VOLUME 1 ISSUE 47
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MAY 21- MAY 27, 2021
ORMC seeks permit for $19 million expansion By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com
The hospital, operated by Ocala Health and part of HCA Healthcare, filed the construction permit application on April 30 with the Ocala Growth Management Department. The document details a plan to build a more than 25,000-square-foot addition and add 35 new beds, including 10 for neurological
Ocala Regional Medical Center is planning a $19 million project to add a third floor to a portion of the hospital near downtown Ocala, according to an application filed with the City of Ocala.
intensive care, 10 for neurological intermediate care and 15 for medical/ surgical needs. Representatives with Ocala Health did not immediately respond for comment about the plans. The project would be the latest multimillion addition to ORMC, a level 2 trauma center.
In December, the hospital celebrated the completion of a $31 million expansion at ORMC that added nearly 29,000 square feet dedicated to cardiovascular care. That project included an additional 36 beds, including 10 for cardiovascular intensive care, 10 for cardiovascular step-down patients and 16 for patients
No Shelter
getting cardiac procedures. That followed the April 2019 unveiling of upgrades to its emergency department, along with another new floor adding 34 beds. That new floor was dedicated to stroke patients and was part of the hospital’s designation as a See ORMC, page A3
Second cannabis growing facility planned for Ocala By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com
against the measure. Councilmen Brent Malever and Jay Musleh voted in favor. Recently, Karla Grimsley, CEO of Interfaith, set up a temporary open-air shelter where 15 to 20 homeless people could sleep safely. It was behind a fence, protected by armed security and offered access to services and facilities. She set up the temporary shelter after the homeless started congregating outside the facility.
A medical marijuana greenhouse facility is planned for a 60,000-square-foot warehouse in Southwest Ocala. Green Ops Group, which holds a Florida cannabis license, plans to spend $3 million to renovate the facility at 720 SW 17th Place, according to building permits filed with the City of Ocala. The property is zoned for light industrial, which allows for the greenhouse, said David Boston, Planning & Zoning manager with the city. In a separate move, Green Ops is also seeking to spend $150,000 to renovate a storefront location at 2301 N Pine Ave. While not specified in the building permit application, the storefront could presumably become a dispensary location for Green Ops. Attempts to contact representatives from Green Ops, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, were not immediately successful. “We are excited about Green Ops joining our growing cannabis/ CBD industry cluster,” said Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership. Green Ops would be the second medical marijuana growing facility planned for Ocala. In November 2019, Green Thumb Industries, a Chicago-based medical marijuana company operating in 12 states, announced it would locate
See Open Lodging, page A2
See Marijuana, page A3
Michelle Collier, the case manager for the Interfaith Emergency Services homeless shelter, gets a hug from Dawn Lovell, the mental health counselor for Interfaith, after the City Council denied a proposed ordinance that would have allowed an Outside Emergency Shelter for homeless people at the shelter. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
Council votes against open-air homeless shelter By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com
T
hey came out in numbers during Tuesday night’s Ocala City Council meeting wearing red t-shirts emblazoned with “Homeless Lives Matter.” When asked to state their name and address for the record, some could only give their name. They had no address. “I’m homeless,” they said. Others gave Interfaith
Emergency Services as their residence. The facility was the closest thing some had to a home. Those attending Tuesday’s meeting spilled out to the council chamber’s anteroom as the council considered an ordinance that could have allowed Interfaith to operate an emergency, open-air shelter at its facility at 435 NW 2nd St. In the end, however, the council voted 3-2 against the ordinance. Councilmen Ire Bethea, Justin Grabelle and Matt Wardell voted
Ocala Christmas Parade set to return in 2021 By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com For most, mid-May is too early to think about the holidays. But for the Friends of the Christmas Parade’s committee in Ocala, it’s never too early – especially after last year’s parade was nixed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite getting the blessing of the health department in
2020, the parade committee didn’t want to risk being a super-spreader event and canceled the 65th Annual Ocala Christmas Parade. Also, the move by the Marion County School Board to bar school group from participating, cut deeply into the potential number of participants in the parade. “It was upsetting to make that decision,” said Sue Mosely,
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who has been on the committee for 26 years. “But hopefully we made the right one and it’s not going to affect future years.” This week, the committee announced the 2021 Christmas parade is clear for takeoff and will take place on Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. According to Mosely, the committee is already planning See Parade, page A3
[Dave Miller]
Inside: Preakness Winner.................. A4 Commentary............................ A5 State News................................A8 Sports........................................ B1 Creative’s Corner.................... B3 Calendar................................... B5