg Thompson hopes to engage the community and introduce fresh ideas as producing artistic director at Ocala Civic Theatre.

Totes cool!

“That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic, compounding every year,” reported EarthDay.org.

Grimes follows the developments of Beyond the Bag, an initiative launched by the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag (closedlooppartners.com/ beyond-the-bag).

Beyond the Bag is currently working with CVS Health, Target and Walmart in a pilot program spearheaded in northern California. In the program, participants download an app for access to a kiosk that provides multiple-use bags to use in favor of plastic bags.

“A lot of the box stores are getting away from plastic bags,” Grimes said. ”There’s a law that was just passed in Colorado that says stores like Target and Walmart have to charge per plastic bag,” (Look up House Bill 21-1162 for more information.).

bag needs to be used 50 to 150 times to have less impact on the climate compared with one single-use plastic bag.

“This is why I do what I do,” Grimes said of her efforts with Totes by T.

For Ocala Downtown Market hours and information, visit ocaladowntownmarket.com.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Belleview resident Theresa Grimes loves the sweeping natural beauty of Marion County, but she also noticed something a bit more unpleasant while biking area trails.

“I’d look over to the side and there would be plastic bags,” she said of the perpetual litter she

encountered on her routes.

In response to the problem of non-biodegradable plastic bags, Grimes came up with a biodegradable, cotton alternative for local shoppers that she sells at her booth, Totes by T, at the city’s Saturday market.

“I make totes that reflect our community and its many interests, such as bicycle riding on our trails, the horse industry and some of our history and points of interest,” she said, adding that she can personalize and customize bags on customer request.

Grimes, 67, worked on Wall Street in the financial sector before taking things down a few notches and relocating to Marion County in 1978.

“I have seen the area grow from a small town into a busy city,” she said. “I learned how to drive a tractor. I took care of horses. I owned horses myself and I’ve always been what I call

a tree hugger. I love nature. I love being around animals. And just seeing with the growth in Marion County, you know, with the growth came the trash.”

Grimes sets up at the Ocala Downtown Market twice a month to sell her cotton totes. Her next stints at the market will be on Jan. 7 and 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In 2009 and 2010, Grimes was instrumental in the From Seats to Saddles fundraiser for the Stirrups ‘n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center to help raise awareness of equine therapy.

“This time, through a different type of art and craft, I want to raise awareness of the damage that plastic bags do to our community, especially the animals that live in our community,” Grimes said.

According to a study in “Science Advances,” 8 million metric tons of non-biodegradable plastic winds up in the oceans.

Though it might seem that our actions as consumers make little impact, recent data suggests that individuals can make a dent and people forgoing plastic bags en masse could influence widespread habit changes, which in turn could influence corporate policies.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a cotton

An Ocala Downtown Market vendor offers a fun, Earth-friendly alternative to plastic bags.

“I make totes that reflect our community and its many interests, such as bicycle riding on our trails, the horse industry and some of our history and points of interest.”

Theresa Grimes

Some of Theresa Grimes custom “Totes By T” tote bags. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Theresa Grimes shows some of her custom “Totes By T” tote bags, including one with photos of Ocala, as she poses at the Santos Trailhead south of Ocala on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Ocala dog handler hits big with Harrier

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Noah Milam is going big during his final year as a junior dog handler. He recently garnered one of the nation’s most coveted championship ribbons for his age group.

The 18-year-old competitor won Best Junior Handler at the American Kennel Club National Junior Showmanship in Orlando last month. Because he began the season as a 17-year-old “junior,” he is allowed to continue in the category through the end of the competing period this spring.

Milam competed with his 4-year-old Harrier Ariel and was “over the moon” when he won.

The Ocala-based canine enthusiast first connected with Ariel when her breeder, Mike Gowen, also of Ocala, asked him to show her as a puppy.

“Ever since she was a puppy, we’ve just kind of stuck,” he said. “I was the first person to ever show Ariel, and you know, back then, she was untrained and running all over the place!”

Milam described his hound as sweet, with an expressive personality and a bit sassy. The

furry star on the rise is not just Milam’s show pet. Ariel sleeps with him and accompanies him on bike rides as he tools around his lower southwest Ocala neighborhood on a mountain bike.

Relatively rare, Harriers look like “beagles with a gym membership,” according to the breed’s page on the American Kennel Club’s website. They are a favorite of Irish hunters.

Their markings resemble their more diminutive cousins, the beagle. They measure from 19 to 21 inches at the shoulder and move about like a working pack hound. Their short coat and smooth, low-set ears make them approachable and easy to groom.

According to the AKC, the Harriers’ sweet face comes with “enough muscle and sinew to endure a long day’s hunt” and “a well-built Harrier will cover the ground with a smooth, efficient gait.”

Long before Ariel came into his life, Milam grew up watching dog shows with his

grandmother.

“When I was 5, we would sit and play the dog shows on TV on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Milam recalled.

Watching a rerun of the 2008 Westminster Dog Show, just shy of 5 years old, he bet his grandmother, Margaret Taylor, $50 that the beagle, Uno, would win Best in Show, and sure enough, he won.

“After that, I went up to my mom and told her I was gonna do dog shows one day,” he recalled. “We had no connection to the dog show world, and we didn’t know anything about it, but she told me that if I saved my money and bought a show dog, she would help me achieve my goal.”

Since that fateful day, Milam has won a slew of ribbons. He has even inspired his younger siblings — Brianna, Grayson,

Annalee and Isabella — to follow in his footsteps. Everyone except Isabella, who just turned 8, is already competing in shows, but the youngest sister plans to hit the circuit next year. Their mom, Heather Lee Taylor, sells dog care products at the shows.

The kids’ fur children/ budding show dogs include another young Harrier, Max, plus an assortment of Afghan hounds, Welsh corgis, chow chows and Yorkshire terriers.

“I breed all kinds of dogs,” Milam emphasized. “I love doing this.”

Besides showing dogs, Milam enjoys comic books, tinkering with cars and go-karts. With the $5,000 scholarship money he has won, he plans to go to a university to study accounting but hasn’t decided yet on which school.

The 2022 AKC National Championship took place Dec. 17-18 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.

Eligibility to enter the event was based on the competitor’s

accomplishments in the show ring and in the classroom. Handlers had to have won five first-places in an Open Class with competition present. The wins had to have been earned between Sept. 22, 2021, and Sept. 21, 2022.

“A lot of politics plays into the judges’ picks sometimes, and I’m not one to have a lot of political connections in my court,” Milam said. “Just like I said before, I don’t come from this world. This is something that I decided when I was 5 years old that this is what I was going to do and I stuck to it, and I made it farther than I’d ever thought.”

Last month’s win in Orlando allows Milam to go on to the world’s largest dog show, Crufts Junior Handling 2023, March 9-12, to represent the U.S. in Birmingham, England, in the junior showmanship competition.

He also will compete in the Westminster Junior Showmanship on May 6. The premier all-breed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the second-longest, continuously held sporting event in the U.S. and, since 1948, is the longestrunning, nationally televised live dog show.

Marion Audubon Society Participates in the 123rd Christmas Bird Count

By Barbara Schwartz Secretary for Marion Audubon Society

As we have done for many years, Marion Audubon Society (MAS) has contributed to one of the most extensive avian research projects in the Americas. Organized by the National Audubon Society, of which we are a chapter, and taking place in the countries of the Western Hemisphere over a three-week period, teams of ornithologists, chapter members, and birders of all ages cover designated territories to see, hear and count the birds.

Our count took place on Dec. 17, 2022, in western Marion County. Ten teams with a total of 46 members, covered the 15-mile diameter of our defined Count Circle. The MAS Count Circle was established by a local member in 2006 and approved by the Christmas Bird Count organizers. The weather cooperated! Most teams started out at a chilly 7 a.m. and finished in the late afternoon in the warm sunshine.

Binoculars and cellphones and good hearing are the essential tools. With foliage, lighting and distance issues,

birding by ear is a critical skill. We use our cellphones with an app from the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology to help with sound ID. An instructional program on how to use “Merlin” is on our Marion Audubon Society YouTube channel. We also use the “eBird” app to record our findings. This is also from Cornell and the instructions are also on our YouTube channel. Both apps are free. Binoculars bring the birds in for a detailed view, making identification easier.

Our Count numbers this year are amazing: Total Birds Counted: 7,927. Total number of different bird species: 107.

Marion Audubon Society offers free guided nature walks and educational programs for our community. Find us on Facebook, on MeetUp and online at www.marionaudubon.org.

The Ocala Nature Club, created specifically for students, provides fun experiences and opportunities to explore local parks with an experienced guide. Volunteer service hours are also available for students.

We also have a Plants for Birds program which includes learning the value of native plants, adding them to local parks and to our yards.

Pied-billed Grebe and her chick during the Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 17, 2022 at the Rainbow River.

Marraffino,

Noah Milam, 18, won a major national dog show in Orlando last month and is going on to Crufts International and Westminster shows this spring.

This is the official win photo for AKC National Junior Showmanship invitational with Judge Linda Clark, Noah Milan and Ariel. [Robert J. Skibinski]

“When I was 5, we would sit and play the dog shows on TV on Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Noah Milan

FLORIDA: THE STATE OF SPORTS IN OUR STATE

The evolution of Florida and sports can best be defined by two parallel events in our state separated by exactly 60 years. The first was back on Oct. 26, 1906, when the Florida Gators played their first football game, a 9-0 victory over the Rollins Tars. Then on Sept. 2, 1966, the Miami Dolphins met and lost to the Oakland Raiders 23-14 in our first NFL game. Since then we’ve added two more pro football, two baseball, two NBA, two hockey and a pair of soccer teams, plus no fewer than 13 division one college squads -- second only to California in numbers of teams. Today we quiz you on the rapid emergence of sports in our state.

6. An alphabetical list of Florida-bred horses who have won the Kentucky Derby would include:

A. Alydar B. Affirmed C. Alsab

D. Aaron’s Son

7. Considered the most famous golf movie of all time, it was filmed in 1980 at Rolling Hills Golf Club in Fort Lauderdale. It is:

A. Legend of Bagger Vance B. Tin Cup C. The Tiger Woods Story D. Caddyshack

Florida State is named for this Seminole great who went on to manage the Yankees and notably stood up to George Steinbrenner. He is:

A. Billy Martin B. Joe Girardi

C. Yogi Berra D. Dick Howser

4. In the 1960 Daytona 500, this legendary driver discovered “drafting,” which changed NASCAR forever. He is: A. Junior Johnson B. Richard Petty C. A. J. Foyt D. Fireball Roberts

5. Jai Alai, once Florida’s top gambling sport, involves players using precision skills with a curved basket called a: A. Wicker B. Cesta C. Pelota D. Festa

8. This FSU Hall-of-Famer is the only Heisman Trophy winner to be a first round draft choice in the NBA. He is:

A. Chris Weineke B. Charlie Ward C. Jameis Winston D. Danny Kannell

9. The first night game ever at Florida Field was September 29, 1950, when the Gators took on the Bulldogs from:

A. The Citadel B. Furman C. Clemson D. Georgia

10. Former Orlando Magic basketball all pro Shaquille O’Neal is famous for his TV endorsements. Which of these does he NOT plug in TV ads?

A. Wheaties B. Epsom Copiers C. The General Insurance D. Papa John’s Pizza

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS community

JANUARY 8 (ALSO 15, 22 & 29)

Ocala Polo Club Winter Games

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala 1pm

Polo matches takes place every Sunday through March. Bring your chairs, blankets and snacks. Tents are available for rent. Decorate your tent/tailgate area and you might win a prize. Leashed dogs are welcome. For more information, visit ocalapolo.com

JANUARY 4-8 (ALSO 11-15, 18-22 & 25-29)

WEC Ocala Winter Spectacular Series

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

All day

This hunter/jumper show series includes pony, youth rider and adult amateur classes. Grand Prix classes take place on Saturday nights and offer spectacular competition in the world-class Grand Arena. Food and drink available onsite; parking fees vary per event. For more info, worldequestriancenter.com

JANUARY 6

First Friday Art Walk

Downtown Ocala Square, 1 SE Broadway St., Ocala 6pm-9pm

The event features art displays and live entertainment, including My Uncle’s Friend, Prestine Allen and Sean T. Music. Stores are open late for shopping. Food and drink are available at area eateries and vendors. Free to attend. For more info, ocalafl.org

JANUARY 6

Senior Learners Open House

College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Bldg. 20, Room 107, Ocala 1:30pm-3pm

This event will feature teachers with presentations about upcoming classes, such as Music Makes the Movie, Scammunition: Your Guide to Scam

Prevention and Watercolor in Nature. Refreshments will be served. For a full class schedule and more info, seniorlearners.org

JANUARY 6 & 13

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Governmental Campus Field, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am-2pm

Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, jerky, freeze-dried treats, olive oils, seafood and more; recurs every Friday.

JANUARY 6-8

Ocala Boat Show

World Equestrian Center, Expo Center 2, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 1pm-7pm

You can check out pontoons, cruisers, personal watercraft, tubing supplies, watersports accessories and more. Online tickets are $10 in advance; the fee is $12 at the gate; free for ages 12 and younger. Free parking. Food and drink options onsite. See worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

JANUARY 6 & 20

Master Gardener Plant Clinic

Belleview Public Library, 13145 SE Highway 484, Belleview 11am-2pm

Staffers from the Master Gardener program and UF/IFAS Extension Marion County will answer questions about how to care for houseplants, yards or gardens. Free to attend.

JANUARY 7

Market Day and Cruise-In

Homestead Park, 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 9am-1pm; Car show 3pm-6pm Start off the new year with a mix of vendor booths and foods at this new event. The afternoon will feature a cruise-in with music, raffles and activities. For more info, homesteadparks.com

government

JANUARY 9

City of Dunnellon City Council Meeting

City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm Meets the second Monday of the month; Dunnellon agendas, minutes and video available at Dunnellon.org/89/Agendas-Minutes

JANUARY 9

City of Ocala Planning & Zoning Meeting

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Avenue, Ocala 5:30pm

Meets the second Monday of the month; agendas, minutes and video available from ocala.legistar. com/Calendar.aspx

JANUARY 9

Marion County Development Review Committee

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala 9am

The first step for projects, the committee reviews and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans, and subdivision plans. Meets weekly on Mondays; agendas are usually posted the Friday prior. Agendas, minutes and video available at marionfl. legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JANUARY 10

City of Belleview Planning &

JANUARY 6 & 13

Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala

10am-12pm

Meets weekly on Fridays; new members welcome. Please bring your own chess set. For more info, Walt Lamp at (352) 854-9378.

Zoning Board

City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 530pm Meets the second Tuesday; Belleview agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl. org/200/Agendas-Minutes

JANUARY 17

City of Belleview City Commission Meeting

City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6pm-8pm

Meets the first and third Tuesdays; Belleview agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/Agendas-Minutes

JANUARY 17

City of Ocala City Council Meeting

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Avenue, Ocala 4pm Meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Agendas are usually posted the Thursday prior; agendas, minutes and video available from ocala.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JANUARY 18

Marion County Board of County Commissioners Meeting

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala

9am

Meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Agendas are usually posted the Thursday prior. Agendas, minutes and video available at marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JANUARY 6 & 13

Knights

Columbus Building at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, 1510 SE 3rd Ave., Ocala 12pm

Meets weekly on Fridays. Supports Camp Kiwanis, children’s literacy and Habitat for Humanity. More info at ocalakiwanis.org

JANUARY 7

Florida High School Rodeo

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala 5:30pm

This youth rodeo will include events such as goat tying, saddle broncs, tie down roping, bareback riding and team roping. $10 admission; free 10 and younger. For more info, fhsra.com

JANUARY 7 & 14

Ocala Farmers Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala 9am-2pm

Vendors offer fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, jewelry, baked goodies, and arts and crafts. Check out food trucks and the occasional guest entertainer. Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more info.

JANUARY 7 & 14

Farmers Swap Meet

Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala 9am-2pm

A true farmers swap meet where chickens, ducks, quail, goats, turkeys, rabbits and sometimes even ponies are available along with horse tack, home-grown plants, produce and hand-crafted items. Booth types vary with occasional meat vendors, food trucks and other goods. Saturdays, weather permitting.

JANUARY 7

First Saturdays Market in the Park Ernie Mills Park, 11899 Bostick St., Dunnellon 8am-2pm Vendors set up booths at the park and many stores offer Saturday Specials.

JANUARY 7

Meet the FIDO Project dogs Mojo’s, 4620 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 10:30am-2pm

arts

JANUARY 6-MARCH 31

Long Legs & Fragility by Cara Van Leuven City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Van Leuven paints horses full-time and uses her experience as a carriage driver for inspiration. Free to the public during business hours. For more info, see ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

JANUARY 6

Jeff Leeson Marion Theatre, 50 SE Magnolia Ave., Ocala 8pm The comedian bills himself as a human fireworks display so be ready for an improvisational show that creates a unique experience. Tickets are $20$35 at reillyartscenter.com/events/jeff-leeson

JANUARY 8

The Amazzing Steel Drums Countryside Presbyterian Church, 7768 SW Hwy 200, Ocala 3pm This drum orchestra features steel drums made by local artist and musician Tom Reynolds. The group aims to play the “happiest music on earth” and will have albums available for purchase. Free to attend; love offerings welcomed.

THROUGH JANUARY 8

A Dickens Christmas: The Urban Family’s Holiday Exhibition Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm This is the last chance this year to see the Urban family’s premiere collection of Christmas decorations and trees decorated by area community groups and businesses. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

JANUARY 11

VFW

4:30pm-6:30pm The post offers weekly dinners for about $5-$7 with a variable menu. The dining room is open to the public, meals are prepped by VFW Auxiliary volunteers and proceeds benefit veterans in Marion County. For the menu, call (352) 873-4781.

If you’re looking for a dog to adopt, come meet these dogs looking for a forever home. The Money Mutts will be available for a meet and greet as part of the Florida Inmates & Dog Obedience (FIDO) dogs that have been trained and are living at the Marion Correctional Institution. They know basic commands and often a few tricks. To learn more, animalservices.marionfl.org

JANUARY 10

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place Ribbon Cutting

1812 NW 21st Ave., Ocala

11am-noon

This new community center features senior, youth and family programs, event spaces, fitness equipment, an indoor walking track, two basketball courts and a library. It is named for longtime City Councilwoman Rich and community activist Ruth Reed. Learn more at ocalafl.org

JANUARY 12

Farmers Market

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala

9am-1pm Large selection of fresh seasonal produce from local growers as well as baked goods, plants, handmade soaps and more; recurs every Thursday. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

JANUARY 14-15

US Mounted Games

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala All day

Competition and games on horseback with obstacle courses, relay-style races requiring riders to pick up objects from the ground, pole weaving and picking up or dunking objects into buckets. For more info, flhorsepark.com

THROUGH JANUARY 9

Looking on the Brighter Side by Jennifer Weigel

Recreation and Parks Building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm

Weigel’s multi-media artwork includes drawings, fibers, installation, paint, video and more to explores themes of beauty, identity and memory. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

JANUARY 13

Stick it to Me!

NOMA Gallery, 939 N Magnolia Ave., Ocala 5:30-7:30pm

The Art Army and NOMA celebrate National Sticker Day with this hands-on art event. Create, share and use stickers to tell your story. Free; reservations requested at https://bit.ly/3jPZas8

THROUGH JANUARY 31

Colorful Pleasures by Christine Dozier

Ocala International Airport, 5770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala Hours vary per airport operations

Dozier exhibits a variety of work including landscapes, abstracts, still life and animal portraits. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH JUNE 9

Blessed Be the Birds Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri; 8am-5pm Courtney Kravig-McGuire is a local artist with a special interest in showing the connection between nature and spirituality in her works. Her medium of choice is printmaking. Visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

JANUARY 12

Ocala Lions Club

Ocala Golf Club, 3130 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 12pm

Meets weekly on Thursdays; newcomers welcome.

The club supports vision health and diabetes prevention. More info at e-clubhouse.org/sites/ ocalafl

The spirit of St. Francis is alive in Assisi

By Rick Steves

Charging through dark and quiet Assisi - a town stony with history - I was rushing back to my favorite restaurant for a good meal, hopefully before the kitchen closed.

At 10 p.m., the pink marble streets of Assisi shine, lonely under the lamps. It seemed the only ones out were Franciscan monks in their rough brown robes and rope belts. All over Europe I find monks hard to approach. But there’s something about “the jugglers of God,” as peasants have called the Franciscan friars for eight centuries, that this Lutheran finds wonderfully accessible. (Franciscans modeled themselves after French troubadours - or jongleurs - who roved the countryside singing and telling stories and jokes.)

Franciscan brothers remind me of really smart dorm kids in the University of God ... and tonight, it seemed, their studies were done for the evening.

It sounds perhaps silly, but with every visit to Assisi I’m struck by how the spirit of St. Francis still pervades his hometown. Around the year 1200, this simple friar countered the decadence of Church government and society in general with a powerful message of nonmaterialism and a “slow down and smell God’s roses” lifestyle.

Like Jesus, Francis taught by example, living without worldly goods and aiming to love all creation. A huge monastic order grew out of his teachings, which were gradually embraced (some would say co-opted) by the Roman Church. Christianity’s most popular saint and purest example of simplicity is now glorified in churches - known for their stark beauty. The ultimate among these is in Assisi - the magnificent Basilica of St. Francis.

The basilica is decorated from top

to bottom by precious frescoes by the leading artists of the 13th century. This church brought together the greatest Sienese (Lorenzetti and Simone Martini) and Florentine (Cimabue and Giotto) artists of the day. While the scenes may seem unremarkable today, in 1300 this was radical art - showing believable homespun vignettes, with landscapes, trees, and real people.

In Giotto’s painting of the Crucifixion - with eight sparrowlike angels - holy people are shown expressing emotion for the first time in art: One angel turns her head sadly at the sight of Jesus, and another scratches her hands down her cheeks, drawing blood. Mary, previously in control, has fainted in despair. The Franciscans, with their goal of bringing God to the people, found a natural partner in Europe’s first modern (and therefore naturalist) painter, Giotto.

All this great art stands atop a crypt housing the mortal remains of St. Francis himself. The church is the target of countless pilgrims and has been for centuries. Even today, it is enlivened by the faith of the people who come to remember Francis.

With the 5.5-magnitude earthquake in 1997, the church was seriously damaged. Everything’s back to normal now, except for a few blanklooking patches on the otherwisefrescoed walls and ceiling.

Francis’ message of love, simplicity, and sensitivity to the environment has a broad and timeless appeal. But every pilgrimage site inevitably gets commercialized, and Francis’ legacy is now Assisi’s basic industry. In summer, this Umbrian town bursts with flash-inthe-pan Francis fans and the city can be inundated with crass and noisy tour groups.

But if you know where to look, you can get away from that and follow in the sandal steps of the saint. Mementos of his days in

Assisi are everywhere - where he was baptized, a shirt he wore, a hill he prayed on, and a church where a vision changed his life.

In the Basilica of St. Francis along with the painted scenes from Francis’ life, you’ll find the actual document from the pope blessing Francis’s ministry (dating from 1223). And, of course, Francis’ body is interred in its crypt.

Francis met his female counterpart, Clare, in Assisi. She went on to establish the order of the Poor Clares. Her tomb and possessions are nearby at the Basilica of St. Clare.

In the Basilica of St. Clare hangs the wooden crucifix that changed Francis’ life. In 1206, an emaciated, soul-searching, stark-raving Francis knelt before this crucifix and asked for guidance. The crucifix spoke: “Go and rebuild my Church, which you can see has fallen into ruin.” And Francis followed the call.

That little fixer-upper church that Francis and his first followers tackled (the Porziuncola Chapel) is in the valley below Assisi. And the huge Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which was later built around it, reminds us that “rebuild my Church” was a much grander project than that physical remodel.

The vast majority of travelers blitzing Italy stop long enough in Assisi for a quick dash through the church and a shopping break. But those able to see past the glow-inthe-dark rosaries and bobble-head friars can actually have a “travel on purpose” experience in Assisi.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick’s favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

& &music nightlife

JANUARY 6 & 13

Courtyard Jams MCA Courtyard 23 W Broadway St., Ocala 6-9pm Music, dancing, drumming, poetry and limbo. Free; Friday nights weekly.

JANUARY 6

Brent Jackson Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm Live music, line dancing, food and drink.

JANUARY 6

Food Truck Friday with Grass Campers World Equestrian Center RV Park 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Beer and wine bar, games and entertainment.

JANUARY 6

Nate Mercado

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks and entertainment.

JANUARY 7

Justin Lee Partin Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 7

Uptown Music

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 11

Charity Cox

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 12

TJ Brown

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 13

DJ Nathan Cox Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 13

Tipsy Sparrows

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 14

Allison Asarch

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 14

Houston Keen Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

Assisi’s Basilica of St. Francis – colorfully

frescoed by Giotto – inspires tourists and pilgrims today.

[Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli/Rick Steves’ Europe]

THIS RECIPE IS LESS FUSSY AND MESSY THAN YOUR TYPICAL FRENCH TOAST RECIPE

By America’s Test Kitchen

ome say French toast gets its name from pain perdu, which is French for “lost bread” (since it’s a great recipe to help use up stale bread that otherwise might be “lost” or thrown away). But this custardy breakfast dish has been called all sorts of other names: everything from eggy bread to German toast to poor knights of Windsor! No matter what you call it, it’s one tasty breakfast.

We developed this recipe to work with a very specific kind of bread: supermarket pre-sliced white bread that measures 4 by 6 inches and is 3/4-inch thick. (The size of the slices is the key to soaking up the right amount of custard on the baking sheet.) If you want to use whole-grain sandwich bread, you will need a little more custard. The whole-grain breads are drier, so they absorb more of the custard.

To use whole-wheat, oatmeal, or multigrain sandwich bread instead of the white bread, use 4 eggs and increase the milk to 1 1/3 cups. Make sure the slices measure about 4 by 6 inches and are 3/4-inch thick to ensure that they soak up all the custard on the sheet before baking.

Sheet Pan French Toast Serves 4

Vegetable oil spray

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 8 slices hearty white sandwich bread

1. HEAT AND GREASE: Adjust 1 oven rack to the lowest position and second rack 5 to 6 inches from the broiler element. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet well with vegetable oil spray.

2. WHISK: In a large bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined and sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add milk and melted butter and whisk until combined.

3. POUR: Pour egg mixture into the greased baking sheet.

4. SOAK: Place bread slices in two rows on the baking sheet. Working quickly, flip each slice in the same order you placed them on the baking sheet. Let bread sit until slices absorb custard, about 1 minute.

5. BAKE: Bake on lower rack until bottoms of slices are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. BROIL: Transfer baking sheet to upper rack and heat broiler. Broil until the tops of the slices are golden brown, 1 to 4 minutes (watch carefully to prevent burning!).

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands -- which includes Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen Kids -- offers reliable recipes for cooks of all ages and skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

Does cancer increase my risk for a blood clot?

By Tucker Coston, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 48 and am being treated for metastatic breast cancer. Despite my diagnosis, I live a fairly normal life, am physically active and strive to optimize my health from a noncancer standpoint. An acquaintance who works in health care advised that I should watch closely for blood clots and be monitored. What is the risk of developing a blood clot, and how can I minimize my chances? How will I know if I have one?

ANSWER: Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is never easy, especially when you have so many potential things to worry about, including side effects from treatments. Discussion around the risk of blood clots often can be overshadowed in patients with cancer because many other issues take priority during office visits.

While blood clots can be dangerous, many strategies can minimize the risk. But it is important to discuss your individualized risk with your health care team.

Blood clotting is a complex, carefully regulated process in the body that prevents life-threatening bleeding when blood vessels are damaged. This becomes a problem when the clotting processes become imbalanced and form inappropriate clots within blood vessels. When this occurs in the vessels that carry blood back to the heart, it is referred to as a deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT. This type of clot is most common in the veins of the legs, but it can occur in any vein in the body.

Occasionally, a deep-vein thrombosis can break loose in the vein where it formed and travel to the vessels of the lungs. This is referred to as a pulmonary embolism, or PE. A pulmonary embolism carries the highest risk for severe illness or death.

Many processes can cause imbalance in the body’s blood clotting systems, increasing the risk for deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Among the most common risks is prolonged immobility -- often days to weeks of immobility such as during a hospital stay or after surgery. Additional risk factors include damage to the walls of the blood vessels. This is sometimes caused by a process called atherosclerosis due to diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking, as well as increased production of blood-clotting proteins.

Though some people may have high blood clotting proteins due to a genetic condition, this can occur because of infection, serious illness or other diseases. Cancer is one such condition that causes imbalance in the blood clotting system by increasing the clotting proteins in the blood. Therefore, cancer patients are at increased risk for deep-vein thromboses and pulmonary embolisms, with the degree of risk depending on cancer type and degree of spread in the body.

When a deep-vein thrombosis occurs, it presents most often as swelling of the affected limb with accompanying pain or pressure, redness, and prominence or tenderness of the veins. Occasionally, these symptoms are subtle. In some patients, they may be completely absent. When a deep-vein thrombosis travels and becomes a pulmonary embolism, this can present as shortness of breath, chest pain with breathing, cough or rapid heartbeat.

If you begin to experience any symptoms out of the ordinary, especially emergent issues, it is critical to be evaluated by a health care professional as soon as possible. Call 911 and use emergency services if necessary. It is important to be aware of the symptoms, but it’s equally important to realize that these symptoms are not exclusive to blood clotting issues.

The mainstay of blood clot prevention involves maintaining your health, which it sounds like you are already doing. Keep up your activities, as staying active promotes healthy flow through your veins. Also, maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy weight, in addition to avoiding cigarette smoke, promotes the health of the walls of your blood vessels.

If necessary, blood thinning medications, referred to as anticoagulants, also are available by prescription from a health care professional. Careful consideration about the risks and benefits of these medications is necessary, but they are sometimes appropriate to add to the other measures to prevent blood clots. These same anticoagulants are used -- sometimes at higher doses -- to treat blood clots if they occur.

I always advise patients to talk with their cancer specialist and primary health team to determine the individual risk of developing blood clots and formulate an individualized plan for blood clot prevention. It is also valuable to talk about managing noncancerous medical issues that may contribute to risk. -- Tucker Coston, M.D., Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida (Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

Vanguard loses to P.K. Yonge in Kingdom of Sun Tournament

Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com

The Vanguard Knights were coming off an emotional win against rival North Marion and had to face off with the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

P.K. Yonge came out firing from long range as Randall Robinson (11 points, three rebounds and three steals) hit a three-pointer and Anthony Delucas followed with a pair of three-pointers of his own to give the Blue Wave a 9-4 lead after three minutes.

The remainder of the first quarter was a back-and-forth battle as Jewmaris Jones (14 points, six rebounds and two assists), Cameron Powell (eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals) and Isaiah Bethea (four points, 11 rebounds) all scored for Vanguard in the final four minutes of the opening quarter.

P.K. Yonge got points from Isaiah Cooper (six points, three rebounds and two blocks), Elijah Harris and Moses Horne (team-high 20 points) to give their team a 15-10 lead.

Vanguard opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run aided by a three-pointer from Jemiah Gallion (team-high 16 points) and a pair of slick layups from Rickey Harrell (four points, three steals and two rebounds).

Horne would answer with a nice putback on a rebound to give P.K. Yonge the lead with five minutes left in the half. Horne’s basket kickstarted the P.K. Yonge offense as they scored 10 points over the final 4 minutes and change of the second quarter.

Scoring during the stretch for P.K. Yonge were Horne and Robinson, who both sank three-pointers from the left side. Vanguard somewhat kept pace as Jones hit five free throws over the final couple minutes before the half.

The balanced offensive attack for P.K. Yonge was evident from start to finish as seven different players scored. Head coach Boderick Johnson said that he expected this scoring by committee after having to replace two starters from last

year’s team.

“It’s fantastic, everybody has an opportunity to contribute, and other teams can’t key in on one player and shut us down.” Johnson said.

P.K. Yonge carried a six-point lead out of halftime and added to it with a nice 12-foot jumper from Caleb Warren and a layup from Horne to extend the lead to 10 within the first three minutes of the third quarter.

Vanguard trimmed the deficit down to seven after a nifty left-handed layup from Gallion but P.K Yonge answered with six unanswered points from Horne and Chancellor Wims to take a 39-26 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Things looked dire for Vanguard as P.K. Yonge stretched the lead to 15 in opening seconds of the fourth quarter but Vanguard put the pressure on thanks to a 11-foot jumper by Jones and a three from right corner by Gallion.

Powell would hit both of his free throws to trim P.K. Yonge’s lead to five with 4:27 left to go. As they did all night, P.K. Yonge would answer and stretched the lead back to 11 after a layup by Robinson and two made free throws from Horne.

Each time it seemed like Vanguard got on a run and could come back to take the lead, P.K. Yonge would step up and make big plays to bring momentum back to their side.

Gallion hit another three-pointer from the right corner but Horne was right there with another good-looking jumper from 13 feet away to keep the lead in the double digits. Vanguard would get the deficit back down to five on points from Jones, Gallion and Powell but Horne would seal the 53-46 win with a couple of free throws with 12 seconds left.

Johnson was pleased with the win and said the team would be ready for their semi-final match against Olympia on Thursday, Dec. 29.

“The team effort was there and we played with a purpose, we played more connected offensively and defensively. We going to do our best to game plan in preparation for tomorrow and see what happens.” Johnson said.

Vanguard head coach Todd Davis was optimistic in his post-game interview and gave credit to P.K. Yonge and how well they played in the pressure situations but felt his team could have played better.

“We were just flat tonight for some reason, tonight we just didn’t have it. It’s the Kingdom of the Sun and we shouldn’t be talking like that but that’s how it is.

Tomorrow, we got another game and we’ll come back out ready to go.” Davis said.

Davis added: “Tonight was one of those games we didn’t come with it and that starts with me. I have

to do a better job of getting them motivated to go out and execute.”

Vanguard still could finish fifth in the tournament and was set to play Covington Catholic (Kentucky) on Dec. 29.

in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. P.K. Yonge won the game 53-46. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Vanguard’s Cameron Powell (0) is hit in the head by P.K. Yonge’s Randall Robinson (1) as he looks for a shot on the basket.

Right: P.K. Yonge’s Caleb Warren (11) and Vanguard’s Isaiah Bethea (22) battle for a loose ball under the basket during a basketball game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Bobcat Classic

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL SCORES

Springstead

December 30

Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational

Trinity Catholic 32 Lake Minneola 45 Forest 38 Kathleen 64

Springstead Holiday Tournament Vanguard 36 Weeki Wachee 40

FL Prospects Christmas Invitational West Port 34 Timber Creek 37

December 31

FL Prospects Christmas Invitational West Port 61 Nova 29

Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational Trinity Catholic 35 David Crockett (Tennessee) 72

Trinity Catholic Defeats Buchholz 60-55

by the play of sophomore Jamison Cardwell who scored seven of her game-high 31 points, but Trinity Catholic answered as Delaney Baker scored four points and Gravel added a pair of put-backs to give the Celtics a 31-21 lead at the half.

The Bobcats came out strong in the third quarter as Taylor Booth scored eight of her 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers from the wing and Cardwell added seven to pull Buchholz within two points, but Trinity Catholic’s Leanna Pabst scored three points and Gravel added four to give the Celtics a tenuous 43-39 lead heading to the final eight minutes.

Buchholz refused to fold and Cardwell showed her versatility by scoring from behind the arc or in the paint, including a determined drive to the basket to knot the score at 52 with under two minutes to play.

By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

By Mark Pinson Special to the Gazette

Trinity Catholic center Rose Gravel scored a team-high 24 points and guard Heaven Sanders added 15 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer, as the Celtics eased past Buchholz by a score of 60-55 on Jan. 3.

The loss dropped Class 6A Buchholz (Gainesville) to 2-5 overall, while the win improved Class 3A Trinity Catholic, which committed 22 turnovers and saw a double-digit halftime lead disappear, to 9-6 on the season.

“We got after it a little aggressive early with a full-court press and everybody made plays,” said Celtics coach Matt Moyer. “We let Buchholz back in the game in the end, but then again what would a good game be without some adversity. There were four different stretches where we played two and half minutes throughout the game

and had no points and averaged two or three turnovers. That’s tough and we’ve got to improve.”

Being led by a pair of juniors in Gravel in the paint and Sanders at point guard, Trinity Catholic has a good offensive balance with an inside-outside game.

“Rose is just outstanding and growing into her role,” Moyer said. “She was the best player in the county last year and she’s the best player this year. Heaven is so athletic and would rather pass the ball than shoot, but she hit a couple of big shots tonight.”

Trinity Catholic got rolling early in the first quarter as a suffocating full-court press forced Buchholz into numerous turnovers which the Celtics turned into baskets. Gravel, who pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds, poured in nine points and Sanders added eight as Trinity Catholic jumped out to a 21-10 lead heading to the second period.

Buchholz made a run sparked

Trinity Catholic kept its composure and ran its offense before Sanders drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Buchholz failed to score on its next possession and Sanders was fouled on a drive to the basket. The junior, who had six assists and three steals, calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Celtics’ lead to 57-52 with less than a minute left in the game.

Booth drilled a 3-pointer from the left baseline to narrow the Bobcats deficit, but Gravel scored on a layup and swished a free throw to seal the victory for the Celtics.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Trinity Catholic, which competed in a tournament in Tampa over the Christmas break.

“Tampa was good for us because we got hit in the mouth pretty good,” coach Moyer said. “I didn’t want to go 25-0 this season, so we scheduled some good teams that will help us improve. We want to play tough competition so that we’re prepared for the postseason.”

Trinity Catholic is back on the hardwood on Jan. 5 with a road game at Dunnellon, while Buchholz is at P.K. Yonge on Jan. 4.

during a basketball game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.

North Marion’s Jerdarrius Jackson (0) is double-teamed by Vanguard’s Jewmari Jones (3) and Rickey Harrell (4) as he looks for a way to the basket during a basketball game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Photos

Trinity Catholic’s Rose Gravel (15) grabs a rebound away from Buchholz’ Jamison Cardwell (1) during a basketball game at Trinity Catholic High School on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

Trinity Catholic’s Alessa Washington (11) drives to the hoop past Buchholz’ Sam Moore (2).

Buchholz’ Kennedy Wyckoff (13) looks for a way to the basket as she is defended by Trinity

Catholic’s Heaven Sanders (3).