Ocala Gazette | January 20 - January 26, 2023

MCFR improves ISO rating

By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com

Marion County homeowners could be eligible for a reduction in their home insurance policy premium following a recent evaluation by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that resulted in the county’s fire department rating improving from a Class 3 to a Class 2.

Marion County Fire Rescue Chief James Banta told the Marion County Board of County Commissioners at their Dec. 22 meeting that the department’s ISO rating will move up a grade as of March 1. The rating system is on a scale of one to 10, with one being the highest rating.

“The latest score represents the significant effort that has been placed into improving our ISO over the last 10 years,’’ Banta said. “I’d like to thank the board for their support of our initiative to improve fire services for our community, and I also want to thank the employees of Marion County Fire Rescue who spent many hours to make this possible.”

The ISO is an independent company that serves insurance companies, communities, fire departments, insurance regulators and others by providing information about risk. It evaluates the capabilities of structure fire suppression of fire departments in the U.S. Fire departments are evaluated in areas such as response, equipment, training, water supply and staffing.

The ISO began its evaluation of MCFR in June 2022 and concluded later that month with an on-site inspection. Once the evaluation is completed, the ISO analyzes the data and gives a Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade.

A PPC grade depends on:

- Needed fire flows, which are representative building locations used to determine the theoretical amount of water necessary for fire suppression purposes.

- Emergency communications, including emergency reporting, telecommunicators and dispatching systems.

- Fire department, including equipment, staffing, training, geographic distribution of fire companies, operational considerations and community risk reduction.

- Water supply, including inspection and flow testing of hydrants, alternative water supply operations, and an evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the amount needed to suppress fires up to 3,500 gallons per minute.

So, how does their ISO rating affect a homeowner’s insurance premium?

In a written statement, Alex Shubert, manager of the National Processing Center, explained, “ISO’s (PPC) program plays an important

Building on Ocala’s past for a better tomorrow

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

In Ocala’s historic district, you’ll find a majestic, 6,000-plussquare-foot home, originally built in 1908. Once

dilapidated, the stately home has come to life again with the pitter-patter of little feet scuttling across a bamboofinished hardwood floor.

Echoes of laughter bounce off towering walls painted white, highlighted by tall

windows that replaced old doors. The west-facing windows let in beams of golden afternoon light. The parents of little Bennett and Collins happen to be Bryan Caracciolo, president and

general contractor at BWC Construction, and his wife, Corin Caracciolo.

The couple purchased and renovated the Anderson House on Fort King Street

Neighborhood Storage sale to Public Storage

maintain a presence in town, having retained one property from its portfolio at 1521 NE Eighth Ave.

The sale to Public Storage marks an important milestone in Neighborhood Storage’s successful business journey.

Started in 1978 by Todd’s parents John and Shirley Rudnianyn along with business partner and friend Walter Berman, Neighborhood Storage grew into a thriving enterprise and the largest self-storage provider in the region with multiple locations throughout Ocala/Marion County.

transaction was something that was a little bit different than what we had discussed or seen in the past and from a multitude of levels.

“Neighborhood Storage is a remotely managed company,” he continued. “So, all the locations were satellite sites, which means there were no full-time in-person customer service managers. Most facilities had self service kiosks and customers also utilized our website and over the phone customer service.”

By Michael Compton Correspondent

Todd

26 Neighborhood Storage facilities to Public Storage, the largest self-storage provider in the United States, for an undisclosed price.

The transaction—finalized on Dec. 13, 2022—includes two additional properties currently under construction. Neighborhood Storage will

“It was an extremely difficult decision to make,” Rudnianyn shared. “Over the past several years we’ve been approached hundreds of times. We received a lot of calls and always did our due diligence. Most of the time our answer was, ‘We have more work to do here.’ Obviously, we are very pro-Ocala and we’re from Ocala, but the opportunity to sell to Public Storage in this

“When we sat down and had a conversation with Public Storage, the marriage of their technological and management expertise combined with the things we had implemented worked well, and our leadership team is now the team at those sites today. Our guys are still out there, and our operational supervisors are there. It is cool that you can add this layer of their (Public Storage) nationwide

Rudnianyn, a well-known and respected businessman in the community and an Ocala/ Marion County native, has announced the sale of

presence

Todd Rudnianyn poses outside of his last remaining Neighborhood Storage Center named

Neighborhood Workspace on Northeast 8th Avenue in Ocala on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Top: Bryan Carraciolo of BWC Construction poses outside his home which was completely remodeled in 2020 on East Fort King Street in Ocala on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. The

1908 home is known as The Anderson House and is on the HOPS tour in Ocala. Bottom; Left: The original staircase and front door framing. Center: Bryan Carraciolo of BWC

Construction describes the original chimney upstairs in his home. Right: An original fireplace is shown. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Contractor Bryan Caracciolo has established a reputation for renovating local landmarks and preserving their character while rebranding them with popular appeal. His latest venture is a barbecue mainstay on Silver Springs Boulevard.

ISO rating improves

Continued from page A1

role in the underwriting process at insurance companies. In fact, most U.S. insurers--including the largest ones--use PPC information as part of

their decision-making when deciding what business to write, coverages to offer or prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance.”

Banta encouraged county residents to contact their insurance

companies after March 1 to inquire about potential reductions in premiums. The Gazette reached out to multiple local offices of State Farm, Allstate and Farmers Insurance, but they all declined to comment on the topic.

Based on the ISO evaluation, MCFR will now be rated in the top 5% of over 40,000 fire departments in America. According to Banta, about 1,700 departments in the U.S. receive a Class 2 rating and less than 400 receive a Class 1 rating.

Banta told the commissioners the improvement at MCFR has taken hard work and patience. The department went through its first ISO evaluation as one unit in 2011 and received a rating of a Class 4/4Y. Shortly after Hurricane Irma in 2017, the county was rated at a Class 3/3Y.

“I want to give a special thanks to (MCFR) Fire Marshal Ken McCann,’’ Banta said. “He has borne a lot of the weight in getting us to where we are.”

Investing in Ocala

Continued from page A1

and SE Sanchez Avenue which, over its centuryplus lifespan, had been relegated to a shabby apartment building with haphazard additions despite its historical roots.

Speaking of roots, a 12-foot-tall tree had sprung through the living room floor, surprising Caracciolo in the fall of 2019 as he entered the home for the first time. He eventually bought the dwelling in late 2019 and transformed it into an elegant single-family house again during the pandemic lockdown in 2020.

The Caracciolos added clever touches such as repurposing backsplash for the foyer floor to protect the pristine new wooden floors and a hip spherical ceiling lamp. Throughout the home—which boasts four porches, seven fireplaces and bathrooms, and six bedrooms--the decor retains the home’s original classic grandeur with a contemporary, chic twist.

The house first belonged to Rebecca Anderson, the widow of local druggist William Anderson. Both had moved to Ocala from Delaware. Coincidentally, Corin Caracciolo, who has a degree in microbiology, works in the pharmaceutical industry.

While off work during the height of COVID-19, Corin Caracciolo conceptualized the interior design. She opted to retain the warm exposed brick of the fireplace on the kitchen wall, while adding gold fixtures and accents and an elegant wrought-iron banister on the hardwood and white staircase.

The couple bought the house for less than $200,000 in late 2019; it’s now worth almost $700,000.

From the roots up …

The Anderson house wasn’t Caracciolo’s first renovation, and it definitely isn’t his last.

Caracciolo, a member of the board at the Historic Ocala Preservation Society (HOPS), which operates in a historic home next-door, founded BWC Construction in 2013 following in the footsteps of his father,

who still works with him, and grandfather originally from Sicily.

He was born and raised in Ocala and attended Forest High School. He and Corin weren’t high school sweethearts per se, but while they were in high school, they met at a mutual friend’s party.

After graduating from Forest, he moved to Orlando and attended the University of Central Florida and became inspired by the city’s thriving restaurant scene.

“I learned a lot about entertainment and hospitality and all that kind of stuff while there,” he said. “So, after doing that and being part of that, I kind like, ‘Wow, Ocala is really missing that factor.’ ”

Along with a slew of residential and business projects across North Central Florida, Caracciolo focused his efforts on building and opening establishments that will rejuvenate “the small town” of his childhood.

“I actually always wanted to be an architect, so I went to school for architecture and engineering,” he said. “But the path I chose worked out better. I changed my focus to construction and business management. It kind of made more sense to me because I can basically design still, but I like to do the work and be the builder at the same time.”

Both a modern sensibility and respect for tradition reflect in Caracciolo’s demeanor. The no-nonsense entrepreneur disarms you with an earthy friendliness complemented by an aspirational, community-building approach to his projects.

Those enterprises include The Lodge Brick City Craft Pub & Eatery at 36 S. Magnolia Ave., which he opened in 2018, located a block from the Cantina Tex-Mex & Tequila Bar at 35 SE First Ave., which he opened in 2021. Both are part of his Brick City Hospitality Group.

The Lodge occupies an ornate First National Bank building originally established in 1886 after the fire that inspired a more solid reconstruction and Ocala’s nickname as “the Brick City.”

Outside, the elaborate wall accents retain the

bank’s former grandeur while inside, the homey feel of a hunters’ den mixes with the high-tech, fermented requisites of a sports bar. Its limited menu includes late-night options.

In his stylish Cantina Tex-Mex, which opened in 2021, a sleek steakhouse vibe combines with a Mexican street market ambiance, highlighted by night sky-inspired ceiling fixtures and Day of the Dead/Mexican folkloreinspired artwork and decor. Local photographer Dave Miller called attention to Andres Garcia’s “gorgeous” two-story painting at the Cantina on Facebook, praising it as a work that looks like something pulled straight out of Tulum.”

One of BWC’s latest projects includes a new Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant and upscale townhomes, both in downtown Ocala, and a new multi-use structure in downtown Leesburg, which they just broke ground on in recent weeks.

“We have apartments above, and we’re going to have a — it’s not even announced yet — but there’s going to be a restaurant bar and another concept, as well, downstairs,” he said.

The Leesburg building

at 15 W. Main St. was constructed in 1912.

“We also just bought Fat Boys Barbecue [on Silver Springs Blvd.],” Caracciolo shared. “They had shut down and they were going to go out of business, and they had awful inspections. They just didn’t keep up with the place, but we looked at it and recognized a huge opportunity there. It had been open for 50 years.”

According to Caracciolo, the previous owners “kept adding wood over wood” during the past 20 years, and he and his team have stripped it all back to the original stucco.

A bug problem had festered between the planks of all the overladen panels.

“They created a barrier for the bugs to get in between. So, we got rid of all that stuff. It’s going to be brought back to its original adobe Southwestern build that you’d picture when it opened in 1970. And we’ll be adding a modern twist, kind of similar to this,” Caracciolo said, gesturing to his rehabbed home.

During the HOPS holiday tour, some 600 people walked through the Caracciolo house.

“They were amazed,” he effused. “They said they hadn’t seen anything like it.”

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Marion County Fire Rescue training. [Photo courtesy of James Lucas/MCFR]

The Lodge a restaurant/bar located on downtown Ocala Square. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

Two story mural at Catina Tex-Mex, a restaurant located in downtown Ocala. [Supplied]

Local doctor enters crowded Florida House District 24 race

election, declared by Gov. Ron DeSantis, will take place on March 7. A general special election will take place on May 16 if needed.

Pyles said his experience would be an asset in Tallahassee.

“I’ve been around for a while and seen a lot of things,” he said. “We need more doctors in our Legislature.”

Pyles expressed a desire to further the legislation to make it more restrictive.

Special election update

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

unnecessary.

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

After announcing his candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives District 24 seat, Dr. Stephen Pyles said he wants to “put a doctor in the House.”

Pyles is a longtime Marion County resident who specializes in pain management at the Pain Treatment Centers in Ocala. He is one of several candidates running in a special election for the vacant House seat.

The seat was vacated after Ocala Republican Joe Harding resigned on Dec. 8 after being indicted by a federal grand jury on several counts of fraud based on illegally obtaining pandemicbased loans.

The primary special

In addition to nearly his nearly 40 years as a practicing physician, Pyles also served on the medical board for the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. If elected, he expressed his intent to advocate for the rights of senior citizens.

“When it’s time for signing up for Medicare again every year, we’re just inundated… with telephone calls, texts or emails,” he said. “A lot of seniors have trouble navigating those waters.”

Pyles additionally spoke in favor of the Parental Rights in Education Act, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay’’ bill that Harding sponsored last year. The law bans discussions of LGBTQ+ topics from Pre-K through third grade or in a manner that is not “age-appropriate” in higher grades and requires parental notification if there is a “change in the student’s services.”

“I don’t care whether they’re gay couples or nongay couples, I don’t think any of us that are in adult relationships feel the need to teach [sex to] children,” he said. “There’s more important things we can teach them at that stage in their life than things related to sex.”

A resident of Ocala since 1986, Pyles said he feels that he is most familiar with the area and that his views best align with those who live here.

“I think my educational background and experience is going to help me here,” he said. “There are other good candidates, but I think I rightfully deserve to be in the race.”

Pyles will face Fox and fellow Republicans Justin Albright, Ryan Chamberlin, Jose Juarez and Charlie Stone in the March 7 primary. Due to Republican Robert “Foxy” Fox choosing to enter the race as a writein candidate, the primary election will be open only to Republican voters.

No Democrat is running in the special election.

The general election will be open to all voters to chose either the winner of the primary or write-in the candidate’s name.

MCPS bolsters summer school with relief funds

By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com

The Marion County school district this year will receive a grant of $8.7 million, the final infusion of federal relief funds tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials intend to use the money for a comprehensive six-week K-12 summer school program this year.

The money comes from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, (ESSER), which was created in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The goal was to provide assistance to state and local education agencies, according to the Florida Department of Education. More funding came in December 2020 and March 2021 through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The funding continued into 2022 and will terminate in September.

Summer school 2023 will focus on core academic subjects including literacy, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to the district. All students will have access to the summer school program and half of the elementary schools will be serving as host sites.

Marion County School Board ViceChair Nancy Thrower explained the significance of the funding.

“All of these ESSER funds have provided an incredible amount of money, it’s big support to help our kids,’’ she said. “The summer program has been so wellreceived by everybody. The teachers who taught in the last couple summers have seemed to enjoy it.

“The kids have certainly benefitted from it, and I have heard nothing but great feedback from families,’’ Thrower said. “I get the feeling we are going to be missing this eight million, 744 thousand, 836 dollars going forward.”

With the ESSER funding going away, the school board and other district leaders will have to find new ways to keep the program going.

“As a board, we’re going to need to be mindful of what we can do to continue to provide high-quality summer

programming,” Thrower said.

Board chair Allison Campbell echoed that sentiment, adding, “I’m excited for what the team is putting together.”

The project plans state that summer school 2023 will include a variety of instructional models including whole group, small group and one-on-one targeted instruction. Resources will be secured to offer hands-on, highly engaging learning opportunities specific to each subject and grade level.

The financial breakdown was included in the application:

Salaries for other certified personnel such as site coordinators, content area specialists and school counselors will total $372,523.

The 470 classroom teachers for K-12 summer school programs will cost $2.1 million.

Plans call for hiring 127 paraprofessionals and 32 ESOL paraprofessionals, for a total of $357,655.

The 25 ESE self-contained teachers, 45 ESE support facilitators and 6 ESE VPK teachers will cost $345,265.

Other materials and supplies such as STEM labs/Makerspaces, Do the Math Workspaces, Learn it by Art Integration Math kits, B.E.S.T Book sets, STEMscopes Hands on Kits and the remaining supplies will add up to $1.2 million.

“When the money runs out, we just have to be mindful of what that looks like in 2024 and beyond,” Campbell said.

The special election for the Florida House District 24 House seat could cost taxpayers up to $500,000 according to Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox. “That number could be cut in half if the winner is decided in the primary,” he said.

According to Wilcox’s interpretation of state laws, had only Republicans filed to run for the seat, the special election on March 7 would have been a universal primary open to all voters in the district and there would be no need for a general election.

However, when registered Republican Robert “Foxy” Fox filed as a write-in candidate, it triggered a general election for May 16, and closed the primary to only Republican voters.

No Democrats filed to run to represent District 24, which is comprised of part of Marion County and includes Ocala. The general election will be open to all registered voters to choose either the winner of the primary or the write-in the candidate.

There was speculation that Fox filed with intent to close the election to Republicans only and eventually withdraw after the primary. He refuted that notion, saying he wanted to serve Marion County residents.

If Fox withdraws, it will cut the cost of the special election in half making the general election

Wilcox indicated that his office will be requesting a budget amendment to cover the cost of the special election from the Marion County Board of County Commissioners who, in turn, will seek reimbursement from the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Dec. 19 declaring a special election to fill the Florida House District 24 seat vacated by Ocala Republican Joe Harding, who resigned his seat after being indicted by a federal grand jury on several fraud charges.

Harding, 35, resigned the seat on Dec. 8, one day after he was indicted for using two defunct businesses to apply for COVID-19 relief under Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial initially scheduled for Jan. 11 has been rescheduled for May 10, in Gainesville.

Five Republican candidates have entered the race for the House seat: Charlie Stone, Stephen Pyles, Jose Juarez, Ryan Chamberlain and Justin Albright.

The general election will be open to all registered voters in the district to choose either the winner of the primary or write-in Fox’s name on the May 16 general election ballot.

If a general election is necessary, this year’s 60-day legislative session in Tallahassee will open on March 7 without a representative for District 24.

MCPS board talks policy about raises

agreement (that employee) shall forfeit any retroactive pay or other benefit provided in such new and/or revised collective bargaining agreement,” she said.

Morant said since there is no relevant policy or procedure for nonunion employees, the district follows the policy that applies to unionrepresented employees.

School board Vice-Chair Nancy Thrower suggested it is time to put this practice in writing.

“I feel like something has been pointed out that we need to think about addressing and having policy for,” she said.

By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com

Marion County School Board member Eric Cummings asked a question during the board’s meeting Tuesday night, the answer to which is expected to lead to a new district policy and procedure.

Recently, a new pay raise was agreed to for non-represented/non-union employees of the Marion County Public School system that will be retroactive to July 1, 2022. After further research, Cummings discovered some issues with the process for former employees that fall into the non-union/non-represented category.

Cummings asked what happens to nonunion employees who worked at the district between July 1, 2022 and Jan. 1, 2023 but are no longer employed with the district? Why won’t those who are not employed with the district anymore get retroactive pay from the raise that was approved?

“I asked some questions and received interesting information during my inquiry,’’ he said. “There is a group that will not be retroacted, and I don’t know if that is an intended consequence of the district or an unintended consequence.

“When I did further inquiry about a policy for this, I discovered there is no policy. I asked if there is a procedure, and there is no procedure,” he continued, adding, “I’m looking out for our staff who worked in good faith and did the job.”

Wantanisha Morant, executive director of Human Resources for Marion County Public Schools, explained how the district handles this situation.

“In our (union) contracts, there is language that is almost identical. It says when an employee has separated employment from the district prior to the date of school board approval of a new and/or revised collective bargaining

Cummings said his concern is for the future and making sure he can answer an employee who asks about it as well as avoiding legal problems for the school board or the district.

“My reason for bringing this forward is that I didn’t like the answers I was getting and that there is no policy or procedure and that we just do this as a practice,’’ he said. “I understand the ‘as a practice,’ but people get sued because of stuff people do as a practice. We need to put a policy or procedure in place so when a person calls we can say we are dictated by a policy or procedure instead of saying there is a procedure when there isn’t.”

Board chair Allison Campbell said the discussion shed light on larger concerns for employees who are not members of a union.

“It seems that there is a greater policy conversation and not just the retroactive piece,’’ she said. “I appreciate the dialogue in bringing up and it speaks to greater policy in general for a whole group of people.”

Superintendent Diane Gullett said her team will look at the various issues.

“I would consult with our labor law attorney and experts because the notion of employment classes comes to my mind. We have a very broad, non-represented group where in some categories (they) are closely resembling other employees who are represented,” Gullett said.

Thrower and Cummings reiterated that they want all district employees, whether represented by a union or not, to be treated equally and fairly.

“I just want it to be fair across the board,’’ Thrower said. “In this case, it doesn’t help our non-represented employees at this moment, but it doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. So, I’m comfortable with moving it toward procedure with the intention that we’re going to get this worked out and have clarity.”

File photo: Eric Cummings, the chair, during the Marion County School Board workshop in Ocala on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Ocala’s Perry family honored

The unveiling of the new Mermaid Tale Trail public art project paid tribute to Newt Perry, a local swimming legend and founder of the Weeki Wachee attraction in 1947.

known as Florida’s Adventure Coast. Weeki Wachee, with its unique underwater theater and mermaids entertaining guests using the air hose technology and underwater breathing chambers he invented, was opened by Ocala’s own Newt Perry in the fall of 1947. In honor of its 75th anniversary, the Mermaid Tale Trail was to have been unveiled last October but was delayed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The unveiling took place Jan. 12 and Delee Perry, Newt Perry’s daughter and owner of Perry’s Swim School in Ocala, with her daughter, Natasha Singleton, and other family members, were in attendance.

Along with the unveiling of the mermaid statues, the ceremony included the dedication of a plaque recognizing the park’s signature “Adagio” statue and the park itself as National Historic Landmarks. Dianne Wyatt McDonald, 92, one of the first mermaids to perform on opening day in 1947, and co-creator of the Adagio pose, was at the dedication.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

One of the most iconic, and beloved, endeavors in the Horse Capital of the World has been the “Horse Fever” public art project, with more than 100 brightly painted fullsize fiberglass horses on pedestals all over the city and county. Over two decades, the project has raised more than $1.5 million for local charities and led to the founding of the Marion Cultural Alliance.

Similar public art projects include “Turtles About Town” in Galveston, Texas,

with 50 sea turtle statues, and Sea Cows for Kids/Big Cats for Kids in Jacksonville, with 43 manatees and 53 jaguars as a nod to the city’s NFL team.

Now, in nearby Hernando County, home of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and its world-famous performing mermaids, there is the Mermaid Tale Trail, with 27 painted statues of life-size mermaids.

The original statue was hand-sculpted, and her face was cast from that of a Weeki Wachee mermaid. Each statue was hand-painted by a juried artist, creating a one-of-a-kind work of art. The statues can be found on a trail throughout that area,

“It was perfect; the best day I’ve ever had at Weeki Wachee. I was treated like a celebrity,” Delee Perry said. “The mermaids are kind of like the horses all around Ocala. When John (John Athanason, a longtime communications director at Weeki Wachee, now with the Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau) first told me about this a while back, I thought it was a great idea. It took a long time, but the universe finally came together. It’s really incredible.”

Newt Perry, who passed away in 1987, was known as a shrewd and successful promoter. When asked how he might have felt about the mermaid public art project, Delee replied: “He would have been pleased to no end.”

“We’re delighted to unveil our newest trail of public art while celebrating the 75th anniversary of Weeki Wachee Springs, one of Florida’s original and most iconic attractions, and the inspiration for The Mermaid Tale Trail,” said Tammy Heon, Manager of Tourism for Florida’s Adventures Coast Visitors Bureau.

The Mermaid Tale Trail project is a collaboration of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council, Brooksville Main Street, the artists and Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau. The trail is throughout all of Hernando County, including in Brooksville, Hernando Beach and Spring Hill.

To find the mermaids, visit floridasadventurecoast.com/mermaidtale-trail or pick up a map at the Brooksville Welcome Center at 205 E. Ft. Dade Ave.

To learn more about the state park and the mermaid performances in the Newt Perry Underwater Theatre, go to weekiwachee.com.

Neighborhood Storage sale

Continued from page A1

and their management platform to what we put into place and make it hum, and that was intriguing. It allowed us to find a good steward for the portfolio that we built over the last four decades.”

As Marion County grew, so did Neighborhood Storage. Rudnianyn joined the company in 2005, after completing his studies at the University of Pennsylvania—he also attended Harvard Business School while on a work hiatus— and started his career in investment banking with Lehman Brothers.

With an eye toward innovation and customer service, Rudnianyn saw an opportunity for Neighborhood Storage to expand beyond the five locations in the portfolio when he came aboard. Having learned the ropes of entrepreneurship from his parents and Berman, he applied his business acumen to the already successful company and turned his vision for expansion into reality.

“After college, I went to work in banking initially, and got a little bit of an education in the self-storage industry because we did the underwriting for a significant transaction at that time,” he said. “I thought that it was an amazing business. When I worked on that project, I thought that maybe there was an opportunity here. I came home, and Walter and my parents afforded me the opportunity to slowly take the reins.

“There was definitely a learning curve in transition,” he continued, “but since that time we grew to 27 facilities of which

Public Storage has now acquired 26 of them with 28 and 29 currently under construction and under contract to be acquired at the time of completion.”

Determined to expand and meet a growing demand for high-quality and convenient storage solutions for individuals, families, and businesses, Neighborhood Storage invested in stateof-the-art facilities, advanced technology, and professional staff. As a result, Neighborhood Storage became a trusted partner for many people in the Ocala/ Marion County community.

Looking back, Rudnianyn is proud of what he helped build in concert with his family and Berman, and he is grateful for all the employees who contributed to the success of the company. He has witnessed many changes in the local business community over the years as well, and he is thankful to all the customers, partners, and employees who supported the business and mentored him along the way.

“Ocala is a great community to grow a business,” Rudnianyn said. “You go to any (Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership) events and listen to (CEO and president) Kevin Sheilley, and you see the amount of growth that we have going on here, and it is just phenomenal. We’re fortunate to be in Ocala/Marion County. (The business community) is a tight-knit environment which is great. What has been added has been a level of sophistication and third-party technical expertise. A CEP or a local vendor can help with IT and all of those types of things within the community. That

increased level of sophistication while still maintaining the local Ocala feel gives you the best of both worlds.

“I am fortunate to be surrounded by partners that really created a foundation and a platform for that growth,” he continued. “Regardless of whether it was operations or maintenance, or accounting, as we grew it was a very familial, boots-onthe-ground, work-hard type of environment that I was fortunate to be involved with. The guidance of Walter and my parents as we navigated our growth was instrumental as well. Honestly, a lot of things came together and there are a lot of people that I am grateful for, including the community at large which has been really supportive of our business over the past 40 years.”

In commenting on the sale, Mike McGowan, Public Storage’s senior vice president of acquisitions, said of the 28 properties with 1.2 million net rentable square feet, “We are excited to acquire another quality portfolio in a high-growth market from an innovative team. We have implemented Public Storage’s digital and broader operational advantages, while also mutually sharing best practices with the Neighborhood Storage team throughout the process. We thank Todd and the team for their integrity and partnership.”

Despite the transfer of ownership, Rudnianyn is confident in a seamless transition, and he expects the local facilities to continue to thrive under the Public Storage banner.

“The relationship that we had with Public Storage through the transaction and continue to have now is great,” he

noted. “They were great to work with, and when you are selling something within your community, you have to take a lot of things into consideration.”

While it remains to be seen what new opportunities are ahead for Rudnianyn, multiple limited liability corporations controlled by the Rudnianyn family have recently paid $37.55 million for 12,712 acres in northeast Marion County. The land, located on the west side of County Road 315, north of Anthony/Burbank Road and south of County Road 316, was bought from Sleepy Creek Lands LLC, a Canadian-based company associated with Frank Stronach’s family. Reportedly, the vast acreage will be a multi-use agricultural operation called Fort McCoy Forest.

For now, though, Rudnianyn is still operating Neighborhood Storage’s unique Eight Avenue location and pondering his next moves.

“It’s a really cool spot,” he said, “and it didn’t fit into their (Public Storage) operating platforms, really. A large portion of it is workspaces, which allows for small businesses to have incubator spaces, art studios, and things like that which aren’t typical for a pure self-storage facility. We’ve really enjoyed having it and having the opportunity to work with some of the small businesses and artists in Ocala.

As for what’s next, he said, “The idea of having a minute to take a breather and figure that out is appealing. We’ll see. I will stay around the realm of real estate and urban planning and in Ocala in general. I’m excited to see what’s next.”

These are some of the new statues featured in the Mermaid Tale Trail. [Photo courtesy of Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau]

Family members attending the unveiling included, front, from left, Delee Perry, Tasha Perry Singleton and Gracee Singleton; back, from left, Carlene Jarrard Toomey, Ken Toomey, Leslie Coggins, Susie Waddington Cathy Coggins, Billy Waddington and Les Coggins. [Photo courtesy of Tasha Perry Singleton]

One of the statues in the Mermaid Tale Trail. [Photo courtesy of Tasha Perry Singleton]

Spruce Creek residents prepare “Blessing bags”

By Andy Filmore Correspondent

bout 50 Del Webb Spruce

Creek Preserve residents gathered on Thursday to stuff bags with donated toiletries and food for people in need in Dunnellon.

“These are called Blessing Bags,” said Rosemary Werner, the primary organizer of the effort that involved members of the 55-plus gated community.

Volunteers met at the development’s Community Center to fill reusable cloth bags with hygiene items and nonperishable food donated by the residents of the 675-household community located southwest of Ocala on State Road 200.

The filled bags will be delivered to homeless outreaches in nearby Dunnellon including St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Seventhday Adventist Church and the Annie W. Johnson Service Center, Inc. Homelessness is a significant problem in the area. According to Kevin Chris Christian, director of public relations for Marion County Public Schools, there are 945 students in the district who are identified as homeless, 40 of whom are enrolled in Dunnellon-area schools.In our area, he said, that typically includes students living in hotels/motels, tents, trailers or living with others.

Christine Avina, executive director of the not-for-profit Annie W. Johnson Service Center on West Pennsylvania Avenue, visited Thursday’s work session and spoke to the volunteers.

“I told them to applaud themselves,” she said.

Avina, who has been with the center for 23 years, said the outreach helps from 15 to 25 households, with members of “all ages,”on the center’s open days, with an uptick usually during the holidays.

Avina said the work of the center would not be possible without the support of the community like the Spruce Creek Preserve residents “who should be commended.”

Local businesses including Publix Supermarkets, KFC, Pizza Hut and Hardee’s restaurants also support the center, she said.

“(All contributors) are aiding our mission of helping people and loving each other,” Avina said.

Natasha Tourk, Spruce Creek Community Coordinator, praised the work of the volunteers.

“It was an amazing turnout,” she said.

Volunteers Kathy Weigel and Susan Zumbahlen displayed the two types of bags: the adult bag, stuffed with a washcloth, hat, socks, shampoo, toilet tissue, deodorant, toothpaste, water, comb, peanut butter; and the baby bag, which contained lotion, diapers, socks, toothpaste, juice and wet wipes.

Zumbahlen has been posting about the Blessing Bag program on Facebook for some time. The volunteers made quick work of filling 75 adult and 25 baby bags.

Jeffrey James and Roger Jimmo of the Spruce Creek staff helped handle the accumulated donations during the session.

Kim Rowles, an administrative assistant with the development, said the Blessing Bags program was the first resident program of its type she was aware of.

“This is wonderful,” she said.

Meanwhile, Werner said a woman who received a Blessing Bag when they were delivered to an outreach was “thrilled” and asked if she could “keep the bag.”

Werner commented the bags could be used as pillowcases.

Werner thanked the residents for their contributions and stuffing the bags. She also cited the contribution of materials from the Dunellon Community Thrift Shop on County Road 484 to make the cloth bags.

Werner hopes the Blessing Bags program will become a model for the area.

“We’d like to see the other gated communities (in Marion County) get involved,” said.

Spruce Creek Preserve residents Kathy Weigel, left, and Susan Zumbahlen display the adult and baby Blessing Bagsdurable cloth bags filled with non perishable food, wearables and hygiene items- to be delivered to Dunnellon area outreaches. The two volunteers displayed the contents of the bags at a work session on Jan. 12, 2023 at Spruce Creek Preserve Community Center. [Andy Filmore]

Spruce Creek Preserve residents Kathy Weigel, left, and Susan Zumbahlen display the adult and baby Blessing Bags-

durable cloth bags filled with non perishable food, wearables and hygiene items- to be delivered to Dunnellon area outreaches. The two volunteers displayed the contents of the bags at a work session on Jan. 12, 2023 at Spruce Creek

Preserve Community Center. [Andy Filmore]

It Stinks! Part Two

By Belea T. Keeney belea@magnoliamediaco.com

D.R. Horton, the developer who a number of Marion County homeowners say duped them into buying new homes and lots adjacent to a 1990’s-era sewage treatment plant, is facing similar complaints and lawsuits from Louisiana to Largo.

A lawsuit by a Louisiana family against Horton, which markets itself as “America’s Homebuilder,’’ is expected to grow into a class-action suit after the family’s lawyers claimed hundreds of homeowners in the state and nationwide may have been harmed by Horton’s alleged deceptive sales practices, according to a December report in The Advocate of Baton Rouge.

“D.R. Horton has a history of failing to disclose material information to prospective buyers and using unethical sales tactics,’’ Lance Unglesby, the family’s lead attorney, said in a statement to The Advocate.

“D.R. Horton is trying to conceal the truth about what it is telling prospective homeowners to try and sell houses.”

The company’s legal issues extend to the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where dozens of homeowners claim defectively designed and constructed Horton homes have led to issues with black slime. Some say the slime is responsible for ongoing health problems, including ear and skin infections, sores and yeast infections, according to a report in The Real Deal, a real estate industry website.

Closer to home, a homeowners’ association in Largo is suing Horton for numerous construction defects, according to the Local Today website. In August, the HOA filed a complaint detailing numerous construction and site deficiencies including roof, window, wall and floor issues, as well as site work, which negatively impact the property’s drainage performance.

Representatives from D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, have declined requests for comment from the Gazette about the issues raised by JB Ranch residents. In the Louisiana lawsuit, Horton’s attorneys said the matter belongs in arbitration rather than in federal court. Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution process outside the courts that many corporations prefer, partly because it brings the matter outside the purview of the public eye.

All of these cases echo complaints raised by several residents of JB Ranch in southwest Marion County, who, as out-ofstate buyers, contracted with Horton for home-and-lot packages in 2021. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, they made their purchases sight-unseen, relying on photos and videos provided by Horton sales staff.

What the images didn’t show were pictures of an aging sewage treatment plant next to the lots they were buying. There was no mention of the smell and noise the plant generates all day and night. You can’t smell a photo or video For Carol and William Lovas; Karen Humphrey and her fiancé, Hunter Matassa; and Roger and Suzy Stam, Horton’s new homes in JB Ranch looked perfect on the company’s website.

The out-of-state buyers contracted for their new homes in the summer of 2021 when the combination of pandemic restrictions and frenzied real estate market led many people to buy house and land packages sight-unseen, relying instead on virtual tours and assurances from real estate agents and developers.

Photos and videos they were shown during the construction phase showed thick vegetation in their backyards, which blocked the view of the plant. Horton subsequently removed virtually all of the greenery and replaced it with a fence.

building permits.”

She spoke at a commission meeting in June 2022 and listed the residents’ major concerns, including seeing stool from their backyards, photos of which she showed commissioners.

“It’s an outdoor chute,” she pointed out. “And the stool—you can see it—actually faces toward the back of our houses. And it builds up, then the water starts to come down and it splashes all down the side of this plant. How this is in compliance I will never know.”

In addition, she said, “We are listening to constant running noise. It does not stop. And it’s very loud. It shuts off maybe 10-15 minutes at a time, then it starts revving up…and gets louder and louder and louder. “

Lovas finished with an entreaty to the board. “We’re hoping that you can help us somehow and maybe make that wastewater treatment plant (be) enclosed. It’s old, it needs help, there’s no doubt about it, and it’s really affecting our lives.”

The commissioners agreed to send a letter to the DEP to request an inspection of the plant but then-chair Carl Zalak said, “If it’s really unsound or unsafe, then the department that licenses them (the DEP) would be in charge of that site. I don’t even know if they can enforce someone to enclose something like that.”

“(Marion County) gave them building permits for these houses. They are responsible, really.

I realize Horton is bringing in a lot of money on building houses in Florida, but we’re residents of Florida, too, and you’re supposed to represent us. And they are not doing that.”

On the other side of a vinyl fence are the homes the three couples had built on SW 88th Loop at the northernmost section of JB Ranch, east of SW 60th Avenue and bordered by SW 92nd Lane.

The plant belongs to the adjacent development, Marion Landing, where there are no houses built nearby. Instead, it’s used as a drainage retention area and for RV and boat storage.

Carol Lovas

In response, Lovas said, “I have no idea how stool blurting out could be healthy, could be safe for us. It can’t be. It can’t be. This is an issue that I believe that you do have to look out for the health and safety of your constituents. This is a health and safety issue at this point. We have no idea what we’re breathing in. And how did they get building permits to build houses so close to a wastewater treatment plant? And who approved that?“

The neighbors left the meeting without getting any satisfactory answers.

volumes, and the current permit that expires in January 2025. The DEP determined the paperwork was in order and the plant was “in compliance.”

But Stam said as she and others began regularly contacting the agency whenever the noise or smell was unbearable, thenDEP staffer Katrina Kasemir began to respond with repetitive, canned emails.

The Marion Landing permit document specifies that the permittee self-monitors its plant with requirements to “monitor and report in accordance with previously effective permit requirements, if any.” That document does not specify whether reporting is required monthly, quarterly or annually.

Multiple email responses from the DEP to various residents stated, “DEP staff observed no odors leaving the boundary of the permitted facility during these investigations and the facility was found to be operating in compliance. The odor concerns reported today have been assigned to a staff member to investigate.”

The OCULUS website that the state uses to store public documents lists six “inspection related” compliance evaluation inspections in late 2022. On Sept. 16, a letter of potential noncompliance was sent to the Marion Landing plant owner citing “Effluent Quality- The facility violated a permit or enforcement narrative effluent limit.”

According to the report, no sampling was conducted during the inspection and the deficiency noted was for 0.099 million gallons per day exceeded the 0.095 allowed per day; the June 2022 reported gallon was 104%.

Additionally, a note of “out of compliance” for the plant was listed in effluent quality in June 2022 with a fecal coliform result of 2420 FC colonies, which “exceeded the maximum limit of 800 FC” for any one sample. The July and August reports showed “effluent has returned to compliance.”

Despite the paperwork from the state, Stam still feels the residents’ complaints are being ignored. She said that in a phone call, Kasemir “just sorta laughed at me, and said you just need to move.”

Stam has eye and throat issues that she believes are brought about by the chemicals from the plant wafting through the air and into her HVAC system. “My eyes burn,’’ she said. “We can’t stay outside due to the chemicals. We have no idea what we’re breathing in.”

Immediately after moving in, the owners were slapped in the face by the smells and sounds coming from the sewage treatment plant, whose location they say was never disclosed to them.

The buyers immediately began seeking relief from Horton and the Marion Landing Community Association, then from government entities including the Marion County commission, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and even the Seniors Vs. Crime agency, part of the state Attorney General’s office.

At each step, they have been rebuffed.

Since the Gazette first reported on their plight in November, the residents—while acknowledging they should have done a better job of investigating their new community before moving in—continue to insist the plant poses health risks to them and other citizens, a threat that county and state officials should take seriously.

Suzy Stam feels angry and betrayed by Horton, Marion County and the state. “It’s heartbreaking that the (commissioners) blew us off,” she said.

Carol Lovas said with regret, “We feel like idiots. How could we have been so stupid? All of us feel this way.”

Marion County commissioners’ response

Lovas was a city council member when she lived in Ohio and has a sense of how local government agencies should work.

“We feel the (Marion) commissioners dropped the ball,” she said. “The commissioners literally allowed these homes to be built here when the wastewater treatment plant was this close. And they gave them (D.R. Horton) the

“(Marion County) gave them building permits for these houses. They are responsible, really,’’ Lovas said later. “I realize Horton is bringing in a lot of money on building houses in Florida, but we’re residents of Florida, too, and you’re supposed to represent us. And they are not doing that.”

Florida Department of Environmental Protection reinspected the plant

In July of 2022, Roger and Suzy Stam and other JB Ranch residents began contacting the DEP to complain about the noise and smells from the plant.

At first, Stam said, DEP staff were helpful. The department sent them documents that showed permitted

D.R. Horton has offered no assistance to residents. A letter to the Stams from Cammy Kennedy, of risk management and legal counsel for D.R. Horton, stated that Horton has no control over the plant, and there are no construction issues to be addressed.

“D.R. Horton respectfully declines to take any further action and considers this matter closed,” the letter states.

While the residents on SW 88th Loop continue to seek relief from the government and Horton, the developer is pushing ahead with more homes in the development. JB Ranch recently received approval to continue its development for 270 acres on the north and south sides of SW 95th St Road for 1081 townhome and single-family units with Type C and modified C, and Type E and modified E buffers on all sides.

Marion County residents not alone in complaints about being deceived by homebuilder D.R. Horton.

View from sewage plant

Marion Landing into the neighborhood of JB Ranch. D.R. Horton built homes close to the

Horton continues to build in various parts of Marion County including Deer Path, Brookhaven, Ocala Preserve, and Ocala Crossings South.

Buffer requirements unclear When they begin a project, developers are required to submit and get approval on a Master Plan that shows the layout of the proposed community. These plans often are revised to accommodate requests from neighboring residents, the BOCC, the developer and typically include requirements for amenities, lot locations and buffering.

The original planned unit development, or PUD, for JB Ranch Phase 1, was approved by the county in 2007, long before digital records were common. Gazette staff asked for current approved master plans for this section of JB Ranch and the county provided the 2007 plat document, which has no buffer requirements listed. That plat does show a drainage retention area (DRA) west of the Humphrey, Lovas and Stam homes.

Why wasn’t that DRA placed near the sewage plant and RV and boat storage for Marion Landing to give the JB Ranch neighborhood some space between them and the plant? No one at the county has been willing to answer.

Additionally, master plans have very specific buffer requirements that are categorized by the number and type of vegetation the county wants. For example, according to county code, a robust buffer, termed a Modified Type C buffer, is comprised of “a 25foot wide landscape strip without a buffer wall. The buffer shall contain at least two shade trees, and three accent/ornamental trees for every 100 lineal feet or fractional part thereof. Shrubs and groundcovers, excluding turfgrass, shall comprise at least 50 percent of the required buffer and form a layered landscape screen with a minimum height of six feet achieved within three years.”

It’s unclear if this section of JB Ranch or D. R. Horton were ever given buffer requirements. Marion County planning staff to date has not provided

access to an approved master plan for the development that would show what, if any, any buffer requirements were included. Chris Rison, the senior planner for Marion County, has not responded to the Gazette’s requests for comment through the county Public Relations team.

Having trees that would grow up over the fence and additional shrubbery would block the view of the unattractive concrete and metal machinery, help absorb the noise and dissipate some of the smell from the plant.

The county’s Phase 1 document for the neighborhood specifies in Note 22: “It is the responsibility of the individual lot owner to maintain their portion of the landscape easement show on Lots 28 through 51. This easement is subject to the criteria set forth in the approved PUD for this development.”

If the lot owners are responsible for landscaping, residents asked why Horton cleared the vegetation between their homes and the sewage plant and left it bare in early summer of 2022. Currently, the area is only grass along the vinyl fence in place on the north side of SW 88th Loop residents’ backyards.

While the homeowners on SW 88th Loop are facing the brunt of the problem with the sewage treatment plant, they are not the only ones in JB Ranch feeling the impact.

Maureen Emerick, who rented in the area before buying a lot in JB Ranch far away from the sewage plant, said, “I used to play pickleball in the evenings and I could smell plant all the way at the clubhouse where the court is.”

Emerick recalls a conversation with a Horton salesperson when the lots near the plant were being cleared for construction.

“I inquired whether they actually were going to build on those lots,’’ she said. “I assumed they were not buildable lots due to sewage plant’’ and the odors and noise the plant produces. “The agent told me, ‘Yes, why not?’” she said.

Buyer Beware: Tips to avoid a proximity problem

Experts agree, it’s usually a bad idea to be in a hurry to buy a house. Virginia Wright, president of the Ocala Marion County Board of Realtors, has seen this type of problem become more frequent as real estate transactions increasingly are done longdistance and virtual tours take the place of traditional open houses, drive-bys and walk-throughs, especially for out-of-town buyers.

It’s a trend that concerns her.

“We need to start stepping up and helping buyers using these virtual tours,” she said. “The seller does not have to legally disclose the sewage plant is near because you can see it when you drive through the neighborhood.”

Although federal housing laws restrict what can be said about a neighborhood, Wright thinks real estate agents should still help buyers investigate an area. Ideally, an agent can do a virtual/filmed tour that includes the entire community and area surrounding it in addition to a drive-by of the street and lot.

Here are some tips to help you avoid having this type of issue: One, if you can, rent in the area first. This will give you time to really dig into the locale and give you valuable information about factors that could impact your quality of life. Noise, traffic patterns, weather, cost of living and other elements are things you can learn by living for a while in a new location.

Two, use online resources to examine map and images. Google Maps and Bing Maps, for example, have a street view option that lets you move the camera to see farther. Check out the area on all sides of the property you’re interested in. You might find a cemetery, a liquor store, or a gas station backing up to the property.

Three, check online reviews if you are considering hiring a builder. Browse through Facebook markets, NextDoor posts, and, of course, general online reviews of a neighborhood and/or builder. For example, reviews of D.R. Horton on Yelp show a 1.5 average star rating out of 5 with numerous complaints about the company rushing people to close and numerous construction quality issues.

Four, if you’re working with a real estate agent and cannot see the property in person, have them do a full video tour that includes the entire neighborhood from the turnoff from an exit or major road, side streets, and the neighborhood entrance. If you don’t have an agent, ask a friend or relative in the area to do it for you. If you don’t have a personal contact in the area, consider hiring someone to do this. Anyone with a smartphone camera should be able to help.

But keep in mind, unless you hire a buyer’s agent, the real estate agent works for the seller and has a fiduciary obligation to the seller, not to you.

Five, in Marion County, you can use the Property Appraiser’s website to explore parcels near the place you’re interested in. Use the Beta Map It! function and click on surrounding lots and parcels to see who owns them, what zoning the parcels currently hold and their size and estimated value. If you are near a new neighborhood under construction, check the approved master plan and check where the amenities, RV storage, DRAs and any water treatment plants are going to be located.

And most important, if at all possible, don’t be in a rush to buy a house. Consider putting your possessions in storage and staying a short time with a friend or relative or even setting up in an Airbnb or VRBO home or a long-term hotel while you do your exploring. Yes, this can be expensive but in the long-term, it may be cheaper that being stuck with a house you regret buying.

Homeowner’s backyard with sewage plant behind the fence. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

By Ocala Gazette staff

— Martin Luther King Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Members of the Ocala City Council,

Kent Guinn.

Members

Every

Minute

Matters

Know where to go in an emergency.

From stopping a heart attack in its track to treating a stroke at the first sign of symptoms, our team is ready for every emergency. And, with three locations in Marion County, AdventHealth makes it convenient to access expert emergency care 24/7. So when minutes matter most, you never have to delay getting the care that can save you or your loved one’s life.

To find an AdventHealth ER near you, visit TheERExperts.com

People, Places & Things

To be continued…

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

From screensavers to stock images, the internet has no shortage of pristinely breathtaking panoramas and wildlife photos so vivid they could bite you. We’ve become used to perfection by way of high contrast and crisp definition, but if you ask photographer Graham Young, the interpretive prowess of digital technology and lenses can lack a certain mystique.

“Sharpness, color rendering and balanced exposure have become almost automatic and often create images with an overriding sterility,” Young writes in his artist statement.

A transitory narrative and an element of happenstance, which can’t be manufactured, highlight the digital arts instructor’s “Continuance” series on display in the College of Central Florida’s Faculty Art Exhibition through Feb. 2.

In the series, Young creates triptychs by way of long exposures or through multiple exposures over a duration of time. You could say it’s a form of creative amnesty, contrasting the “imprisoning of reality” Susan Sontag lamented nearly 50 years ago in her book “On Photography.” (Sontag, who died in 2004, didn’t live long enough to see the extreme touch-ups of Instagram models.)

Young’s images, on the other hand, are often blurry and a little abstract. “But within every photograph, there is something that is recognizable as an object in the world,” he clarifies.

While he embraces serendipity in his shooting, Young exercises methodical control in curating and honing the elements of his images. “I shoot a lot on film,’’ he said, “and then I take the film, develop it, and then I scan it and then manipulate it using electronic tools, mostly Photoshop.”

Even so, the digital embellishments in his “Continuance” triptychs are minimal. “I made sure that the three photographs have about the same lightness and darkness, about the same contrast, and then I align them.”

Young earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Florida Atlantic University and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota. He is also

host of “The Homemade Camera” podcast, which discusses the devices he has created with 3D printing to be used in addition to and in place of more expensive equipment.

A Minnesotan by birth, Young takes his time explaining his process and ideas, making him a natural as a teacher. Before joining CF in January 2017, he taught at The Art Institute of Jacksonville and has been an art instructor since 1999.

He lives in Palatka with his wife, a Putnam County Schools teacher of gifted classes, and their terrier mix, Lily.

While living in Minneapolis, Young measured two degrees of separation from two famous music stars from the Twin Cities. “I went to school with and worked with Paul Westerberg’s sister,” he shared, adding that his aunt sewed costumes for Prince’s “Purple Rain” tour.

From creating his own pinhole cameras and other contraptions to shooting with toy cameras, Holgas and professional mirrorless cameras, Young approaches photography with a love of play, tactile experimentation and a quest for discovery, resisting convention and perfectionism.

As a result, Young rekindles that old feeling of a Fotomat or darkroom surprise by allowing improvisation and the unexpected influences of light, dark, weather and physics have their hand in creating imagery.

And for his “Continuance” series, these influences play a part in a continuum of captured moments instead of freezing one static instant.

“We move through the world continuously and we’re not frozen,” Young elaborated. “There isn’t more truth in a captured photograph or a captured moment than there is in seeing moments in time layered upon each other in the same image, and that’s probably a good description of what I’m looking for visually: time layered upon itself within a single image.”

Graham Young’s “Continuance” series can be seen from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays through Feb. 2 in the College of Central Florida’s Faculty Art Exhibition in the Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Admission is free. Call 352-8735809 for more information.

Images from Graham Young’s “Continuance” series. Each of the triptychs in the series is a 32” x 16.5” digital print from analog negative, and editions of the works are limited to five of each triptych.

Graham Young, a CF digital arts instructor and photographer in the college’s upcoming faculty exhibition, creates a continuum of images and new ways to see the world.

Graham Young in Webber Gallery at College of Central Florida. [Supplied]

“But within every photograph, there is something that is recognizable as an object in the world.”

Graham

Young

Who wears the pants at OCT?

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Following in the wartime-women-takecharge milieu of Rosie the Riveter and “A League of Their Own,” “Into the Breeches transports us back to Ocala circa 1942 during World War II when the town’s male thespians are away at war.

In the play, the director’s wife takes it upon herself to stage the season opener—the Henriad, aka William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV pt. 1,” “Henry IV pt. 2,” and “Henry V”—featuring an all-female cast.

Directed by Terry LeCompte, the thought-provoking dramedy takes over the Ocala Civic Theatre stage Thursdays through Sundays from Jan. 19 through Feb. 5.

The title is a twist on that famous line from “Henry V:” “Once more unto the breach, dear friends …” but instead of a battlefield, the women must put some breeches (britches in these parts) and must overcome discrimination, derision, their own self-doubts and the trauma of not knowing when or if their husbands will return safe and sound.

The idea for “Into the Breeches” came to playwright George Brant during a 2014 boycott against the Belasco Theater in New York City, which featured all-male casts performing Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III.” Brant felt it was unfair to go back to the all-male casts of yore when women are still too often outnumbered in Shakespeare productions.

“I think it’s a valid complaint on the part of women that Shakespeare is the most produced playwright, still, in the country and women still have the least access to those plays,” Brant told The Daily Chautauquan. “It just seemed a little cruel to take away the few roles that are there … and to assign them to men.”

In the play, Maggie Dalton, impeccably portrayed by Kiersten Farley, takes directing tips from her husband while overseas through his letters. She invites Celeste Fielding (Roe Agnese), the Oberon troupe’s beloved diva to star in the production, bowing to her palatial ego as if Celeste were a queen without a throne.

Things get murky when Ellsworth Snow (Richard Behrendt), the theater’s conservative board president, says no to the idea, but the ever-resourceful Maggie gets to him through his wife, Winifred (Danuta Jacob), a talentless but willing socialite whom she gets to join the cast.

Also joining the female brigade are the younger and

more energetic G.I. wives June Bennett (Robin Andrews) and somewhat insecure Grace Richards (Madison Raabe), who please Maggie with glimmers of potential.

Some of the more amusing, provocative and interesting parts of the play come to us via the dependable stage manager Stuart Lasker (Jim Bain) and costume designer Ida Green, played exquisitely by Claudia Durrett-Cook. Stuart’s reason for not being deployed becomes a cause for concern that ultimately, once out in the open, becomes another source for empowerment. Ida, a promising Black visionary, takes up the torch to show everyone, despite pay squabbles and other worries, the overall importance of the production and all of the talent it includes.

As for the OCT production, the cast is the thing here. A tankful of spirit, cleverness and spunk trucks through this show. The only drawback is its slow start (the auditions take a little bit too much of the plot) but hopefully the quick wit and energy of this crack bunch push us through to the second act when things get really good.

Shadowy effects of light coming through windows in an empty theater are executed brilliantly by Lighting Designer Will Elphingstone. Costume Designer Genevieve McCormick likewise does an excellent job of bringing back the lovely couture of the 1940s.

Besides gifting us with a thoughtful script about women and their potential to play Shakespeare roles as good as their male counterparts, Brant delivers a love letter to the theater life. A lot of “Into the Breeches” is inside-baseball for theater lovers, usually a huge contingent of audiences. The play gives us a nudge and a wink about the egos, hassles and arduous labor of love that go into making sure that show indeed goes on.

Our heroine Maggie’s sense of responsibility and her attempts to care for, respect, and understand the people in her theater community, according to director LeCompte’s director notes, build and reinforce the ties that bind us and make a community a better place and a place of belonging.

“The war is already won through the genesis of esprit de corps — the pride, fellowship, and loyalty in Maggie’s communities. As William Shakespeare said in “Henry V,” “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”

Or, in this case, sisters, too.

For theater times and ticket information visit ocalacivictheatre.com.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

“Into the Breeches” makes her story with a heartwarming, all-female production-within-a-production that theater diehards will surely enjoy.

Jim Bain as Stuart Lasker, left, and Kiersten Farley as Maggie Dalton, right, rehearse a scene from Into The Breeches! at the Ocala Civic Theatre in Ocala on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.

Left: Roe Agnese as Celeste Fielding.

Right: From left: Jim Bain as Stuart Lasker, Claudia Durrett-Cook as Ida Green, Madison Raabe as Grace Richards and Kiersten Farley as Maggie Dalton

Open wide and say Dentallica!

brother’s interest in music and he’s been exposed to a wide variety of music.

Simon Amir says the brothers taught themselves to play guitar by listening to Metallica songs and had “no lessons.” He said he and his brother at times have a “friendly competition” musically.

Simon Amir has been practicing dentistry in Ocala for about 20 years and he plans to soon open a second Grand Oaks Dental Care office.

Simon Amir joins with FreeD.O.M. Clinic USA, an Ocala nonprofit, and the University of Florida to conduct free clinics monthly at his office where he and other local dentists “teach dental students and provide emergency care for those in need.”

Simon Amir and his wife, Adela, have two children: Tristan, 8, and Lilly, 4.

Maxwell Casse, 12, is also a fan of Dentallica. Introduced through family friends of the Amir family, he likes the sound, adding that he likes Jamie Amir’s arrangements.

By Andy Filmore Correspondent

Hold your ears, open your mouth and get ready for Dentallica, a heavy metal rock band founded by twin brothers who are both local dental health professionals.

Dr. Jamie Amir, a periodontist, and Dr. Simon Amir, a general practice dentist, are 43-years-old and both live and practice in Ocala.

“I love my patients, but music is my passion,” Jamie Amir said recently.

The profession-related name of the band is a nod to the famous metal band Metallica, one of the many bands that have influenced the brothers’ mutual interest in rock music since about age 12.

“We grew up interested in playing music,” Jamie Amir said.

The brothers formed their most recent musical venture about five years ago and were later joined by bass player Matt Weisman of Orlando, an engineer, and drummer Phillip Allen, a chef in Ocala.

Coty Hall, 38, of Ocala, personal trainer director and manager at Gold’s Gym, is a Dentallica fan.

“Blackened”

“They are amazing and 100% true to the (Metallica) sound,” Hall said.

Jamie Amir said the band covers 1980s

Metallica songs including “Disposable Heroes” from the “Master of Puppets” album and “For Whom The Bell Tolls” from the “Ride The Lightning”album.

He said the band is now working on “Sanitarium” from “Master of Puppets.”

Dentallica has played live events, although the band is currently focused on making music videos. Future live engagements are a consideration.

“We would love to play a venue like the Reilly Arts Center,” Jamie Amir said.

Jamie Amir’s Ocala Periodontics & Dental Implants is located near West Ocala Hospital. Joy Zuckerman has been a patient for seven years.

“I come from a family of dentists,” she said, adding that she appreciates the dentist-and-musician connection as her father played violin. Zuckerman praised Jamie Amir’s attention to detail and said he treated her like family as a dental health professional.

Jamie Amir has practiced in Ocala

since 2011 and opened his current office in 2015. He is a past president of the Marion County Dental Association.

The identical twins--Simon is the elder brother by four minutes--were born in London, where their father practiced dentistry.

The brothers came to the U.S. in their teens to attend high school in Clearwater. Jamie returned to London while Simon remained in Florida. Both attended the University of Florida for all or some of their dental training.

The twins had a band while living in Gainesville in the late 2000s called Whiplash--also the name of a Metallica song--and played at the Backstage Lounge on Main Street.

Jamie Amir plays rhythm and lead guitar and provides vocals for Dentallica. He has a professional style recording studio set up in the residence complete with computerized audio equipment and a digital drum set.

Jamie Amir and his wife, Heather, have three children: Jasmine, 9, Lila, 12 and Julian, 6.

Simon Amir is a guitarist who also plays piano. He said he shares his younger

Bassist Weisman, 39, said he first met and played with the brothers around 2010 in Gainesville when he answered a Craig’slist ad for a bass player and played in Whiplash. He currently travels throughout Central Florida on trafficrelated projects for Ultra Engineering.

Drummer Phillip Allen, 36, a local chef originally from Winter Garden, Florida, moved to Ocala at age 5. He said he went to a Garth Brooks’ concert as a youngster and developed an interest in music and by age 12 found himself comfortable as a drummer. He earned a vocational degree in Audio Engineering.

Allen, who as a youngster was influenced by 1970s groups Boston and Journey, played with a local Ocala group, the Kings of Awesome in 2009. He’s also made recordings with the reggae group Propagangah between 2017 and 2020.

Jamie Amir said Dentallica plans to expand its musical offerings.

“We are planning on branching out soon and playing some songs from other great bands from the 80’s and 90’s like Guns ‘N Roses and Nirvana. Dentallica is still a work in progress. We’re always trying to get better and challenge ourselves,” he said.

by Metallica is one of his favorites covered by the local group.

From left: Simon Amir, Matthew Weisman, Phillip Allen and Jamie Amir, who are all denstists and members of the band Dentallica, play together. [Submitted Photo] 2022.

Dr. Jamie Amir poses for a photo in his southeast Ocala home recording studio. [Andy Fillmore/Special to the Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Dr. Jamie Amir with Joy Zuckerman, an Oak Run resident and patient for seven years, seen recently at his Ocala office. [Andy Fillmore/Special to the Ocala Gazette] 2022.

As a native Ohioan in the 1960s, I knew very little about Florida geography when I was chosen to go to Ocala and manage a new radio station. My first question was to find out which beach Ocala was on. When my boss told me Ocala was inland and not on the coast, I brazenly replied “No Beach, No Bob.” After a bit of consideration, I thought “Why not take a look, it’ll be a free trip to Florida?” It took one gloriously clear, typically warm January weekend and I was hooked. From that day forward, my mantra was: Ocala -- who needs the beach? Today we quiz on other reasons to love Ocala in January.

1. Starting in January 1949, these two words which eventually became our slogan, began appearing on our license plates:

Sunshine State B. Florida Citrus C. florida.com

Visit Florida 2. In January 1955, the incomparable showman, Howard Hughes, presented the world’s first underwater movie premier at Silver Springs, entitled: A. Sea Hunt B. Beneath the 12-Mile Reef C. Titanic 1955 D. Underwater 3. What unique event dominated Miami headlines on January 19 1977?

A. First Super Bowl

B. Marlins first baseball game C. Jimmy Carter’s inauguration D. First snowfall

4. In 1959, NASCAR pioneer Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 at the new oval. Petty drove a:

A. Dodge B. Ford C. Toyota D. Oldsmobile

5. Forty years ago this month, an avant garde artist encircled eleven islands in Biscayne Bay with six million meters of pink fabric. The artist was: A. Christo

B. Andy Warhol C. Bill Blass D. Bill Gates

6. The Tampa Bay Rays oxymoronic nickname for its Jacksonville farm teams is the:

A. Little Giants

B. Icy Hots C. Jumbo Shrimp D. Hits & Misses

7. On the last Saturday in January, the nearby town of Dade City has a festival to celebrate Marumi, Nagami and Meiwa, which are all types of:

A. Loquats B. Kumquats C. Marijuana D. Honeybelles

8. Miami is one of the most instantlyrecognizable cities anywhere and it is the only metro area in the world with more than one:

A. Surfing schools

B. Snake training schools C. Municipal zoos D. National parks

9. Long time Ocala friend and resident John Travolta has starred in more than 60 movies. Which of these was NOT one of his leading roles?

A. Chili Palmer B. Maverick Mitchell C. Vinnie Barbarino D. Edna Turnblad

10. In January 1962, this acclaimed naturalist led 50 high school students on a gruelling 100-mile trek across Florida called “Survival Safari.” He is: A. Jeff Corwin B. Gator Wilson C. Ross Allen D. Steve Corwin

Hauck: rhauck39@cox.net

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS community

JANUARY 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 answer questions about how to care for houseplants, yards or gardens. Free; repeats monthly on first and third Fridays.

JANUARY 20

Guardianship Workshop

Transitions Life Center, 3360 NW Gainesville Road, Ocala

3:30pm-4:30pm Attorney Samantha Shealy Rauba will explain the importance of laws and options for those caring for people with special needs. Laws can be complex and vary with regard to minors and adults and there are numerous concepts that apply to caregivers dealing with these issues. The workshop is free to attend. For more info, tlcocala.org

JANUARY 20 & 27

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 21

“Bill W & Dr. Bob”

Temple Beth Shalom, 6140 SW 78th Avenue Road, Ocala 5:30pm

The actors in this unique play are from the temple. Tickets are $25 for the in-person performance and includes pizza before the production and discussion, coffee and cake afterward; $15 to view online. See unboxed.productions for more info.

JANUARY 21

Homestead Park Garage Sale

Homestead Park, 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 9am-1pm

This event will recur on the third Saturday of each month, with booth space for $30. For more info, homesteadparks.com

JANUARY 21

Grand Opening Mary Sue Rich Community Center

Mary Sue Rich Community Center, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala

10am-2pm

The grand opening will have activities, games and prizes. The center features programs for all ages, banquet and event spaces, fitness equipment, indoor walking track and sports courts.

Memberships are free to city residents; $30 for non-residents. For more info, ocalafl.org/recpark

JANUARY 21

Parent Partnership Event

Belleview High School, 10400 SE 36th Ave., Belleview 9am

Hosted by Marion County Public Schools, with educational sessions on reading and math strategies, preparing for assessments, and more. Free transportation, food and giveaways. Preregister through the Parent Partnership program at marionschools.net

JANUARY 21 & 28

Yoga in the Park

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am

Sholom Park hosts free yoga classes for all at the stage area; recurs every Saturday morning. Visit sholompark.org for details.

JANUARY 21 & 28

Ocala Farmers Market

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

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

JANUARY 21 & 28

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 22

Pack Walk

Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 9am-10:30am

Help Marion County Animal Shelter dogs get out and about. Park entry is $2 and you’re welcome to stay in the park afterward. Everyone gets some fresh air and sunshine, and you may even get some doggy kisses. Recurs monthly on the fourth Sunday. For more info, animalservices.manrionfl.org

JANUARY 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 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 24

Dementia Resource Expo

One Health Center, 1714 SW 17th Ave., Ocala 10am-3pm

This annual expo offers education, resources and support for caregivers dealing with dementia in loved ones. The expo is also online. Free; register at dementiaresourceexpo.org

JANUARY 26

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 27

Friday Foodie Fest

Lake Lillian Park, Belleview 10:30am-12pm Food trucks, live music, kids’ crafts and activities,

face painting and local vendors. Held the fourth Friday of each month. For more info, belleviewfl.org

JANUARY 27-29

Sunshine Region Pony Club

Dressage Rally

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Highway 475, Ocala

All Day

The Fox Hollow Pony Club hosts this dressage show designed for Pony Club members to learn the basics of riding tests, showing and good horsemanship. The Florida Horse Park is a great outdoor venue with ample parking and multiple dressage rings. Bring your own chairs. For more info, flhorsepark.com

JANUARY 28

Dunnellon Duck Race

Swampy’s Restaurant, 19773 E Pennsylvania Ave., Dunnellon 9am-12pm

“Adopt” a duck for this race on the Rainbow River and get a prize if your duck wins. Prizes include a two-night stay at the Guy Harvey Resort, gift baskets and cash. Proceeds benefit the Greater Dunnellon Historical Society, Believe in Santa Foundation, Family Hope Resource and Pregnancy Center and the Wil-Power Foundation. Adoption fees range from $25-$265 for a “quacker’s dozen.” For more info, dunnellonchamber.com

JANUARY 28-29

Ocala Home Show

World Equestrian Center, Expo 21390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 10am-4pm

Free admission and parking with lots of home improvements options for kitchens, bathrooms,

government

JANUARY 23 & 30

Marion County Development Review Committee

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

The first step for new development 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

20 & 27

Chess Club at Freedom Library

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.

JANUARY 24

Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization Board

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

4pm Meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

JANUARY 25

Utility Advisory Board Meeting

Municipal Services Complex, Bldg. 400, 1805 NE 30th Ave., Ocala 11:30am-1pm

JANUARY 26

Airport Advisory Board Meeting Airport Terminal Aviation Building, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala 1:30pm

JANUARY 30

Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting

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

5:30pm

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

civicJANUARY 20 & 27

Kiwanis Club of Ocala

Knights of 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 25

VFW Wednesday Dinners Angela S. Santos FVW Post 4781, 9401 SW 110th St., Ocala 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 weekly menu info, call (352) 873-4781.

JANUARY 26

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

arts

JANUARY 20

Tuscawilla Art Park Series: Bluegrass and BBQ

Tuscawilla Park, 213 NE 5th St., Ocala

6pm-9pm

The Art Park Series kicks off with music from Appalachian Road Show and The Wandering Hour bands. Food trucks will include Big Lee’s Serious About BBQ and Country Boyz BBQ, along with Big Man’s Café offering desserts. Beer and wine available. Tickets are $10 online or $15 at the gate and VIP packages are available. For info and ticket purchase, ocalafl.org/artpark

JANUARY 27

Bogolanfin! Mud Cloth Melodies

NOMA Gallery, 939 N Magnolia Ave., Ocala 6pm-7:30pm The duo of Fred Johnson and Don Johnson combines their performing and storytelling arts along with percussion and melodies to create a unique evening of African music, spoken word performance and community. Tickets are $10 through Eventbrite.

JANUARY 20-FEBRUARY 5

“Into the Breeches”

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

Show times vary; check website Set in WWII, the story is about an all-female cast that takes on plays by Shakespeare. This is an inspiring dramatic comedy, set in 1942 Ocala. Tickets start at $30 for adults and $15 for ages 18 and younger. See ocalacivictheatre.com for more info.

JANUARY 28-APRIL 9

Focus on the Essence Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tues-Sat; 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm5pm The photography of Anne Noggle came from a donation to the museum and highlights self-portraits and those of her friends and family. Her photos

are known for their composition and exquisite lighting. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

JANUARY 31

Ira Holmes International Film Series: “Parasite” College of Central Florida, Bldg. 8, Room 110, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala

7pm

This is the story of an uneasy relationship between a family and its servants. Called a “pitch-black modern fairytale,” it’s a film that’s part of the new wave of psychological thriller. Free to the public, this is part of an ongoing series of international films. For more info, CF.edu/filmseries

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. She works in oils and acrylics. This is part of the City of Ocala Art in City Spaces program. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH MARCH 31

Long Legs & Fragility by Cara Van Leuven

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm

Also part of the Art in City Spaces program, 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

THROUGH MAY 21

Big & Bold

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tues-Sat; 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm5pm

The museum goes big with large

pieces of art in this collection, including historical, modern and contemporary art pieces. Works include a 10’ x 4’ painting by Valenkamph and Snyder’s “Florida Pink Ignition,” which is almost 7’ x 7’. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youths. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

THROUGH MAY 25

Revolutionized Textile & Fiber

Mary Sue Rich Community Center, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala Daily when center is open Artist Ingrid Humphrey, a native Floridian, has her handmade dolls and tapestries on exhibit which portray the sisterhood of women of color all over the world. Free to the public. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH JUNE 9

Blessed Be the Birds Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri; 8am-5pm

Part of the Art in City Spaces program, 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

THROUGH JUNE 18

Paper Thin & Shadow Deep Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tues-Sat; 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm5pm

The artworks from Hiromi Mizugai Moneyhun are three-dimensional cut paper pieces that feel both lighthearted and alive. Moneyhun’s style combines traditional Japanese art forms along with modern elements from today’s Japan. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youths. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

& &music nightlife

JANUARY 20 & 27

Courtyard Jams MCA Courtyard 23 W Broadway St., Ocala 6-9pm

JANUARY 20

Sophie Noelle

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

JANUARY 20

The Mudds Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 21

Shelby Lauren

Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 6:30pm-9:30pm

JANUARY 21

Retro Express

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

JANUARY 21

Ecliff Farrar Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 21

Brandon Dull

Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 1pm-4pm

JANUARY 26

Joey & Jenny Duo

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

JANUARY 27

Austin Hunter Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 27

Fareeza

Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 6:30pm-9:30pm

JANUARY 27

Mark Zak

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

JANUARY

29

Noah Hunton Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 1pm-4pm

JANUARY

20

Jeff Jarrett Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6-9pm

JANUARY 28

Salsa Night

Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 10pm-2am Salsa, merengue and bachata, $5 cover charge.

JANUARY 28

JR Lewis

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

Forest

By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com

Forest forwards Rashad Shuler and Matt Daniels scored 17 points apiece to lead the Wildcats to a 77-62 win over West Port on Jan. 13.

Forest, which was set to host the MLK Shootout on Jan. 14, improved to 12-5 on the season.

“It’s always important to win county games. We talk about goals at the start of the year and one of those goals is county champions and we focus on that. Throughout the season, we want to make sure we represent the county the best way we can,” Forest head coach Mike Hoffman said.

As for West Port, a tough season continued as they fell to 3-12. Assistant coach Dewayne Murry stepped in to lead the team with head coach Bernard Smith out and Murry was pleased with the team’s effort against Forest.

“I enjoyed the hustle, heart and defense that we showed tonight,” Murry said.

After neither team scored in the first two minutes of the game, Forest forward Karsen Steinbarger knocked down a three-pointer from the left side. West Port answered with a three, courtesy of Garrett Wilson.

West Port took an early lead on a three from the right side by Giovanni Wright and a putback layup by Dylan Luke to take an 8-3 lead. Forest answered with a 5-0 run

and closed out the opening quarter with a 15-14 lead.

Matt Daniels scored five points in the opening stanza for Forest and Wilson stacked up nine points for West Port.

Forest gained control early in the second quarter on two free throws and a three-pointer from guard Xzavion McCoy.

Senior forward Rashad Shuler joined in the action with five consecutive points to give Forest a 12-point lead with three minutes left in the first half.

Xavier Kirkpatrick and Daniels both notched three-pointers in the last couple of minutes of the first half before Ronald Graham sank a three-pointer from the top of the key for West Port to bring the deficit down to seven at halftime.

The first five minutes of the third quarter produced hard-nosed, chippy basketball as West Port tied the game with a 15-8 run. Wright and Edmund Wilson led the charge during the run with 13 of the 15 points in that span, including a steal at halfcourt and left-handed layup by Wilson.

Following a timeout, Forest caught its second wind and went on a 11-0 run fueled by a pair of layups from Shuler and a couple of three-pointers from the right side by Anthony Rivera.

“Rivera was big coming off the bench again, really shooting it well, and he brings a lot of stretch shooting and energy. There is something inside our guys. Zay McCoy is a heck of a competitor. Something about people trash-talking him, he gets fired up and it fueled us,” Hoffman said.

West Port stopped the run on a threepointer from Wilson, but the damage was done as Forest enjoyed a 55-45 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Daniels continued his sharpshooting

ways with a three from the top of the key in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 13.

Following the three from Daniels, Shuler continued his relentless work on the glass as he nabbed a rebound off his own miss and notched an easy layup. Shuler, Tae Floyd and the rest of the Forest team dominated in the paint as their size created a big advantage in rebounding.

“That’s one of the main things I take pride in; my teammates will go ask me to get that rebound and I will. Everybody brings high effort and nothing less, that’s how we do,” Shuler said.

The senior forward finished with 11 rebounds and two steals to go with his offensive efforts.

In the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, Floyd began to show his rebounding prowess and strength as he notched five of his seven points in that time span. West Port did not give in and battled to the end as Wright, Wilson and Luke combined for 11 points in the final five minutes of the game.

Shuler grabbed a rebound with just over 10 seconds left to close out the win.

Forest used a committee approach to show off their offensive firepower as four players scored in double figures. Along with Daniels and Shuler scoring 17 each, Rivera ended the night with 16 and McCoy finished with 11 points.

Heading into the MLK classic, Hoffman hoped a win would translate to momentum with a big stretch of games coming up on the schedule.

“We played hard but I don’t think we played well. We just need to tighten up for P.K. Yonge tomorrow and then next week we have three big games,” Hoffman said.

Wright led the way

for West Port with a game-high 22 points; Luke finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

According to Murry, the hard-fought loss taught his team a valuable lesson.

“If they play hard, they can play with anybody,” Murry said.

Gucci

Gucci is a 4yr. old, neutered male, Lab mix. Gucci is a handsome boy that rides well in the car and enjoys going for walks at the park. He would make a great companion for an active person with an active lifestyle.

Alexis Alexis is a 1

old, spayed female, mix breed. Alexis is a happy girl that volunteers have called exuberant and fun to be with in the play yard. Alexis can sit on command and can be finicky about her snacks but takes the ones she likes softly.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Forest’s Anthony Rivera (5) looks for a way to the basket as he is defended by West Port’s Ronald Graham (2) and Edmund Wilson (12) during a basketball game at West Port High School in Ocala on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

Forest’s Trashawn Warren (15) drives to the hoop as he is defended by West Port’s Tyler Oliver (4).

Forest’s Xavier Kirkpatrick (10) looks for a way to the basket as he is defended by West Port’s Giovanni Wright (13) and J. Golossi (1).

Forest defeats Lake Weir in a close game

By Allen Barney allen@ocalgazette.com

Forest Wildcats guard Taleah Jones made multiple clutch shots in the final minutes to lead Forest to a 49-46 win over the Lake Weir Hurricanes on Jan. 12. The win put Forest at 11-7 on the season as they prep for district play.

The matchup featured two of the best teams in the county and Forest head coach Brandon Cave was ecstatic with the win.

“I’m very excited for our program. I’m excited for the student body because we opened the gates for them to come in for free with their student ID and it’s the first time they really got to see us in action. I’m just excited for the whole school in general with this win,” Cave said.

Lake Weir fell to 9-4 under first year head coach Brianna Smith, who was pleased with the way her team handled the pressure of a close game in a tough environment.

“The outcome wasn’t what we were looking for, but I like how we competed. It was nice, healthy competition between two teams, and we knew it was going to be a hard game to win. I appreciate that we played hard from start to finish. We’re going to take the mistakes we made from tonight and learn to grow from it to get ready for next week,” Smith said.

Lake Weir charged out of the gate with a 15-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. Senior point guard Erilynn Beltre was on fire in the opening period with seven points, including a threepoint dagger from the left wing.

Forest cut the deficit to 24-21 by the end of the second quarter as Jones racked up four points and freshman guard Ja’Niyah McCoy scored five consecutive points in the final 30 seconds of the first half.

The third quarter was a back-andforth heavyweight battle as the two teams combined for 30 points. Lake Weir scored by committee as Tatum Lake, Shanice Brown, Beltre, Ford and Morgan Cummings each scored points.

Jones continued to play lead for Forest with six points in the period while McCoy, Maleah Flagler and Olivia Johns pitched in with a combined seven points.

Things looked dire for Forest midway through the third period as they fell behind by as much as 10. Cave had to make a change with his defense and leaned on a motivational phrase as Forest got back to within five points heading into the fourth quarter.

“Our word of the week is ‘finish strong.’ I continued to preach what the word of the week is and to trust each other. That’s how we fought our way back into it and we’ve been fighting and clawing all year, that’s all you can do is fight,” Cave said.

A steal and transition layup by Flagler in the opening minute of the fourth quarter put the pressure on Lake Weir and Jones followed with a

Belleview tops Vanguard in boys soccer

sweet 13-foot jumper to trim the deficit down to one point.

After four missed free throws by Forest, Lake Weir took a three-point lead on a smooth left-handed layup by Shanice Brown. Beltre followed up the next possession with a layup to put Lake Weir up by four.

Forest had to go into attack mode and Jones did just that with a 10-foot jumper and on the ensuing possession for Lake Weir, Flagler came up with a steal at half court. The junior guard found a wideopen Dasanni Bentley near the hoop for an uncontested layup to tie the game with 53 seconds left.

Lake Weir had the chance to go up by two, but Ford missed the back end of a pair of free throws. Forest drove down the court and Jones sank a layup from the right side and drew a foul.

Jones nailed the free throw to give Forest a two-point lead with 22 seconds left. Lake Weir had multiple opportunities to tie the game or take the lead with three shot attempts in the final 20 seconds, but none fell before Jones came up with a rebound to clinch the win.

The loss for Lake Weir was tough, but Smith was happy to see her team not be fazed by a large crowd.

Brown led Lake Weir with 10 points and nabbed seven rebounds, Ford finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Beltre scored 10 points with three rebounds and Lake pitched in with seven points.

“The hard-fought losses sting the most, but we will watch film and see what we can do to fix our mistakes. I want them to view from a standpoint of not letting the mistakes define them as players and instead using them as fuel to get better and not make them again,” Smith said.

For Forest, a tough win against a good team could be the beginning of a late-season run that pushes deep into the playoffs.

“We look at every game as a momentum booster to push us up the mountain. Even when we get to the top of the mountain, there is still another one to climb. We’re using every win and loss to go back and build on it by fixing our mistakes. We’re using this to propel us into district play,” Cave said.

By Mark Pinson Special to Ocala Gazette

Belleview built an early lead on goals by Michael Andres Juarez and Kenny Ambrosi and the Rattlers’ defense held off a furious second-half rally to earn a 3-2 win over the Vanguard Knights on Jan. 17.

The Class 5A-District 4 win improved Belleview to 9-4-2 on the season.

“I thought it was a great game,” said third-year Rattlers coach Steve Coy. “It was very competitive and credit to Vanguard for coming back in the second half and making it a tight game. I’m very pleased with our performance and it’s been a good season.”

The Class 5A-District 4 loss dropped Vanguard, which had a couple of shots to tie the game in the closing minutes, to 4-8-1 overall.

“We got behind 3-0 at halftime, but what I’m super proud of is we fought back to score two goals and were close to scoring another one,” said Knights coach Jose Cortes. “I like what I’m seeing from this team.”

Belleview came out strong and dominated time of possession and shots on goal in the first half. The pressure paid off as Juarez found the back of the net to give the Rattlers a 1-0 lead 12 minutes into the game.

A few minutes later, Vanguard had trouble in front of its goal and a clearing attempt accidentally went in the Knights’ goal to give Belleview a 2-0 lead.

The Rattlers extended their lead when Ambrosi drilled a shot from 30 yard out into the left corner of the goal to make it 3-0.

Vanguard refused to fold and battled back as Grayson Balthazar beat a pair of Belleview defenders and blasted a shot into the back of the net to make it 3-1 at the half.

With the lead, Belleview wasn’t quite

as aggressive. Vanguard pressed the action with renewed vigor as Daniel Fernandez gained control of a blocked shot and found the back of the net to pull the Knights within 3-2 with 18 minutes left in the game.

Belleview, which had 12 shots on goal, just missed extending its lead when a pair of shots sailed wide of the goal.

Vanguard, which had nine shots on goal, had a pair of scoring opportunities just miss their mark and time ran out on their comeback, as the Rattlers held on for the win and a split of the season series with the Knights.

“It was a physical match and we’ve really come on as the season has progressed and I’m very proud of the boys,” coach Coy said.

Belleview was set to wrap up the regular season with a home game against Forest on Jan. 18. The Rattlers begin play in the district tournament at the end of the month.

“I think if we can get through the first round anything can happen,” Coy said. “If we turn up and put in a good performance, we can do anything.”

Vanguard closes out its regular season with a road game against Forest.

“We finish the regular season and then we go right into the district tournament,” Cortes said. “We expect to win districts and we could very well see Belleview in the district championship game. We beat them in the first game, and they beat us tonight. It would be exciting to play them a third time for

Forest’s Dasanni Bentley (11) reaches in to take the ball away from Lake Weir’s Tatum Lake (20)

during a basketball game at Forest High School in Ocala on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

the district title.”

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Belleview’s Aubrey Otieno (14) heads the ball past Vanguard’s Kamar Allen (3) during a soccer match at Belleview High School on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023.

Vanguard’s Kylin Carter (22) heads the ball downfield past Belleview’s Josue Lopez (7) and Ismael Hernandez (4).

Belleview’s Ismael Hernandez (4) and Vanguard’s Azim Sau (15) battle for the ball.

SCOREBOARD

SELECTED MARION COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE SPORTS RESULTS

JAN. 9 - JAN. 14

BOYS’ BASKETBALL SCORES

January 9

Ocala Christian Academy 58

First Academy 2

Cornerstone Academy 24

First Assembly Christian 62 Peniel Baptist Academy 13 Redeemer Christian 59

January 10

Buchholz 59 Forest 53 West Port 61 Lake Weir 78 Belleview 53 Vanguard 79 Dunnellon 51 North Marion 66 Countryside Christian 38 Meadowbrook Academy 45

City of Life Christian Academy 61 St. John Lutheran 35

January 11

West Port 36 Vanguard 73

Lake Weir 60 Wildwood 82 Dunnellon 61 Newberry 68

January 12

East Ridge 48

Belleview 44

Trinity Catholic 67 Mount Dora 63

Ocala Christian Academy 46 Cornerstone Academy 32 Redeemer Christian 73 Meadowbrook Academy 27

Halifax Academy 72 St. John Lutheran 24

Family Christian Academy 34 First Assembly Christian 60

January 13

Forest 77 West Port 62

Umatilla 83

Lake Weir 63

Vanguard 73 North Marion 90

Trinity Catholic 49

The Villages Charter 76

First Academy 56

Ocala Christian Academy 39

Meadowbrook Academy 35

Hernando Christian Academy 62

Real Life Christian Academy 62 St. John Lutheran 70

First Assembly Christian 33

Open Bible Christian 48

Redeemer Christian 77 Oak Hall 85

January 14

MLK Classic at Spruce Creek High School

Dunnellon 51 Deland 49

MLK Classic at Forest High School P.K. Yonge 58 Forest 49

Wiregrass Ranch 75 West Port 38

Santa Fe 72 Vanguard 55

Osceola 41 North Marion 42

by Allen Barney

Forest’s Taleah Jones (24) drives to the hoop as she is defended by Lake Weir’s Morgan Cummings (12) during a basketball game at Forest High School in Ocala on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Forest’s Zay McCoy

drives to the hoop as he is defended by West Port’s Giovanni Wright (13) during a basketball game at West Port High School in Ocala on Friday,

Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Dunnellon’s Bode Burns (11) and Eli Nelson (21) battle for a loose ball above the net with North Marion’s Elija Walton (2) during a basketball game at North Marion High School in Citra on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Lake Weir’s

basketball game

game

Dunnellon’s Sean Martin (4) looks for a way to the hoop as he is defended by North Marion’s Jermaine Jackson Jr. (3) during a basketball game at North Marion High School in Citra on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.