The events align with the Goal 5 of the district’s strategic plan, which encourages communication and involvement between families and schools, as well as strengthened community involvement from local organizations.“Thissession will also share resources for social skills development and how community organizations can help students at home,” said Christian.Attendees also had the opportunity for educators to sit down with them to review the 2022-2023 Student Code of Conduct, which was approved on August 9, just one day before the first day of school. The School Board of Marion County extensively reviewed many items in the code of conduct that needed updating from the previous year.
One of the most significant changes included changing the classification disciplinary action for possession or influence of (THC),Tetrahydrocannabinoltheactiveingredient in possessionconsequencecannabis.“ThedisciplinaryforTHCor[being]under the influence will require alternative placement and the additional diversion requirement,” according to MCPS.The school district will additionally now be partnering with the Marion County Hospital District to offer intervention services for students who face infractions related to THC vaping and marijuana use, according to MCPS.Parents, students and families in attendance of the Parent Partnership event could review this and all other changes to the Student Code of Conduct with district staff in an effort to provide clarity to student offenses and common disciplinary actions for the comingAttendeesyear. of the event also had access to complimentary food and transportation was provided for guests over the age of 5, Christian “Informationsaid.about future Parent Partnership events, topics and related details are shared with attendees to encourage them to continue attending and inviting others to do the same,” he said. The remaining Parent Partnership events for the 20222023 school year will take place at West Port High School on Nov. 12, Belleview High School on Jan. 21 and at North Marion High School on March 25.
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t the end of the Aug. 16 Ocala City Council meeting, Council Member Barry Mansfield asked the rest of the council to consider removing the “interim” tag from Peter Lee’s title and making him Ocala’s new city manager. Council Member Jay Musleh supported the idea, as did Mayor Kent Guinn, even though he has no vote the matter. Council agreed to add the proposal to the council’s Sept. 6 meeting agenda.
The plaintiffs allege the Future Land Use Map amendment and associated text amendment to the County’s Comprehensive Plan are “not in compliance” because it is internally inconsistent and does not address the potential impacts on the Rainbow Springs Group Basin watershed, among other supportedPlan“Theclaims.Comprehensiveamendmentswerenotbydataoranalysis,” said Brookes shortly after the filing in July. Formal administrative hearings are held to resolve contested issues between private citizens and public organizations and agencies of the state. Jerome Feaster, who founded SORA in 2005 said: “We think we’ve got a good shot at the hearing; hopefully it (WEC Jockey Club PUD) will go back to the county and be revised. It won’t stop what’s going on but we’re hoping for a betterMeanwhile,outcome.”a court date for another legal challenge to the PUD’s approval, an appeal contesting Marion County Commissioner’s approval of the property’s rezoning from mostly agricultural to PUD, also filed by Brookes July 20, has not been scheduled as of press time. In that case, the Guthries, Love and SORA, along with Michael and Jacki Robinson, Jennifer Hale and Karen Courchaine allege the approval of the rezoning application by the Board, “violates the essential requirements of law,” due to double and triple dipping of development density and intensity. Both legal filings followed a June 21 3-to-2 vote by Marion County Commissioners approving Golden Ocala Equestrian Land LLC.’s PUD application for the massive project, despite the recommendation of denial by County Growth Services staff for the amendments and the rezoning, and over fervent objections from droves of area residents and SORA. Prior to the PUD’s approval, Commissioners adopted the Comprehensive Plan changes, which then allowed them to vote on Golden Ocala’s application. During the June meeting, representatives for Golden Ocala and WEC Ocala, including attorney James, “Jimmy,” Gooding said the project should be approved because several other nearby developments had industrial or commercial uses, including an RV park, employment center and a mine. Commissioners Michelle Stone, Jeff Gold and Chairman Carl Zalak voted for the comprehensive plan amendments and the rezoning request, with Commissioners Craig Curry and Kathy Bryant casting the dissenting votes. The land’s rezoning from mostly agricultural to WEC PUD will allow Golden Ocala, owned by long-distance trucking industry billionaires Larry and Mary Roberts, developers of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Ocala, to build another similar multi-use venue of 94 single family homes, a 100-site RV
OCT’s 2022-23 opener Page B3
Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
See
First Parent Partnership Event of the year encourages family involvement
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
File photo: Kevin Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.
T he plaintiffs who filed a request for a formal hearingadministrativechallenging Marion County’s June adoption of amendments to its Comprehensive Plan which subsequently allowed the approval of the WEC Jockey Club Planned Unit Development will have their day in court early next month. The formal hearing will take place at 9 a.m. Oct. 5-6 at the McPherson Governmental Campus auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala, with Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk presiding over the case. Cape Coral-based Land Use Attorney Ralf Brookes filed the request July 20 in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court in Marion County on behalf of Damian and Rebecca Guthrie and Don Love, who own property adjacent to or near the 1,029-acre property along rural county roads 318 and 225 in Reddick, along with Save our Rural Areas (SORA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the county’s rural lands and character.
See Jockey, page A2
City council will revisit city manager appointment New,
A
This was the first public conversation by the council about Lee’s status since its April 19 meeting, when the board abruptly fired City Manager Sandra Wilson and installed Lee in a surprise move at the end of the meeting after a short discussion that did not include any other candidates. The April management shuffle raised questions regarding the role of the Ocala/Marion Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) in decisions related to the hiring of Ocala’s next city manager. At the meeting when Wilson was dismissed, two members of the CEP board, Doug Cone and Rich Bianculli, walked into council chambers and positioned themselves up front just as Mansfield began his motion to fire Wilson. During the discussion on Wilson’s fate, Council Member Ire Bethea said “outside forces” were motivating the attacks on Wilson. Ken Ausley, on behalf of the CEP,
The court will consider MCBOCC’s decision on WEC Jockey Club
Comprehensive“ThePlanamendmentswerenotsupportedbydataoranalysis.”
Attorney Ralf Brookes
Apartment A3 School Concurrency A4 State News ..................................... A8 Meet your neighbor B1 Calendar B5
By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com
File photo: Interim City Manager Peter Lee on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
VOLUME 3 ISSUE$235 SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
File photo: Marion County Commission on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
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tudents, parents and families reviewed this year’s Code of Student Conduct and learned skills to take home at the first “Parent Partnership” session of the 2022-23 school year at Lake Weir High School on Saturday. The recurring event offers students help with math, science and reading and shows parents how they can offer hands-on help at home. The instruction and presentations given at the events are provided by district staff, community organizations and members depending on the subject matter, said district spokesperson Kevin Christian. “The Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) Parent Partnership is a collaboration of district schools, departments and community organizations to provide families opportunities to assist their children with strategies to be used at home and link families with community resources,” according to MCPS.
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Continued from page A1 had asked Wilson on June 22, 2021 to promote Lee from working in the Growth Management office to assistant city manager, a move Wilson said she had been considering doing already because she said Lee works well with the business community. Asked later about the CEP’s possible involvement in his appointment as assistant city manager and now interim city manager, Lee said he had no knowledge of any actions taken by the group in that regard. On Aug. 26, however, Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the CEP, sent an email to the city council indicating that the CEP board had agreed unanimously to once again encourage the council to conduct a nationwide search for a new city manager. He wrote: Please find attached a copy of the letter sent to each of you on behalf of the CEP Board of Directors this Spring. At the CEP Board meeting held earlier today, this topic was reviewed and the Board unanimously voted to again request the Council conduct a thorough search. We understand and know that Pete Lee has done a great job in the interim role and understand the desire by some Council members to dispense with a search. We think this would be shortsighted and ultimately unfair to both Mr. Lee as well as to the City. You want to know that you have the best candidate serving in this position and that he or she was chosen as the best candidate. A search affords you the opportunity to ensure that is the case and ultimately if Mr. Lee is the selection, to know that you truly have the best leader for our community. This request should in no way be seen as a slight to Mr. Lee but, on the contrary the belief that by going through the process and by giving his application the strong review it deserves, you are securing both his and the community’s success. Under Ocala’s charter, the city council has the authority to hire and fire those serving in the positions of city manager, city auditor, city attorney, and city clerk. Except for the police department, which falls under the supervision of the mayor, the city manager has authority over all other city 1,100-plus employees. The city manager oversees Ocala’s $900 million annual budget. Lee has worked for Ocala in the Growth Management department for 20 years. He skipped past being a department head to being named assistant city manager on July 6, 2021, the same day then-Council
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The Roberts, who have lived in the Ocala area since the 1990s, purchased the property for $10.5 million in August 2021 and soon announced plans to build a second WEC location on the site. As of press time, County Attorney Guy Minter had not responded to a request for comment on this story made through Marion County Public Relations. A reply to an email sent to Gooding asking for comment on the legal challenges said, “Thank you, but we have no comment.” As for Feaster, he said he and other members of his group are not opposed to growth, provided it’s in the right place and it’s done correctly. “We want them to give us something to go forward with and be part of the process as opposed to having something stuffed down our throats,” he said. Club
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The hearing request mentions the report by Growth Services staff on the rezoning application, which states, “Increasing opportunities for urban commercial activities in the Rural Area makes delineating the separation of Rural and Urban Areas difficult. Such difficulties make efforts to support and retain Rural areas and rural character increasingly difficult leading to increasing urban sprawl as urban uses encroach into and proliferate in RuralTheAreas.”petition for the hearing also contends Golden Ocala has not reacted appropriately to concerns or comments raised by several state agencies that reviewed the county’s comprehensive plan amendment change as required. The concerns include the previously mentioned Rainbow Springs, the existence of federally protected or threatened or state protected wildlife species on the property and the many cultural resources in the general vicinity of the WEC Jockey Club, including multiple attempts to locate a potential historic site from the Second Seminole Indian War known as Fort Drane, which likely contains human remains.
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On April 28, Chad Christensen, the chairman of the CEP board of directors, sent the council members a letter indicating the CEP board had unanimously voted to encourage the council to conduct a nationwide search for a new city manager. As the City Council begins to consider the arduous process of selecting a new City Manager, the Board of the Directors of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership would strongly encourage the Council to conduct a nationwide search for the best person to fill this critical leadership role. This is consistent with the Board’s recommendation to the City Council following (former city manager) John Zobler’s announced retirement in December 2019. Our community is in the middle of an incredible period of growth that has resulted from consistent, strong leadership and partnership between the City of Ocala, Marion County, and the business community. It is imperative that the City Council search to find the very best leader to not only lead the operations of the City but to actively engage stakeholders. A great example of the success of searching broadly for the best leader is the recent experience of the Marion County School Board with the selection of Dr. Diane Gullett as Superintendent. Dr. Gullett was hired following a nationwide search by the School Board. This search and her hiring have proven to be a great success for not only the School System but our community at large. While some may question the cost and time of conducting such a search, it is an investment in the future growth and success of the City. We believe this cost is certainly justified when hiring someone to run a nearly $900 million organization such as the City of Ocala.
“If it goes through, it’ll create traffic and roadway issues and negatively impact our water resources,” he said.
File photo: Kevin Sheilley, the President/CEO of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.
Jockey
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Member Justin Grabelle moved, unsuccessfully, to fire Wilson over her dismissal of then-Ocala Fire Chief Shane Alexander. Parties involved in the 2021 action against Wilson confirmed to the Gazette that Lee would have been their choice for interim city manager had the vote passed that day. That promotion, however, boosted Lee’s annual salary from $85,000 to $150,000. As interim city manager, his base salary is $225,500. Lee’s promotion to interim city manager on April 19 came after Mansfield made a motion to dismiss Wilson, citing a report from the city auditor involving a whistleblower complaint. That report looked into two issues involving banking and contract matters but did not find any financial losses to the city or any evidence that they rose “to the level of “gross HiltyCouncilmanagement.’’MembersJamesandKristenDreyerjoined Mansfield in the vote to dismiss Wilson, who had served as the city’s manager since June 2020 and who had worked for Ocala for more than 20 years. Council Members Bethea and Jay Musleh dissented, with Musleh saying the issue should be set as an agenda item for a future council meeting. Exactly 37 minutes after the meeting ended, Tamara Fleischhaker, the chief experience officer for the CEP, wrote this email to the CEP directors: I want to give you a brief update on actions taken at this evening’s Ocala City Council meeting. During Council discussion, Councilman Mansfield brought up a whistle-blower complaint that had been filed with concerns over issues raised on how bids are managed and fear of reprisal for bringing the issue to leadership. He made a motion to terminate Ms. Wilson immediately. There was much discussion among the other council members regarding the City Manager and her leadership. In the end, three council members voted in favor of termination: Mansfield, Dreyer, and Hilty. Ms. Wilson thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve the City. Pete Lee has been appointed as the Interim City Manager and Council President Bethea will be working with the City attorney to manage Ms. Wilson’s severance package and set a temporary contract for Mr. Lee. I’m sure there will be more details in the next few days and we will keep you updated as needed. The Gazette spoke to the whistleblower, who is no longer employed with the city, and who said they never feared retaliation from Wilson.
Letters to the editor: 200 words or less.
New city manager
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTEA2
Continued from page A1 park, stadiums, polo fields, more than 120,000-square-feet of commercial and retail space, and more on the rural property. According to both the administrative hearing request and the appeal, the individual petitioner’s properties are all within 1000 feet of the WEC Jockey Club property and all would be adversely affected by the proposed development. The Guthrie’s farm of nearly 22 acres is directly adjacent to it. The Comprehensive Plan amendment is urban sprawl “leapfrog” development that is not supported by services including potable water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure, the plaintiffs allege. “The WEC Jockey Club project is essentially a commercial housing development,” said Feaster. “Hopefully we can get them to trim back some of the site plan to make it more suitable so that it won’t disrupt the community as it is planned right now.”
The former Ocala Jockey Club sits within the county’s Farmland Preservation Area (FPA) in northwest Marion County and outside its Urban Growth Boundary.
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DeSantis appoints four CF Trustees
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE
By Belea T. Keeney belea@magnoliamediaco.com
City council approves 312unit apartment complex
File photo: Motorists on Southeast Maricamp Road on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021. Feet by the City of Ocala Growth Management Department Parcel
As for CF, the college hopes that it will move forward with the expected standard of excellence and that its newest Board of Trustees members settle into their roles comfortably, Brauckmuller said.
´0 1,000
Woodland Village residents reached “agreement in principle” with apartment developers for buffering and roundabout
Anew 312-unit apartment complex was approved by the Ocala City Council in a nearly 6.5 hour-long meeting held Aug. 16. Public opposition to the apartments included concerns about crime, traffic access for both SE 25th Avenue and Maricamp Road (CR 464) and the question of improper notice of the meeting to neighboring residents as required by state statute. The proposed apartment development, currently named Grand Reserve, is slated for 312 multi-family apartments on 39.24 acres. The property is east of the Woodland Villages community, which is accessed solely from SE 25th Avenue. Residents there are deeply concerned about nearby property values, safety issues and infrastructure. Woodlands Village resident Deborah Klugger wrote the council in protest and stated, “This rezoning would be a great negative impact to our community and the surrounding areas.” Several other Woodland Village residents also spoke in opposition to the apartment complex citing concerns about traffic, school overcrowding, the 7-11 development also slated at SE 25th Avenue and the lack of buffering between the apartment traffic and convenience store and their homes in Woodland Village. The city staff report acknowledged school overcrowding, stating, “Schools: The impacted schools are currently experiencing localized overcrowding for South Ocala Elementary, Osceola Middle, and Forest AttorneyHigh.”Fred Roberts, representing Grand Reserve developers, mentioned a previous public meeting with Woodland Village residents and thanked them for “trying to find a solution as opposed to simply being obstructionist.” He referenced a previous meeting that had “a couple hundred” attendees and noted the process has entailed work for both parties.
CaseProposal:Zoning:LandPropertyNumber:Size:UseDesignation:Number: B-1:NeighborhoodProperty Business B-2:Community M-2:MediumM-1:LightINST:InstitutionalGU:GovernmentalBusinessUseIndustrialIndustrial OP:OfficeO-1:Office Development-3Park DevelopmentPUD-0:PlannedDevelopment-8PUD-08:PlannedDevelopment-5PUD-05:PlannedUnitsUnitUnitsUnitUnitsUnit PUD-14:Planned Unit Development-14 ResidentialR-1AA:SingleResidentialR-1A:SingleR-1:SinglePlannedDevelopment-OfficePUD-RO:PlannedUnitsUnitDevelopmentFamilyResidentialFamilyFamily A request to rezone from Single Family Residential, R-1A, to Planned Development, PD PD21-44492 ZONING CASE MAP Location Map P & Z Meeting: July 11, 2022 R-1A, Single Family Residential LI, Low Intensity & NHOOD, Neighborhood Approximately 39.24 acres 29509-000-49 OP R-3 RO M-2PUD-08GUPUD-RO B-2 PUD-03 R-3 B-1 OP R-3 M-1 INST INST R-1 PUD-0 GU B-2 R-1PDR-3 B-2 R-1A B-1 OP PUD-05 O-1 O-1 R-1 SC B-2 SE25THST AVE20THSE SE1THCT CETTERBRIDGERD SE28THPL SEMARICAMPRD SE23RDAVE CT29THSESE27THCT CROSSOVER 7ESHAVE SE27THRD SE24THTER SE25THTER SE19THCIR SE LAUREL RUN DR SE20THCIR SE18HCR ACCESSRDE24THAVE SE22NDST E7TR SE SE25THAVE SE25THCT S2HCT SE 23RD PL SE FOX RUN CT SE ASHLEY CT SE21STAVE SE 29TH ST SWNBRIDGE C R SE 17TH ST NDAV PRIVATEDR SE 30TH ST SE 22ND PL SE WOODLEA CIR SE30THAVE SE 24TH ST SE 18TH ST SETW N BRIDGE CT SE 16TH LN SE 15TH LN SE SE 26TH ST SE32NDAVE SE19THVE SE29THPL SE27THTER SE 15TH ST SEMRKCR SE 29TH TER SE 28TH LN SE 27TH ST ONSP SE 29TH LN SE28THST SE25THLOOP ´0 1,000 Feet Prepared by the City of Ocala Growth Management Department Parcel CaseProposal:Zoning:LandPropertyNumber:Size:UseDesignation:Number: B-1:NeighborhoodProperty Business B-2:Community M-2:MediumM-1:LightINST:InstitutionalGU:GovernmentalBusinessUseIndustrialIndustrial OP:OfficeO-1:Office Development-3Park DevelopmentPUD-0:PlannedDevelopment-8PUD-08:PlannedDevelopment-5PUD-05:PlannedUnitsUnitUnitsUnitUnitsUnit PUD-14:Planned Unit Development-14 ResidentialR-1AA:SingleResidentialR-1A:SingleR-1:SinglePlannedDevelopment-OfficePUD-RO:PlannedUnitsUnitDevelopmentFamilyResidentialFamilyFamily A request to rezone from Single Family Residential, R-1A, to Planned Development, PD PD21-44492 ZONING CASE MAP Location Map P & Z Meeting: July 11, 2022 R-1A, Single Family Residential LI, Low Intensity & NHOOD, Neighborhood Approximately 39.24 acres 29509-000-49 OP R-3 RO M-2PUD-08GUPUD-RO B-2 PUD-03 R-3 B-1 OP R-3 M-1 INST INST R-1 PUD-0 GU B-2 R-1PDR-3 B-2 R-1A B-1 OP PUD-05 O-1 O-1 R-1 SC B-2 SE25THST AVE20THSE SE1THCT CETTERBRIDGERD SE28THPL SEMARICAMPRD SE23RDAVE CT29THSESE27THCT CROSSOVER 7ESHAVE SE27THRD SE24THTER SE25THTER SE19THCIR SE LAUREL RUN DR SE20THCIR SE18HCR ACCESSRDE24THAVE SE22NDST E7TR SE SE25THAVE SE25THCT S2HCT SE 23RD PL SE FOX RUN CT SE ASHLEY CT SE21STAVE SE 29TH ST SWNBRIDGE C R SE 17TH ST NDAV PRIVATEDR SE 30TH ST SE 22ND PL SE WOODLEA CIR SE30THAVE SE 24TH ST SE 18TH ST SETW N BRIDGE CT SE 16TH LN SE 15TH LN SE SE 26TH ST SE32NDAVE SE19THVE SE29THPL SE27THTER SE 15TH ST SEMRKCR SE 29TH TER SE 28TH LN SE 27TH ST ONSP SE 29TH LN SE28THST SE25THLOOP
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com overnor Ron DeSantis appointed four members—three new and one returning—to the College of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees for the next term. Russell Branson, Fredrick Roberts Jr., Charlie Stone and Michael Torres will join Joyce Brancato, Bobby Durrance and Bill Edgar to govern the college and ensure its stakeholders. “We welcome our new board members and appreciate the service of our returning board member—all who have demonstrated commitment to our community,” said CF President Jim Henningsen via press release. “They have broad experience in workforce, health care, finance and more, and we look forward to their leadership in impacting our college, students and community.” Branson, the current chair of the CF Board of Trustees, earned a bachelor’s degree in art and finance from Florida State University and a graduate degree in banking from Louisiana State University. “He is the past chairman of the Marion County Housing Finance Authority and currently holds board positions at the Chamber of Economic Partnership of Marion County, Childhood Development Services, the Southeastern Youth Fair and the State of Florida Board for the Prevention Network,” according to CF. Lois Brauckmuller, the director of marketing and public relations at CF, said that the diverse backgrounds of each candidate will allow for the board to be more rounded and well-informed when making cost-effective policy decisions appropriate to the Florida College System institution’s mission, a responsibility of the board which adheres to Florida Statute. “Board members bring diverse experiences from a variety of industries to help guide the college,” Brauckmuller said. “They have proven leadership skills that can be applied to an institution of higher learning. Best practices for business translate across industries to ensure that the best educational experience is provided to our students.” Roberts, an Ocala attorney, has previously served on the CF Foundation Board of Directors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Florida and his juris doctor from Stetson University. “He is a board member for Oak Hammock at the University of Florida and a member of the Marion County Bar Association,” according to CF. Students should not expect for this change within the board to affect their learning experience—the new members will be committed to ensuring the highest quality of education for those attending the college, Brauckmuller said. “In addition to being attuned to the needs of our workforce, board members are part of our community and our culture,” she said. “They have the best interests of our students at heart.” Like Roberts, Stone is also a previous member of the CF Foundation Board of Directors. Stone is the owner and president of Stone Petroleum Products, Inc.
G
Prepared
“The college is committed to providing the highest quality educational experience for students,” she said. “We are looking forward to welcoming our new board members to join us in continuing our record of excellence as we work to transform the lives of our students and our community.”
Ken Nadeau, vice president of the master HOA board in Woodland Villages and a former city commissioner in Belleview, spoke in opposition. He referenced the approval of previous “classy, luxury” apartment complexes such as Steeplechase and Morgan, that are now simply aging, regular, everyday communities. “Don’t be distracted by the shiny and the new,” he warned the council. He said that single-family neighborhoods near “an apartment district” ultimately suffer from desirability issues and property value devaluation. By approving apartments in this area, Nadeau stated his concern about future development of the Maricamp Road Church of Christ, the ARC property and other parcels south facing 464. He also mentioned overburdened schools and traffic issues. Nadeau said the HOA requested funds for additional buffering from 25Th Avenue traffic and has an “agreement in principle” with the developer for a roundabout with land from Woodland Village. The developer’s agreement stated, “The parties acknowledge that the current access points for Woodland Village is poorly aligned and poses a hazardous condition. Accordingly, Grand Reserve has agreed to make certain improvements… shall construct a teardrop roundabout and realign the outbound movement from Woodland Village…” Some right-of-way from Woodland Villages is also part of the agreement.Thecouncil voted 4-1 to approve the development; Councilman Hilty Sr. was the sole nay. In a memo obtained by the Gazette from the Woodland Village board to residents of that community, the board noted some concessions were made by the developer. A “redesign” of the “third lane on the south side of the Maricamp and SE 25th Ave intersection,” a “retiming of the traffic lights at the intersection” to improve flow and an additional right hand turn only lane on “the south side of SE 25th Avenue.” The board also acknowledge that the developer had agreed to pay $50,000.00 “to the Master Association for fencing to help mitigate the impact of this development.”
“He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2012-2020 and a Marion County Commissioner from 2002-2012,” according to CF. “Stone is a member of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership.”Thelastnew appointee, Torres, earned a certificate in military leadership from Air War College, a master’s degree in business administration from Touro University International and a doctorate in medicine from Spartan Health Sciences“Torres,University.fromOcala, is the vice president and chief medical officer of Advent Health,” according to CF. “He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.”
The statutes leave it up to the county and city officials to implement school concurrency based on a community’s particular circumstances; it’s not mandatory. Our growing community’s circumstances absolutely demand it.
The community needs its leaders to have an open, honest – and longoverdue -- conversation about
Local officials: Please implement school concurrency
When the Gazette asked Jeremy Powers, the attorney for the school district, this question, he answered it frankly. “We are all working from the same pot of money, the taxpayers’ money. That is why it’s everyone’s problem, not just the district’s.”
The draft agreement instead tries to fulfill the requirements of Fla. Stat. 163.31777 for coordination of information about development between the school district and local government. But these entities have been sharing this development info for years now; it hasn’t helped fix the school capacity problem. In fact, we are only two weeks into the school year and the district already has 631 more enrolled students than it projected. There is an attempt in the draft agreement to consider “significant expansion” circumstances that might come up. However, there is nothing the school district can do, according to this agreement, to force developers or local governments to contribute to the costs of building new schools or expanding them. The agreement also seems like it’s being used as a housekeeping record since the original 2008 agreement was abandoned by Marion County and Ocala without protest by the school district in 2011, which coincidentally was when development largely came to a crawl due to the recession.
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Thankfully, the developer’s team that is objecting to increased density proposed by the Ocala SW 80th Avenue LLC request has done that for them. Marion County residents deserve an agreement that establishes a shortterm and long-term solution to the costs of the development that has already been approved as well as the plans in the pipeline and being envisioned. Key to all of this is the realization that the taxpayers should not have to shoulder all the costs; it’s well past time for the developers to pay their fair share.
All of the attorneys for the city, county and district agree the 2008 interlocal agreement is still the operating agreement among the parties—but no one is following it. If they actually applied the standards for school capacity in that 2008 agreement to the current conditions, we’d be exploring development moratoriums in southwest Marion County because of school capacity problems. Also, if we were talking about serious and forward-thinking leadership, we’d be discussing money. The school district does not have funding to immediately increase capacity or new schools to keep pace with all of the development that has been approved. Yet, the statutes restrict how many students the district can put in a classroom. Who will step up to provide the desperately needed funds? Even if the school district implements impact fees against new construction it will only be a drop in the bucket for what is needed to remediate.
FLAMENCOMAHARAJAHTRIO
Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store
In Concert at the Appleton
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTEA4
OPINION
Notice Under Fictitious Name Law NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in busi ness under the fictitious name of Beckwith Safes & Weaponry located at 13685 S US Hwy 441, in the city of Summerfield, Marion County, Florida 34491 intends to register the said name with the Division of Corporations of the Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida. Dated 8/27/2022 Harry Beckwith Guns & Range Inc.
Tickets are $30
CashAppletonMuseum.org.atbaravailable.
Marion County school district needs it in order to remediate to a lot of poorly planned development decisions.
Owner: Kathy A. Chervinski Public Notice
Commissioner Michelle Stone during the Planning and Zoning and DRC Waiver Requests meeting at the McPherson Governmental Complex in Ocala on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Notice Under Fictitious Name Law Pursu ant to Section 865.09, Florida Statutes NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the un dersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Rina's Rustics located at 4350 NW 1st Court Rd, in the County of Marion, in the City of Ocala, Florida 34475 intends to register the said name with the Division of Corporations of the Florida Department of State, Tallahas see, Florida. Dated at Ocala, Florida, this 23rd day of August, 2022.
By Ocala Gazette Board During the Aug. 16 Marion County Board of County Commission Commissionermeeting,Michelle Stone signaled to her fellow board members that she would soon be presenting a draft copy of a new interlocal agreement between Marion County, several of the municipalities and the school district. Stone offered the information in response to several objections brought by a lawyer representing the On Top of the World and Calesa Townships communities as the commission was considering whether to approve plans for an adjacent development that would add more than 500 houses to already crowded southwest Marion County on 132.26 acres at SW 80th Avenue and SW 63rd Street Road. While county staff had recommended the board approve the request by Ocala SW 80th Avenue LLC to change the land-use designations for the area to allow for more intensive growth, the lawyer from the Tallahassee firm Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Stitterson and the firm’s inhouse certified land planners provided significant details at the board meeting to support their objections. The certified land planners also wrote several long memos to the commission leading up to the meeting detailing the reasons why the project should be scuttled. At the top of the list of “Major Problems with Requested Comprehensive Plan Amendment” was “Failing Schools” due to overcapacity. Using school district figures, the developer’s lawyer told the commissioners the entire southwest area is at 103% capacity based on school zoning boundaries. The three schools that would serve this project, [Saddlewood Elementary] is at 106%, Liberty Middle is at 111% and West Port High is at 112%. … And the key is (expansions) are not funded. Ken Colen, the developer of both OTOW and Calesa Township, is uniquely qualified to point out the issue. The OTOW development is for retirees and therefore has little to no impact on local schools. However, the developer’s foundation has invested in a state-of-the-art charter school to serve its family friendly development of Calesa Township. The OTOW and Calesa opposition memos encouraged the commission and the Marion County School Board to come up with a “short-term and long-term strategy to reduce the overcapacity condition (at the affected elementary, middle and high schools) before approving developments with increased density.” In the letter, Colen said he did not “object to residential use at the location, but objected to piecemeal, poorly coordinated amendments that seek to increase density without addressing basic community needs.” Stone asked that the development be put on hold so that more information could be gathered, including answers from the school district on what they need to address the capacity issue. After the hearing, the Gazette requested the latest draft interlocal agreement to follow up on previous news reports about over-capacity at Marion County schools and recent changes to the statute for school concurrency. The draft agreement is disappointing because it does not present practical solutions to remedy the current capacity problems or set any levels of service the community should expect the elected officials to consider when approving development or funding for them.
The first thing missing is any mention of Fla. Stat. 163.3180(6) (a) establishing school concurrency among the district, the county and various municipalities. Without establishing school concurrency in the interlocal agreement and the various comprehensive plans of the government bodies approving development, there is no mechanism by which the school district can force local governments or developers to pay their fair share of expenses related to increasing capacity at schools to handle the influx of students these developments envision. When a level of service is established for school concurrency under Fla. Stat. 163.3180(6)(a) it also makes things fairer for the developers because they can speculate understanding what standard they have to evaluate.
implementing school concurrency and relieving the pressure on overcrowded schools, including the painful talk about money and potential pause to more approvals so that the district has time to remediate.Theaverage Marion County family can’t afford its own legal representation and certified city planners to research and write memos on their behalf.
Terry Teuton will be inducted into the Marion County Agriculture Hall of Fame in November.
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE A5
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
erry Teuton comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers in Marion County. He was born here, grew up here and has been involved in the agricultural community his whole life. In November, he will be honored for his labors, expertise and service when he is inducted into the Marion County Agriculture Hall of Fame.“It’sa great honor. It’s just being inducted with some of the people I know who are already there. Some of those folks were as good as you could ask for,” Teuton said.Teuton, 74, continues to raise cattle and grow peanuts and hay at the family farm in Anthony. “My mother and dad started the farm where we are now and they worked hard at it and really built it and I’ve tried to continue that,” he said. “I was born and raised in it and I’m still in it.” As for whether family to donate, and has been an inspiration to a lot of folks. His heart and his convictions is what makes him the man that he is. He is the man that I look up to and try my best to follow his footsteps. The best part is, he’s the man I get to call dad.” According to information provided by Marion County, Terry Teuton often hosts farm tours to help educate the public on the importance of agriculture to the community and environment. He has served as steer chairman of the Southeastern Youth Fair and on the executive board. The annual fair, the largest and oldest of its kind in the nation, was dedicated to him in 2021. He was past president of the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association and was on the Marion County Farm Bureau board of directors. He has been a member of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and Marion County’s representative on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. He was named Young Farmer of the Year for the Marion County Chamber of Commerce in 1974. Teuton will be inducted into the ag hall of fame as part of Farm City Week activities from Nov. 16- 23. His achievements will be commemorated with a bronze plaque as part of a permanent exhibit in the foyer of the Extension Service auditorium at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion. UF/IFAS Extension Marion County is a partnership of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and the University of Florida. Since its inception in 2003, the Marion County Agricultural Hall of Fame has recognized individuals who made tremendous contributions to the furtherance of agriculture in the community. The honorees include Mark Shuffitt, Gus Gray, Jerry Arthur, Russ Randall, Bud Boyer, Jim Williams, Franklin Walter “Frank” Smith, Adolph “Al” Kunz, Harry Mangurian Jr, Arlen Jumper, D.A. Lewis Jr, Nathan Mayo, Michael and Joseph O’Farrell, Marilyn Grant, Kay Richardson, Bill Reese, Carey Robbins, E.L. Strickland, Carol Harris, Elmer Heubeck, Jo Ann Smith, James M. “Jimmie” Glisson, Barnard Grant, Edsel W. Rowan, Charles Seiler Jr, William R. Brawner, Jackson C. Dudley, Carl Rose, Ned H. Folks, O.D. “Buddy” Huff, Carl G. Rose, Leroy Baldwin, Richard Barber Jr, Bonnie M. Heath II, Douglas H. Oswald, Robert Renner, David Baillie Jr. and Marion Roche. The hall of fame induction ceremony is open to the public. For tickets, contact Patricia D. Nobles, County Extension Director and Extension Agent III, at (352) 671-8400 or noblesp@ufl.edu.
Photo courtesy Teuton family
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Cattleman, farmer to be honored
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTEA6 of Marion County Since 1983 Amazon best-seller “Heaven’s Bell” has a profound impact on readers coping with loss. Meet the author at a lunch event: Golden Ocala $30/per person Book signing and presentation by youth counselors from our staff. Sponsored by Angie Lewis Tickets available by calling (352) 291-5143 Your local not-for-profit hospice since 1983 presents Author Sherrie Barch • Nov 17 3001 SW College Road, Ocala, FL 34474 CF is an Equal Opportunity Employer Join the AdjunctTeam–VisualandPerforming Arts Adjunct – Communication – Levy Public Safety Officer Plant Operations PART-TIME POSITIONSFULL-TIME POSITIONS Faculty – Emergency Medical Services Faculty – Respiratory Care, Program Manager Faculty Health Sciences – Associate Degree Nursing Staff Assistant I – Instructional Administration –Citrus E-Learning and Learning Support Specialist Trades Specialist – Electrician Trades Specialist – HVAC Trades Technician – Levy Educational Advisor HOW TO APPLY Go to www.cf.edu/jobs Select one of the following online portals Administrative/Faculty/ Adjunct Career Opportunities or Professional/Career/Part-time Career Opportunities. Submit an electronic application, a copy of unofficial transcripts and resume online. A copy of transcripts from an accredited institution must be submitted with the application.
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
Above: Dave Schlenker, right, poses for a photo with his father, Grant, during the book release party for his new book “Little Man Big Mouth” at the Ocala Civic Theatre in Ocala on Monday, August 29, 2022.
he book release party for Dave Schlenker’s “Little Man Big Mouth, 30 Years: Newspaper and magazine columns by an average dad in cargo shorts” on Monday evening at the Ocala Civic Theatre (OCT) was standing room only (SRO). The lobby of the theater was packed with book buyers and well-wishers, including a large number of Schlenker’s former colleagues from the “Ocala Star-Banner.” Schlenker is well known for his many years as an editor and writer at the daily newspaper and also as a columnist with the monthly “Ocala Style” magazine, the “Gazette’s” sister publication, for the past threeHisyears.new book is a compilation of columns from “Style” and the “Banner.” Half of the proceeds of book sales from the evening were to benefit OCT, with which he has been involved for years as a performer, stage dad and board member. As soon as the doors opened Monday night, a long line of people cued up to purchase books or brought one with them. Schlenker, seated at a table with his wife Amy, who, along with their two daughters, was often a subject of his columns, happily signed autographs. At an adjacent table, longtime local public relations professional and community leader Toni James sat with Maclyn Walker, the daughter of the late David Cook, who also was well known for his many years and various job titles with the “Star-Banner.” They sold copies of Cook’s “The Way It Was: A Trek Through Marion County’s Past, Vol. 2.” Proceeds from those sales were to benefit the Historic Ocala Preservation Society. Schlenker, along with James, was instrumental in publishing volumes one and two of Cook’s historical columns. Midway through Monday’s event, Amy Mangan, herself a noted local author, and entertainers Macey Mac and Reverend Billy C. Wirtz, read chapters from Schlenker’s book, which alternately had the audience wiping tears or howling with laughter. “Thank you all for coming,” Schlenker told the audience after the readings. “Hey, there’s my dad… and friends from North Carolina. Thank you again. Now I’ll sign as many books as I can.”
Little room, big crowd Book release fundraiser at OCT attracts SRO audience
Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
“Little Man Big Mouth” is available through online sites and at the Gallery on Magnolia in downtown Ocala. To learn more, go to facebook.com/dave.schlenker
Left: Dave Schlenker signs books for people. Brad Rogers, Harriet Daniels and David Moore, left to right, who are all former Ocala Star-Banner reporters and editors, hold copies of Dave Schlenker’s new book “Little Man Big Mouth”. Jeff and Shari Bernhard read one of the new books.
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Florida’s general-revenue tax collections came in nearly 20 percent higher than anticipated in July. A report issued Wednesday by state economists said general revenue was $516.1 million more than projected. Sales taxes are the biggest part of general revenue. Inflation played a key role in driving up sales-tax collections in July, as it boosts shelf prices and, as a result, tax money. “The immediate response to inflation is an increase in sales tax collections that reflects the higher prices,” the report said. “Persistent inflation conditions, however, ultimately suppress collections as consumers begin to spend more money on non-taxable necessities like food and health care.” The report said prices for food eaten at home increased by 13.1 percent in June, contributing to the largest 12-month percentage increase since the period that ended in May 1979. Economists also warned about relatively low consumer savings. The personal-savings rate stood at 5 percent for June and July. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate in the 20182019 fiscal year stood at 7.9 percent. The rate ballooned to 33.7 percent in April 2020 as people cut back on spending and started to draw federal stimulus checks. In all, the state collected $3.327 billion in general revenue in July, up from the projection of $2.811 billion. The July collections were compared to projections made by economists in January. A panel of economists known as the Revenue Estimating Conference updated projections this month. The panel bumped up projected general revenue for the current 2022-2023 fiscal year and the 2023-2024 year by about $5.3 billion. The 2022-2023 fiscal year started July 1. The increased projections, however, came with concerns about an economic “downshift” this fiscal year and an anticipated slowdown in the housing market. General revenue is closely watched because it plays a key role in funding programs such as education, health care and prisons.
An appeals court Wednesday rejected an attempt by Miami Dade College to collect more than $200,000 in a dispute about providing public records. A three-judge panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that the college was not entitled to collect $201,087 in attorney fees and costs from Nader + Museu I, LLLP. The ruling said the college had not provided an estimate or an invoice to the business before producing the public records, contrary to state law and college policies. The case stemmed from what the appeals court described as an “expansive” public-records request that Nader + Museu made in 2016 related to a development project on collegeowned property.
SUPREME COURT REPRIMANDS NORTH FLORIDA JUDGE
MONKEYPOX CASES CONTINUE TO CLIMB
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday publicly reprimanded Tallahasseearea Circuit Judge Barbara Hobbs after an investigation that also resulted in a 60-day suspension and a $30,000 fine. The discipline stemmed, at least in part, from Hobbs’ actions after her son was arrested in 2019 for allegedly shooting through a door at his home and striking a woman. Hobbs went to the Tallahassee police station and acted as her son’s attorney, including during police questioning of her son, according to a document filed last year by a panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission. The panel concluded that Hobbs, who later contacted an attorney to represent her son, violated judicialHobbs,canons.ajudge in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, also was accused of not properly supervising a judicial assistant, who allowed Hobbs’ son to improperly access restricted areas of the courthouse. Hobbs stood silently Wednesday as Chief Justice Carlos Muniz gave the public reprimand.
DESANTIS REELS IN MOST MATCHING FUNDS
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE A7 State FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE BRIEFS
“You allowed personal attachments and loyalty to overcome your ethical obligations as a judge,” Muniz said. The chief justice acknowledged that Hobbs’ misconduct came during a “challenging and stressful time” for her family. He said that and other mitigating factors helped lead the Supreme Court to decide that the misconduct did not warrant removing Hobbs from theThebench.Supreme Court has ultimate authority to discipline judges.
COLLEGE LOSES PUBLIC RECORDS FEE FIGHT STATE TAX COLLECTIONS TOP PROJECTIONS
Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to be the biggest beneficiary of the state’s candidate matching-funds program, drawing more than 60 percent of the money doled out the past six weeks. The state Division of Elections on Monday posted a report showing that DeSantis received $450,147 last week from the matching-funds program. That pumped up his overall funding from the program to $5.093 million. In all, the state has distributed $8.36 million to six candidates.Intheprogram, public funds are provided to match contributions of $250 or less from individuals to candidates’ campaign accounts. Matching funds are not available for contributions to political committees or outside of statewideDeSantisraces.received $3.2 million from the voter-approved program when he was elected governor in 2018. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist received $161,173 in matching funds last week, bringing his six-week total to nearly $1.71 million. Crist defeated Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried last week in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Fried drew $30,536 in matching funds last week, putting her total at $944,850.StateChief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis received $7,300 in matching funds last week, bringing his total to $186,492. Attorney General Ashley Moody pulled in $8,150 from the state last week, putting her total at $251,723. Aramis Ayala, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, and Adam Hattersley, the Democratic nominee for chief financial officer, have not drawn matching funds. Daniel Uhlfelder, an attorney from Santa Rosa Beach who lost to Ayala last week in the primary, has received $177,585 through the program, including $24,718 last week. Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, will face Democrat Naomi Blemur in the race for agriculture commissioner, but they have not received matching funds.
Monkeypox cases in Florida have more than tripled since the beginning of August, as an upward trend in infections continues. Data from the Florida Department of Health showed that the state has recorded 1,913 monkeypox cases of Monday, up from 525 cases reported through Aug. 2. Miami-Dade and Broward counties continue to report the vast majority of monkeypox cases, with 704 in Miami-Dade and 578 in Broward. Orange and Hillsborough counties have the next-highest number of cases, with 150 and 124 cases. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Aug. 3 told reporters that the state had received 24,000 doses of vaccines for monkeypox and distributed roughly 8,500 of those doses. The state health department did not respond to a request by The News Service of Florida Tuesday for updated numbers of vaccines received and Accordingdistributed.tothefederal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 18,101 monkeypox cases throughout the country as of Monday. Florida has the third-highest number of recorded monkeypox infections in the nation, trailing California and New York. The rarely fatal virus can cause flu-like symptoms and progress to a rash on the face and body. The virus is “sexually transmissible” and most commonly spread by intimate contact, according to the CDC. “At this time, data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up the majority of cases in the current monkeypox outbreak,” an advisory on the CDC’s website said. The White House declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency on Aug. 4.
The business subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging that the college did not make the records available or properly respond to the request, Wednesday’s ruling said. The college hired outside attorneys to represent it and ultimately provided records in response to discovery requests in the lawsuit. “Neither MDC (the college) nor its outside counsel provided Nader with an estimate of the anticipated cost of the discovery prior to producing the public records, nor did they provide Nader with an invoice for their efforts or request payment prior to producing the public records,” said Wednesday’s ruling, written by Judge Thomas Logue and joined by Judges Edwin Scales and Eric Hendon. The college sought to recoup attorney fees and the costs of producing the documents.
ore than 100 legal scholars and dozens of former judges, prosecutors and police chiefs are decrying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, arguing that the move runs counter to professional standards, sets a dangerous precedent and violates the constitutional separation of powers.Thescholars on Tuesday submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in a federal lawsuit in which Warren accuses DeSantis of overstepping his authority and violating the twice-elected prosecutor’s First Amendment rights. DeSantis on Aug. 4 issued an executive order suspending Warren, a Democrat, accusing him of “incompetence and willful defiance of his duties.” DeSantis pointed to a letter Warren signed pledging to avoid enforcing a new law preventing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Also, the governor targeted a statement Warren joined condemning the criminalization of transgender people and gender-affirming care. But 115 legal scholars from across the country who focus on ethics and the law denounced DeSantis’ action, saying Warren’s suspension “runs counter to professional standards of conduct, usurps the will and power of the electorate and eviscerates the carefully crafted separation of powers erected in the Florida Constitution.” The group’s brief argued that prosecutors have discretion over how to spend their offices’ resources. “Elected prosecutors’ public statements on controversial questions of criminal law or procedure are not unethical or unprofessional but fulfill their professional obligation to promote law reform while enabling constituents to assess their views on policy relevant to their work,” the brief said.Warren’s suspension “for what can only be characterized as purely partisan reasons runs counter to professional standards of conduct, usurps the will and power of the electorate and eviscerates the carefully crafted separation of powers erected in the Florida Constitution,” the scholarsDeSantis,wrote,who is running for re-election this year and is widely seen as a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has used his authority to suspend a number of elected officials since he became governor in early 2019. On Friday, DeSantis suspended four Broward County school board members based on the recommendation of a grandjury report. In one of his first actions after taking office, DeSantis suspended former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for actions related to a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and a shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.DeSantis, appearing at an event in Live Oak on Tuesday, defended his decision to suspend Warren. “In Florida, we actually said we are going to follow the law across the board, state and local. We had a prosecutor over in Tampa that had said he wasn’t going to enforce laws that he doesn’t like. So, we removed him from his post, and we said that’s not going to happen here,” DeSantis said. The Florida Constitution grants the governor the authority to suspend state officers for “malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony.” State attorneys are considered state officers. The Florida Senate has the power to remove or reinstate suspended officials. Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, has put the proceedings in Warren’s case on hold while the lawsuit is pending. In addition to abortion and transgender treatment, Warren has clashed with DeSantis on other fronts. For example, Warren criticized the way the state has carried out a constitutional amendment aimed at restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. Warren, in an interview Wednesday with The News Service of Florida, accused the governor of using the suspension to score political points. “I’ve spent my career as a prosecutor and in courtrooms and so I still live in a world where facts matter. I know that the governor is now campaigning for president and so he lives in a political world where apparently, in his view, facts don’t really matter,” Warren said. “The reality is that nobody should want elected officials to have the power to remove other elected officials, just because they don’t like the job that they’re doing or they don’t like who the people are. … This is just, from top to bottom, it’s truly undemocratic and un-American and illegal, and that’s why it’s being challenged in court.” In a separate brief filed Friday, dozens of former judges and law-enforcement officials, including three retired Florida Supreme Court justices, warned that allowing Warren’s suspension to stand would undermine the justice system. The case “presents issues of national importance,” said the brief. Officials joining the brief included former Florida Justices Harry Lee Anstead, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince. “Governors do not have the authority to disregard the autonomy and independence of prosecutors, nor are they entitled to undermine the will of the voters by removing a prosecutor simply because he exercises the discretion vested in him to make charging decisions or expresses his views regarding appropriate priorities of the justice system,” the brief said. “Allowing governors to do so would upset the careful balance of roles and responsibilities delegated to local as well as state actors by state constitution, delegitimize our justice system and erode public confidence in the operation of government and the integrity of the election process.”
SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTEDeSantisA8
draw criticism for prosecutor suspension
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle has scheduled a Sept. 19 hearing on Warren’s request to block DeSantis’ order. Warren was first elected in the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2016 and was reelected in 2020. The circuit includes only Hillsborough County.
This combination of Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022 photos shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren during separate news conferences in Tampa, Fla. On Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, Warren vowed to fight his suspension from office by DeSantis over his promise not to enforce the state’s 15-week abortion ban and support for gender transition treatments for minors. [Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP]
By Dara Kam Florida News Service M
Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last resort, has been flooded with policies during the past two years. As of Friday, it had about 1.02 million policies. By comparison, it had 499,056 policies on Aug. 31, 2020, and 687,079 policies on Aug. 31, 2021, according to data posted on its website. The coverage cap also is tangled in longstanding efforts by state leaders to have homes insured in the private market, rather than by Citizens. Those efforts, in part, stem from concerns about financial risks if the state is hit by a major hurricane or multiple hurricanes. Citizens policies had a $2 million coverage cap until lawmakers in 2013 passed a measure to gradually reduce it, with the $700,000 limit in place since 2017. Murphy said increasing the $1 million cap in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties — and potentially other counties — would require the Legislature to change state law. Home values vary in different parts of the state, and most do not exceed $700,000. But the cap issue has drawn particular attention in high-value areas such as Broward and Palm Beach counties. As an example, the metropolitan statistical area that includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach had a median sales price for existing single-family homes of $595,000 in July, according to the industry group Florida Realtors. In the area that includes Naples, Immokalee and Marco Island, the median sales price was $748,270.
Citizens insurance coverage cap eyed
“With this guidance, the court asks a simple question: Are law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds properly considered members of the political community and a part of the national community?” Pittman wrote. “The answer is yes. And based on that answer, the court concludes that law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds are a part of ‘the people’ referenced in the Second Amendment.”
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Murphy, a member of the Citizens committee, said it will probably take another month before regulators decide on whether to lift the cap. The discussion about the cap is more fallout from the troubled private insurance market, as carriers have shed policies and sought large rate increases to try to curb financial losses. Since February, five insurers have been deemed insolvent and placed into receivership.
Susanne Murphy, a deputy commissioner at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, said during a Citizens committee meeting Wednesday that regulators are analyzing whether they could increase the $700,000 cap in at least some counties. State law would allow such a move if regulators determine that “there is not a reasonable degree of competition” in the counties. Such a finding is what allowed the $1 million coverage limit in MiamiDade and Monroe counties. “Whether there’s enough data to support that finding is what we’re trying to determine,” Murphy told members of the Citizens Market Accountability Advisory Committee. “The last time we did this (with Miami-Dade and Monroe), it was pretty clear … and I think that the data that we’ve looked at thus far is not as clear as it was years ago.” Committee member Lee Gorodetsky, a South Florida insurance agent, said “clients can’t even squeeze into Citizens insurance, even though they want to or need to.” That has resulted, for example, in homeowners having to turn to what is known as surplus-lines coverage, which is largely unregulated and can include more conditions on policies.
By Jim Saunders Florida News Service ith homeowners struggling to find coverage, insurance regulators are looking at the possibility of lifting a $700,000 cap on policies sold by the state-backed Citizens Property InsuranceCitizensCorp.isbarred by law from providing what is known as a “replacement cost” coverage of more than $700,000 for homes, except in MiamiDade and Monroe counties, where the limit is $1 million. But as Florida’s property-insurance market has crumbled and home values have soared, many homeowners have been dropped by private insurers and cannot qualify for Citizens coverage because of the $700,000 cap.
By Jim Saunders Florida News Service
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Pittman wrote that the “longstanding prohibitions regarding felons and the mentally ill were based on an individualized determination that allowing the person in question unfettered access to firearms would pose a threat to public safety. Texas’s statutory scheme does the opposite. The scheme starts by prohibiting 18-to-20-year-olds from carrying a handgun for self-defense outside the home. Only if a rare exception applies may an 18-to-20-year-old seek to obtain a license to carry. And rather than determining that a person in question is a threat to public safety, certain exceptions require an individualized determination before allowing a person to exercise their Second Amendment rights.” The Fort Worth-based judge also wrote that the Second Amendment does not “mention any sort of age restriction.”
he National Rifle Association is pointing to a Texas case to try to bolster its constitutional challenge to a 2018 Florida law that prevents people under age 21 from buying guns. An attorney for the NRA filed documents Monday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a federal judge last week issued an injunction against a Texas law that bars people under 21 from carrying handguns outside their homes for self-defense. While the details of the Florida and Texas laws are different, the NRA contends that they involve similar underlying issues about gun restrictions on young adults. “The (Texas) court’s opinion confirmed that young adults come within the Second Amendment’s protections, and that banning young adults’ right to purchase (or carry) a firearm is inconsistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” NRA attorney John Parker Sweeney wrote in a filing known as supplemental authority. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in May about the Florida law, which the Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott approved after a mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. The gunman, former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz, was 19 at the time of the shooting. The law banned sales of rifles and other types of long guns to people ages 18 to 20. Federal law already barred sales of handguns to people under 21. The NRA challenged the Florida law, but Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker upheld the measure’s constitutionality. That prompted the NRA to go to the Atlanta-based appeals court, where the case remains pending. Walker, in part, focused on a landmark 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as District of Columbia v. Heller. While the Heller case is broadly considered a major victory for gunrights supporters, it also said certain “longstanding prohibitions” about guns do not violate the Second Amendment, according to Walker’s ruling.
NRA tries to bolster case against gun law
The Heller case cited prohibitions on such things as felons and mentally ill people possessing guns, Walker concluded that restrictions on 18-to20-year-old people buying guns were “analogous” to the restrictions cited in the Heller case. “In short, Heller’s listed regulations are similar to restrictions on the purchase of firearms by 18-to-20-yearolds; all target specific groups that are thought to be especially dangerous with firearms,” he wrote. But the NRA has fought that conclusion and cited the ruling last week by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in the Texas case to try to bolster its arguments.
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Ann and Regie had moved to Alabama and would have been married for 43 years on Oct. 1, but he died of the coronavirus, she said. She also got the coronavirus but quickly recovered. She was employed for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, in the blind and deaf unit. “I loved it, and I didn’t want to retire,” sheHersaid.son did not want to have his mother living alone and so far away from him and encouraged her to move to Ocala. He and his wife looked at several houses and showed them to his mother via FaceTime. They spotted a house in Palm Cay and all of them loved it. Although Hines did not see the house in person, she decided to buy it. It was God moving in the situation, she said, as her home in Alabama sold very quickly. She arrived in Ocala on Dec. 16, 2021. “There are such nice, friendly people here,” Hines said. “I especially like the weather in the winter,” she said, then added with a smile that getting used to the summer humidity was not so pleasant.
“I’m 73,” she said, “and in my Sunday School class in Alabama, there were people in their 50s and 70s, and I enjoyed that.” Hines said she stays in contact with her sister Linda Sherrod and brother Glenn Barnes, who both live in North Carolina. She said she loves to read, visit with people and talk.
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Amy Lennard Gmelin does amazing things with cement mix.
orth Carolina native Ann Hines has lived in Ocala a little less than a year and said she loves it here. Hines was born in Wilson, North Carolina, and has lived in several other states in the south, including Mississippi, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana andInAlabama.heryouth in North Carolina, she was a cheerleader and during her junior year in high school was voted homecoming queen, an honor usually held by a senior.
By Eadie Sickler Correspondent
An artist with concrete skills
Hello, Ocala! Meet your neighbor: Ann Hines Ann Hines poses for a photo at her home in Palm Cay in Ocala on Monday, August 29, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala
2022.
Susan’s daughter, Jessie, has a son, Oliver, who is 4. White has a son, Drew, who is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. He and his wife Sarah are expecting a daughter soon. Regie’s daughter, Hillari, and her husband, Aaron Malone, who live in Saraland, Alabama, have a son, Grant.
“I just love people,” she said. “I would like to find a part-time job,” she added. “Something in administrative or secretarial work. I feel the Lord will lead me wherever He wants me to be.” Gazette]
People, Places & Things B1SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE “Summer of ‘22” 16”x 8” x 3” Glowing Stone 9” x 9”
“Ocala is so nice…it is accessible to everything. I like Silver Springs and the World Equestrian Center is marvelous,” shePalmenthused.Cayis a 55+ community and Hines said she enjoys the amenities it has to offer. Hines makes friends easily and has settled into membership at Friendship Baptist Church.
She met her first husband, Charles White, in high school and they married right after graduation. The couple immediately moved to Richmond, Virginia, so he could continue his education. While there, they had a son, Charles (Chuck) White Jr. When they later divorced, Hines and her son moved back to North Carolina, where she went to work at Wilson Memorial Hospital in the areas of personnel and public relations. It was there that she met Regie Hines, who was employed at the hospital in food service. They married and he brought one daughter, Hillari, to the marriage. White lives in Dunnellon and works in the supply chain at HCA Florida West Marion Hospital. His wife, Susan, is a registered nurse and the director of case management at HCA Florida West Marion Hospital and HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.
By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com alk about a hard act to follow. Amy Lennard Gmelin does business as Mystery Stone Sculpture and experiments with a “wonderful alchemy of Portland Cement and sand” to create colorful geode-like “Glowing Stones” and other imaginative sculptures. “I use the cracks, crevices and textures to create what I consider impressionistic sculptures,” she explained. She also told us how she makes impressions in the concrete before it sets and adds color with acid stains, acrylic paint and metallic powders after the pieces cure. In many of her pieces, elements of distressed architecture and other allusions to antiquity evoke her signature mystery and enchantment. Her “Glowing Stones” are vessels that can hold water and a floating candle to accentuate the metallic powders and illuminate the inside of the vessel. One of Gmelin’s Glowing Stones and mixed media piece “A Dream Come True” are currently on exhibit at CC Fine Arts in Ocala, which will host an open house to celebrate their grand opening from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16. She also will be featured in the annual Fine Arts For Ocala (FAFO) Festival returning this year on the weekend of Oct. 22-23. The intrepid sculptor is also a regular on the fall/winter/spring art-fest circuit and claims that Florida is the best state for artists who sell their works in festivals. She has a full slate of shows starting this month and likes to rib her contemporaries for not taking to the road as often as she does. “I’ve known Cheryl (Ritter, co-owner of CC Fine Arts) for years — we met on the road doing art shows,” Gmelin said. “I call her lazy all the time because she’ll only do maybe three a year and I’ll do close to 30.” Cheeky humor aside, Gmelin channels heavier emotions into her works, too. “One of the pieces that I just made is called ‘Summer of 22,’” she said. “I know that sounds idyllic and beautiful but it was created during a horrible time that I’ve been going through, so I don’t necessarily mean it in a good way. The crumbling exterior has the number 22 and then I put this crack going down the foundation right between the twos. So, it’s kind of symbolic. I’m putting a line through 22. Let’s just cross this out and let’s get to 23 already.” Newly single, Gmelin recently moved from New Port Richey to Wildwood, where she found a landlord willing to accommodate her dusty creative process with an extra bedroom. The upheaval offered a luminous silver lining during an otherwise dark time, inspiring one of the most productive periods of her career. “I’ve been here for a little over a month, so it was kind of a sad circumstance,” she explained. “But I’ve got to tell you, I’ve made more artwork this past month that maybe I’ll make in half a year or a year. It’s been kind of like therapy for me, I guess. Art therapy.” Gmelin was born in Queens and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s of fine art in photography and initially supplemented her career in the arts as an X-ray technician. In 2011, she started working fulltime as a professional artist and has amassed jury prizes and other honors over the past decade. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and private collections worldwide. Learn more about Amy Lennard Gmelin and her upcoming festival appearances mysterystonesculpture.com.at
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Locally connected authors release books ranging from ribald wrestling recollections to critters to menopausal singers.
The “History Lesson” is available locally at the Shannon Roth Collection, The Gallery on Magnolia and Agapanthus Gifts, as well as through various online vendors. To learn more, go to blackrosewriting.com/humor/ “AthehistorylessonBeautifulAbsurdity: Christian Poetry of the Sacred”
cala and Marion County are blessed with an abundance of residents who have led interesting lives or are experts in certain subjects and are willing to share their experiences and knowledge. Four of those residents have recently released books. One provides an insider’s look at the world of professional wrestling, one is an illustrated field guide to the wildlife of our precious springs, one is quick and fun novel with a quirky mascot and the other showcases Christian poetry. A fifth author, who has local connections, penned a novel with several key action scenes that take place in Ocala. Here are brief overviews of each book, with book signing details if applicable:
Ferrer will have a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 10th at Barnes & Noble at 4414 SW College Road, Suite 500. For more information, go to jaynejaudonferrer.com About It
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
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VISITOCALAGAZETTE.COM/EVENTSOUREVENTSCALENDARONLINE
“The History Lesson” By Amy Mangan Ocalan Amy Mangan has written for local newspapers and magazines. Her works have appeared in “Salon,” “Southern Living,” “Better Homes and Gardens’ Creative Home” and “Southern Accents.” She is the author of “Accent Pieces: Collected Writings and Moments that Decorate Our Lives,” the memoir “This Side Up: The Road to a Renovated Life” and is set for an early fall release of “Dining Room Dispatches: A Year of Curated Musings on Life and Home.” In “The History Lesson,” readers can relish the “universal lessons of grief, loyalty and perseverance” that frame one history professor’s endeavor to reconcile the past with her future. And who doesn’t love a book “brimming with humor and intrigue, with a vivid cast of characters.”Andthenthere’s Bucky, the squirrel mascot, who keeps things a little “nutty.” “I adore this book. It is smart, funny and empowering— and it features a prominent squirrel,” notes fellow author Dave Schlenker in the liner notes. (It should be noted that Schlenker, who writes for our sister publication, “Ocala Style” magazine, recently released “Little Man Big Mouth,” which was featured at ocalagazette.com/bookrelease-party-will-benefit-theater.)
Altany’s life experiences have been informed by his having been a factory worker, swineherd on a farm, hotel clerk, lawn maintenance worker, magazine and journal editor, director of religious education for churches, truck driver, novelist, university director for professional faculty development, high school teacher and construction worker. In “A Beautiful Absurdity: Christian Poetry of the Sacred,” the poems are written “for a general, educated readership who find the great questions and mysteries of the human experience and story to be compelling and pivotal. The reader is challenged to not only experience new insights, but to have what is familiar become strangely new and meaningful.” More information is available at alanaltany.com, including vendor links through which you can order the “Hayleybook. and the Hot Flashes”
By Sandra Poucher F or a spicy read of a completely different kind, we venture into the underwater and above ground world inhabited by an amazing variety of wild, marine and insect Poucherlife.isan avid outdoorswoman and cave diver. She has intimate knowledge of many of the hundreds of freshwater springs in Florida and has helped explore and survey caves in the Sunshine State as well as Mexico and the Caribbean. Pair that adventurous spirit with a gift for writing and illustrating, and you have a book that will educate and entertain. In these pages, you can meet such critters as the Suwannee Moccasinshell, Atlantic Needlefish, Golden Silk Orbweaver, Pig Frog and Rainbow Snake, and see carefully drawn images of each one. “I had a hard time finding a book that covered all of the terrestrial, aquatic and semi-aquatic animals that we encounter, not to mention the subterranean life, so I felt that I was on the right track in creating this guide,” Poucher notes in her introduction. The book is available through Barnes & Noble and otherPouchervendors.will be the guest at a book launch party at 10 a.m. on Sept. 10 at the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center at 1445 NE 58th Ave, inside Silver Springs State Park. The program is presented by the museum and Florida State Parks. The event is free with state park admission. Seating is limited. For more information, visit bit.ly/3KJpEoV
Now, in addition to publishing the first in what he intends to be a series of books of Christian-based poetry, he is once again a published poet in literary and poetry journals as well. Altany is an adjunct professor of religious studies and theology at the College of Central Florida and the Ocala campus of St. Leo University. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Catholic theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of Pittsburgh, where his dissertation was on the poetry of the 20th century Catholic monk, mystic and poet, Thomas Merton.
“The Last of a Great Breed: True Stories From A Career In Pro Wrestling”
By Alan Altany, Ph.D. As a young man, Alan Altany, the grandson of Italian immigrants, who was born and raised in Sharon, Pennsylvania, was a published poet but then largely stopped writing poetry for a long time. He said he “renewed his passion” for such writing in his 70s.
By Dory Funk Jr. T he name Funk ranks right at the top of the history of professional wrestling. And our own Dory Funk Jr. has played a huge and important role in that history, which continues to this day through his coaching and mentoring. In the forward of this book, Dr. Dory Funk III, a physician for more than 30 years, who is a selfproclaimed “black sheep” for not following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Dory Funk Sr, father Dory Funk Jr. and uncle Terry Funk, says the reader will find “tales of heartwarming comradeship and downright icky episodes of questionable behavior from my father’s life in a fascinating world of secrecy, conniving and ribald fun.” The doctor also uses the words “characters” and “shenanigans” to describe life in the family’s household. The reader should be warned, therefore, that some chapters, such as “Loud Mouthed Bastard,” contain typographic symbols inserted where curse words and invectives are part of the narrative. Marti Funk, Dory Jr.’s wife, said on Monday that they had just returned from the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Albany, New York, where he was inducted into the sixth hall of fame of his lifetime. “The ceremony also served as the launch for the book and it went very well,” she said. She described the book as “a bit spicy.” The book is available through Amazon and other onlineDoryvendors.FunkJr. will participate in a book signing event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 8 at Vintage Toy Universe at 6136 SW State Road 200, Ocala. To learn more, visit dory-funk.com “Wildlife of Florida’s Springs: An Illustrated Field Guide to Over 150 Species”
“Ocala is mentioned six times in the book. One of the key action scenes takes place at the Ocala Hilton, another scene happens in the CVS on 27th Avenue and the Cracker Barrel on College Road gets a mention as well. There’s also a major scene at the Orange Blossom Opry. I thought your readers might enjoy seeing their hometown in the spotlight,” Ferrer said. No matter the setting, the premise is universal. “Once upon a time, Hayley Swift was the queen of country music. But now, at 53, with no hit songs in a long time, she’s desperate enough to sign on as the opening act for Cal Taylor’s ‘Retro Rodeo’ tour of the South. When a car accident puts her back-up singers out of commission, the four friends she sang with in high school come to Hayley’s rescue. They’re such a hit that she invites the women to fill in on a low-budget tour for a couple of weeks. In the midst of mayhem, the women, performing as Hayley and the Hot Flashes, discover new strengths, aspirations and true love. The story also touches on menopausal issues and treatments, work/life balance and the importance of attitude versus age,” Ferrer notes.
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By Jayne Jaudon Ferrer F errer is a Florida native, who was born and raised in Wauchula, lived in Madison for several years, and has friends and family in Ocala. Even though she now lives in South Carolina, scenes from Ocala pop up often in her new novel.
Right: Cast members keep their hands on the pickup truck during a dress rehearsal of Hands on a Hardbody at the Ocala Civic Theatre in Ocala on Monday, August 29, 2022.
Left: Floyd King’s public relations manger, Cindy Barnes, played by Melody Murphy, left, and sales manager Mike Ferris, played by Gregg Bleam, right, are interviewed by local radio DJ Frank Nugent, played by John M. Corneilson, center.
Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Aspiration and a truckload of charm
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Cast members keep their hands on the pickup truck.
Jim Bain, as J.D. Drew, left, and Celia Bills, as his wife, Virginia, right. “Hands on a Hardbody” plays September 1-18
Right: Laura Bradford, as Janis Curtis, left, and Rick Haney, as her husband, Don, right.
One of the most memorable musical production examples in the show features an exDesert Storm Marine (Shannon DeVaughn) lamenting his wish to be stronger off the battlefield. The sky behind goes blood-red, adding vivid intensity to the poignantAnothernumber.touching number depicts a wife (Celia Bills) wishing her husband of 30 years would stop doing everything to avoid being alone with her. Not all of the tunes are sorrowful or plaintive. More often than not, the numbers lighten the load with uproarious song and dance, performed by a tight, live rock band that includes Bartosic as conductor and keyboardist, Greg Doss (keyboards), Scott Nadenik (guitar), Jazmine Whipple (bass) and Johnathan Hurst (drums). The women in the cast do an excellent job harmonizing. Jessica Mongerio is a powerhouse as a Biblethumping competitor who copes by spontaneously belting out gospel tunes to get her through the ordeal. Actor Daryl Champine is onstage the shortest amount of time but pulls off one of the show’s most spirited numbers, “My Problem Right There.” Melody Murphy, OCT’s director of marketing and public relations, even emerges from the shadowy backstage offices to the theater’s mainstage as the snarky, drawl-intoned Cindy Barnes. While the plot of “Hands on a Hardbody” might seem a bit farfetched, it’s actually based on a real-life endurance competition, taking its inspiration from a 1997 documentary of the same name. Amanda Green (“Mr. Saturday Night” and “High Fidelity”) wrote the lyrics and the tunes mix blues, gospel and honky-tonk, composed by Phish front-man Trey Anastasio. The Associated Press claims that “the whole thing is a pleasing, tuneful, heart-filled ode to small towns and American dreams,” and they’re right. The musical touches on the human need to aspire for more out of life, which is a theme shared by all the productions in OCT’s 2022-23 season. Also going forward this season, advertisers are getting more visibility at the theater. For “Hands on a Hardbody,” all the theater’s advertisers will be featured on a continuous loop on two big-screen TVs in the lobby. According to Murphy, the feature “will give greater visibility to our advertisers, with the benefit of larger ads and the possibility of color at no extra charge.” For tickets and other information, ocalacivictheatre.com.visit
Left: Cast members rehearse a scene.
OCT’s spirited 2022-23 opener ushers in the theater’s theme for this season: striving for more in life.
By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com rom the setbacks of COVID-19 to rising inflation, Ocala Civic Theatre (OCT) patrons might well relate to the yearnings and struggles belted out in “Hands on a Hardbody.” OCT’s season opener runs through Sept. 18 and features a diverse cast of different ages and backgrounds, but their characters have one thing in common: They want more from life, to have “a piece of the pie,” as one of the show’s numbers professes. Described by OCT as “a tale of pluck, luck and a shiny truck,” “Hands on a Hardbody” centers on a literal hands-on endurance contest in Longview, Texas. The last contestant still touching a coveted 1993 Nissan “hardbody” pickup truck gets to drive it home. The black, flamepainted pickup is displayed on revolving casters throughout the entire show. It was gutted out to make transport easier. During the contest juggernaut, we witness all facets of human nature — desperation, overconfidence,insecurity,longing, anger, delusions and deception — from the contestants and the sponsoring dealership. One might wonder, “How boring is it going to be watching people stand around a truck and sing for two hours?” You don’t. That’s when the magical surreality of musical theater kicks in. For each musical number, choreography, harmonies and the clever touches of OCT’s masterful stage techs enhance the scenography as the play’s competitors let go and step away to unburden themselves about their life Duringstruggles.thenumbers, the contestants divulge relatable problems via song with the other competitors, aided by clever OCT lighting backdrops. Special kudos to lighting designer David Castaneda for his killer silhouettes and mood enhancements. Director/Musical Director Jason Bartosic pulls double duty, returning to OCT for the first time in almost 10 years. (He served as musical director for the theater from 2003 to 2012). He has a lot on his plate steering a large cast of locals. For this show, energy, vocal prowess and timing are crucial, and the cast he selected certainly has the potential to keep the play trucking once the curtain goes up.
Some call it pigskin, some say gridiron, intellectuals tout it as a “prolate spheroid.” It is college football, back for its 140th year. This month more than 20 schools in Florida, from the elite Gators, Seminoles, Hurricanes and Knights on down to newbies like the Ave Maria’s Gyrenes of Ft. Myers or the Webber International Warriors (Babson Park) will be suiting up and kicking o . Of course, at the moment, they’re all undefeated. Our quiz is on football in the Sunshine State.
Answers are on page B7 COMING SEPTEMBER 16: A 500th Birthday. Contact Bob Hauck: bobhauck39@gmail.com
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Florida FACTOIDS
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7
1. Between 1966 and 2013, athletes from Florida’s the three winningest college programs (UF, FSU and Miami) earned a total of _________ Heisman trophies. A. Six B. Seven C. Eight D. Nine 2. Legendary local high school coach Brent Hall, who died recently, was the early mentor of this future Gator great and NFL Hall of Famer: A. Steve Spurrier B. Jack Youngblood C. Tim Tebow D. Emmitt Smith 3. In November 1901, the first college football game in Florida pitted Florida Agricultural College of Lake City against the Hatters of: A. Rollins B. Florida C. Stetson D. Jacksonville 4. When the Seminoles trounced the Vandals 80-14 on November 23 2013 it was the most points ever scored by FSU. Who are the Vandals? A. Boise State B. Idaho C. Lewis & Clark D. Montana
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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.
Across1What a regular often orders, with “the” 6 First of a cereal box trio 10 Box score number 14 See 5-Down 15 Dorothy’s dog 16 Distinctive vibe 17 Sauce with basil 18 Like many cars sold online 19 “Jurassic Park” predator 20 Youngster, metaphorically 23 Antlered Yellowstone beast 24 Lao Tzu’s “way” 25 __City: computer game 28 Stick a stake in, as a vampire 32 Dry-eyes solution 34 Manual filing target? 35 Toddler’s monster deterrent 39 Brings on board 41 Luau neckwear 42 He played Grant on “Lou Grant” 43 Morning awakener 46 Poi source 47 One of four in five 48 Theater walkways 50 Before, in poems 51 “__ Misérables” 53 Hesitant utterances 54 Behind-the-scenes money source ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 35and 43-Across 61 Elton or Lennon 63 Boxer’s foursome 64 Garlicky mayo 65 CNN anchor Burnett 66 Great Lake with the shortest name 67 King of rock ‘n’ roll 68 Spinning toys 69 Apt word found in “accident” 70 Tenant’s contract
TOODEFOOTBALLAT140YEARS
Down1Officials calling strikes 2 Trickle 3 Cold War initials 4 Italian wine region 5 With 14-Across, soccer’s GOAT, to many 6 Experiencing writer’s block, say 7 Light snack 8 Bit the dust 9 Online talk show 10 Fill until full 11 Car’s blinker 12 “Roses __ red ... “ 13 Collectors’ item? 21 Secluded valley 22 Eucalyptus eater 26 Response from the next room 27 Urban transit systems 28 Take a breath 29 “The Naked and the Dead” author Norman 30 Hook’s vessel 31 Wide awake 33 Grocery shoppers’ aids 36 Sick 37 Cable TV’s Nat __ Wild 38 Hyphenated fruit drink brand 40 Incense-sensing sense 44 Scared, with “out” 45 Hindu god of desire 49 Tel Aviv’s land 52 Drum type 53 Underdog’s victory 55 Roadside lodgings 56 Mary-Kate, to Ashley 57 Mah-jongg piece 58 PBS science series 59 Yale students 60 Heed a bailiff’s order 61 Hot tub feature 62 Spanish gold
5. The first and only time the Florida Gators played outside the U.S. was in 1912, when they played in the Bacardi Bowl, which was in: A. Hawaii B. Alaska C. Cuba D. Canada 6. With 90,216 fans in Gainesville on November 28 2015, it was the largest football crowd ever in Florida. Alas, the home team lost 27-2 to: A. Georgia B. Miami C. Florida State D. LSU 7. Ocala’s high schools have won their share of state football championships. Which one of these local schools has yet to win a state title? A. Trinity Catholic B. Forest C. West Port D. Dunnellon 8. Before 1930, the Gainesville home of Florida football was called: A. Fleming Field B. Alligator Alley C. Alachua Stadium D. Orange Bowl 9. He became the first Black player to suit up for the Gators as they defeated Duke 21-19 in the first game of the 1970 season. He is: A. Willie Jackson, Sr. B. Lamar Jackson C. Willie Jackson, Jr. D. Everett Washington 10. At quarterback for the Gators when they won their first national championship in 1996, he became the first Heisman winner to play for a Heisman winner. He is: A. Tim Tebow B. Danny Wuerrfel C. Shane Matthews D. Kerwin Bell
SEPTEMBER 6 City of Ocala Budget Meeting City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave, Ocala 4pm First budget hearing for the next fiscal year.
arts
Elvis Tribute: Cote Deonath Dunnellon Depot, 12061 S Williams St, Dunnellon 6pm-8pm Dunnellon’s home-grown and world champion tribute artist features the music and feel of Presley’s greatest hits in his heyday. This benefit concert supports restoration efforts by the Dunnellon Historical Society. Tickets are $25-$35. See dunnellondepot.com for more info.
City of Belleview City Commission Meeting City Hall, 5342 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview 6pm-8pm Meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month.
Invented PhotographsObservations:bySteven Benson Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Professor, educator and artist Benson has this exhibition of his photographs at the museum. His work represents the human search for meaning. For more info, appletonmuseum.org for details.
LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS
SEPTEMBER 3
Colorful Pleasures by Christine Dozier Ocala International Airport, 5770 SW 60th Ave, Ocala Hours vary per airport operations Ocala resident Dozier exhibits a variety of work including landscapes, abstracts, still life and animal portraits. She works in oils and acrylics. This is part of the City of Ocala Art in City Spaces program. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces
SEPTEMBER 7 Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave, Ocala 2pm Normally, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month; this is a rescheduled meeting. Due deadlines, See or call store for details on is photos are for illustration only, actual product may not be as pictured. Not responsible for typographical errors
some items may be sold or out of stock.
to early advertising
SEPTEMBER 2
SEPTEMBER 6
SEPTEMBER 10
THROUGH NOVEMBER 6
additional. Product
THROUGH JANUARY 2023
THROUGH DECEMBER 9 A Floral Retrospective by Gregory Dirr Ocala City Hall, Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave, Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Boca Raton artist Gregory Dirr emphasizes environmental conservation in his interdisciplinary artworks. Using paint, multimedia resources, fabric and glass, Dirr’s works is a response to the world around us. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces
CELEBRATE ALL SEPTEMBER LONG WITH GREAT DEALS THAT 2022 SEE IT! BUY IT! TAKE IT HOME! WORK FOR YOU! 10AM — 6PM *Payments shown based on 48 month financing estimates. Your payments may vary based on your credit approval. See associate for details. Prior sales not included.
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B5SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE
SCRIB-SCRABS: A Solo Art Exhibit by Jordan Shapot 8th Avenue Gallery, 1531 NE 8th Ave, Ocala 6pm-10pm The opening reception for Shapot’s new exhibit will feature paintings, sculptures, prints, installations and more. Live music from YG Hypnos, food and drink. Free admission. For more info jordanshapot.com
SEPTEMBER 7 City of Dunnellon City Council Workshop City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm SEPTEMBER 7 Marion County Commission Meeting McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave, Ocala 9am Normally, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month; this is a rescheduled meeting.
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 18 Hands on a Hardbody Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala Showtimes vary, check website This lively country-pop musical features an endurance contest in Texas to win a pick-up truck and the stories of a variety of contestants told in song and dance. Tickets are $15 for ages 18 and younger; $30 for adults. See ocalacivictheatre.com for more info. THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30 Julijana Prest Art Exhibit Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave, Ocala Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm This Florida-based visual artist’s exhibit “Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape” is hosted by the City of Ocala as part of its Art in City Spaces program. For more info, www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces
SEPTEMBER 9 Movies in the Park: “The Karate Kid” Tuscawilla Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala 8pm Bring the family for this free movie event, held at different City of Ocala parks throughout the year. Concessions with snack, popcorn and soda; bring your own chair or blankets. No registration required; see ocalafl.org/recpark for more info.
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13 Journey to My Soul: Landscape of My Mind by Kelley Batson-Howard Recreation and Parks Administration Building, 828 NE Eighth Ave, Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm This free art exhibits showcases the work of artist Batson-Howard, who creates abstract works to bring beauty to the world. Her work is variable, often colorful and full of whimsy. The City of Ocala hosts her work and the exhibit is open to the public. For more info, Kbatsonart.com
Music in the Park Heritage Park, NW 1st Ave, Williston 6pm-9pm Free concerts take place monthly on Williston’s main street; this month features UF whiz kid Decyo. Food truck from Tasty Budz featuring burritos. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. More info at willistonflchamber.com
SEPTEMBER 2
SEPTEMBER 3
TJ Brown
Blues Jam Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 6pm SEPTEMBER 8
Humans in Disguise Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 7pm
The Joey & Jenny Duo
B6 SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 3 & 10
SEPTEMBER 2
SEPTEMBER 10
The first Art Walk of the season starts its September-May calendar. Artists display creations, family art activities are offered and there will be live music and food vendors. Downtown shops and restaurants offer extended hours. For more info, ocalafl.org/artwalk
SEPTEMBER 10 5th Annual Ocala Recovery Festival
The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm SEPTEMBER 3
City of Ocala Waste Amnesty Day NE 14th Street and NE Eighth Avenue, Ocala 8am-1pm
SEPTEMBER 10
Fire Creek Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 7pm SEPTEMBER 4 Doug Adams Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 2pm SEPTEMBER 7
Arnette House Regatta Boat Race Carney Island Recreation Park, 13275 SE 115th Street, Ocklawaha 6am-11:30am This is a homemade and human-powered boat race to benefit Arnette House. It takes place at Big Lake Weir and includes vendor booths, food, music, games and more. Get info at arnettehouse.org
Grass Campers
T
he Family Violence Prevention Workgroup of the Marion County Children’s Alliance (MCCA) actively works to raise awareness about domestic violence and to help families navigate the challenges associated with it. The agency has provided help through emergency shelter, gas cards, transportation, food, clothing, automobile repairs, utilities and other necessities to help facilitate a safe environment for hundreds of families.OnSept. 29, MCCA and the taskforce will host its annual Night of Hope: Honoring the Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence.
Downtown Square, 1 SE Broadway St, Ocala 6pm-9pm
A special collection site for household waste takes place for citizens to dispose of hazardous waste and electronics. This annual event helps keep dangerous substances out of landfills. Items accepted include lawn and garden chemicals, paints, oil and filters, auto batteries, computers, keyboards, monitors, stereos and televisions, and cell phones. For more info, call 352-351-6697.
First Friday Art Walk
For tickets, go to https://2022noh.eventbrite.com or stop by the MCCA office at 3482 NW 10th St., Ocala. To reserve a spot for childcare the night of the event, call (352) 438-5993.
&nightlifemusic community
SEPTEMBER 2 & 9
SEPTEMBER 9 Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research Shop Talk College of Central Florida, Ewers Century Center, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala 11am-1pm This free luncheon will feature the latest Dames grant recipients, discussing cancer prevention and survival with information about their upcoming research. Registration required, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1655.
Miranda Madison The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks and entertainment. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com
Free childcare is available for children ages 2 and older. The keynote speaker is Tahiera Monique Brown. She is a survivor, professional speaker, writer and president/CEO of Darkness to Light Films. The title of her speech is “Survivors Rise: Beauty From Ashes.” “I’m just a tiny speck of sand caught up in a gigantic sand storm crying out over the wind to be a voice for the voiceless,” Brown said. “I’ve been called a nobody … but this nobody, like so many others, stood against the bellowing wind and faced torture, abuse, bullying, domestic violence and, in my case, being held hostage for two years. I came through a coma with amnesia and God created within me a voice to shout out for change in a world that was no longer recognizable to me. The few words of power spoken to me when I was coming out of the coma were: “Young lady! You’re a SURVIVOR!”MonicaBryant, coordinator of the Family Violence Prevention Workgroup, said the event is all about providing hope and support to victims and survivors of domestic violence. “We know it’s not easy for someone to leave an abusive relationship, especially when they still love the person, but a relationship should not cost anyone their life,” she said. “If they know that there are resources and services available to help them and people who support them, it can make taking that first step a little easier. I hope our community will come out and support them.”
David Eldredge of the Piccin and Glynn team, left, battles for the ball with Sissy Sugarman of the Resolute team, right, during a Sunset Polo Match on Saturday, July 30, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Marion County Friday Market
A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, jewelry, baked goodies, and arts and crafts. Check out some local food trucks and the occasional guest entertainer. Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.
SEPTEMBER 2
SEPTEMBER 3 & 10
This celebration of National Recovery Month benefits the Marion County Children’s Alliance and will offer live music from Mike Smithson, a free T-shirt and lunch, a Memory Wall to honor loved ones lost to addiction and guest speakers. Kids’ activities include face painting, pony rides, vendors and balloon artists. This year’s event is dedicated to the late Chief Greg Graham of the Ocala Police Department. For more info, www.mcchildrensalliance.org
SEPTEMBER 10
Aunt Jackie Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.
Farmers Swap Meet Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St, Ocala 9am-2pm A true farmers swap meet where chickens, 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.
The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm SEPTEMBER 8 Austin Stanley Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 6pm SEPTEMBER 9 Tipsy Sparrows
The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm SEPTEMBER 7
SEPTEMBER 3 & 10 Yoga in the Park Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave, Ocala 9am Snake into your cobra pose and get your downward dog going. Stretch out by the Sholom Park stage; recurs every Saturday morning. Visit sholompark.org for details.
The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm SEPTEMBER 9
Summer Sunset Polo Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala 6pm Once the sun goes down, the breeze kicks in. Free to the public. Tailgate right next to the polo field and enjoy a unique evening out. Saturday evenings through September. For more info, ocalapolo.com
Zach Maruniak
The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 6-9pm SEPTEMBER 10 West 27 Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 7pm SEPTEMBER 11
Tuscawilla Park, 800 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala 10am-2pm
Doug Adams Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 2pm
The event will take place at the College of Central Florida, at 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. It will include dinner, music, giveaways, survivor testimonies and vendors. Tickets are $35 per person.
Raising awareness
SEPTEMBER 8-11 Summer’s End Horse Show World Equestrian Center Ocala, Arena 3, 1390 NW 80th Ave, Ocala 9am-10pm A multi-breed show featuring Morgans, Saddlebreds and all breeds competing in a variety of classes including traditional and Western dressage, hunter over fences and pony. Free to spectators. WEC has onsite food and shopping options. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
The Night of Hope will honor victims and survivors of domestic violence.
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.
Marion County Heart Walk 2022 Citizens’ Circle, 151 SE Osceola Ave, Ocala Check-in 7:30am, race starts at 8am This annual fundraiser has a goal this year of $150,000 and at press time they were more than halfway there. The race/walk benefits the American Heart Association and helps fund CPR training, helps children and adults with heart defects and funds medical research. For more info, heart.org
SEPTEMBER 10
SEPTEMBER 3 & 10 Ocala Farmers Market Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St, Ocala 9am-2pm
“The kids didn’t quit. Last year, they would have packed it up and stopped at halftime, but these kids fought the entire game,” he said.
SEPTEMBERCOMINGFACTOIDS16:
“That’s big, when we can get those, it is only going to make the offense better and that’s going to make us a hard team to beat because we can put points on the board in so many different ways,” Carr said. Both teams hit the road next week as Forest travels to Jacksonville to play First Coast and the Colts visit county rival Dunnellon.
B7SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4 Sudoku CrosswordJumble RODENTSCOURFLOSSINFLUX The golfer’s tee shot ended up in a yard as a result of it being hit -- OFF COURSE 1. C Eight 2. B Jack Youngblood 3. C Stetson 4. B Idaho 5. C Cuba 6. C Florida State 7. C West Port 8. A Fleming Field 9. A Willie Jackson, Sr. 10. B Danny Wuerrfel Florida
By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com
It was a typical August evening in North Central Florida as the rain came early and often at Stan Toole Memorial Stadium in Citra, as the North Marion Colts hosted the Forest Wildcats to open the 2022 season. After the originally schedule kickoff was pushed from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m, both teams were eager to hit the gridiron. After the Wildcats went three and out in their opening drive, Colts quarterback Titus Williams, making his first start at the position in his career, hit wide receiver Elija Walton with a 50-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to give the Colts an early 7-0 lead. “I felt way more confident, I thought I would be nervous with the first throw, but everything had went out and after that first touchdown, it was on,” Williams said. The senior replaced returning starter A.J. Cussins, who was not playing for an unknown reason. After another punt from the Forest offense, North Marion had an opportunity to take a big lead early, but a bad snap led to a loose ball and Forest recovered to take possession. On the ensuing drive, Forest went three-and-out for the third drive in a row and the Colts would block the punt. Junior cornerback Jermaine ‘Rocky’ Johnson would pick up the loose ball and return it 50 yards for a touchdown. Trailing 12-0, the Wildcats offense caught some momentum with a first down on a reception by senior wide receiver Ryan Jackson, but the drive would end in a fourth consecutive punt. The Colts were on their way to another touchdown before another bad snap led to a second fumble and Forest recovery. The Wildcats carried the momentum on to offense and after a 15-yard reception from Ryan Jackson, quarterback Vimel Poole Jr connected with junior Matt Hart for a 20yard touchdown pass that featured Hart’s speed and elusiveness. Hart caught the ball at the line of scrimmage and avoided multiple tackles to score the team’s first touchdown of the season. With the lead cut to 12-7, Williams and his receivers went to work as he hit Caleb Rollerson and R’Jayvious ‘JJ’ Johnson for first downs. To finish off the drive, Williams would connect with senior wide receiver Chris Foster on a short pass and Foster did the rest, using his speed to race to the endzone. “Without our receivers, I don’t know where I would be, they play a big part in this offense. So, I just thank them for coming out and doing their job,” Williams said. On the ensuing kickoff, Forest fumbled the ball on the return and the Colts came up with the recovery. Williams and the offense ended up punting after a mistake-filled six-play drive that included two negative plays and a penalty. Forest had a chance to answer after forcing the punt when Poole hit a wide-open Jackson in stride down the sideline, but Jackson could not hang on to what would have been a touchdown and the Wildcats were forced to punt. Williams would find Walton again down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown strike to give the Colts a 26-7 lead late in the first half. Once again, Forest had another great opportunity to score as Poole hit Jackson on a deep pass, but the receiver could not hang on due to the wet conditions. The Colts would run out the clock for the half and carried their 19-point lead into the lockerTheroom.Colts started the second half with a punt and Forest drove down to the Colts 17-yard line and would miss a 33-yard field goal attempt. North Marion lost its third fumble of the night after running back R’Jayvious Johnson had the ball stripped from him by the Forest defense. Both teams would trade punts for a couple drives before the Colts had another bad snap and Wildcats senior safety Bryce Bullard recovered the ball and returned it for a 30yard touchdown to make the score 26-14. With the score 26-14 and just over seven minutes to go, the Wildcats were driving and in Colt’s territory when Jackson put the nail in the coffin with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown, his second trip to the endzone on the night. “Before the play even started, I knew he was going to throw it (my way). He looked at me, snapped the ball and I knew he was going to quick draw,” Jackson said. The Colts defense forced a punt on the ensuing possession and junior wide receiver Kenyon Stocker returned it 62 yards for a touchdown to turn the game into a blowout at 39-14. Senior defensive back Jabrel Samuel would add one more interception the next drive and the Colts would run out the clock on their seasonopeningDespitewin.the multiple turnovers and inconsistent play at times, head coach Greg Carr was pleased with the performance. “We were good in spurts or moments, but I feel like we left a lot out there and we can get better from it. I feel like the team should see this win and appreciate this win but know that we left a lot out there,” he said.
As for Forest first-year head coach Eoghan Cullen, the result was not what he wanted but he was proud of his team’s effort and is looking forward to next week.
Cullen put an emphasis on playing more physical from here on out in the team’s postgame huddle and echoed that statement in his postgame interview. “Focusing on physicality and violence, winning the battle in the trenches,” he said. A mark of a team that has potential to do damage in the playoffs is if they can score in multiple ways and the Colts did just that by scoring three non-offensive touchdowns.
Forest vs North Marion
Forest’s Ryan Jackson (21) catches a pass in front of North Marion defenders during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Forest’s Tramar Cave (11) is stopped by North Marion defenders . [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022. “The kids didn’t quit. Last year, they would have packed it up kidsstoppedandathalftime,butthesefoughttheentiregame.”
A 500th Birthday. Contact Bob Hauck: bobhauck39@gmail.com Sports
Eoghan Cullen Forest High School head coach
Forest’s Ryan Jackson (21) is stopped by North Marion defenders. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
For Eoghan Cullen, returning to Forest High School was an unexpected homecoming that he and his family gladly“Thewelcomed.Forestjob came available, and it was like almost home for me because this is where I started (as a coach) and the relationships we had with people on campus,” he said.
Forest’s Dallas Papy (1) and Avery O’Cull (2) jump to block a spike from Leon.
Forest’s Allison Hamm (15) spikes the ball as Leon’s Riane Williams (11) jumps for the block during a volleyball match at Forest High School in Ocala on Thursday, August 25, 2022.
Cullen earned his bachelor’s degree in science with a focus on biology from Florida Southern University in 2007. After graduating from college, Cullen joined Skip Austin’s staff at Forest to begin his coaching career. According to Cullen, it was a family decision to move from Lake Weir to Forest, and it has worked out for the entire family. Cullen and his wife, Stephanie, have been married for 20 years and he is thankful for her and their children’s support.“Mywife has always been my biggest supporter, even in the military,’’ he said. “For us to have to move every two to three years is always a challenge, but it was something we got used to and she was very supportive. She brought in lunch for all my coaches yesterday and she’s at every game. Sometimes I can be down or frustrated about something and she’s always the voice of Parenthoodreason.”forces adults to step up and become people who their children can look up to, and Cullen has always been aware of his duty as a father of four. His two daughters, Fionnula and Niamh, and two sons, Oisin and Deaglan, have been huge supporters of his career. Oison is a sophomore offensive and defensive lineman on the 2022 team. “I’ve always wanted to have my kids catch me in the act of doing something great or doing something good for others. I just try and teach my kids that it’s not about us because we, as people, are naturally selfish. We desire to get things for ourselves and do things for ourselves, but coaching and serving others is so much more than that. Serving others is so gratifying and to help other people is one of the greatest things you can do as a human being,” Cullen said.
Cullen made sure to create a program that did not make the student-athletes feel like it was a “Wejob.didn’t want it to feel methodical or get stale. You got to continue to be creative and continue to show the kids that there are things they can see and can be proven. We moved the strength board in our weight room down to where it was visible for the kids to see every day. They can set goals for themselves, and we talked a lot about team goals and what we want to do this year,” Cullen said. Goals have a wide range because it can be wins or GPAs or not missing a day of school. Cullen is looking forward to the off-field development and progression from his players this year. “A 100% graduation rate for everybody that plays on the team,’’ he said, citing one goal. “I’ve got to charge the kids with being role models on campus for other students to look at and say they are balancing football, academics and they are still achieving.” He added, “We want every kid to get their GPA up to a 3.0 and we have conversations with them about what the transition (after high school) looks like. Are you going to college? Are you going into the workforce or military? So, it’s more than football. It’s about getting these kids ready for the next phase of life.” So many people look back on life when they are older and if they played sports, they would remember how influential their coaches were on their life beyond the field, court or arena. Cullen wants to leave a lasting impact that sets the foundation for the teens to become productive adults in society and have a happy life. “I just want them to know they are loved,’’ he said. “If they put their mind to something and they work hard enough to do it, they can achieve it, and nobody can stop them. I tell them every day that their toughest opponent is the person who’s looking back at them in the mirror.”
The first-year head coach will have his work cut out for him at Forest, where the team has won three games a season for the past three years and has not had a winning record since 2017. Cullen said he already has noticed buy-in from the players. “I learned quickly that they were hungry for some type of regimen,’’ he said. “They were hungry for discipline, and they wanted to be pushed. The kids were looking for something different and based on our numbers over the summer, they were all in for a change to the program.” Summer workouts began at 7 a.m, which can be difficult to appeal to teenagers who are relaxing and enjoying their summer break from school.
Eoghan Cullen, the new head football coach for the Forest Wildcats, on the field at Forest High School in Ocala on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Meet Coach Eoghan Cullen FOREST HIGH SCHOOL GETS A NEW FOOTBALL COACH
Forest’s Gracie Martineau (14) tries to make a save as Forest’s Alyssa Gomillion (3) looks on with Leon’s Della Poole (14).
The Wildcats’ head coach was raised in Lakeland, a football-crazed town, but he grew up loving the sport of soccer because of the passion his home country has for the sport and because his father was on the Irish national team.
By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com
Cullen said many of the lessons he learned in the military he applies to his coaching, particularly discipline and accountability.“Theymirror each other,’’ he said. “You have to have discipline and you have to have accountability. You have to have buyin and people who are willing to work and do what’s needed to win on the battlefield.” He added, “There are no shortcuts. You have to prepare mentally, physically and you have to practice before going into battle on a Friday night.” After retiring from the military, Cullen landed a sales job at the Sherwin-Williams paint company. His performance was good, but he said something was missing and that sales was not his calling. “It was really good, but I found myself missing being around people and missing being part of a team,” he said. While working his sales job, Cullen was coaching Little League baseball. Greg Ramputi, a student services manager at Vanguard High School, recommended that he get a college degree and start coaching at the high school level.
Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Talk about starting the season off with a bang. The Forest volleyball team, which lost nine players to graduation off last year’s state qualifier and has only one senior on this year’s roster, proved it could be quite formidable this season despite its youth and inexperience with a convincing win over Leon by scores of 25-27, 25-13, 25-15 and 25-21 on Thursday night. The hard-fought victory was extra sweet for the Wildcats after losing to Leon (Tallahassee) in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals last year.“I am so proud of this team,” said veteran Forest coach Jimmy Collins. “The girls have been working hard in the preseason and I’m really happy for them that we started out with a win against a good program like Leon. We’re a brand new squad and as a coach it is so much fun starting over with a new group of girls. We were up 24-22 in the first set and let it get away from us because we were so nervous. We have four freshmen playing a lot and after that we really settled down and played well. I’mthatbetter.needandwherethismatchesPlayinglikeshowswearewherewetogetNowwe’vewon,gladwehad to fight through some adversity after losing the first set.” Leon, which lost a number of players off last year’s team which lost in the regional finals, came out strong in the first set behind the solid net play of outsidejuniorhitter Amelia Haggins and senior middle hitter Sydni Hunter. Forest led 24-22 before several Wildcat errors allowed Leon to tie the score at 25. The Lions took full advantage as Haggins drilled a pair of ace serves to take the first set. The loss seemed to spur Forest to play at a higher level as the Wildcats stormed out to a commanding18-7 lead in the second set as juniors Ava Keuntjes and Dallas Papy each had several kills and sophomore Avery O’Cull had a pair of nice blocks. Leon had no answers for the Forest offense and Papy, who had eight kills, drilled a cross-court spike to give the Wildcats a 25-13 win to even the match. Forest jumped on top by a score of 19-12 in the third set as freshmen Allison Hamm and Gracie Martineau took turns finding holes in the Leon defense with powerful killTheshots.Wildcats continued to pour it on, much to the delight of the raucous crowd and student section, as junior Kailyn Howard scored at
Cullen returns to the school after being the head coach of Lake Weir High School the past two seasons. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Forest from 2017 to 2019 before moving on to Lake Weir. Cullen is well-traveled and has lived in many different places. To appreciate his journey, you have to go back to the beginning.
By Mark Pinson Special to Ocala Gazette
Cullen’s parents, William and Frances, came to America from Ireland in 1979 looking to start a new life. “They were hard workers, and they never missed a day of work,” he said. He is the third of four sons and was born in Miami.
B8 SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE
Cullen, 42, would pick up American football during his freshman year of high school after receiving a red card for being too physical during a soccer match. His father recommended he stick to American football, he said. Fortunately, he got to play for one of the powerhouse high school football programs in Florida, the Lakeland Dreadnaughts, and won a state championship in 1996. Soon after his high school graduation, Cullen joined the Army at 17 years old. Over the course of his 17-year career in the military as an infantryman, he did two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. The military gave him the opportunity to see the world and he lived in Fort Benning and Fort Stewart in Georgia, Fort Carson in Colorado, Fort Drum in New York and in Baghdad. He would have to medically retire in 2014.
Forest tops Leon in volleyball season opener the net and O’Cull finished the set off with a nice dink shot for the 25-15 win. The final set was a back-and-forth affair with Forest taking an 18-13 lead, but Leon refused to fold and rallied behind Haggins and Hunter to pull within 20-19. Forest responded as Howard, who had a team-high 10 kills, scored points with a dink and a spike. A net violation against Leon and a service ace by sophomore Ava Herren put the Wildcats at match point. A long rally ensued before a perfectly placed dink shot by Keuntjes gave the set and the match to Forest. “Our leader is Ava Keuntjes,” coach Collins said. “She could be our libero, but she’s such a good setter. She is a team player and will do whatever I ask her to do. Kailyn Howard had a really good game and Dallas Papy played well.” This kind of win gives Forest a shot of confidence as it prepares for Saturday’s away match at state powerhouse Chiles (Tallahassee).“Thiswasa good win for us and now we play Chiles on Saturday which is one of the best teams in Class 6A,” coach Collins said. “They are really strong this year and that’s how you get better is playing really good teams.”
“Just being a lifelong community member and knowing how this town operates and what they expect is a huge reason why I said yes,” Sutton added.
B9SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE
Right: Dunnellon High School Amari Francois (6) tries to dodge West Port Jaydyn Velasquez-Soto (12).
By Allen Barney Allen@ocalagazette.com
Dunnellon High School head coach Tommy Sutton on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
It was a battle of first-year head coaches Greg Harper (West Port) and Thomas Sutton (Dunnellon) at Ned Love Field on Friday night. The Tigers got off to a fast start after blocking a West Port punt on the fourth play of the game and senior linebacker Gavyn Leinenbach returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. The Wolfpack would answer back in the second quarter on a 40-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Brittin Stevens to sophomore wide receiver AJ Weaver. Another special teams’ miscue by the Wolfpack allowed the Tigers to start at the West Port 10yard line and freshman quarterback Dylan Curry hit junior wide receiver Chris Henry for a 10-yard touchdown to take a 13-7 lead at halftime. The game remained in a defensive stalemate before junior running back Amari Francois busted loose for a 70-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 20-7 lead they would not relinquish. Both teams played superb defense and both coaches were ecstatic with the performances. “I just really like where our defense is right now by playing together and they’ll keep doing a good job for us as the offense works through some growing pains, just proud of those guys,” Harper said. “Proud of our overall effort and finding a way to win. We talked all week about being 1-0 for the week,” Sutton said. Regardless of result, both coaches are eager to get back to practice and continue to improve the team as the season goes on. “I love our kids; we got some good kids, and we got a young football team, and the future is very bright for West Port. We just have to continue to work and believe that things are going to get better,” Harper said. For Sutton, the Dunnellon alum, it was a humbling honor to get his first win as head coach of the Tigers, but the mission is just beginning for his squad and it’s back to work on Monday. “They understand the work that has to be put in Monday through Thursday to be successful. We will celebrate this one for 24 hours and move on to prepare for North Marion,” he said. West Port hosts Winter Springs next Friday and Dunnellon will be hosting North Marion in a big non-district showdown between county rivals.
The continuity and comfortability of being with the players for years has made the transition seamless, according to Sutton.“I’vebeen here for so long, and the previous head coach left the program in phenomenal shape, he did a great job,” he said.
Thomas Sutton may have been born in St. Petersburg, but his heart and soul are planted firmly in Dunnellon. Sutton and his family moved to Dunnellon when he was 5 years old, and since then he has grown into a community leader as a teacher and a football coach. When Price Harris, the former head coach of the Dunnellon High School Tigers, left to take the same position at Madison County in March, Sutton took over as the head man in charge on an interim basis. After the spring, Sutton was officially offered the job. and stayed with the team until eighth grade. Sutton played on varsity all four years of his high school career before graduating in 2005. In 2008, Sutton earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from St. Leo University. During that time, Sutton began his coaching career at his alma mater and stayed on staff as an assistant from 2007 to 2014. The biggest lesson from his playing days is part of his personality and mentality as an adult. “Just being able to deal with adversity. In football, you’re going to win or lose a battle every single play. Just getting back up to the line and getting ready for the next play, that’s just like life. Adversity is going to hit, and you have to keep moving forward,” he said. Sutton went on to be the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Chiefland High School in 2015 and 2016 before returning home to Dunnellon, where he has was an assistant coach since 2017. It was a long time coming for Sutton to receive this opportunity, and he feels it’s the perfect fit for him. “This is the only head coaching job I would have said yes to. Just to be in my hometown. A lot of these kids who are on the team, I played with some of their brothers and we’re getting to the point now where a couple of guys I played with have sons coming up through the system,” he said.
The change in position has forced Sutton to pay attention to more each day, and he is taking it in stride. “Just stepping back and looking at the big picture every day. The spring was good for me to be able to take over and personally be able to work through everything. It gets better and better every day,” he added.
Meet Coach Thomas Sutton
Photos by: Youngblood/SpecialAlan to the Ocala Gazette
DUNNELLON HIGH SCHOOL GETS NEW HEAD FOOTBALL COACH.
Left: West Port’s Antwan Blanchard gets tripped up by Dunnellon High School wide receiver Chris Henry (7) and Dunnellon High School cornerback Sean Martin (17).
By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com
Sutton is a different case when it comes to being a new head coach because of his long tenure at the school and living in the city. Not many new head coaches have the level of knowledge about their surroundings as he does, and he said knowing the people around him is a big part of it.
West Port vs Dunnellon Recap
West Port Nasir Allen (15) gets grabbed by Dunnellon High School Tre Rollerson (4) as West Port travels to take on Dunnellon on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
“It’s the relationships, being here so long. Ned Love field is the name of our field, and his son, Randy, coached me in youth football for five years,” he said. “It’s emotional thinking about it. I’ve dreamed about that first time under the lights on a Friday night leading the team out there for a long, long time.” Sutton, 35, said he wouldn’t be here without the support of his wife, Allison, and his two sons, Thomas and Jackson. “My wife is unbelievable, she’s always that support system that I can vent to, good and bad. Having her as that rock at home is huge for me and my two sons are my whole world. Having my kids has been lifechanging in the best way,” he said. Being a coach for so long has taught him lessons in life that can be applied to parenting and coaching. “Patience, having a 2-year-old running everywhere and getting into everything and a 5-month-old with changing diapers, you have to have patience for that. Coaching all these years has definitely helped me with that,” he said. Sutton is eager to get the season started and talked about the goals for his program entering his first year. “The goal here is to just always put out a hard-nosed, blue-collar product on the field, in the community and in the classroom,’’ he said. “Throughout the years, I’ve seen hundreds of kids come and go and it happens in every town, but some of those kids who were phenomenal athletes on the football field didn’t do the right things in the classroom or community.” He continued; “Opportunities may have slipped through their hands, and so we’re really trying to change that. I’ve put some things in place, and I have some academic support on the football staff and a couple of people who check on grades weekly.” Sutton mentioned several coaches who have had a big impact on his career. “Price Harris, I learned a ton from that guy,” he said. Frank Beasley, the first head coach who Sutton worked for at Dunnellon is a mentor he learned a lot from and keeps his advice in mind. Eric Richardson, who is on Sutton’s staff at Dunnellon, is another influential person who he said has helped him over the years. There is one piece of advice that sticks with Sutton to this day: Be yourself. “I’ve taken things from all of them,’’ he said, “and they have told me to just be true to myself. You can’t be somebody else, you have to be yourself.” At the end of the day, what happens on the field will just become memories. Sutton wants to leave a lasting impact on the players he coaches. “Just make them better husbands and fathers,’’ he said. “That will always be the goal, hopefully they can take something from me and what we preach here daily and apply it to their lives going forward.”
North Marion’s Titus Williams (4) eludes Forest’s Braeden Farmer (2) for a large gain during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Dunnellon High School Dylan Donahoe (5) scampers for yards as West Port travels to take on Dunnellon on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
Dunnellon High School Amari Francois (6) gets tripped up by West Port Mosese Gonzales (23) as West Port travels to take on Dunnellon on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
Forest’s Allison Hamm (15) spikes the ball past Leon’s Kenadie Greene (2) during a volleyball match at Forest High School in Ocala on Thursday, August 25, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Dunnellon High School Dylan Donahoe (5) drives for yards as West Port travels to take on Dunnellon on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
Forest’s Sarah McDonnell (13) sets the ball against Leon during a volleyball match at Forest High School in Ocala on Thursday, August 25, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
North Marion’s Titus Williams (4) eludes Forest’s Braeden Farmer (2) for a large gain during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
B10 SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE FOOTBALL SCORES August 26 North Marion 39 Forest 14 Belleview 21 Lecanto 15 Dunnellon 20 West Port 7 Trinity Catholic 19 FS University High School 22 Lake Weir 14 Interlachen 38 Ocala Christian Academy 0 All Saints’ Academy 48 St. John Lutheran 30 Academy at the Lakes 0 August 27 Vanguard 68 Gainesville 0 SCORESVOLLEYBALL August 22 Redeemer Christian 3 Lake Weir 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-17) St. John Lutheran 3 Countryside Christian 0 (25-17, 25-18, Meadowbrook29-27)Academy 3 First Assembly Christian 0 (25-18, 25-11, 26-24) August 23 Trinity Catholic 0 Santa Fe 3 (25-15, 25-22, 25-18) St. John Lutheran 3 Belleview 0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-13) Vanguard 3 West Port 0 (25-6, 25-13, 25-10) Meadowbrook Academy 3 Ocala Christian Academy 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-14) Redeemer Christian 3 First Academy 1 (25-13, 20-25, 25-8, 25-17) August 24 North Marion 0 Crystal River 3 (25-21, 25-12, 25-12) August 25 Trinity Catholic 3 Vanguard 0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-19) Belleview 3 Dunnellon 0 (25-4, 25-12, 25-11) Forest 3 Leon 1 (25-27, 25-13, 25-15, 25-21) West Port 0 The Villages Charter 3 (26-24, 25-12, 25-14) St. John Lutheran 3 Meadowbrook Academy 0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-12) Redeemer Christian 3 Saint Francis Catholic 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-16) August 26 Meadowbrook Academy 3 First Baptist Christian Academy 0 (25-8, 25-9, 27-25) August 27 St. John Lutheran 2 Christ’s Church Academy 1 (25-14, 23-25, 15-10) St. John Lutheran 2 Saint Francis Catholic 0 (25-12, 25-4) St. John Lutheran 2 Oak Hall 0 (25-16, 25-17) Results were compiled by Allen Barney SELECTED MARION COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL & RESULTSSPORTSCOLLEGEAUGUST22-27 North Marion’s Chris Foster (1) scores a touchdown ahead of Forest’s Elian Godin (20) during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022. Forest’s Vimel Poole Jr. (1) runs the ball as North Marion’s Arkese Heath (44) tries to stop him during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022. SCORE BOARD
North Marion’s Chris Foster (1) scores a touchdown ahead of Forest’s Elian Godin (20) during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, August 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
