Ocala Gazette | May 19 - May 25, 2023

Chamberlin wins House District 24

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Republican Ryan

Chamberlin defeated write-in candidate Robert “Foxy” Fox in Tuesday’s special election to capture the Florida House District 24 seat.

Unofficial results from the Marion County Supervisor of Elections Office show Chamberlin received 6,683 votes to 1,886 for Fox, a Republican who ran as a write-in candidate. There were no Democrats in the race. Out of 133,738 registered voters in House District 24, only 8,758 cast ballots-a voter turnout of 6.55%.

The special election was needed to fill the seat vacated in December when incumbent Joe Harding resigned after being indicted on several federal fraud charges related to pandemic-era relief funding. The Ocala Republican has pleaded guilty to the charges and will be sentenced in July.

This was Chamberlin’s second political campaign. He ran for Congress in 2020 and lost in the Republican primary to Kat Cammack, who went on to win the House District 3 seat.

The bulk of Chamberlin’s votes in Tuesday’s election, a total of 4,832, were vote-by-mail ballots. Ironically, Chamberlin had repeatedly expressed a lack of trust in mail-in voting on the campaign trail.

At a candidate forum during the primary election, Chamberlin was asked what measures he would use to combat voter fraud. He told the audience he would make sure everyone had access to a 2020 election denial political conspiracy theory film called “2000 mules,” which purportedly follows unnamed nonprofits that harvest ballots.

Chamberlin, 48, calls himself a “red-meat conservative” in the mold of Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. He also promotes himself as a savvy networker, successful businessman, author, speaker, and “consultant helping thousands of entrepreneurs.”

Chamberlin’s campaign raised several concerns about how the race developed as well as the sources of his income and the funding of his campaign.

Fox said he was “duped’’ by Chamberlin’s campaign treasurer into running as a write-in candidate in the primary, a move that effectively closed the door to Democratic and independent voters. Jose Juarez, one of the other candidates in the primary, has filed a suit against a Chamberlinaffiliated political action committee that he says sent out campaign mailers containing false information about him. The attack mailers followed a move by Chamberlin to get the other candidates to sign on to a “clean campaign’’ pledge.

Chamberlin used DeSantis’

See Chamberlin, page A3

A sweet claim to TV fame

WEC’s Yohann Le Bescond moves forward in the Food Network’s “Summer Baking Championship.”

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Don’t adjust your set. That is indeed Yohann Le Bescond, the executive pastry chef at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center, competing on the Food Network’s “Summer Baking Championship.”

The new Food Network series premiered with two back-to-back episodes on Monday, May 15, at 9 p.m. on Food Network and Discovery+. Ten bakers from across the U.S. tackled summer-themed baking challenges featuring bright, tropical flavors and ingredients.

Hosted by Jesse Palmer, the cableTV competition series features celebrity

judges Duff Goldman, Carla Hall and Damaris Phillips, who will pick the $25,000 grand prize-winning “Summer Baking Champion.”

Back in Ocala, Le Bescond hosted a viewing party with friends when the premiere aired on the Food Network. Photographer Dave Miller was among the

See Food Network, page A2

State announces murder charges against three youths in March triple homicides

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Three Marion County youths have been indicted on murder charges for their roles in the March 30 slaying of three juveniles in Ocklawaha that stunned the region and drew national attention.

Fifth Circuit State Attorney William “Bill’’ Gladson has announced that two of the male suspects—one a 16-yearold and the other a 17-yearold--were indicted on three counts each of first-degree murder. The third suspect, a 12-year-old boy, was indicted by the grand jury on one count of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of three Marion County juveniles. The three suspects were also indicted on charges of robbery with a firearm and tampering with physical evidence.

Gladson has indicated that all three will be charged as adults in Marion County Circuit Court, an unusual step

for a 12-year-old criminal suspect. Fifth Circuit Public Defender Michael Graves told the “Gazette,” “I’m not saying it’s never happened. I just don’t know of a time myself when a 12-year-old has ever been tried for murder as an adult.”

Walter Forgie, the spokesperson for the state attorney’s office, cited two times a 12-year-old has faced murder charges as an adult elsewhere in Florida: once in Broward County and once in the Pensacola area. Forgie also pointed out that his office has charged 13-year-olds as adults for crimes in the past.

At a first appearance Tuesday morning, Graves’ office was assigned to represent the minors. However, Graves told the “Gazette” that because of a conflict of interest the office will recuse itself from representing the suspects, who will be referred to conflict counsel.

All three defendants are being held without bond in the Marion County Jail. Circuit Judge Robert W. Hodges has

been assigned the case.

The loss

According to the Marion County Sheriff‘s Office, Layla Silvernail, 16, died April 4 after being shot and critically injured March 30 on SE 183rd Avenue near Forest Lakes Park. A 17-year-old male was found shot to death on March 31 along SE 188th Court, and Camille Quarles, a 16-year-old girl, was found dead from gunshot wounds in the trunk of a partially submerged vehicle near Malauka Loop Trace.

Authorities said they are withholding the names of the male victim based on the family’s request

under Marsy’s Law, which provides protections for crime victims and their families.

According to public records from the sheriff’s office, the three victims knew the three youths charged with their deaths.

Lisa Windsor, Layla’s grandmother, with whom she

Le Bescond prepares a donut-based creation on the Food Network‘s “Summer Baking Championship.” [Rob Pryce]

Food Network star

teachers wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, and I was like, ‘No, I just like to bake,” he added with a laugh.

At 18, Le Bescond moved to Rennes, a bigger city in Brittany, to start the Brevet Technique des Métiers Pâtissier program at La Faculté des Métiers. The pastry prodigy again graduated summa cum laude.

He was later offered an internship with the sugar master Stephane Klein to learn how to create artistic showpieces and completed an internship in Vienna, working in local bakeries and pastry shops while finishing two additional certifications in candy and ice cream.

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Continued from page A1 guests and created stick masks with le Bescond’s face on them. Le Bescond baked treats for his guests.

“It was amazing,” Le Bescond said of the momentous occasion. “Everybody was so supportive and the feeling of bringing everybody together was pretty awesome.”

On the set

The series’ location, in the TV mecca of Burbank, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, offered a good time for Le Bescond, but he couldn’t tell us how long he was there for the taping or he would be giving away how long he remained in the competition.

“It was pretty cool to be able to see actually two of my friends in L.A. during the shooting of the show,” he said.

With exhilaration and jitters, the first episode of the “Summer Baking Championship” kicked off with a sweet bang for Le Bescond, a native of France. He triumphed in the series’ first challenge: to create a donut in the shape of a swimming pool floatie.

An elegant white swan pool floatie would be his first creation in the championship.

“I went with a yeasted donut,” Le Bescond told the “Gazette.” “A lot of the other contestants went with a cake donut, either baked or fried,” he explained. “But I went with a yeasted one. I used French flavors and also American flavors to make a homemade mango ganache based on white chocolate. I also used cream cheese frosting. I really liked how the mango went with the tartness of the cream cheese frosting. I think those two components went really well together.”

Palmer recognized Le Bescond’s swan floatie as first place-winner during the first round of many competitions yet to come.

Goldman, a pastry chef known for participating in the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes,” “Iron Chef America” and “The Masked Singer,” praised the piping on Le Bescond’s swan and complimented him for making it look both like a floatie and a delicacy.

“It’s a mango tango!” exclaimed Hall, former co-host of ABC’s “The Chew” and a regular on TV cooking shows.

The second challenge befuddled Le Bescond a little. It required a water design feature made of gelatin, which is not a typical staple on a French dessert menu. But he overcame his trepidation and designed a cake with raspberry filling topped with a picturesque forest design and freshwater pools paying homage to Silver Springs State Park.

He expressed relief when given permission to skip the add-on challenge of adding edible water balloons to the aquatic dessert and he was chosen to move on to the next round of competitions.

From the French coast to Ocala countryside

Le Bescond grew up in a rural setting and didn’t anticipate ever living in the “Horse Capital of the World” while growing up in Treffiagat, in Brittany, a peninsula in northwest France. He started baking at 13, helping his mother with pavlovas in the kitchen. As a teenager, he apprenticed in a pastry chef baccalaureate program and was only 15 when he graduated summa cum laude.

“The kids in my class considered me a nerd, but I was very good at school,” Le Bescond shared. “I think my

Le Bescond was 20 when he moved to Miami in 2016 to lead the pastry department at Le Macaron, the popular macaron and pastry shop. Working his way up from sous-chef to executive chef and manager, Le Bescond led and designed dessert experiences for five-star hotels and the American Airlines Arena while leading the team at Le Macaron.

“I had no clue what I was doing, and, if I‘m being honest with you, I was young and wild, and underage, because, in Europe, you are an adult at 18, but coming to the U.S. before you’re 21, you‘re still underage,” Le Bescond reminisced. “So, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I cannot drink! I cannot go to the club! I cannot do all those things I‘ve been doing for the last three years!”

The Food Network contest wasn’t Le Bescond’s first baking competition. He won second place in Pierre Caron’s national contest for puff pastry creation and was awarded an Extraordinary Ability Green Card.

Le Bescond lives a few minutes from WEC with his partner, Jeremy Le Blanc. Le Bescond creates sweet sensations for the resort’s cafes and restaurants and expressed enthusiasm about the new coconut-inspired summer dessert at WEC’s fine-dining restaurant, Stirrups.

“It’s a take on the southern coconut cake,” he said, “but it‘s transformed. It literally looks like a coconut. We were able to re-create the coconut shape and texture with chocolate. It‘s filled with coconut cake and coconut mousse and mango. It‘s really, really good.”

During the second of the back-to-back episodes that aired on May 15, Le Bescond designed unique ice-cream creations — the first, an ice-cream sandwich created in the triangular form of a club sandwich. Though he didn’t win the episode’s contests, he did, however, receive praise for his desserts and made it to the next episode, so stay tuned.

To learn more, go to foodnetwork.com/ shows/summer-baking-championship

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Friends of Yohann Le Bescond watch the premiere of the Food Network‘s “Summer

Baking Championship” featuring the WEC executive pastry chef. [Dave Miller]

Yohann Le Besocond reacts to seeing himself on television at his watch party for the “Summer Baking Championship.” [Dave Miller]

Chamberlin

Continued from page A1

image in advertising collateral throughout his campaign, which led some voters to believe the governor had endorsed him. DeSantis did not formally endorse Chamberlin.

During his campaign, Chamberlin reportedly “loaned” his campaign $75,000, although his initial financial disclosures did not reflect access to that amount of funds. He refused to provide proof of the transfer of personal funds; all the other four candidates in the March primary election complied with the request from the “Gazette’’ for the information.

His greatest source of reported income comes from his company, True Patriot Network, which he says connects conservative politicians and organizations with donors through advertising on the online platform.

According to corporate records, True Patriot Network, Inc. was filed as a corporation in Texas in January 2021.

Chamberlin told the “Gazette” the social media platform launched the same year.

The only director’s name on the initial filing is Terry LaCore, an entrepreneur in Texas in the business of B:hip. This multilevel marketing (MLM) company sells energy and health products.

Chamberlin said LaCore is the majority shareholder, and Chamberlin is the main operator of the True Patriot Network.

TPN does not have any employees.

Chamberlin explained the network relies instead on a host of independent contracting resources, many of which come from LaCore’s other businesses.

A check of public records found no evidence that TPN is operated at the location on file with the state. The tax collector for that address in Texas has no record of the True Patriot Network paying any business property taxes.

Asked about how the TPN social media platform and newsletter generates income, Chamberlin’s short answer was through advertising revenue. The “Gazette” found no sponsored ads when it navigated the platform over a 10-day period.

By May of 2022, 16 months after the company started, Chamberlin shared the quick success of the True Patriot Network in a book called “Think Big!,” a motivational book series that discusses the path to success.

When the “Gazette” joined the True Patriot Network platform, the newspaper was automatically set to follow Chamberlin’s political campaign, longtime Republican operative and convicted felon Roger Stone, and three other persons.

There was very little social activity in the “news feed,” but the review found videos in which Chamberlin was shown teaching a group of people about multilevel marketing businesses. In a

video posted last month, Chamberlin is shown encouraging people to be patient with their progress in building their MLM business.

When asked if there is an MLM aspect to the True Patriot Network, Chamberlin said no. He said the video on the site was an example of him being hired to do sales training for another MLM business.

A review of Chamberlin’s online speaking engagements and more recent podcast-type content seems to focus on three areas: MLM business strategies, personal development and partisan politics.

In an interview with “The Network Marketing Magazine,” which seems to be at least 10 years old, Chamberlin explained how he first got started in the MLM business model by joining Team National in October of 1999 at age 25.

Team National was a company that encouraged people to sell “memberships” so that they would have the benefit of discounts when buying merchandise. As with other MLM business models, participants enlisted other people to sell memberships in order to build multiple commission layers.

Chamberlin told the “Gazette” that he quickly excelled at Team National and was placed on the company’s board of directors. In 2011, he left Team National. ACN, Inc., another MLM business, bought the company in January 2022.

Around 2011, Chamberlin and his wife, Jennifer, became “ambassadors” for another MLM business, Evolve, that sold nutritional health products. In one recorded session from 2016, Jennifer Chamberlin encourages people to “reboot” at their convention for the company so that they could get to the “diamond” level of the MLM business. She also shared her hope that through a multilevel marketing business she’d be able to fulfill her dream of opening an orphanage one day.

Asked about the perception among some that MLM businesses are not trustworthy, Chamberlin responded, “There are good ones and bad ones. I worked for good ones.”

As for his campaign claim of being a “consultant helping thousands of entrepreneurs and CEOs,” it seems like the bulk of Chamberlin’s consulting working is primarily related to helping people build MLM businesses.

When the “Gazette” asked Chamberlin if he felt it would be a conflict of interest to do TPN business raising money for the same conservative lawmakers he would be serving alongside of in Tallahassee, he replied, “No, I think it’s a good thing.”

The “Gazette” reached out to Chamberlin to ask what he hoped to accomplish in his first year and office, but Chamberlin did not respond to the inquiry prior to publishing.

AQUATIC FUN CENTERS RE-OPEN

The city of Ocala’s Aquatic Fun Centers will re-open soon, just in time for summer fun.

The Jervey Gantt Aquatic Fun Center, at 2390 SE 36th Ave., will open Saturday, May 20, and Saturday, May 27, for morning and afternoon sessions. It will open fully Tuesday, May 31. In August, the aquatic center will move to Saturday-only sessions until the end of the season, Saturday, Sept. 2. Due to necessary repairs, the water slide will remain closed until further notice, the news release noted.

The Hampton Aquatic Fun Center, at 255 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will open Saturday, May 27, for morning and afternoon sessions. It will open fully

Tuesday, May 30. The pool season for this location will end Saturday, Aug. 5.

Both facilities will be open five days a week. Tuesdays through Saturdays will offer a morning session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and an afternoon session from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission for a single session is $2 for children ages 17 and under and $3.50 for adults ages 18 and up.

The centers offer several aquatic programs, including Learn to Swim lessons, Aquability for individuals with disabilities and a Junior Lifeguards program.

For more information, visit ocalafl.org/aquatics or call (352) 368-5517.

TOURISM APP LAUNCHED

The Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau recently launched a new OcalaMarion Travel Guide app.

The guide, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, is a custom app showcasing upcoming events in the community, information about tourismrelated things to do and places to stay. Additional features include self-guided tours, insider guides, itinerary building and a section for horse-related things to do in the area, including a Walk of Champions, the press release noted.

The Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau partnered with the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders‘ & Owners‘ Association to create a downtown interactive experience highlighting some of the most famous equine champions from the area, known as The Horse Capital of the World. The first phase of the Walk of Champions, the digital experience, is complete. The next phase will be installation of equine “star” plaques in downtown sidewalks.

County looks into new misdemeanor probation solutions

The Flowery blooms in Ocala

The cannabis dispensary with ties to California strains opens in Ocala this week.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Medical cannabis patients have a new option for THC products. The Flowery officially opens at 10 a.m. on May 20 at the site of a former Burger King on Pine Avenue.

Along with its in-store location, the Flowery dispensary menu products will be available by home delivery in Ocala, Dunnellon, Belleview, Summerfield and throughout Marion County.

Based in Miami and Homestead, the dispensary markets itself differently from others in the industry, which are, typically, more subdued with a clinical atmosphere.

Flowery locations are designed to be more comfortable and dimly lit than the typical dispensary, and employees are trained to help patients choose the right strain for their ailments and needs, not just to read from a prescription bottle.

The Flowery also comes with a touching backstory and a mission to heal others in ways pharmaceuticals fall short and, according to its CEO and co-founder Elad Kohen, a personalized approach to patient service.

build them to be quick to market or save some money, and they work with existing buildings. But oftentimes these existing buildings have been sitting vacant for a long time, and in high-humidity areas such as Florida, when buildings sit vacant for a long time, they start growing a lot of mold and different fungi, which can grow inside the walls, around the pipes and plumbing. That could be an issue even if you take a building and you clean it up. A year or two years later, these things tend to come out of the walls in one way, shape, or form.”

The Flowery, Kohen said, was designed from the very beginning with the product quality and cultivation in mind, “all the way to the irrigation system.”

Garrison, a former Virginia Gardens police chief, owned Bill’s Nursery, an almond farm in Homestead, before he partnered with Kohen to help kickstart the Florida operation.

Garrison’s reasons for investing in the Flowery were indeed personal. His son Matthew, a decorated Iraq War combat veteran, he said, died of an overdose of his sleep medication. (The cause of death was ruled heart failure.)

“The VA [U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs] loaded him up with pharmaceuticals,” Garrison told the “Miami New Times” newsweekly. “Had he been able to use medical marijuana, we believe we would still have him here today.”

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Marion County’s Salvation Army gave the Marion County Board of Commissioners 180-day notice of their intent to discontinue providing misdemeanor probation services. The agency will continue to provide services through Sept. 12, 2023.

According to a spokesperson for the county, during a Jan. 30 budget workshop, the board asked staff to explore three options: Bidding out the service to another contractor to run the program, creating an in-house BCC department, or creating an MCSO department to provide the service.

“The estimates for each of these three options will be brought back to the county commission during a regularly scheduled meeting for a final decision. Since the bid is due by May 3, I would expect the three options to be presented to the county commission on an agenda after this date,” wrote the spokesperson.

A recent check of Marion County’s procurement portal indicates that two proposals from out-oftown firms have made the “short-list”—American Justice Solutions, Inc. dba Corrective Solutions, out of California, and Professional Probation Services, based out of Georgia.

In the solicitation information, it indicates that the Salvation Army was paid $60 per month per probationer and had “approximately 1000 probationers at any given time.”

The scope of work includes the following:

At least one monthly office visit to the probationer for counseling and supervision.

An evaluation of each probationer to determine if they require medical, social or educational programs in addition to those ordered by the court and assist probationer in referring to applicable programs.

Maintain files containing information on all cases referred to the misdemeanor program, for at least five years following termination of probation.

Records must be maintained for a period of five (5) years following termination of probation. Provide and document job placement referral information shall be provided by the selected firm for all unemployed probationers.

Follow up and enforcement of any special conditions of the probation, such as:

• Evaluation and treatment programs

• Community service

• Cost of supervision

• Restitution

• Fines and Court costs

• Procurement of licenses

Devise and maintain procedures for the handling of indigent offenders which ensure placement irrespective of ability to pay.

Report any failures to complete the conditions of the probation within the time limits specified by the Court, as a violation of probation.

According to Salvation Army Major Phillip S. Irish, the decision to discontinue providing the service came down to money.

“It was no longer economically viable for The Salvation Army to continue this contract with the county,” he wrote the “Gazette.”

To learn more about submitting a proposal, contact the Procurement Services Department by emailing Procurement@MarionCountyFL.org.

Kohen has worked in the cannabis industry for three decades. It began with a growing/research and development facility built from the ground up in Homestead. The facility comprises a 100,000-squarefoot building and around 30 propagation and cannabis grow rooms in various sizes.

“Our facility was built from scratch for the specific purpose of growing cannabis,” he said. “A lot of facilities in Florida and elsewhere

“The facility was really designed to produce the highest quality, and it was designed with the assistance from our brand partners,” the Israeli-born CEO said. “So, if you know flower (slang for cannabis in plant form), you know that we have brought the biggest culture brands from California down to Florida, and they‘re licensed exclusively with us; brands like 710 Labs, Packwood, Runtz, Backpack Boys, Viola and Preferred Gardens. … The people behind these companies have been leaders in the cannabis industry for decades.”

Kohen added that the Flowery meticulously controls climate conditions in its brick-and-mortar locations, such as the new one in Ocala, and also in Miami, Clearwater, Jacksonville and Inverness, and in its delivery trucks in order to preserve the plants’ terpenes. The dispensary is branching out into other markets throughout the state.

Flowery shareholder Steve

Members of the Garrison family still work at the Flowery, and Kohen said the company’s culture overall has a family feel.

Boasting a uniquely upbeat vibe with a curated product menu, the Ocala dispensary plans to coordinate entertaining activities while patients wait in line. Brand partners and their teams occasionally visit to give away “swag and goodies while supplies last.”

Patients will need their Floridaissued medical marijuana card and a valid driver’s license, cash or to set up an ACH withdrawal.

Added Kohen, “We‘re very excited to be part of the Ocala landscape and culture, and we‘re going to do our best to infuse positivity and goodness and quality medicine, and music and good vibes into the community.”

The Flowery is located at 1704 S Pine Ave, Ocala. To learn more, visit theflowery.co.

School start times bill signed

By Florida News Service

DeSantis

Gov. Ron

on Friday signed a bill that will lead to many high-school students having later school start times in the future.

Lawmakers passed the bill (HB 733) during the legislative session that ended last week. It will prevent middle schools

from beginning the “instructional day” earlier than 8 a.m., while high schools will be barred from starting the school day before 8:30 a.m.

The start times will be required to take effect by July 2026, giving school districts three years to develop plans. About 48 percent of Florida’s public high schools start school before 7:30 a.m., according

to the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability.

Another 19 percent of high schools start between 7:30 a.m. and 7:59 a.m. Supporters of the bill have pointed to studies that say later start times would benefit high-school students.

“What we’re doing now (with earlier start times) is not what’s best for our kids, for the adolescents

especially,” Senate bill sponsor Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, said during the session. “It’s the ‘how’ that can be the hard challenge and the logistics of that and how we make this happen.”

But the bill has led to concerns about issues such as student transportation and how working parents would be affected by later school start times.

In Marion County, the bell times for middle and high schools during the 2022/23 year have been:

The procurement portal indicates two out-of-town firms have submitted proposals.

File photo: Major Phillip Irish of the Salvation Army on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

School buses leave West Port High School in Ocala after the last bell on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Double donations

The annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive brought in

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

On May 15, Karla Greenway and Laura Klingelsmith were two happy campers. Greenway, the CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services (IES), and Klingelsmith, an Ocala mail carrier, were ecstatic that the May 13 National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive brought in more than 100,000 pounds of food.

“There is still some food trickling in, but we have collected 103,792 pounds so far,” Greenway said on Monday. “The Marion County community truly stepped up. This year’s participation was more than double what it was last year. We are so grateful.”

The food drive is a national event, but the food collected locally stays in the immediate community. IES is the lead agency for distribution and works with other partner agencies in Marion County.

“This year was fantastic,” said Klingelsmith, who helped organize the local food drive, along with Tim Legge, a retired mail carrier, and Greenway and her team.

“It was way better than last year. We are very pleased with the results,” Klingelsmith added.

This year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive was the 31st for Ocala/Marion County.

“The increased cost of groceries and rent is bringing many new people to our door who have never needed our help before,” Greenway said prior to the event. “The majority of donations will stay in the Interfaith pantry to help us get through the summer months—in summer, we have an increase due to children being home and not having the benefit of school lunches. We will share with our satellite and partner pantries as supply allows.”

“This is so good for the community. The food stays local. It stays here to help our neighbors,” Klingelsmith said. “That’s what I’ve always enjoyed about it, you know where it’s going.”

IES provides services including emergency help, a shelter program and the Food 4 Kids program. Donations of food are needed year-round. To learn more, go to iesmarion.org

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

letter carrier Jonathan Vargas, assistant warehouse manager Maxi Rodriguez and Interfaith volunteer Jim Entinger, left to right, unload donated food from Vargas‘ mail truck.

Flags replaced at veterans park

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Korean Warera veteran Ralph Mueller was on hand

Wednesday, May 16, as new flags for each of the 50 United States and Puerto Rico were hoisted at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park’s Flag Plaza.

Also in attendance were park volunteers, fellow veterans, members of the Ocala Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, members of the Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Memorial Park Foundation and others.

Obtaining the new state flags was a project of the local chapter of the DAR in partnership with Marion County Veterans Services, which oversees the park. The flags, which cost $30 each, were paid for by Trademark Metals Recycling of Ocala, according to DAR chapter regent Elizabeth Coleman. Members of the foundation helped raise the new flags.

The Flag Plaza, in the east portion of the park, was upgraded last year in a major Eagle Scout project by Logan Catalanotto.

To learn more, go to marionfl.org or marionvetpark.com

Korean War-era veteran Ralph Mueller (seated) is shown with attendees at

Charged as adults

Continued from page A1 had been living, said Tuesday she was aware of the first-degree murder charges and the state’s intent to charge the three minors as adults. Windsor said she was too overcome emotionally to comment in a phone interview.

“Maybe in a few days,” she said as she became choked by emotion.

Asked about how she is doing, Windsor replied, “hanging in there.”

Windsor told the “Gazette” previously the other two victims “may have used Layla because of her car.”

Layla had completed 10th year of home schooling and planned to finish 11th grade this summer, Windsor said.

“Layla was an all-around good kid; she was never in a gang,’’ she said. “Layla wanted to be an attorney…She was a loving, caring person and she was my world.”

The indictment process

Forgie told the “Gazette” that the grand jury heard evidence on Monday, May 15 and issued the indictment for first-degree murder charges against all three suspects. The state attorney’s presentation to the grand jury included evidence collected in the crimes of all three teens collectively.

According to the grand jury’s indictment, Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt advised the grand jury through the process. As is standard, no defense attorney was present to provide the grand jury with any mitigating information during the presentation.

Forgie told the “Gazette” that generally speaking, the state attorney’s office does not delve into any of the social elements of a juvenile’s background before bringing charges against the suspect and does not usually present any of that information to a grand jury. Instead, prosecutors stick to “legal elements associated with the crime.”

The indictment provided to the “Gazette” had the victims’ names redacted, making it impossible to determine which of the suspects were charged with the specific murders.

All the murder charges involved a firearm, however, but no detail was given as to who pulled the trigger.

What is the background of the charged teens?

The “Gazette” obtained criminal records for of prior each of the minors.

We have decided in an abundance of caution to continue not to publish the minors’ names until more facts and circumstances about their participation in the crimes become known.

The 12-year-old had no prior felony charges. The 16-year-old is facing unrelated charges within the past year of armed carjacking as well as car theft and for removing an electronic monitoring device. The 17-yearold is facing felony charges from the last year for battery on a school district employee, auto theft, and theft from a dwelling.

The “Gazette” spoke to the mother of the 16-year-old suspect, who asked her name not be published due to fear of retaliation against herself and the teen’s two younger siblings. She said the siblings already have been harassed because of their connection to the suspect.

The mother said this is the first time she’s ever been away from her son, and his siblings are all missing their older brother, too.

Reflecting on the notification by law enforcement to the families of the three victims, she said, “I could have gotten that same call.”

Of her son’s alleged involvement, she said, “He got messed up with the wrong crowd and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My son would never kill anyone. He wasn’t raised that way. All he ever wanted to do was play video games in his room.’’

She feels the grand jury process was unfair because her son’s identity has already been disclosed by the sheriff’s office and media outlets. “How can you tell me that the grand jury wasn’t biased against my son? The story made national news,” she said.

The sheriff’s office has not shared details of the 16-year-old’s alleged involvement in the murders as it has for the other two suspects. The state attorney’s office has indicated it won’t be able to share more details for a few more weeks.

Public reaction

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods held a series of press conferences in April that brought national attention to the death of the three teens. At an April 7 conference, Woods indicated that evidence pointed to all six youths being involved in gang activity but “at some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them.”

He added the weapon used in the shootings was obtained “from car burglaries.”

With that national media attention also came criticism for Woods’ handling of the conferences, including his interjecting of political commentaries on gun control and school discipline into the events. His office even videotaped a “perp walk” of two of the suspects, including the 12-year-old who was shown without a shirt. The videotape was posted on the sheriff’s office’s social media sites and disseminated to the media hours after two of the suspects confessed to the crimes while being interrogated without legal counsel.

Online reaction to the indictments was swift.

In response to the sheriff’s Facebook post on Tuesday echoing the state attorney’s announcement of the indictments, Shelma Pearce commented, “They (sic) will be a lot upset about the 12 year old being treated as adult but if he had the gut to pull the trigger and kill someone…” to which Susan Smith replied, “cannot get death penalty, only life.. but death might be preferred.”

Another Facebook commenter, Cynthia Leedy, wrote, “You know, I see the age of the youngest perp and it just saddens my heart. I have a 12-year-old son and I just cannot fathom him having such a blatant disregard for another human.” To which Elizabeth Flower Cutright replied, “it makes you wonder what was going on because someone clearly let that child down.”

Luis Villar posted in response, “It’s good seeing these indictments of these three criminals. But is also sad to see the failure of all the parents. Everyone in this case was under 18 years. Is our society failing?”

Law on police budget disputes revamped

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

Amid a constitutional challenge by a group of cities, Florida lawmakers have approved revamping a 2021 law aimed at shielding police departments from budget cuts.

Leon County Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh last week put on hold the legal challenge, saying the “parties need time to confer with their clients about the impact” of a bill (HB 1595) that received final approval from the Senate on May 1. The Legislature formally sent the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday.

The issue stems from a controversial measure that lawmakers and DeSantis approved in 2021 after nationwide protests the previous year following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Part of the 2021 legislation enhanced penalties and created new crimes for protests that turn violent. But the law also cre ated a process in which state attorneys or certain local elected officials could appeal decisions by municipalities to reduce funding for police departments.

Under the law, such appeals would go to the state Administration Commission, which is made up of the governor and members of the Cabinet. The Administration Commission would have authority to approve challenged local budgets or to make changes.

The cities of Tallahassee, Gainesville, Lauderhill, Miramar, North Miami Beach and Wilton Manors challenged the constitutionality of the police-budget part of the law. In part, they argued that the law violates home-rule powers and improperly delegates local budget authority to the governor and Cabinet.

An amended version of the lawsuit filed in November said the law “contains no standards or guidelines for the Administration Commission to follow in carrying out the Legislature’s intent” and gives “unfettered legislative discretion to the executive branch.”

“Plaintiffs’ decision-making and planning is currently impacted by the presence of this executive commandeering process,” the lawsuit said. “As plaintiffs implement their current year’s budgets and make plans that affect current or future spending on law enforcement, they run the risk … of having their budgets commandeered. Thus, plaintiffs can only avoid this interference by, at a minimum, maintaining the same level of law enforcement funding.”

Marsh last year rejected a state request to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the case “goes to the heart” of the division of power between elected officials at different levels of government.

The bill that passed the House on April 28 and the Senate on May 1 would, in part, take away the authority of the governor and Cabinet to decide the police-budget issues.

It would lead to appeals going to the state Division of Administrative Hearings, where administrative law judges would hold hearings and consider a number of factors, including the grounds for local governments to reduce police budgets; police budgets in communities of comparable size; police staffing needs; and revenue changes.

The bill also would only allow challenges to budget reductions of more than 5 percent — a limitation that was not included in the 2021 law. Administrative law judges would issue orders that could be appealed to a state appellate court.

The revision was included in a broader bill that dealt with the duties of county sheriffs and received relatively little attention during this year’s legislative session.

During brief comments April 28, House sponsor Taylor Yarkosky, R-Montverde, said the bill “expedites the administrative proceedings for a police department to be able to appeal their budget should they believe it’s been taken from them unjustly that would affect public safety.”

DeSantis signs bills targeting LGBTQ issues

By Dara Kam Florida News Service

With LGBTQ advocates decrying it as a “slate of hate,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a suite of bills that will prohibit or limit medical care for transgender people, prevent minors from attending drag shows and impose restrictions on which bathrooms trans people can use.

The bills targeting LGBTQ children and adults were at the top of DeSantis’ legislative wish list and dominated much of the 2023 legislative session that ended earlier this month.

“We receive this as it is intended, as an all-out attack on freedom,” Joe Saunders, political director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida, told reporters on a hastily arranged conference call Wednesday.

One of the measures (SB 254) builds on rules adopted by the state’s medical boards that prohibit doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones or using surgery to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria and includes additional restrictions on treatment for trans adults.

The new law, which went into effect immediately, “will permanently outlaw the mutilation of minors,” DeSantis told an audience at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa.

Physicians could face third-degree felony charges for violating the prohibition on care for minors. The law includes an exemption for minors currently receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy. But it also would require state medical boards to create rules to establish standards of practice for physicians providing care to such minors.

While adults would be able to receive treatments, the law includes additional restrictions. For example, adults would have to sign consent forms that would be developed by the medical boards. Also, the bill would prevent the use of telehealth in providing treatment and would prohibit

advanced nurse practitioners from prescribing hormone therapy, changes which patients say could severely curb access to treatment.

DeSantis, who appeared in Iowa over the weekend but has not formally entered the 2024 Republican race for president, also signed a bill (HB 1521) to require people to use the bathroom that lines up with their sex assigned at birth. The measure applies to the use of restrooms at public and private schools, as well as “public buildings” such as airports, state and local-government buildings, prisons and jails.

The proposal is aimed at “ensuring women’s safety,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “A woman should not be in a locker room having to worry about someone from the opposite sex being in their locker room.”

State Rep. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who helped sponsor some of the legislation, praised the legislative package.

“There is evil in this world and we are fighting it here today,” said Fine, who joined DeSantis at the event.

But Jennifer Solomon, the mother of a transgender student, called the LGBTQfocused measures “extremely scary.”

“We have families that are leaving the state because they cannot properly parent their child,” Solomon, the president of PFLAG Miami, said.

DeSantis is “literally taking away safety from our children,” she added.

“Gender-affirming care saves lives. We know that. I don’t want a politician to tell me what health care looks like for my family,” Solomon said. “I don’t want to leave the state … but unfortunately, if this continues, good families like mine are going to be forced to leave the state and that’s unacceptable.”

The governor on Wednesday also signed a measure (SB 1438) that seeks to block venues from admitting children to “adult live performances.” It defines “adult live performances” as “any show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual

conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.”

The measure moved through the Legislature after DeSantis’ administration took steps such as filing a complaint against the Hyatt Regency Miami hotel for hosting a “Drag Queen Christmas” event in December.

The law, which also went into effect immediately, would allow state regulators to suspend or revoke licenses of restaurants, bars and other venues that violate the law. Businesses could face fines up to $10,000.

The new law also will prohibit local governments from issuing public permits for events that could expose children to the targeted behavior.

“This is sad that you kind of have to do this,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “People can do what they want with some of that, but to have minors there … where you have these like really explicit shows, that is just inappropriate.”

DeSantis also signed a measure aimed at expanding a 2022 law that barred instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The new bill would broaden the prohibition to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Teachers and other school employees would be prohibited from telling students their preferred pronouns and would be barred from asking students about their preferred pronouns. Supporters titled the 2022 law “Parental Rights in Education,” but opponents dubbed it the “don’t say gay” bill.

Saunders, a former Democratic state representative, called the package of proposals passed by the Republicancontrolled Legislature and signed by DeSantis the largest slate of anti-LGBTQ bills in the state’s history.

The breadth of the measures has spawned fear in the LGBTQ community at the same time it is galvanizing activists to push back against what many view as a revival of decades-old persecution of trans

MD BoardCertifiedUrologist

and gay people.

“These actions will fan the flames of hatred and bigotry and homophobia and transphobia in our state. Many in the community, I think, are really struggling to comprehend what it will mean but we know those impacts, those harms, will be real and, we fear, tragic,” Nathan Bruemmer, a transgender man who is the president of the LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, said.

Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith accused DeSantis and Florida GOP lawmakers of “trying to drag Florida backwards in a way that should be setting off alarm bells across the country.” Smith noted that her organization last month issued a travel advisory warning about the risks posed to people considering visiting or relocating to the state.

“This backlash will not stand. We are awake. We will make sure every family is respected and every child is protected. Florida is the frontline in this fight against fascism, and we are the resistance,” Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith said.

The reach of the Florida proposals also drew rebukes from national LGBTQadvocacy groups.

“DeSantis has made clear that demonizing LGBTQ+ people will be the center of his legislative agenda and presidential run. As a result, the rights of millions of Floridians are being rolled back by politicians who are attacking the LGBTQ+ community at a breakneck pace to pander to the most extreme fringes of their base,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.

But DeSantis, the father of three young children, hailed the proposals he signed Wednesday as “an incredible package” of bills.

“I think this is something that we just made the decision as a state and me as governor to just say we’re protecting kids. We’re protecting kids. And we’re going to protect kids when it’s popular. We’ll protect kids, even when you take some incoming as a result of maybe offending some ideologies or some agendas out there, but that’s fine,” he said.

State turns up heat on Escambia School District

and charter agreements with Renaissance Charter School, Inc., which is affiliated with Charter Schools USA. The agreements were signed by Escambia Superintendent of Schools Tim Smith and Escambia School Board Chairman Paul Fetsko, but not by a representative of Renaissance Charter School.

State Board of Education member Esther Byrd on Tuesday pressed Smith about whether he and the district “understand fully that you’re out of compliance with the law.”

But Smith defended what he described as the district’s actions to secure a charter-school agreement.

“The negotiations have been extensive, and there are some challenging points to it all. I think with an agreement like this, we certainly showed effort and urgency with our May 1 action, and this board moved forward with that to push towards finality,” Smith said.

officials Tuesday, leading to a tense exchange.

“I find your negotiations to be either incompetent, or completely disingenuous. And I’m just going to call it out like I see it,” state board member Ryan Petty said.

“It really disturbs me that you’re implying we are incompetent and we don’t care,” Smith replied, in part. “There is nothing further from the truth. We significantly care. And it is just offensive that our public is listening to this here, and you’re telling us that we do not care about the children at Warrington Middle School. Sir, that is just wrong.”

Diaz, however, contended that it is “not incumbent upon Charter Schools USA or any charter to comply with state board rule and law, it is the district’s responsibility to comply.”

Meanwhile, Diaz has pursued sanctions against at least one other county school leader in recent weeks.

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. on Tuesday gave Escambia County officials 48 hours to execute a contract with a charter-school company to operate a struggling middle school, threatening to withhold pay from the district superintendent and school-board members.

The State Board of Education held a special meeting that focused on what’s known as a “turnaround plan” for Warrington Middle School. The

Escambia district has been in negotiations with the company Charter Schools USA.

“Over the last 10 years, Warrington Middle School has not once earned a school grade above a ‘D,’” Diaz said during the meeting, also pointing to lagging student performance on statewide assessments.

In a May 5 memo, Diaz wrote that the district in 2019 selected an option for a charter-school operator to assume control of the school, which had tried and “failed for years” under two other turnaround options aimed at improving the school’s grade to a “C” or better. The state

board approved a charter-school turnaround plan in 2022.

The Legislature in 2017 passed a measure that allows charter operators to take over operations when a school’s performance has consistently floundered. Diaz in the memo wrote that he found “probable cause” that the Escambia district is violating state law and State Board of Education rules by “failing to timely execute a contract” with a charter-school company.

The district was given a May 1 deadline to execute such a contract. The district on May 1 submitted separate lease

Florida sending troops, officers to Texas

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said Florida “stands ready” and will send Florida National Guard troops and law-enforcement officers to Texas to help with border control as he nears an expected announcement of a White House bid.

DeSantis’ office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon that 800 members of the Florida National Guard, along with Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were available and ready to deploy within 24 hours.

In 2021, DeSantis responded to a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and thenArizona Gov. Doug Ducey by sending more than 50 Florida law-enforcement officers to Texas. The deployment was announced as part of the mutual-aid effort to protect Florida, in part because of drugs crossing the border and ending up in Florida.

During an appearance Tuesday before his office’s news release, DeSantis criticized the Biden administration’s handling of immigration issues and said he had offered personnel, boats and planes to assist Texas with migrants trying to come into the country.

“We‘re staying on them (the Biden administration), the state of Florida is, because it‘s a really important issue to actually have sovereignty in our country and have the rule of law upheld,” DeSantis said during a bill-signing event in Lighthouse Point.

On Monday, Pensacola-based U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell denied a motion by the Biden administration to stay a temporary restraining order that blocked a federal immigration policy that could lead to large numbers of migrants being released into the country. Wetherell’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

In the news release Tuesday, DeSantis’ office cited what is known as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement in which states can provide resources to each other in times of emergency.

Earlier this month, Biden sent 1,500 U.S. troops to the U.S.-Mexico border for

a 90-day deployment in anticipation of an increase in immigration as a COVID-19 border restriction known as Title 42 was ending. Those troops were sent to supplement the work of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and not carry out law enforcement, according to the Pentagon.

Asked about the border Sunday while in Delaware, Biden said things were much “better than you all expected” and that the numbers of migrants seeking asylum were going down, according to a White House transcript.

“Well, look, they are --- they have gone down,” Biden said. “My hope is they’ll continue to go down, but we have more --a lot more work to do. And we need some more help from the Congress as well in terms of funding and legislative changes.”

In addition to sending troops and law-enforcement officers, the DeSantis administration news release Tuesday said Florida would make available five fixedwing airplanes, two mobile command vehicles, 17 drones and 10 marine vessels, such as airboats and shallow-draft vessels.

DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a run for the presidency, and Moody have long criticized Biden’s border policies. They argue, in part, that undocumented immigrants coming into Florida create costs for services such as schools, health care and prisons.

Moody has filed two federal lawsuits in Pensacola against the Biden administration about immigration policies. That included the case that led to Wetherell issuing a temporary restraining order Thursday against a policy known as “parole with conditions.”

The Biden administration issued the policy to help address an expected surge of migrants coming into the country because of the expiration of the Title 42 order.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday called Wetherell’s ruling “harmful,” accused Republican elected officials of “political stunts” and said “they don‘t want to solve this problem. They want to use it, again, as a campaign tool for them.”

DeSantis signed controversial legislation last week that stepped up requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers, cracked down on people who bring undocumented immigrants into Florida and required data on whether hospital patients are in the country legally.

The Escambia School Board was scheduled to meet Tuesday night. Smith told the state board that he intended to recommend approval of a contract with Charter Schools USA during the meeting.

The state board approved a recommendation by Diaz that, if the contract is not approved in two days, the commissioner would report “the district’s failure” to the Legislature and withhold funding to the district in an amount equal to the salaries of the school-board members and superintendent.

Members of the state board rebuked Smith and district

Leon County Superintendent of Schools Rocky Hanna faces the possibility of state officials revoking Hanna’s educator certificate because of issues such as the school district in the past requiring masks to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Hanna last month pushed back against Diaz finding probable cause to pursue such sanctions. Hanna called the commissioner’s actions an attempt “to silence myself and anyone else who speaks up for teachers” in a way “that does not fit the political narrative of those in power.”

Small details fill big state budget

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

Florida lawmakers this month passed a record $117 billion budget that covers more than 500 pages and includes highprofile issues such as money for schools, health care, environmental projects and road construction.

But also tucked inside the spending plan are more than 1,500 projects pushed by individual lawmakers and fine print that details how tax dollars must be used. The budget, which will take effect July 1, still needs approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has lineitem veto power.

Here are examples of some of the details included in the budget:

--- $8 million for the Florida State University Institute for Politics to implement “an online accurately depicted statewide history program adhering to all state standards.”

--- $6 million to design and plan “a new state office building and parking garage” at the Capital Circle Office Complex in Leon County.

--- $3.35 million to expand efforts to remove Burmese pythons and other non-native fish and wildlife. The money also would go to “research and to assess risk and the efficacy of control efforts.”

--- $2 million for the Cattle Enhancement Board to expand uses of Florida beef and to market the state’s cattle industry.

--- $2 million to replace the Elliot Building across Monroe Street from the Capitol with “Memorial Park.”

--- $1.75 million for a meatprocessing and training facility in Newberry. A funding request by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, and Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, said the purpose is “to serve small cattle, pig, sheep and goat ranchers within a 100mile radius. It will also provide highskill workforce training in butchery and other value-added meat processes in coordination with UF/IFAS and Santa Fe College.”

--- $1 million for the Florida Department of Health to study “the long-term health impacts of exposure to blue green algae and red tide

toxins to residents, visitors and those occupationally exposed in Florida.”

--- $1 million for the Department of Children and Families to establish a pilot digital media campaign to recruit foster parents and guardian ad litem volunteers.

--- $1 million for an in-state tourism marketing campaign by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

--- $1 million to support aerospace and life-science projects tied to a memorandum of understanding between Space Florida and Israel.

--- $500,000 to assess the progress of tire removal at Osborne Reef, an area off Broward County where millions of used tires were sunk starting in the 1970s as part of an artificial-reef project. The budget also requires development of a plan for when the “debris is removed from the reef.”

--- $250,000 to improve signs along equestrian trails and another $100,000 on a website to promote those trails in places such as state parks, state forests, wildlife management areas, national forests, wildlife refuges and greenways.

--- $300,000 for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to study the impacts of spraying herbicides on wildlife habitat in Lake Okeechobee. “The study should compare spraying versus mechanical harvesting as to the effectiveness of habitat management and the effects on wildlife, including fish and bird populations,” the budget says.

--- $250,000 to provide $50 bonuses to International Baccalaureate teachers for each student they teach who received scores of “C” or higher on an International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge subject examination.

--- $150,000 for Florida State University to create the Center for Rare Earths, Critical Minerals, and Industrial Byproducts within the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. It would evaluate Florida’s potential to produce “rare earths, critical minerals, and industrial byproducts for national security, supply-chain independence, meeting state infrastructure needs, supporting emerging industries, and other beneficial uses.”

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. is pressuring Escambia County school officials to reach an agreement with a charter-school operator. [File photo]

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People, Places & Things

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

For Volodymyr “Vlad” Serdiuk, it’s been a long journey from his hometown in Mykolayiv, Ukraine, to his first-place award in Ocala’s recent emerging artist exhibition.

The exhibition is presented by the city of Ocala and the Magnolia Arts Xchange. The awards have been presented annually since 2016. This year’s exhibition is titled “Metamorphosis” and is on display at City Hall through Oct. 12.

Serdiuk, 43, won first place in the 6-10 years’ active category for his color photo “Sea Star,” taken along the shores of the Sebastian Inlet.

Serdiuk emigrated to the U.S. almost 20 years ago to work as a cook at Yosemite National Park, where he sketched mountains and valleys and snapped wildlife with cheap point-and-shoot cameras before he was able to purchase his first Canon and all the accompanying lenses and other accessories.

“The Yosemite Valley itself hasn’t changed, just maybe the experience and the services and the rules,” Serdiuk said. “You need to plan in advance, and everything is only by appointment, but it’s still worth it to go to the park. There is nothing else like it.”

Serdiuk has taken photos across the U.S. He now lives in Clermont with his wife, Laura, also a professional photographer and also among the winners in Ocala’s emerging artist competition. She came up with the idea for 22 Moments, the photography business they run together.

Along with taking fine art and commercial photos, Serdiuk makes a living repairing air-conditioners and is a handyman. He got a degree in management from a shipbuilding university in the Ukraine.

With all of the accomplishments of this shutterbug Renaissance man, he’s rather modest and self-effacing about his images, which range from stark black-and-white street photography to sweeping, colorful landscapes to candid wildlife and portraits.

There are no photos of him, selfportraits or otherwise, on his Instagram page. The photos that do exist of him were taken by his wife. Laura, incidentally, is featured as his “favorite model” in several of his images, and he cringes when asked to choose which images to share with the newspaper. He said he’s going to take some down from his Instagram page.

“I’m very choosy when it comes to my photos,” he said with a laugh.

But don’t confuse a lack of selfpromotion with shyness. Serdiuk reveals a curious mind, a dogged work ethic and the no-nonsense confidence of a skilled professional artist in conversation. Social media is the least of his concerns.

“I’m not completely active on

Instagram,” Serdiuk said. “And, basically, the last picture I shot was Feb. 16, 2022. So, Feb. 24 that year, Russia invaded my country at night. That’s basically my last post on Instagram. … Emotionally, it’s really frustrating since it’s been a year and it’s every day, which is stressful for us all the time.”

Serdiuk’s immediate family doesn’t live in the occupied territories, but the bombings have hit scarily close at times.

Working on his photos has provided Serdiuk a much-needed distraction. A win in the 2023 Student and Emerging Artist Exhibition “Metamorphosis” also helped.

The winners were announced on April 24. They include high school winners “Flying Through Life,” by Athena Tarnowski, first place; “Transparent,” by Yeymarie Cortes, second place; and “North Pine,” by Milo Moore, third place.

In the 1-5 years’ active category, “What Doesn’t Kill You,” by Brittney Santana, first place; “Under Construction II,” by Laura Serdiuk, second place; and “King Fisher,” by Janelle Worley, third place.

Joining Vlad Serdiuk in the 6-10 years’ active category are “True Transformation,” by Ryan Neumann, second place, and “Incoming Front,” by Ali Graves, third place.

Best of Show went to Olimpia Cantillano, who was featured in the April 28 “Gazette.”

The juror for this year’s competition was Shannon Rae Lindsey, an accomplished practicing interdisciplinary artist. Lindsey is also the art gallery director and a lecturer at the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Vlad Serdiuk won an Artist Affiliate Membership to Magnolia Art Xchange (awarded to first place winners in each division and Best of Show), annual memberships to the Appleton Museum of Art and Marion Cultural Alliance (all winners), and a registration fee waiver for the 2023-24 season of First Friday Art Walk (all winners). You can see more of his photography in the recently opened “Four Corners” exhibition at the News Journal Center at Daytona State College.

Laura, who works at home in finance, sometimes collaborates with her husband to capture events such as parties and weddings. Together, they enjoy reading, watching documentaries and kayaking.

To see more of Vlad Serdiuk’s photographs, visit instagram.com/vladymyrserdiuk. For more information about the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Division Office, call (352) 629-8447 or visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts.

Won first place, 6-10 years’ active division, of Ocala’s recent emerging artist exhibition, “Metamorphosis,” currently on display in the Ocala City Hall.

Photographer Vlad Serdiuk won a first-place award in Ocala’s recent emerging artist exhibition and has much more to come.

Portrait of Vlad Serdiuk taken by wife, Laura Serdiuk, also a winner in Ocala’s emerging artist exhibition.

“Sea Star”

“I’m very choosy when it comes to my photos.”

Vlad Serdiuk

Forging ahead—with a nod to the past

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

The past came alive on May 11 when a new blacksmith shop was dedicated at the Fort King National Historic Landmark in Ocala.

The freestanding building, in which guests could imagine the glow of fire and ringing sound of metal being worked, was made possible by a donation by philanthropist and businessman Frank DeLuca, owner of DeLuca Toyota. He told attendees that a lot of people were involved, including members of the Fort King Heritage Foundation and Chap Dinkins of Dinkins Construction.

Keith Hill, with Dinkins Construction, is a blacksmith and champion on the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” program. He created more than 2,000 nails in his home forge in Ocklawaha for the blacksmith shop, according to the foundation’s most recent newsletter. He told the crowd on Thursday that he did his best to “represent the community, represent the past,” and said he got a lot of support from the archaeology department on site.

Re-enactors in period dress welcomed visitors and a cannon was fired as part of the festivities.

The landmark at 3925 E. Fort King, St. is jointly owned by the city of Ocala and Marion County.

A city news release noted that the project broke ground in December 2022 and was completed in April. The blacksmith shop “will serve to educate and demonstrate the history of blacksmithing and the importance it played in the history of the fort, and the early life of settlers,” it stated.

The Fort King Visitor Center and Archaeological Resource Center are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. To learn more, visit ftking.org and ocalafl.org

Queen Katharine

A locally produced, nationally performed portrayal of Katharine Hepburn premieres on Zoom May 26-28.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Stoic, but surprisingly passionate, a pants-wearing feminist ahead of her time, 20th-century screen legend Katharine Hepburn comes back to life on computer screens across the nation, and, perhaps, around the world, at the end of this month.

Local theater company

Unboxed Productions (UP) will present the one-woman staged reading starring Marty Van Kleeck as the Academy Award-winning star via Zoom on May 26-28.

The poignant play provides an intimate glimpse into Hepburn’s life, recounted from her Fenwick estate in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

In the play, we hear tales about “The African Queen,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “The Philadelphia Story” and “The Lion in Winter.” We also learn about the not-so-fairy-tale romance between Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

The premiere of “Tea at Five” originally starred Kate Mulgrew of “Star Trek” fame and later Faye Dunaway in a highly anticipated return to Broadway.

Prolific stage and screen actor Van Kleeck takes on the role of great Kate and takes the audience on what UP co-founder and artistic director Kim Lynette Sandstrom calls “a spellbinding and jaw-dropping ride through the

roller coaster” of Hepburn’s life.

“If you thought you knew Miss Hepburn, be prepared for lots of surprises in ‘Tea at Five,’” Sandstrom professed.

Van Kleeck has appeared onstage and onscreen in “Honk” (2022), “The Sirens” (2012) and “Ghost Lab” (2009).

“She’s a fabulous actress,” UP director Jan Thomas said of Van Kleeck. “She’s done so many things before, so she knows exactly what to do. I’m not so much really directing her as much as I am working with her, and we are both working to find some of the little comedic bits and the best ways to work with the lines.”

Sandstrom said Thomas was being too humble.

“Jan has broken down scene by scene. I’ve been in rehearsals, and the nuances, the small details that they are finding … it is gonna be as though they’re sitting in the room with Katherine Hepburn and having private time with her. It’s quite amazing,” Sandstrom offered.

The reading marks the beginning of Unboxed Productions’ third season of producing plays streaming live online. The company grew out of the need to continue live theater during the pandemic and continues the opportunity for theater lovers to enjoy a theatrical experience from the comfort of their homes.

UP plays include “Erma

Bombeck,” “Tea for Three,” “Unboxing in Biloxi” and “How We Faced the Horsemen.”

It’s a nationwide, women-led effort. Van Kleeck hails from Texas. Thomas, a UP board member and friend of Sandstrom since childhood, is based in Indianapolis. Diana Grogg, also an Unboxed board member, manages tech and sound from California.

Marketing is handled by Sandstrom, who co-founded the company with Susan Ergle, of Ocala’s Saints on Stage. Local actor and UP board member Rita Singer and board members Teri Schwartz of Ocala and Lee Tilson of Detroit also lend support.

“Linkets,” or ticketed Zoom links, are on sale for $15 through www.unboxed.productions.

Links can also be purchased by mailing a check to Unboxed Productions, PO Box 351, Belleview, FL 34420, along with your email address.

A portion of the proceeds will be going to the Saints on Stage Drama Department of St. John Lutheran School, Ocala.

“Tea at Five” can be seen live via Zoom at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 26-28. For more information, email kimlynette@aol.com or call (325) 875-5484.

With the reconstructed fort in the background, people gather for the dedication and ribbon cutting of the new Blacksmith’s Shop.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Frank DeLuca, Angela Grace, Michelle Stone, Charlie Stone and Allison Campbell, left to right, listen during the dedication.

Fort King re-enactors fire a M1841 Mountain Howitzer Cannon.

Marty Van Kleeck plays Katharine Hepburn

Fun, fanfare and fireworks

Symphony Under the Stars endures as one of Ocala’s favorite events.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Dancing. Playing with bubbles. Tossing a football. Picnicking. Family photos on social media. Great music. Fireworks. Put those all together and you have yet another hugely successful Symphony Under the Stars event.

The annual Mother’s Day tradition hosted on Sunday, May 14, by Fine Arts For Ocala (FAFO) at the Ocala Golf Club, once again drew hundreds of guests who spread out blankets and toted in chairs. Some brought along food baskets filled with gourmet goodies and fine wine; others noshed at food trucks. One group decorated their table with a candelabara.

FAFO puts on Symphony Under The Stars each Mother’s Day in partnership with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. It also organizes the Ocala Arts Festival each October in downtown Ocala. The group has a new leadership team in place this year, with President Billye Mallory and Administrative Coordinator Ashley Morgan. Symphony Under the Stars cochairs were Charlita Whitehead, Kat Neumann and David Reutter. Teddy Sykes is the new Ocala Arts Festival chair, with Ryan Neumann as co-chair.

“While Symphony Under the Stars is a fundraiser for our annual Ocala Arts Festival, we are so honored to host such an enjoyable event for our community and to celebrate moms on Mother’s Day in such a festive way,” said Mallory.

“FAFO is so grateful for how much work is put into this event,” Mallory continued. “Our board is made up of volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to FAFO’s mission, which is to promote the fine arts and enhance art education within our community. I want to thank the following people for helping to make this event such a huge success: Jason Lenhart, GM of the Ocala Golf Club; Ashley Morgan, admin for FAFO; David Reutter, Kat Neumann and Charlita Whitehead, FAFO chairs for this event; city of Ocala staff; and the Ocala Police Department. We’re excited to see everyone at the annual Ocala Arts Festival in downtown Ocala on Oct. 28 and 29.”

This year’s Symphony Under the Stars kicked off with a performance by Becky Baby & Her Baby Boys, followed by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. The finale of fireworks was the perfect cap to a day of fun, family, friends and the continuing appeal of one of Ocala’s most loved events.

To learn more, go to fafo.org

Family honors 108-year-old

Margaret Stephenson is a Marion County native with strong ties to Reddick and Flemington.

School that was demolished a couple of years ago. She married Sidney Stephenson Sr. in 1934. They moved to nearby Flemington around 1943. He passed away in 1999.

Their son, who served with the Ocala Police Department from 1966 until 1990, said that during World War II, his father worked building military air bases in towns including Bartow, Dunnellon and Williston, then later was involved in statewide road construction. His mother was a member of the air base group known as the “Road Runners,” who traveled along with their husbands as the bases were constructed, he said.

Margaret has been a member of Flemington Baptist Church since the early 1940s, where she was a member of the women’s missionary group. She regularly travels with her son and his family to Sunday services at the church.

caregivers from Gentiva Hospice of Ocala, a provider of personal, palliative and hospice care, who assist Margaret with mobility and personal care.

Gentiva Hospice chaplain Fredy Supo said Margaret has a strong connection with family and called her a “woman of faith.”

Brandi Lane, RN, a case manager with Gentiva, described Margaret as “very strong.”

A large mural-style blanket hangs on a wall in Margaret’s room. It shows an image of her extended family, which is important to her.

Sidney said his mother had a great time at the party at his home, surrounded by many of those family members, which includes three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, six great-greatgrandchildren, “and then some.”

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Margaret (Johnson) Stephenson had a double redletter day on May 14, when she celebrated Mother’s Day and her 108th birthday.

An advance birthday party for the Marion County native was held May 12 at The Harmony House at Ocala assisted living and memory care facility on Airport Road, where Stephenson has resided for

eight years. Her son Sidney Stephenson Jr. and his wife Ellene were there, along with her niece Barbara Stephenson.

“Real nice,” Margaret Stephenson said about the party, during which she enjoyed cake, hugs and many well-wishes.

A second party was held Sunday at her son’s home in Flemington in northwest Marion County after Margaret and some family members attended church services.

Sidney Stephenson, 83, said his mother was born in Reddick and attended a school that preceded the red brick Reddick High

Sidney Stephenson said his mother was a fulltime housewife and avid horsewoman, especially in the days when “open range” was the rule in Florida. He said his family had cattle and that they lived near a large cattle operation and his mother would round up strays that wandered onto the family property.

Harmony House at Ocala Director Kathy Earnest and Facility Director of Resident Care Kim Davis also joined the party on Friday, along with

Photos

Margaret Stephenson, who turned 108 on Mother’s Day, is wished Happy Birthday by members of Gentiva Hospice, from left, Lisa Loebertman, Brandi Lane, Bob Thompson and Kerry Eck, and Kim Davis of The Harmony House at Ocala during her early birthday party at The Harmony House at Ocala on Southwest 60th Avenue in Ocala on Friday, May 12, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Margaret Stephenson, center, who turned 108 on Mother’s Day, is wished Happy Birthday by her son, Sidney Jr., her niece, Babs, and her daughter-in-law, Ellene, left to right. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Bird of the Week

By Michael Warren

The American kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America, about the size of a dove. It lives year-round in Marion County. It looks cute and colorful, but it’s a fierce hunter. It’s often seen perching on power lines or telephone poles, watching for prey. It also hunts by kiting or hovering in place before dropping in for the kill. This one is a resident of the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park.

Sudoku is played on a grid of 9 x 9 spaces. Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the same row, column or square.

American kestrel [MichaelWarren.com]

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS community

MAY 19

Leaf Series: Mindful Music

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala

10:30am

Mellow out in a peaceful setting as reiki masters

Donna Davis RN and Norma Anderson LMT use sound bathing to calm the nervous system and balance the body. $5; advance registration required at sholompark.org

MAY 19

Pond Management Workshop

Blitch Plantation, 13200 NW 110th Ave., Reddick

9am-3pm

Learn about managing ponds to enhance beauty and improve ecosystems, with presentations on aquatic plants, water quality, fish management, using Florida-friendly landscaping and more. $25; includes class materials and lunch. RSVP on bit.ly/42mdytD.

MAY 19

Levitt Amp Music Series

Webb Field at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th St., Ocala

7-9pm

This series of free weekly concerts sponsored by the city of Ocala and Marion Cultural Alliance focuses on a variety of musical genres. On May 19, it’s the Malpass Brothers with opener Hannah Harber. Admission is free. Bring chairs and blankets. Food and drink vendors onsite. For more info, ocalafl.org/levittamp

MAY 19 & 26

Marion County Friday Market

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

9am-2pm

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

MAY 20 & 27

Ocala Farmers Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala

9am-2pm

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

MAY 20 & 27

Farmers Swap Meet Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala

9am-2pm

A true farmers market where chickens, ducks,

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

MAY 20

Beginner’s Drum Circle

Rainbow Springs Art, 20804 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Dunnellon

3pm-5pm

Drum up your creativity and artistic side with this free event. Refreshments served. For more info, rainbowspringsart.com

MAY 20

Evergreen Cemetery Clean-up

Evergreen Cemetery, 300 NW Eighth St., Ocala

8am-12pm Volunteers can help by raking leaves and cleaning headstones at this historic cemetery near downtown Ocala. For more info, call Ocala Public Works at (352) 351-6723.

MAY 20

Animal Tracks Workshop

Fort King National Historical Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala

9am-10:15am This trek through the park with rangers to learn about the animals that live there includes making animal tracks with Play-Doh and a visit from Rescue Ocala Wildlife. Free to attend.

MAY 20

Dream Carnival

Greater New Hope Church, 484 Emerald Road, Ocala

11am-3pm With kids’ activities, food trucks, bounce houses and more, the church welcomes families for a day of fun and entertainment. For more info, Bishop Sermon at (352) 687-1130.

MAY 21

Pirates of the Florida Coast Lecture

Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology, Green Clover Hall, 319 SE 26th Terrace, Ocala

10:30am

Author and historian Robert Jacob talks about the real-life pirates who once raided Florida waters. Reception following the program. Admission free to museum members, $5 for non-members. For information, call (352) 236-5245.

critters & equine

VARIOUS DATES

Neuter Commuter

Locations vary, see website 9am Marion County Animal Services offers weekly neutering services with options for low-income households. The fees include the animal’s surgical sterilization, rabies vaccination, county license and microchip. Pet drop-off is 9am and pick-ups start at 3:30. Locations vary. To register, go to bit.ly/NeuterCommuter

MAY 20

POP Schooling Show Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala

All day

These practice shows are for eventing riders who want a low-key way to run the courses and ride a dressage test. Vendors with food options onsite. Visit flhorsepark.org for details.

government

MAY 22

Marion County Development Review Committee

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

The first step for new development projects, the committee reviews and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans, and subdivision plans. Meets weekly on Mondays; no agendas posted. Agendas and minutes available at marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

civic

MAY 19 & 26

Chess Club at Freedom Library Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala 10am-12pm Meets weekly on Fridays; new members welcome. Please bring your own chess set. For more info, Walt Lamp at (352) 854-9378.

MAY 21

Car, Truck & Motorcycle Festival

War Horse Harley-Davidson, 5331 N US Highway 441, Ocala

9am-2pm Food and drink to purchase, live music, vendor booths and more. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County. For more info, facebook.com/ warhorseharley or warhorseharley.com

MAY 23

Medicare Classes: Long-Term Care Planning

Online

10am

The SHINE organization is offering free classes for anyone wanting to learn more about Medicare. Available by computer or phone. For more info, shine@agingresources.org or call (352) 692-5209.

MAY 23

Garden Groupies Lecture

Grumbles House Antiques & Garden Center, 20799 Walnut St., Dunnellon

10:30am-12pm

This month’s seminar focuses on how to build a pollinator garden with expert advice from the Marion County Master Gardeners program. Onsite café, along with artists’ booths. For more info, see grumbleshouseantiques.com

MAY 25

OTOW Farmers Market

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

9am-1pm

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

MAY 25

Free Parenting Workshops

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave, Ocala

6pm

These workshops from the Early Learning Coalition will focus on early childhood development. Resources provided, along with childcare and dinner. Register at bit.ly/42jvvZg

MAY 25

North Marion Historical Research Society Meeting

McIntosh Christian Church, 5845 Avenue E, McIntosh

7pm

The group was formed to help find, document, preserve and share the history of North Marion County. For more info, bit.ly/3OgHtPD

MAY 24-28

Ocala May Dressage

World Equestrian Center, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-4pm World-class dressage competitions including FEI, USEF and USDF classes. Classes include pony rider, children’s team, grand prix, intermediate and preliminary. For more info, worldequestriancenter.com

MAY 25

City of Belleview Youth Commission Meeting City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 4:30pm Belleview agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/Agendas-Minutes

MAY 19 & 26

Kiwanis Club of Ocala

Knights of Columbus Building at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, 1510 SE 3rd Ave., Ocala

12pm

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

MAY 23

Ocala Blue Star Mothers

Arena 1, second floor at World Equestrian Center, World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

6pm

Organization for mothers of active-duty military and veterans meets the fourth Tuesday of each month. New members welcome. Call Anne Parker at (843) 504-0032 or visit ocalabluestarmothers.org

MAY 26

Friday Foodie Fest

Lake Lillian Park, Belleview

10:30am-12pm

Food trucks, live music, kids’ crafts and activities, face painting and local vendors. Held the fourth Friday of each month. For more info, see ocalamarion.com or belleviewfl.org

MAY 26-27

36th Annual Sunshine State Mopar Car Show

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala 6pm Welcome festivities take place on Friday and judging starts at noon on Saturday. Vendors with car items, arts and crafts, food and more; along with a Herb McCandless car clinic at 11am. Friday party tickets are $25 and include dinner. Free event admission; $10 parking fee. For details, go to floridamoparassociation.com

MAY 27

Ocala Tiki Fest

Citizens’ Circle, 151 SE Osceola Ave., Ocala

5pm-9pm

This luau for ages 21+ features music by the Mermers and Propoganja, fire dancers, artists and vendors, food trucks and rum samples. Tickets are $20-$75 from bit.ly/3pO1WRR.

MAY 27

Memorial Day Weekend Car Show

Highland Memorial Park, 1515 NE 3rd St., Ocala

10am-2pm

This celebration of veterans includes a tribute and guest speaker Howard Mautner, a 99-year-old WWII veteran. Food trucks and DJ music. Free to attend. For more info, bit.ly/3W6Vb9T

MAY 27

Florida Black Bears

Scott Springs Park, 2825 SW 24th Ave., Ocala 9am-10:15am

This is part of the free Programs in the Park series and will feature the Bear Mystery Box to enhance learning.

MAY 27

Back to the ‘90s Music Festival

Homestead Park, 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston

3pm-9pm

Step back in time and enjoy live music from Never Say Never and the Clueless ‘90s dance party. Free to attend; food and drink options onsite. For more info, homesteadparks.com

MAY 28

Pack Walk Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

9am-10:30am

Help Marion County Animal Shelter dogs get out and about. Park entry is $2. Recurs monthly on the fourth Sunday. For more info, animalservices.manrionfl.org

THROUGH JUNE 2

City of Ocala Parking Garage 296 Broadway St., Ocala

The garage will have partial closures for maintenance, deep cleaning and re-striping.

MAY 24

VFW Wednesday Dinners Angela S. Santos FVW Post 4781, 9401 SW 110th St., Ocala

4:30pm-6:30pm

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

MAY 25

Ocala Lions Club

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

12pm Meets weekly on Thursdays; newcomers welcome. The club supports vision health and diabetes prevention. More info at e-clubhouse.org/sites/ocalafl

arts

MAY 19

Classic Albums Live: Damn the Torpedoes

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30pm

This series showcases entire albums played notefor-note live onstage, like this one by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Tickets are $20-$55. See reillyartscenter.com for more info.

MAY 19 & 20

Dueling Pianos

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

Showtimes vary, see website

This evening of soft rock and pop classics features dual piano performances along with shared tables and cocktails. Tickets are $27 from reillyartscenter.com

MAY 20

Gross Out Exhibit

Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10am-4pm

This exhibit shows that science can be both fun and, well, kinda gross. Exhibits like what blood is made of, how loud a burp is and how to identify animals by their, ahem, waste is part of the fun. General admission is $8 per person, $28 for a family of four. For more info, mydiscoverycenter.org

MAY 24-AUGUST 30

Painting for Veterans

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

6pm-8pm

These free art workshops will be held on

IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA

Case No. 2022-CC-886

SPRINGWOOD VILLAGE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., a Florida not for profit corporation,

Plaintiff, vs. Phelicia Laurito aka The Estate of Phelicia Laurito aka The Unknown Heirs, Grantees, Devisees, Lienors, Trustees, and Creditors or Other Parties Claiming

By, Through, Under or Against the Estate of Phelicia Laurito AKA The Unknown SPOUSES, Heirs, Grantees, Devisees, Lienors, Trustees, and Creditors or Other Parties Claiming By, Through, Under or Against Phelicia Laurito , Defendant(s). / NOTICE OF SALE UNDER FLORIDA STATUTES CHAPTER 45

NOTICE IS GIVEN that, in accordance with the Final Summary Judgment of Foreclosure and Monetary Judgment and Taxation of Attorney’s Fees and Costs dated May 4, 2023, in the above-styled cause, the Clerk of Court in and for Marion County, Florida, will sell to

May 19 , 2023

Wednesdays for veterans. Hosted by the Arts in Health Ocala Metro group and veteran Aaron Thomas. Supplies are included. Register at ocalafl.org/recpark

MAY 26

“Summer Spotlight XXVI” Opening Reception College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala

5pm-7pm

The Visual Artists’ Society presents Summer Spotlight XXVI, a showcase of local and regional works in a wide variety of mediums. The society is made up of professional and amateur artists, and many of CF’s talented students. For more information, call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1552.

MAY 26

The Rocket Man Show: Tribute to Elton John Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30pm

This tribute show by Rus Anderson focuses on young Elton John and the costumes, antics and music. Tickets are $25-$85 from reillyartscenter.com

MAY 26

Mejor Sola Que Mal Acompañad

(Better Alone Than in Bad Company) Marion Theatre, 50 S. Magnolia Ave., Ocala

8:30pm

This play tells the tale of a convention organized for women with bad love lives but the “expert”

LEGAL NOTICE (F.S. 98.075)

Notice is hereby given:

BARKAS, COURTNEY B 4747 NW 57TH LN

OCALA, FL 34482

BROBST, ANGELA

8114 SE 62ND LOOP

OCALA, FL 34472

CREECH, BOBBY S 10833 SW 156TH PL

DUNNELLON, FL 34432

DONALDSON, JOSEPH J

6741 SW 128TH STREET RD

OCALA, FL 34473

ELLIS, JESSICA K 12684 S HWY 441

BELLEVIEW, FL 34420

FARRIS, RONALD J

5483 SW 160TH CT

OCALA, FL 34481

HOFFMAN, CHRISTOPHER L 10400 SE 128TH ST

BELLEVIEW, FL 34420

LAWSON, ASHLEY N 6285 SE 140TH ST

SUMMERFIELD, FL 34491

MONTANEZ JR, LUIS A 59 CYPRESS RD OCALA, FL 34472

SPAULDING, CHEROKEE M 11969 SW 147TH PL

DUNNELLON, FL 34432

STINSON, JAMI J 378 MARION OAKS LN

OCALA, FL 34473

WHITE, CHRISTINE MF 2572 SW 165TH AVENUE RD OCALA, FL 34481

You are hereby notified that your eligibility to vote is in question. You are required to contact the Supervisor of Elections, in Ocala, Florida, no later than thirty (30) days after the date of this publishing. Failure to respond will result in a determination of ineligibility by the Supervisor and your name will be removed from the statewide voter registration system.

411 through 436, Public Records of Marion County, Florida. TOGETHER with the undivided interest in the common elements declared in said Declaration of Condominiums to be an appurtenance to the above described dwelling unit. Which has the street address of 1571 SE 27th Street, Unit D, Ocala, Florida 34471. Marion County Parcel Identification

Number: 29863-018-04

Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing has been furnished by Electronic Service or U.S. Mail on this 16 day of May, 2023, to: The Estate of Phelicia Laurito aka The Unknown Heirs , Grantees, Devisees, Lienors, Trustees, and Creditors or Other Parties Claiming By, Through, Under or Against The Estate Of Phelicia Laurito aka The Unknown Spouses, Heirs, Grantees, Devisees, Lienors, Trustees, and Creditors

Wesley Wilcox Marion County Supervisor of Elections 981 NE 16th Street Ocala, Florida 34470

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA.

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF VINCENT JOHN KARASKO, Deceased. CASE NO: 2023-CP-1035 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below. If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH.

The date of death of the decedent is: March 6, 2023.

The date of first publication of this Notice is May 12, 2023.

Attorney for Personal Representative:

JOSHUA L. MOSES Richard & Moses, LLC Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300

Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Personal Representative: ERICH J. KARASKO 42 Barnstable Road Norfolk, MA 02056

Everything-IT is registered to Anthony Warnock living at 4 Hemlock Loop Way Ocala Fl 34472

speakers who come to talk need more help than the attendees. The presentation is in Spanish. Tickets are $35-$60, from reillyartscenter.com

THROUGH MAY 21

Big & Bold Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

Tues-Sat; 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm

Last chance to see these historical, modern and contemporary art pieces. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youths. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

THROUGH MAY 25

Revolutionized Textile & Fiber

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

Daily when center is open

Artist Ingrid Humphrey, a native Floridian, displays her handmade dolls and tapestries, which portray the sisterhood of women of color all over the world. Free to the public. For more info, ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces

THROUGH JUNE 9

Blessed Be the Birds City of Ocala Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala

Mon-Fri; 8am-5pm

Part of the Art in City Spaces program, Courtney Kravig-McGuire is a local artist with a special interest in showing the connection between nature and spirituality in her works. Her medium of choice is printmaking. Visit ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces

THROUGH JUNE 17

“Secrets” Art Show

South State Bank, 1632 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

Daily during business hours

Abstract artist Kayla Moffatt’s technique includes writing a secret on the canvas before painting, then using color and marking to connect with viewers. See kaylamoffattart.com for more info.

THROUGH JUNE 18

Paper Thin & Shadow Deep Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

Tues-Sat; 10am-5pm; Sunday 12pm-5pm

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

THROUGH JUNE 20

Aerial Dream Views of Land and Sea

Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala Airport hours

Part of the Art in City Spaces program, local artist Maggie Weakley shares her ocean-themed collection. Weakley’s series is comprised of multiple painting techniques, including acrylics, spray paints, glitter, mica powder, plaster and more. Free to the public. Visit ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces and maggieweakley.com

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA

IN RE: ESTATE OF DONNA LYNN BORGIONI

Deceased.

PROBATE DIVISION

File No. 2023-CP-548

Division Probate

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Donna Lynn Borgioni, deceased, whose date of death was November 15, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW 1st Avenue #1, Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA.

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF MILLIE CARVER ADAMS, Deceased. CASE NO: 2023-CP-828

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below.

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH. The date of death of the decedent is: February 17, 2023 The date of first publication of this Notice is May 19, 2023.

Attorney for Personal Representative: JOSHUA L. MOSES Richard & Moses, LLC Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

HOSPITALS EARN “A” SAFETY GRADE

AdventHealth Ocala, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital all recently received an “A” hospital safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

The Leapfrog Group assigns grades to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

To see AdventHealth Ocala, HCA Florida

Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter.

&nightlifemusic

HOSPICE HONORS VOLUNTEERS

Hospice of Marion County (HMC) recently hosted an awards luncheon to honor its many volunteers. The event, which featured a ‘50s sock hop theme, was held in the organization’s Elliott Center and included a classic car show.

This year’s awards went to:

• Volunteer of the Year: Warren Rasmussen, 94, who volunteers at the Summerfield thrift store as well as being a veteran patient support volunteer, with almost six years and 1,812 hours of service.

• Rookie of the Year: Diane Schroeder, who has 224 hours of service, helps at the Jasmine thrift store.

• Top Hours: Sharon Rinschler

and her dog Dakota, with 9,000 hours and almost 28 years, has served as a pet visitor and across multiple other areas of the organization.

• Top Years: Carol Balbes has 30 years and 1,637 hours of service across multiple areas, including helping with mailings to bereaved families

• Presidential Service Awards for earning 500 hours or more went to Steve Balducci, Sadie Fletcher, Linda Hartle, Jeanne Hess, Ruby Hough, Kathy Kalogeras, Fred Massa, Joyce Massa, Jeffrey Pitkin, John Renyhart, Sharon Rinschler, Jan Schmicher, Deborah Waddell and Marta Whitney.

To learn more about

HEART OF FLORIDA HEALTH CENTER EXPANDS

Heart of Florida Health Center (HFHC) will open a new primary medical care and pharmacy Location in The Villages later this year.

This will be HFHC’s nineth primary care office and its fourth in-house lowcost pharmacy, including a drive-thru. HFHC will partner with Veterans of America by sharing space for a vet center, providing behavioral and mental health services, primary medical care and pharmacy services.

To learn more, go to yhfhc.org

volunteer opportunities, go to www.hospiceofmarion.com or call (352) 873-7441.

Brandon

They

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4

Crossword

Warren Rasmussen [Supplied]

North Marion edges Bishop Moore in regional finals Sports

Gottuso’s homer gives Colts dramatic win over Hornets

By Mark Pinson

Special to The Ocala Gazette

After falling behind by three runs midway through the game, North Marion stormed back to beat Bishop Moore as senior catcher Bobby Gottuso’s sixth-inning solo home run gave the Colts a thrilling 5-4 win over the Hornets in the May 16 Class 4A-Region 2 finals.

Bishop Moore (Orlando) the No. 3 seed, finished the season with a record of 21-8-1.

The win improved North Marion, the No. 1 seed, to an impressive 25-5 overall. The Colts, who will be making their third appearance in the state Final Four in the last eight years, will play in a state semifinal on May 19 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

The come-from-behind victory was sparked by the bat and arm of senior Jake Tompkins, who clubbed a two-run homer and earned the win with three innings of sparkling relief of starter Karson Lindsey.

“An unbelievable ball game,” said North Marion veteran coach Dale Hall. “Bishop Moore is a talented, well-coached team and we just happened to get three big hits that were the difference. I can’t say enough about Jake. His homer got us going and he had ice in his veins on the mound. He threw strikes, filled the zone up and was a lot of fun to watch. We went to the Final Four in 2016 and 2021 and experience can only help us.”

Bishop Moore came out swinging and struck quickly in the top of the first inning as an infield error, a stolen base and an RBI single by Bryce Gluckman gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead.

Bishop Moore tacked on a run in the top of the second inning on a single by Danny Garcia and a run-scoring double by Aaron Reabe off Lindsey. The Hornets added a run in the fourth inning by taking advantage of a base hit and a Colts outfield error to take a 3-0 lead.

North Marion, which had hit a number of balls hard but right at Bishop Moore players, erupted in the bottom of the frame as Ross Ray led off with an infield single off Bishop Moore right-hander Andrew Furey and Tompkins followed with a blast over the leftcenter field fence.

Gottuso singled and moved to third base

on an infield error on a ground ball by Tucker Jones. Jones stole second base and Troy Guynn came through with a single to right field to score Gottuso and Jones to give the Colts a 4-3 lead. Bishop Moore brought Reabe in the game in relief of Furey and he recorded a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

The Hornets, who had five hits, wasted no time in mounting a rally as Kai Lwin led off the fifth inning with a double to left field off Lindsey and moved to third on a single by Gluckman. Tompkins replaced Lindsey on the mound and gave up a sacrifice fly to center field by Dom Bello to tie the score at 4.

The score was still tied when Gottuso stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Gottuso, who transferred from Vanguard this year, crushed a Reabe fastball over the leftfield fence to give the Colts a 5-4 lead.

“Right off the bat I knew it was a home run,” Gottuso said. “He quick-pitched me the first pitch and I thought he might do it again. He threw me a fastball and I was ready for it. I love this team and I’m glad I came here.”

North Marion, which had nine hits, looked to have scored an important insurance run in the sixth inning on a base hit by Lindsey, but the runner was called out on a close play at the plate.

Only three outs separated North Marion from clinching a spot in the state semifinals.

Bishop Moore’s Tanner Reid reached second base on a throwing error to lead off the inning. Tompkins, who also transferred from Vanguard this year, bore down to strike out the next two batters. An intentional walk to Bello put the go-ahead run on first base and brought up Kort McLean.

Tompkins, who did not give up a hit in his three innings of work, got ahead in the count and fired a third strike past McLean to seal the regional final win for the Colts.

“This is an amazing feeling and I’m blessed to be here,” said Tompkins. “Coach Hall runs a great program and you just have to trust the process.”

North Marion will head to Fort Myers and attempt to win the first state baseball championship in school history.

“I like our chances at state because this team has competed all year and I expect no less on Friday,” coach Hall said.

ART CAMPS FOR TEENS

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

North Marion’s Cooper Jones (1) tags out Bishop Moore’s Aaron Reabe (10) as Reabe gets caught between second and first as the Colts defeat Bishop Moore 5-4 in the regional final at North Marion High School in Citra on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

North Marion’s Troy Guynn (6) looks for the out as Bishop Moore’s Brendan McDonald (2) slides safely into second base.

North Marion’s Jake Tompkins (19) looks for the out as Bishop Moore’s Danny Garcia (1) slides safely back to first base.

North Marion players dog-pile on top of each other after defeating Bishop Moore.

“An unbelievable ball game. Bishop Moore is a talented, well-coached team and we just happened to get three big hits that were the difference.”

Dale Hall

North Marion veteran

coach

Celtics blank Bulldogs in regional semifinals

Trinity Catholic’s Griffin tosses shutout against Bolles

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

By Mark Pinson

Special to The Ocala Gazette

Trinity Catholic junior Mekai Griffin scattered five hits to go with 12 strikeouts in a complete-game 6-0 win over The Bolles School in the May 12 Class 3A-Region 1 semifinal.

The Bolles School (Jacksonville) finished the season with a record of 15-13. The win was the fifth in a row for Trinity Catholic, which improved to 21-8 on the season.

Griffin, who has verbally committed to the University of Miami, did not issue a walk in a dominating performance that featured a good fastball and a biting curveball. Griffin is on a roll after throwing a no-hitter in the district championship win over P.K. Yonge.

“Mekai was outstanding and has had a different look in his eye the last two starts,” said Trinity Catholic coach Tommy Bond III. “That’s probably the best he’s thrown his curveball all year. He didn’t have any walks and when you don’t get yourself in trouble by putting guys on base, it makes you tough to beat. We had timely hits and played good defense. We knew we were going to have our hands full because Bolles is a good team, and they threw some good arms at us.”

Trinity Catholic, which banged out eight hits, got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning as sophomore Preston Wright roped a one-out double to left field off Bolles right-hander Tommy Brice and raced home on a single to center field by Seve Fernandez to give the Celtics a 1-0 lead.

Bolles, the No. 7 seed, threatened in the top of the third inning with runners at first and second base and two outs, but Griffin struck out the next batter with a devastating curveball to end the inning.

Trinity Catholic, the No. 6 seed, added to its lead in the bottom of the frame as Cade Hentz ripped a leadoff double and Connor

Tundis reached first base on a fielder’s choice with Hentz taking third. The two pulled off a perfectly timed double steal with Hentz scoring on the play and Tundis safe at second.

Tundis moved to third on a single by Griffin and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Anthony Vizzini. Wright capped the inning with an RBI single to left field to make it 4-0.

Griffin gave up a leadoff single to start the fourth inning, but the right-hander bore down to retire the next six Bolles batters in order.

Trinity Catholic kept the pressure on and plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning off Bolles reliever David Martin, as Griffin smacked an RBI double and Wright added a sacrifice fly to give the Celtics a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Bulldogs got a leadoff double in the top of the sixth inning by Keegan Stewart, but Griffin recorded a strikeout and the Celtics turned a nifty double play to end the threat.

With victory in sight in the final inning, Griffin overcame a one-out single by retiring the next two Bolles hitters to seal the regional semifinal win.

“I couldn’t find my curveball throughout the season, but today I found it,” Griffin said. “My defense had my back when Bolles did put the ball in play. We’re playing our best ball of the season and got hot at the right time.”

Trinity Catholic was set to be in Jacksonville on May 16 to take on No. 1 seed Providence School in the regional finals. The winner advances to the state Final Four. The Celtics have not been to the Final Four since winning the state championship in 2014.

“Providence is a good team, they are well coached by Tommy Boss who was at Dunnellon and is a friend of mine and we know we’re going to have our hands full,” coach Bond said. “This team has some similar characteristics to that 2014 team. They’re a scrappy bunch and are getting after it pretty well right now.”

Trinity Catholic’s Preston Wright (21) scores the first run of the game as the Bolles dugout watches as The Celtics defeat Jacksonville Bolles 6-0 during the regional semifinal at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on Friday, May 12, 2023.

Trinity Catholic players celebrate their 6-0 win.

Trinity Catholic’s Mekai Griffin (1) throws a pitch.

Trinity Catholic’s Ashton Fernandez (16) looks for the out as Bolles’ Ford McCarthy (25) makes it safely to first base.