RESPONSE TIMES A 4-part series
OCTOBER 8 - OCTOBER 14, 2021
Next installment of our series takes a look at MCFR, page A6
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 15
$2
PART ONE
Local businesses adjust to Florida’s new $10 minimum wage By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com Florida’s minimum wage increased from $8.65 an hour to $10 an hour on Sept. 30—representing the largest percentage increase in the state’s history. Accordingly, all employers are required to pay employees at least the new minimum rate of $10 an hour or $6.98 plus tips for tipped employees. It stems from a constitutional amendment to Section 24 of Article X in the Florida Constitution. In November of 2020, 61.3% of Florida voters approved Florida’s
Amendment 2 which increased the state’s minimum wage by $1 every year starting in 2022, to reach $15 an hour by Sept. 30, 2026. Florida last passed a wage amendment in 2004, when 71% of voters raised the wage to $6.15 to be indexed with inflation. By 2026, minimum wage will have increased by nearly 75% in Florida. The state’s measure continues to draw praise by supporters, who say it aligns with a need to create a living wage, and sharp opposition from critics, who counter it will damage the long-term economy. HDG Hotels was one such critic of
Amendment 2 in 2020. As the Sept. 30 deadline loomed, Lisa Lombardo, chief people and culture officer at HDG Hotels, said that the Ocala-based operator didn’t wait but implemented the increase early on instead. “We were well ahead of the deadline and doing what we could to afford the increases that meant that our tenured people needed to be making near to where the new minimum wage was,” said Lombardo. “We wanted to make sure that we continued to be fair to their tenure with us.” See The first, page A2
“The void it leaves is immeasurable, because it was one of the only gay bars around.” Daniel Easterday
Bruce Ackerman/OG
A housekeeper who did not want to be identified, is silhouetted as she makes a bed in a room at the Springhill Suites Marriott in Ocala, on Oct. 5. Hotel workers are a large part of the workforce being affected by the minimum wage being raised to $10 an hour.
Check-in with Superintendent Gullett By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com
Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette
The Copa has been a place of acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community for many years. The building has been sold and the club closed.
LAST DANCE
The Copa Nightclub shut its doors after 15 years as the only all-inclusive LGBTQ+ nightclub in Ocala
By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com
A
fter 15 years, the only all-inclusive LGBTQ+ nightclub in Ocala, according to OutCoast.com, officially shut its doors on Sept. 30. The Copa Nightclub located on 2330 S. Pine Ave., was one of the few businesses where the gay community of Ocala and Marion County could gather and find themselves completely welcomed and supported. “It was definitely there to support the gay community,” said Reynold Hawk, the original officer of the corporation that owned the Copa, Up and Coming Inc. “And it was a safe haven. Fifteen years ago it was not quite as acceptable in this town
to be gay. But now, thank God, the LGBTQ community can go out and go anywhere and be accepted, which is awesome.” Like many small businesses across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic affected The Copa, but that’s not the only reason Hawk wished to sell the building. “It's several reasons,” he said. “I mean it's just much more frustrating now. You can't find employees. And that's one of the main problems.” Marginalized groups often make their communities wherever they can find them. Bars and local pubs often become the venues of choice. “The traditional gay bar helps increase visibility and acceptance in a community, and is often the first
When classes started for Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) on Aug. 24, 2020, the state of Florida had just recorded its tenth straight day of reporting fewer than 5,000 COVID-19 cases a day and Diane Gullett, the new Superintendent of Schools, had only been on the job a little more than a month and a half as the county’s first appointed superintendent. Fast forward a year and, as students headed back to school on Aug. 10, 2021, the state recorded 151,000 new COVID-19 cases the week prior on Aug. 6. We sat down for an interview with Marion County Superintendent Dianne Gullett where we discussed responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping schools open, the lack of options for delivering instructions to students, the mental health challenges brought on by the pandemic, and her appreciation for the Marion County community, among other topics. During the interview, Gullett recalled the uncertainty brought about by the delta variant of COVID-19 showing up in Central Florida and causing a dramatic spike in cases. “We didn't know what the changing expectations would be from our health experts. We worked very closely with the help department and followed their advisements,” she said. One area she was encouraged by was that of all the mitigation efforts MCPS took in 2020, “We never closed a school a day last year.” Despite the difference in numbers, Gullett said the district followed the same playbook in 2021 as they did in 2020. “We approached this the same way we did last year. One day at a time, one step at a time, listening to our health care professionals to heed their advice,” she said. She lauded the district employees who were ready and willing to do whatever they needed to get underway for the school year. “I think our team has done a phenomenal job,” Gullett stressed. “We all had hoped that the pandemic would have concluded last year, certainly. It did not
See Nightclub, page A8
See Interview, page A4
Inside: Subscribers will receive their paper through USPS on the USPS schedule. Subscription orders must be received by 5 pm on Tuesday in order to be included in the following week’s delivery. Starting at $10/month ocalagazette.com/subscribe
Downtown Events................... A3 Belleview ER............................ A3 Keep Sids Safe......................... A7 Sports........................................ B1 Cyrus Rug.................................C1 Calendar................................... C5