Ocala Gazette | September 18 - 24, 2020 by Magnolia Media Company

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 12

Faith for Fayth

Solar farm is planned for county By Bill Thompson Deputy Editor

By Lisa McGinnes Staff Writer

ayth Garmley is one in a million. Not in the way many parents would describe their beautiful, ambitious, college student daughter, meaning they think she’s the best daughter in the world. The 19-year-old who lived in Ocala her whole life until she moved to South Florida for college last year found out a month ago that she is literally one in a million -- she has a cancer so rare that, according to the National Cancer Institute, only one adult per every million Americans is diagnosed with it each year. This time last year, Fayth was settling into her freshman dorm room at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, making new friends and working at her new job as a hostess at The Breakers’ Echo restaurant. After graduating from Forest High School in the spring, she had vacationed in Europe with her parents, then kissed them and her two beloved goldendoodles goodbye and headed off toward her future: a degree in business entrepreneurship and a plan to start her own line of cosmetics. In October she had her routine annual gynecological checkup and everything seemed fine. But just two weeks later she returned to the doctor, saying she felt a small lump in her breast. “She said she didn’t feel anything, there was nothing there,” Fayth remembers the doctor saying. But her mom had taught her about the importance of early detection, and she knew something was different. By February she was back in the doctor’s office. The lump had gotten bigger. “She thought it was a cyst, so she had referred me to another doctor to get imaging done,” Fayth said. “They did the ultrasound and said they didn’t really see anything, there was nothing there.” The usually healthy teen remembers feeling “dismissed” and talking to her roommates “asking them what they could possibly think it was.” Like any woman who feels a lump in her breast, she was scared. “I was starting to feel frustrated because I wasn’t getting any answers and I knew there was something wrong,” Fayth said. Her mom figured the doctor was right, it was probably a cyst, which seemed like a “normal”

Agencies looking at day centers for the homeless By Brad Rogers Executive Editor

or years, there has been an ongoing debate about whether the Salvation Army’s presence is the reason so many homeless people congregate in downtown Ocala. While there

Fayth and Shannon at Moffitt. Photos courtesy of Garmley family.

diagnosis for an active young woman. Fayth was now living in an apartment near campus, enjoying her classes at Keiser, which she says “was a perfect fit” and working at the hostess job she loved. But in August she texted her mom and said the lump “had gotten a lot bigger.” Her stepfather, Ocala physician Dr. Michael Holloway, who she calls “my dad Michael,” called a colleague and immediately got her an appointment in Orlando. This time they did an MRI, which revealed the tumor, slightly larger than 10 cm, or almost 4 inches. A biopsy returned a shocking diagnosis: angiosarcoma, an aggressive, soft tissue cancer that forms in the inner lining of blood and lymph vessels, so rare that it makes up only 1 to 2 percent of all sarcomas, which themselves make up only 1 percent of all adult cancer diagnoses. Angiosarcoma is rarely found in breast tissue, and almost all cases are in elderly women who have previously had radiation treatments for another type of cancer. A one-ina-million diagnosis. That was Monday, Aug. 17. The next day, Fayth was at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. The day after that, Dr. Holloway got a call back from his colleague, Dr. Neeta Somaiah, a medical sarcoma oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the world’s No. 1 treatment center for angiosarcoma. The experts at both hospitals agreed on a treatment plan: at least three and as many as six rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery,

is no disagreement that its feeding and sheltering programs draw homeless people to the area, those who work with the homeless and have studied the question say the Salvation Army alone is not what is a bringing homeless people to the center city. What homeless advocates say is needed is a place where the homeless can be engaged and their needs assessed so they can get the help and services they need. And here in Ocala, the community’s two largest homeless service agencies say they each are working toward just that. “A lot of people downtown aren’t Salvation Army clients, because they don’t want to be or they aren’t compliant with the Salvation Army’s rules,” said Karla Grimsley, executive director of Interfaith Emergency Services.

then radiation. Dr. Somaiah, who agreed to take on Fayth’s case, encourages her patients by explaining that even a rare sarcoma diagnosis “is not ‘rare’ for the team” at a center with sarcoma expertise. “They know the right way to manage this,” she said, adding that MD Anderson’s sarcoma access line can “expedite appointments for patients who have been recently diagnosed and not started therapy.” “This way we can guide the right treatment plan,” she explained. “If the best plan is standard of care therapy, patients can then choose to pursue the care locally and we partner with their local oncologist and provide a treatment plan.” On Aug. 25, Fayth started her first cycle of chemotherapy at Moffitt. In just nine short days the carefree college student had become a cancer patient, alone in a hospital room with a port implanted just below her collarbone. Five days of chemo left her unable to eat, but Fayth said the physical discomfort wasn’t actually as bad as she expected. “It didn’t take me down much,” she said. “For the most part, I was really able to get up and move around myself within my little hospital room. I was very independent with it all.” The worst part? Not being able to have any visitors because of COVID-19 restrictions.

sprawling pasture on an 1,100-acre site fronting the Withlacoochee River near Dunnellon could soon be home to Marion County’s first solar energy farm. But some legal and landuse issues must be sorted out first. Kingston Properties LLC, the landowner, wants to plant 212,000 solar panels on 294 acres of the property, according to its permit application. The project, known as Dunnellon Farms Solar, is expected to generate 74.9 megawatts of power. Marion County commissioners were set to act on the plan Tuesday, following a unanimous recommendation for approval earlier this month by the county Planning and Zoning Commission. But the proposal stalled after county staff pitched the developer a plan for a 20-foot easement on the site late last week. John Taylor, the agent for Renewable Management Services, the Riviera Beachbased developer of the site, asked commissioners to table the application until the landowner and its engineering consultants could review the county’s request. The board postponed action until Oct. 20. Prior to the truncated hearing, however, lawyers for adjacent landowners submitted a letter outlining their opposition to the application. The legal team for Ronnie and Sarah Cannon, longtime owners of a neighboring ranch, noted that the project was set for final approval just an month after its application was filed. See Solar Farm, page 2

See Fayth, page 5

“And those people are always downtown. They’re in every downtown in America.” Local Salvation Army Corps Officer Maj. Dwayne Durham agreed. “You’ll find people on the street who prefer that to the communal living of a shelter with all its rules,” he said. The Salvation Army does not take in people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. What Durham and Grimsley say is needed is what Grimsley described as “an engagement center, a place where people can have some benefit, get support services.” These centers would provide the homeless somewhere to go during the day and provide them something to drink, something to eat and a place to rest. They also say their

An unidentified homeless man tries to stay dry under an umbrella as he sleeps in the rain at Interfaith Emergency Services in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, August 31, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

From Solar Farm, page 1 “To say that such a massive project that will have a major impact on the adjacent landowners, their property and property values has quickly made its way through the approval process is an understatement,” they wrote. One of the Cannons’ lawyers, Stacie Corbett, told the County Commission on Tuesday that approval of the $95 million project could trigger a lawsuit under the state’s Bert Harris Act. The Harris Act allows landowners to sue government agencies for land-use decisions if they can show the action had an adverse effect on their property values. At the planning board hearing in early September, the Cannons said they had questions about the project but weren’t necessarily opposed to it. It’s unclear what changed their minds. If approved, the farm could generate power for about 15,000 homes, according to Kenneth Odom, transportation planner with

county Growth Services. Taylor, the site developer, said the farm will serve Duke Energy. Ana Gibbs, a Duke Energy spokeswoman, indicated that was still to be determined. “Duke Energy is constantly looking at properties and working with developers to evaluate projects and expand on solar,” Gibbs said. “However, no agreements or contracts are in place for this project.” Meanwhile, the request is proceeding on a separate track with the Dunnellon City Council. The council must give thumbs up or down because one-quarter of the proposed project is within city limits. But City Manager Dawn Bowne said that neither the city’s comprehensive land-use plan nor its land development code recognize solar farms. City staff has had to draft language to amend both. Its planning commission then must consider the revised text at a public

hearing before it goes to the City Council. State officials also must review the plan change. “Our planning commission has had two meetings on the subject matter and have seemed very open to amending both legislative documents,” Bowne said. “The fact that a comp plan amendment needs to be completed is what really extends the timeline.” Lonnie Smith, the city’s community development manager, estimates the process could take up to another four months. While it’s unclear when construction would start if both the city and county endorse the idea, construction would take about nine months, Taylor recently told the county planning board. At that earlier hearing, the planning board followed the advice of county staff and unanimously recommended approval of the project. In a report to the County

Commission, staff planners noted, “The proposed Dunnellon Solar Farm array is located in rural lands, removed from most improved parcels and will not be located within any flood prone areas. While expansive in size, the siting of the solar farm will not adversely affect the public interest.” “The site is surrounded by rural lands with agricultural, residential, riparian, public and unimproved land uses,” their analysis continued. “The proposed use is sited in rural lands and should have minimal impact on the surrounding land uses.” In the permit application, Kimley Horn, the engineering consulting firm on the project, maintained that a solar farm would be a “clean, passive operation” that is “virtually silent and nonintrusive” to neighbors. Yet the project’s situation with Duke and the city of Dunnellon, as well as the claims of “minimal” and “nonintrusive” impact

only raised doubts on the Cannons’ behalf. Their legal team noted in its letter that there were too many “unknowns.” “Something of this magnitude in an area that is preserved farmland and greenway should have more answers than it does questions surrounding it,” they argued. Such questions, for example, include: What happens if a supposed deal with Duke falls through? What are the alternatives for positioning the power lines? What happens if the site’s only access road cannot support the construction crews? What happens if the city or the state rejects the proposal? Where is the “decommissioning” plan the applicant is required to furnish? “The Cannons intend to continue objecting to this solar farm until all of their questions have been answered in a satisfactory answer,” the letter states.

County racing to complete census count By Brad Rogers Executive Editor

ith a Sep. 30 deadline looming for the federal census count to be complete, Marion County is doing better than most Florida counties in gathering a full headcount, but it still has a significant way to go before it would have what is deemed a complete count. “We’re doing very good,” said County Commissioner Michelle Stone, who chairs the county’s census committee. “I say very good; we’re not at 100 percent.” Kerry Blood, who serves as a liaison to the County Commission and the census committee, said that so far,

Marion County has counted an estimated 65.7 percent of its population. That is a little ahead of where the county was at this point during the 2010 census, when it had 63.8 percent of the county counted. The percentage of the count that is complete is an educated guess based on estimates the Census Bureau does in the years between official censuses. Blood said having as near a full count as possible is important because the census determines how federal dollars that are allocated to communities for everything from health care and education to infrastructure projects and food assistance is based on the census count. So, if only 80 percent of the population

Marion County has counted an estimated 65.7 percent of its population. That is a little ahead of where it was in 2010. is counted, for example, then Marion County would only receive 80 percent of what it really deserves when federal money is doled out. Compared with other Florida counties, Marion County is doing pretty well,

Blood said. She said Marion ranks twelfth among the sate’s 67 counties in the percentage of households already counted. She said most counties are not within 10 percent of their 2010 counts at this point. The areas of Marion County where the response to the census have been best are the middle and southern portions of the county, as well as the Dunnellon area. The areas that have the worst performance – and where live census takers are now knocking on doors – include Salt Springs, Reddick and the forest area. An estimated 200 census takers will be hitting county neighborhoods knocking on doors to get a complete census count

through Sept. 30. The census committee also has engaged barber shops, beauty salons and the farming and business communities through an education program called “Avoid the Knock” to help spread the word about the importance of a full census count. If you have not participated in the census count, you can go online to 2020census.gov and fill out a form, or there is a phone number, 844-330-2020, that you can call to be counted. “Every time you hit a pot hole, every time you go to the ER, there’s federal money on the other side,” Blood said, adding that the amount that is available to our community will depend, in part, on the census.

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Commentary

Youth sports and politics don’t mix “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” - Thomas Jefferson

Executive Editor Brad Rogers brad@ocalagazette.com Deputy Editor Bill Thompson bill@ocalagazette.com Photography Editor Bruce Ackerman bruce@ocalagazette.com

Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Staff Writers Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com Lisa McGinnes lisa@magnoliamediaco.com Graphic Designers Simon Mendoza simon@magnoliamediaco.com Brooke Pace brooke@magnoliamediaco.com Marketing Manager Kylie Swope kylie@magnoliamediaco.com Marketing Coordinator Sabrina Fissell sabrina@magnoliamediaco.com Director of Sales & Promotions Lee Kerr lee@magnoliamediaco.com

By Brad Rogers Executive Editor

all it a no politics zone. No Trump, no Biden, no red, no blue, no Democrats, no Republicans. A place free from the seemingly endless harangue of politics. Sound good? That’s what the folks who run the Marion County Youth Football League thought they had. Then came the pregame festivities between the Junior Wolf Pack and the Junior Falcons last Saturday afternoon. Alas, politics reared its ugly, divisive head out of nowhere. As the Wolf Pack prepared to run onto the field, their cheerleaders unfurled a banner that had been given to them by two of their coaches for the players to run through. The cheerleaders had no idea what the banner said. It was just handed to them by their coaches. Once it was unrolled for all to see, however, the no politics zone had been violated. “Make America Great Again. Trump the Falcons” it read in big red and blue letters. The reaction was swift and what one would expect in this season of political contentiousness. “There was like utter shock,” said Marie White, a mother of one of the Wolf Pack cheerleaders. “People were ready to yank their kids off the team.” League President Vince Arnold and his fellow MCYFL board members were among those shocked and didn’t dawdle. They

immediately assessed the situation, determined who was responsible for the deed and acted swiftly and decisively. The two mothers behind the banner were immediately dismissed as coaches and the league issued new rules formally banning “political, racial or divisive statements.” Arnold followed up on Sunday with this statement on the MCYFL Facebook page: “To our MCYFL community, “Yesterday, an unfortunate incident occurred when an individual decided to make a political statement at one of the games. The people involved have been relieved of their positions at MCYFL. It is, and always has been against league policy to allow ANY political, racial or divisive statements to be made in any way, shape or form. We are a youth sports organization and that is our only focus. Our mission is to focus on the kids and maintain a fun, family friendly environment in our league.” Good for Arnold! Good for the MCYFL board! And good for the community, which goes to youth sports events not to debate politics but to celebrate and cheer our kids. Arnold said quite a firestorm ensued on social media following the incident, but it calmed down once he posted his statement indicating the league had acted and acted decisively. White, who is a teacher and has assumed the Wolf Pack cheerleading coaching duties, said she knows the two women who

made the banner and said they are decent people who just made a poorly thought out mistake. “I don’t think it was anything malicious,” she said. “I think it was just a dumb decision that was political. The league handled it well.” Arnold, who told me MCYFL “is about youth football only,” agreed. “The mothers (who were dismissed) are very embarrassed. They’re sorry. They understand what we did. “And I’m very proud of how the board responded. We did the right thing at the end of the day.” White concurred. “The league handled it well,” she said. “They immediately dealt with the situation, and I mean immediately. This was an isolated situation. These two coaches made this decision. This had nothing to do with the league.” The playing fields and ball courts where our kids play and compete are clearly no place for politics, especially those of the 2020 brand. That somebody thought it cute or funny or smart to pull such a stunt at a youth football game … well, what were they thinking? High fives all around to Arnold and the members of the MCYFL board. In a recent interview with Arnold, he said this about the volunteers who make MCYFL run: “It’s a service we provide to the community. And it’s fair and it’s right and it’s good.” This past weekend, they proved it. And for that, they should be cheered.

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While some businesses struggle amid COVID-19, others thrive By Melissa Hernandez Correspondent

shley Miller has only had one quiet day in her office since March. The phones haven’t stopped ringing, and work won’t stop coming in. Miller, owner and operator of Miller and Sons Plumbing, said business has been booming since the start of the pandemic. While other small businesses throughout Marion County have been forced to close their doors, Miller said she and her team won’t be slowing down any time soon. “We took a turn that we did not expect, especially given the circumstances,” Miller said. Service-based industries, such as construction, electrical and plumbing, like Miller’s company, have been doing very well in the last few months, said Joe Reichel, director of business advocacy and outreach for the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership. Although Miller’s business is considered essential per Gov. Ron DeSantis’ April 1 executive order, new construction in the city hasn’t slowed down and neither have home renovations. “You need plumbing, you need AC and you need electricity,” Miller said, “but we’ve also found a lot of honey-do lists going on.”

Esmirna Caraballo also said COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise for her. Caraballo, owner of Esmirna’s Notary, Accounting and Tax Services, said she’s experienced a surge in new clientele since March. This year’s extended tax filing deadline and small business owners seeking help with filing Personal Paycheck Protection and Small Business Administration loans have been a driving factor. “I’ve been so blessed to have my office full. I’ve been constantly busy during COVID, which has been amazing,” Caraballo said. Many other businesses haven’t been so lucky. According to the Q2 2020 Yelp Economic Average Report, over 5,300 businesses statewide had closed as of March 1. More than half of those closures are temporary, but as COVID-19 continues to spread, there is uncertainty if those closures will become permanent. Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the CEP said his organization has had lots of concerns over small businesses but has been working diligently to make business owners in the area aware of the resources that are offered to them. While businesses in the hospitality and entertainment industry have taken the biggest hits during the past few months,

John Watzke, owner of the Ocala Drive-In, said he never closed his doors. Between March and April, Watzke’s drive-in theater was the only cinema still open and showing movies in the entire country. Business at the theater has been flourishing, so much that it has had to turn people away for reaching capacity, Watzke said. Aside from movie screenings, Watzke has found creative ways to keep bringing in business. The theater has hosted recitals for various dance studios, school graduations and awards ceremonies, and the pinning ceremony for Marion Technical College. A survey conducted by the Ocala CEP back in May found that 51 percent of businesses in the area experienced a decrease in sales by more than 50 percent, however almost 60 percent said that they expect only temporary adverse effects. The CEP board has already approved approximately $1.5 million in funding for program assistance and has received 250 applications so far, Sheilley said. Business owners who are interested in applying for the Small Business Assistance Program or Personal Protection Equipment Reimbursement Program can apply directly on the Ocala CEP’s Moving Biz Forward website.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

County Commission slashes building fees amid criticism of new spending for building inspectors By Bill Thompson Deputy Editor

arion County commissioners this week slashed fees for building permits. But, simultaneously, critics denounced the board’s parallel plan for new spending for the Building Safety Department almost immediately after cutting its budget by more than $2 million, to the benefit of homeowners and contractors alike. The issues meshed on Tuesday, as the commission unanimously approved a proposal to cut fees for building permits, inspection requests and plan reviews by 40 percent for a year. For example, the permit fee for a proposed 1,500-square-foot singlefamily home would drop from $525 to $315. The change takes effect Oct. 1. It affects only construction projects in unincorporated Marion County. Department Director Mike Savage noted at the meeting that the Legislature in 2019 unanimously adopted House Bill 447, which capped how much funding local departments could carry over from year to year. As the county’s economy has rebounded, and despite the recent effects of COVID-19, the Building Department has amassed a substantial bankroll of this reserve funding, known in government lingo as “carry

forward.” At a recent workshop, county Budget Director Michael Tomich pointed out that the department’s carry forward as of June 30 had reached $10.5 million. Tomich characterized that as “excessive,” adding the savings were sufficient to run the department for 2½ years. The statute at issue says a building department cannot carry over more than a four-year rolling average of its operating budget. With the new fee schedule, Savage expects to meet the legal mandate in 2023, a department report indicates. In a separate but related issue on Tuesday, however, Savage and the board faced criticism for wanting to give current staff raises as well as hire and equip additional workers. Savage proposed spending almost $1.4 million to give current building inspectors a $5,000 raise, as well as hire and equip five full-time and five temporary inspectors. He defended the plan as necessary, citing growth of the current workload. Between February and August, the weekly average of building permit applications has increased from 530 to 630, a 19 percent spike. Moreover, each building inspector is responsible for between 32 and 40 site inspections each day. Some, Savage said, have more than

70 a day. Comparatively, the national standard is about 25. Savage’s PowerPoint presentation indicated the total number of building plans reviewed and inspections performed projects to 149,135 for this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. If the trend holds, that would be 44 percent above 2018. Meanwhile, over that same time, the combined staff dedicated to those functions had increased 30 percent, from 20 to 26. Savage expected the numbers to keep rising while also facing the prospect of inspectors jumping to the private sector, where, he said, they could earn up to $20,000 a year more. Besides reducing the workload, Savage also maintained that additional inspectors would improve customer service by completing inspections more thoroughly and more quickly, and they would boost the county’s rating for fire insurance. Some critics challenged whether it was necessary. A few weeks ago, the County Commission enacted an ordinance that allowed homeowners to complete up to $5,000 worth of projects in a year without obtaining a permit beforehand or an inspection once the work is done. The only restrictions were that homeowners must hire only licensed

contractors, and the work must comply with the state building code. Based on the Building Safety Department’s 2019 budget, homeowners would have saved $2.7 million, if the ordinance had been in effect then. On Tuesday, critics said the change, which on its face would reduce the inspectors’ workload, had not fully taken root. Keith Poole, a general contractor from Ocala and a proponent of the permitting ordinance, called it “premature” to pump $1.4 million into the department for new personnel and related equipment. Besides the employment costs, Savage’s plan called for spending $536,400 for new four-wheel-drive pickup trucks, laptop computers, cell phones and other equipment for the newbies. “There are other ways they can alleviate some of the burden they have in there right now,” Poole told the board. “It doesn’t smell good. It doesn’t look good. When you put the stink test to it, something’s not right.” Poole offered an alternative. He suggested the board could provide the $1.4 million to the school district to fund vocational programs in building trades. Yet both County Attorney Guy Minter and Clerk of the Court David Ellspermann said that was prohibited, as they interpret the law. Another critic, Salt

Springs resident Jack Stackman, a regular at board meetings, chided the commission for not conducting a public “decision analysis” before agreeing to hire so many new personnel, and for not considering more options to Savage’s plan. He offered, for instance, that Savage’s proposed 10 new hires could all be temp employees. Stackman further maintained that the new plan to reduce permitting and inspections had not been given a chance to work. On the other hand, Ocala resident Regina Brown encouraged the board to support Savage’s proposal. She pointed out that county employees, especially in the Building Safety Department, were jumping to other employers offering bigger salaries. “Our guys in our department are working overtime now, (and) building is at an all-time high,” said Brown. Ultimately, Savage convinced the board, which endorsed his plan through a unanimous vote. “We’re busier now than we have been in I don’t know how long, and we’ve got to be able to keep up with that workload. We also want to be able to retain employees because it doesn’t do any good to train employees and then have the private sector take them from us,” Chairwoman Kathy Bryant observed.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

L to R: Dannion Bouwens (brother), Austin Bouwens (brother), Fayth, Shannon

Fayth’s senior picture

From Fayth, page 1 “It’s a lot of watching Netflix and FaceTiming people,” she said. “When I’m in the hospital and not feeling good, it’s like all I want is just somebody there. The nurses are great, but they’re not family. They’re not friends that can just comfort you and distract you from the situation.” Creating the TikTok video diary she captioned “Titty Talk Update” became an outlet for Fayth to share her feelings as well as update the dozens of concerned friends and relatives following her story. “It does help,” she said, “just talking about it and being able to express what I’m going through during the process and bring awareness about it.” During her treatments in Tampa, Fayth and her mom, Shannon Holloway, have been staying in a nearby St. Pete beach condo loaned to them by a friend, with Michael spending as much time there as possible while keeping up his business in Ocala. Shannon, who recently earned her chef ’s degree from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, put her nutrition knowledge to work, preparing homemade bone broth and nutritionally dense juices to “build her (daughter) back up.” “I always say it’s God, medicine and nutrition, in that order,” Shannon explained. Unfortunately, just a few days after Fayth finished her first treatment, her temperature spiked to 102 and she spent three days in ICU receiving antibiotics to combat low blood cell counts

and the risk of infection. “She’s been really strong,” Shannon says of her blond daughter, who looks so much like her. “She’s really been a warrior for somebody who’s never experienced a hospital stay to have endured what she’s endured in the last month.” Shannon told Fayth, “This is your journey. You don’t have to post it.” But Fayth wanted to share her personal story with the world, even showing followers a glimpse of her biopsy incision. “I’m going to post this because somebody will relate, and if they can see my success through this and my faith in God through this, then I’ve done something,” Fayth told her mom. On Sept. 10, Shannon helped Fayth make the video that would be the hardest so far. As inspirational music plays, Shannon cuts off Fayth’s long, blond ponytail. Fayth, with her bandaged port visible above her sundress, wipes away tears as she’s left with a short bob. “Are you ready?” Shannon asks quietly, and hands her the buzzing electric clippers. The beautiful young woman cries as she begins to shave her head. Shannon holds back tears as she takes over and finishes the shave, and as evidenced by the Facebook comments, everyone who watches the four-minute video cries along with Fayth as she watches her lovely locks fall away. “It was extremely sad and heartbreaking to me in the process of it and before I did it,” Fayth said.

But then something amazing happened. The warrior emerged. Fayth put on her makeup, then recorded her next video. Confident, with a smile, now bald, she sings along with Kelly Clarkson’s “Broken & Beautiful”: “I know I’m Superwoman, I know I’m strong, I know I’ve got this ‘cause I’ve had it all along.” “Embracing the new look,” Fayth posted on Facebook. “Cancer has nothing on me!” After a 16-day break,

agencies need more “street level” case managers to help the homeless navigate the various programs and agencies that are available to them and to track their progress. “The key to addressing the issue with the homeless people downtown is getting them connected to services to get them housed,” said Scot Quintel, executive director of the United Way of Marion County and chairman of a 2019 Public Policy Institute Study called “Homelessness: The Long Way Home.” “The best way to do that is through a central access point where social service organizations can engage the homeless population and begin meeting their individual needs and put them on a path to where they can be housed.” Both the Salvation Army and Interfaith have such facilities on the drawing boards. Durham said his organization is starting the renovation of an old building on its property north of the county courthouse that would not only be an assessment center but also a day center for what is called “low-barrier” clients – that is, people who are under

the influence or have other circumstances that would otherwise prevent them from staying in the Salvation Army shelter due to its rules. “In cities where this is working,” Durham wrote his board in a recent memo, “there is strong financial support from the municipalities, as well as case management. … To accommodate more lowbarrier sheltering, more resources are needed.” Grimsley said Interfaith is working to establish an “engagement center” as well as getting more federal money for case management. And she believes that both the Salvation Army and Interfaith having similar day centers where the homeless are engaged would not be too much. The move to more oneon-one engagement of the homeless, specifically to put them in case management programs, is being fueled in part by new money being available, Grimsley said. She said the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, has provided new, though short-term money to the community’s homeless efforts, while the more important piece

is the creation of the new city-county Joint Office of Homeless Prevention & Intervention. The Joint Office of Homeless Prevention & Intervention was an outgrowth of the PPI study and took the county’s Continuum of Care, the vehicle through which the federal government funnels funding aimed at reducing homelessness to communities, from being under the Marion County Homeless Council and put it under the auspices of the new jointly run agency. Both Grimsley and Durham said the new arrangement is more coordinated and has already produced new funding opportunities. Durham said a new day center for low-barrier clients, or in Grimsley’s case an engagement center, will help his organization better assist homeless people that currently are not getting the attention they or the community needs – the mentally ill and those with substance addictions, I particular. One thing that is unlikely to happen, although it has been proposed time and again over the years, is moving the Salvation

“I pray and I just give everything to God.” -Fayth Garmley

Fayth started her second round of chemo on Tuesday. At the end of the month, she will undergo a test to see if the chemo is working effectively in fighting the tumor. Michael acknowledges how blessed they are to have the top physicians from the country’s top cancer center and the Southeast’s leading cancer hospital working together to help Fayth achieve the best possible outcome. “I think everybody recognized she was 19 years of age and had a very aggressive, very rare tumor;

time was not on her side and we had to get treatments started immediately,” he said. “Nobody expected that the tissue diagnosis was going to come back as angiosarcoma. So, we were all shocked. “As you can imagine, my role in all this as her dad but also as a medical professional, I immediately started working my contacts all over the country to find out as quickly as I could what the treatment plan needed to be. With MD Anderson being No. 1 in the country, they have cocollaborated with Moffitt, a more central spot for our lifestyle. And she might very well be the only reportable case in the world of a 19-year-old with a primary angiosarcoma.” The call he received from Dr. Somaiah just two days after Fayth’s diagnosis gave their family the peace of mind they needed to confirm they were following the right course of treatment. According to the National Institutes of Health, angiosarcoma studies have shown a 5-year survival rate of around 30-40 percent, and recurrence rates can be as high as 72-84 percent. “With Fayth looking to me for guidance on this,” Michael said, “I could tell you that it was one of the most humbling conversations I’ve ever had with a medical professional for a direct family member.” Fayth, Michael and Shannon all say the outpouring of love and support from friends and family in the form of social media posts, shared prayers,

cards and donations to Fayth’s GoFundMe campaign lift their spirits and provide them a source of hope. They created a graphic of praying hands with a ribbon that says “Faith for Fayth.” The ribbon is yellow, for sarcoma, outlined in pink, because, although Fayth’s cancer is not technically breast cancer, that’s where the tumor is located. After she finishes multiple cycles of chemotherapy, undergoes surgery to remove the tumor, and completes radiation treatments, Fayth can’t wait to get back to West Palm Beach, to college, her job and her friends. In the meantime, she’ll continue sharing her journey through photos, videos and social media while keeping the faith. “I pray and I just give everything to God,” she said. “I know it’s going to get better, it’s going to get easier. I’m only in the hard part right now, and I just have to give it all to him and trust him; and that I have a bigger purpose than just this.”

The Salvation Army is shown in downtown Ocala, Fla. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2020.

Army out of downtown. The city and developers have approached the Salvation Army on numerous occasions about moving out of the downtown, but the price tag to do so -- estimated at about $10 million to rebuild a comparable facility – is just too costly. Plus, most homeless advocates say it would not eliminate the homeless from downtown. “Every community has the same issue,” Durham said. A 2015 study of the Salvation Army’s impact on the downtown came to a similar conclusion. The study, conducted by local real estate appraiser Steve Albright for the city of Ocala, found that while there was no doubt the agency was indeed a “significant contributor” to homeless people in the area, and it does not fit in with the city’s

vision for the development of the neighborhood known as “midtown,” it is not the sole contributor to the problem. “My research also revealed a fairly recent trend of an increased presence in the defined neighborhood of entities catering to social program/needs,” Albright wrote, adding that moving the Salvation Army or limiting its scope “would be only the first of many steps and obstacles toward truly changing the complexion and direction of the immediate neighborhood.” Quintel said the attitude and approach of local political leaders is shifting in a positive direction, and that can only be beneficial. “We’re beginning to see more community leaders who are willing to have the long conversation that it takes to address this issue,” he said.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Walk to End Alzheimer’s goes virtual By Lisa McGinnes Staff Writer

s they do every year, the Alzheimer’s Association is asking local residents to support Alzheimer’s research by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. What’s different this year is the walk on Saturday, September 26th will be a self-directed walk for individuals and families to complete on their own rather than a big event. “Alzheimer’s is not taking

a hiatus during COVID-19 and neither are we,” explained Terry Boynton, director of the Ocala Walk to End Alzheimer’s. “We must continue Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and we are working with all participants to ensure they have a powerful and moving experience that is felt when we are together.” As usual, the walk will kick off with an opening ceremony, but this time it can be viewed online. Walkers are then encouraged to

walk their own route in their neighborhood or on any trail they enjoy. The opening ceremony will take place at 9am on the Walk Mainstage app, which will also track participants’ steps and distance and manage their online fundraising campaigns. An audio track will provide encouragement while participants walk and congratulate them when they finish their route. This year, the Promise Garden, which features flowers that represent each participant’s connection

to Alzheimer’s—blue for an individual living with Alzheimer’s; purple for someone who lost a loved one to the disease; yellow for a person who takes care of someone living with Alzheimer’s; and orange for anyone who supports the cause—can be viewed on a drive-through basis at Tuscawilla Park from 10am-3pm. Anyone who wants to walk as an individual or as part of a small team of close family or friends can register online at

www.alz.org/walk. There is no fee to register but walkers are encouraged to solicit donations to the Alzheimer’s Association. More than 600 communities across the country will hold walks as “non-events” this year. “Many of our constituents are at higher risk when it comes to COVID-19,” Boynton said. “We know that our volunteers and participants appreciate our commitment to keeping all involved healthy and safe.”

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

At OCT, the show must go on … and will By James Blevins Correspondent

or local community theaters across the nation, the COVID-19 pandemic has truly put the old stage phrase “the show must go on” to the ultimate test. In fact, and proven time after time in 2020, the show can often be postponed, rescheduled or outright cancelled, sometimes indefinitely, depending on the virus’ impact where theatergoers live. The Ocala Civic Theatre -- first established as The Marion Players in 1950 and located in its current building on East Silver Springs Boulevard since 1980 -- was forced to shut down on March 13, cancelling many programs and several productions in various stages of development, including a show in its final week of a four-week run. But six months later, after navigating the many ups and downs of a uniquely challenging summer, the community theater is finally opening its doors again to the public. Its first post-pandemic production, Pump Boys and Dinettes, is set to open on Sept. 24 and run through to Oct. 25. Artistic Director Katrina Ploof acknowledges that getting to this grand reopening was

no easy feat. The community theater was forced to cut its operating budget down to about 20 percent of what it normally has on hand for a full season of shows. There was also the added challenge of planning and producing a slate of entertainment that brought audiences back to the theater while keeping them -along with everyone on and behind stage – properly sociallydistanced. All of this in only 10 days. “If you’re good at theater,” explained Ploof, “then you’re really good in a crisis. At the end of the day, everyone just wants to do what’s right for the story. So, this whole thing was just a bigger story. What is the Ocala Civic Theatre’s story going to be during the pandemic?” The role the OCT is playing in the story of community theaters in the United States amidst the COVID crisis is as one of its leaders. According to chairwoman of the OCT board, Laurie Zink, the theater is one of only 34 community theaters in the whole country -- and one of only two active community theaters in all of Florida, according to Ploof -- that are doing any form of programming in September. “We’ll be at way less than halfcapacity,” admits Zink. “But we want everyone to feel comfortable. You’re in, you’re out. You’re

entertained and you go home safe.” Pump Boys and Dinettes, the OCT’s newest show, is a folksy, country musical that first debuted on Broadway in 1982. Ploof chose the play for its upbeat, simple story. She didn’t wish for audiences to be forced to think too hard about anything, bearing in mind that 2020 has already required more than its fair share of thinking for a typical calendar year. “You’re going to leave the theater feeling better than you have in six months,” promises Ploof. “There’s a lot about family in this play. Deep, long friendships. A lot of humor. Terrific music. A love for the simple things.” The last six months have given Ploof an acute appreciation for the simple things, as well as a deeper understanding for the show must go on. “The word is must,” Ploof points out. “We’ve been here for 70 years. How does Ocala wake up tomorrow without its civic theater? We are an essential part of the bloodstream of this community. We are woven into its fabric. The key word is must. We must. There is no other option. “Human beings need art,” she quickly adds. “We don’t even know how much we need it, but we do. So, it’s not just about the show anymore. It’s about the must.”

Jonny Williams

Melissa Nadenik

Philip King

Sarah Beth Ganey

Scott Nadenik

Steven Whipple

Photos courtesy of Ocala Civic Theatre

Naturally reducing and removing pollutants from stormwater. PARK OPENS SEPTEMBER 21! 2105 NW 21st Street Ocala, FL | 352-351-6772 The Ocala Wetland Recharge Park incorporates treated wastewater and storm water from the Old City Yard a drainage retention area (DRA), that is located near the park, and has historically flooded during heavy rain events. Stormwater can contain many contaminants like: nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants from fertilizers and pet and yard waste, oil, grease, heavy metals, vehicle coolants, bacteria, and litter. These stormwater contaminants are the leading cause of water pollution. The park captures this polluted water, therefore reducing regional flooding. By sending this water to the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, the total nitrogen can be reduced to nearly undetectable levels, and the total phosphorus will be greatly reduced. This freshly cleaned water will improve water quality and boost regional groundwater supplies.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

AdventHealth Foundation West Florida 2020 Community Care Virtual Auction result test analyzers, ventilators, and more. “I am deeply grateful for the contributions and compassionate care our local AdventHealth front-line team members provide to keep our communities safe and healthy,” said Rusty Branson, SVP/ Community President of CenterState Bank. “As the AdventHealth Ocala Foundation Board Chair, I’m excited to attend the virtual auction, which directly supports our health care heroes and the patients and families they serve,” The AdventHealth Foundation West Florida supports services and initiatives throughout AdventHealth West Florida Division hospitals including

AdventHealth Ocala. Through generous donations and acts of gratitude, the Foundation helps fund new facilities, stateof-the-art equipment and technology, and programs that benefit the health and wellbeing of patients and their families. Date: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 Time: 6-7:30 p.m. Registration Link: https://adventhealthwfl. home.qtego.net/ Tickets: Free to attend, sponsorship opportunities available Contact Info: Tracye Berry-Williams, AdventHealth Ocala Foundation Executive Director tracye.berrywilliams@adventhealth. com | 352-690-5623

WORD FIND

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 27 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

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Active Adventure Bay of Martyrs Birregurra Cobden Cold Delicacies Ferry Fishing

Foodie Geelong Golf Inns Johanna Koroit Loch Ard Gorge Lorne Noorat Portland

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Rugged coastal rock formations

You are invited to join the AdventHealth Foundation West Florida for a live experience that celebrates the power of community and compassion! The Community Care Virtual Auction features a special performance by the Academy Prep Tampa Youth Choir, a short program, hope-filled stories, a silent auction that opens in advance of the event, and an engaging live auction. The event supports the Foundation’s Community Care Fund, which was created this past March to help COVID-19 relief efforts. Proceeds go toward areas of greatest need including items like portable sterilization systems, rapid

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Date: 9/18/2

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

The old Grange House is shown across the street from the Grace House, which has been completely renovated by Hands of Mercy Everywhere, Inc. on Southeast Stetson Road in Belleview, Fla. Hands of Mercy Everywhere plans on renovating the old historic house and making it their Lakeside Education and Vocational School for troubled teens girls. Hands of Mercy Everywhere was founded by CEO Diane Schofield 17 years ago and 1,040 girls have already successfully gone through the program. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

Marge Felix of Hands of Mercy Everywhere, Inc. stands in the house mother’s bedroom as she talks about the new Grace House.

With the help of grants and donors, new residents of HOME get a new home By Bill Thompson Deputy Editor

n Wednesday morning a 17-yearold from Belleview was rushed to the hospital to give birth. Normally, the arrival of new life in the world is a happy event. This instance likely was, too, despite these times being fraught with uncertainty. But this baby also was a reminder for Diane Schofield and her team at Hands of Mercy Everywhere, or HOME, of their mission. For 17 years Schofield, the founder of HOME, has sheltered troubled girls, and girls in trouble -- many of them, just like this young woman on Wednesday, who were pregnant and became mothers barely after leaving childhood themselves. Today, HOME, a Christian nonprofit serving young girls in foster care, will celebrate an expansion of its project. Schofield will cut the ribbon on Grace House, HOME’s new group home and the third of its campuses tucked into a modest residential neighborhood on the east side of Belleview.

Grace House will be a residential sanctuary for up to six girls, ages 12 to 17, who may have emotional or behavioral issues. The house itself – a two-story, five-bedroom unit built in 1923 – was a gift from an aged spinster, Emma Jeannette Smith. The retired teacher, who spent 43 years at Ocala and later Forest High School, passed away in February 2017 at age 89. Smith left no heirs and bequeathed her house to the agency, according to Marge Felix, HOME’s office manager. Felix recalled that Smith struggled to get around later in life, and so welcomed visits and assistance from the HOME girls who regularly came to see her and bring her baked goodies. Smith’s former abode is now warmly decorated and immaculate in preparation for today’s ribbon-cutting, and receiving its new residents. The wood flooring, original to the home, is freshly treated. The furniture, though donated, looks like it just left a showroom. The kitchen and restrooms are outfitted with new granite countertops. Signs with motivational maxims and Bible verses

adorn newly painted walls. On each bed sits a basket full of toiletries. A large, new wooden deck off the west side promises to be the destination for many cookouts. Schofield said Grace House was renovated with a $350,000 federal community development block grant obtained by Marion County. Grace House, like HOME’s other locations in the neighborhood, will have a full-time house mother to oversee the clients, who are referred to HOME by the Florida Department of Children and Families. Many of them have also been guests of the Department of Juvenile Justice. “This isn’t Betsy who got an argument with her mother,” Felix noted. This is hardcore.” Some HOME clients have been involved in sex trafficking or been sexually abused. Others have been mistreated or abandoned by family. “We take them all,” Schofield said. “That’s God’s house, and when those girls walk through the gate, I want to give them a chance.” Since Grace House will specialize in helping young women with emotional problems, psychiatric

services will be available, either on-site, in a room dedicated for counseling, or through Zoom. Psychotropic medications will be available to those who require them. HOME’s other sites in that Belleview neighborhood just off Lake Lillian include Faith House, which is the oldest of the programs and focuses on girls involved in sex or human trafficking, and Hope House, established in 2015 as a “maternity home” to care for pregnant teens. HOME also operates Promise House in Ocala, an independent transitional home for four women between 18 and 21. The formula is the same for each. While in HOME’s care, the girls learn to act as part of a team, sharing in everyday chores that maintain the house. They also are taught how to dress appropriately, sent back to school to finish their education and taken to church. Felix said that applies to any denomination. And while they don’t have to participate in services, no one is excused from going. Eventually, training in everyday life skills becomes part of the program, “That’s the whole point,”

said Felix, who has worked for HOME for six years. “Build them up to get them back on their feet. Make them feel like ladies.” Once Grace opens to its clients, HOME will serve 30 young women, with six there, four in Ocala, and 10 each at Faith and Hope houses. Since HOME’s inception, Schofield said, 1,040 young women have passed through its portals. HOME Restoring dignity, selfworth, hope and confidence to these young women is a major part of HOME’s mission. But, Schofield said, so is preparing them to live and function in a society in a way that, while coming naturally to many of us, can be foreign to them. “The most important thing about Grace House is that these are going to be kids going out into the world. That’s where the community can help me -giving them jobs or donating cars so they can get their child to daycare or get to work,” Schofield said. “I want to have them get a job, and be taxpaying citizens, not just milking the government for the rest of their lives,” Schofield said.

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Black Lives Matter Downtown Protest Cynthia Dela Rosa, a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives District 23, organized the two hour protest on the Ocala Downtown Square on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 where a number of President Donald J. Trump supporters gathered across the street to counter-protest the Black Lives Matter protest. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

Cynthia Dela Rosa, a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives District 23, left, uses a bullhorn to lead a Black Lives Matter protest.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, left, and Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham, right, watch protestors during the Black Lives Matter protest.

Addie Hart of Ocala holds up a sign as she protests with others during the Black Lives Matter protest.

President Donald J. Trump supporters hold signs and chant “All Lives Matter” across the street from Black Lives Matter protesters.

We Will Never Forget Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony The We Will Never Forget Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony took place at the Hospice of Marion County Helen “Mimi” Walker Campus Memorial Park and Veterans Circle of Honor on Southeast 62nd Street in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

Richard Saltz plays Taps.

Michael Sadlon, a veteran of the U.S. Army Field Artillery, salutes as Taps is played.

Richard Saltz plays Taps.

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders hold American flags as they listen.

Bob Levenson and Grace Dunlevy of The Villages listen during the ceremony.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Former Ocala mortgage broker Lee Farkas, a symbol of the greed and fraud that fueled the Great Recession, released from prison By Bill Thompson Correspondent

s the nation’s housing market exploded in the early 2000s, Lee Farkas made Ocala a prime destination for homebuyers. But not as a builder or realtor. Rather, Farkas’s company, Taylor, Bean and Whitaker, became one of the busiest and wealthiest mortgage processors in America, at least on paper. By 2009 it was servicing a half-million loans worth tens of billions of dollars. The firm ranked 12th nationally in terms of mortgages issued and boasted 2,000 employees. The federally backed lender Freddie Mac was its biggest customer. But flying so high led to a precipitous crash once federal regulators learned of the rot behind TBW’s ritzy façade. Farkas was convicted in 2011 on 14 counts of fraud for orchestrating a scam to steal $2.9 billion from his firm and a bank allied with him. He was sentenced to 30 years. Yet on Tuesday Farkas was released from the lowsecurity Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Wildwood because of concerns about COVID-19, according to the Associated Press. Over the objections of prosecutors, a federal judge

ended Farkas’s prison term crediting him for time served, and ordered him released, pending a 14-day quarantine. He is expected to go live with his sister in Albuquerque. Federal court records note that while in prison Farkas had been diagnosed with “coronary artery disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia,” and additionally “atrial fibrillation, arthrosclerosis, actinic keratosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, anemia, sleep apnea, a heart murmur, and has a documented medical history of several bouts of bronchopneumonia.” Prosecutors didn’t want Farkas, 67, exiting jail scotfree. They requested that at a minimum that he be confined to house arrest. But U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, dismissed that. The judge, according to the AP, called it “unreasonable to expect him to live 21 years in his sister’s house.” “I’m not at all concerned about the interests of justice not being served,” she added. The judge might find some disagreement from some of the 2,000 Ocalans who lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye in August 2009, as federal regulators raided TBW’s headquarters. Prior to the Great Recession, Farkas was a

high-roller, and a seeming anomaly in the housing finance business, given that his company was rooted in a sleepy little town in Central Florida. As prosecutors noted after his conviction, Farkas had looted his company and Colonial Bank in Alabama,

“In 2008, Lee Farkas boasted that he ‘could rob a bank with a pencil.’” -U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride (2011) which worked with TBW on mortgage processing, to finance a lifestyle that included “multiple homes, scores of cars, a jet and sea plane, and restaurants and bars.” But around Ocala Farkas was also known for his philanthropic pursuits. In 2011, Alan Briggs, a longtime friend of Farkas, wrote a letter to Judge Brinkema. He noted, “To me, Lee Farkas was a luminary who established groundbreaking success in Central Florida. Whenever something special took place

in Ocala, often Lee Farkas’ name was somewhere in the small print. … We both had lived in this small town for over 20 years. IN those 20 years I watched Lee help transform the little town of Ocala into a very special place.” But by 2009, his star was set to fall. After Farkas filed for $553 million in aid under the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program, government inspectors unraveled a scheme that led to Farkas’s conviction. Between 2002 and 2009, prosecutors contended, Farkas began taking more out of TBW than it was bringing in. At one point, according to prosecutors, Farkas worked with Colonial Bank to cover growing shortfalls in TBW’s overnight accounts. The gap eventually reached $500 million. But the hole got deeper, and prosecutors maintained that Farkas and the bankers concocted a scheme to sell mortgages that didn’t exist. Eventually, the fraud grew to $2.9 billion. TBW and Colonial both crashed in 2009, and Farkas and senior managers at TBW and Colonial were arrested. Farkas was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. In announcing that, U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride, said in a statement, “In 2008, Lee Farkas boasted that

he ‘could rob a bank with a pencil.’ And he did just that. His staggering greed led him to steal nearly $3 billion from Colonial Bank and other investors. Farkas’s mammoth fraud contributed to the toppling of a financial institution and the ripple effects were felt from Wall Street to Main Street. Now he’s being held responsible for the financial ruin he left in his wake.” Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer added, “His shockingly brazen scheme poured fuel on the fire of the financial crisis. It not only led to the downfall of TBW, one of the largest private mortgage lending companies in the United States, but also contributed to the failure of one of the country’s largest commercial banks. Mr. Farkas may have thought he could steal nearly $3 billion from investors and taxpayers and sail into the sunset. But now a jury has told him otherwise, and he must face the severe consequences.” Prosecutors built their case against Farkas with the help of some of his former top lieutenants, who also went to prison for their involvement in TBW’s downfall. As Judge Brinkema noted on Tuesday, according to the AP, “Yes it was a large financial crime, but he was not the only person engaged in that type of crime.”

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Marion County’s library system 5-year vision calls for more books, more people and more programs By Bill Thompson Deputy Editor

changing technology, Sieg wants the library to acquire more digital items, including e-books, downloadable audiobooks and music, as well as streaming videos.

Books and stuff Sieg wants the library to host a “well-rounded collection” that “reflects the interests of the community.” She also wants to boost circulation numbers by 2 percent a year during the plan. That, however, will require funding – and a change in thinking by policymakers. Sieg wrote that she “gradually” wants to boost library spending on materials, eventually reaching about $1 million a year, roughly the level of a decade ago. In 2009, according to budget officials, the county spent $920,094 on books and other materials, and increased that the following year to $998,864. But in more recent years, outlays for books have been going in the opposite direction. For instance, in 2016, the library spent $431,186 on books and materials. In 2019, that was down to $400,139. Sieg has budgeted $380,500 for 2021. In a nod to

Children’s programs The library’s longtime director also presents several ideas to boost children’s interest in the library. She seeks to increase attendance in such programs by 10 percent in the years ahead. Sieg wants to work with local pediatricians to push the Ready to Read program that promotes reading for children 3 and under. She also wants to expand that program and appoint an existing staffer as an Early Learning Coordinator to work with groups involved in early childhood development. The outreach effort would involve scheduling story-time sessions with local daycares, inviting all first-grade classes to tour the library, and establishing a student library card for children in the public schools, with the same available to private school and homeschooled students in the future. Moreover, she’d like to expand the library’s inroads with parents’ groups at schools. At Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, Commissioner Carl Zalak praised the plan, noting the library’s 85 percent approval rating on patronsatisfaction surveys. But Zalak singled out the system’s e-books collection and children’s programs specifically for credit. “The children’s programs at the library are great. I admire the effect that they have on our little ones, teaching them how to read, comprehend, … and all the after-school programs,” Zalak said. “The library does so many programs, you can’t keep up with them all. But I think in those two areas, we’re getting better, and better, and better.” For older

arion County Library Director Julie Sieg has shared her vision for the future – or at least the next five years of it. She sees a library system with more books and materials, bigger attendance at children’s programs and heightened emphasis on developing young readers. It also includes more intense promotion of library programs, perhaps an end of fines for patrons who keep books beyond their return date and, for the State Road 200 corridor and west Ocala, new library facilities. Those were some of the many initiatives Sieg outlined in her five-year plan for the nine-branch library system. She recently presented it to the County Commission. Some of the highlights:

children, between 13 and 18, Sieg also wants to boost their participation by 10 percent. Achieving that, she believes, will involve a coordinated effort with public school librarians to ensure books and materials support school lesson plans. Sieg also wants to stoke their interest in the library with initiatives that focus on reading, the arts, volunteering, financial literacy and career development and wellness. Patron involvement Much of the plan intends on making things easier for patrons, or encouraging them to be more proactive in the libraries. For instance, Sieg noted that she wants to “investigate the benefit of eliminating overdue fines,” which according to county budget documents amount to about $70,000 a year. That money goes to the general fund, where it can be put toward any program and not just those specific to the library. Sieg is considering setting up “booklists” to help librarians gauge how best to meet requests for items that are widely demanded. She hopes to utilize book reviews by patrons to stimulate library-goers’ interest and interaction, and is weighing a selfcheckout system for books. To spark interest in library happenings, Sieg proposes to help the various Friends of the Library groups attract more members through “friendraising.” And in addition to promoting the libraries’ meeting rooms for events, she wants to make the system’s website a virtual meeting hall. Sieg also desires to give library fans a way to give back themselves. She plans to recruit and recognize volunteers of all ages at all branches. The library system’s website could soon offer a “support the

library” button that would allow the public to make donations. And Sieg wants to develop materials that would recommend including the library in fundraising and estate planning activities. As for those who contribute to the library, Sieg thinks they should be noted through a “donor recognition” program. Staffing and outreach Sieg proposes in the near future to enhance staff training in a variety of areas. That includes improving librarians’ abilities to market and promote library programs; crosstraining workers in different sections of the libraries; and expanding across-theboard knowledge of things like collection development, early learning, electronic resources and customer service. Sieg also wants to work on employee satisfaction and implement a better employee recognition program. Where staff and the community intersect, the director wants to add a librarian to be shared by the Fort McCoy and Reddick

branches; identify and build prospects for adding two community partners annually, either with public agencies, private companies or nonprofit groups; and seek closer collaboration with cultural groups, such as the Marion Cultural Alliance, Ocala Civic Theatre, the Appleton Museum of Art and the county history museum. In other areas, Sieg hopes to convince the U.S. State Department to allow people to apply for passports at local libraries, and to set up a reciprocal borrowing agreement with the Sumter County library system. Sieg also envisions a role for the library in local business development. Her plan features the library participating in at least one “business expo” each year, and launching new efforts with Citrus Levy Marion CareerSource, the regional employment agency, and the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership. Those ventures would help workers develop new skills, plot new careers, or give guidance on starting a

business. Building up Finally, Sieg’s five-year outlook includes three significant capital improvement projects. One is building a new 24,000-squarefoot addition onto the Freedom Public Library in the State Road 200 corridor, which, according to library circulation data, is the second most popular branch behind the system’s headquarters. The county’s five-year Capital Improvement Program, a separate plan that the County Commission adopted on Sept. 1, includes a total of $6.2 million for the project spread across 2023 and 2024. Sieg plans to apply for a $500,000 state grant to offset the construction cost. The library would also launch and staff a new 2,000 squarefoot branch inside the Community Center in west Ocala. Lastly, Sieg intends to create an outdoor “family garden” on the grounds of the headquarters branch that could serve families and children and provide an outdoor meeting space.

September 24 – 28

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park opens Monday

he City of Ocala recently completed construction for the new conservation area known as the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, 2105 NW 21st St. The park will officially open to the public Monday. Hours of operation will be sunrise to sunset daily. The project broke ground in June 2018 and was completed in 27 months. The 60 acres of conservation area will provide greenspace for the west side of Ocala. Funding for construction of the park was made possible through grants received from the St. John’s River Water

Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Legislative Springs Funding, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recreation and Trail Program, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution. The Ocala Wetland Recharge Park features educational kiosks, 2.5 miles of walking trails and scenic boardwalks. This environmental landmark receives approximately 3 million gallons of treated wastewater and

stormwater daily. The engineered ecological system of the park will reduce nutrients and other pollutants in the water it receives. The newly polished water will recharge or give water directly back to the aquifer. An additional benefit of the park will be outdoor passive recreation, indigenous flora and fauna, and educational components. For more information, please contact the City of Ocala Water Resources department at 352-351-6772 or visit Ocala Wetland Recharge Park on Facebook and Instagram.

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SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Community

9/18

Marion Oaks Farmers Market

9/18

Marion County Friday Market

9/19 9/19 9/19 9/20

9/21 9/22

Marion Oaks Community Center, 294 Marion Oaks Ln. 9am-12pm Fresh vegetables, artisan food products and handmade crafts.

McPherson Government Complex, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am-2pm Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils and seafood.

9/22

Be Scam Smart

9/22

Stiletto Network

9/22

WinePO

9/22

Hiring Made Easy

9/23

Leading and Managing a Virtual Team

9/23

1 Million Cups Ocala

9/23

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Brownwood Farmers Market

2726 Brownwood Blvd., Wildwood 9am-1pm More than 70 vendors offer fresh produce and crafts. www.thevillagesentertainment.com

Ocala Downtown Market

SE 3rd Street and SE 3rd Avenue 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, arts and crafts, rain or shine. www.ocaladowntownmarket.com

Wag on Wheels

Shores Plaza, 6833 SE Maricamp Rd. 10am-1pm A classic car show to benefit Williston Animal Group, a no-kill, nonprofit dog rescue. Call Kathy at (352) 208-0573 for more information.

Swap Meet Sunday

War Horse Harley-Davidson, 5331 N US Hwy 441 9am-2pm The event includes a Christian Motorcycles Association church service at 10am, food and live music by Dead Beatles beginning at 3:30pm. Email marketing@warhorseharley.com for more information.

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park Opening

2105 NW 21st St. Sunrise-Sunset Opening day for the new 60-acre conservation area with 2 1/2 miles of walking trails and scenic boardwalks. Call (352) 3516772 for more information.

Networks CEMG

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 8:15-9:15am Chamber Execs and Marketing Group. Email tom@ocalacep. com for more information.

SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) - virtual 2-3:30pm Learn more about Medicare in this free Zoom workshop offered online or by phone. Call (352) 692-5262 or email shine@agingresources.org for more information. www.floridashine.org

CenterState Bank, 1632 E. Silver Springs Blvd. 4-5pm Please wear a mask. Email April Savarese at asavarese@ bgcofmarion.com for more information.

The Keep Downtown, 36 SW 1st Ave. 5:30-7:30pm Young Professionals Ocala’s monthly social series for current and future members. Enjoy The Keep’s wine, beer, cider and mead as well as non-alcoholic drinks and food with a 10 percent discount. Email andrea@ocalacep.com for more information.

Online via http://midflorida.score.org 7-8pm Learn skills to help you hire the best people for your business from presenter John Maggio in this free webinar hosted by SCORE Mid-Florida. Email midflorida@scorevolunteer.org for more information.

Community Foundation Ocala Marion County - virtual 1-2:30pm This workshop is part of the Nonprofit Academic Series by the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. Registration at www.ocalafoundation.org is required.

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9:30-10:30am Two local startups present their business idea to an audience of community entrepreneurs. Email ryan@ocalacep.com for more information.

Has your business been negatively impacted by COVID-19?

Loan, Grant, and Training Funds for Marion County Businesses Marion County wants to ensure that every business continues to grow through the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to an allocation of the County’s CARES Act Fund, assistance programs are now available for businesses of all sizes. Every business should be committed to keeping employees safe.

Bridge to Recovery Program The Small Business Assistance Program seeks to assist businesses with 25 or fewer employees who have been experiencing continuing negative impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The business will need to submit an online application demonstrating the negative impact of COVID-19 and will be able to receive up to $15,000. The business will be expected to maintain the same number of employees. The company will report quarterly on their status for a period of 1-year.

Moving Forward Program The Business Assistance Program seeks to assist businesses with 26-100 employees who have been experiencing continuing negative impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The business will need to submit an online application demonstrating the negative impact of COVID-19 and will be able to receive up to $40,000. The business will be expected to maintain the same number of employees. The company will report quarterly on their status for a period of 1-year.

Testing Capacity Enhancement Reimbursement Grant Private labs, clinics, and physician offices can apply to be reimbursed for the purchase of equipment, testing supplies, additional space, etc. to expand their testing capabilities.

Project Operating Safely (PPE Reimbursement Program) Project Operating Safely will provide up to $3,000 in reimbursements to local businesses with fewer than 100 employees and up to $10,000 for businesses with more than 100 employees for the purchase of necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and other health and safety-related items and services. Businesses may apply once for a reimbursement and funds will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

Find out how your business can access funds and submit an application at

MovingBizForward.com

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

9/24

Farmers Market

9/24

Medicare Part C

9/21

Marion County Development Review Committee

9/21

City of Ocala Board of Adjustment

9/22

Hospital District Board of Trustees & Munroe Regional Health System Committees

9/22

Soil and Water Conservation District Board Workshop

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 S. Broadway Monday-Friday 10am-4pm; Sunday 11am-4pm Marion Cultural Alliance’s annual art competition and exhibit is back by popular demand. Artists were invited to create works inspired the simple pleasures we all enjoy. www.mcaocala.org

9/22

Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization Board

The Auntie Network

9/22

Ocala City Council Special Budget Meeting

9/22

City of Belleview Code Enforcement Board

9/23

Belleview City Commission

9/24

Marion County Development Review Committee Staff Meeting

9/24

Ocala 2035 Vision Leadership Group

Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St. 9am-1pm Locally grown seasonal produce, baked goods, plants and more. www.circlesquarecommons.com/farmersmarket

9/24

Bowl-2-Build Bowlathon

AMF Galaxy West Lanes, 1818 SW 17th St. 5:30-8pm Help Habitat for Humanity Marion County raise funds and enjoy an evening of bowling, raffles, silent auction and bingo with medals for winners. Visit www.habitatocala.org/ bowlathon for more information and registration.

Now Pleasures 2.0 -9/26 9/18

Arts

The Sharon – virtual 7pm Streamed online, this staged play reading is the story of Anne, a desperate, pregnant young woman facing the realities of making choices for a baby as an adolescent. www.thesharon.com

9/20

Art 4 All

Ft. King Presbyterian Church, 13 NE 36th Ave. 3-5pm All local families of all faiths are invited to stop by the parking lot for curbside pickup of free creative art projects to take home. Email art4allfortkingpresbyterian@gmail.com for more information.

9/22

Teaching Tuesday: Pinch Pot and Coil Pot

Appleton Museum – virtual 10-10:30am The Appleton Museum presents a live streaming art project that the whole family can make at home with basic art and craft supplies. Online at www.facebook.com/appletonmuseum.

9/24

Government

Pump Boys and Dinettes

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd. 7:30pm This high-octane, country-flavored musical set at North Carolina’s Double Cupp Diner promises a down-home good time. Performances continue through October 25th. Visit www.ocalacivictheatre.com for tickets and more information, or call (352) 236-2274.

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave. 9am The DRC votes on waiver requests, drainage/site plans, subdivision master plans, preliminary plats, improvement plans and final plats. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. and virtual 5:30pm Participate online via https://zoom.us.j/94696168190. Call (352) 629-8404 for more information.

Hospital District Office, 1121 SW First Ave. 12pm Call (352) 622-3662 for more information.

USDA Ocala Service Center, 2441 NE Third St. 12:30pm For more information, call (352) 622-3971, ext. 3.

McPherson Government Complex Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave. 4pm Call (352) 438-2630 or visit www.ocalamariontpo.org for more information.

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. and virtual 5:15 pm Participate online via https://zoom.us/j/446885807. Call (352) 629-8401 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5443 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 5:30-6:30pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5443 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Office of the County Engineer Bldg 1 Conference Room, 412 SE 25th Ave. 8:30am Applicants may discuss proposed or current projects with county review staff prior to meeting formally with the committee. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

Virtual 11:30am Participate online via https://zoom.us/j/99234254171. Call (352) 629-8243 for more information.

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

8pm-12am Side Piece Bank Street Patio Bar

7:30-11:30pm Anita Drink Bank Street Patio Bar

3-7pm Jeff Jarrett Gator Joe’s

3-7pm Rob Hazen Bank Street Patio Bar

9:30pm-1:30am Heather Lynne O’Malley’s Alley

9pm-12am Jeff Jarrett The Lodge

5-9pm Cliff Dorsey Bank Street Patio Bar

6-8pm Becky Sinn Ocala Downtown Square

12-2pm Jeff Jarrett Salted Brick

9pm-12am Side Piece Pi on Broadway

5-9pm The Big Bad Bank Street Patio Bar

6:30-9:30 Miranda Madison La Cuisine French Restaurant

6-8pm Fareeza Ocala Downtown Square

12-3pm Ramona Bank Street Patio Bar

5pm Gilly & the Girl Bank Street Patio Bar

7-10pm Chadwick Pierce The Corkscrew

7-10pm Becca, Music from the Heart The Corkscrew

1-4pm Fareeza The Lodge

6-9pm Jeff Jarrett Charlie Horse

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

We encourage our readers to share their opinions through letters to the editor. All letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, taste and libel. Letters should contain the writer’s full name, address and phone number. Letters should be 200 words or less. To give as many readers as possible an opportunity, we publish only one letter every 30 days per writer. Submit your letter to letters@ocalagazette.com.

For teachers, online instruction is a nightmare By Terry Kinder Guest Columnist

am a middle school teacher, and I’m at my breaking point. We are drowning under the weight of the expectations for online learning. I invite you to join me for this daily train wreck. Sit beside me, watch and experience this nightmare that has become my daily life. You know those nightmares teachers get before school starts each August? The nightmare where everything goes wrong and nothing you planned goes as it should -- even with weeks of preparation you completely fail. Every teacher experiences this nightmare before the school year begins. But then we wake up with a sigh of relief and realize that it was

only a dream. That none of those awful things happened. That everything will be OK. That nightmare, however, is now my daily life. I literally live in that nightmare. I can’t escape it. Each day another level of insane expectations are placed upon my shoulders. I will eventually crack under this pressure and say I cannot take it and quit. I am not alone. Hundreds of other teachers within this school district feel the same way. This is unsustainable. Microsoft Teams is not what you hoped it would be or what any of us expected, specifically Teams meetings. I ask that you meet with a large group using Microsoft Teams and see for yourself. I ask that you try to take attendance, try to see who is on camera and who is not.

Monitor all the screens even though you can only see a few of them. See what “large gallery view” is like and attempt to keep track of all the people on the screen. I’d like you to witness and experience what it’s like to “teach” on Teams. It’s nowhere close to the ease of Zoom. I spend more than half my class troubleshooting technology issues. I am mentally exhausted from the endless technology glitches that I need to solve on the spot with kindness and empathy. I am not an IT expert. Even with the unimaginable number of hours I have spent watching YouTube tutorials on all things Microsoft Teams, I am still not grasping the half of it. I read forums and troubleshooting blogs in the evenings. I spend my weekends

taking multiple twohour courses offered through Microsoft, designed for educators to learn Teams and OneNote. I am truly trying to master this program. You are fighting to eliminate state testing, however; you still require district pretests and quarterly assessments. You have control over this choice and are choosing to give them. You are adding more to our already overflowing plates. Where is your empathy for teachers and students? Testing almost seems pointless for online students because the tests are invalid. Students could cheat during the test and skew all of the data. If the scores are invalid -- and you know this is a very strong possibility -then what is the point of giving them? If you

How to stop forest fires

orn in California and raised in the Bay Area allowed me to see the Sierra Mountains before the Sierra Club convinced Bill Clinton to change the environmental laws in California to protect the habitat of the spotted owl and other species that lived in the forests. They nested in the dead wood throughout the forests of California. These new environmental laws prohibited the dead wood from being removed from the forests. I remember as a boy that the forests were maintained like a park. There were very seldom any forest fires during

those years. Trees are green and very seldom burn. It’s the dead wood and brush that ignite and cause serious forest fires. Maybe global warming is caused by all the smoke from forest fires. There is a solution that is proven to work. I spent many years working in the agriculture produce business selling containers to California farmers. There are many thousands of acres of land that are fruit trees and grape vines. I can’t remember in all my years of any farmlands that had a forest fire in the field. They have an amazing system of cleaning all their fields. They would take all the

trimmings and shred them, then deliver to the local environmental electricity power plant that used the wood and plant clippings as fuel to make electricity. Can you imagine if they were able to use this system to clean the forests of California and other states? Think of all the forest fires that would have been prevented? Maintenance of the forests would be much easier and less costly than fighting forest fires every year. Even the spotted owls would agree. Wish government would help prevent these terrible forest fires. Dave Sexton Ocala

think it is necessary to test the students, have students come to the schools to test in person if you want reliable and viable data. I am trying to be successful, kind and understanding. I am doing my very best. But my best will not be enough. Not enough for what? For that wonderful teacher evaluation that dictates my pay alongside of my state test scores at the end of the year. How can I achieve highly effective on the teacher evaluation based on the current evaluation rubric when students log in whenever they want, attend meetings from the food court in the mall, leave meetings every day to run errands with their mother, or to complete chores, or walk their dog, or go eat a late lunch. When toddlers

are running around, babies are screaming, parents are yelling and cursing, or if kids are being kicked out of meetings every few minutes. If students are watching Netflix, playing video games, or making TicTok videos instead of learning. This is not a classroom. It is a nightmare. It is not a conducive learning environment. Students cannot be successful under these circumstances. At what point does my own mental sanity matter? When will someone put an end to this madness, speak up for teachers, and recognize that change must come now?

Terry Kinder is a civics teacher at Belleview Middle School.

Shedding light on the issue

he readers of the Ocala Gazette expect accurate and unbiased news. Deputy Editor Bill Thompson reported on page 12 of the Sept. 4-Sept. 10 issue, “In the relatively early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, President Trump once drew jeers and eye rolls when he suggested that the virus could be treated with ultraviolet light.” This is false. Here is the quote that drew jeers and eye rolls: “I said, supposing you brought the [ultraviolet] light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way.”

Mr. Thompson’s article reminded us of the risk of exposing the human body to UV, so he must acknowledge that Trump’s quote is dangerous. The jeers and eye rolls occurred in people who visualized the mental image of inserting a UV light into one of the body’s orifices. I was one of those who also wondered how a president could be so clueless to suggest such a thing. Please do not permit the adoration of Trump to interfere with the usual good journalism of the Ocala Gazette. Daniel Lack Ocala

Publix donates $30,000 worth of gift cards to United Way

P Ocala Gazette publishes fond remembrances of your loved one Visit ocalagazette.com to submit an obituary

ublix Super Markets of Marion County hosted its annual Tools for Back to School fundraiser from July 22-Aug. 2. Typically held as a school supply item drive, this year’s fundraiser allowed Publix patrons to donate funds to support low-income families and students in providing tools and materials needed for backto-school. This new style of fundraiser helped participants follow COVID-19 guidelines and protocols, while still supporting the

annual drive. Thanks to the generosity of the patrons and staff, Publix was able to raise nearly $30,000. Publix Supermarkets then issued 1,500 gift cards valued at $20 each to United Way of Marion County to be distributed to local nonprofits aiding underserved children in Marion County as they transition into a new school year. April Savarese, chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Marion County, said that “Publix Super Markets has been

an integral force directly impacting the way we improve lives and strengthen communities. We’re so very thankful for Publix’s contribution, which will help our kids continue to foster the skills necessary to build a prosperous future.” Publix Super Market and Publix Super Market Charities is United Way of Marion County’s No. 1 supporter, donating over $500,000 annually, which provides over 28,288 direct services to Marion County residents.

SEPTEMBER 18 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local advocates for lung cancer patients encourage broader use of a vital screening tool By Bill Thompson Deputy Editor

ancer is a silent killer, and lung cancer is more lethal than most forms of the disease. Lung cancer kills more Americans each year than breast, colon, prostate and brain cancer combined, medical authorities say. And more than half of its victims die within a year of being diagnosed, according to the American Lung Association. Meanwhile, fewer than one in five lung cancer patients make it to the critical five-year survival mark -- which, comparatively, is achieved by nearly two-thirds of colon cancer victims, nine of 10 breast cancer patients and 98 percent of those diagnosed with prostate cancer. That’s because most lung cancer victims never realize they are ill until it’s too late. But advocates for lung cancer patients in Marion County – where rates of both lung cancer diagnoses and deaths outpace those statewide -- are seeking to improve their odds. They’re doing so by calling attention to a screening tool that is more effective than chest X-rays at catching tiny cancer cells in the lungs, but which they say gets too little use It’s called low-dose computed tomography, or LDCT. “It’s a much better screening tool, but it’s not really being considered as much or as much as it could be,” said Amy Roberts, chairwoman of the Cancer Alliance of Marion County, and a licensed clinical social worker with the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute in Ocala. In fact, on its website the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that LDCT is the “only recommended screening test for lung cancer.” Still, Roberts said, a knowledge gap exists locally about utilizing LDCT more broadly. Consequently, her group and both of Ocala’s hospitals seek to promote the lifesaving potential of LDCT among the public and the medical community. LDCT is a version of the traditional CT scan. It takes just a few minutes and

greatly reduces the patient’s radiation exposure. The procedure uses about onetenth of the radiation of the regular CT scan, according to lung cancer specialists at both Ocala Regional Medical Center and Advent Health Ocala. Roberts suggested one reason LDCT is not more broadly used is that it only recently became eligible for coverage by Medicare and many private insurers. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid

studies had shown that screening with standard chest x-rays does not reduce the mortality rate from lung cancer.” Three years later, the government was convinced of LDCT’s benefits and released updated screening recommendations. Those included using LDCT annually for people between 55 and 80 who are current smokers or have quit within the last 15 years, and who have a history of heavy smoking, defined

times as large as what the LDCT can pick up. Here’s why that’s critical. The American Lung Association notes that 56 percent of patients survive at least five years when the cancer is discovered while still in the lung. But only 16 percent of patients are diagnosed that early. Comparatively, if the cancer escapes to other parts of the body, as happens when it reaches stages III or IV, the five-year survival rate plummets to 5

Photo courtesy of Brad Beck, medial physicist with the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute in Ocala. This photo shows a low-dose computed tomography image of lungs of a patient at the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute. The highlighted areas show spots of concern for potential lung cancer. LDCT is able to see such areas significantly earlier than traditional chest X-rays.

Services, or CMS, did not implement Medicare coverage for LDCT until January 2016. In a report about its decision, the CMS noted that the government spent years looking for a “suitable” screening test for lung cancer. The earliest methods, dating to the 1960’s and ’70’s, were chest X-rays and testing a patient’s mucus for cancer cells. Both “failed to conclusively demonstrate improvements in health outcomes,” the CMS report noted. LDCT first appeared on the government’s radar in the 1990s. While federal officials acknowledged its potential, the government, even by the early 2000s, found insufficient evidence to use LDCT to routinely screen asymptomatic people for lung cancer, the report said. That did not change until 2011. That year, the National Cancer Institute published a study that indicated heavy smokers between 55 and 74 were 20 percent less likely to die from lung cancer if they received an LDCT screen. Meanwhile, the CMS report observed, “Previous

as a “30-pack-year” habit, meaning the equivalent of smoking a pack a day for a year over 30 years. The procedure is more expensive, running about $200 compared to just $80 for a traditional X-ray, said Lisa McGuire, lung nodule coordinator for Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital. Yet the difference in imaging results is dramatic. Whereas an X-ray provides a view of the lungs from the front and side and captures everything in the chest cavity, LDCT returns hundreds of images specifically portraying very thinly sliced cuts of those organs. Such precise, focused imaging, McGuire said, allows doctors to see tumors far sooner than with a traditional X-ray. According to the website VeryWellHealth. com, the LDCT procedure can spot a lung tumor as small as 4 millimeters. By comparison, an X-ray can miss those smaller than 1.5 centimeters. In other words, in many, if not most, cases an X-ray would not detect a lung tumor until it grew four

percent. “This test is not being ordered enough,” McGuire said. “I really think we need to shift the paradigm so that those doctors order this screening like they do a mammogram or a colonoscopy, particularly with our demographics and an older population with a history of smoking.” Even without broader use of the LDCT test, lung cancer rates in Marion County are falling. The Florida Department of Health reported a recent peak of 91 cases per 100,000 county residents in 2005. As of 2017, the latest year data is available, that had fallen to 66 per 100,000. Deaths are declining, too. Over that same time frame, the mortality rate dropped from 68 per 100,000 to 40. Roberts, of the Cancer Alliance, attributed that to aggressive anti-smoking campaigns, especially those targeting children and young adults, and better therapeutic drugs. But, said Janelle Hom, executive director of the American Lung Association in Florida, “Screening for individuals at high risk has the potential to dramatically

improve lung cancer survival rates by finding the disease at an earlier stage when it is more likely to be curable.” “Early detection, by low-dose CT screening, can decrease lung cancer mortality by 14 to 20 percent among high-risk populations,” she continued. “In fact, about 8 million Americans qualify as high risk for lung cancer and are recommended to receive annual screening with lowdose CT scans. If half of these high-risk individuals were screened, over 12,000 lung cancer deaths could be prevented.” Laura Eatmon, the lung health nurse navigator at Advent Health, said she is passionate about this because earlier detection might have saved her grandfather from dying from lung cancer. Eatmon said many people at risk of lung cancer struggle with a “shame factor” that makes them reluctant to disclose their smoking habit, even with a doctor. “They’re scared, and there is no reason for them to be,” she said. “Lung cancer prevention, lung cancer screening and lung cancer awareness are near and dear to our hearts. We want people to get screened -- and save their lives.” McGuire notes that LDCT didn’t become a mainstream screening technique until around 2010, and many who may have benefitted shied away because it was not covered by insurance. At the time, just 3.3 percent of those meeting the risk criteria across the country received the test, she said. Yet after five years, that had risen to only 3.9 percent. That translates to screening just 265,000 of the 6.8 million people eligible at the time. Roberts, of the Cancer Alliance, said early detection must be stressed since so many people don’t learn they are ill in time – often finding out when being examined for something else. “We all want to help with prevention,” Roberts said. Finding out too late, she added, means “it’s a lot more challenging for the patient and the family. Their mortality is higher and their quality of life is lower.”

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