Ocala Gazette | July 19 - July 25, 2024

More on 911 Pg A3

One trowel at a time

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Although Hurricane Gladys blew through Ocala on Oct. 19, 1968, the name of the Category 2 storm remains on the lips of archaeologists interested in what lies below ground at the Fort King National Historic Landmark.

Almost 56 years later, professionals from the Gulf Archaeological Research Institute, or GARI, along with three students and a handful of devoted volunteers, are continuing to search for answers related to a cache of more than 130 bottles that were recovered at the site after Gladys toppled a tree and a young boy spotted the array of whiskey, beer and

champagne vessels.

From July 15 to 19, two teams have been diligently excavating “units” at the site that align with historic photos from the time of the find. They hope to not only find more artifacts such as bottles, but perhaps even trowel up information about some kind of structure that may have been at the site of the treasure trove. On Saturday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., members of the community are invited to join the search during Public Archaeology Day and learn what has been discovered during this excavation.

The national landmark located at 3925 E. Fort King St. in Ocala, which includes the Fort King Visitor Center and Archaeological Resource Center, is owned jointly by the city of Ocala and Marion

Photos By Bruce Ackerman

County. The Fort King Heritage Foundation has a mission of preserving, protecting and promoting the national landmark site while serving as a citizen support group to cultivate and sustain a public-private partnership with private donors and local, state and federal governments. According to the city of Ocala’s website, “Fort King was a typical U.S. Army frontier fort and a noteworthy symbol of the longest and costliest war America had with its native people—the Second Seminole War. Fort King is a narrative that speaks of a complicated history as relates to the occupation of the State of Florida and beyond. It is the story of a young country struggling to thrive and of native inhabitants trying to

MCPS awards high school bid to Wharton-Smith after controversy

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

The Marion County School Board has opted to move forward with the new high school project by awarding the bid to Wharton-Smith Inc., the firm that was chosen at the beginning of a monthslong controversy over the district’s procurement policies.

The decision was made on July 11 to give the district the best chance of opening the school for the 2026-27 academic year. The board approved the contract after a workshop to discuss next steps and a special school board meeting was convened to make a final vote.

In April, a district selection committee chose Wharton-Smith Inc. as the winning bidder for the $120 million contract to build a high school in Marion Oaks. In the days and weeks following, competing firm Ausley Construction and School Board Member Sarah James were accused of tampering with the procurement

City seeks appeal in 2014 prayer vigil case after federal judge ruled against Ocala

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

The Ocala City Council has appealed a federal judge’s decision that a 2014 prayer vigil held in the Ocala Downtown Square was unconstitutional.

The appeal, filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, marks the second time Ocala has appealed U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan’s decisions. Corrigan serves in the Ocala Division of the Middle District of Florida.

If the city were to accept Corrigan’s decision, it would have to pay about $500,000 in legal fees to the plaintiffs. If the city wins, there is a chance for the plaintiffs to be responsible for the fees.

Initially, Councilmembers Jay Musleh and Jim Hilty expressed a desire to settle rather than appeal the outcome to put the issue to rest and not defer the accumulated costs to future city councilmembers. When it came to a vote, however, all five city council members voted unanimously to fight the decision.

The city is represented by attorneys Abigail Southerland and Geoffrey Surtees through the American Center for Law and Justice.

“In this case, the city’s involvement was arguably less involved than prior examples of history,” Southerland said.

“Here, the police department and select city officials expressed their support for the prayer vigil in light of the crime spree, but private citizens have repeatedly attested to the fact that they took primary responsibility for actually organizing the vigil.”

The vigil, which took place in September 2014, was backed by the late and former Ocala Police Department Chief Greg Graham who asked citizens to pray for the end of violent crime after a series of shootings. After attending the vigil, plaintiffs Art Rojas, Lucinda Hale, Faniel Hale and Frances Jean Porgal filed the lawsuit against the city, Graham and then-Mayor Kent Guinn.

The plaintiffs argued that hosting a government-backed prayer vigil in the Ocala Downtown Square violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. Corrigan first ruled in 2018 that the vigil was unconstitutional, then was directed to reconsider the case in 2022 when the city appealed the decision and won in the 11th Circuit.

This June, Corrigan again ruled that the city violated the constitution by hosting the vigil. Southerland argued that the District Court still relied on the now-defunct Lemon Test in its ruling.

“We do believe there are strong precedents of historical practices that See Prayer, page A5

Ocala Gazette

Clockwise from left: Clint Gallant, Stephanie Bauman and Maraiya Sanchez, left to right, work on an archaeological dig near the reconstructed Fort at Fort King National Historic Landmark on Southeast Fort King Street in Ocala on Monday, July 15, 2024. An old nail that was just unearthed. Pieces of an old, decorated clay pipe.

Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, speaks in approval of moving forward with the new high school project by awarding the bid to Wharton-Smith Inc. at a Marion County School Board workshop on July 11. [Ocala Gazette]

New high school

Continued from page A1 process by violating the “cone of silence” policy and issuing threats to school district staff, another board member, and Superintendent Diane Gullett. An external investigation by the GrayRobinson law firm substantiated the allegations. Before the school board resumed the process of deciding which contractor would build the high school, attorney Brian Williams and Jaime Torrens from Miami-Dade County Public Schools were brought in to conduct an external review of Marion County Public Schools’ overall construction procurement policies, assessing the district’s compliance with state statutes on procurement, and compared the district’s procurement policies with those of other school districts and local governments in Florida.

The review found MCPS’s policies were valid and legal, but the report recommended some improvement to the policies. They also found that MCPS deviated from its policy when it allowed James to serve on a selection committee for the project and to score bid submittals and conduct interviews with bidders.

In late June, the school board was presented with three options for how to move forward with the project. The school board chose to award the bid to Wharton-Smith, with conditions that a committee will be formed soon to gather input on what changes are needed for the procurement process for future projects in order to avoid issues like those that arose during the high school bid process.

The Facilities Department has already put several changes to district policy in motion, based on the recommendations made by the Williams and Torrens investigation.

First, a recommendation was made for the school district to include language to its requests for qualifications (RFQ) for construction projects to specifically describe the scoring and evaluation criteria that is used to evaluate proposals. To accomplish this, the Facilities Department added a link to RFQs to show the scoring criteria. Once the committee is formed and gives further policy recommendations, this link will be updated with any new scoring and evaluation criteria.

Another recommendation was made for the district to provide training to the selection committee prior to the release of solicitation, including ensuring that all who are involved in the process are aware of the “cone of silence” policy. To accomplish this, the Facilities Department has added a “cone of silence” acknowledgment form and another form for members to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and assure confidentiality.

“Prior to the review of the submittals for applicants and again prior to the interviews, each selection committee member will be trained on the criteria to be evaluated, scoring applications, and final decision procedures,” according to the Facilities Department. “Each selection committee member will have to sign an acknowledgment of understanding for the scoring and evaluation of applicants and the steps of the procurement process through to the selection committee tabulation of scores and final decision. At all three trainings, each selection committee member will be reminded of the “cone of silence.’”

Another recommendation was for the board to alter its ethics and procurement policies to address school board members’ involvement on selection committees. If the policy is changed to bar school board members from participating in procurement, this could also impact

other committees that decide how money is spent, when those recommendations will eventually be voted on by the board.

James brought up the idea that if school board members are not allowed to serve on any procurement selection committees, then they should also not be allowed to serve on any other committees that involve money.

“The Code of Conduct (committee) doesn’t involve money, so we don’t necessarily need to remove a board member from that committee because there’s no ability for influence there attached to monetary value,” James said. “But any item that we would vote on that is attached to a monetary value, a board member needs to be removed from.”

School Board Member Allison Campbell, who serves on the insurance committee, brought up potentially stepping away from that committee in the interest of uniformity since there is not any policy or procedure dictating board members’ involvement on committees for the future.

School Board Chair Nancy Thrower argued that every circumstance is different, and creating rules like these could negatively impact the board’s ability to be involved with the inside workings of the school district.

“I would like to note that this is the first time that we’ve had a board member on the selection committee, but we’ve had a board member on the insurance committee since the beginning of time,” Thrower said. “Based on what I’ve observed(with the insurance committee), there have not been any issues at all … I just don’t want to put ourselves into a box.”

While the Williams/Torrens investigation found the district’s policies and procedures were valid and legal as is, they noted that the issues that arose with the new high school’s procurement process were caused by individuals deviating from existing procedures and recommended that everyone involved with the process strictly adhere to procedures in the future.

One of the largest debated topics throughout the initial procurement process and the following investigation was the weight of local preference when awarding bids. Ausley Construction and the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership stressed their belief that local construction firms should be chosen to do local work at every opportunity to do so.

Within the past 20 years, 70% percent of bids for projects over $4 million are awarded to local contractors. Furthermore,for the seven major projects that have taken place in the past 20 years, six of which were to build new schools, every bid has been awarded to a local contractor.

Currently, construction is in progress for two new elementary schools in southwest Marion County. Both projects are being done by local contractors.

“The subcontractors that we have for both elementary schools to date are 20 different local businesses that then, in turn, most likely have local workers,” said Barbara Dobbins, MCPS

executive director of operations and emergency management. The district was encouraged to enhance local preference by creating a reward system for contractors who utilize local companies as subcontractors. The procurement procedures committee is going to review the existing policy to see how this recommendation and any other potential changes might be necessary.

“As the district continues to evaluate its procurement policies related to construction, another program consideration involves the development of a small business enterprise policy. In recent years, small business enterprise programs have proven to be a highly effective alternative to minority and women-based enterprise programs and when structured appropriately have resulted in a significant increase in equitable distribution of work amongst local small businesses who would not otherwise have access to securing local government contracts,” according to the investigation.

The Facility Procurement Procedures Committee will also consider this recommendation when reviewing policy.

Another recommendation was made for the district to frequently analyze and update procurement procedures, including scoring criteria and weight distribution, and involve local stakeholders in the process.

“District staff agree that the Facility Procurement Procedures Committee should include a diverse group of stakeholders. The committee will seek input from the various district departments, such as Facilities, Technical Services, Purchasing, and Business Services, as well as individuals serving in procurement positions in local governmental agencies, and business owner representation,” according to the Facilities Department.

To make future selection committees more neutral on the outcomes of bids, the investigation also recommended that the Purchasing Department facilitate the scoring and evaluation process, rather than the Facilities Department, and to also have an internal auditor conduct the tabulation of scoring.

“District staff is exploring the possibility of reallocating a district staffing unit to oversee the construction procurement process and considering moving the process to be under the Purchasing Department,” according to the Facilities Department.

Another recommendation was that the district consider throwing out high and low scores during its selection process androtate the people who serve on selection committees. The Facility Procurement Procedures Committee is going to consider this when it conducts its review.

Additionally, the school board is going to vote on several policy changes at its next policy review.

The board will vote that the “cone of silence” be referenced in all policies for construction or constructionrelated professional services. It will also vote on implementing a debarment policy for any vendor who violates federal, state or school board policy so that they may not be awarded any future bids.

“District staff agree that the Facility Procurement Procedures Committee should include a diverse group of stakeholders. The committee will seek input from the various district departments, such as Facilities, Technical Services, Purchasing, and Business Services, as well as individuals serving in procurement positions in local governmental agencies, and business owner representation.”

Facilities Department

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The district also plans to take audio and video recordings of the procurement selection process from this point forward.

While the board decided to honor the existing procurement procedure by awarding Wharton-Smith the bid for the new high school, the future selection of contractors for these high-stakes district construction projects is going to look a lot different once the committee reports its recommendations for changes in policy.

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Siloed agencies pose unnecessary challenges to improving public safety levels

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Marion County residents have a sense of assurance that if they need to call 911 for help during an emergency, fire, law enforcement and medical personnel are ready to quickly respond. Their calls for help will route to one of the county’s two 911 call centers; one falls under the authority of the county commission and the other—the mayor of Ocala.

After reporting breakdowns in emergency communications over the last six months within Ocala city limits, the “Gazette” began looking closely at the systems in use for coordinating and routing calls for service.

The review found several challenges, including glitches in computer-aideddispatch, or CAD, software; cell tower limitations; agency boundaries; and limited personnel trained to work in a technical field—all of which is exacerbated by public safety agencies failing to establish uniformity of response matrixes and technology.

These technological issues have realworld implications. The “Gazette” has heard numerous concerns from first responders from all the county’s public safety agencies about how the system is patched together.

After city dispatch errors were made in response to a Feb. 20 fiery crash that killed two people and injured another on SE 36th Avenue, an OPD investigative report noted the pressure the agency’s 911 call takers are under without enough personnel and with less automation than that of county dispatchers.

The county’s dispatchers do not have access to city’s 911 calls, and so they must rely on notifications and information received from the city’s call takers and dispatchers.

The “Gazette” witnessed first-hand a 12-minute delay in the city dispatching help to a priority 1 call in June, another one of the incidents that sparked the newspaper’s concern about the strength of our local communications system. This review, which included observing the county dispatch center for 18 hours over three days and 12 hours at the city’s 911 center over two days, pointed out several areas of concern.

The value of consolidating communication systems

In 2016, a federal advisory committee was tasked with making recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission on how 911 centers—officially called Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs–can optimize their security, operations, and funding.

The committee estimated citizens nationwide placed 655,000 911 calls daily and a total of 240 million 911 calls annually. These calls are answered in “approximately 6,000 PSAPs, which dispatch approximately 18,700 Law Enforcement agencies, 2,900 Fire Rescue departments and 15,200 Emergency Medical Service agencies.”

The committee described the challenges these centers were facing at the time.

“It’s actually a “system of systems” dependent on very dated technology which cannot support and/or benefit from today’s “smart” device technology, including America’s growing dependency on same and those expectations associated with it. In short, after 48 years…911 needs help,” the report stated.

The committee concluded that “delivery of 911 services could be optimized by sharing systems, by joint purchasing, by sharing infrastructure, by sharing staff. A regional or statewide approach maximizes the potential to achieve these optimizations.”

The city of Ocala and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office have not gone this route and instead have only deconsolidated more. They attempt to corral several agencies, each with different responsibilities:

Marion County Sheriff’s Office: While the sheriff’s authority encompasses all of Marion County, the daily operations are staged from unincorporated Marion County. This agency is led by Sheriff Billy Woods.

Marion County Fire Rescue: The county fire department is led by Fire Chief

James Banta, who answers to County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes. This agency provides ambulance services for all of Marion County, fire services outside of Ocala’s city limits, and manages the county’s 911 emergency communications center.

Ocala Police Department: The city’s police department runs a separate 911 call center that receives calls within the city of Ocala. This agency has authority within the city limits, in addition to whatever authority is delegated to it by the MCSO. It is run by OPD Chief Michael Balken, who serves by appointment from Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano.

Ocala Fire Rescue: Led by Fire Chief Clint Welborn, who answers to City Manager Pete Lee, this agency responds primarily to fire and accident calls within the city limits.

The Dunnellon and Belleview police departments have appointed police chiefs, and their emergency calls are generally routed through the county’s 911 emergency communications center.

On motor vehicle accident calls, OPD responds to those within the city limits. In unincorporated county areas, however, the Florida Highway Patrol is the lead agency responding with medical support from MCFR.

Of the two PSAPs in Marion County, the county’s center has sufficient staff and management levels, as well as what seems to be a more functional or higher quality CAD system. The operation is one of 10 PSAPs in Florida accredited by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, which is the “only standardsetting organization that identified the need for, researches, produces, and maintains standards for emergency dispatch worldwide.”

OFR used to be dispatched from the county’s 911 center since the two fire departments had to work together on most calls, but in 2020 then-OPD Chief Greg Graham and then-Fire Chief Shane Alexander demanded the city pull out of its agreement with the county and bring OFR under Ocala’s 911 center citing concerns about the quality of the county’s service.

In 2019, the city’s concerns about the county’s operation were related to errors associated with the county’s low staffing levels—which the county has since rectified, meeting both the recommended number of call takers and supervisors on the floor.

Recommendations that came from consultants in 2019.

Prior to the deconsolidation of OFR being dispatched by the county, the city and county hired a consulting company, Mission Critical, to give them Public Safety Communications Assessment. That report, issued in September 2019 advised the city if they were intent on deconsolidation recommended increasing staff by 7 to 8 positions requires a staff complement of 38 to 44 telecommunicators, depending on the configuration selected, and recommended that each shift have two supervisors.

“Therefore, based on the operational configuration selected, OPD Communications may need an authorized strength of 46 to 52 personnel,” the 2019 report recommended.

Call volumes have significantly increased since 2019, so one could reasonably conclude that recommended staffing and supervision numbers would have increased. But that hasn’t happened.

Our last list of OPD employees, in March of 2024, reflected a total of 37, four of which were supervisors, and one served as a quality control person. Unable to staff two supervisors as recommended, each shift at the city’s 911 center only has one supervisor, who also works the dual role as either a fire or law dispatcher.

Since the 2020 deconsolidation, the county has invested heavily in its communications system. If Marion County’s emergency communications center were to go down due to a catastrophic event, for example, another communication center waiting at a different location would work with staff as soon as they show up at the facility and flip a switch.

The county’s building is also more selfsustaining, with a bunk house for staff and a kitchen for when hurricanes or other long-term events keep 911 dispatchers and call takers at the center.

Chief Balken has not answered requests from the “Gazette” to discuss concerns

about the operation of the city’s 911 center. The city did, however, provide the “Gazette” public records and allowed a reporter to observe its 911 dispatchers. Sheriff Woods declined to allow the “Gazette” to observe the MCSO dispatchers.

How the systems communicate, or don’t, with each other

The federal government issued a report in July 2022 identifying the challenges of deconsolidated CAD systems. The Computer-Aided Dispatch Interoperability report summarized the current status of CAD and the challenges associated with establishing an interoperable 911 CAD data-sharing capability nationwide. The analysis identified different challenges to achieving seamless interoperability, and found the following as primary obstacles to data-sharing:

PSAP leadership and the slow decision-making progress

Lack of standards and standards enforcement

Funding

Lack of federal or state oversight to enforce standards

Unwillingness of some agencies to share data

Workflow expectations among agencies

Politics and jurisdictions not getting along

Disparate CAD systems with disparate levels of functionality

The report included the consequences of the inability to share data across jurisdictions and the benefits of CAD interoperability. When dealing with multiple CAD systems, the key element is how quickly information is shared among the various agencies when a joint response is required, which is the majority of the time.

MCSO and MCFR rely on the same CAD program in place at the 911 county call center, meaning they can see each other’s calls. This is important for efficiency since ambulances often need to respond to crime scenes. Because paramedics are unarmed, they sometimes must wait for law enforcement to arrive before they can help an injured person.

OPD’s 911 center uses a different kind of CAD system than the county’s. As a result, MCFR and MCSO don’t have access to OPD’s calls unless that agency shares the information because they need assistance, such as a request for an ambulance.

And that happens often. The majority of dispatched 911 calls require medical assistance. And, while OFR has paramedics, the agency largely defers to MCFR because that agency has the ambulances—OFR does not.

Despite having sufficient room in the county’s communication center for OPD to place its dispatchers, the city has chosen to keep them siloed at OPD headquarters, working from a different CAD vendor software.

The CAD system operated by FHP, which responds to all accidents in unincorporated Marion County, doesn’t “talk” to either of the two local CAD systems. Therefore, every 911 call to the county that requires FHP assistance requires an old-fashioned telephone call to the FHP, with a dispatcher reciting the information all over again. Only the fire and ambulance service can be dispatched quickly through the CAD. Which means it’s likely that MCFR is usually first on the accident scene.

These technological differences can add an element of delay while agencies decide, “Are you going, or are we?” after the call for help comes in. More than a decade ago, a tragic incident in which a 12-yearold boy died in a fire on the Ocala/county line brought OFR and MCFR together in an automatic aid agreement where the answer to the dilemma is always: whichever unit is closer.

Dispatchers are the first line of response

MCFR dispatchers watch over the entire county all day, sometimes staging ambulances at various locations so that no matter where and when or how busy a local station is, additional resources are available as close as possible to respond.

It’s an impressive chess game for a county that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.

MCFR dispatchers can monitor OPD’s primary dispatch channels “just in case,” said Tami Hill-Lemus, a 12-year fire dispatcher for the county. “I don’t think they mind that we listen.”

Even with the advanced automated dispatch suggestions that allow her to dispatch quickly after making any changes she feels are necessary, she said the whole decision-making process and calling out fire stations is usually done within 20, but no more than 30 seconds.

But the more unique the call, she relies on experience and an astute knowledge of what’s in the fleet. While the “Gazette” was observing the operations with Lemus, a call came from a state park that someone needed help on the water. The caller said they heard screaming but could not see the person in trouble. In addition to sending the recommended unit, she alerted the responding department to send a boat to the scene.

Hill-Lemus said that when the big things happen, “we MacGyver it,” using their years of experience about what can go wrong.

Hill-Lemus has been the fire/medical dispatcher during some of Marion County’s highest-profile public safety incidents, including two tornados, multiple hurricane near-misses, two fatal plane crashes—one of which claimed the life of then-OPD Chief Graham–and the May 14 farm bus crash that killed eight migrant workers.

Ocala allowed the “Gazette” to observe its police and fire dispatchers in action. The technology, staffing levels and policies for dispatching OFR raised concerns. Rather than using automated fire dispatch matrixes like the county dispatchers use, the “Gazette” watched the city’s primary fire dispatcher, who was also the acting floor supervisor, scroll a PDF to figure out the right equipment and personnel to dispatch.

OPD dispatchers are also asked to be versatile in both law and fire dispatching. The county has dedicated fire dispatchers and the sheriff has his own law dispatchers. Law and fire/medical dispatch are significantly different, and in the case of the Feb. 20 incident, the OPD dispatcher said the fire dispatch “wasn’t her strongest” because she had been utilized for law dispatch for numerous years and didn’t have many opportunities to “swap around.”

“This last year I’ve been swapping more on fire, so like half the night on fire, half the night on police, and back and forth with somebody who has my same abilities and can swap back and forth with me,” the dispatcher is quoted as saying in the investigative report.

Over the years, the Marion County Fire Chief, James Banta, and numerous county commissioners have maintained that following the federal recommendation to consolidate emergency 911 would increase public safety and save money. The “Gazette” has asked the city to explain if it is exploring that option, but received no response to the inquiry.

Tami Hill-Lemus, a call taker and a Marion County Fire Rescue dispatcher, is silhouetted as she works at her station in the Marion County Communications Center at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala on Friday, April 5, 2024. Editor’s note: The image on this page has been digitally altered to blur sensitive and protected text displayed on monitors, both in text and displayed on maps in the Marion County Communications Center. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

Fort King

Continued from page A1

survive. Fort King also played a vital role in the birthplace of Marion County and the city of Ocala. After the war, the fort became the county seat and housed the first courthouse and location for public assembly in the newly formed Marion County.”

The 42-acre park features a replica fort and a newly built blacksmith shop. Numerous special events are held there, such as a Historic Homesteading Soap Making class on Aug. 17, and the Festival at Fort King, set for Dec. 7 and 8, which will include living historians and historic themed crafts, games and workshops.

MEET THE TEAMS

Working at the site this week

were GARI Executive Director Michelle Sivilich, Ph.D.; Research Associate Colin Parkman, Ph.D.; Research Associate Stephanie Bauman; and Research Associate Dan Sivilich, Michelle’s father and a noted battlefield archaeologist. The students are Clint Gallant, Dylan Rice and Maraiya Sanchez; the volunteers are Cadence Martin and Scott Dermody.

Gallant’s father, Gene Gallant, was a reporter for the “Ocala Star-Banner” in 1968 and wrote about young Bobby McCall finding the bottles. In an article dated Oct. 20, 1968, he notes that, “Hurricane Gladys, while leaving a path of destruction behind her in the Marion County area, also showed her fickle minded nature by uncovering a cache of old wine and whiskey bottles dating back to the Seminole War era. The initial cache was revealed when high winds uprooted an ancient pine tree at Dr. Wayne McCall’s home on the site of old Ft. King.”

“My dad is a native Floridian, native Marion Countian. I’m a seventh generation Ocalan,” said Clint Gallant. “When the hurricane tree fell over, Dr. McCall contacted my dad because he knew he was into history, and he was also a reporter for the ‘Star-Banner.’ It was my father, Ben Waller and Jack Dowdy who excavated the original site. My dad was really big on history. He was on historical boards and committees for years and volunteered at the Silver River Museum until he passed. He always wanted to come back here and finish.”

Gallant said researchers have found “all kinds of stuff, such as a bunch of glass pieces and some buttons, which can tell you the regiment because they are specific to different branches of the military. It’s stuff that needs to be preserved. So many people don’t really care about history anymore. It’s all about now, now, now and the future. I’ve seen the future; I’d rather live in the past. It’s an honor to be here.”

Rice, who recently graduated from the College of Central Florida and is now attending the University of Central Florida, was delighted to be able to pursue his interests in his own backyard.

“I am a history major and specialize in what is going to probably end up with me doing a good deal of this work in the future. My areas of specialization are military history and dating military artifacts, so I do plenty of work with, say, rifles. I do demonstrations at the Silver River Museum. I was looking around for places I could help because for someone who is trying to break into the history industry, it can be a bit hard.

You’ve got to start somewhere, and this is right here, and it is a military fort.”

Sanchez shared that she is an anthropology student and “I have a really deep interest in archaeology as a career path, so I’m here to get some experience.” She said learned about Fort King when she had lunch with Gary Ellis, founder of GARI a couple of months ago.

“He gave me a pamphlet and said I should join this program to see if archaeology is really what I want to do,” she noted.

Dan Sivilich, who lives in Ocala, has a degree is in chemical engineering with “a near master’s in computer science.”

“Back in the ‘80s in New Jersey, I bought a metal detector, wandered into a farm field looking for coins and found musket balls. I accidentally found the epicenter of the Battle of Monmouth, which was June 28, 1778, so I’ve been working battlefield archaeology since then. I do all the computer work here and run the museum on Fridays and Saturdays.’’

He has been involved with the “BattleField Detectives” television show on the History Channel and is the author of “Musket Ball and Small Shot Identification: A Guide.”

“As you can see, my father was involved as a metal detectorist in battlefield archaeology, so I grew up with it,” Michelle Sivilich noted.

“When I was doing my Ph.D. at USF (University of South Florida) I ended up meeting Gary Ellis and started working with him throughout my dissertation. I took a little detour up to Virginia for a number of years and then came back to Florida.”

She said that Martin is a high school student who wants to go into archaeology, “so she took our first class and she’s been volunteering here at Fort King on the weekends for a while now and on our excavations when she can with her school studies.”

“Scott loved the class so much he just stayed, and Stephanie took the class and really fit in with us and has some archaeology experience, so we snatched her up to be one of us,” Sivilich added.

One of the first students to take the class was Tom Coleman, who is on the board of directors with the Fort King Heritage Foundation.

“I decided to fulfill a lifelong interest in history and apply to participate in an archaeological excavation. After an exciting and enlightening week involving the excavation of an archaeological site at Fort King, I fulfilled that passion. Besides the thrill of uncovering artifacts from the fort’s past, there was a great deal of education about the processes of the science,” he wrote in an email to the “Gazette.”

“Almost immediately, my dream was challenged because my techniques were undeveloped. I struggled to get the skills down, but Michelle, Dan, Gary and Colin from Gulf Archaeology and Research Institute were very patient and helpful in taming our shovel and trowel techniques. At first, I was digging too deep, which could result in damage or destruction of valuable evidence of the fort’s history. The research included marking and labeling exact locations of items that were discovered. Artifacts we uncovered included military buttons, nails, brick, bottle parts, and a still unidentified metal object. An exciting look into the history of Fort King,” he stated.

“All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I would recommend it to

anyone interested in the history of Marion County. Gulf Archaeology provided wonderful, hands-on exposure to the scientific strategies for uncovering the past. The group will be providing teaching and engaged participation for others in the future. I would highly recommend this educational endeavor to all interested members of our community. Let’s make Marion County a rich cultural center for all to enjoy,” Coleman wrote.

PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP

GARI, which Ellis founded in 1995, is a 501(C)(3) scientific research group based in Crystal River. It is professionally staffed by research associates who all hold advanced graduate degrees in a variety of fields, from anthropology to paleopathology to meteorology. Michelle Sivilich said GARI has been helping out on the Fort King property since the early 1990s.

“The community always knew Fort King’s location as some of the buildings were extant in the very early 1900s. Our founder, Gary Ellis, was integral in helping pin down the location of the first fort in the early ‘90s and then we came out in 2008 and did a lot of survey work, just kind of assessing what’s on the property and then we did all of the archaeology to reconstruct the fort and we just finished up the archaeology on the blacksmith shop, which allowed the city to reconstruct the shop,” she said. As for working now to discover if there was some sort of structure under or near where the bottle cache was discovered in 1968, she added, “This has been a fun, special project that I’ve been dying to do for a long time because it is such a pivotal point of Ocala history. To be in a historic neighborhood and have 42plus acres of history preserved is amazing. Not many of the Seminole War forts are as preserved as this one, so we’re really fortunate.”

“At the beginning of 2024, GARI launched the Fort King Field Experience program, which is a paid program that allows participants to come and learn what it takes to be an archaeologist by working sideby-side with us to try and relocate the location where these bottles came from,” Sivilich explained. “Funds raised from this class are directly used to continue excavations at Fort King and allow us to keep the research going. As a nonprofit, we rely on grants and donations to conduct our work. In tandem with this project, we are conducting an oral history project where we are interviewing anyone who had heard about the bottle discovery or may have been present at the time. Through these interviews we have uncovered interesting new tidbits, including that there were many bottles left in-situ (at the original place) and only the ones disturbed by the pine tree falling were recovered.

“With this project we hope to discover what this building may have been used for, why so many bottles were left behind, and learn more about the unusually rare cellar. Our aim is to create a traveling exhibit showcasing the bottles and the stories of the residents and their descendants to preserve this critical piece of Ocala history. One can argue that it was this single discovery that really motivated the community to preserve and interpret Fort King’s story, and I want to capture the remembrances of that generation before it is too late.”

Continued on next page

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Fort King volunteers Cadance Martin, 17, left, and Scott Dermody, right, use trowels in the dirt as they search for artifacts.

Michelle Sivilich of the Gulf Archaeology Research Institute in Crystal River, left, talks with Fort King volunteers Cadance Martin, 17, center, and Scott Dermody, right, as they scape the dirt while searching for artifacts during an archaeological dig near the reconstructed Fort at Fort King National Historic Landmark on Southeast Fort King Street in Ocala on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Michelle Sivilich of the Gulf Archaeology Reserch Institute in Crystal River, left, looks over a potential artifact that Fort King volunteer Cadance Martin, 17, right, had found.

Artifacts from a previous excavation of the Blacksmith Shop are shown on display.

Bottles and pieces of bottles from previous excavations.

“With this project we hope to discover what this building may have been used for, why so many bottles were left behind, and learn more about the unusually rare cellar.”

Michelle Sivilich, Ph.D. GARI Executive Director

THE FORT AND ITS CITY

CAN YOU DIG IT?

At the site on Monday, the two teams worked diligently, removing layers of soil a shovel-full at a time, or by “troweling” soil and other matter into plastic scoops that were emptied into plastic buckets. The buckets were dumped onto metal mesh squares that allowed most of the material to filter down to the ground while some remnants remained on top to be examined.

Martin and Dermodi picked through one bucket’s detritus and found small bits of glass and some tiny pieces of metal.

At the other unit, Sanchez discovered a piece of glass that turned out to be the neck of a bottle. She gently used her trowel to remove some soil from around the protruding edge before asking Gallant to join her inside the unit. He used a paint brush to carefully sweep away more dirt. When asked by this reporter, “Clint, what you got there?” Sanchez quickly replied, “A bottle I found!”

“There’s always some rivalry between the units… my find is better than yours, I found something better,” Michelle Sivilich said with a laugh.

“There is a lot of technique into proper troweling. We do soil matches to a book of colors, we draw them out and take photographs and everything is really documented because you can only dig this once and, 100 years from now, if people want to reanalyze our data, we have to make sure we wrote everything down so people can say, ‘Oh, I see what they saw and I understand why they made this conclusion.’ It’s not just about putting artifacts into the museum, it’s the data,” she said more seriously.

“Every time we come back, we always dig on the same grid. We are excavating in 5-foot by 5-foot units and we’re taking them down layer by layer by layer so we can really understand what’s going on because there’s a lot of complex stratography here. We have a lot of tree root disturbance, rodent disturbance, but we also have some really interesting features popping up, some charcoal, some clay spots here, which indicates like a structure or building material, so we’re interested to see what that turns out to be. Now we have survey points, and we can tie this into real world coordinates and put it into the computer and put it on a spatial map like Google Earth. Once you have taken it out, you can never really go back to where it was. So, the artifact doesn’t tell the story, it’s the pattern … like the blacksmith shop, we were finding some slag and clinker up in that area and we didn’t see that anywhere else on the property. If you were finding dishes and windows glass and more personal items, you could say it was more of a domestic structure. So, it’s those patterns that are important to us,” she outlined.

Prayer

Continued from page A1

would support a reversal of the District Court’s decision, because the district court seemed focused on case law that evaluated this very issue under the Lemon Test, which the Supreme Court has now ruled is no longer under law,” Southerland said.

The Lemon Test, which originated in 1971 through Lemon v. Kurtzman, previously served as a way for the Supreme Court to measure compliance with the First Amendment. In 2022, the outcome of the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton caused the court to abandon the Lemon Test when the decision supported a high school football coach who lost his job after praying on the field during games.

unsuccessful, Southerland estimates that the city may have to pay anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000 in additional legal fees to the plaintiffs.

The results of the appeal could potentially serve as a precedent for other local governments and allow the court to dictate similarly what their role must be when involving religion, Southerland said.

“Obviously it’s of great importance to us and to anyone who’s concerned about the way the courts have treated the role of religion in American public life,” Southerland said. “It’s a very concerning decision to leave on the books and leave unchallenged.”

We asked Samantha Jarvis, an outdoor/ historical resource archaeologist with the city of Ocala’s Recreation and Parks Department, how the city is a partner in the archaeological endeavor and the fort.

“The city of Ocala oversees the site maintenance, volunteer program and educational programming within the fort, the museums, and trail systems within the 40+ acre property. Partnering with GARI’s professional team, we can interpret their findings and preserve history from when and where the city itself began,” she wrote.

“Through providing living history reenactments, lectures, craft and skills classes, and field trips to all students within the surrounding area, the city aims to teach and promote the importance of the Second Seminole War. Creating new exhibits and tactile experiences will help keep history alive and relevant for all future generations that visit. Fort King is one of the very few completely reconstructed buildings that offer recreational access seven days a week to the community. We hope that folks come out to learn about early military life, Seminole culture, and natural Florida flora and fauna as well,” she added.

As for public involvement, she said, “Alongside the field school, we are thrilled to host public days that are open to all ages and interests! Come get your hands dirty and sift through the soil, learn about new technologies for dating artifacts, and make some networking connections for your future internships. I have always been a firm believer in providing citizen science initiatives and having the field school is a wonderful opportunity to teach STEM methodology, as well as contribute to historical preservation and discovery. There is also the rising trend of heritage tourism and being a good driver for our local economy and city notoriety for Florida travel.”

The Fort King Visitor Center and Archaeological Resource Center are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The park is open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset or 7 p.m., whichever comes first.

To learn more, call (352) 368-5533 or visit ocalafl.gov/government/citydepartments-i-z/recreation-parks/fortking-national-historic-landmark, ftking. org and gulfarchaeology.org

IF YOU GO

A Public Archaeology Day at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, at 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. It is free to attend.

The next GARI Fort King Field Experience class will take place Oct. 7-11. To learn more, go to gulfarchaeology.org/classes

Because of the Kennedy decision, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals directed Corrigan to reconsider the case in the District Court, and Corrigan again ruled the city of Ocala’s actions to be unconstitutional.

City councilmembers on Tuesday said they again would not accept this result. If this second appeal is

While the former police chief Graham was a defendant in the initial litigation, he died in 2020. Current OPD Chief Michael Balken spoke at the meeting, saying he represented both Graham and the department.

“I’m a person that believes there’s a lot of people waiting to see what you all do. I think it is impactful around this country. Regardless of what happens, well by God, some things are worth fighting for,” Balken said.

Maraiya Sanchez, left, and Clint Gallant, right, work on an archaeological dig near the reconstructed Fort at Fort King National Historic Landmark on Southeast Fort King Street in Ocala on Monday, July 15, 2024.

File photo: The Ocala Downtown Square is shown in Ocala on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Serve on a government advisory board

Staff report

As a citizen, taxpayer and voter, it can sometimes feel like government moves along without you. But, in addition to contacting your board and council members, you can also have a voice in local government by helping out on a volunteer board. Maybe you’re an expert in commercial real estate; maybe you know a lot about small business marketing. That expertise can help you, your fellow citizens and local government if you want to volunteer out on a board.

As of July 15, here is the new listing of current vacancies for cities in Marion County and the county itself.

City of Belleview:

The city does not list specific vacancies on its website, but the general link is here: www.belleviewfl.org/151/boards-committees

The general application document is here: bit.ly/belleview-board-application

Planning & Zoning Board

2 expired terms as of March, 2024 for a city resident Description: The Planning and Zoning Board acts as an advisory Board to the Commission for planning and zoning issues. They also hear and decide variance and special exception requests. The Planning and Zoning Board is subject to the Sunshine Regulations and must file financial disclosure forms upon appointment and annually thereafter.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm.

City of Dunnellon:

Police Officers & Firefighters Defined Benefit Plan

1 current vacancy for a city resident, 1 term expiring September

Description: The duty of the Board of Trustees is to operate and administer the Fire and Police Pension Plan in accordance with the direction of the City Council. Duties include, but are not limited to, administration of the plan assets.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the second month of each quarter at 8:30 am.

For more information, visit dunnellon.org/ government/boards-commissions/police-officersfirefighters-pension-board

Planning Commission

2 vacancies for members, 1 vacancy for a 2nd alternate member, terms ended for chair and vice-chair.

Description: The Planning Commission has an administrative review function whereby the Commission reviews all changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, by amendment, evaluation, addition and appraisal for consistency with the existing Comprehensive Plan, and reviews all land-related/zoning ordinances to determine consistency to the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission holds quasi-judicial hearings with regards to land planning/zoning cases, site plan reviews, variances, special exceptions, and review/ appeal of administrative orders, and forwards its findings/recommendations to the City Council.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm. dunnellon.org/government/boards-commissions/ planning-commission

Historic Preservation Board

1 vacancy for a 2nd alternate member

Description: The purpose of the Historic Preservation Board is to promote and preserve educational, cultural and economic welfare of the public. The Historic Preservation Board has established uniform procedures to preserve the City’s historic resources by enhancing public participation and involvement in the preservation and protection of such resources, including buildings, structures, monuments, and other historic resources. In keeping with its purpose, the Board has developed the Application for Historic Preservation Grant Facade Renovations. Interested person(s) should complete the application and submit to the Community Development Department for submission to the Board.

For more information, visit dunnellon.org/ government/boards-commissions/historicpreservation-board

City of Ocala:

The City Council appoints individuals to serve on over 20 boards, advisory committees, and commissions. These volunteers are from all over Ocala, and their experience, knowledge and expertise help influence decisions affecting the City by providing advice and feedback to City leaders and Council.

If you have questions, contact clerk@ocalafl.gov or call the Office of the City Clerk at (352) 6298266. The main page is ocalafl.gov/government/citydepartments-a-h/city-clerk/boards-and-commissions and each board has its own page and application link.

All are welcome to submit an application for consideration to a board or commission. Many boards have specific requirements, such as living within the city limits, being a qualified city voter, or owning real property within the city limits. These requirements, if any, are detailed for each board on their page.

Board of Adjustment

Description: The Board of Adjustment considers applications for zoning variances and special exception considerations for business and residential construction projects within the Ocala City Limits. Hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is error in any order, requirement, decision or determination made by the building official in the enforcement of the zoning code (chapter 122), authorize special exceptions as provided in the zoning code authorize variances as provided in the zoning code.

Vacancies: 3 current vacancies, one runs through Mar 1, 2025; two run from Mar 1, 2024 to Mar 1, 2028.

Size: 7 Members

Term Length: 4 years

Term Limit: n/a

Brownfields Advisory Committee

Description: The purpose of the advisory committee is to promote and receive public comment on the identification, rehabilitation and redevelopment of identified Brownfield sites. The purpose of the advisory committee is to promote and receive public comment on the identification, rehabilitation and redevelopment of identified Brownfield sites. The advisory committee shall provide guidance in areas such as land use, employment opportunities, development proposals, community safety and environmental justice. The committee consists of eleven members appointed by the Ocala City Council from boards, committees and organizations primarily representing West Ocala.

Vacancies: 1 vacancy

Size: 9 Members

Term Length: 4 years

Term Limit: n/a

Firefighters’ Retirement System Board of Trustees

Description: The sole and exclusive administration of, and the responsibility for the proper, effective operation of the Retirement Plan is vested in a Board of Trustees. The board of trustees shall consist of five persons; two firefighters elected by the firefighter members of the plan. Two trustees shall be residents of the City appointed by City Council. The fifth member of the board shall be chosen by a majority of the other four members of the Board and appointed by City Council as a ministerial act. Form 1 Financial Disclosures are required to be submitted annually to the Florida State Ethics Commission.

Vacancies: 2 terms ending soon

Size: 5 Members

Term Length: 2 years

Term Limit: n/a

Historic Preservation Advisory Board

Description: The Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board oversees the historic resources of the City and advises City Council and City departments on matters relating to these resources, as well as manages Certificates of Appropriateness for properties located within the Tuscawilla Park and Ocala Historic Districts. Make recommendations to City council for matters relating to historic resources in the City changes to designated resources; attend pertinent informational or educational meetings, workshops and conferences; advise on development of goals, objectives and policies for historic preservation; advise city departments on matters relating to historic resources in the City; advise individuals on preservation of historic structures; educate public on economic benefits of same; and submit annual report to SHPO covering annual activities. The Board approves Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to properties located in the local Tuscawilla Park and Ocala Historic Districts.

Vacancies: 3 current vacancies

Size: 9 Members

Term Length: 3 years

Term Limit: n/a

Municipal Code Enforcement Board

Description: The Code Enforcement Division enforces codes that pertain to zoning laws, nuisance abatement, contracting, and permitting requirements of the City of Ocala and the State of Florida, occupational licenses, sign codes, alcohol location permits, and many other local ordinances and State Statutes. The Municipal Code Enforcement Board hears cases relating to code violations. Examine code violation cases presented by City Code Enforcement Officers. Empowered to levy fines and place liens on property if, violation is not corrected.

Vacancies: 3 current vacancies

Size: 7 Members

Term Length: 3 years

Term Limit: n/a

North Magnolia Redevelopment Advisory Committee

Description: The committee shall advise the Community Redevelopment Agency on redevelopment efforts of the established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.

Vacancies: 1 current vacancy

Size: 7 Members

Term Length: 4 years

Term Limit: n/a

Police Officers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees

Description: The Police Officers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees is responsible the administration and operation of the Retirement Plan for the City of Ocala Police Officers.

Vacancies: 1 citizen term ending August 6, 2024

Size: 7 Members

Term Length: 2 years

Term Limit: n/a

Recreation Commission

Description: The Recreation Commission advises City Council on matters relating to parks, recreation, and volunteer programs within the City of Ocala. The Commission shall advise and recommend to the City Council on the use of public facilities for recreational programs, and shall act as liaison with the board of county commissioners and the county school board regarding availability and use of county and school facilities. The commission shall advise and recommend to the City Council on the use of public facilities for recreational programs. A majority of the member of the Recreation Commission shall be citizens of the City. Holders of other public or City office of employment shall be eligible for membership on the Recreation Commission.

Vacancies: 1 vacancy

Size: 7 Members

Term Length: 3 years

Term Limit: n/a

Utility Advisory Board

Description: The Ocala Utility Advisory Board advises and makes recommendations to City Council on matters relating to management of City-owned utilities, including Ocala Electric Utility and Ocala Water Resources. The Utility Advisory Board shall act in an advisory capacity to the city government in connection with the management of the City utilities. The City officials and officers and the staff of the city departments may consult with the board from time to time on matters coming within the scope of this division, and the board shall advise and consult with such officials, officers and staff of city departments in connection with the operation and management of city utilities.

Vacancies: 1 current vacancy

Size: 12 Members

Term Length: 4 years

Term Limit n/a

Marion County:

Marion County shows vacancies on the following boards: Board of Adjustment and Marion Oaks MSTU. These are volunteer positions and have specific qualifications and criteria depending on the board’s focus. The county commission appoints members in regular BOCC meetings.

An online application can be downloaded here: marionfl.org/my-commissioners/advisory-boards and can be printed or saved as a PDF. Please email completed forms to commissionadmin@marionfl.org upon completion. Applications can also be obtained at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners’ Office located at 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala, Florida or by calling 352-438-2323.

Board of Adjustment (1 full member-Full Term Expires 06/2026)

Qualifications/restrictions: No member of the Board of Adjustment shall hold any other public position or office in any municipality or county government in Marion County. Members of the Board of Adjustment shall be residents of the County and registered voters.

Responsibilities: Review and make decisions under the Marion County Land Development Code regarding citizen requests for variances or special exceptions. Hear and decide appeals concerning interpretations of the Land Development Code by the Zoning Department Manager. Alternate members may act in the temporary absence or disability of any regular member or may act when a regular member is otherwise disqualified in a particular case that may be presented to the Board of Adjustment.

Marion Oaks MSTU General Services (2 full members – Full Term 06/2028)

Qualifications/restrictions: Members shall be residents of Marion Oaks MSTU.

Responsibilities: Members shall participate in the preparation of the annual budget, review and comment on programs, activities, operations, goals and objectives of the district and make recommendations on these and other issues to the BOCC.

JUDGE TOMMY THOMPSON HONORED

Fifth Circuit Judge Tommy Thompson was honored with the Harvey Ford Award by the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida on July 10.

The award is given annually to a judge who shows “dedication of service to the community, to the legal profession, and to the conference,” according to the CCCJF.

Thompson oversees the Marion County Mental Health Court. He was recently reelected to serve for a third term after running unopposed.

Thompson is the immediate past president of the CCCJF. He is the first Fifth Judicial Circuit judge to receive the Harvey Ford Award.

KIMBERLY’S CENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION CELEBRATES NATIONAL FORENSIC INTERVIEWER WEEK

[Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection]

This week is National Forensic Interviewer Week! We want to take a moment to acknowledge this hard-working team at Kimberly’s Center who work tirelessly each day to interview the children we serve so that their stories are heard to provide help, hope and healing they need.

We are so grateful for their commitment to serve!

Courtesy of Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection

Blow Molding Director & Trainer

(Ocala, FL)

Direct & oversee the complete 9 blow mold lines: Audit, evaluate & troubleshoot equipment for proper function, efficiency & safety, continuous improvement of blow mold systems, schedule overhauls, secure or design parts needed, train line managers, operators & maintenance personnel.

Min Reqs: 48 mos exp as Commissioning Engineer or related field. 4 yrs commissioning, mechanical & electrical exp & training operators & maintenance staff on KHS series 3, 4, 5, blow mold system. 4 yrs exp with KHS Fillers, PE label systems, coordinate part design & implementation for efficiency & package adaptation, overhauling & troubleshooting KHS series 3, 4, 5 blow mold system. Mail

Resume to: Silver Springs Bottled Water Company Attn HR, PO Box 926, Silver Springs, FL 34489

OCALA TO PURCHASE NEW LIGHTS AND SIRENS FOR OPD FLEET

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

The city of Ocala is spending

$300,000 on emergency lighting and audio equipment to purchase the same lights and sirens for every police vehicle in the Ocala Police Department’s fleet.

The purchase comes as a means of standardization to create uniformity across the fleet, so that every vehicle will look and sound the same, increasing recognition, consistency and making repairs more efficient.

The equipment is being purchased for 51 total vehicles, including 29 marked police cars, 18 unmarked police cars and four K-9

vehicles.

The equipment will be purchased from Whelen Engineering, which offered a discounted quote in comparison to other companies that provide the same equipment, wrote Ocala Facilities Management Director John King.

“Standardized emergency lighting equipment may enhance public recognition of city of Ocala law enforcement vehicles, making them easily identifiable during emergencies or law enforcement operations. This improves public trust and confidence in police services,” King wrote.

Standardizing the equipment across the fleet also increases interoperability, simplifying the maintenance and repair process, King wrote.

“It allows technicians to become proficient in servicing a specific type of equipment, reducing downtime and increasing operational efficiency,” he wrote.

The equipment will cost $6,600 for each marked vehicle, $3,364 for each unmarked vehicle, and $6,473 for each K-9 vehicle.

MORE FREE PARKING IN DOWNTOWN OCALA

The parking lot at the intersection of Southwest 1st Avenue and West Broadway Street in Downtown Ocala has now been made free to use for the summer.

Now that parking restrictions have been lifted here at Lot 7, 36 parking spaces will be available for the public to use.

Visitors can park there free of charge, seven days a week at all times. No overnight parking is allowed. Trailers may not be parked in this lot.

Parking availability in downtown is also expected to improve once the new parking garage opens. Construction for the new parking garage is anticipated to begin in October. The garage will be built at the site of the Mount Moriah Baptist Church, since the city purchased the property in 2022.

To see other recent changes to downtown parking, visit ocalagazette.com/79229-2

[Renee Thompson on Facebook]

[Photo courtesy Ocala Police Department]

[City of Ocala]

TLC OPENS NEW COFFEE STATION

The Transitions Life Center nonprofit is dedicated to improving the lives of adults with special needs. The TLC community center offers structured continuing education in life skills, social skills and recreational activities. A recent new addition is an in-house coffee station.

A news release announcing the station noted that creating it has “been a true labor love.”

“We are thrilled to announce that thanks to

the incredible support that we’ve received for our campus coffee station, we can now offer additional services to members of all abilities. These new opportunities will foster enrichment and growth, and inspire our members to succeed,” wrote Yvonne Carreiro, marketing and outreach coordinator, in the release.

The release noted that donors and supporters who helped make the station possible included the Holland family

(Jennie, Elton and Hudson of J Holland Interiors); Jamie Gadoury, Deep Woods Handcrafted; Samantha Valvo, Supreme Stone, LLC; Vanessa Carnes; Gathering Café North; Red Fern Pet Lodge; SouthState Bank; Inter-County Recycling; Truluck team at Sellstate Next Generation Realty and Crippen CPA.

To learn more, go to tlcocala.org

HOSPITALS ANNOUNCE $60K GRANT TO LOCAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION

HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital recently announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation, through its Healthier Tomorrow Fund, will donate $1 million over the next three years to the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations.

The money will help fund the foundation’s Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program, which helps create and expand healthcare career pathways for economically disadvantaged high school students across the state, the news release stated.

The Public Education Foundation of Marion County was awarded $60,000 over the next three years to support students at Belleview, Lake Weir, North Marion and West Port high schools. The funding will provide students opportunities to delve into healthcare careers through specialized training, clinical experience, preparation for certification exams, and internships and externships. The project will also result in new levels of engagement between HCA Florida Healthcare and the district focusing on improving students’ healthcare certification completion rate.

“The future healthcare professionals of tomorrow are currently studying in our local schools, and we are committed to assisting students aspiring to pursue a healthcare career in the north central Florida area,” said Alan Keesee, chief executive officer of HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, in the release. “We are dedicated to fostering healthier tomorrows for our communities, and a key aspect of this mission is supporting local talent development.”

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Workforce Needs Study estimates a shortage of approximately 463,000 healthcare workers by the end of

2024. Through the Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program, the consortium develops and manages a grant process that allows local education foundations to apply for funds to support projects that foster healthcare career pathways. The program will fund 15 local education foundations in Florida over the next three years, focusing on activities that lead to nursing or allied health tracks and include work-based learning, healthcare career exploration activities and industry certifications, the release noted.

“We are thrilled to launch this partnership with HCA Healthcare Foundation and our local HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals,” said Meghan Magamoll, executive director of the Public Education Foundation of Marion County, in the release. “Their investment not only aims to better equip students for careers in healthcare fields, but also addresses the increasing demand for a skilled healthcare workforce in our community.”

HCA Florida Ocala Hospital sponsors the HCA Jumpstart to Healthcare Scholarship for seven high school seniors, the Take Stock in Children program, scholarships for HOSA national conference, West Port High School’s school business partner, College Park Elementary, a Community Partnership School with United Way of Marion County, Mission Bus Brigade School Supply Drive sponsored by the Marion County Public Schools Homeless/Needy Children Program, and Thank A Teacher award, which celebrates outstanding teachers in Marion County.

To learn more about the Public Education Foundation of Marion County, go to pefmc.org

Back to basics

By Chris Miller

Trump-Biden, Right-Left, Red-Blue, Conservative-Liberal, RepublicanDemocrat; the schism of our differences takes many names, and at a time of corrosive conflict in America arguably not seen since Lincoln led our nation’s riven spirit through its darkest days, I think many of us have paused and taken stock of who we are, where we are, and how we might find our footing and heal our home’s escalating tensions.

Presumably, the ground level of the pit of polarization between us is our difficulty in understanding each other’s perspective—what our countrymen and countrywomen across the aisle think, believe, and feel—and a reflexive rejection of what the “other side” considers the embrace of an unconscionable doctrine. My thoughts here can’t change that and won’t change that, but I do want to share something I saw and what it means to me.

I pulled up to an intersection a while back, and there was a pick-up truck that had broken down in the left-turn lane. A few other drivers had exited their cars to help push the truck across the intersection and into the gas station parking lot across the street. And I took comfort that, despite the soul-stifling contempt we often feel as a society, these strangers were choosing to help others. And I truly think we would all, or almost all, jump into action to help one another. If a man clutched his chest and fell to the floor in line at McDonald’s, I think people who saw that would rush to him, call 911, and do whatever they could to render aid. I think if a car flipped upside-down on 441, multiple cars would pull over, get out, and rush to his or her side and/or call 911 to get help. I don’t think it would matter if the person in crisis were wearing a MAGA shirt or a Black Lives Matter shirt—maybe I’m naive, but I think witnesses and onlookers would try to help, regardless of creed, color, religion, or political affiliation.

And if that’s a premise we can agree on (and maybe it’s not—I don’t know), then I think we begin there: that at the most primal, visceral, foundational level, we do care about each other. We make snarky jokes about the “other side,” but in a moment of absolute need, I think most of us would choose compassion. From there, the autopsy of a fractured society gets much more complex, as a myriad of variables splinter our mindsets; religion, race, SES, education, childhood, experience, and chemistry certainly color the way we see the world and each other.

I don’t have any Confucius wisdom to impart, other than I want to start my mental journey—when I experience people who might seem like they’re on a different planet than I am—with the reminder that they want the best for their children, just like me. That they want to feel safe in their homes, just like me. That they want the freedom to be who they are and pursue happiness, just like me. How to realize those aims is where the arteries of unity splay into capillaries of conflict, each of us engineered by what the other side may dismiss as misinformation and disinformation. But, as those motorists who helped push the truck reminded me … the ground floor of humanity, the ABC’s of any volatile and adversarial dialogue, is the reassuring terra firma that most of us do indeed care about each other.

Chris Miller recently retired after teaching for 31 years in Marion County public schools.

MARION COUNTY GRANTS PERMIT FOR WOMAN TO HAVE ‘EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ROOSTERS’

Don’t fly the coop—one woman will keep two “emotional support roosters” at her Silver Springs home after Marion County commissioners granted a special permit for the animals.

The owner of the roosters, Alice Smith, asked for the special use permit after a complaint was made to the code enforcement board. Other neighbors wrote to code enforcement to express that they felt the roosters weren’t disrupting anyone.

“This is kind of a unique situation,” said County Attorney Guy Minter. “We don’t have these kinds of requests very often.”

The commissioners had initial concerns over potential disruptions from the crowing of the roosters in morning hours, and the open-ended nature of the permit, but were assured by staff.

To remedy this, some conditions were proposed for the owner to obtain the permit, including to have the roosters wear “no-crow collars” at all times to prevent them from

making an excessive noise that would disrupt neighbors.

The breed of rooster, called a Silkie, is less likely to make noise than other breeds if they have company, Chair Michelle Stone said.

“We do have a nuisance ordinance underneath the animal control ordinances that I believe could encompass the roosters if it were to become an issue,” said Justin McClure, agricultural investigator for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

The owner’s neighbor commented during the meeting that she didn’t even feel that the collars were necessary, because she very rarely ever heard the roosters from her house.

The commission approved the permit without the requirement of the collars, in the interest of acting humanely toward the animals.

Linda and Mike Paglia, fourth and fifth from left, co-founders of the Transitions Life Center, are shown with TLC members at the organization’s new coffee station. [Photo courtesy Transitions Life Center]

From left are Rev. Eric Cummings, Vice-Chair Lori Conrad, Sarah James, Meghan Magamoll, Alan Keesee, Denise Kendust, Norma Reyna, Kaitlyn Wilson-Butler, Allison Campbell, Diane Gullet, Cassandra Boston and Nancy Thrower, [Photo courtesy HCA Florida Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital]

OPINION

It’s time to have a public intergovernmental conversation on safety

By Ocala Gazette Editorial Board

Just as Marion County public school officials along with their county and Ocala counterparts have worked together in recent years to improve school funding, it is time for Marion County leaders to do the same for public safety improvements.

Not only do citizens deserve a clear public safety strategy from their elected officials, they need to have a seat at the table. The government entities that now operate in silos must work together to address the safety needs of our growing county, and the public needs to see and, most importantly, be heard.

Additionally, the community needs assurances that development decisions will include clear-eyed considerations of the increasing demands this growth places on the county’s public safety infrastructure.

Currently, Ocala and Marion County do not include any levels of service for public safety in their comprehensive land use plans as they do for roads, for example. As a result, law enforcement, fire and medical officials have no mechanisms to shape or limit growth.

School officials can relate. For years, they had been excluded from the two comprehensive plans, leaving them to absorb whatever came their way without a clear roadmap to funding the need.

We credit publicly noticed intergovernmental workshops held among county, city and school district members

with getting impact fees for schools passed this year.

One of the top initiatives of School Board Member Dr. Allison Campbell when she was first elected in 2020 was to reestablish intergovernmental workshops, the last of which was held in 2015. The first one under her watch was in 2021, and it led to the reimposition of impact fees, a critical source of funding for the district.

Perhaps Campbell’s doctorate in the field of communications helped her identify and work around one of the root causes of intergovernmental miscommunication in Marion County: too much political maneuvering by a handful of powerful people happening behind closed doors, away from taxpayer scrutiny.

All too often, the only solution offered to improve public safety is more money.

As we’ve reported, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s budget has significantly increased since Sheriff Billy Woods has taken office.

He echoed the same theme during an October 2023 budget hearing: “As mentioned in prior years, population growth in Marion County has put our staffing levels dangerously low. Experts for the jail and the Law Enforcement Patrol have provided staffing studies which show we are critically low in those areas. The most significant increases to the sheriff’s office budgets are because of the increases to staffing in each major area. With your help last year, I began the implementation of a three-year plan to

address these crucial staffing shortages. I trust the increases in this budget request are necessary to address the second year of the staffing plan.’’

The “Gazette” asked the MCSO for a copy of the three-year plan Woods referenced. We were told it is not in writing and thus cannot be shared.

The “Gazette” has also reported that Marion County Fire Rescue, which provides essential fire and medical support to the entire county, needs a significant infusion of money to meet immediate infrastructure and staffing needs and the projected increase in demand over the next 15 years.

Last year, Woods proposed taking over Dunnellon’s police department and absorbing its officers, which some Dunnellon residents and local officials considered to be a power grab. There are pros and cons to such mergers, but it is also possible that some public officials around the county are increasingly concerned about the MCSO’s lack of transparency and the political motivations Woods but are unwilling to speak publicly for fear of retaliation.

The Marion County school district is also facing rising public safety costs. Our last report in 2023, found the school district paying $4.5 million annually to MCSO, Ocala Police Department and Belleview for school resource officers at each school during school hours. But what about the increasing need to secure after-school events?

There are other urgent needs as well.

During a July 15, 2024 quarterly public meeting of the Marion County Public Safety Coordinating Council, local officials discussed how to address capacity issues at the Marion County jail. The sheriff’s office attributed the increased demand to growth. Judges, pre-trial intervention personnel and both the state attorney’s office and public defenders were at the table to discuss the issues publicly. That’s a great example of what needs to happen more often until we get a handle on the rising costs of public safety. It would have been beneficial, however, to have seen Ocala officials taking part in the conversation.

It’s time for Marion leaders to work together to address these vital public safety concerns. Near the top of the first public workshop agenda should be an agreement to heed the federal government’s recommendation to consolidate emergency communications—there now are two 911 call centers in Marion instead of a single, unifed center—to improve efficiency and levels of security while also saving money. Any debate over the merits of consolidation would shed light on the motivations of the leaders of the respective agencies. Just as King Solomon in the Old Testament wisely tested two women’s claims to a single baby by ordering the infant to be cut in two, a public stance would give the public a clue into whose truly got public’s safety at heart and who is just being greedy.

Target just became the latest US retailer to stop accepting payment by checks. Why have so many stores given up on them?

By Jay L. Zagorsky

Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston University

Can you still use a check to make purchases? In increasing numbers of stores across the U.S., the answer is “no.” The large retailer Target stopped accepting checks on July 15, 2024. It follows decisions a decade earlier by supermarket chains Whole Foods and Aldi to no longer accept this form of payment.

Target said it was phasing out checks because not many customers use them. It’s a fair point: Check usage has fallen dramatically around the world in recent decades.

However, as a business school professor who studies how people pay for goods and services, I wonder if Target might have another, unspoken motivation. After all, customers started the switch away from checks years ago. What’s new today is a rise in check fraud.

A brief history of checking

Checks have been around a long time—centuries, in fact. Paper checks are simply directions telling banks how much money to move from one account to another. Today, these directions take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to be carried out. That’s why stores prefer customers pay with debit cards, which act like checks but remove money from an account immediately.

Checks were a huge part of the U.S.

economy only a few decades ago. The Federal Reserve, the U.S.’s central bank, processed 17 billion checks a year back in 2000, compared with 3 billion today.

While the Fed doesn’t process every check—for example, checks written between accounts at the same bank don’t go through the Fed system—the numbers offer a sense of the overall decline. In 2000, the average American wrote roughly 60 checks cleared by the Fed each year, compared with about nine today.

Until 20 years ago, all checks had to be physically returned to the person writing the check after they were processed so that the writer could make sure the amount they wrote the check for matched what was deducted from their account.

Years ago, I paid all my bills by check, and each month, my bank would send a fat envelope—which I never opened— containing my canceled checks.

To physically return all the checks, the government maintained a special fleet of planes that each night flew canceled checks around the country. Then in 2004, a new law allowed banks to send customers pictures of their checks, which eliminated the need to fly them.

Who still writes checks in 2024?

While the Fed may be processing 80% fewer checks than it was in the early 2000s, its data shows the average person is still writing at least nine checks a year. So who is writing all those checks? The answer includes many people who deny ever writing checks.

Let me explain. Many people now use their bank’s online bill payment service. While many of these payments are done electronically, payments to smaller businesses and individuals are done by the bank writing a check on your behalf.

Plus, there are still people who write out checks to landlords, contractors, charities and government agencies. Many people still give checks at weddings, births and other special occasions. Last, many businesses still write checks to other businesses when paying their bills.

Why stores don’t want checks

Given that checks are still being used— albeit less often than before—why are businesses like Target, Whole Foods and Aldi refusing them? I think an important part of the story is that check fraud is becoming rampant in the U.S.

The U.S. Treasury has a dedicated department that fights monetary crimes, called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCen for short. FinCen gets “Suspicious Activity Reports” from banks about activities from money laundering to loan fraud. FinCen reports that the number of check fraud cases has exploded since 2020, nearly doubling from 2021 to 2022.

One of the biggest places where this fraud occurs are checks written at the cash register. As the Atlanta Fed points out, “Anyone with graphics software and a high-quality printer can readily turn out counterfeit checks.”

Merchants are hit with a double

whammy when check fraud occurs. First, they lose the merchandise, which cannot be sold to a legitimate customer. Then, unlike shoplifting, the store is faced with more financial pain because most banks charge both the merchant and the check writer when a counterfeit check is presented. Both sides are charged because the Federal Reserve charges high fees for returning uncollectable checks.

Target’s most recent annual report mentioned a problem with theft, saying, “We continue to experience higher inventory shrink, as a percentage of sales, relative to historical levels.” Translated into plain language, this means people are stealing more from Target than they have in the past.

The increase in check fraud means Target’s recent announcement will likely be repeated soon by other chains. I expect in the future only stores like Costco, which photograph every member and has every customer’s address on file, will allow checks.

Since retailers often raise prices when check fraud happens to cover the losses, curbing check fraud lowers prices and is in the interest of every honest consumer.

And for those stores worried about increasing check, debit and credit card fraud, there is a simple answer: Encourage your customers to use cash. Paper money is safe and secure, and once handed over, any retailer knows the transaction is paid. Going old-school with paper money has real benefits.

Seeing your baby for the first time will be an experience you’ll never forget. That’s why, in addition to the extra monitoring and attention we offer in our Level II NICU and the elevated level of prenatal and postnatal care we provide through our McKenzie Kearney Gray Maternal Fetal Medicine program, we add thoughtful, memorable touches with The Birth Day Experience.®

At AdventHealth Ocala, the only hospital in Marion County that delivers babies, our physicians and birth care advocates provide the care you and your baby need – so you can cherish every moment of your baby’s one-and-only real birth day.

Board: 7-year-old should testify in book fight

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

As it tries to fend off a constitutional challenge to removing and restricting school library books, the Escambia County School Board on Tuesday argued that it should be able to take a deposition of a 7-year-old student who is part of the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the board, in a 20-page court document, urged U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell to reject a request for a protective order that would shield the child, identified by the initials J.N., from having to testify in a deposition.

The document said J.N. is a plaintiff through her mother, Ann Novakowski, but that the mother cannot adequately testify about the child’s efforts to check out books that have been removed or restricted.

“The child has unique knowledge about her likes and desires and, more importantly, her efforts to obtain these books from her school library,” the board’s attorneys wrote. “The board should not be required to, and indeed this court should not, rely exclusively on J.N.’s mother’s alleged recitation of what J.N. communicated to her, particularly when there are no indications that J.N. herself is incompetent to testify.”

The document also said a deposition is needed to establish whether J.N., who recently finished first grade, has legal standing to be part of the case.

“Plaintiffs cannot bootstrap the standing of J.N.’s mother— itself disputed—onto J.N.; J.N.’s standing must sink or swim on its

own,” the document said.

But in the July 2 motion for a protective order, lawyers for Novakowski disputed such arguments, writing that the school board “has not articulated a meaningful distinction between the legal and factual issues they seek to establish through the testimony of J.N. and plaintiff Novakowski. Nor has the board identified a single factual or legal issue that it believes is uniquely in J.N.’s possession and on which it cannot question plaintiff Novakowski, who filed this lawsuit as a legal representative for J.N.”

“It is unnecessary to require J.N. to undergo a deposition when her mother, who is bringing this action on J.N.’s behalf, is available to testify and when the board seeks the same testimony from her,” the motion said. “Indeed, plaintiff Novakowski brings this action on behalf of her minor child because J.N. could not file the lawsuit herself. In that context, it does not make sense that J.N. needs to be separately deposed.”

Escambia County has become a battleground amid controversy in Florida and other states about school officials removing or restricting access to books. The lawsuit, filed by parents of schoolchildren, authors, the publishing company Penguin Random House and the free-speech group PEN America, alleges that board decisions to remove or restrict numerous books violated First Amendment rights.

A separate lawsuit, meanwhile, challenges Escambia County’s removal of the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three,” which tells the story of two male

penguins who raised a penguin chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo. That lawsuit contends, at least in part, that the book was targeted for depicting same-sex parents raising a child.

The motion for a protective order said the school board removed or restricted books, including “And Tango Makes Three,” that J.N. wants to check out from her school library. It also listed the books “When Aidan Became a Brother,” which involves a transgender boy, and “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” which involves a same-sex marriage.

The motion said deposing J.N. in the case “would accomplish

little more than imposing an undue burden.”

“It would require young J.N. to devote time away from family and friends to prepare for her testimony and to face questioning by opposing counsel in deposition—an experience that is enormously difficult and stressful for adults, let alone a 7-year-old,” the motion said.

But school board attorneys argued Tuesday that the board is “entitled to defend itself against plaintiffs’ claims; doing so requires probing the veracity of the standing and credibility of the plaintiffs, which includes J.N.”

“The board is not unmoved

to the realities that involve examining a minor, and that there may be some discomfort associated with this,” the board’s attorneys wrote. “However, J.N. is a named party to this suit. She, through her mother, chose to sue the board. Plaintiffs cannot use J.N.’s status as a minor and student within the Escambia County school district as a sword by which to challenge the actions of the board, only to then use her minority status as a shield to prevent either her participation in the suit she brought or the board from defending itself from plaintiffs’ claims.”

Trump chooses Vance over Rubio for VP

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

Former President Donald Trump on Monday bypassed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in making his vice-presidential pick, averting what could have been a major change in Florida’s political landscape.

Trump announced freshman U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his 2024 running mate, a short time after the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents

of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great state of Ohio,” Trump said in an online post.

The running-mate selection was one of the few anticipated moments of drama as the four-day convention opened, but the gravity of the pick increased after an assassination attempt Saturday on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Rubio, a Miami-Dade County Republican who first was elected to the Senate in 2010, was advised he wouldn’t be Trump’s pick before it was made public during an afternoon roll call of state

convention delegates.

Rubio tweeted “#TrumpVance2024!!!” after Trump posted his selection.

The Florida Democratic Party responded by tweeting a photo of Rubio frowning.

Democrats also criticized Vance, a Yale-educated former venture capitalist whose best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” recalled his upbringing in the rust belt. In a prepared statement, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried described Vance as having “built his career around insulting rural Americans and the working class.”

Rubio, Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were reported to be on the short list of finalists.

After the shooting at the rally on Saturday, Rubio criticized the media coverage and posted online: “God protected President Trump.”

Vance blamed rhetoric from the Biden campaign. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote online.

Before Monday’s selection, Democrats and other Trump critics had raised questions about Rubio, who lost the GOP presidential nomination to Trump in 2016. Ana Navarro, a Republican

commentator and Trump critic who was part of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s administration, questioned Rubio’s loyalty, pointing to a “metamorphosis” over the past three decades.

“He worked for my husband (former state Republican Chairman Al Cardenas) for a while. He was a very different Marco Rubio back then than he is today,” Navarro said in a conference call with reporters last week. “He was a very different Marco Rubio in 2016, when he was criticizing Donald Trump and attacking Donald Trump than he is today.”

If he had been chosen vice president, Rubio would have been expected to resign from the Senate and temporarily declare a new state of residency, as Trump also is a resident of Florida..

Gov. Ron DeSantis would then have been able to pick a successor to Rubio until an election could be held.

The son of working-class Cuban immigrants who in 2006 became speaker of the Florida House, Rubio is 52, telegenic and viewed as a link to suburban voters and Spanish speakers.

While Rubio was under consideration, University of Central Florida politicalscience professor Aubrey Jewett said he would offer more positives for the Trump campaign than negatives. That included being a recognized name, having foreignpolicy credentials and an ability to help Trump get his message out in Spanish in the southwest U.S.

“His potential appeal to Hispanics, not just Cuban Hispanics, but Hispanics across the country, I think that’s a pretty big positive,” Jewett said. “That’s a group that Trump has done well with, better than a lot of people thought he was going to do given his talk about illegal immigration and disparaging remarks about Hispanics and Mexicans.”

File photo

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., did not get selected as former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate. [U.S. Senate]

FLORIDA GAS PRICES UNCHANGED

While hovering around the national average, Florida’s gasoline prices remained unchanged last week as Hurricane Beryl threatened Gulf-area refineries.

The AAA auto club said an average gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida cost $3.50 on Monday, the same as a week earlier. The national average price Monday was $3.52.

“The damage from Beryl caused

limited damage to Gulf Coast energy facilities,” AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said in a prepared statement. “And while a record 60 million travelers were forecast to hit the highways for the July 4th holiday, the overall demand number for gasoline dropped.

That is a rare feat for a holiday week and may point to a change in demand trends.” The state average was up 24 cents from a month ago and 8 cents from a year ago.

RENNER ADDS $1M TO ABORTION FIGHT

Apolitical committee led by House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, contributed $1 million this month to trying to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights.

Renner’s committee, known as Conservatives for Principled Leadership, contributed the money to Florida Voters Against Extremism, a committee fighting the proposed amendment, according to newly filed finance reports.

The Archdiocese of Miami also contributed $129,037 to Florida Voters Against Extremism.

The proposed amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 4, says, in part, that no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Supporters started a drive to pass the amendment last year, after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bill that prevents abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

ABORTION ‘STATEMENT’ CASE MOOT?

After a state panel Monday revised a “financial impact statement” for a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights, an appeals court quickly asked lawyers to file arguments about whether a legal battle about an earlier version of the statement is moot.

The 1st District Court of Appeal on Tuesday ordered attorneys for the state and Floridians Protecting Freedom, a political committee leading efforts to pass the abortion amendment, to make filings this week.

A panel known as the Financial Impact Estimating Conference late Monday revised the statement, which will appear on the ballot with the abortion amendment.

Financial impact statements provide estimated effects of proposed constitutional amendments on government revenues and the state budget.

The Financial Impact Estimating Conference released an initial statement for the abortion proposal in November 2023. But on April 1, the Florida Supreme

GOP REGISTRATION EDGE NEARS 1M

The voter-registration gap between the Republican Party of Florida and the Florida Democratic Party continues to widen.

The GOP had 5,257,407 registered voters at the end of June, while the

Democratic Party had 4,300,964, according to newly posted data on the state Division of Elections website.

That 956,443-voter advantage continued a steadily growing lead by Republicans. As an example, the GOP

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MEDICAID EXPANSION MEASURE GETS $250K

Hoping to pass a constitutional amendment in 2026 to require expanding eligibility for Medicaid, a political committee this month received a $250,000 contribution.

The Florida Decides Healthcare committee received the contribution from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, according to a newly filed finance report.

Florida Decides Healthcare wants to put a proposed constitutional

amendment on the November 2026 ballot that, in part, would require the state to “provide Medicaid coverage to individuals over age 18 and under age 65 whose incomes are at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level.”

That would be a higher income threshold than under current law.

The proposal comes after the Republican-controlled Legislature has repeatedly rejected calls over the past decade to expand eligibility for the health-care program.

HEARING SET IN ACC RECORDS CASE

ALeon County circuit judge will hold a hearing next week in a legal battle about whether the Atlantic Coast Conference should have to turn over mediarights contracts to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey will hold the hearing Monday, according to an order posted on the court docket.

Moody filed the public-records lawsuit in April amid months of legal battling between the ACC and Florida State University, which is widely viewed as wanting to leave the conference.

The ACC and Florida State have

Court issued a ruling that allowed a sixweek abortion limit to take effect.

Floridians Protecting Freedom filed a lawsuit in April arguing that the November financial-impact statement needed to be revised because it was outdated after the Supreme Court ruling.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper agreed with the committee, but the state appealed to the 1st District Court of Appeal, where the case has been pending.

Amid the case, Senate President

held a 906,551-voter advantage at the end of April.

Meanwhile, 3,507,230 voters were registered without party affiliation as of June 30, while 365,009 were registered with third parties.

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Adoption fees are waived this month in exchange for a donation of school supplies for local students.

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filed lawsuits against each other in North Carolina and Leon County, with the dispute focusing heavily on media rights for athletic events.

Florida State contends that it could face in excess of $500 million in penalties to exit the ACC.

Florida State essentially contends the ACC has shortchanged its members through TV contracts.

The ACC, the ESPN television network and other conferences have opposed providing the records to Moody, with ESPN saying in a friend-of-the court brief that its agreements with the ACC and other conferences are “textbook trade secrets.”

Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, directed the Financial Impact Estimating Conference to begin meeting again to revise the statement.

The proposed amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 4, says, in part, that no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Democrats historically led in voter registration in Florida, but Republicans overtook them in 2021.

Republicans hold all statewide offices and dominate the Legislature and the Florida congressional delegation.

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Ruling refuels guns, pot legal fight

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month in a closely watched Second Amendment case, lawyers are tangling over how the decision should apply to federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns.

Lawyers for Florida medical-marijuana patients and the Biden administration filed briefs last week at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that staked opposing positions on what the Supreme Court ruling means for medical-marijuana users.

In the ruling, in a case known as United States v. Rahimi, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gun possession by people under domestic-violence restraining orders.

But in a brief filed Friday, Will Hall, a Tallahassee attorney for the Florida medical-marijuana patients, tried to draw contrasts between Rahimi and pot users.

Hall wrote that “there is no historical tradition or principle of disarming persons like the appellants (the medicalmarijuana patients) who have not committed serious or violent crimes and who have not shown themselves to be a threat to the safety of others.”

U.S. Department of Justice attorneys, however, pointed to marijuana remaining illegal under federal law and said the Rahimi decision supports a conclusion that preventing gun possession by people who illegally use drugs “comports with the Second Amendment.”

“History shows that legislatures hold authority to disarm categories of persons whose possession of firearms would endanger themselves or others. Rahimi itself recognized that ‘(s)ince the founding, our nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms,’” the Justice Department brief said. “The limited restriction at issue here, which applies

only to individuals engaged in the regular and ongoing use of illegal drugs, ‘fits comfortably’ within that tradition and the principles underpinning it.”

Then-Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and medicalmarijuana patients filed the lawsuit in 2022 challenging the prohibitions. While marijuana is illegal under federal law, Florida voters in 2016 passed a constitutional amendment to allow patients to use marijuana for medical conditions.

The lawsuit said the federal prohibitions “forbid Floridians from possessing or purchasing a firearm on the sole basis that they are state-law-abiding medical marijuana patients.”

But U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed the case in November 2022, spurring the plaintiffs to go to the Atlanta-based appeals court. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who was elected in 2022 to succeed Fried, dropped out of the case, but it has continued with the patients as plaintiffs.

Duke rate settlement reached

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

Duke Energy Florida and consumer representatives Monday filed a proposed settlement that would increase base electric rates—but not as much as Duke originally sought.

The proposal, which needs approval from the state Public Service Commission, would increase base rates by $203 million in 2025 and $59 million in 2026 and includes increases over a three-year period for solar-energy projects, according to a filing at the commission and a Duke news release.

Duke reached the agreement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility issues, and other parties in the rate case—the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, Nucor Steel Florida, Inc. and PCS Phosphate-White Springs.

“This agreement delivers the smarter, cleaner energy future customers deserve while prioritizing reliability and price stability,” Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, said in a prepared statement.

The parties said in a regulatory filing last week that they were close to reaching an agreement. They asked the commission Monday to consider the

settlement in August, when regulators had been scheduled to hold a hearing on Duke’s original proposal.

That proposal, filed in April, called for increasing base rates by $593 million in 2025, $98 million in 2026 and $129 million in 2027. A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday indicated the $593 million proposal for 2025 had been decreased to $503 million after the original filing.

“Residential, commercial and industrial customers will see lower increases in their bills than they would have experienced under DEF’s (Duke Energy Florida’s) original proposed rate increase,” the proposed settlement said. “The 2024 settlement agreement provides DEF customers with stability and predictability with respect to their electricity rates, while allowing DEF to maintain the financial strength to make investments it believes are necessary to provide its customers with safe and reliable power.”

Base rates make up a major part of customers’ monthly bills, along with such expenses as fuel for power plants and environmental-compliance costs. Despite the proposed increase in base rates, Duke said Monday that residential customers’ bills are expected to decrease in January because other current costs, such as

costs related to storm recovery, will drop off bills at the end of 2024.

Utilities use a benchmark of residential customers who consume 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month. Under the settlement, such customers would see their bills go down from $165.76 in December to $157.50 in January.

Spokeswoman Ana Gibbs said the company does not have projections of customer bills for 2026 and 2027.

The increases for 12 new solar facilities would total $12 million in 2025, $71 million in 2026 and $58 million in 2027, according to the utility.

A closely watched issue in rate cases is the amount of profits that utilities are allowed to earn as measured by a “return on equity.” The settlement would allow Duke to earn a return on equity ranging from 9.3 percent to 11.3 percent, with a “midpoint” of 10.3 percent. The original April proposal included a return-on-equity midpoint of 11.15 percent.

Settlements are relatively common in base-rate cases. For example, Duke, which is the state’s second-largest utility behind Florida Power & Light, is operating under a rate settlement that was reached in 2021 and will end this year.

Meanwhile, a proposal by Tampa Electric Co. to raise base rates also is pending at the Public Service Commission.

A panel of the appeals court heard arguments in October 2023 but put the case on hold while the Supreme Court considered the Rahimi case.

The plaintiffs want the appeals court to reverse the dismissal of the case and send it back to district court.

Hall wrote that the medical-marijuana patients seek “only narrow, commonsense relief. Any risk of firearm misuse they pose can be mitigated by prohibiting the possession of a firearm while they are under the influence of marijuana. Instead, the challenged laws and regulations disarm the appellants at all times (including in their own homes) on the basis that they have ingested marijuana in recent days or weeks.”

Meanwhile, as the Rahimi case was pending, the appeals court also put on hold a separate case challenging a Florida law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and shotguns. Lawyers in that case also will file briefs in the coming weeks, according to an online docket.

Home hardening program quickly fills up

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

The state has stopped taking new applications for a popular homehardening program, less than a month after a new round of funding became available.

The Department of Financial Services said online that funding has been “exhausted” for initial inspections in the My Safe Florida Home program. The program offers inspections and grants up to $10,000 to help residents upgrade homes and qualify for property-insurance discounts for residences valued up to $700,000.

Devin Galetta, spokesman for state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, said Wednesday the program is still “up and running” for people who have already been approved for inspections.

“As we continue to fight (insurance) rate increases, the My Safe Florida Home program is one of the strongest tools in the toolkit to help rein in rates and make homes safer,” Galetta said in a statement.

“Next (legislative) session, the CFO is going to put forward some ideas for improving the program, including dedicated funding streams and making the program reoccurring.”

The program drew 3,212 initial inspection applications after a new My Safe Florida Home law (SB 7028) took effect July 1. The legislation included $200 million for hurricanemitigation grants, inspections and outreach.

The department said the program has been used to conduct 106,000 home inspections over the past two years, with 38,500 grant applications approved.

The department estimates

that grant-related home improvements have provided up to $1,000 in savings on insurance premiums.

The program was created in 2006, after a series of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 led to 2.8 million Florida homeowners sustaining more than $33 billion in insured property damage. After an initial infusion of $250 million, the next funding for the program didn’t come until 2022, when lawmakers put forward $215 million during a special legislative session to address the state’s propertyinsurance problems.

An additional $176.17 million was put into the program during a November 2023 special session, as more than 17,600 grant applications awaited funding.

The new law includes prioritizing consideration of applications by people such as low-income seniors. The funding was promoted as potentially helping nearly 20,000 Floridians.

The law also prohibits the department from creating a waiting list once money runs out, “unless the Legislature expressly provides authority to implement such actions.”

The application halt doesn’t affect $30 million in the state budget tied to legislation (HB 1029) that allows condominium associations to be eligible for inspections and grants. The department is still working on inspection procedures and application forms for the condoassociation program, which will open this fall.

Lawmakers required participating associations to provide a $1 match for every $2 provided in the program, with a maximum of $175,000 per association.

File photo

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

FERNANDO HOMS, Plaintiff, v.

DEBBIE A. KEERNS, EDWARD W. KEERNS

WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS LEGAL

TITLE TRUSTEE FOR BCAT 201922PT, CONCORDE ACCEPTANCE

CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLE STATE OF FLORIDA CASE NO.: 24-CA-000919-AX

Defendants. NOTICE OF ACTION

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to declaratory judgment to the following personal properties in Marion County, Florida:

LOT 4, BLOCK 13 OF BELLEVIEW HILLS ESTATES, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF

FILE NO. 2024-CP-1617 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 co- personal representatives and the co-personal representatives' 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: June 9, 2024. The date of first publication of this Notice is July 12, 2024

Attorney for Co-Personal Representatives: James L. Richard Florida Bar No. 243477 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Email: jim@rmprobate

By: As Deputy Clerk

MURDER-FOR-HIRE CONVICTION UPHELD

By Florida News Service

A federal appeals court Thursday upheld the conviction of a Tallahassee woman who was accused of seeking her estranged husband’s death in a murderfor-hire plot.

A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by Gretchen Buselli, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted on a murder-for-hire charge and a charge of making false statements to investigators.

her estranged husband had disappeared.

During questioning, she said she would “never ask anyone to do something like this,” the ruling said. Investigators revealed that “Paul” was an undercover agent and that they knew about the murder-for-hire plan and arrested her.

Gretchen Buselli accused her estranged husband of sexually abusing their daughter—an allegation that the ruling said had been investigated and rejected by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Children’s Home Society of Florida, the Florida Department of Children and Families and a guardian ad litem.

Co-Personal Representatives: KEVIN JUSTIN HOLMES 4226 S.W. 33rd Avenue Ocala, FL 34474 AMANDA CONCHA-HOLMES 1708 S.W. 51st Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32608 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN LIPNICKI, File No. 2024-CP-1572 Division PROBATE Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JOHN LIPNICKI, deceased, whose date of death was June 3, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which 110 NW 1 st Ave. Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representatives and the personal representatives’ 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

Public Notice

The probe began after Christopher Colon, a Montana resident who was a former boyfriend of Buselli, reported to police in June 2021 that she had asked him to murder her husband, Bradley, Thursday’s ruling said.

Colon began recording phone calls, and Gretchen Buselli mailed him two $500 pre-paid debit cards for travel expenses.

Later, Colon told her he had a friend “Paul” in Florida who would carry out the murder. “Paul” was an undercover FBI agent, and Gretchen Buselli agreed to pay him $5,000 upfront and $20,000 after the murder, according to the ruling. Gretchen Buselli subsequently left $5,000 for “Paul” at the Cascades Park amphitheater in Tallahassee.

In September 2021, investigators contacted Gretchen Buselli and said

The appeal focused on jury instructions during Gretchen Buselli’s trial, including whether they should have included an instruction about justifiable homicide or justifiable use of deadly force under Florida law, the ruling said. That issue, at least in part, involved the allegation of sexual abuse. But the appeals court upheld a district judge’s decision against giving the instructions.

“Given the trial evidence, no reasonable jury could have concluded Buselli’s conduct constituted justifiable or excusable homicide or the justifiable use of deadly force under Florida law,” said the ruling, written by Judge Frank Hull and joined by Judges Adalberto Jordan and Barbara Lagoa.

Public Notice

OR

OF

All other creditors of

OF

decedent and

OF

AFTER

persons having claims or demands

decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE

PUBLICATION OF

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 DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is July 12, 2024.

SAMANTHA SHEALY RAUBA DIANE GURBISZ Attorney for Personal Representatives Personal Representative Florida Bar Number: 59503 8184 SW 91st Avenue McGraw Rauba & Mutarelli, PA Ocala, Florida 34481 PO Box 4440 Ocala, Florida 34478 Telephone: (352) 789-6520 WILLIAM GURBISZ E-Mail: Samantha@LawMRM.com Personal Representative Secondary E-Mail: Kathy@LawMRM. com 8184 SW 91st Avenue Ocala, Florida 34481

LEO KOTTKE AND JULIAN LAGE SET TO PERFORM AT THE REILLY

The Reilly Arts Center is delighted to present guitarists Leo Kottke and Julian Lage on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM. The renowned Leo Kottke and prodigious Julian Lage will share the bill for an evening of instrumental music.

Raised in 12 different states, Leo Kottke absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11. Kottke has been awarded two Grammy nominations; a Doctorate in Music Performance by the Peck School of Music at the U of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and a Certificate of Significant Achievement in Not Playing the Trombone from the U of Texas at Brownsville with Texas Southmost College. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies.

Hailed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation and “highest category of improvising musicians” (New Yorker), Julian Lage has spent more than a decade searching through the myriad strains

of American musical history via impeccable technique, free association and a spirit of infinite possibility. The California-born New York-based musician boasts a prolific resume on his own accord in addition to collaborating with Gary Burton and John Zorn, as well as duo projects with Nels Cline, Chris Eldridge and Fred Hersch, among others.

Event Details: Leo Kottke and Julian Lage

Date: August 17, 2024 Time: 7:30pm

Location: Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St. Ocala, FL, 34470

Ticket Information: Tickets can be purchased at reillyartscenter.com or by contacting the Reilly Arts Center box office at (352) 351-1606. Box office hours are 10 AM – 2 PM, Tuesday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Reilly Arts Center during box office hours. Leo

Kottke [Courtesy of Reilly Arts Center]

Julian Lage [Courtesy of Reilly Arts Center]

government

JULY 22, 29

Marion County Development Review Office of County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala

9am The committee reviews and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans and subdivision plans. The committee meets weekly on Mondays. See marion.fl.legistar.com/calendar.aspx for agenda and minutes.

community

THROUGH JULY 31

Marion County Parks Photo Contest

The Marion County Parks and Recreation Department is accepting citizen submissions of photos of local parks and amenities. Activities can include anything outdoors, highlighting the fun natural offerings available for residents, like nature walks, biking, and summer water activities. Simply email your photos to parks@marionfl.org to enter.

AUGUST 3

4th Annual Chad Smith Benefit Xtreme Rodeo

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S. Highway 475, Ocala 12 to 7pm

The event will include some of the best riders and wranglers from all over the world, of all ages, as well as majestic bulls from multiple southeastern stock contractors. It will include live music, a cornhole tournament, food and a full bar for guests 21 and older. Tickets start at $15 for presale. Call (352) 857-6716 or visit bit.ly/XtremeRodeo2024 for tickets.

AUGUST 10

Patriot Service Dogs Story & Veteran/Service Dog Graduation

Reilly Arts Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6pm to 8pm

Celebrate 15 years of service in this special, free event from Patriot Service Dogs. Hear the story of the organization from its inception to today, with guest speakers and real-life beneficiaries. Also featured are the new dogs graduating into service roles, with demonstrations from animals and their handlers. Visit reillyartscenter.com/events/veteran-service-dog-graduation for more information.

AUGUST 23-25

Ocala Dog Ranch & EPIC Rehab Center Pet Expo

Equine Performance Innovation Center, 5590 NW Hwy 225, Ocala Times vary each day.

This three-day event will feature a mobile dock for dog jumping games, rescue group vendors with information on services and animals available for adoption, food and beverages available on site, and more. EPIC Rehab Center features rehabilitation facilities for horses, such as boarding, swimming pools, and hyperbaric recovery chambers. Visit epicdogdays.com for more information.

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arts

JULY 19-21

Ocala Civic Theatre “Arts for All Camp” Shows

Appleton Museum of Art, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Showtimes vary.

Come see a troupe of young performers, ages 9 to 17, in the culmination of their summer theatre camp. Two unique productions will hit the stage. From July 14 to 16, the stylings of Dr. Seuss meet William Shakespeare in “The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet”. From July 19 to 21, the players deliver their take on the classic play “Godspell”. Each show will open with a performance by the younger group (ages 6 to 8) from the “Arts for All Too” camp. For showtimes and tickets, visit ocalacivictheatre.com

JULY 23

Museum & Me Pre-K Program

Appleton Museum of Art, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

10:30 to 11:30am

Bring your toddler to the museum and introduce them to the wonderful world of art. This onehour class begins with story time in the lobby and then branches out into the galleries, wrapping up with an opportunity for kids to create their own works of art. Registration is now open. Visit appletonmuseum.org/education to learn more.

AUGUST 14

Coffee/Cocktails with the Conductor in the NOMA Black Box

Reilly Arts Center, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

Starting at 10am & 6pm

Guests can enjoy coffee in the morning session, or their favorite adult beverages in the evening, with Ocala Symphony Orchestra conductor Matthew Wardell in the first of this season’s Coffee/Cocktails with the Conductor series. Wardell will preview the upcoming season of shows in an informal, sit-down setting. Visit reillyartscenter.com/events for details.

AUGUST 18

Artist Talk with Charlita Rae Whitehead

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

2 to 3pm

Discussing her new solo exhibit “Every Fiber of my Being,” Charlita Rae Whitehead will provide insight into the world of tufting, a form of art that combines weaving and needle embroidery with technological innovation, creating tapestries, looms, and more. No registration required, as it’s free to attend for both members and non-members. For more information, please visit bit.ly/charlita-rae-whitehead

education

THROUGH AUGUST

2

The Morris Center Summer Brain Camp 3019 SW 27th Ave Suite 202, Ocala Times may vary This summer program is designed to help children who struggle with learning disabilities, such as slow reading, dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, and more. Pricing begins at $200 per week for half-day sessions and $250 per week for full-day sessions. For more information, visit bit.ly/3VgMnhy or call (352) 332-2629.

JULY 19

Taylor Shines—The Laser Spectacular

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

Two shows—beginning at 5 pm & 8pm

JULY 29-AUGUST 2/AUGUST 5-9

Brick City Odyssey Summer Camp Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7:30am to 6pm Hosted by Marion County Parks & Recreation, this camp is called a “modern twist on traditional fun” for children of all ages. The last two weeks of the camp will feature field days, trips to Easy Street, indoor skydiving at SkyZone and other activities for kids and teens. Visit bit.ly/3yO7iRB to learn more.

This laser light show will feature DJ Tiff and DJ JC playing the best of Taylor Swift. Swifties and nonSwifites alike can jam out at this two-hour special presentation of music and the visual portion will feature video projection and 3-D special effects. Tickets can be purchased in-person, at reillyartscenter. com, or by contacting the Reilly Arts Center box office at (352) 351-1606. Box office hours are 10am-2pm, Tuesday through Friday.

THROUGH AUGUST 2

Summer Kids Film Series

Marion Theatre, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at various times

Tickets are only $5 for children and adults. Children 12 and under will receive a free summer snack pack with their ticket, which includes small popcorn, gummy snacks and a Capri Sun. Film showings will be 10am, 11am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Titles include “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, “Moana, Kung Fu Panda” and “Rio,” as well as others. Visit reillyartscenter.com/summer-kids-film-series to see the full list of upcoming movies and dates and times.

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.

By Michael Warren

By Peter Bloedel

White-eyed vireo [MichaelWarren.com]

Building a roadmap to bioengineer plants that produce their own nitrogen fertilizer

Nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere, but plants are unable to access it on their own.

By Jerald Pinson Florida Museum of Natural History

Nitrogen fertilizers make it possible to feed the world’s growing population, but they are also costly, harm ecosystems and require a lot of energy to manufacture. However, a few plants have evolved the ability to make their own nitrogen with the help of bacteria. A new study helps explain how they did it, not once, but multiple times.

According to lead author Heather Rose Kates, who conducted the research while working as a postdoctoral associate at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, this is crucial information for researchers hoping to breed new plants that can obtain their own nitrogen.

“Breeding and crop improvement efforts often focus on a single model species, which can overlook the evolutionary context of traits,” she said. Rather than learning everything we can about how one species produces nitrogen for the sake of expediency, this study suggests there may be several different genetic pathways that should be tested. “Only looking at what you could think of as one version of the trait could limit the effectiveness of engineering that trait in other plants.”

Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth, which can make it hard to come by. Stiff competition for the element in natural environments often means there isn’t enough to go around, despite nitrogen being abundant in the atmosphere. Up to 78% of the air we breathe is composed of nitrogen that’s locked away in a molecular form very few living organisms can directly use. The only cells on Earth capable of “fixing” atmospheric nitrogen are microbes known as diazotrophs.

Some plants have used that to their advantage. Around 17,000 plant species form a mutualistic relationship with diazotrophs. When these microbes infect roots, the plant forms knob-like structures, called nodules, around them. Inside, the bacteria receive sugar to grow, and in return they provide their host plant with nitrogen in a usable form.

This mutualistic relationship is primarily limited to one group of closely related plants known as the nitrogen-fixing clade—but even among these related species, the trait is only intermittently present. Most plants with nitrogenfixing symbiosis are legumes, or members of the bean family, a group that includes crops like soybeans, peanuts and clover. The few examples of non-legumes that can form nodules include members of the birch family, rose family and relatives of the gourd family.

Producing nodules is a genetically complex process, which has led many researchers to theorize the trait evolved only once in this group of closely related plants. If that’s true, it could mean there’s a single switch in the plants’ genetic code, which could also turn on the ability to nodulate in species that lack this trait, such as many agricultural crops.

“When a trait involves a lot of genes and also has a high cost to the plant in terms of energy, which we know forming root nodules does, we expect there to be a strong selective pressure against evolving that trait. So, in that context, a single origin hypothesis makes sense,” Kates said.

Kates and her colleagues tested this idea by recreating the evolutionary history of nodulating plants and their close relatives with genetic data. They analyzed DNA sequences from nearly 15,000 species and generated, to date, the largest tree of life constructed from scratch for this or any group.

Previous efforts to determine the number of times nodulation evolved were stymied by the sheer amount of data that needed to be analyzed. The team worked with so many herbarium specimens that they ended up developing an entirely new method to organize the information.

“We had basically two years to assemble 15,000 tissue samples from the nitrogen-fixing clade, sequence them and build a tree,” said Robert Guralnick, a co-author of the study and curator of biodiversity informatics at the Florida Museum.

Many of the specimens were also old, collected nearly a century ago, which meant their DNA was often degraded or damaged. “But our approaches for extraction and sequencing were tuned for those issues,” Guralnick said. “We were quite surprised about the generally high quality and quantity of recovery and usable genetic data from our samples.”

Their results suggest that nodulation evolved in a two-step process. The ancestor of the group developed the basic genetic toolkit needed to produce nodules, which it passed on to all of its descendants.

But additional instructions were needed to set the machinery in motion and actually get nodules to grow. This second trait evolved not once, but at least 16 times. And just because a species gained the ability to grow nodules didn’t mean they’d keep it forever; plants in the group lost their nodules on 10 separate occasions.

These findings suggest that nodulation is not controlled by a single genetic switch, but something more similar to a complex circuit breaker. For a plant to grow nodules, multiple switches have to be turned on.

The researchers were able to pinpoint and sequence many of the genes involved in growing nodules. The next step will be determining how these genes function and exactly what traits they code for.

“The overall goal is to use what we learned from these evolutionary studies to help us understand the underlying genetics and processes involved in nitrogen fixing symbiosis, and then use that information for engineering,” said study co-author Pam Soltis, a curator at the Florida Museum.

Most commercial crops, such as wheat and rice, cannot form nodules and must rely on nitrogen fertilizer. Many studies on bioengineering the nodulating trait are modeled after legumes, but Doug Soltis, Florida Museum curator and study co-author, said this may not be the best approach.

“Our phylogenetic tree suggests you might want to look at other models. Nitrogen fixation might have evolved differently in legumes than it did in the rose family or birch family, so there may be different roadmaps,” said Doug Soltis.

The authors published their study in the journal “Nature Communications.”

Brian C. O’Meara of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Raphael LaFrance of the Florida Museum of Natural History; Gregory W. Stull, Shui-Yin Liu, Qin Tian, and Ting-Shuang Yi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Euan K. James of the James Hutton Institute; Daniel Conde of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; Matias Kirst of the University of Florida; Jean-Michel Ané of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ryan A. Folk of Mississippi State University are also authors on the paper.

This study was funded by the Department of Energy and UF Biodiversity Institute.

To learn more, go to floridamuseum.ufl.edu

Clockwise from above: While the two-step nodule evolution hypothesis has been proposed before, this paper takes things a step further by showing how the evolutionary rates shifted. [Photo by Domingos Cardoso, courtesy of Euan James] In an electron micrograph of root nodules in cross section, the enzyme nitrogenase, which the symbiotic bacteria inside the plant cells need for nitrogen fixation, appears as small black dots in the bacteria. [Courtesy of Euan James] These toluidine blue-stained light micrographs of root nodules in cross section show the bacteria inside the enlarged plant cells. [Courtesy of Euan James]

Some plants form symbiotic relationships with diazotrophs, microorganisms that can fix nitrogen using an enzyme complex called nitrogenase. [Courtesy of Euan James]

Researchers constructed what is, to date, the largest tree of life to gain a clearer understanding of how nodulation evolved.

[Image by Kates ET AL., 2024]

and 5:00 p.m. The agenda is also available from a link on the District’s website: www.marion. k12.fl.us.

Persons wishing to address the Board should register with the Chairman prior to 5:40 p.m.

Any person deciding to

Gasoline Alley

Broom Hilda

Middletons

Animal Crackers