Ocala Gazette | May 7 - 13, 2021

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 45

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MAY 7- MAY 13, 2021

The ride of a lifetime

City again weighs openair homeless shelter

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

Gail Rice, the breeder of 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, feeds her horses at her farm in Citra. Rice bred Medina Spirit and sold him for $1,000 with no reserve in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Jan. 2019 sale. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Breeder of Kentucky Derby winner reaches horseracing zenith

By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com

S

he likely won’t see a penny from Medina Spirit’s win at the 147th Kentucky Derby on May 1, but for longtime Marion County horsewoman Gail Rice it doesn’t matter.

“This is why we’re in this business,” she said. “Money, I can spend. I can have this forever. My

kids and grandkids can say, ‘My mother and my grandmother bred a Kentucky Derby winner.’”

And she is relishing every moment.

“It’s just so much fun.

Everybody wants to hear about it,” Rice said.

And it’s quite a story that started some four years ago with Rice picking stallion Protonico to breed with her mare Mongolian Changa. The offspring, she hoped,

would be a serviceable racehorse she could run under her flag.

But then life threw a curveball.

She and her husband Bobby Jones separated, and she had to make some tough choices.

“I didn’t want to sell, but I had to reduce my numbers,” she said.

Medina Spirit, at nine months old, didn’t make the cut.

“He was a beautiful baby. But

The Ocala City Council considered a first step toward establishing an emergency, open-air shelter for the city’s homeless during its regular council meeting on Tuesday.

The council introduced a zoning change ordinance to allow an outdoor emergency shelter to operate in conjunction with an existing organization such as Interfaith Emergency Services or the Salvation Army.

“I’m needing a special exception to do it legally on my property,” said Karla Grimsley, Interfaith’s CEO, in a text message. “It would allow us to work with individuals who are chronically homeless and can’t be sheltered otherwise due to criminal history, mental illness or other extenuating circumstances.”

Current shelters in Marion County have requirements for entry, including background checks or drug and alcohol use policies.

The proposed emergency shelter would offer a “low-barrier” place to stay, subject to fewer requirements.

The emergency shelter would serve as a temporary solution in the absence of a permanent low-barrier shelter.

“The site will include shade structures that allow the homeless population to be in a safe location (out of the public right-of-way), but easily accessible to police and supporting service agencies,” See Shelter, page A2

See Rice, page A2

Dollar Tree’s plan would sprout tallest building in county

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Dollar Tree’s Ocala distribution center wants to raise its roof to the tune of 145 feet, which would make it the tallest building in Marion County.

The discount retail chain submitted an application for a special use permit to the county on April 14 requesting approval for a 145-foot distribution tower to accommodate its automated storage rack system at its facility in the Florida Crossroads Commerce Park, 5410 SW Hwy 484, in Marion Oaks.

The current zoning designation allows for a maximum building height of 75 feet.

The request went before the county’s planning and zoning commission on April 26, where it was unanimously approved on the consent agenda. The

Marion County Board of county spokesman.

County Commissioners has “My understanding is the final say and will weigh that the developers are the request on May 18. waiting for the results Dollar Tree’s 1.7 of the special use permit million-square-foot distribution center is set to be erected in two phases: a Height Comparison Reference 500,000-squarefoot building, followed by a 1.2 million-square-foot building.

The smaller portion opened and began shipping products in August, while the second phase is still 145’ pending site plan approvals.

Dollar Tree submitted a major site plan in December, but the Office of the County Engineers sent it back with comments that needed attention, according to Alex AuBuchon, a

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request before resubmitting that major site plan, as those plans may change depending on the maximum allowed height of the

building,” AuBuchon said in an email.

Dollar Tree’s Ocala warehouse is the company’s 26th distribution center in the U.S. The company nearly balked on building in Ocala, but the Marion County Board of County Commissioners offered the company a $9.9 million incentive package to secure the massive distribution center.

Once complete, the facility is expected to 175’ create 700 jobs for the Ocala area.

“Unfortunately, we are not able to comment at this time,” said Kevin Sheilley, CEO of Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership.

“However, we are excited as the company continues to go through the process and look forward to hopefully finalizing the next phase in the near future.”

Inside: Baby Lawson Returns............ A4 Commentary............................ A5 State News................................ A8 Sports........................................ B1 Creatives Corner..................... B3 Calendar................................... B5

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MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Rice feeding one of her horses, Sandy’z Slew. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Rice reacts after Medina Spirit wins the Kentucky Derby. [Sumbitted]

From Rice page A1 he was going to get bigger and stronger,” said Rice. “I really didn’t need to put that onto myself.”

The colt was not bred for the commercial sales market, so he got little attention at the 2019 Ocala Breeders’ Sales winter mixed sale.

Rice put him up for auction without a reserve price and he sold for just $1,000.

“I didn’t think he would go that low. I was hoping $10,000,” Rice said.

She lost money on that sale, but two other horses she sold at the auction made up for the loss.

“That’s how this business works,” she said.

She also gave away the mare but retained a 10% interest, which she collected after Medina Spirit won his first graded race in January at Santa Anita. She sold for

an undisclosed amount to Taylor Made, the Kentucky breeding operation where Protonico once stood.

After leaving Rice, Medina Spirit went on to sell again to his current owner Zedan Racing Stables, who gave him his name.

Some have asked Rice if she regrets selling the horse. She doesn’t. She feels the journey was part of his success.

If she had raced the colt, he would not have gone to Hall-of-Fame trainer Bob Baffert and would not have trained along some of the top horses in the country.

“It was divine intervention,” she said.

His First Breath Rice remembers the April day Medina Spirit was born.

She was staying at her son’s farm in Sparr when the mare went into labor.

Horse births can be complicated and physically exerting. Medina Spirit’s was no different.

It took Gail, her son Kevin and his wife Emily helping to get the baby out.

“We all pulled him out,” Rice said. “After he won the Derby, I was yelling, ‘I pulled him out of his mama!’”

After he was out, she cradled him and cleared his airway.

“He took his first breath in my arms,” Rice said.

As he grew, Rice saw his potential.

“He was a beautiful baby, a great mover, and personality. He had the look in his eye. I always said he was going to be a runner. I wouldn’t have sid Kentucky Derby winner. The pedigree said he wouldn’t be, but the horses always prove you wrong,” she said.

Derby Day Rice traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to watch the Derby. She was there with her daughter Taylor Ortiz and her two grandchildren.

She was already in rare company having a horse run in the Derby, but had no idea she would join an even more select club of Kentucky Derby-winning breeders. Just 147 other horses dating back to the 19th century can claim the honor.

“I have never been that excited about a horse race.

I just can’t describe it,” she said.

As the Medina Spirit crossed the finish line, Rice exploded in joy.

“I started running and yelling. It was so happy,” she said. “I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to know that a Kentucky Derby winner took his first breath

in your arms.”

The next morning, Rice was able to spend some time with Medina Spirit in the barn.

“He was bright-eyed and ready to play. He looked fresh,” she said.

She was able to pet him and kissed him goodbye.

The colt will try for the second jewel of the Triple Crown on May 15 in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

She hopes to be there to represent all the small breeders that strive to breed the best horses they can afford.

“It’s showing people that a Derby winner can come from any farm. It’s why we play it with small pocketbooks. There’s been millions spent by some that never get this done,” Rice said.

From Shelter, page A1 according to documents filed with the city.

The shelter would include access to bathrooms, water and other services during operating hours. A fence must surround the area.

Shelter staff will be responsible for managing and monitoring the outdoor site. Occupants will be required to be inside the fenced area by 10 p.m. each night and comply with the noise ordinance.

“It would provide a safe place for them to sleep (with security) while they are engaging in case management with our Homeless Services Team,” Grimsley explained.

The city’s handling of the homeless has faced multiple court challenges, including a February federal court ruling ordering the halt of arrests of homeless people sleeping in public.

In September 2019, The ACLU of Florida, Southern Legal Counsel and Andy Pozzuto sued the city, arguing the public lodging ordinance violated constitutional rights.

On Feb. 8, the court ruled arresting homeless people who don’t have access to shelters is cruel and unusual punishment violating the Eighth Amendment. Issuing trespass warnings without a process for appeal violated the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.

The city responded by amending the ordinance to remove the word “homeless” and updated its trespass warning policy.

In April, the ACLU and the Southern Legal Counsel again sued the city, arguing its panhandling ordinances were unconstitutional.

The groups argue the panhandling ordinances

Karla Grimsley, the CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, talks with Sammy Dyers, a homeless man, while offering him services at Interfaith Emergency Services. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

infringe on the First and Fourteenth Amendments and criminalizes asking for help.

The city first adopted its “roadway solicitation” ordinance on Feb. 5, 2008, making it unlawful for any person to stand in the street, highway, median or bicycle path and solicit or attempt to solicit from those in vehicles.

In 2018, the city made it unlawful to panhandle within 20 feet of business entrances and exits; bus stops and other public transportation facilities; ATMs and similar machines; any parking lot, parking

garage parking meter or parking pay station operated by the city; public restrooms and gas pumps. It also prohibits panhandling after dark and expands the definition of “aggressive panhandling,” which includes obstructing, blocking or impeding an individual or group of people from passing by a panhandler.

“Ocala’s ordinances prohibiting people from asking for help are unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” said Chelsea Dunn of the Southern Legal Counsel in a press release.

“Every individual, in this case, has been subject to arrest based on the content of their speech. They have been jailed and assessed fines for acts as harmless as asking a stranger for a cigarette.”

The city first considered the idea of an outdoor shelter in 2018. That proposal was for a 30-by-82foot pavilion. The pavilion was to include 15 picnic tables, two bathrooms, a speaker system and office space.

However, the pavilion plan fizzled when the city and the Marion County Commission could not agree

on who would pay for the $508,000 project.

It’s unclear how much the current proposed project would cost. However, Grimsley said, Interfaith is prepared to fund the project with support from the Joint Office of Homelessness.

After Tuesday’s first reading, the zoning change will be up for final approval on May 18. After that, the city would require detailed plans for the shelter from Interfaith.

“We hope it will only be temporary and that a separate low-barrier shelter would open at some point in our county,” Grimsley said.

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MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

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- Thomas Jefferson Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Carlos Medina, Managing Editor carlos@ocalagazette.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com Ainslie Lee, Associate Editor ainslie@ocalagazette.com Brendan Farrell, Reporter brendan@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Lisa McGinnes, Editor lisa@magnoliamediaco.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com

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Everts files for District 4 City Council seat

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Just days after Ocala City Councilman Matthew Wardell announced his resignation from the District 4 seat, Alex Everts filed to run for the seat.

Wardell will leave the seat on Aug. 18. He was first elected in 2015 and ran unopposed in 2019.

Whoever takes the seat after the Sept. 21 city election will serve the remainder of Wardell’s term, which expires in 2023.

Everts, who was born at Munroe Regional Medical Center (now AdventHealth Ocala), has been a part of the Ocala community his entire life. The owner Marion Fence graduated Forest High School before attending the College of Central Florida and Florida State University graduate. He also earned a master’s degree in arts and history from Liberty University.

“I’ve been active in this community for, I’d like to feel, my entire life,” Everts said. “Even when I was a student, I tried to do everything that I could.”

Everts said he shares and affinity for the arts with Wardell, who is CEO and artistic director of the Reilly Center for the Arts and is the music director and conductor of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra.

“I’m very interested in the arts,” Everts said. “I love what (Wardell) does at the Reilly. I’m a huge advocate of the arts. I love the stuff

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that if they don’t have transportation, they’re kinda really stuck out there away from a lot of good amenities, a lot of good recreation stuff, a lot of good shopping,” Everts said. “A lot of those people pay for good rates on the City of Ocala electric, some of the people in the general area do pay money that trickles back into funding into SunTran buses, and I don’t think it’s fair that they don’t have access to that. I know that might sound crazy, but that’s something I’m really fond of.”

Everts said he has considered running for council for “many years” and after consulting different people in the city, including Wardell, he finally felt that the time was right.

“People cautioned me that there’s nothing but headache in it. And that’s part of service. You put service before yourself when you do things like this,” Everts said. “The best I can say is this, if you want somebody who sees with eyes and listens with ears, then I’m your guy. I’m here to make a rational decision based off real input and do what I think is best for people.”

The District 4 seat will be voted on as part of a special election.

Meanwhile, Districts 1, 3 and 5 and the mayor’s seat, are also up for election.

Schlichter files for District 3 City Council seat

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

Our mission is to inform and uplift our readers by reporting on the events, issues and stories that shape Ocala with accuracy, fairness and passion.

We also strive to serve as a forum where all voices can be heard and to chronicle our community’s history.

that they do with Marion Theatre and such.”

In his letter of resignation, Wardell cited the time commitment required to the Reilly and the orchestra as reasons for leaving the seat. He also cited the demands of his final year of doctoral studies at the University of Florida in his letter.

Everts has previously served on the Municipal Arts Commission for the city, in addition to being active with the Ocala Civic Theater and the College of Central Florida’s theater department.

“Definitely when arts come up, I’m not going to go out of my way to prioritize things any more than anyone would or should regarding that,” Everts said. “I’m going to look at it by the merit and virtue of what people have going on.”

If elected, Everts would focus on making public transportation more accessible, especially to Baseline Road, also known as County Road 35.

Everts remembers struggling to catch a SunTran bus to get Jervey Gantt Recreational Complex to play basketball.

“I happen to know that there are a lot of people that live off Baseline,

Ty Schlichter has been a part of the Ocala community for nearly 20 years.

After moving from Wisconsin, Schlichter graduated from Forest High School and then went on study electrical engineering at the University of Florida. He then joined his father at Central Florida Electric of Ocala as vice president.

But Schlichter’s commitment to the community is only part of his drive to run for city council.

The other part comes in the shape of his four pony-tailed daughters.

“That keeps me busy and that’s partially why I wanted to run. You know, with four girls here, I feel very vested in the community, and it seemed like a good opportunity and a good time to try and get more involved to see what I can do to help make things better and help push things the right way, I guess.”

For Schlichter, there are three main areas that he’d like to focus on to improve the Ocala area, with the first being fostering a healthy

relationship between the public sector and the private sector in Ocala.

However, it’s important it’s a relationship with balance, Schlichter said.

“How we can grow Ocala, but in a managed way... a very managed and sustainable way.

Because growth at all expense is not necessarily what we want, but we do have to grow. It’s good for everyone in Ocala.”

With growth, comes an additional strain on the city’s first responders, however. And Schlichter wants to be sure that he plays a role in making sure that the Ocala Police Department and Ocala Fire Rescue have the resources they need to keep Ocala safe.

“It’s been a challenging year for all aspects of it,” Schlichter said. “We need to support them as a community and make sure that we’re there for them.

Because I would like a police officer there when I need one.

So, I think we need to continue to give them the resources they need and the support that they need as a community. And I want to be a part of that.”

Schlichter would also like to add an emphasis on beautifying Ocala, including exploring the addition of more parks.

Schlichter’s will take on incumbent Jay Musleh for the District 3 seat during the Sept. 21 regular election. Musleh first took the seat in 2012 after he won a special election to fill a vacancy on the council. He was re-elected the following year to a full four-year term and ran unopposed in 2017.

“I’m part of the community,” Schlichter said. “My wife and I are going to be here a long time with our four daughters. What’s important to me is that we leave the city better than what we have it now. I think that’s our responsibility as the preceding generation that we leave it better for our kids.”

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MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Baby Lawson back in Ocala after treatment

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Peyton Armstrong stayed up way past her bedtime on Monday night.

While the four-year-old should be in bed by 9 p.m., she was still awake early into Tuesday.

She was too excited to see her mom and baby sister for the first time in four and a half months.

Her sister, Lawson Armstrong, returned to Ocala on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since being airlifted to Boston Children’s Hospital on Dec. 20. The now eight-monthold received treatment for a rare autoimmune condition that left the child with very few platelets, essential for proper blood clotting.

Kelly Juarez, Lawson’s grandmother, said the baby was born with 8,000 platelets, while the average infant has around 200,000 platelets. Lawson’s condition, known as bone marrow failure, was initially treated by blood and platelet transfusions while doctors sought a match for a bone marrow transplant.

Lawson’s story evolved into a local grassroots campaign known as “Love For Lawson.”

Pink yard signs began popping up in the Ocala area in support of the baby and her family.

A GiveSendGo fundraising campaign has

raised more than $62,000 to help pay for Lawson’s medical expenses and the family’s housing.

Lawson received a bone marrow transplant on Feb. 9. Exactly 12 weeks to the day, she was finally back home.

Lawson and Jessica arrived at the Ocala International Airport after a two-hour-and-45-minute plane ride from Boston’s Logan International Airport. The Cessna Citation Latitude business jet’s wheels skidded across the runway at 2:47 p.m., marking the end of Lawson and Jessica Armstrong’s stay away from home.

Despite staying up late the night before, Payton was full of energy.

As the jet taxied around the runway, Peyton stood alongside her father, Sam Armstrong, with her fingers shoved in her ears. But the moment she caught sight of her mother emerging from the plane, Peyton broke free from her father and headed toward her mother.

“It feels so good to be back,” Jessica Armstrong said. “(Lawson) slept the whole flight.”

Because Lawson’s immune system is still weak, finding a safe way home was a challenge.

Flying commercial wasn’t an option, and driving back would have taken up to three days because of frequent stops.

Central Florida attorney

Dan Newlin, who heard about the case, offered his plane.

According to Jeffrey Hefner, who piloted Tuesday’s flight from Boston, when Newlin heard the Armstrongs’ story, he instantly offered to help.

“This is Dan’s generosity,” Hefner said. “He gave me the keys to his $15 million jet and told me to take care of these people… Definitely precious cargo.”

Lawson will continue to receive treatment at UF Health Shands and will return to Boston once a year for check-ups.

Meanwhile, Juarez says the family will have to live in a “bubble environment” to keep Lawson’s exposure to germs at a minimum.

Fortunately for Juarez, she gets to be a part of the bubble as she helps care for Peyton.

“I don’t even know her,” Juarez said of Lawson. “I’m going to get to know her though.”

The Lawson family with pilot Jeff Hefner, left, and co-pilot Keith Stanley, second from left, after Lawson and Jessica returned to Ocala ending a 4 1/2 month stay at Boston Children’s Hospital. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Peyton Armstrong, 4, holds her ears to block out the loud jet engine sound.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Sam and Jessica Armstrong, and their daughter, Peyton, 4, hug each other as they are reunited. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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Opinion Commentary

Charter change hoped to include women, not erase gender language would create. The approval of this amendment was viewed as buying in to the “cancel culture” that conservatives believe is blurring “But whhyyyyyyy?” natural and Is a phrase I moral lines, hear constantly which in around my this case was home these stripping people days. My of both male Sadie Fitzpatrick toddler AND female Columnist questions identities. everything The Council from why our dog has a tail cited concerns that the to why Goldfish are not an uproar would overshadow acceptable breakfast option. other important issues on The queries are endless. their agenda and removed “But why?” Has been a the proposal without further question on my mind since discussion.

April 20th’s Ocala City In reality, this proposal Council meeting when a was simply a matter of editing proposed amendment to the charter’s language to remove masculine pronouns better reflect the expanded from the city charter was roles of women in positions rescinded. traditionally held by males.

Why was this seemingly For example, titles such as innocuous edit to a charter “councilman” would become that’s more than 40 years “council member” and old causing such an uproar? “policeman” would become Why doesn’t it make sense “police officer.” Currently, to reflect in our city’s legal the city charter refers to all document that jobs in city officials as “he,” including government are no longer the city manager, who is a dependent on a person’s woman. It would have also gender? removed the pronouns “he” More than 100 people and “his.” attended this meeting to voice As both an ardent their concerns regarding the grammarian and feminist, supposed “slippery slope” this amendment makes this use of gender-neutral perfect sense to me. It is Editor’s Note: Sadie Fitzpatrick uses this space to explore the character and quirks that make Ocala uniquely wonderful and occasionally irksome.

2021 and women are now holding jobs within our city government that were once dominated by men.

Ocala’s charter, a legal document which establishes it as a city, should reflect the demographic makeup of its government by referring to officials by their titles instead of by their gendered pronouns such as “he,” “him” and “his.” Specific job titles (police officer, council member) should be made gender neutral in order to be inclusive of both males and females.

This gender-neutral language in government charters is not new. In fact, in 1996, the State of Florida removed all gender-specific terms from its statutes.

This change occurred after a landmark Gender Bias Study by the Florida Supreme Court, which noted that “gender bias in legal language cannot be ignored or trivialized.”

The English language is filled with an array of nongender specific titles that are used when referring to a multitude of people. When referring to a group of people comprised of both genders, we often use non-gender specific pronouns and titles as shorthand such as “they” or “them.”

I realize that the term “gender neutral” has become

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world, blessedly, is expanding to include a wide array of individuals—men, women, Black, white, Latinx—in positions of power who cannot be summarized by the use of a simple pronoun.

Ocala serves as a leader in so many areas—logistics, distribution and cultural arts, to name a few. It has catapulted itself into the 21st century, and it’s time that our city charter reflects that by adopting gender-neutral language.

Words matter. This amendment will not erase or blur gender identities. It is simply intended to allow the titles in our city charter to more accurately reflect who holds these jobs.

I encourage the Ocala City Council to revisit this proposal and allow our charter to represent all of the talented men AND women who make up city government today and in the future.

Make sure the Council reconsiders this amendment by signing the petition today: http://chng.it/JtWLDyFGHw Have your own observations about Ocala?

Share them with Sadie at sadie@ocalagazette.com.

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a hot-button issue from a political, personal and spiritual perspective.

For those arguing against the use of gender-neutral language, there is the fear that the governmental powers that be are seeking to redefine what constitutes a man and a woman. It is also viewed as an assault on one’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, arguing that an individual’s use of pronouns cannot be policed.

The most prevalent argument against the use of gender-neutral language seems to be one based on faith. At the April 20th City Council meeting, many argued that God created man and woman; however, those protesting this amendment failed to realize that the Council was actually trying to remedy that exact problem— that all genders were being referenced as one gender. By utilizing non-specific job titles and including “he” and “she” pronouns within the city charter, the Council intended to illustrate there are two genders represented in our city government.

For many years, “he” has been the de facto pronoun used to represent many areas of American life, particularly when discussing those in authoritative positions. Our

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A6

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Honorable Mentions Ocala announces new utilities director Marvin Ayala will take over as the director of Ocala Electric Utility.

Ayala has served as the deputy director since 2018 and recently accepted the director’s role.

OEU is owned by the City of Ocala.

Prior to joining OEU, Ayala was the director of electric operations for South Norwalk Electric and Water, a manager for Eversource Energy, and a supervisor for the United Illuminating Company in Norwalk, Connecticut. He also served as the customer project manager for Consolidated Edison Company in New York.

Ayala recently graduated with his MBA and has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Manhattan College.

Doug Peebles was recently promoted to the deputy director post. He has been with the utility department since 2000.

North Marion Middle wins national award North Marion Middle School was one of six schools in the nation to win the 6th Annual Sandy Hook Promise Say Something Award.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization trying to end school shootings and preventing violence that hurt children.

The awards recognize the creative ways schools celebrate “upstanders,” students who speak up to get help for classmates.

Members of the school’s Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Club at North Marion Middle created and submitted their winning video available at https://vimeo.com/527974180.

North Marion Middle School will receive a $300 prize, among other honors.

County employees recognized for service Marion County recognized several employees for their longtime service during the May 4 meeting of the Marion County Commission.

Those with 20 years’ experience included: Douglas Newbanks, Building Safety Inspector Plans Examiner Christopher Dematio, Utilities Maintenance Supervisor Clifford Smith, Utilities Plant Operator Kenneth Bergdoll, Fire Rescue Lieutenant William Bryson, Utilities Operation Supervisor John Newell, Solid Waste Hazardous Waste Specialist Domina Daughtrey, Library Division Manager This with 15 years’ experience included: Mark Williams, Fleet Management Director David Green, Utilities Plant Operator Judith Smith, MSTU Administrative Service Coordinator James McClain, Office of County Engineer Medium Equipment Operator Ann Bishop, Marion Soil and Water Marion Soil District Administrator Louis Barrineau, Solid Waste Collections Driver Michael McCain, Executive Director of Internal Services Todd Brannon, Office of County Engineer Road Maintenance Manager Christopher Inman, Office of County Engineer Heavy Equipment Operator Robert Cohen, Office of County Engineer Light Equipment Operator Brian Dzbinski, Fire Rescue Paramedic Brendan Rooney, Fire Rescue Driver Engineer

Local students earn state awards The recent SkillsUSA Florida state competition earned top spots for several Marion County students. The state organization is part of SkillsUSA, a nonprofit partnership of education and industry and helps students develop personal, workplace and technical skills.

“SkillsUSA Florida is proud of the accomplishments of all our student competitors and especially our medalists. With competitions held virtually for the first time this year, our contestants and their instructors overcame an extra layer of difficulty. The event was a true collaboration of students, teachers and business and industry partners, and we are excited for the level of skill and talent in Marion County and throughout the state of Florida,” said state director Jessica Graber.

The slate of local high school team winners includes: First place, gold medal: Additive Manufacturing, Justin Connell and Isabelle Amparo, Belleview High School; Commercial sUAS Drone Technology, Jacob Brewer and Fraun Felter, Belleview High School; Culinary Arts, Cane Fernandez, Forest High School; Job Skill Demonstration, Ian Singlemann, Marion Technical Institute; Television (Video) Production, Castaneda Luis and Morgan Vanderlaan, West Port High School.

Second place, silver medal: Culinary Arts, Cody Blaire, Forest High School Third place, bronze medal: Restaurant Service, Walter Hoffman, Forest High School; Job Interview, Jade Dunne, Marion Technical Institute; Welding, Miguel Sanchez, Marion Technical Institute For more information, visit www. skillsusa.org or www.skillsusafl.org.

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A7

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Guinn vetoes landfill change, City Council considers override vote

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Jerry Lourenco and Friends Recycling might have struck out for the third time, but they’re still swinging.

On April 29, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn vetoed a zoning change that could have allowed Friends Recycling, a construction debris landfill located at 2350 NW 27th Ave., to expand. It’s the third veto by an Ocala mayor related to the landfill dating back more than a decade.

On Tuesday, Lourenco, the landfill’s owner, was back at the podium in the council chambers during its regularly scheduled meeting to voice his displeasure with the veto. Guinn did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.

“We’re trying to do the right thing by the community,” Lourenco said.

“We made an agreement to west Ocala. I can remember back in ‘09 with Narvella Haynes that we were going to run this facility the best we could to be good neighbors and we have upheld that.”

The most recent veto came after the city council voted 3-1, with Councilman Ire Bethea voting against, on April 20 to approve an ordinance reinstating construction and demolition landfills as approved uses under a special use exception in the M-2 and M-3 zoning districts.

Friends Recycling, which has operated since the late 1980s, predates the city’s decision to remove C&D landfills from the code in 1991. As such, they can continue to operate, but cannot expand.

With the change to the zoning ordinance, Friends could have petitioned to expand its landfill operations to the north onto other parcels the company owns. Lourenco has said the landfill is nearing capacity.

Lourenco first sought the change in 2009. The council approved, but then-Mayor Randy Ewers vetoed the

change.

In Feb. 2020, the issue returned, and council members again approved the change. But Guinn vetoed the move. A vote to override the veto failed to get support from a supermajority of four council members.

When the issue resurfaced on the April 6 council agenda, Guinn said he did not plan a veto if the measure passed. The mayor does not vote on council decisions.

“I would respect council’s vote, whatever that vote is,” Guinn said on April

6. “I’m not going to veto it again.”

But the opposition to the landfill from area residents has not waivered.

City staff recommend the council deny the change due to the potential for an increase in noise, occasional strong odor, groundwater contamination, a decrease in the value of nearby properties and an increase in truck traffic.

There was also concern about the visibility of the landfill from the expansive West Oak residential development being built immediately to the east.

Friends Recycling [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

The development will include upwards of 1,400 residential units on 217 acres of the former Pine Oaks Golf Course.

Lourenco argued by expanding north, Friends would be able to keep the height of the landfill lower.

Councilman Brent Malever missed the April 20 vote. His vote could likely be the deciding one in whether Guinn’s veto stands. Malever voted not to override Guinn’s last veto leaving the vote 3-2, with Bethea also voting not to override.

While council members briefly weighed an override vote, they eventually decided to wait, as Malever asserted that he’d feel better having more conversations with all parties involved.

“We gotta do the right thing at the right time for the right people,” Malever said.

While Guinn has 10 days to veto a council decision, Councilman Jay Musleh hoped Guinn would have signaled his reluctance to the issue.

“He vetoed it within his authority and I’m not knocking him for that,” Musleh said. “But he has never given me an indication of what he’ll do.

He just makes his mind up at the last minute... or afterwards. And that’s what’s frustrating to me about this whole issue.

Because I don’t want to go down this path again.”

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A8

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

State News Florida’s 2021 Legislative session come to close The session’s top bills passed

By Jim Saunders and Jim Turner News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – The 2021 legislative session ended April 30 with a traditional hanky-dropping ceremony in the fourth-floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol.

Lawmakers took up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with passing a budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1.

Here are 10 big issues from the session: BUDGET: Buoyed by billions of dollars in federal stimulus money and rebounding state tax revenues, lawmakers passed a record $101.5 billion budget for the upcoming year. The budget includes such things as bonuses for first responders, providing services to more people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and addressing effects of rising sea levels. Also, lawmakers scrapped proposed cuts in Medicaid funding for hospitals and nursing homes.

COVID-19: Lawmakers passed a measure aimed at shielding businesses and

health-care providers from lawsuits related to people getting sick or dying from COVID-19. Also, they approved making permanent a ban on COVID-19 vaccine “passports.” Gov. Ron DeSantis in early April issued an executive order to prohibit businesses from requiring people to show they had been vaccinated to gain entry – the issue that has become known as COVID-19 passports.

EDUCATION: As part of a more than two-decade effort by Republicans to expand school choice, lawmakers passed an overhaul of school-voucher programs. In part, the plan would increase an income threshold so that a family of four making nearly $100,000 a year could qualify for vouchers.

In higher education, the Senate considered controversial changes in the Bright Futures scholarship program before largely backing away amid an outcry from students and other opponents.

ELECTIONS: Despite fierce opposition from Democrats, the Republicancontrolled Legislature passed a wide-ranging elections bill

that includes placing new restrictions on voting by mail. Supporters said the bill, which addresses issues such as the use of drop boxes for mail-in ballots, is needed to ensure election security and integrity. But Democrats contended that it is designed to place barriers to voting and likened it to measures aimed at Black voters in the Jim Crow era.

INSURANCE: After years of debating the issue, lawmakers approved ending Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system. Under the bill, motorists would no longer be required to carry personal-injury protection, or PIP, coverage. They would have to carry bodily-injury coverage. Also, lawmakers approved changes in the property-insurance system, including allowing larger annual rate increases for customers of the statebacked Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

PROTESTS: DeSantis quickly signed a controversial law-and-order measure that was sparked by nationwide protests last year after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The law creates a new crime of “mob intimidation,” enhances riot-

related penalties and makes it harder for local officials to reduce spending on law enforcement. But opponents said the measure is rooted in racism and would give police too much leeway to arrest peaceful protesters.

SOCIAL MEDIA: After former President Donald Trump was blocked from Twitter and Facebook early this year, Republican lawmakers passed a plan to crack down on social-media companies.

The plan, a priority of DeSantis, includes barring social-media companies from removing political candidates from the companies’ platforms and threatens hefty fines.

Critics questioned the bill’s constitutionality and described it as a “big government” move.

TAXES: In a major win for business groups, lawmakers passed a plan that will require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians. The roughly $1 billion a year generated by the change will be used to replenish a depleted unemployment trust fund. Later, it will be used to offset a cut in a

commercial rent tax. Florida businesses have long argued online retailers enjoyed an advantage because they didn’t collect sales taxes.

TOLL ROADS: Two years after then-Senate President Bill Galvano pushed through a law to build and expand toll roads, lawmakers largely scrapped the plan during this year’s session. That included nixing the idea of building a toll road from Collier County to Polk County.

Lawmakers, however, decided to move forward with projects such as extending Florida’s Turnpike west from Wildwood to connect with the Suncoast Parkway.

TRANSGENDER ATHLETES: After the issue appeared dead in the Senate, lawmakers in the final days of the session passed a bill that would ban transgender female athletes from competing on high-school girls’ and college women’s sports teams. While bill supporters said transgender female athletes could have a physical advantage, opponents said the bill targets youths already at risk for suicide, ostracism and bullying.

House. The Senate proposal would have blocked new government employees from enrolling in the traditional pension system and required them to enroll in a 401(k)-style plan.

TERM LIMITS: A renewed attempt by the House to impose eight-year term limits on county school board members died in the Senate. The proposal, which has emerged repeatedly in recent years, would have asked voters in 2022 to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the terms of school board members.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: After massive job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate backed increasing unemployment benefits from a maximum of $275 a week to $375 a week. But the House did not take up

the proposal, which also faced opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

UNION DUES: Publicemployee unions staved off attempts by Republican lawmakers to place new restrictions on union dues.

The proposals included adding a step in which government employers would have had to confirm with workers that they want dues taken out of their pay before the deductions could start.

VACATION RENTALS: Bills aimed at further restricting local governments from regulating vacation rental properties did not make it through the House and Senate. The issue has long been controversial, as cities and counties have fought the additional restrictions on their authority.

The session’s top bills not passed

By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – From abortion restrictions to vacation rentals, many high-profile bills died when the Florida legislative session ended on April 30.

Here are 10 issues that did not make it through the Legislature: ABORTION: The House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would have prevented doctors from providing abortions that women seek because of tests showing fetuses will have disabilities. The bill about so-called “disability abortions” threatened criminal penalties against doctors, but the Senate did not take it up.

ALIMONY: A longrunning debate about

overhauling Florida’s alimony laws will have to wait at least another year.

While the House approved alimony changes, the controversial issue stalled in the Senate. The proposal, as in the past, sought to eliminate what is known as permanent alimony and reduce the duration of alimony.

BRIGHT FUTURES: The Senate ran into noisy opposition from students and other critics when it started moving forward with a proposal to make eligibility for Bright Futures scholarships contingent on students selecting degree programs likely to lead to employment. The Senate ultimately backed away from the idea.

DATA PRIVACY: Business groups breathed easier Friday with the

demise of a bill that would have given consumers more control over personal data collected by companies.

The bill, backed by House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, faced heavy opposition from an army of business lobbyists.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA: More than four years after Florida voters broadly legalized medical marijuana, lawmakers let die a proposal that would have limited THC potency in smokable marijuana and other cannabis products. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component in cannabis.

PENSION SYSTEM: An effort by the Senate to overhaul the state retirement system fizzled as it was not taken up by the

A9

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

With gambling compact done, now comes the hard part

By Dara Kam News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – After years of legal wrangling and failed attempts to seal a deal, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have nailed down a gambling agreement to bring sports betting to the state and rake at least $2.5 billion into state coffers within five years.

But the complicated 30year pact faces significant hurdles before Florida residents and visitors legally could whip out their phones and place bets on their favorite sports teams.

State lawmakers would have to sign off on the agreement, which is known as a “compact.” The U.S. Department of the Interior also has to authorize the deal.

In addition, experts are divided about whether the Florida Constitution requires statewide voter approval to legalize sports betting. Other lawyers believe that the proposed compact with the Seminoles could run afoul of federal law.

“Florida is a legal landmine,” Hallandale Beach lawyer Daniel Wallach, who specializes in sports betting, said in an interview.

Wallach warned that the compact could result in a legal quagmire because of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which governs what forms of gaming tribes can offer.

Under the agreement inked April 23 by DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., the Seminoles would serve as a hub for online sports betting, with pari-mutuel operators – including Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai Alai near Orange Lake and Oxford Downs near Summerfield

– contracting with the tribe.

Pari-mutuels would get to keep 60% of sports-betting revenue, with 40% going to the Seminoles. The tribe would pay the state up to 14% on the net winnings.

But Wallach and others question whether federal law allows the state to enter into a compact that authorizes gambling off tribal lands, even if the technology handling wagering transactions is located on the Seminoles’ property.

Wallach pointed to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which provides that tribes may conduct certain types of gambling activities “on tribal lands.” Courts have strictly interpreted the federal law to mean that the activities need to take place on tribal lands.

“There’s no ambiguity,” Wallach said. “It’s not the server. It’s not the administrative off-site. It’s the roll of the dice. It’s the actions of the gambler.”

But Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and chairman of Hard Rock International, said the tribe believes the sports betting arrangement laid out in the compact is on solid ground.

“It’s our feeling, and we certainly have talked to the Department of the Interior, as long as the servers are on sovereign land, we are within the boundaries of the law. I certainly recognize that there are many companies that are trying to derail this,” Allen told The News Service of Florida in a phone interview.

The federal agency has 45 days to authorize a tribal compact, once it has been ratified. If the Department of the Interior doesn’t act within that period of time, the compact automatically goes into effect. Florida’s compact wouldn’t be ratified until the

Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the gambling agreement with he Seminole Tribe of Florida as the tribe’s Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. looks on. The agreement, which would bring sports gambling to the state, could reap as much as $2.5 billion to state coffers within five years. [News Service of Florida]

Legislature signs off on the deal.

Under the agreement, sports betting would be “geofenced” within the state’s borders.

If courts found that the wagers could only take place on tribal lands, that could leave the Seminoles with exclusive rights to conduct sports betting in Florida, even if only at their casinos. The Interior Department or the courts could wipe out other aspects of the sports-betting arrangement laid out in the compact, Wallach said.

“This is as open and shut case as it gets in gaming law, and it’s confounding, absolutely confounding to me that the state agreed to a deal that runs a significantly high risk of being modified or being pared back significantly … and leaving in its place a tribal monopoly with nothing for the pari-mutuel facilities.

That undermines what the state is intending to do here,” he said.

Lawmakers, who finished

their regular legislative session Friday, are set to address the compact and associated gambling-related bills when they come back to the Capitol for a special session during the week of May 17.

More than two dozen other states have legalized sports betting since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a New Jersey lawsuit cleared the decks for the popular activity.

But whether the compact complies with federal law isn’t the only legal landmine.

Floridians in 2018 approved a constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3, requiring statewide voter authorization of expansions of gambling.

Some lawyers, including Wallach, argue that the amendment doesn’t require a statewide vote to legalize sports betting.

But John Sowinski, chairman of the political campaign behind the

constitutional amendment, disagreed. He said the compact for a number of reasons would violate Amendment 3 and an earlier state constitutional amendment that authorized slot machines in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, as well as federal law.

Amendment 3 allows the state and tribes to negotiate compacts “for the conduct of casino gambling on tribal lands,” but Sowinski maintained that the language only applies to games taking place on tribal property, not on cell phones throughout Florida.

Allen had a different interpretation.

“There’s different points of view but our point of view is that Amendment 3 specifically excluded, I mean no one can dispute, that it excluded the state’s ability to do a deal with a sovereign nation, a federally recognized Indian tribe. The Seminoles certainly qualify in that category,” he said.

Legislative session closes without deep budget cuts

By Christine Sexton News Service of Florida As the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session came to a close, the proposed deep budget cuts that made health care providers nervous for weeks largely evaporated.

Buoyed by rising tax collections – and billions of dollars in federal aid supplied by Congress – the final budget approved by legislators on Friday includes $101.5 billion for

the fiscal year that starts in July. The state budget also calls for spending nearly $7 billion of federal aid between now and the end of June.

The largest chunk of the 2021-22 budget – $44.5 billion – is spent on healthcare, which is about $5 billion more than the budget lawmakers approved last year. Spending on Medicaid comprises the majority of the health care budget, accounting for $33.7 billion.

Back in March,

legislators were contemplating slashing hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from hospitals and other health care providers, but they closed the gap in the final days of the session.

Yet as they leave town, lawmakers can boast of expanding health care programs, including spending nearly $240 million to extend Medicaid coverage for a full year to postpartum mothers. The budget also targets $80 million in state and federal

dollars – what some believe to be an all-time high – to remove about 2,100 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from a lengthy waiting list for Medicaid iBudget waiver services.

“This has been a rollercoaster ride of a budget year,” House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, said on April 30. Trumbell reminded his colleagues that, when the session began in March, lawmakers initially anticipated a $3

billion budget shortfall.

The largesse shown by the Republican-controlled Legislature on spending this year earned praise and support from Democrats, who voted unanimously for the spending plan. The House passed the budget in a 117-1 vote, with Howeyin-the-Hills Republican Anthony Sabatini casting the lone no vote against the plan. The Senate unanimously approved the 2021-2022 state budget, before the legislative session drew to a close.

DeSantis suspends COVID-19 emergency orders

By Jim Turner News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended all local-government coronavirus emergency orders on Monday as he signed a bill that makes permanent his ban on COVID-19 vaccine “passports” and limits the authority of cities and counties in future healthcare crises.

“My message is that the vaccines protect you. Get vaccinated, and then live your life as if you are protected,” DeSantis said during an event at the Big Catch at Salt Creek, a St. Petersburg restaurant.

“You don’t have to chafe

under restrictions infinitum.”

DeSantis announced an executive order suspending local-government orders about coronavirus precautions and signed an emergency-management bill (SB 2006) approved Thursday by the Legislature.

While the executive order won’t block businesses from requiring customers to socially distance or wear masks, DeSantis said he will call at the next state clemency board meeting for lifting outstanding COVID19-related fines that local governments have imposed on businesses.

Democrats called the executive order “premature” as deaths in Florida from

COVID-19 continue to average around 60 a day, while saying the so-called vaccine passport-ban is “strange” as Republicans advocate for business freedom. The ban prevents businesses, schools and government agencies from requiring people to show proof of vaccination before gaining entry.

Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said the executive order is a further intrusion into local governments, while the passport-ban does the same to businesses.

“It’s been an interesting sort of role reversal that we’re seeing with Republican leadership, where they keep trying to tell businesses and

corporations how to do their job and how to run their business,” Driskell said. “It’s very strange to me.”

The bill signed Monday

by DeSantis will allow the governor to override local orders during health crises if they are determined to “unnecessarily restrict individual rights or liberties.”

“We need to put reasonable checks on government at every local level now that we have seen what can play out when this happens for such an extended period of time,” House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6.4 million

people in Florida have been fully vaccinated, 29.86 percent of the population, the 36th-best rate among states.

The bill signed by DeSantis will require local emergency orders to be narrowly tailored and to be extended in seven-day increments for a maximum duration of 42 days.

Currently, such orders can be issued initially for seven days and extended indefinitely in seven-day increments.

Also, state agencies will be required to develop by the end of 2022 public health emergency plans, and the Division of Emergency Management will have to stockpile personal protective equipment.

A10

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Crist to vie for governor’s seat, again

By Jim Saunders and Tom Urban News Service of Florida

am running for governor of Florida, for a Florida for all.”

Crist listed priorities that are Democratic staples, including making it easier to vote, expanding Medicaid eligibility and treating climate change like the “existential threat it is.” He also bashed Republican lawmakers and DeSantis, describing their agenda as “shameful.”

“The deck is stacked against the middle class, aided and abetted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies in Tallahassee,” Crist said.

“This is a governor who doesn’t listen, who doesn’t care and doesn’t think about you.”

The announcement echoed themes from Crist’s past campaigns, down to his recounting of how his grandfather arrived in the United States from Cyprus and how his family had succeeded.

It was the latest move in a three-decade political career that has seen him get elected statewide three times as a Republican, run an ill-fated campaign

TALLAHASSEE – More than a decade after walking away from the governor’s office, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist launched a campaign this week to try to unseat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.

Crist, a St. Petersburg Democrat, was the first major candidate to formally enter the 2022 gubernatorial race.

But DeSantis’ political committee has been piling up cash in anticipation of a re-election campaign, and Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Orlando are widely expected to run.

Crist, 64, made the announcement during a sun-splashed event in St. Petersburg. The podium displayed the campaign theme: “Florida For All.” “This won’t be an easy fight, but nothing in life worth fighting for is easy,” Crist said. “I am announcing today that I

for the U.S. Senate as an independent, become a Democrat, lose a 2014 bid for governor and get elected to Congress.

Through most of that career, Crist has offered an upbeat persona and relished in retail politics. But critics also have pointed to his party switching and history of runs for different offices, portraying him as a political opportunist.

“I just wonder which party is he going to run under? Do we know for sure? I thought about it, because you know, he’s run as a Republican and lost, independent and lost, Democrat and lost,” DeSantis said Tuesday.

“Now I see he’s voting with (U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi 100 percent of the time. He could probably give it a run for the Green Party in San Francisco. So, who knows what is going to happen with that?”

Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, indicated she would rather see Crist run for re-election to his congressional seat in a swing area.

“Certainly, I have had communications with Congressman Crist. It is a time when we need his voice and his vote up in Washington D.C.,” Fried said. “His seat is one that only probably Charlie Crist can hold on to. So, I’d really like to have encouraged him to stay in Congress. But, certainly today is Charlie’s day and I wish him the best of luck.”

Crist criticized DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, asking how “many lives would have been saved” if the Republican had listened to experts and taken more precautions.

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But DeSantis indicated he is ready to fight with Crist and other Democrats about the issue.

“I implore them, from my political interests, to run on closing schools, run on locking people down, run on closing businesses,” DeSantis said. “I would love to have that debate. I can tell you this: We have saved people’s livelihoods.

You know what, when you have kids in schools, when you have people working and you have people’s businesses surviving, you are saving lives too.”

Crist easily won a 2006 race for governor. But Crist did not run for a second term as governor in 2010, instead leaving the Republican Party and launching an independent bid for a U.S. Senate seat. Crist lost the race to Republican Marco Rubio and was sidelined politically.

Crist became the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014 but lost to Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

He then won a Pinellas County congressional seat in 2016.

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A11

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

News in Brief

“Million Dollar Quartet” premiering May 27

Lane closures expected along Northwest 70th Street Temporary lane closures should be by expected by motorists traveling on Northwest 70th Street between the intersection of Northwest Gainesville Road and Northwest 35th Avenue Road between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. through May 7. Workers and equipment may be found in the county right-of-way as Southeastern Asphalt Paving will be repaving Northwest 70th Street. While crews will place barricades and signs to direct traffic, travelers should expect delays and use alternate routes when possible. For more information contact the Office of the County Engineer at 352-671-8686.

The Broadway musical “Million Dollar Quartet” premieres on stage at the Ocala Civic Theatre on May 27 and will run through June 27.

The musical recollects the true story of the iconic recording session that saw Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins come together at Sun Records in Memphis on the afternoon of Dec. 4, 1956 for an impromptu recording session – the first and only time the legends would record together.

The unforgettable day in music history is brought on stage with hit songs “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Fever”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Hound Dog” and others.

The production is directed by Katrina Ploof, while Tom Ferriera serves as the stage manager.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for spectators 18 and younger. Tickets can be purchased over the phone at 352-236-2274 or in person at the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information or to buy tickets anytime, visit ocalacivictheatre.com.

Masks will be required for audience members, while seating will remain limited and socially distanced.

College of Central Florida to host virtual spring theatre production The College of Central Florida’s Musical Theatre Department is set to host their virtual spring production of “Now. Here. This.”. The show will run on May 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. online.

Directed by Dr. Jason Longtin, “Now. Here. This.” follows the evolution and adventures of a group of friends as they journey from the present to the past and back again. Characters share their stories about friendship, love, hiding, laughing, living, dying and middle school in an effort to step into the elusive present moment.

Free summer learning to be offered by MCPS Thanks to federal dollars earmarked for pandemic relief, Marion County students will have an opportunity to attend a free summer camp that’s intended to bridge educational gaps caused by distanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 1,600 educators and personnel will educate and support students during the camp, which came with a price tag of $5.8 million, all of which is to be covered by COVID relief funds.

Marion County’s 32

elementary schools will offer tailored options for student, including reading intervention camps, math support programs, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), writing refreshers and other areas.

Though times vary, most elementary programs will operate from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. during June and July, Monday through Thursday.

Voluntary Pre-

Kindergarten (VPK) classes will also be available at Belleview, College Park, Emerald Shores, Maplewood, Marion Oaks and ReddickCollier Elementary. VPK classes will run June 7 to July 20 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Breakfast, lunch and a snack will be provided for VPK student.

For more information on summer VPK, call 352236-0533, option 1 or visit marionschools.net/vpk.

Meanwhile, rising sixth graders through 12th

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graders will also have opportunities such as credit recovery programs, algebra 1 refresher/readiness, geometry readiness, extracurricular camps, boot camps for industry certifications and other programs.

All middle schools offer at least one program, while 21st Century Community Centers will also operate at Belleview, Howard, Lake Weir and Liberty Middle.

Most public high school will offer two, three-week sessions of credit recovery, as well as driver’s education courses.

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Most summer programs will utilize face-to-face instruction. Transportation and meals are available to students attending summer programs. Parents can register their students for summer programs using their Family Access account, while students can register using their Skyward account.

If transportation is needed, registration is required by May 7. More information can be found directly by contacting participating schools, or visiting marionschools.net

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B1

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports

Belleview’s Emily Pearce (10) scores as she slides past the tag of Dunnellon’s catcher Cameron Darnell (14). [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Belleview players celebrate after their win. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Belleview Rattlers edge Dunnellon Tigers in quarterfinals

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Dunnellon senior Cameron Darnell blasted a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning against the Belleview Rattlers on Wednesday — marking the first run the Rattlers had given up in two games.

It was a shock to the Rattlers and senior pitcher Lauren Reimsnyder, who had pitched eight straight perfect innings across the previous two contests.

“She hit the home run that kinda punched us in our mouth a little,” Belleview head coach Gary Greer said of Darnell. “And for some reason, her hit affected our at-bats because we’ve been hitting like crazy.”

In Belleview’s last two games, the Rattlers posted 25 runs behind 22 hits. But on Wednesday night their bats went cold. The Rattlers had to scratch their way to a 3-2 victory over the Tigers in the Class 4A regional quarterfinal at Belleview’s

Venom Field.

Following Darnell’s shot in the top of the first inning, the Tigers continued to threaten Reimsnyder and the Rattlers.

After Reimsnyder walked Dunnellon senior Courtney Desena, the Tigers got back-to-back singles from senior Maggie Williams and sophomore Macie Dewitz to load the bases. But Reimsnyder dished a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam and keep the score at 1-0.

Reimsnyder and Desena, Dunnellon’s ace, traded blows in a pitcher’s duel in the second and third innings, maintaining the Tigers’ one-run advantage.

“Their pitcher did a great job,” Greer said. “We tip our hats to her. She made us stress out more than we need to be.”

It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth inning that the offense-driven Rattlers struck.

Despite already having two outs, freshman designated player Lynnay Howard notched the first hit

of the game for the Rattlers with a double to left field.

Belleview’s senior first baseman, Brooke Butcher, immediately drove in the run from second to knot the game up at one run apiece.

“Howard has just been on fire for us,” Greer said.

“She’s batting .500. She’s now up to 40 at-bats and is like 20-for-40. We didn’t bat her the first six or seven, so there was maybe some bad coaching going on there…

She’s worked her way into the lineup and she did what you’re supposed to do.

When someone opens the door for you to get into the lineup, she hasn’t let them get back in.”

A scoreless fifth frame preceded the game-deciding sixth inning.

With one out, Dunnellon seniors Megan Kerrick and Destiny Bealer each notched singles to put two runners on the basepath for fellow senior Leanne Sonneberger, who put down a sacrifice bunt to plate Kerrick for a 2-1 lead.

But the Rattlers weren’t retreating.

Belleview junior Emily Pearce ignited the Rattlers’ sixth-inning rally with a lead-off single. Looking to advance Pearce into scoring position, Greer called on Reimsnyder to put a bunt into play.

However, Reimsnyder’s two bunt attempts dribbled foul and put her behind 0-2 in the count. But the pressure didn’t get to Reimsnyder, who sent the 0-2 offering into centerfield, advancing Pearce to second, who immediately advanced to third after the relay throw bounced off of her back and got away from Dunnellon’s infielders.

Howard would go on to drive Pearce home for her second RBI of the game, while Belleview freshman Jordan McLaughlin sent a sacrifice hit into play, plating what would end up being the winning run for the Rattlers.

Down 3-2 in the seventh inning, with Darnell up to bat for the Tigers, the Rattlers quickly recalled the image of Darnell’s early jab leaving the park and walked

Dunnellon’s right fielder, which brought the winning run to the plate for the Tigers.

Sophomore K’mari Williams sent a line drive screaming down the thirdbase line, where Belleview third baseman Kylah Gardner nabbed it for the out and threw back to first catching Darnell off the bag for the 5-3 double play.

“That double play was huge. And Kylah would be the perfect person to make that play,” Greer said. “Not one error at third base (all season), which is pretty impossible to do in high school softball when you’re in the hot corner. That’s amazing.”

Reimsnyder went on to strikeout her pitching counterpart, Desena, for the final out and the win.

The Dunnellon Tigers finished their 2021 campaign 11-13, while the Rattlers advanced in the playoffs and will battle Citrus (15-9) on May 11 at 7 p.m. The location of the game is yet to be determined.

Despite streak of district titles, every win special

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Belleview softball head coach Gary Greer is no stranger to district championships.

Greer, who has led the Rattlers’ softball program for 21 seasons, has now helped Belleview capture eight district crowns, including four straight, excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

The team’s most recent district championship came on April 29 after the Rattlers dished out a 10-0 run-rule victory over North Marion at Belleview’s Venom Field.

Despite the team’s winning tradition, Greer said every title is special.

“We talk about the history and the past, but the last thing I told them was even though it’s four,

we enjoy today’s,” Greer said. “Because today is the one that you got as a group.

They’ll never be together… this group of girls.”

Part of what is special about this year’s team is senior pitcher Lauren Reimsnyder. The senior notched 18 wins and the team lived and died on her arm. Her 18-7 record nearly matches the team’s overall record of 19-7.

She dominated the district finals and semifinals pitching back-to-back gems.

The Rattlers made their way into the Class 4A-District 5 title game after thumping the Lake Weir Hurricanes 15-0 through three innings on April 27.

Reimsnyder threw a perfect game while keeping her pitch count below 30.

She regrouped two nights later to pitch another shutout, her eighth of the

season. Reimsnyder’s success didn’t go unnoticed. She will join Bethel University next year.

“Lauren hasn’t given up a hit or walk in eight innings straight,” Greer said. “That’s probably the best playoff

performance we’ve ever had.

So that’s pretty awesome.”

As the team prepared for the state tournament, Reimsnyder was ready to go again.

“I feel great,” Reimsnyder said. “Even though I have

pitched now four days in a row because I pitched in practice too, I just feel really loose and competitive. I think the adrenaline is really getting to me and making sure this isn’t the last time I get to step on this field.”

The Belleview High School softball team poses with their district championship trophy recently. The title is their fourth straight championship, excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. [Submitted]

B2

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Vanguard blows lead late in district championship

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com

from sophomore Jake Tompkins on the mound, the Knights lost 2-1 to Lake Minneola (17-7), forcing the Knights (15-10) to go on the road to start the state playoffs.

Vanguard has reached the state tournament for the first time since Vanguard coach Scott Schaub’s first season as a coach in 2017.

“Tough one, heartbreaker, heartbroken for the kids,” Schaub said.

“I thought we had the opportunities, the chances, you know, to come out of here with the win.

“Tough, tough ballgame, but there’s always a winner and a loser. And unfortunately, we’re on the losing side of things.”

It was a pitchers’ duel between Tompkins and Lake Minneola Vanguard’s last district starter Parker baseball title came in 2002, Fenton from before any of the current start to finish. players were even born.

The two pitchers Heading into the bottom stonewalled of the seventh inning, their opposition despite having just one hit in for five straight the game, the Knights were innings. Fenton three outs away from taking was throwing a district championship a perfect game trophy home. through the first But by the end of the five innings, but inning, all they could do the Knights finally was watch Lake Minneola’s put themselves on players dogpile in the the scoreboard in infield and endure the the sixth.

Lake Minneola’s Jonah Cali (16) scores the tying run as Vanguard’s catcher Bobby Gottuso sting of losing the district First baseman (9) loses the ball in the dirt at the plate. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] championship on their home Michael Long turf. reached on an to second on a bunt. He scored anyway.

Despite a valiant effort error and then moved touched home on an RBI Schaub made a change on single to give Vanguard the mound, but it couldn’t a 1-0 lead. The Knights prevent Lake Minneola threatened again in the from taking the victory. inning after a walk put First baseman Michael runners on first and second, Long hesitated after cleanly but Fenton escaped the fielding a grounder and then inning without further threw it home. That was damage. enough to beat the throw Through six innings, home and end the game. aside from getting out of Despite the loss, Schaub a two-out, bases-loaded is confident the team will jam in the third inning, perform well during the Tompkins was dominant. state tournament, which After Vanguard couldn’t has them facing New Port score any runs in the top of Richey’s River Ridge High the seventh, all he needed to School on May 6. The do was produce three more results of that game were outs. not available at press time After a leadoff single, but visit OcalaGazette.com Tompkins fielded a bunt, but for updates. his throw was in the dirt and I wouldn’t pick anyone couldn’t be handled, putting else to go on this journey runners on first and third. with… I think we’ve got a After a strikeout, great chance to compete and Tompkins snagged a high make a playoff push and Lake Minneola players pile on top of Kai Sit (9) after he scored the winning run. Lake Minneola won the game 2-1 in chopper and threw it to maybe go for a Final Four the bottom of the 7th inning. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] home, but the tying run run,” Schaub said.

Ocala-bred Medina Spirit wins Kentucky Derby Ocala Gazette Staff Ocala-bred Medina Spirit fought back after relinquishing the lead to Mandaloun at midstretch to post a half-length to win the 147th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Bred locally by Gail Rice, the son of Protonico out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa, sold as a yearling for $1,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders’ Sales winter mixed sale. He was consigned by Ocala’s Summerfield. The colt went through the 2020 OBS open sale in July where he sold for just $35,000.

The Derby win was worth $1.86 million, bringing Medina Spirit’s total career earnings to more than $2.17 million.

On May 1, Medina Spirit broke sharply from the gate but favored Essential Quality and second choice Rock Your World bumped shortly after the start eliminating some pace pressure.

Medina Spirit led the field through fractions of :23.09, :46.70 and 1:11.21 while under mild pressure from fellow Florida-bred Soup and Sandwich with Mandaloun tracking in third.

Approaching the far turn, Hot Rod Charlie began an advance along the rail while

Medina Spirit is shown winning the Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. [Coady Photography]

Essential Quality mounted a bid four wide.

At the head of the stretch, Medina Spirit clung to a tenuous lead over Mandaloun with Hot Rod Charlie three wide and Essential Quality four wide.

Mandaloun briefly stuck his head in front at midstretch only to have Medina Spirit regain a lead he never yielded.

Medina Spirit covered the classic mile and a quarter distance in 2:01.02.

The victory gave trainer Bob Baffert his record seventh Kentucky Derby victory and rider John Velazquez his fourth.

Baffert broke a tie with Ben Jones for most Derby victories with Saturday’s triumph. His previous wins came with Silver Charm

(1997), Real Quiet (1998), War Emblem (2002), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015), Triple Crown winner Justify (2018) and Authentic (2020).

Velazquez, who won last year on Authentic had previous wins on Always Dreaming (2017) and Animal Kingdom (2011).

Mandaloun finished

second and Hot Rod Charlie finished third.

Essential Quality was fourth and followed in order by O Besos, Midnight Bourbon, Keepmeinmind, Helium, Known Agenda, Highly Motivated, Sainthood, Like the King, Bourbonic, Hidden Stash, Brooklyn Strong, Super Stock, Rock Your World, Dynamic One and Soup and Sandwich.

B3

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Creative’s Corner

Artist Joseph Caban poses with some of the pieces that he has created. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Leather Life Craftsman finds inspiration in nature

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette Nature themes often make their way onto the leather goods crafted by Joseph Caban of Dunnellon.

He sews horse head designs on bags and wallets inspired by his wife Gail, an equestrian who retrains former racehorses.

He carves coasters featuring alligators and manatees that represent life in Dunnellon along the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers.

Taking inspiration from the natural world is a benefit of the slower-paced existence the Connecticut native savors. After tiring of the daily commute to Manhattan, he and his wife were snowbirds summering in Kentucky for a few years before moving here permanently last year.

“Dunnellon is an incredible place to be an artist,” Caban said. “I’m able to take my bike out to decompress. You’re able to just go on a trail, to go down the river. It’s peaceful; it’s relaxing.”

The hand-stitched leather handbags, belts, wallets and phone cases Caban crafts using vegetable-tanned hides will last a lifetime, he explained.

The patina from the barks, leaves and branches of trees and plants used for tanning grows richer over time.

“Instead of wearing out, they will wear in and become more beautiful,” he said.

Although his day job is productivity consultant for a large contract management company, the passion for leatherworking that feeds his artistic side is a hobby that flourished during the pandemic.

“I started with leather towards the end of 2019,” he said. “I bought a basic Some of the leather items artist Joseph Caban makes are shown at Rainbow Springs Art on West Pennsylvania Avenue. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Close-up of pieces made by Caban. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

leatherworking kit and just started watching YouTube.

At the time, I didn’t realize I had something special going. And then I realized hey, I’ve got a talent I didn’t know I had.”

A longtime photographer, pandemic restrictions forced him to take a break from photography and allowed him more time to enjoy his new craft.

“I was like this is it,” he remembered. “I really enjoyed working with the leather.”

Creating wearable and functional art is satisfying, said Caban, who exhibits and sells his work at the Rainbow Springs Art cooperative gallery.

“That’s the thing I don’t get with photography,” he explained. “They hang it in their house, and I have no clue where it is. But with the leather, I’ve been to places where I’ve seen people with my stuff. I’ve been out to dinner, and I’ve seen someone with one of my bags. That’s an incredible feeling.”

He urges others to try the craft he loves.

“It starts with the pattern. Then you cut the leather. Then you dye it or get it pre-dyed. Then from there, you’re going to put the holes in it and stitch it up. Those are the basic steps of creating anything.

It’s a craft anyone can do,” he said.

B4

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Then....and Now

The Florida National Bank building is shown in this 1965 photo. The building went up in 1963 at 109 W. Silver Springs Boulevard and served as a bank until 2016 when it closed under the Wells Fargo name. The bank’s origins date back to 1911, when it organized as the Ocala National Bank. In 1936, Florida National Bank based out of Jacksonville bought the bank. The name changed to Florida First National Bank and eventually to Florida National Bank at Ocala. It was later part of the merger with First Union National Bank in the 1990s and then part of a merger with Wells Fargo in 2010. The bank operated under the Wachovia name and the Wells Fargo banner before the branch closed in 2016. [State Archives of Florida] The building is shown in this April 2021 photo. In 2018, Marion County purchased the building in a $1.68 million deal. The building is home to the Ocala/Marion County Visitor and Convention Bureau. The bureau markets the area to other parts of the country through advertising, social media, trade shows and other events. The bureau tries to attract sporting events, meetings and conventions, as well as draw individual visitors. The building is also home to the Guardian ad Litem program, which advocates for children in legal proceedings involving neglect, abuse, custody or visitation. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

WORD FIND

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 22 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Astronomy

© 2021 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

Solution: 22 Letters

Altitude Beam Big bang Centaur Ceres China Comet Cycle Data Dimmed

Dust Earth Europa Future Gases Haumea Heat Helium Hubble Inner

Kuiper belt Landing Leo Minor Lunar Manoeuvre Maps Mass Nadir Nebula Neptune Outer

Ozone Rocket Russia Satellite Solar Stars Travel USA Venus Walk Wonder

B5

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Community

Now -7/3

Magnificent Magnets

5/75/9

Arabian Horse Association Region XII Championship

5/75/23

The Villages Polo

5/7

Marion Oaks Farmers Market

5/7

Marion County Friday Market

5/8

Ocala 200 Lions Club Flea Market

Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave. 10am-4pm The new exhibit offers opportunities to discover the awesome science of magnetism and how it is used in everyday life as well as cutting-edge experiments. Open Tuesday-Saturday. Visit mydiscoverycenter.org for more information.

Marion Oaks Community Center, 294 Marion Oaks Lane 9am-12pm Fresh vegetables, artisan food products and handmade crafts.

McPherson Government Complex, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am-2pm Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils and seafood.

Bank OZK, 8375 SW State Road 200 8am-1pm Shop a variety of vendors to benefit Lions Club community projects and bring nonperishable food to donate to Interfaith Emergency Services. Call (352) 861-2730 for more information.

5/8

Yoga in the Park

5/8

Ocala Downtown Market

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, 2105 NW 21st St. 8:15am The Marion Audubon Society will lead a walk to observe birds and celebrate the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Global Big Day. Visit marionaudobon.org for more information.

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave 9-10am Bring your yoga mat for a free, relaxing outdoor class. Visit sholompark.org for more information.

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

5/8

Brownwood Farmers Market

5/8

Southern Drive Derby

5/8

Ocala Golf Club, 3130 E Silver Springs Blvd.

Gates open at 3pm, concert at 7pm Bring the family and a picnic and enjoy Left on Broadway at 5pm then the Ocala Symphony Orchestra concert at 7pm, ending with fireworks. Visit fafo.org for tickets and more information.

The Villages Polo Club, 703 N Buena Vista Blvd, The Villages 3pm Fridays, 1pm Sundays Watch competitive matches from the club’s elevated two-level stadium with optional tailgating. Visit thevillagespoloclub.com for tickets and more information.

5/8

5/8

Symphony Under the Stars

World Equestrian Center, 1390 NW 80th Ave. 8am Spectators are welcome to watch the Arabian and Half Arabian Championship show featuring youth and adult equestrians and the distinctive Arabian horses. Parking is free and leashed dogs are allowed. Visit wec.net for more information.

Guided Walk

5/8

5/9

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

Grand Oaks Resort, 3000 Marion County Road, Weirsdale 10am Spectators are welcome to watch the combined driving carriage event featuring obstacles in the covered arena. Visit thegrandoaks.com for more information.

Symphony Under the Stars [Meagan Gumpert]

5/11

Medicare Part C

5/11

Long Term Care Planning

5/11

Novels at Night Book Club

5/12

1 Million Cups Ocala

5/12

Be Scam Smart

5/12

Forest Readers Book Club

5/12

Wednesday Midday Market

5/13

Farmers Market

5/13

Medicare Preventative Services

5/13

YPO Leaders Lunch

Mother’s Day Pop Up

Paddock Mall, 3100 SW College Road 11am-2pm Bring mom by the mall to celebrate her with entertainment, drinks, specialty vendors and kids’ crafts. Visit paddockmall. com for more information.

Summer Camp Expo

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd.

11am-2pm Local organizations offering arts, sports and outdoor summer camps and classes will come together for this family friendly outdoor expo. Meet representatives who can answer your questions and get kids registered for summer camps. Visit fb.com/ocalacivictheatre for more information.

Come Slide With Us

Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NE Fourth St. 11am-1pm The Ocala Police Department invites the community to slide to tunes by KDC and the Sunshine Sliders and enjoy free food.

Visit fb.com/ocalapolicedepartment for more information.

Now -5/16

SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) - virtual 10-11:30am Learn more about Medicare in this free Zoom workshop offered online or by phone. Call (352) 692-5209 or email shine@agingresources.org for more information. www. floridashine.org SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) - virtual 2-3:30pm Learn more about Medicare in this free Zoom workshop offered online or by phone. Call (352) 692-5209 or email shine@agingresources.org for more information. www. floridashine.org Ocala Public Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd.

4pm Join a discussion of Jojo Moyes’ “The Giver of Stars.” Call (352) 671-8551 to register.

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

SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) - virtual 10-11am This free Zoom workshop is offered online or by phone. Call (352) 692-5209 or email shine@agingresources.org for more information. www.floridashine.org Forest Public Library, 905 S County Road 314A, Ocklawaha 10:30am Join a discussion of William Kent Kruegar’s “This Tender Land.” Call (352) 438-2540 to register.

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St. 1-6pm Shop a selection of produce, meat, natural and handmade products and food trucks. ocaladowntownmarket.com Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St. 9am-1pm Locally grown seasonal produce, baked goods, plants and more. Visit circlesquarecommons.com/farmersmarket for more information.

SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) - virtual 10-11:30am Learn more about Medicare in this free Zoom workshop offered online or by phone. Call (352) 692-5209 or email shine@agingresources.org for more information. www. floridashine.org Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, 310 SE Third St. 11:30am Young Professionals Ocala hosts Simone Campbell presenting “The Importance of Public Speaking.” Visit ocalacep.com for more information.

Twelfth Night

Arts

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd.

Times vary OCT’s Creative Arts Student Troupe presents Shakespeare’s comedy about shipwrecks and separated twins on the outdoor stage. Visit ocalacivictheatre.com for showtimes and tickets.

Now Art of Aging -5/29

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm The annual exhibition in partnership with Marion Senior Services celebrates aging through art, stories and education.

Opening reception May 7, 5–6pm; exhibit open TuesdaySaturday through May 29. Visit mcaocala.org for more information.

B6

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Now -6/21

People

Now -6/25

The Audience

Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave. 9am-4pm This exhibit of works by artist Shirley S. Wulff celebrates her memories, feelings and thoughts about collaborations with others. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration, 828 NE Eighth Ave. 9am-5pm A new exhibit featuring the paintings of Ocala-based Emmeline Basulto, artistically known as Embot, reflect herself in representational and abstract forms. Her works are also on display at the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center at 830 NE Eighth Avenue. Both locations are open Monday-Friday. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

5/10

Painting a Landscape with Gouache

5/11

Flow Art Class

Rainbow Springs Art, 20804 W Pennsylvania Ave., Dunnellon 4:30-6:30pm Learn how to paint a landscape with gouache, which combines the personality of acrylic with the versatility of watercolor.

Visit rainbowspringsart.com for more information.

Rainbow Springs Art, 20804 W Pennsylvania Ave., Dunnellon 1-4pm Learn two different flow art techniques in this class taught

by Linda Reitz. Visit rainbowspringsart.com for more information.

Government Marion County Development Review Committee

Luminous Worlds

5/10

City of Belleview Site Plan Committee

Now -7/7

Spectrum of Creativity

5/10 5/10

City of Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission

5/7

Visual Arts Student Exhibition

5/10

Dunnellon City Council

5/10

Marion County Historical Commission

5/11

Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District Board

5/11

Marion Oaks General Services Advisory Board

5/11

City of Belleview Planning & Zoning Board

5/11

City of Dunnellon Historic Preservation Board

5/11

Marion County License Review Board

5/12

Marion County Code Enforcement Board

5/13

Marion County Development Review Committee Staff Meeting

Now -6/27

5/7

5/7

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

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm An exhibition featuring the large abstract canvases of Kristin Herzog, a Naples, Florida-based artist and former civil engineering draftsman. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 9am-5pm This student and emerging artist competition features the work of high school students and artists with less than 10 years’ experience. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

CF Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road 10am-4pm The final day to see a variety of artworks created by College of Central Florida visual arts students. Visit cf.edu for more information.

First Friday Art Walk

Ocala Downtown Square 6-9pm Stroll 22 artist displays and enjoy free family art activities and extended shopping hours at this last art walk of the season.

The Aliens will perform live at the gazebo. Visit ocalafl.org/ artwalk for more information.

Levitt AMP Concert Series

Webb Field, 1510 NW Fourth St. 7pm The free outdoor concert series features Sideline supported by Justin Mason and the Blue Nights. Visit ocalafl.org/levittamp for more information.

Sideline Band [Submitted]

5/7 -9

Now. Here. This.

5/8

Native Aliens

Virtual 7:30pm The College of Central Florida Musical Theatre Department presents the adventures of a group of friends who journey through time in an attempt to step into that elusive “present moment.” Visit cf.edu/now for more information and free tickets.

Magnolia Art Xchange, 531 NE First Ave. 7:30-10pm The opening reception for an exhibition of art inspired by cultures from all over the world featuring local artists Ryan Neumann, Jordan Shapot, Teddy Sykes, Drake Arnold, Aaron Thomas, and Manny Morales. Visit fb.com/cltrcurators for more information.

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave. 9am The DRC votes on waiver requests, drainage/site plans, subdivision master plans, preliminary plats, improvement plans and final plats. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 9am Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 5:30pm Also accessible online at https://zoom.us/j/97314299662. Call (352) 629-8404 for more information.

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

McPherson Governmental Campus Administration Building, 601 SE 25th Ave. 6pm For more information, call Rolando Sosa at (352) 620-0944.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

9:30am Call (352) 438-2475 for more information.

Marion Oaks Community Center Annex, 280 Marion Oaks Lane 10:30am Call (352) 307-1037 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 5:30pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

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

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

6pm The License Review Board hears and investigate complaints regarding competency of licensed contractors. Call (352) 4382428 for more information.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

9am The Code Enforcement Board hears and resolves cases in which there is a code violation dispute. Call (352) 671-8901 for more information.

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave. 8:30am Applicants may discuss proposed or current projects with county review staff prior to meeting formally with the Development Review Committee. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR 7

4pm Charity Cox

7

Swampy’s

7

5pm Mike Smithson

5:30pm Stephen Lopez

7

6pm Jeff Jarrett

7

6:30pm Becky Sinn La Cuisine French Restaurant

8

7pm Friday Night Live

7

7:30pm John Johnson

8

11am Jeff Jarrett Paddock Mall

3pm Charity Cox

4pm Good2Go

8

7pm John Johnson

8

7pm Heather Lynne Horse & Hounds

8pm The Big Bad Bank Street Patio Bar

9

1pm John Johnson The Crazy Cucumber

9

Off-Duty Tavern

8

7pm James Otto Orange Blossom Opry

Silver Moon Tavern

American Legion Post 101

7

8

Charlie Horse

Orange Blossom Opry

Shuckin’ Shack

7

7pm Miranda Madison

3pm Grass Campers Gator Joe’s

The Corkscrew

The Crazy Cucumber

7

8

Infinite Ale Works

Eaton’s Beach

7

7pm Gilly & the Girl

1pm Jeff Jarrett Swampy’s

9

2pm Charity Cox Eaton’s Beach

B7

MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

A house made a home Jimarie Cruz-Sanchez and her two sons received the keys to a new home from Habitat for Humanity of Marion County on April 29.

The three-bedroom house was built as part of the program that helps provide affordable housing to residents.

Cruz-Sanchez was living in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit on Sept. 16, 2017. After the Category 5 hurricane swept over the island, water, food and gasoline were scarce and electric power was off for months. Eventually, she moved to Ocala.

Those who are in the program must qualify for an interest-free mortgage and make monthly payments. Also, participants must volunteer at least 500 hours working at Habitat construction sites.

Because most of the work is volunteer, it can take several months to finish a home.

Habitat for Humanity of Marion County has built 200 homes for families. Cruz-Sanchez’s home was funded by Marion County Community Services, HOP (Homeownership Pool Program), as well as FHL Bank Atlanta. Phoenix Rising students helped build the home in the Youth Build program.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Dave Layman, the president/CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Marion County, right, passes the keys to Jimarie Cruz-Sanchez and her two her sons, Aaron Jiminez-Cruz, 9, left, and Rafael Sosa-Cruz, 14, right, during the Habitat for Humanity of Marion County house blessing.

Jimarie Cruz-Sanchez wipes away tears as she becomes emotional after receiving the keys to her new home.

Jimarie Cruz-Sanchez gets a hug from Natasha Cornell, 11, a friend, as her son, Rafael, 14, right, gets a hug from Adriana Cornell.

Murals celebrate Ocala’s diverse history

Left: “Glimpses into the History of Marion County’s Black Culture” by Jordan Shapot. Right: “A Journey Though Marti City” by Maggie Weakley. [Submitted]

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette Colorful murals honoring Ocala’s history give residents a new reason to take a walk in the park.

Recently installed at Scott Springs Park, located just a block behind busy Easy Street, the two-sided, 8-foot-tall panels line the paved walking trail.

“Glimpses into the History of Marion County’s Black Culture” by Jordan Shapot depicts four scenes of African Americans in everyday life: Railroad workers in wide-brimmed hats holding their hand

tools; a group of families picnicking at Paradise Park near Silver Springs with brilliant fresh oranges and fruits; Black Seminole women, with their colorful, full-length skirts and scarves; and the timeless portrait of a young boy fishing from the banks of the Withlacoochee River.

The reverse side of the panels features “A Journey Though Marti City” by Maggie Weakley. Those scenes honor 19th-century Ocala residents of Cuban heritage that established the city. The scenes include workers in the green tobacco fields; men and women working in a cigar factory

while the lector reads aloud from a newspaper; a street scene taken from Marti City, which was located just west of downtown Ocala; and the gathering of residents when Cuban activist Jose Marti came to town.

“Art is a perfect vessel to tell a story and depict historical moments in time,” said Ashley Dobbs, Ocala spokeswoman. “Being able to showcase these panels in a natural setting, while providing exposure to our city’s history through an expressive medium allows for people of all ages to experience the power of art.”

The artists, both local residents, devoted

a lot of time to research and studying historic photographs.

“I really love art projects when I’m required to do research and some digging around,” Shapot said. “It makes me feel much more connected to the subject matter and I think the artwork often turns out to be more heartfelt. I am retelling their stories – it’s such a vibrant culture.”

Weakley, whose parents are from Cuba, enjoyed the opportunity to preserve local history with ties to her own heritage.

“It was so interesting,” she said. “I read so much. I pulled photographs from the

time period. Then I thought, what were the four most important things to say to the community to show the story?”

The park is a perfect location for this artwork, Weakley said.

“It’s so pretty,” she noted.

“The trails are wonderful and they have all these really cool walkways. There’s water, so you have all these elements. It’s funny, because it’s in the middle of all this shopping. It’s like this little gem in the middle of the chaos. It’s unexpected.”

Scott Springs Park is a 21.68-acre City of Ocala park located at 2825 SW 24th Avenue.

Answers for pages B2,B3

Ocala Gazette publishes fond remembrances of your loved one Visit ocalagazette.com to submit an obituary