Ocala Gazette | July 21 - July 27, 2023

Lt. Gov. announces record Alzheimer’s funding during event in Ocala

Clockwise from Left: Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, left, reacts to Christina Ramos, administrator of Touching Hearts at Home, who shares stories about her family’s touching story of elder care. Florida Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Michelle Branham, who revealed that an estimated 800,000 people provide unpaid care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez shared news of “record funding” earmarked for Alzheimer’s and dementia research and care. Cary Eyre, dementia director at the Florida Department of Elder Affairs speaks.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

According to Florida

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, more than 580,000 people ages 65 and older in the state are dealing with Alzheimer’s

disease and dementia-related cognitive decline. Nuñez visited the Hospice of Marion County Elliott Center in Ocala on Wednesday, July 19, for a media event to announce “record funding” earmarked for Alzheimer’s and dementia research and care.

The new state budget allocates more than $65 million for Alzheimer’s care and research, $12.5 million more than last year.

for senior healthcare.

remain on city council

Staff report

There were three seats open in the city of Ocala government this election cycle: two are on the city council and the mayoral seat. The qualifying period ended at noon July 14, and two of those seats are now decided because the candidates drew no opposition. Only one person, Ben Marciano, filed to run for mayor. Kent Guinn, who has served as the city’s mayor for 12 years, had announced in April that he would not be seeking reelection.

Marciano drew considerable support. At least 82 individuals or businesses, some related, contributed the maximum amount of $1,000 to his campaign. Combined with another 100 contributors, Marciano brought in a total of $110,200, according to the last financial report filed with the supervisor of elections.

Marciano also drew endorsements from the Professional Fire Fighters of Ocala as well as for Marion County, and Ocala’s Fraternal Order of Police. “I’m blown away. It’s humbling after all I’ve been through in life to embark on this next chapter,” Marciano said.

Marciano told the “Gazette” that he recently sat down to talk about the mayoral role with Guinn, and they made a commitment to work together through the transition.

The “Gazette” asked Guinn if he had any advice for the city’s incoming mayor, and Guinn offered the same advice he says he received from former Mayor Ergle. “Don’t think you’re as important as others think you are.”

Alzheimer’s and related dementias, signing Senate Bill 806 to establish the Ramping up Education of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia for You (READY) Act. Described then as the final pillar of the five-part Dementia VOLUME 4 ISSUE 29 $2

Statute of limitations bars action against questionable votes

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Afive-year statute of limitations will bar any action against Rich Bianculli, a trustee of the Marion County Hospital District (MCHD), related to two questionable votes in 2014 and 2017 concerning a contract the board gave an investment advisor, Berman Capital.

Following a report by the “Gazette” last month about an apparent conflict of interest between the district’s longtime trustee and Berman Capital, which was entrusted with a third of the district’s investment, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) asked the county’s attorney, Guy Minter, to look

into the situation.

The commissioners are responsible for appointing and removing trustees from the district’s board.

Minter informed the commissioners by email that he had reached out to the Florida Ethics Commission, which informed him that the dates of the votes meant they were barred by a five-year statute of limitations and the ethics commission had no jurisdiction to take action in the matter.

MCHD investments, totaling $275,661,698 during the last reporting period, are broken up equally among the investment companies of Cresset Berman, Graystone, and Truist.

MCHD started investing approximately $213 million in 2014 when the county,

with approval from Marion County voters, decided to lease the county hospital, Munroe Regional Medical Center, to a private healthcare company. The hospital lease has changed hands a few times since then and is now held by AdventHealth.

The money from the lease came to the MCHD trustees to be used to meet the health needs of Marion County residents.

The three investment companies are overseen by an investment consultant, Park Place, which advises the trustee board. Cresset Berman, formerly known as Berman Capital Advisors, and Truist, formerly known as SunTrust, have continually invested money for the MCHD since the hospital was leased. Graystone replaced another investment company,

See Marion, page A2

Marciano’s term will begin Dec. 5.

City councilmember Kristin Dreyer also did not draw an opponent and will continue a second term as a council member. Dreyer received $19,000 in campaign contributions.

“As I stand, unopposed, for a second term on the city council, I am immensely grateful for the trust you have placed in me, and I look forward to the privilege of serving you once again. Together, let us continue the journey of progress, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come,” Dreyer wrote in a statement to the “Gazette.”

City councilmember Ire Bethea has drawn one opponent, Reginald Landers. That seat will be decided in a Sept. 19 election.

Marciano will be Ocala’s next mayor, and Dreyer will

Ben Marciano, Kristen Dreyer

Photos By Julie Garisto Ocala Gazette

See Funding, page A4

Marion County Hospital District

Continued from page A1

Simon Quick, formerly known as Massey Quick, in 2022.

Berman’s entry into an arrangement holding roughly $88 million of MCHD investments raises some transparency concerns. When the lease money was received, Bianculli, chair of the investment committee, suggested that the board allocate the investments among three companies: Goldman Sachs, Massey Quick, and SunTrust.

It’s not mentioned in the 2014 district meeting minutes, however, that Massey Quick’s contract with MCHD includes an extra party, Berman Capital. Under the investment agreement with MCHD, Berman Capital and Massey are independent and serve as “co-advisors” to MCHD.

Following the initial report, the attorney for the district, Joseph Hanratty, has pointed out that Massey Quick’s request for proposal, or RFP, noted coadvisory agreements with Berman in response to its RFP. However, Massey’s response to the district’s RFP did not use any of Berman’s assets to qualify for the district’s contract and Berman wasn’t the only company Massey disclosed having “co-advisory” arrangements with, yet those companies aren’t named in the district’s 2014 contract.

According to a report by RIAbiz.com in November of 2011, Berman contracted with the more established Massey to handle all of the “due diligence” for Berman’s investments as it did not have the in-house capacity to do so.

At the time the district entered into the 2014 agreement, Berman was only three years old, and considered a “boutique” investment firm serving wealthy individual investors. It had no institutional clients. Yet, under the district’s contract, Berman’s investment advice was weighted above Massey’s.

The contract seems to be silent about how the two companies split fees paid by the district for services.

The 2014 district investment contract acknowledges that Berman Capital connected MCHD with Massey Quick. However, contracts for investment management companies did not require a middleman since companies were solicited through requests for proposals issued from the district.

Most government entities use RFPs in their procurement process to create an even playing field for vendors and encourage competitive bidding. Ideally, this process makes business transactions with the government more transparent and competitive.

Under the contract, Berman’s investment advice seemed to be weighted superior to Massey. The contract reads that Berman was “exclusively responsible for: (I) assisting the Client [MCHD] in determining the initial and ongoing suitability of MQ’s recommendations for the Client’s investment portfolios and/or strategies.”

New documents obtained through archives of the Marion County Clerk’s office indicate that at least 40 investment companies responded to the district’s RFP in

2014, but Berman did not.

The district’s office could not produce many records from this 2014 RFP, citing statutes do not require them to keep the records for that length of time.

During the July 2014 meetings, Bianculli, as the investment chair, failed to disclose to the trustees that he was on the advisory board of Berman Capital. But according to archived internet records from the company’s website before and after he made the motion to approve the contracts, he is listed as an advisory board member of Berman Capital.

Disclosures filed by Berman as late as 2021 reflected MCHD being the only institutional client in the firm’s portfolio.

Following the “Gazette’s” initial report, Commissioner Craig Curry asked county staff during a July 10 meeting whether or not the county’s procurement office could assist the district with RFPs in the future.

The clerk of the court, Greg Harrell, advised against being involved in the district’s business other than appointing trustees. He mentioned nothing of their ability to remove them.

Commissioner Michelle Stone told the “Gazette” that the district’s CEO, Curt Bromund, told her he was preparing a list to send the “Gazette.”

Bromund, upon request by the “Gazette,” deferred to the district’s legal counsel. Neither Bromund nor the district’s attorney have provided any list of “inconsistencies” for correction since requested on July 12.

Despite repeated attempts by phone, text and email, Bianculli has not responded to requests for comment.

As previously reported, in 2017, Berman would get its own one-third of the available investment funds.

The decision to give Berman a third of the investment funds was made by the trustees without sending out a request for proposals to other investment firms.

In documents obtained since our initial report, by 2017, Massey continues its services to Berman, and Berman identifies them as a coadvisor in their mandatory financial disclosures. This time, however, Berman’s 2017 contract with the district does not name Massey.

Bianculli was the district’s investment chair when the 2014 and 2017 decisions were made. However, in the 2017 vote, Bianculli recused himself from the vote to approve Berman’s contract. Minutes of hospital board meetings and at least one witness in attendance indicate there was no conversation about why he recused himself.

A conflict-of-interest form filed by Bianculli and obtained by the “Gazette” indicates that the reason for the recusal was that his son was an intern at the Berman investment firm and that Bianculli himself had investments at the firm.

The conflict-of-interest form, however, is not attached to the Aug. 28, 2017, meeting minutes, according to the MCHD website. There also is no indication in the meeting minutes that the conflict was stated on the record.

Bianculli became the chair of

the MCHD at the next meeting and has remained the chair for almost six years.

According to Bianculli’s son Maximilian Bianculli’s LinkedIn page, within days of Berman receiving the $80 million MCHD investment contract in 2017, while still an undergrad student, he transitioned from being an intern to having a paid part-time position with Berman, where he worked until he graduated from college in 2019, when he went full-time. Currently, his LinkedIn page says he works as an Investment Reporting Analyst for Berman.

As chairman of MCHD since 2017, Bianculli has continued to make decisions related to Berman, and no other conflict-of-interest form has ever been filed.

Neither Justin Berman, principal for Cresset Berman, nor Maximilian Bianculli, have responded to inquiries by the “Gazette.”

While Rich Bianculli has served as chair, term limits for trustees have been renegotiated. Historically, MCHD trustees only served two four-year terms. Now, they can serve unlimited terms if appointed by the commissioners.

The commissioners have never taken action to remove a trustee, although they have authority to do so.

It should be noted that Bianculli’s net worth according to early financial disclosures was valued at $16 million and he is a significant campaign and PAC contributor in local elections, including supporting some of the county commissioners.

Under the bylaws of the MCHD, conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the board and the board has a duty to investigate those conflicts of interest. Hanratty maintained that Bianculli has not violated Fla. Stat. 112.3143 as it relates to voting conflicts, but he declined to explain his conclusion.

There was no explanation provided for why Bianculli failed to disclose that he was a “business associate” with Berman when he made the motion to approve a contract with Massey Quick and Berman in 2014; nor to disclose the nature of his Berman conflict to the other trustees in 2017 or since then when making decisions related to their relationship with Berman.

Hanratty wrote the “Gazette” prior to the first report that “no public official is under any obligation to answer your inquiries.”

The board is subject to the state’s open government, or Sunshine Laws, which means their meetings are publicly noticed, although members of the public rarely attend the meetings. The records are public, and trustees are not to discuss district business outside of a regularly noticed meeting.

Currently, the trustees are Bianculli, who has served as a trustee continually since the lease inception and served as the chair of the board since 2017, Ken Marino, Ram Vasudevan, David Cope, and added within the past two years, Teresa Stephens, Rusty Branson and Harvey Vandeven.

The district board is set to vote on its chair at the July 31 regularly scheduled meeting. Bianculli has not attended the last two meetings.

ALLIGATOR ATTACK CLOSES ALEXANDER SPRINGS

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest is closed pending a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigation into an aggressive alligator attack on Monday, July 17, according to FWC.

A man was attacked by a 7- to 8-foot alligator early Monday afternoon while snorkeling

in the spring’s designated swimming area. The man suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to his shoulder, arm and leg, according to FWC.

The man chose to transport himself to medical care after Adventure Ocala, which runs several parks with a permit from the United States Forest Service, administered initial medical care at the scene on Monday.

The springs were immediately cleared out and closed to the

public after the attack and remained closed as of Wednesday.

The alligator was located and removed from the spring on Tuesday.

The springs will reopen when the FWC completes an investigation to assure the safety of visitors, according to Forest Service spokesperson Nikki Maxwell.

“We don’t have any news. It’s not going to be opening at this time, we don’t expect,” Maxwell said.

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Evelyn Anderson Account Executive evelyn@magnoliamediaco.com

Bruce Ackerman Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com

Allen Barney Reporter allen@ocalagazette.com

Caroline Brauchler Reporter caroline@ocalagazette.com

Rosemarie Dowell Reporter rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Andy Fillmore Reporter andy@ocalagazette.com

Julie Garisto Reporter julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Greg Hamilton Editor greg@magnoliamediaco.com

Susan Smiley-Height Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Belea Keeney Reporter belea@magnoliamediaco.com

Lauren Morrish Reporter lauren@ocalagazette.com

Cheryl Specht Client Services Guru cheryl@magnoliamediaco.com

Amy Harbert Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com

News tips tips@ocalagazette.com

Distribution Inquiries info@ocalagazette.com

Follow us @ocalagazette

Our mission is to inform and uplift our readers by reporting on the events, issues and stories that shape Ocala with accuracy, fairness and passion. We also strive to serve as a forum where all voices can be heard and to chronicle our community’s history. ocalagazette.com

©2023 Ocala Gazette, LLC

Ocala Gazette (USPS# 25590) (ISSN 2771-1595) is published weekly by Magnolia Media Company, LLC, 1900 SE 18TH AVE STE 200, Ocala, FL 34471-8235. Periodicals postage paid at Ocala, FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Ocala Gazette, PO Box 188, Ocala, FL 34471.

Share your news

The Ocala Gazette invites you to share your important news events with the community. Email your submissions to info@ocalagazette.com. Please include your name and contact information on the submission.

• Letters to the editor: 200 words or less.

Honorable Mentions: 150 words or less about an individual or organization accomplishment in the business, education, community service, athletics or other area of endeavor. Attach a photo of the individual or group being honored, if available.

Upcoming events: Are you holding a charitable or community event that is open to the public? Include the organization hosting the event as well as the time, date and a brief description of the event, along with registration information or other important instructions.

• News tips: Include whatever information you consider relevant.

Grieving families share insights

Loved ones of two men who died recently talk about them and continue to hope for resolution of the homicide cases.

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

The investigations of the shooting deaths of two local teens in June remains open as their two families continue to grieve.

Lezarius “Lee” Graham, 17, and Tylique Le’John Christie,18, both died in separate incidents in June as a result of gun violence.

Graham’s mother, Sakemia Jones, said her life will never be the same since “Lee,” who was soon be a father himself— was found deceased by a lawn maintenance worker on June 7 in a wooded area in the 4200 block of Northwest 21st Avenue.

Jones, 40, met recently at her northwest Marion County home, where Graham was living, to give a profile of her son.

“I miss my baby; they didn’t have to take my baby,” Jones said. She said her son, the youngest of three siblings, was her “everything” and in her grief, even eating has been difficult.

Graham died of gunshot wounds and Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) officials said the homicide case remains open.

Graham was born in Leesburg but grew up here. He attended Lake Weir High School and played football there. He was completing his General Educational Development (GED) diploma at Marion Acceleration Academies in The Cascades in Ocala and was nearly finished, Jones said. He was working at

Popeye’s Chicken in Belleview up to five days a week and going to classes at least three days a week, Jones said, and his sights were set on joining the military. Graham was considering either the U.S. Army or U.S. Navy.

She said her son’s child, a girl, was born about two weeks after his death.

“Lee was very proud (to be a father). He went to Target and bought a lot of things (for the baby). He didn’t want to ask anybody for anything, but he wanted to hold his own,” Jones said.

She called her son “very mature.”

Jones said now she will have to be the surrogate “dad” for her granddaughter and be there for her “for the rest of her life.”

Jones said she phones her granddaughter’s mother or visits the child daily.

Tiasha Gaines, Jones’ sister and Graham’s aunt, said he was keen on financial matters and economizing.

Gaines said her nephew had the “mind of a 30-year-old” and “tried to make sense” by questioning things and asking “why, why, why.”

“Lee made an impression.

I saw Facebook posts like, ‘Your son helped me carry my groceries,’” Gaines said.

Graham enjoyed rap music, family members said. He gave his mom a purse on Valentine’s Day and six bottles of perfume on Mother’s Day.

“Lee was funny, a big jokester … (he) wanted to be somebody …

I was proud of him,” Jones said. Meanwhile, Tylique Le’John Christie,18, was found critically injured June 19 when deputies responded to reports of “multiple shots fired” in the 4400 block of Northwest 22nd Avenue. He died the next morning at a local hospital.

His grandmother, Angela Christie, said the family moved here in 1992 from New York and that he was born in Marion County. She said her grandson attended Forest High School and Lake Weir High School and played football and basketball. She said he was on both YMCA and traveling basketball teams. She described him as a “social butterfly; lots of friends and dating” who had a good relationship with his family.

“He was so funny; he loved to dance,” she said.

Angela Christie said her grandson was hoping to start his own business and wanted to get his CDL (Commercial Driver’s License).

“Ty was 18 and obviously had friends that we did not know personally. After his death, we found out that those friends were not people we would have preferred for him to be around. We always have supported him and allowed him to have his own identity and unfortunately some of the choices of friendship we did not deem appropriate,” Angela Christie texted.

“We don’t know what happened, we have a lot of

questions,” she said.

Tylique’s aunt, Chenora AdjeiChristie, moved to Texas in 2021 and was working there as a social worker until she returned to the Marion County area after her nephew’s death.

When living here previously, she took Tylique to school daily through his sophomore year in high school.

“This has been very difficult for our family, very hard,” AdjeiChristie said in a phone interview. She called Tylique the “life of the party” and always attended family holiday get- togethers.

“Tylique was very sociable and popular, always smiling and happy, and loved family gatherings,” she said. “Tylique’s not here. I want to call him. He used to text and say, ‘Heyuntie.’”

Adjei-Christie said her nephew had “struggled in school” and was a “typical teen” but was taking online classes to complete his diploma. She said he was “very talented” and “loved basketball.”

According to the Lake Weir High School post at MaxPreps. com, Tylique Christie was a standout in basketball. “Tylique is ranked in the top 98 in Division 4A for 1 stat, top 9 in 4A District 6 for 1 stat.,” the website states.

Joanne Cornell-Ohlman, a friend of the Christie family, stated in a text that family members who “adored” Tylique “painted canvas tributes with his nickname “Leek” and basketballs all over them.”

“I think basketball was his coping skill; he could be himself on the court,” she said.

She said he had looked toward a career that didn’t require college attendance.

“I think he was struggling with his future and where he would fit in (but) people loved him and he wasn’t isolated,” Adjei-Christie said.

Adjei-Christie said she doesn’t understand what is happening in the area with multiple homicides but wishes the community could be more proactive to avoid the shooting deaths.

“Tylique was a loving young man who loved his family. There are always going to be people who want to blame the victim or their family; but I will not allow my nephew to be blamed for being a victim of gun violence,” AdjeiChristie stated in a text.

She said the family does not know Tylique’s friends and associates and did not know the other victim’s family.

She said the family is frustrated by a lack of information about Tylique’s death.

MCSO Public Information Officer Zach Moore stated in an email on July 17 that there’s “no further update” on the cases.

“We have been in contact with Major Crimes, and they advised there are no further updates at this time. Detectives are continuing to follow up on investigative leads and processing all available evidence in attempts to bring closure to these cases,” Moore wrote.

KINDERGARTEN KICKSTART UNDERWAY APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR FESTIVAL AT FORT KING

Hundreds of 4- and 5-year-old students are experiencing school for the first time and Marion County Public School’s (MCPS) Kindergarten Kickstart is being offered to help them adjust.

The annual week-long experience at nearly every elementary school offers incoming kindergarten students (all 5 years old by Sept. 1, as required by state law) a head start to full-time school.

Benefits include bonding time between teachers and students and social time for learning and playing together, all while adjusting to a new school environment. The goal is to make kindergarten less intimidating before school starts Aug. 10, according to the

news release.

MCPS also uses a “Stagger Start” approach to introduce younger students to full days of school. During the first three days on Aug. 10, 11 and 14, kindergarten classrooms will be divided into thirds so only one-third of each class attends school each day. This approach gives students more time to adapt to academic and social settings and provides more direct attention from teachers.

Parents and families with kindergarten-age students are encouraged to register students now instead of the first day of school. To do so, visit marionschools.net/Page/95028.

For more information, contact the Early Learning Department at (352) 671-6842.

The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department is seeking food and craft vendors, historical reenactors and demonstrators for the annual Festival at Fort King, Dec. 2 and 3. The historic-themed event will give guests a chance to step into life at Fort King in the 1800s. Local history will come to life with a re-enactment of the events that fueled the start of the Second Seminole War.

The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Sept. 25. For details and to apply, go to bit.ly/3Okaxo7

Tiasha Gaines, Sakemia Jones sister and Lezarius Graham’s aunt, holds a portrait of her nephew on July 15, 2023 in northwest Ocala. [Andy Fillmore]

Reginald Christie, left, and Hannah Carpenter, right, flank their son Tylique Christie. [Submitted]

Developers raise concerns over potential impact fees for schools

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Developers spoke out at the Marion County School Board workshop on July 14 to warn about negative impacts that could come from reinstating impact fees.

The school board is considering bringing back the impact fees, which were suspended in 2011, so developers will pay a one-time fee for each residence built to go toward the construction and renovation of schools as Marion County’s student population grows.

The school board’s decision will be informed by a long-range planning study conducted over the past year by Benesch, an independent consulting firm. The company looked at the district’s expected capital needs as well as the ramifications of reimposing the impact fees.

At a workshop on July 6, the school board discussed following Benesch’s recommendation to bring back the impact fees at 100% of what the firm proposed. This would make the fee about $10,693 per single family home—170% more than the $3,967 fee that was instated in 2006 and suspended in 2011, according to the study.

$4.5 million in revenue for schools.

The district currently receives funding from the Capital Outlay Millage, and it levies the maximum 1.5 mills to make lease payments, fund construction, and for transportation and technology. Millage is a tax rate assessed on a property’s assessed value, and 1.5 mills is $1.50 for each $1,000 of value.

“It turns out that on a per student basis, Marion County has the lowest funding of all 16 counties that we looked at,” Rudnianyn said.

Marion County Public Schools has the funding to spend $7,996 per student per year, according to the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget. This is below the statewide average of $9,983 per student per year, according to the Education Data Initiative.

Others suggested that the board consider either reinstating the impact fees at a lower amount or allowing for smaller homes to pay less of a fee. Kevin Sheilley, president of Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, suggested a model for fees that mirrors the county’s transportation impact fees.

“I would strongly encourage you to consider setting the impact fee for homes under 1,500 square feet at 10% of the recommendation from the report,” he said.

If followed, this suggestion would make the impact fee about $1,069 for a singlefamily home that size or smaller. He speculated that reinstating the fee at the full 100% recommendation could cause issues for renters, not just homeowners.

“We anticipate this would cost in rent an additional $100 a month and that would occur not only within new units, but then that sets the standard for all rental units,” Sheilley said.

The school board members said they were receptive of these suggestions and wanted to consider alternative approaches that allow impact fees to benefit schools without seriously harming developers, prospective homeowners or renters.

“I can appreciate taking a tiered approach for homes under 1,500 square feet as well because I don’t necessarily think that the builder who’s building the $500,000 house should pay the same potentially as someone who’s building a smaller home,” said Board Member Sarah James.

James said she supports reinstating the impact fee at 50% initially, and then increasing it in increments over time. At that rate, an impact fee for a single-family home would cost about $5,346 initially.

Board Chair Allison Campbell agreed with the idea of a tiered approach but reiterated that the population of school-aged children is growing quickly and that a decision must be made soon to set a plan into action to help fund the construction of new schools and to expand existing schools.

frequency and rate that local governments can increase impact fees.

David Tillman, president of the Marion County Building Industry Association, spoke to the school board about his concerns that impact fees will be a detriment to affordable housing.

“The challenge we face today is to strike a delicate balance between funding our schools and ensuring the availability of affordable housing options,” he said. “We cannot allow our children’s education opportunities to suffer, nor can we disregard the importance of providing affordable housing to those who need it most.”

Tillman speculated that reinstating impact fees would cause the price of single-family homes to rise by about $10,000.

The district should also explore alternative methods of funding, said Todd Rudnianyn, CEO of Neighborhood Storage.

The school board is also eligible to levy the “school half-cent sales tax,” which, if voters approve, would directly fund the construction, reconstruction or improvement of school facilities. The county formerly had this tax from 2005 until 2009, which gave the district

“We as a board are aware that the southwest portion of our county has seen the most increase,” she said. “Part of the solution to that is to relieve pressure off of our southwest Ocala schools by building new schools in southwest Ocala and that’s exactly what was being proposed moving forward.”

While the southwest area of the county is experiencing the most overcrowding, the entire district is experiencing the strain. District-wide, elementary schools have 8% capacity remaining, middle schools have 4% remaining and high schools are the most crowded with 2% remaining capacity, according to the Benesch study.

“We did actually end the year about 1,000 to 1,100 students I think more than what the projection was,” Campbell said.

The school board will meet with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners at a joint workshop Aug. 11 to further discuss the potential of reinstating school impact fees.

Once the school board members come to a consensus on whether the fees should be adopted and at what rate, as well as any provisions necessary and a timeline, they will make a recommendation to the county commission, which has the final say on approving or turning down impact fees requests.

Funding for Alzheimers

Continued from page A1 Action Plan, the establishment of the Florida Alzheimer’s Center for Excellence was part of the Freedom First Budget signed last year by the governor.

At the time, the funding marked a nearly 60 percent increase from previous expenditures since the governor took office in 2019.

For most, the news should supersede, if just momentarily, party allegiances and the current political buzz about DeSantis’ U.S. Presidential candidacy.

The mid-day press event coincided with the recent news that the governor lags behind former President Donald Trump in poll numbers forecasting the Republican primary winner.

“The idea that DeSantis needs a shake-up is widely held among Republicans,” said NBC News, citing “roughly a dozen strategists and donors, affiliated with the campaign and not.”

First-care responders, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, Florida Sen. Keith Perry, Florida

Reps.

E.

County Commissioners Kathy Bryant and Michelle Stone, and Ocalabased healthcare professionals were in attendance.

Other speakers at the event included Michelle Branham, secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs; Cary Eyre, dementia director at the Florida Department of Elder Affairs; Jennifer Martinez, the executive director of Marion Senior Services; and Christina Ramos, administrator of Touching Hearts at Home.

“We’ve taken active steps to combat this issue, ranking No. 1 in the country for funding for Alzheimer’s and related dementia,” Nuñez said.

Branham, appointed by DeSantis to serve as the agency head for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in December 2021, spoke on the

prioritization of addressing the debilitating diseases.

An estimated 800,000 people provide unpaid care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s and dementia, said Branham, adding, “I’ve experienced firsthand the impact Alzheimer’s has on families and loved ones.”

Under Branham’s leadership, the department serves Florida’s older adults, providing services and support initiatives through Florida’s Aging Network.

Ramos, whose parents were in the audience, shared her personal journey as a caregiver at the agency event on Southwest 34th Avenue.

“Our inspiration was my Nana,” Ramos shared. “My grandmother was diagnosed with the awful disease approximately

Michelle Branham Secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs

14 years ago and, at that time, it was the first time our family had encountered the decline of an aging loved one. It ripped our worlds upside down.” Ramos went on to describe how her grandmother went from a thriving, self-sufficient woman to a debilitated, dependent medical patient known as a “wandering risk.”

“Today, she cannot feed herself. She cannot speak. She just babbles,” Ramos said. “Unfortunately, she can’t tell you if she has an appetite or she has to use the restroom … I know that there are lots of people in this room today who deal with our seniors and those facing Alzheimer’s or dementia. The $12.5 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to expand services at the 18 memory care disorder clinics here, and also to help other service

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION PROCESS IS OPEN

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the opening of a financial assistance application process for eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. Section 22007 of the Inflation

Reduction Act directs USDA to provide this assistance. The website, 22007apply.gov, includes an English- and Spanish-language application that applicants can download or submit via an e-filing portal, information on how to obtain technical assistance in-person or virtually and

additional resources and details. The application process will be open until Oct. 31.

According to new releases, vendors operating four regional hubs, including the Windsor Group LLC Region II East hub in the GTE building at 2153 SE Hawthorne Road, Gainesville,

providers, is phenomenal.”

Nuñez claimed that Florida now ranks first in the country for funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

“So that’s something we are very proud of, we put our money where our mouth is and we understand we need to be forward-thinking and making sure we’re funding this in a way that’s appropriate,” said Nuñez. She added that more than 115,000 people in Marion County are over the age of 65, making them more vulnerable to the disease.

“I know it takes a strong community to keep things moving forward, and I’m very blessed to be a part of one here in Marion County,” Martinez affirmed during her address.

“I leave you with this: 143,000 residents in Marion County are 60 and over; 54,000 of those are 75 and over; and 15,000 of those are probable Alzheimer’s patients in our future. While these numbers are daunting, I can confidently say we will meet these needs and challenges together.”

are providing technical assistance and working with community-based organizations to conduct outreach using digital and grassroots strategies to ensure potential applicants are informed about the program and have the opportunity to apply. To learn more, call 1-800-721-0970 or visit usda.gov.

Courtesy of Benesch Professional Services Firm

Ralph

Massulo and Ryan Chamberlain, Marion

“I’ve experienced firsthand the impact Alzheimer’s has on families and loved ones.”

Increase seen in requests for free food

A church in Silver Springs Shores reports the number of those coming to its distribution site has more than tripled.

food, including sweet potatoes, baby food, Starbucks coffee and more, in an assembly line-style drive-thru operation. The line of cars wound around the parking lot and out toward Maricamp Road. A volunteer stood at the entrance and asked how many households the driver was picking up for.

“This definitely helps; everything is so expensive,” said a driver who was picking up food for two households.

One woman in the line said it’s “nice to help people in the neighborhood” and that “Social Security is not enough.”

One driver was picking up for a neighbor who can’t get to the distribution and said if it weren’t for the food outreach, recipients would have to “do without.”

Another driver said the outreach was “beautiful” and praised the variety of fresh food. An Army veteran picked up a 24-bottle case of Sparkling Ice Flavored water from a pallet and said the food outreach is a “great help.” Yet another driver said he had recently lost his job at a local home improvement store.

Thomas prayed with a recipient who asked her to do so.

of foodstuffs are delivered by His Compassion to the church every week. Fruit, produce, baking and sweet potatoes, meat, cheese, Krispy Kreme items and household cleaners are typical of the items distributed by the food bank.

“(Our) community is taken care of as best we can as for the influx of people, or the number of people that we see coming through the lines at the City of Refuge and any of our other partnering agencies. Kids are out of school, home all day,” Johnson wrote. “His Compassion delivers 7,753 meals and 2,000 drinks weekly.”

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, about a mile east of City of Refuge Apostolic Church, at 10670 S.E. Maricamp Road, is making plans to hold a mobile food drive to feed about 300 families in the first week of August. Church office manager Lyndy Garrett said the church provides a food pantry on the first and third Tuesday of each month. She said the upcoming mobile drive is in response to the need seen in the area.

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

The turnout for the weekly City of Refuge Apostolic Church free food distribution in Silver Springs Shores has more than tripled since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The church, located at 9495 S.E. Maricamp Road, on the property where the Silver Springs Shores real estate developer’s welcome center once stood, has provided the outreach for about 10 years, indicated the Rev. Ruth Thomas. The free food distributions, held every

Honor

Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m. and also on the second Saturday of each month, have been called a godsend, helping those in need and those trying to stretch already thin budgets.

The church secretary said the prepandemic turnout was typically around 40 cars in the Thursday morning free food line but now as many as 150 cars, some picking up foodstuffs for multiple families, will pass through.

Dedicated volunteers and the support of His Compassion Food Bank have kept the outreach moving forward. At a recent distribution session, about a dozen church member volunteers loaded the

“(This is) bringing the community together,” she said.

For about the last 18 months, the church has been one of 159 area sites receiving pallets of food from His Compassion Food Bank on Northeast Jacksonville Road. The food bank’s website indicates it fed 19,626 families in 2022.

“It most definitely helps,” Thomas said of the food bank’s support.

According to Census.gov, in the 2020 Census, the population of Silver Springs Shores was 24,846 and 15.5% were over the age of 65 and 16.9% of the population were “persons on poverty.”

Robbie Johnson with His Compassion Food Bank said as many as eight pallets

7 to 8:30 PM

Hilton Hotel Ocala

3600 SW 36th Ave. (off SW College Rd,) Ocala, FL 34474

Keynote Remarks by Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods

FREE admission to honor Law Enforcement & Military • FREE “Thank you for your service” coin for attendees (.984 inch brass plated).

FREE: Our 1.54 inch size “challenge coin” (Nickel Plated Steel) for all veterans (uniformed services heroespolice, sheriff’s deputies, military). Golden plated nickel 1.54 inch “challenge” coin special presentations to invited veteran guests of honor. Pure Silver 1-ounce, 1.54 coin for Sheriff Billy Woods and one special guest of honor. American law enforcement is under attack from liberal politicians, the lying news media, and hateful “Defund the Police” radicals. Everyone who wears a uniform - soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guard - have never been more disrespected. Fight back. This new coin says “Thank You” to a uniformed serviceman who has served or is serving. Please join us on 7/28.

A message for Fellow Veterans and uniformed servicemen, Please join me on July 28 so Marion County citizens can honor you (active duty & veterans).

If you are not a vet or uniformed serviceman, join us to honor those who are.

Carl Vollmer, 94 year-old Korean War Veteran & Marion County CCC board member

Presentations by:

Deputy Sheriff Joe Zebroski (2018-19)

Senior Master Sgt., USAF (Ret., 38 years service) Richard Buck

National Project Director Uniformed Services League (from VA)

Keynote Speaker

Sheriff Billy Woods

Optional: VIP dinner 5:30 to 6:30 PM

For Host Committee & Speakers

Bronze $75, Silver $150, Gold $500

Register: ConservativeChristianCenter.org

Sept. 19 election for Mayor, City council candidates invited.

your calendar All candidates and officeholders welcome. Register at ConservativeChristianCenter.org

Hosted in Ocala by Conser vative Christian Center Marion County Chapter

The City of Refuge Apostolic Church offers free food to those in need. [Andy Fillmore]

City of Refuge Apostolic Church pastor Ruth Thomas readies food for distribution. [Andy Fillmore]

Carl with Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn

Gold returns to fire service

Rabies alert issued for parts of Marion County

The Florida Department of Health in Marion County (DOH-Marion) has issued a rabies alert after three raccoons have tested positive for rabies.

According to the news release, Marion County residents who live or work in the following areas are strongly advised to maintain a heightened awareness that rabies is active near them:

• In Silver Springs, north of County Road 314, south of Gores Landing, east of Northeast 147th Avenue Road and west of CR 314A.

• In the Fellowship area, north of CR 328, south of CR 464B, east of Northwest 150th Avenue and west of Northwest 110th Avenue.

• In the Blitchton area, north of State Road 326, south of Northwest 110th Street, east of U.S. 27 and west of CR 225.

Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is fatal to humans and warm-blooded animals. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies-specific immune globulin and rabies immunization. Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure will protect an exposed person from the disease, the release noted.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions to prevent exposure to rabies:

• Avoid all contact with wildlife, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.

• Never handle unfamiliar animals (wild or domestic), even if they appear friendly.

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Amonth and a half after Jeff Gold’s resignation as a Marion County Commissioner, he has returned to fire service, this time with The Villages Public Safety Department as a division chief of administration.

“When I left the commission in early June, my only plans were to continue working part-time, and to finish the book I had started detailing what I had experienced as a politician in my six years as a commissioner, but I was told about the position with The Villages Public Safety Department and applied. I went through the competitive hiring process, was offered the job, and started July 10,” Gold explained.

Gold probably could have had his pick of fire departments to join, given his longdecorated history as a first responder. He has a doctorate in education, master’s degrees in fire and emergency services and criminal justice, a graduate certificate in emergency management, graduate and undergraduate studies in business and emergency medical services, and is a state certified fire officer, inspector and investigator.

“The Villages Public Safety is a growing and progressive fire department with excellent leadership and support of the

administration,” Gold said.

“In 2020, when the pandemic hit, both my wife and I saw the strain on our healthcare providers and first responders. She is a nurse, and I am a firefighter paramedic, so we both started volunteering in our community and then later went part-time, working around my commission schedule to fill in the gaps left by those who quit,” Gold stated.

Returning to full-time fire service feels right, he said.

“This is the happiest I’ve been at work since I retired from the sheriffs’ office in 2014. Those I am working with at The Villages Fire Rescue are genuine people who put serving the community first and have a true servant’s heart. What else could I ask for?” he said.

Gold, a Republican, was first elected in 2016 as the commissioner in District 3, which includes the Belleview area. He won a second term in 2020 against Bobby D. Dobkowski, capturing three-quarters of the vote. His second term would have expired in 2024.

Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox said that in such situations, the governor will appoint someone to serve the rest of the term. Interested applicants do not have to live in the district. The application can be found at flgov.com on the “Appointments Office” page.

An animal with rabies could infect other animals that have not received a rabies vaccination. Domestic animals are at risk if they are not vaccinated; rabies is always a danger in wild animal populations, the release stated.

If you have been bitten or scratched by a wild or domestic animal, seek medical attention and report the injury to DOH-Marion by calling (352) 629-0137.

If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek immediate veterinary assistance for the animal, and contact Marion County Animal Services at (352) 671-8727.

• Do not feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or trash.

• Keep rabies vaccinations current for all pets.

• Keep pets under direct supervision so they do not come into contact with wild animals.

• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and other similar areas where they might encounter people and pets.

For more information, go to floridahealth.gov/diseasesand-conditions/rabies

SHERIFF BILLY WOODS FILES FOR REELECTION, SEEKS THIRD TERM

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Incumbent Sheriff Billy Woods filed for reelection for the office of Marion County Sheriff on Tuesday, July 18, according to Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox.

Woods was first elected in 2016, then reelected in 2020. If he wins the vote for sheriff in 2024, it will be his

third term in office. No other candidates have filed to enter the race, so Woods currently runs unopposed. Woods also ran unopposed in the 2020 election, according to the supervisor of elections database.

As of Fiscal Year 2022-23, the Marion County Sheriff makes an annual salary of $204,618, according to Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE

Jeff Gold and two other Marion County Fire Rescue officials address a large brushfire that involved multiple structures in the Florida Highlands in 2021.[Submitted]

Former county commissioner joins The Villages Public Safety Department.

Chinese land ownership law debated

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

Afederal judge listened to more than two hours of arguments Tuesday about whether he should block a new Florida law that restricts people from China from owning property in the state.

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor asked numerous questions of attorneys for the state and plaintiffs seeking a preliminary injunction against the law. He said he would make a decision as soon as he can but that a ruling would not be “super imminent.”

Four Chinese people and a real-estate brokerage that serves Chinese clients filed a lawsuit and sought an injunction after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law (SB 264) in May. The lawsuit, which has been backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, contends that the restrictions violate constitutional rights and the federal Fair Housing Act and are trumped by federal law.

DeSantis and Republican legislative allies this spring pointed to a need to curb the influence of the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party in Florida. But Ashley Gorski, an

American Civil Liberties Union attorney representing the plaintiffs, told Winsor the state has relied on “pernicious stereotypes” to conflate people from China with the Chinese government.

“There are always all of these stereotypes and really tired tropes that governments have used, perpetuating Asians as foreigners and enemies of the state,” Bethany Li, an attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund who also represents the plaintiffs, told reporters before the hearing.

State Solicitor General Henry Whitaker said during the hearing that the law is designed to protect the security of Florida.

“The state is concerned with the influence of the Chinese Community Party and their agents in Florida,” Whitaker said.

As an indication of the interest in the case, an unusually large crowd packed a courtroom in the federal courthouse in Tallahassee. Before the hearing, dozens of opponents of the law gathered outside the building.

The law affects people from what Florida calls “foreign countries of concern”—China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria, with

part of it specifically focused on Chinese people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.

The legal challenge centers on such Chinese people. Under the law, they would be prevented from purchasing property in Florida, with some exceptions. For example, they each would be allowed to purchase one residential property up to two acres if the property is not within five miles of a military base and they have non-tourist visas.

Plaintiffs are in the United States on such things as work and student visas. One is seeking asylum, according to the lawsuit, which was filed May 22 and revised June 5.

The law also would prevent people from the seven “foreign countries of concern” from buying agricultural land and property near military bases. Those parts of the law would apply to people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.

Winsor and the attorneys engaged in back-and-forth discussions about a series of issues Tuesday, including whether the law violates constitutional equal-protection rights, the Fair Housing Act and whether it is “preempted” by federal law.

Part of the preemption issue stems

State appeals ruling on kids in nursing homes

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

The state quickly launched an appeal after a federal judge ruled Friday that Florida has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and needs to make changes to keep children with “complex” medical conditions out of nursing homes.

Attorneys for the state filed a notice Monday that is a first step in challenging U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks’ ruling at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

As is common, the notice does not detail arguments the state will make at the Atlanta-based appeals court. But the state Agency for Health Care Administration issued a statement Monday that criticized Middlebrooks’ ruling and said Florida would seek a stay and appeal.

“The judge’s failure to understand the law is demonstrable in his order,” said the statement from the agency, which runs most of the Medicaid program.

“The court’s conclusion that the state’s actions or omissions force children to live in nursing homes against their parent’s wishes is unsupported and refuted by the evidence presented at trial.”

Middlebrooks’ ruling and an accompanying injunction came in a decade-long legal battle in which the U.S. Department of Justice alleged the state unnecessarily institutionalized children in

nursing homes. The South Florida-based judge ordered the state to make changes aimed at providing care to children in their family homes and communities.

“Unjustified institutionalization of individuals with disabilities is unacceptable, especially given the advances in technology and in the provision of home-based care,” Middlebrooks wrote in a 79-page decision.

“Any family who wants to care for their child at home should be able to do so.”

The case focuses on children in the Medicaid program with conditions that often require round-the-clock care involving such needs as ventilators, feeding tubes and breathing tubes. The ruling said about 140 children in the Medicaid program are in three nursing homes in Broward and Pinellas counties. It also said more than 1,800 children are considered at risk of being institutionalized.

Middlebrooks wrote that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the state to provide services in the most “integrated setting appropriate” to meet the needs of people with disabilities. He also cited a major 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said “undue institutionalization” of people with disabilities is a form of discrimination.

But the statement Monday from the Agency for Health Care Administration disputed Middlebrooks’ conclusions.

“During the trial, witnesses testified that their medically complex children

were in nursing homes for various reasons unrelated to the state or its policies,” the statement said. “Not one parent testified that they are ready and willing to take a child home but cannot do so because of the state’s actions or omissions. The court’s conclusion that the state’s actions or omissions force children to live in nursing homes against their parents’ wishes is a generalization unsupported and even refuted by the evidence presented at trial.”

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in 2013, after conducting an investigation that concluded the state Medicaid program was unnecessarily placing children in nursing homes. The state has vehemently fought the allegations and the lawsuit, with the U.S. Supreme Court last year declining to take up a state appeal aimed at preventing the case from moving forward.

A key part of Middlebrooks’ ruling was that the Medicaid program and contracted managed-care organizations were not providing adequate privateduty nursing that could enable children to receive care in their family homes or communities.

Middlebrooks ordered that the Medicaid program provide 90 percent of the private-duty nursing hours that are authorized for the children. He also ordered the state to improve what are known as “care coordination” services and to take steps to improve the transition of children from nursing homes.

from a federal law that created what is known as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, which has power to review realestate transactions involving certain people from other countries.

Gorski argued that the Florida law deals with the “intersection” of national security, foreign affairs and foreign investment—and is preempted by federal law.

But Whitaker said there has been no indication that the Florida law would undermine the federal government’s ability to scrutinize property sales.

The Department of Justice last month filed a 22-page “statement of interest” supporting the lawsuit and preliminaryinjunction request, arguing the law violates the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Protection Clause.

Meanwhile, attorneys general from Idaho, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week opposing the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction.

SECOND REPUBLICAN SEEKS MCCLAIN SEAT

Asecond Republican has launched a bid to succeed term-limited Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala. Belleview Republican Beckie Sirolli opened a campaign account Wednesday to run in 2024 in House District 27, which is made up of parts of Lake, Marion and Volusia counties, according to the state Division of Election website. Also in the race is Summerfield Republican Stephen Shives, who had loaned $52,000 to his campaign as of June 30, a finance report shows. McClain is running for a Senate seat next year.

Black history standards approved amid criticism

Washington Carver),” the kindergarten standards require.

One part of the high-school standards directs students to describe “the contributions of Africans to society, science, poetry, politics, oratory, literature, music, dance, Christianity and exploration in the United States from 1776-1865.”

But during an at-times tense meeting Wednesday in Orlando, critics, including teachers and Democratic state lawmakers, asked the board to table the standards to allow for changes.

“These new standards present only half the story and half the truth. When we name political figures who worked to end slavery but leave anyone who worked to keep slavery legal nameless, kids are forced to fill in the blanks for themselves,” said Carol Cleaver, an Escambia County science teacher.

that “includes acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans but is not limited to 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, 1919 Washington, D.C. Race Riot, 1920 Ocoee Massacre, 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the 1923 Rosewood Massacre.”

Thompson’s Senate district includes Ocoee, where Black people were killed on election day in 1920 by a mob of white residents. The violence took place after Moses Norman, an African American resident, was denied the right to vote.

Thompson objected to wording in the standards that said violence was perpetrated “by” African Americans.

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

The State Board of Education

on Wednesday approved new academic standards for instruction about African American history, after numerous teachers from across Florida objected to the changes and asked the board to put the proposal on hold.

Meanwhile, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. pushed back on assertions by groups such as the Florida Education Association teachers union and the NAACP Florida State Conference that the standards “omit or rewrite key historical facts about the Black experience” and ignore state law about required instruction.

Diaz defended the standards, while commending a workgroup involved in developing the curriculum and the Department of Education’s African American History Task Force.

“As age-appropriate, we go into some of the tougher subjects, all the way into the beginnings of the slave trade, Jim Crow laws, the civil-rights movement and everything that occurred throughout our history,” Diaz said.

The new standards are designed to guide lessons from kindergarten through high school.

For example, the kindergarten standards focus on teaching students about important historical figures.

“Recognize African American inventors and explorers (i.e., Lonnie Johnson [inventor], Mae C. Jemison, George

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, pointed to part of the middle-school standards that would require instruction to include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

“I am very concerned by these standards, especially … the notion that enslaved people benefited from being enslaved. It’s inaccurate and a scary standard for us to establish in our educational curriculum,” Eskamani said.

Rep. Rita Harris, D-Orlando, pointed to the same part of the standards and called it “such an insult.”

Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, referred to her time as a teacher and college administrator as she criticized the proposal.

“If I were still a professor, I would do what I did very infrequently — I’d have to give this a grade of ‘I’ (for) incomplete,” Thompson said.

Thompson cited part of the highschool standards requiring instruction

“When you look at the history currently, it suggests that the massacre was sparked by violence from African Americans. That’s blaming the victim. When in fact, it was other individuals who came into the Black community and killed individuals, burned homes and schools and lodges,” Thompson said.

But Paul Burns, chancellor of the Department of Education’s Division of K-12 Public Schools, disputed the criticism.

“For the folks in the media and in the teachers union who are watching, we want you to please pay close attention because you’ve been peddling really a false narrative,” Burns said.

Updates to the African American history curriculum were required by a controversial 2022 law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop Wrongs To Our Kids and Employees Act,” or “Stop WOKE Act.”

The law required, in part, that instruction include “the vital contributions of African Americans to build and strengthen American society and celebrate the inspirational stories of African Americans who prospered, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Lawsuit targets ‘Bureaucratic morass’ in felons voting

By Dara Kam Florida News Service

Calling the state

a “national embarrassment,” a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday accused Gov. Ron DeSantis and other elected officials of failing “to realize the promise” of a 2018 constitutional amendment aimed at restoring voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.

The lawsuit, filed by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and individual plaintiffs, described a “bureaucratic morass” encountered by felons trying to find out if they are eligible to vote.

The confusion stems from a controversial 2019 law that DeSantis and the Republicancontrolled Legislature passed to carry out the constitutional amendment, which said voting rights would be restored “upon completion of all terms of their sentence including parole or probation.” The law required felons to pay “legal financial obligations” — fees, fines and other court costs — associated with their convictions before they could be eligible to vote.

Wednesday’s lawsuit accused state and local officials of thwarting the intent of what was known as Amendment 4, which 65 percent of Florida voters supported.

“The defendants have used the legislative process, criminal

enforcement and taxpayer dollars to frustrate the will of Florida voters, as expressed in their overwhelming support for Amendment 4, to return the franchise to more than 1.4 million citizens in Florida,” the 74-page lawsuit, filed in the federal Southern District of Florida, said.

Defendants include DeSantis, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, supervisors of elections, county clerks of court, members of the state Commission on Offender Review, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass and Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon.

The lawsuit asks a judge to order the state “to establish a reliable statewide database that allows people with prior felony convictions” to determine whether they have outstanding legal financial obligations or are eligible to vote.

Felons trying to determine eligibility often have to navigate a byzantine system of combing through court records to see if they have outstanding fees and fines. The state lacks a single repository where such information can be found.

The state Division of Elections, run by Byrd, scrubs voter-registration applications to determine eligibility.

County elections supervisors are responsible for removing ineligible voters from the rolls.

But the lawsuit, in part, maintained that a lack of

uniformity in the way the state’s 67 counties determine eligibility makes the process unconstitutional. As an example, county clerks of court calculate what costs comprise “legal financial obligations” in different ways, according to the lawsuit.

“The defendants have created and encouraged a chaotic and broken system that is incapable of collecting and assessing the necessary information, particularly data related to LFOs (legal financial obligations), to determine the voting eligibility of people with prior felony convictions,” lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote.

Last year’s creation of the state Office of Election Crimes and Security — dubbed by critics as the “elections police” — has exacerbated the problem, the lawsuit said. The Legislature included $1.4 million for the office in the 2023-2024 state budget, which took effect July 1. Lawmakers steered $1.2 million to the program last year, DeSantis last August announced the arrests of 20 people for voting illegally in what he called the “opening salvo” for the office, which opened in July 2022. Many of the people who were arrested maintained that they were convicted felons who believed they were eligible to vote and were provided voter-registration cards by elections officials.

Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, told

reporters Wednesday that his group has worked for years with state and local officials to develop a system to ensure voters are eligible.

“Florida cannot have safe and secure elections if people do not have clarity … and the state needs to own up to its responsibility,” Meade said.

Felons trying to ascertain their eligibility can seek what is known as an “advisory opinion” from Byrd’s office. But the lawsuit contended the opinions do not clearly say whether someone is eligible and that the Department of State, which includes the Division of Elections, has a backlog of “tens of thousands of voter registration applications” awaiting review.

A failure to properly inform people about their voting eligibility “has resulted in a free-for-all by which various defendants … apply inconsistent and often incorrect legal analyses to … inaccurate information concerning whether people with prior felony convictions have completed their financial terms of sentence, in a complex labyrinth of misadministration that can only be described as ‘so standardless that it invites arbitrary enforcement,’” said the lawsuit, which also alleges the state process violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

State and local officials “have created and perpetuated barriers to the automatic restoration of voting rights pursuant to

Amendment 4 by providing incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable information, or refusing to provide any information at all, to citizens with prior felony convictions. This is a national embarrassment, notwithstanding the presence of a clear solution to the problem,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers argued.

The lawsuit pointed to a process used by Alabama, which issues a “voter information card” after the Bureau of Parole and Pardons has determined a convicted felon’s eligibility.

“If Alabama can create a process to confirm the eligibility of its voters, Florida should be able to do so,” the lawsuit said.

The 2019 law requiring payment of fees and fines was the focus of protracted litigation. A federal judge found the law was unconstitutional, but the Atlantabased 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision in a 6-4 ruling.

Meade, whose group was not a plaintiff in the challenge to the 2019 law, said the lawsuit filed Wednesday was not an attempt to “relitigate” the issue. He pointed to the arrests of people who erroneously believed they were eligible to vote as the “nail on the head” that sparked the lawsuit.

“We had no further option but to go to the courts and ask the courts to compel the state to do something very simple that they should have done years ago, and that is to do their job,” he said. “It is their responsibility.”

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. defended new African American history standards amid criticism from teachers and Democratic lawmakers. [Colin Hackley/File]

OUR MISSION IS TO INFORM AND UPLIFT OUR READERS BY REPORTING ON THE EVENTS, ISSUES AND STORIES THAT SHAPE OCALA WITH ACCURACY, FAIRNESS AND PASSION.

STATE URGES HEAT PRECAUTIONS

State emergency management officials are advising Floridians to ensure safety amid stifling heat.

“With the heat index value reaching an upwards of 110 degrees in some areas, it’s important to take breaks from the heat and drink plenty of water,”

Division of Emergency Management

Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said in a prepared statement.

“I urge all Floridians to practice heat safety and remember it is never safe to leave children or pets alone in a parked car.” The National Weather Service on Tuesday said a lengthy and dangerous heat wave will continue in South Florida and other parts of the country. “Record breaking heat is

UNION LAW FACES ANOTHER CHALLENGE

expected in the Four Corners states (in the southwest U.S.), Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley and South Florida each day,” the weather service said in an advisory.

For South Florida, the conditions are affected by “above normal sea surface temperatures and lighter than normal winds,” the weather service said.

The Division of Emergency Management warned that prolonged exposure to extreme heat increases risks of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. It advised people to take precautions such as limiting time spent outside, staying hydrated and wearing loose, lightweight clothing.

BY THE NUMBERS: FLORIDA POPULATION GROWTH

ewly updated estimates show Florida’s population increasing to more than 25 million people in 2032. Here are population estimates for April 1 of each upcoming year:

Source: Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research

SCHOOL VOUCHER TOTALS INCREASING

Florida is poised during the coming school year to see an increase in students receiving state-backed vouchers that can be used for such things as private-school tuition, after the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a massive expansion this spring.

As of Friday, 240,291 vouchers had been awarded to students across the Florida Tax Credit and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options voucher programs, compared to 173,416 vouchers awarded through the programs at the same time last year,

according to Step Up for Students, a non-profit organization that helps administer voucher programs. For students with special needs, who are served by the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities program, 68,379 vouchers had been provided since the beginning of the year. Through the same period last year, 55,843 vouchers had been awarded. DeSantis in March signed a bill (HB 1) that, in part, eliminated income-eligibility requirements for families seeking vouchers.

Aunion representing Duval County government workers has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that places additional restrictions on publicemployee unions. Laborers International Union of North America, Local 630, and three individual plaintiffs filed the lawsuit Friday in Jacksonville against Don Rubottom, chairman of the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission; the city of Jacksonville; the municipal utility JEA; and the Duval County School Board. It is at least the third constitutional challenge filed against the law, which took effect July 1 and includes changes such as preventing union dues from being deducted from workers’ paychecks.

The Jacksonville lawsuit challenges three parts of the law and seeks a preliminary injunction. As an example, it argues that a requirement for union members to fill out government-worded membership forms violates First Amendment rights. It

contends that the forms are unnecessary and inaccurate. Also, the lawsuit takes issue with a decision by the Republicancontrolled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis to exempt unions representing law-enforcement officers, firefighters and correctional officers from the restrictions.

As an example, in part of the lawsuit challenging the membership forms, it says, “There is no justification for requiring this information on membership applications, nor for requiring it to be provided by disfavored unions but not by favored unions.”

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, who is based in Tallahassee, refused in late June to issue a preliminary injunction sought by teachers unions against parts of the law.

Similarly, Leon County Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the dues-deduction change in a case filed by three municipal unions in South Florida and three union members. Both of those underlying lawsuits remain pending.

NEW COLLEGE FACES FACULTY TURNOVER

Amid heavy turnover, New College of Florida officials are in the process of filling 36 faculty positions ahead of the fall semester. New College has secured signed offer letters for 15 incoming visiting faculty members as it looks to address what Provost Brad Thiessen called a “ridiculously high” level of turnover compared to previous years.

A presentation given Monday to a committee of the New College Board of Trustees detailed reasons that faculty members will be “out for at least one semester.” For example, six faculty members have retired, six have resigned and six took leave without pay. Another 16 faculty members will be out for reasons such as being assigned research leave or being on family leave. Also, out of seven visiting professor contracts that were up for renewal, five have been renewed, meaning that the school has two visiting professor slots that

need to be filled.

Thiessen during Monday’s meeting pointed to the school being in the process of “negotiating offers” with six additional prospective faculty members. “If this meeting were a week later, I think we would get up to 21 (faculty members hired),” Thiessen said. The current vacancies would account for about a third of the small liberal-arts school’s total faculty, as the most recently published information on the New College website said the campus had 94 full-time faculty members. Fall classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 28. The school has drawn heavy attention in recent months as Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a slate of conservative trustees who have made changes. That has included the ouster of former President Patricia Okker, who was replaced by interim President Richard Corcoran, a former Florida House speaker and education commissioner.

CITIZENS TOPS 1.33 MILLION POLICIES

With the addition of nearly 9,000 policies last week, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has topped 1.33 million policies. Citizens had 1,331,650 policies as of Friday, up from 1,322,696 policies a week earlier and 1,317,175 policies two weeks earlier, according to data posted on its website.

Citizens President and CEO Tim Cerio said last week the state’s insurer of last

TWO STATES REMOVED FROM DRIVER’S LICENSE LIST

Vermont and Rhode Island have been removed from a list of states with certain types of driver’s licenses deemed invalid in Florida. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website on Monday listed Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii as offering licenses that are invalid in Florida under a new law targeting undocumented immigrants.

“This afternoon, Vermont’s deputy commissioner of motor vehicles contacted

our department and advised that Vermont’s ‘Driver Privilege Card’ is not exclusively issued to those without a legal presence in the U.S.,” Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Molly Best said in an email Monday. “States listed in the published list of out-of-state license classes no longer accepted in Florida are states where a driver license class or permit is issued exclusively to unauthorized immigrants, thus making them invalid in Florida.”

Rhode Island was removed for a similar reason on July 10, Best said. The governor’s office announced the list on July 5 as a pushback against the Biden administration’s handling of immigration issues. “Someone who is in our country illegally and has violated our laws should not possess a government-issued ID which allows them access to state-funded services and other privileges afforded to lawful residents,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news release on July 5.

resort could reach 1.7 million policies by the end of the year. Citizens has seen explosive growth over the past three years as private insurers have shed policies and raised rates because of financial problems.

As an illustration of the growth, Citizens had 474,630 policies on June 30, 2020; 638,263 policies on June 30, 2021; and 931,357 policies on June 30, 2022.

At the time, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles listed five states with invalid licenses and said the list was subject to change. The new Florida law (SB 1718), which took effect July 1, includes a series of changes, such as stepping up requirements on businesses to check the immigration status of workers, cracking down on people who bring undocumented immigrants into Florida and collecting data about whether hospital patients are in the country legally.

When your child needs medical care, you want to be confident they are getting the best care and expertise available. At AdventHealth Ocala, we offer a range of pediatric services for children of all ages, conveniently located close to home. So, your littlest loved ones can get the care they need and back doing the things they enjoy most.

n Dedicated Pediatric ER

n Urgent Care

n In-home Urgent Care

n Virtual Care

n Labor and Delivery

n Level II NICU

n Pediatric Cardiology

n High Risk Pregnancy

n Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy

Learn more at AdventHealthOcala.com

People, Places & Things

Ocalan earns Girl Scouts Gold Award

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

There is a long history of Girl Scouting in Alexis Hatch’s family. “My mum was a Girl Scout and so was her mum, and then her mum,” Hatch said.

And now, Hatch has achieved the ultimate honor, the Girl Scouts Gold Award.

The Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, available to girls in high school who create a significant and sustainable positive change in a community. Hatch was among 32 recipients honored June 10 at the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s (GSWCF) Annual Gold Award Ceremony.

The 2023 recipients invested more than 3,200 hours planning and implementing projects that tackled many pervasive issues, according to the organization. Hatch’s project addressed the loss of longleaf pine forests in Florida by improving the health of a longleaf pine forest on the Camp Wildwood property.

According to materials prepared for the ceremony, “longleaf pine is the most fire, insect and disease resistant southern pine species,” yet, according to Arthur Clothier, a Sumter County forester with the Florida Forest Service, who worked with Hatch, roughly 97% of longleaf pine forests have been lost due to fire exclusion, over harvesting, development and conversion to agriculture.

The bio states that Hatch used the Timber Stand Improvement method of filling drilled holes in the trunks of hardwood trees with the herbicide glyphosate to reduce the number of competing trees. Hatch spread awareness about longleaf pine trees by creating an information board at Camp Wildwood, a brochure that was distributed to community members and the Florida Forest Service, and a website that explained Timber Stand Improvement, the importance of longleaf pines and why longleaf forests are greatly diminished. Hatch’s project will be sustained by younger

Girl Scouts who agreed to take over the website and distribution of brochures.

Hatch was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but was raised in Ocala. Extracurricular school activities included dance, “ballet mostly but also some tap and hip-hop.” Hatch graduated from Forest High School in 2022.

“I wasn’t much of a club kid, but in senior year I did join the tabletop club and did tech for drama club. Most of my extracurriculars really did just boil down to Girl Scout related stuff,” Hatch said.

Hatch’s mother, Courtney, was the leader of Troop 40278, in which her child was an avid participant, especially when it came to camping.

“We went almost every year to Camp Wildwood to go camping and our troop leaders would reinforce our knowledge of surviving the outdoors: building fires and cooking over them, mainly, parts that I liked the most. I was also able to volunteer with the camp’s horse instructing program for a couple of years and the whole ‘feed, groom, check on horses’ part of it was really my vibe,” Hatch said.

In deciding what to do for the Gold Award project, Hatch said, “I talked to my mum and grandma, as well as others in my troop, to figure out something feasible but also something I would like to do rather than a chore. Talking with Arthur Clothier from the Florida Forest Service came about because he works with Camp Wildwood sometimes and mum encouraged me to talk to him about important nature-related issues I could spread awareness about. Timber Stand Improvement sounded interesting.”

The Gold Award requires 80 hours at a minimum. Hatch said most of the time spent on the project “was setting up the half acre of land that I am enacting the Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) upon and then tending to it. I also had to advocate for my project. I spoke to people and created a website and pamphlets, which I distributed to Camp Wildwood, Arthur’s office at the Forestry Department, and my local library.”

Clothier is the Sumter County Forester and a certified arborist.

“It was a pleasure and an honor to be Alexis’s technical advisor for the Girl Scouts Gold Award Project. Alexis learned about forest management, silviculture, dendrology, forest ecology and fire ecology,” he said.

“Alexis’s project resulted in several benefits. The timber stand was healthier afterwards because Alexis killed the oaks that were stealing the sunlight from the longleaf pines. Sunlight is normally the limiting factor in forests. Putting more sunlight on the longleaf pines made them grow faster and be more resistant to insects and diseases,” he explained.

“For years to come, Girl Scouts will walk the path where Alexis did the project, and they will see the improved condition of the forest. They will read the interpretive kiosk next to the project and learn about forest management. They will read about how the original longleaf pine forest in the SE USA once covered an area nearly the size of Montana. Only 3% of the longleaf pine forest still exists. They will learn how to conserve and expand the longleaf pine forests for future generations,” Clothier added.

Jill Painter is the High Awards Coordinator for the GSWCF Gold Award program and said that Gold Award Girl Scouts are changing the world.

“Their ingenuity enables them to meaningfully address some of the most pressing issues facing their communities and the world. The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting and only about 5% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the award nationally each year. These Girl Scouts identify an issue that they are passionate about, define a root cause and develop a project that ensures sustainable change. Projects are a minimum of 80 hours and often exceed this requirement. Girls demonstrate and develop their leadership, project management, community building, and decision-making skills, all while making a difference in their communities,” Painter said.

“Beyond personal growth and confidence building, earning the Gold Award is advantageous to college acceptance, earning scholarships, and their professional advancements. Girl Scouts who earn their Gold Award automatically rank up when entering the military,” Painter added.

“Earning the Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts that demonstrates you have the courage, confidence and character it takes to meaningfully address some of the most pressing issues facing their communities and the world,” said GSWCF Chief Executive Officer Mary Pat King. “Alexis identified an issue, developed sustainable solutions, built a team and made it happen. Now Alexis is using these honed skills as an AmeriCorps Volunteer, traveling across the country and giving skills and talents to others. I couldn’t be more proud of Alexis.”

Over the past 10 months, Hatch has been involved with the federal AmeriCorps program for ages 18-26.

“You are put on to a team and for 10 months you travel and live together, working at nonprofits that request a team. I’ve worked with a lot of organizations during my term: Habitat for Humanity and a local food bank in Columbia, Missouri; United Way’s VITA program in Pueblo, Colorado; Red Cross in Memphis, Tennessee and in Little Rock, Arkansas;, Cobblestone Farms and Appleseeds Teaching Farm in Fayetteville, Arkansas; and in Kansas City, Kansas working with Rosedale Developments to help restore and build trails that locals use to kind of connect with nature and get around parts of the city a bit easier,” Hatch shared.

“I can’t wait to return home. I plan on returning to work and starting to keep bees and maybe a small garden. Nothing very solid on plans to go to college, but I had the idea to get a degree in anthropology and a minor in astronomy for a while. I want to spend time with family and friends, especially when these 10 months have been the longest span of time I’ve been away from home,” Hatch offered.

Alexis Hatch received the organization’s highest achievement after preserving a portion of natural longleaf pine forest at Camp Wildwood.

Alexis Hatch recently earned a Girl Scouts Gold Award, which involved a timber stand improvement project. [Photos courtesy Girl Scouts of West Central Florida]

courtesy Girl Scouts of West Central Florida]

“Alexis identified an issue, developed sustainable solutions, built a team and made it happen. I couldn’t be more proud of Alexis.”

Mary Pat King Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s Chief Executive Officer

Women-led online production to honor cast, supporters

presented online on July 27 by locally headquartered Unboxed Productions (UP), centers on a family from Biloxi, Mississippi, who relocated there from Ohio in the 1980s. The play is set against the political backdrop of 2018’s U.S. Supreme Court hearings and the lead character, Karen, finds her world turned upside down by a fateful ruling.

Local actor Dee Collier is the only actor to have played the comedic character of Carol in every UP production of the play so far.

Zink, Brittany Vasser, Susan Moring, June Benoit, Jessica Matthews, Rhonda Woodard, Teri Schwartz, Rita Singer, Laila Fakhoury and Collier. Originally directed by Sandstrom, all other online versions have been directed by UP co-founder Jan Thomas, from Indianapolis. All cast and crew have been invited back for this one-night event to see how the play grew and to join in a coast-to-coast cast party fundraiser.

“This is also a reunion of all the actors who have played a role in ‘Unboxing in Biloxi’ or our original title ‘Unboxing in Atlanta,’ said Sandstrom of the July 27 event. “We have special guests April McDonald of Project Hope, Dee Collier and a few other surprise guests.”

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

“Dee will be honored during the Thursday, July 27, production at 4 p.m., as well as Mia Munn, a resident of North Carolina who discovered UP and has been to every single online production, since UP was founded the summer of 2020 as a way to keep the theater open and viable during the pandemic,” explained Unboxed Productions co-founder and artistic director Kim Lynette Sandstrom.

In all, more than 50 actors and crew have performed in “Unboxing in Biloxi” (which originally was titled “Unboxing in Atlanta”) since the world premiere at CF in 2019, including locals Laurie

UP has produced more than a dozen live, online only, shows since its founding and has had hundreds of audience members log on. The production of “Tea at Five,” the Katharine Hepburn story, starring Marty Van Kleek of Dallas, broke the group’s box office record and UP will be offered again in September as a live online-only production. Other UP plays include “Erma Bombeck,” “Tea for Three” and “How We Faced the Horsemen.”

UP is a nationwide, women-led effort, and the theater company has worked overtime promoting women-produced and women-focused productions. Marketing is handled by Sandstrom, who co-founded the company with director Thomas at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and has continued producing shows online for theater lovers who prefer not to go to a brick-and-mortar theater. Local actor and UP board member Rita Singer, and board members Teri Schwartz of Ocala and Lee Tilson of Detroit, also lend support.

New pictorial book, ‘Ocala— The Art of Community,’ showcases area’s lifestyle and arts scene

By Jaye Baillie Executive Director, the Marion Cultural Alliance

The lifestyle and art of

Ocala is the focus of a 225-page coffee-table book recently published and now available for purchase at the Brick City Center for the Arts at 23 SW Broadway Street, Ocala, the home of the Marian Cultural Alliance (MCA).

Through new photography, “Ocala—The Art of Community” is a visual journey into both the dynamic visual and performing arts scene that has blossomed in the community over the last decade and a view of how the city lives, works, and plays.

We wanted to show what makes us such a special place, and this is an exciting way to do it. The book covers every aspect of life—our neighborhoods, our schools, our growth, and special events—and the arts that envelop us in so many wonderful ways.

MCA teamed with the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership. Kevin Sheilley, CEO, notes that, “Ocala—The Art of Community” “is a significant and artistic publishing achievement. The book will also serve as an exceptional marketing tool, allowing us to continue to attract the type of economic growth that has provided Ocala its unique

lifestyle.”

MCA turned to Riverbend Books of Georgia to develop “Ocala—The Art of Community.” It is not unknown territory for Riverbend, which first published a stunning photography book on Ocala and Marion County more than 17 years ago. At over 400 pages, that book sold out in mere weeks.

Limited copies of the new book are available for $48.95, with a 10% discount for a purchase of 10 or more books.

For more information call MCA at (352) 369 1500 or email jaye.baillie@ mcaocala.com

McDonald, director of Ocala’s Project Hope, a nonprofit that helps shepherd homeless women and their children to self-sufficiency, was in the audience for the live production in October and said she was so moved she had some of the women of Project Hope also watch the show. The nonprofit leader has been invited back to speak during a talk back at the end of the live reveal of the video and 10 percent of the evening’s fundraising for UP will go to Project Hope.

The online theater opens 30 minutes before the event. All audience members are invited to stay for a “cast party” following the show to hear McDonald speak of the work she is doing locally to help vulnerable women and children. A donation of any amount will secure access to the event and a link will be emailed 24 hours before the show.

Go to unboxed.productions to make a donation. For more information, email kimlynette@ aol.com or call (352) 875-5484.

NATIONAL PARKS AND RECREATION MONTH HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL PROFESSIONALS AND PROGRAMS

Throughout July, Marion County Parks & Recreation is showcasing programs and facilities promoting health and wellness, environmental resilience, and economic impact through themed social media posts and activities at county parks and recreational facilities.

According to the news release, parks and recreation professionals provide vital services for our communities, from protecting open spaces and natural resources to helping fight obesity and providing activities and resources for all people. Parks and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the

exponential value park and recreation facilities bring to communities while celebrating the more than 160,000 professionals nationwide who maintain our country’s local, state, and community parks.

To learn more about this month’s programming, or to find a park, contact Marion County Parks & Recreation at (352) 671-8560 or parks@marionfl.org or find them on Facebook.

“Unboxing in Biloxi,” to be

It all adds up

An art teacher, illustrator and math whiz Thom Thomas finds strength in numbers.

Self-Portrait”

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Artist Thom Herman Thomas is an insatiably curious soul who calls himself mentally “ambidextrous.”

Along with graduating from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and sketching just about everything under the sun as a lifelong illustrator, Thomas has toiled as a fine art painter, an accountant, a culinary-trained chef and a statistical analyst.

Art instructor is the latest addition to his resume.

“I had no idea what it really meant to be me,” the artist said about growing up in the Washington, D.C., area and later setting out for California.

“My walls were covered with drawings,” he reminisced. “I would draw life-sized models.”

His first art job was as a fashion illustrator.

“I had 18 pieces published before I even had the opportunity or money to even go to art school,” Thomas shared.

Life wasn’t easy growing up. His mother died when he was 10. His father, a skilled autobody mechanic, worked for General Motors and imparted to him a love of craft. His mother, he credits, taught him perseverance.

Before she died, Thomas’ mother asked her sister to raise him with the caveat that he was “different,” something he found out years later.

“I had some medical issues as a child that did not allow me to be physically active,” Thomas said, adding that his large family

called him by his middle name Herman, and the kids in school teased him with the nickname “Herman Monster.”

Through all the ugliness he experienced, Thomas, now 70, cultivated a love of aesthetics. A deliberate eloquence underscores his speech, intimating that he gives every task his full attention.

“If I make you a dinner, it’s a seven-course meal,” Thomas professed with pride, adding that he grows his own vegetables, too.

The father of seven moved to Ocala in 2004 to be near family, and these days you’ll find him teaching aspiring artists of all skill levels at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place.

He also has helped shape future illustrators at the College of Central Florida and, just last month, he taught a painting class to Ocala Police Department officers and their partners to help them decompress from the stresses that come with law enforcement.

“It was like a paint and sip, but we just had coffee,” Thomas said with a laugh, adding that one officer said he was sure he would have done a better job if served something stronger.

Thomas admitted to “having the jitters” at first, but said he found his footing talking about what he loves most: drawing.

“I’m always a nervous wreck until I start to talk about my passion, which is drawing,” Thomas admitted. “I forget about being nervous and anything else because I know my process; I know my skill sets, and that’s what I share with people. This is how I work. The techniques of

drawing are based on principles and elements of design. So, if you understand how to use a pencil in terms of developing line quality, thick line, or a thin line, then the rest is just all your style.”

He calls himself a “selfteaching artist,” an expression that often comes up, and said he continues to try to learn new techniques himself.

“I need to be willing to challenge myself with the new mediums also,” he emphasized. Charcoal, he said, is the latest medium in his toolkit.

“At first, I thought it was so messy. I didn’t really like it, but now I’m really good with charcoal. … I do glazing in acrylics, which I can apply directly over it,” he explained.

As a drawing instructor, Thomas starts with the basics at the beginning of every class, exploring elements of design using line, shape, form, texture and value.

“I just give students information because no one can teach us to draw,” he said. “We have to put that pencil to the paper and brush to the canvas and teach ourselves because that brushstroke, that pencil stroke is uniquely their distinction.”

A calling to acquaint others with their muse keeps Thomas going, and he loves all things numerical and geometric.

He put his mathematical

prowess to work as a statistical analyst for Marion County for around eight years, up until 2018, but had to resign for health reasons. As the director of operations for the county’s Homeless Management Information System database, he collected, compiled, sorted through data and reported the demographics or statistics to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I absolutely loved it,” he effused. “As a secondary role, I provided training to the social service agency that collected the data. Because I’m truly rightbrained and left-brained, it was probably one of the best jobs for me. I also discovered that I had a thing about teaching. When I took over, there were three agencies participating, and when I left there were 47.”

In his younger years, Thomas crunched numbers for major law firms, and he claims to see shapes and algorithms all around him.

“As a child, I did numerology, and I still have dreams about mathematical equations,” he shared.

Indeed, numbers aren’t the cold, sterile abstractions drilled into us as children when viewed through Thomas’ lens.

One can only imagine how many engineers and programmers the U.S. would have if more teachers conveyed

the magic in numbers that Thomas derives.

“In fact, I’m a part of the Rosicrucian community,” he professed of the spiritually based and philosophical fraternal organization.

“Having a mathematical kind of mindset has served me well, but again, it’s because I’m cognitively ambidextrous and I love working with numbers and shapes. Everything in nature has a mathematical equivalence that basically explains its structure and its makeup. When I walk outside, I can draw nature easily because it seems to arrange itself for me so that I can see the basic shapes.”

Thomas also sees patterns: “I believe in synchronicities because I believe that there is only one divine consciousness. When we talk about God, not necessarily in terms of religion, as omnipotent and omnipresent in all things all the time, then that says to me that everyone basically is connected somehow to everything in life. … Whatever happens to one person happens to all of us, and while it may not affect us personally, that energy is still a part of the makeup of life, period.”

To learn more about Thomas, visit thomthomas.com.

Thom Thomas’ free drawing classes convene at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. His 16-week acrylic and color theory class meets at the center from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

The cost for that class is $30 a week, or you can pay $100 for one entire month in advance. Call (352) 401-6980 to register for classes.

“69th

11” x 17” photo and digital manipulation with Adobe PhotoShop, 2022.

“She Dragon”

16” x 20” Archival Museum Board, 4-ply; mixed-media (ink/graphite/charcoal); 2022.

“Lead or Follow” Graphite on 4-ply 16” x 20” archival museum Board; 2022.

Bird of the Week

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

Every once in a while, I stop by a cattle pasture near Belleview to check in on a family of burrowing owls that live there. Burrowing owls make their nests underground, even using the holes of gopher tortoises. One way to find where these and other birds have been previously spotted is to check eBird.org, a website run by the ornithology department at Cornell University.

Burrowing owl [MichaelWarren.com]

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS community

JULY 21 & 22

Special Ocala Downtown Markets

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala

6pm-10pm

Special night-time events continue through the summer, with new themes each week. This week it’s the Oddities Marketplace on Friday with musical guest KennaDee, and the Girls Night Out Market on Saturday. Special vendors, local food trucks and guest entertainers. Visit facebook.com/ OcalaDowntownMarket for more info.

JULY 21 & 28

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Governmental Campus Field, 601 SE 25th

Ave., Ocala

9am-2pm

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

JULY 21-23 & 28-30

Market of Marion Market of Marion, 12888 SE US Highway 441, Belleview

8am-4pm

A classic—and big—farmer’s market with lots of vendor shops for all kinds of goodies. Fruits, vegetables, critters, jewelry, soaps, handcrafted items and more. Open every weekend, with monthly special events, like car shows on the fourth Saturday. See themarketofmarion.com

JULY 22 & 29

Ocala Downtown Farmers Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala

9am-2pm Vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats

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

JULY 22 & 29

Farmers Swap Meet

Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala

9am-2pm

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

JULY 24

Taylor Talks History

Marion Oaks Public Library, 294 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala

10:30am

Local historian and librarian Taylor Benson gives a presentation about aspects of Marion County history. This month, it’s about the springs of the area. Free to attend. See library.marionfl.org for more info.

JULY 25

Weeds Clinic

Grumbles House Antiques & Garden Center, 20799

Walnut St. Dunnellon

10:30am

Master Gardener Linda Johnson talks weeds this month at this local garden center with onsite food options and indoor vendors. Free to attend. For more info, grumbleshouseantiques.com

critters & equine

JULY 21-23

Florida Quarter Horse Association

Summer Sizzler Show

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala

All day

The versatility and power of the American Quarter Horse is highlighted in this summer show with English, Western, youth, amateur, reining and trail classes offered. Food and drink vendors onsite. Check out fqua.net for more info.

JULY 21-23 & 26-30

Summer Series: Hunter/Jumper

Shows World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-4pm FEI CSI3* competitions. Food and drink options onsite; some events have a parking fee. See worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

JULY 22 & 29

Summer Sunset Polo Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala

6pm Free to the public, tailgate next to the polo field and enjoy a unique evening out, Saturdays through September. Check out ocalapolo.com for more info.

JULY 23

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

Help adoptable Marion County Animal Shelter dogs. Park entry fee is $2. Recurs each fourth Sunday. For more info, animalservices.manrionfl.org

JULY 23

Adoption Event: “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Movie Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

1pm-3pm This special showing of the movie includes the

government

JULY 24 & 26

State of the County 2023

Two locations

Presented by Marion County Commission Chair Craig Curry, highlighting Marion County Government and the community, with discussions about the economy, legislative priorities, future infrastructure of roads and more. Free to attend: 10am July 24 at 13601 Del Webb Blvd. Summerfield, and 11am July 26 at OTOW Circle Square Cultural Center. Details at bit.ly/46R9yUL

JULY 24 & 31

Marion County Development Review Committee

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

9am

The first step for new development projects, the committee reviews

civic

JULY 21 & 28

South Ocala Chess Club at Freedom Library

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

JULY 21 & 28

Kiwanis Club of Ocala

Central Christian Church, 3010 NE 14th St., Ocala

12pm

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

JULY 25

MCBIA Annual Awards Dinner

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1812 NW 21st Ave., Ocala

5:30pm

The Marion County Building Industry Association holds its annual award dinner with networking, dinner and a keynote speech from local Chick-fil-A owner/operator Jeromy Williams. RSVP to cherrietta@ocalacep.com

JULY 27

OTOW Farmers Market

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

9am-1pm

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

JULY 27

Strategic Community Alliance Meeting

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1812

NW 21st Ave., Ocala

6pm

The SCA is a local nonprofit working with community members to develop a strategic plan for the Black community in Marion County. All are welcome. Contact Cain Davis at (352) 871-4555 or caindavis03@ yahoo.com, or go to scacommunities.org

JULY 29

Aviators’ Playground Dedication

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

10am

A new and unique kids’ playground opens as

the aviation community honors Edwin Martin. The aviation-themed playground has ropes and ladders, a play gym, spring riders and aviation history panels, all overlooking the airport’s apron for a great view of the planes. Free to attend. For more info, call (352) 629-8377.

JULY 28, 29 & AUGUST 5 & 8

Back to School Community Giveback

10 Locations, see bit.ly/Marion_Back2School

Times vary

The Community Foundation for OcalaMarion County, supported by various area charities and other foundations, is offering this backpack giveaway to help with school supplies and prep students for the coming academic year. Students must be registered, and for one location only. Tickets through bit.ly/Marion_Back2School

JULY 29 TO AUGUST 5

Cal Ripken Youth World Series

Ocala Rotary Sportsplex, 5220 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala

Times vary

Dozens of youth baseball teams will visit Marion County for the annual youth World Series competitions. A kick-off event is July 29 at the World Equestrian Center and a parade at the downtown square is on July 30. Games start on July 31, and all are free and open to the public. For more info, OcalaMarion.com or Jessica.heller@marionfl.org

Marion County Animal Services team with pets available for adoption at the theater. Tickets are $5. See reillyartscenter.com for more info.

JULY 23-30

All-Star Reining Stakes World Equestrian Center Ocala, Arena 5, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala All day Novice, youth, pro and amateur classes. Free to attend and free parking. See allstarreiningstakes.com/all-star-show for more info and schedule.

JULY 26

Wildlife Wednesdays Scott Springs Park, 2825 SW 24th Ave,, Ocala

5pm-6pm

This week’s talk focuses on turtles and tortoises. Free to attend. For more info, ocalafl.org/recpark

and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans, and subdivision plans. Meets weekly on Mondays; agendas are usually posted the Friday prior. Agendas, minutes and video available at marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JULY 24

Marion County Planning & Zoning Meeting

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

5:30pm

Meets the fourth Monday of the month; agendas, minutes and video available from ocala.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JULY 24

Tourist Development Council

Tourist Development Conference Room, 109 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 9am

JULY 22 & 29

Ocala Chess Club at Headquarters Library Headquarters Library, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 11am-3pm Meets weekly on Saturdays; new members welcome. Please bring your own chess set. For more info, facebook.com/ groups/53070499106

JULY 25

Ocala Blue Star Mothers Arena 1, second floor, World Equestrian Center Ocala, Arena 1, 2nd floor, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

6pm

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

JULY 27

Gentle Carousel Miniature Horses

Belleview Public Library, 13145 SE Highway 484 (10:30am); Sankofa Public Library, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala (3pm)

The trained therapy horses will be at Belleview in the morning and northwest Ocala in the afternoon. Free to attend. See library.marionfl.org for more info.

JULY 27-30

Riders of the Wind

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala

Times vary, see website

Created by a Kazakhstan family with a history in show business, the performances and costumes were inspired by the Genghis Khan era and Russian cavalry. The show features horses, two camels, a Poodle act and daredevil performances. Tickets are $10 for children, $25 for adults. See theridersofthewind.com for more info.

JULY 27

Growth Management Informational Meeting

MLK First Responder Campus, 615 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Ocala

5:30pm-7:30pm Brick by Brick: Planning 101 will be hosted by city staffers and include topics such as the Vision 2035 Plan, Vision 2050 Plan, Comprehensive Planning, Zoning and Land Development, Community Redevelopment, Historic Preservation and Community Involvement. Staff will be available for questions. Refreshments will be provided. Free and open to the public. For more information, or if reasonable accommodations are needed, contact Growth Management at 352-629-8404 or gmd@ocalafl.gov; or visit www.ocalafl.org

JULY 26

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

4:30pm-6:30pm

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

JULY 27

Ocala Lions Club

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

12pm

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

arts

JULY 21 & 28

Painting and More Workshops

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

10am

Arts in Health Ocala hosts a variety of visual artists to teach free weekly art workshops. All supplies are included. Beginners are welcome. See aihocala.org/painting-and-more for more info.

JULY 21-22

Art in the Attic Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala

During gallery hours

The Marion Cultural Alliance’s annual Art in the Attic sale continues with unique offerings. See mcaocala.org/art-in-the-attic

JULY 26

Regal Summer Movie Express

Regal Hollywood Theaters, 2801 SW 27th Ave., Ocala

10am Tickets are t $2. Movies include “How To Train Your Dragon 3D,” “Abominable” and “The Croods: A New Age.” For more info, bit.ly/43k01DC

JULY 26

Summer Kid’s Film Series

Marion Theater, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

Times vary, check website

Kids age 12 and under can enjoy movies for $5 (includes a snack pack). Upcoming family favorites include like “SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” “Madagascar” and “The Lion King.” Visit reillyartscenter.com/mariontickets for more info.

JULY 26

Kids Summer Show Series

Epic Theatre, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala

Times vary, check website

With titles like “Paw of Fury: The Legend of

Hank,” “DC League of Super-Pets,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and more, tickets for kids are only $1. See bit.ly/3MEX4Go

JULY 26-AUGUST 30

Painting for Veterans

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

6pm-8pm

Hosted by the Arts in Health Ocala Metro group, with veteran Aaron Thomas. Beginners welcome. Supplies are included and workshops are free. Register at ocalafl.org/recpark

JULY 27

Coffee and Cake

NOMA Art Gallery, 939 N. Magnolia Ave., Ocala

1pm-4pm

These weekly coffee (and cake) klatches bring together gallery guests, artists, patrons, creative types and more. Every Thursday afternoon. All are welcome. See nomaocala.com/events for more info.

JULY 28

Sit Down for Stand Up!

Marion Theater, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

8pm

See Matt Fernandez, Kye Saunders and James Hollinsworth. Tickets are $15 from reillyartscenter.com. Note: this is a 21+ show.

JULY 29

One Sweet Season Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

10am

The theater hosts a meet-and-greet session to preview its 2023-24 season with shows like “Sweeney Todd” and “Peter Pan Jr.” slated for production. Executive and Artistic Director Greg Thompson shares news about the shows, along with coffee and donuts. RSVP to (352) 236-2274 or email info@ocalacivictheatre.com

&nightlifemusic

JULY 30

First Friday Art Walk Applications Due

Applications are open for participating artists, arts organizations, downtown businesses and business sponsorships for the September 2023-May 2024 season. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 1, and are available at ocalafl.org/artwalk.

THROUGH DECEMBER 12

“Patternz” by Kelsey Mahoney

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala

Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

The city continues its Art in City Spaces program with this exhibit by emerging artist Kelsey Mahoney. Her abstract work is filled with vibrant colors and mosaic themes. Free to the public. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH JANUARY 4

“Bold and Inspired: Native American Regalia” and “Abstract Island Expressions”

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

Community center hours

Married couple Diana and William Lee are exhibiting their work in side-by-side exhibitions, each with its own distinctive style and theme reflecting each artist and their different approaches. Diana shows colorful acrylic paintings are inspired by her Cherokee ancestry and experiences visiting Native American sites in Kentucky. William revisits his childhood growing up in Nassau with his vibrant abstract expressionist paintings. The exhibit is part of the Ocala Art in City Spaces program. See ocalaflo.org/artincityspaces for more info.

THROUGH JANUARY 8

The Beauty of Nature and Recyclable Refuse

Recreation and Parks Administration Building and Adult Activity Center, 828/830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala 8am-5pm Florida artist Albert Bevilacqua focuses this

exhibit on recyclable items and has turned them into an artistic statements about protecting the environment. Free to the public, this is part of the Art in City Spaces program by the City of Ocala. See ocalafl.org/artincityspaces for more info.

THROUGH

JANUARY 9

Tony A. Blue, American Painter Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala Airport hours

Blue work in acrylics, mixed media and photographs, and his colorful, abstract paintings are inspired by Florida’s tropical natural landscape. The exhibit is free and open to the public during airport hours. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH JANUARY 28

“The Unscene South” by Charles Eady Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

10am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday

This new exhibit from artist Charles Eady focuses on the daily lives of “free Blacks” from the Civil War era. He is a contemporary mixed-media artist and author. Check out appletonmuseum.org for more info.

THROUGH JANUARY 28

“Caught Up in History and Captured on Film” by Randy Batista Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

10am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday Batista’s work focuses on Florida and Cuba, two places that had profound impact on the artist. This exhibit features club members of The Spanish Center of Tampa and their daily lives. Check out appletonmuseum.org for more info.

JULY

JULY

Brandon

JULY

Blvd., Ocala 7pm

JULY 30

KennaDee Swampy’s Bar & Grille 19773 E Pennsylvania Ave, Dunnellon 1pm-4pm

JULY 30

John Johnson Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 6pm

Gasoline Alley

Animal Crackers

Broom Hilda

Middletons

Still serving

The annual Stuff the Bus initiative by area veterans groups will provide supplies for students in local elementary, middle and charter schools.

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

The Stuff the Bus program for 2023

will see some 2,000 backpacks, which are filled with an array of donated school supplies packed by an all-volunteer staff, distributed to area public elementary, middle and charter school students. And this year, a local domestic abuse shelter also will receive backpacks through the program.

The annual Stuff the Bus outreach, now in its 22nd year, is a joint venture of the Marion County Veterans Council (MCVC), Kingdom of the Sun Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and volunteers from a number of area veterans’ organizations.

Members of the local MOAA

chapter started the outreach and the number of backpacks filled with materials has steadily increased from a few hundred into now 2,000, according to primary program organizer Craig Ham, a retired U.S. Army colonel and Vietnam War veteran, and president of the MCVC.

“We were able to collect supplies at the Walmart stores in Silver Springs Shores and west State Road 200 for the first time in three years due to the pandemic. We collected 20 tubs of school supplies and $700 in cash donations,” Ham said.

Ham indicated that a number of local businesses also contributed to the program. The recipients of the backpacks are selected by each school’s guidance counselor, he said.

Kevin Christian, Marion County Public Schools Director of

Public Relations, wrote about the impact of the outreach in an email.

“Community supply drives like Stuff the Bus and our own Bus Brigade meet the needs of thousands of students. Be it a package of pencils, crayons, notebooks, hygiene supplies, or even crayons and markers, students use these items every day in their academic pursuits,” Christian wrote. “For some students, backpacks filled with school supplies inspire them to succeed. For others, these backpacks change lives and turn dreams into realities filled with excitement and ambition to learn.”

Ham said groups of about a dozen volunteers have spent nine hours in two stuffing sessions to fill high quality, colorful Eaglesport brand backpacks at a local storage unit facility.

At a stuffing session on July

17, Carol Walker, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and president of the local MOAA chapter, placed pencils, colored markers and other supplies into plastic boxes that were inserted into each backpack.

Ham stated that to date 866 elementary type backpacks have been stuffed and 500 middle school type backpacks are expected to be done soon, toward a total goal of 2,000 backpacks for this year’s effort.

The elementary backpacks have stationery that is wide-ruled while the writing paper in middle school packs is college-ruled. Implements in each backpack are grade level appropriate. Each backpack contains 19 items.

Volunteers at a recent session also included Wendy Phillips with the On Top of the World Lions Club, Carolyn Smith with MOAA,

Petty, a decorated combat veteran and helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, said the mission at hand for the veterans representing the numerous local groups was to stuff backpacks and “help the kids.”

The 2007 Bluebird Stuff the Bus school bus will be at the Walmart Supercenter at 2600 SW 19th Ave. Road, Ocala, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 29.

To learn more, find the group at FB.com/ StuffTheBus.Florida

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4

Crossword

Fran and Charles Calhoun with the OTOW Veterans Club and Stephen Petty with the MCVC and Marion County Memorial Honor Guard.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Left to right: Col. Craig Ham, president of the Marion County Veterans Council, places backpacks filled with school supplies in a trailer for the Stuff the Bus backpack giveaway at StoreRight Self Storage on Southwest 17th Road in Ocala on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. A box filled with school supplies. Wendy Phillips of the State Road 200 Lions Club, right, and Carolyn Smith of the Kingdom of the Sun MOAA, left, pack up school supplies

Carol Walker of the Kingdom of the Sun MOAA and the Marion County Veterans Council carries a large tote filled with crayons out of a storage unit as she helps pack up school supplies.

Col. Craig Ham, president of the Marion County Veterans Council, organizes school supplies.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

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

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU

RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH. The date of death of the decedent is: May 3, 2023. The date of first publication of this Notice is July 14, 2023.

Attorney for Personal Representative:

JOSHUA L. MOSES

Richard & Moses, LLC

Florida Bar No. 119304

808 E Fort King Street

Ocala, FL 34471

(352) 369-1300

Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Personal Representative: MARGARET PITTAS

3205 SE 21st Avenue

Ocala, FL 34471

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

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF DOROTHY MARIE GRIFFIN, Deceased.

CASE NO: 2023-CP-1700

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

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

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH. The date of death of the decedent is: June 16, 2023. The date of first publication of this Notice is July 21, 2023.

Attorney for Personal Representative:

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

Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Personal Representative: MARIA L. PERRY 3770 Hinman Settler Road Brownington, VT 05860

IN IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF LOIS A. BAER, Deceased. FILE NO.: 2023-CP-1726 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of LOIS A. BAER, deceased, whose date of death was May 23, 2023; is pending in the Circuit Court of Marion County, Florida, Probate Division; File Number 2023-CP1726; the address of which is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475. An Order of Summary Administration was entered on July 14, 2023, and the name and address of the person assigned control of the asset is KAREN BOWEN, 1010 S.E. 28th Road, Ocala, Florida 34471, the daughter of the decedent, and her attorney is R. William Futch, R. William Futch, P.A., 2201 S.E. 30th Avenue, Suite 202, Ocala, Florida 34471. The total value of the nonexempt assets of the estate is less than $6,050.00. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured,

NO.:

The administration

NOTICE OF RULE DEVELOPMENT

SUMMARY: A work session will

be scheduled for August 17, 2023 to review the Five -Year Work Program 2023-2024 through 2027-2028 prior to a public hearing being held at the September 26, 2023 School Board Meeting. SUMMARY OF RULE: The Board is required by statute to issue an annual updated Five-Year Work Program of all projected school system capital outlay construction projects and major maintenance projects. The Board must grant approval of this program before it can be submitted and approved by the Florida Department of Education. SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COST: In order to comply with State reporting requirements, there are Facilities and Finance administrative costs incurred to analyze and prioritize the funding of district major maintenance and new construction projects. Any person who wishes to provide information regarding the statement of estimated regulatory costs, or to provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice. SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 1013.35, Florida Statutes; State Requirements of Educational Facilities 2014 (SREF), Chapter 3.1(4) LAW IMPLEMENTED:

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

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF RUTH ANN BOOTH, Deceased.

CASE NO: 2023-CP-1686

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

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

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

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

31, 2023

date

of

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Mr. Robert Knight, Supervisor of Facilities. A WORKSHEET OF THE FIVE-YEAR WORK PLAN WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT THREE (3) DAYS

37074

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF NANCY E. DELL, Deceased.

CASE NO: 2023-CP-1737

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

this estate is pending,

above. The address

of

Have

a legal ad you need to publish?

ocalagazette.column.us/place

NOTICE OF SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the School Board of Marion County, Florida, will meet on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., at the School Board Administration Office, 1614 E. Ft. King Street, Ocala, Florida, 34471. An agenda will be published seven days prior to the meeting. The agenda may be obtained at the Administration Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. 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.

cala’s Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) is hosting high levels of competitive swimming, including:

• July 26-30: USA Swimming Futures

• July 20-23: Florida Senior Championships, for Florida’s northern region high school and collegiate-aged swimmers. Projected attendance is 900 swimmers and 1,800 spectators over the fourday event.Championship Meet with the best swimmers from the Southeastern Region - Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. FAST is one of five facilities nationwide to host this sanctioned meet. The projected attendance is 800 swimmers and 1,500 spectators over the five-day event.

Spectators are encouraged to attend and can purchase tickets at FloridaFAST.com/tickets.

CF SELECTED BY AMAZON AS EDUCATION PARTNER FOR CAREER CHOICE PROGRAM

he College of Central Florida (CF) has been selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon’s hourly employees access to all 170 of CF’s degree and certificate programs.

T

PRIOR TO THE WORK SESSION. IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISON IN RE: ESTATE OF SANDRA H. STONE Deceased. File No. 2023-CP-1702 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of SANDRA H. STONE, deceased, whose date of death was March 4, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for MARION County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW First Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is July 21, 2023. Attorney for Personal Representative: COLLEEN M. DURIS Florida Bar Number: 975140 500 NE 8th Avenue Ocala, FL 34470 Telephone: (352) 732-7020 Fax: (352) 867-5111 E-Mail: service@ocalaelderlaw.com angie@ocalaelderlaw.com Personal Representative: Bruce Alan Hague 1650 14th Street North St. Petersburg, Florida 33704 NOTICE OF A SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE BRIEFING AND WORK SESSION Notice is hereby given that the School Board of Marion County, Florida, will meet in a work session on Thursday, August 3, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the MTI Auditorium, 1614 E. Ft. King Street, Ocala, Florida, 34471. An agenda will be published seven days prior to the meeting and may be obtained at the Administration Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The agenda is also available from a link on the District’s website: www.marionschools.net. Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice Public Notice

“The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including prepaid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language

proficiency, high school diplomas and GED diplomas. In the U.S., the company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher paying, in-demand jobs,” the release stated.

According to the news release, the Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.“We’re committed to preparing students for success in their careers, and this partnership is going to make that process more affordable and accessible for even more students in our community,” said Jennifer Fryns, CF vice president for Workforce Development and Innovation, in the release.

For more information, visit aboutamazon.com/news/ workplace/career-choice or CF.edu/CareerChoice.

MAKE THIS MOST OF RIPE, JUICY TOMATOES IN THIS DELICIOUS DISH

By Ross Avant, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: As a woman in my mid-60s, I have been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection for the first time ever. I was surprised to find out that I don’t need antibiotics because I don’t have any symptoms. There’s a lot of conflicting information online about UTIs, like whether ever y infection needs to be treated and if sex causes an infection. Can you help me distinguish between UTI myth and fact?

ANSWER: Urinary tract infections, also called UTIs, are the most common infection for women in the U.S., so you are not alone. About 40% of women will have at least one UTI in their lifetime, and 1 in 10 postmenopausal women had a UTI in the last year.

A UTI is an infection that occurs in the urinary system, such as the bladder, ureters and kidneys. Most infections involve the bladder, which is known as the lower urinary tract.

Similar to your experience, UTIs don’t always cause symptoms. But when they do, the symptoms may include a strong urge to urinate, a burning feeling while urinating, urinating more often, red or bright pink urine, or pelvic pain. Some patients experience chills, marked fatigue, fever or flank pain along the side of the torso below the ribs. These symptoms indicate that the infection has extended beyond the bladder, possibly to the kidney or into the bloodstream.

Here’s the truth about six UTI myths you should know in case you develop another infection:

Myth: Only women can get a urinary tract infection.

By America’s Test Kitchen

If you’re an avid gardener and have been blessed with a bounty of ripe tomatoes, a simple summer salad is a great way to make the most of (and use up) this garden favorite.

Salting the tomatoes before mixing them into the salad brings out their juices, which make a base for the dressing. There’s also no need to peel homegrown tomatoes here, because their skins are usually thin and unassuming.

Tomato Salad with Feta and Cumin-Yogurt Dressing

Serves 6

4 to 5 large vine-ripened tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon

1 small clove garlic, minced or put through garlic press

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 small scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

Ground black pepper

1 small chunk feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

1. Core and halve tomatoes, then cut each half into four or five wedges. Toss wedges with salt in a large bowl; let rest until a small pool of liquid accumulates, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, scallions, oregano, and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Pour mixture over tomatoes and accumulated liquid; toss to coat. Set aside to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.

3. Crumble feta over tomatoes; toss to combine. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands—which includes Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country—offers reliable recipes for cooks of all skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

Fact: UTIs can affect both men and women. Women are at greater risk for a UTI because the urethra is shorter than in men, so it’s easier for bacteria to travel to the bladder. UTIs also are more common in postmenopausal women because changes in vaginal and urethral tissue due to low estrogen levels increases the risk of infection.

Myth: All UTIs cause symptoms.

Fact: Most UTIs cause symptoms, like pain or a burning sensation when urinating, or a feeling like you need to urinate often. As you discovered, though, it is possible to have bacteria in the urinary tract but not have any UTI symptoms. This is called asymptomatic bacteriuria, and it is more common in older adults or people who use a catheter to empty their bladders.

Myth: All UTIs must be treated with antibiotics.

Fact: Not all UTIs require antibiotics. Some people can have bacteria in their bladders but not experience any symptoms. This is called asymptomatic bacteriuria. In most cases, no treatment is necessary as the bacteria is not causing issues. This is probably why your health care team didn’t recommend treatment for your recent UTI.

There are a few groups of people that may require treatment, including people who are pregnant, people with planned urologic surgery and people with weakened immune systems. Antibiotics are used to treat UTIs when the person is experiencing painful or bothersome symptoms and there is bacteria present in the urine.

Myth: A UTI will go away on its own.

Fact: Asymptomatic bacteriuria, which is a UTI without symptoms, could go away without treatment. However, UTIs with symptoms rarely resolve on their own. If you begin experiencing UTI symptoms, like burning, pain or frequency, talk with your health care team about obtaining a urine culture and the right treatment for you.

Myth: UTIs can be passed to your partner.

Fact: UTIs are not contagious or passed between partners by sexual or casual physical contact.

Myth: UTIs are sexually transmitted infections.

Fact: Sexual activity can increase the risk for UTIs, but it does not cause them. Therefore, UTIs are not classified as sexually transmitted infections. The act of intercourse can cause bacteria to get close to or into the urethra, the small tube that empties your bladder. Lower your risk by urinating after intercourse to remove some of the bacteria before it can cause an infection.

Talk with your health care team if you start to experience UTI symptoms, like painful or burning urination, pelvic pain, a strong urge to urinate, fever, chills, disorientation, or back or side pain.—Ross Avant, M.D., Urology, Mayo Clinic Health System, Albert Lea, Austin and Rochester, Minnesota (Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

Bern, Switzerland’s classy yet fun capital

for the poor old captives of Bern, the city replaced the pits with posher digs for today’s mascots. Now one of the original bear pits is a bear-themed bar.

Bern is packed into a peninsula created by a tight bend in the river. Crossing the river from the bear pits I enter the old town – a delight to explore on foot. The lanes are lined with three miles of arcades, providing lots of shopping opportunities. This is my kind of shopping town: Prices are so high, there’s no danger of buying. The local slang for the corridor under these arcades is Rohr (German for pipe). To stroll through the town is to go rohren (piping).

town in 1528, all this was swept away by iconoclasts who believed that images distracted worshippers from focusing on God. The new center of attention was the pulpit from where Protestant preachers shared the word of God – not in Latin, but in the people’s language.

By Rick Steves

The sidewalk along the Aare River is congested with wet and happy Swiss, hiking upstream in swimsuits just to float back into town. I join them – marveling at how this exercise brings out the silly in a people who are generally anything but goofy. Every hundred yards a railing with concrete steps leads into the rushing river, which looks glacial blue but is surprisingly warm. Leaping in, I’m immediately caught up in the current and propelled toward the grand capital city of Switzerland amid carefree swimmers and a flotilla of rubber life rafts.

Nearing the Marzilibad park, I stroke over to snare a metal railing. I’m always a bit nervous that I’ll miss the last one and rush toward the city’s scary weir and, it

seems, oblivion. Hanging onto the railing was a tanned and wiry grandmother and several giddy children, clearly enjoying an afternoon going up and down the river.

That evening for dinner, I walk downstream to that scary weir, where a trendy restaurant has been built literally over the rushing river. I enjoy tasty local trout over gapped floorboards as the noisy roar of the racing river masks conversations of the Swiss sipping beer on the open-air sofas.

Strolling along the river after dinner, I pass a man water skiing in the current behind a long, playful bungee cord tied to a tree. I reach two concrete pits that were once home to the city’s mascots, a pair of elderly bears, the last of which died in 2009. Thanks to years of agitation by the B.L.M. (Bear Liberation Movement), which demanded better living conditions

As Bern grew over the centuries, each of its successive walls and moats were torn down, providing vast, people-friendly swaths of land. Today these are elongated “squares,” popular for markets and outdoor cafés – the top places to be seen in the evening.

Buildings new and old throughout the city are a uniform gray, from the creamy Bernese sandstone, quarried nearby. In the 16th century, the city commissioned many colorful fountains to brighten up the gray cityscape, to show off the town’s wealth, and to remind citizens of great local heroes and events. They also gave local artists something to work on after the Reformation deprived them of their most important patron, the Catholic Church.

Bern’s 15th-century cathedral, Catholic-turned-Protestant, is capped by a 330-foot-tall tower, the highest in Switzerland. During the Reformation, religious icons were destroyed by Protestants. The church was originally adorned by 26 separate little chapels and altars dedicated to Mary and the various saints. When the Reformation came to

The parliament meets in the old town. You may brush elbows with some highpowered legislators, but you wouldn’t know it – everything looks very casual for a national capital. Its bicameral system was inspired by the US Constitution, with one big difference: Executive power is shared by a committee of seven, with a rotating ceremonial president and a passion for consensus. This is a mechanism to avoid power grabs by any single individual – a safeguard that the Swiss appreciate more than ever these days. Free, one-hour tours of the parliament building are offered in various languages during summer when parliament is not in session.

The fine granite plaza in front of the parliament has 26 squirt fountains (one for each canton, or Swiss state). Oblivious to the fact that half of the Swiss gold stock is buried in the country’s Fort Knox under the square, kids dance with each watery eruption.

Though I’ve said it’s almost criminal to spend a sunny Swiss day anywhere but high in the Alps, I’d make an exception for urban but easygoing Bern.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick’s favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at rick@ ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

Nothing says summer like a salad filled with homegrown tomatoes! [TNS]

Bern’s famous clock tower, part of the original wall around the city, looms at the head of Marktgasse street. [Rick Steves]