EDITORIAL
A vote for the school half-cent sales tax is a vote for the future
By Ocala Editorial Board
No one likes to pay higher taxes, but sometimes the sacrifice of the public is for the betterment of our most
vulnerable community members: our children. On Nov. 5, the Marion County School District asks voters to agree to a halfcent increase to the sales tax to fund new schools and other construction needs.
For many years, growth in Marion County has exploded virtually unchecked. New neighborhoods have been built, and community leaders and businesses have encouraged people to move here and call this
place their home. Now, because little has been done to prepare for this invited population increase, our public schools are bursting at the seams. Many of them are over capacity in quickly deteriorating facilities.
A LEGEND BEHIND THE ( UNDERWATER) LENS
Jordan Klein Sr., noted for his pioneering efforts in developing underwater camera housings for motion pictures and underwater cinematography, dies at age 98.
Night of Hope
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
If you’ve held your breath while watching MI6 agent James Bond wrestle SPECTRE bad guys underwater in the hit movie “Thunderball,” cheered for nice guy Tom Hanks and mermaid Daryl Hannah to be together in “Splash,” wanted to get into a swimming pool filled with alien pods in “Cocoon” or enjoyed the antics of bottlenose dolphin “Flipper” and his pals Sandy and Bud, then you know the work of Jordan Klein Sr.
The long-time Marion County resident earned numerous awards and accolades for his many engineering and technological inventions, particularly in underwater cinematography. In 2001, he was honored with an Academy Award for Best Technical Achievement for his pioneering efforts in developing underwater camera housings for motion pictures. In 2019, he was honored by the Ocala Film Foundation and the city of Ocala with a Walk of Fame plaque, which is embedded in the sidewalk outside the historic Marion Theatre.
The district lacks the funds to fix them under stringent state laws that tie local leaders’ hands with classroom size limits and what pots of money can be used to fund operating expenses and
See Editorial,
Marion County Mental Health Court
This specialized judicial program provides an alternative for vulnerable offenders to get back on track.
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
Crime isn’t always black and white. Think of the age-old parable of a man imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family.
Now, imagine you are someone, or you know of someone, with a severe mental illness who falls down the wrong path, with the cards now stacked against them, who can’t get the support they rightfully need for their condition. Before you judge, imagine how quickly your life could turn in the wrong direction even with just one bad choice.
There is a part of our judicial system in Marion County that works overtime to ensure that such citizens get the treatment they deserve. In the Marion County Mental Health Court program under Judge Tommy Thompson, mentally ill offenders who have fallen into crime have the opportunity to work through a treatment and advisory program rather than go through traditional court proceedings and spend unneeded time in jail with the general population.
The annual events commemorates the loss of victims and honors the resilience of domestic violence survivors.
By Jennifer Hunt Murty
jennifer@ocalagazette.com
“See something, say something” and follow up with actionable support for those who need out of domestic violence. That was the message hundreds in attendance heard on Oct. 21, at the Night of Hope hosted by the Family Violence Prevention Workgroup.
The workgroup consists of representatives from social services, nonprofit and for-profit agencies, businesses and community members. Its mission is to end family violence in Marion County. The group organizes activities that increase public awareness through education, training and collaboration.
The need is great locally, as Marion County has one of the highest incidents of domestic violence in the state of Florida.
Monica Bryant is the Family Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Marion County Children’s Alliance. The workgroup, which she leads, provides emergency support to people fleeing from domestic violence. She told the audience
that due to the lack of affordable housing, there are very few options for some families who are forced to leave their homes. Some must live in tents or their cars,
Bryant told the crowd. “It’s sad, but it’s true.”
The annual event, now in its 17th year under Bryant, historically honored each
See Night, page A5
Thompson treats each participant of the program who stands in court before him with compassion and patience, referring to them by their first names—and not just a case number.
“My personal wish for everybody that’s in this program is that we get you in the program, we get you through, and you learn some things about yourself
See Mental, page A7
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Monica Bryant, center, speaks as Valerie Mitchell, left, and Lena Hopkins, right, look on during the “Night Of Hope - Honoring Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence” event at the College of Central Florida Klein Conference Center in Ocala on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
Rich Adamovic and Jordan Klein Sr.
[Photo taken from the Facebook page for Jordan Klein Sr.]
Right: Jordan Klein Sr. [Photo taken from the Facebook page for Jordan Klein Sr.]
File photo: Judge Tommy Thompson speaks during a recognition ceremony held to thank Judge James McCune for initiating the Mental Health Court and the Veterans Treatment Court in the jury assembly room at the Marion County Judicial Center in Ocala on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Continued from page A1
capital improvements. Add to that the elimination of school concurrency requirements that placed rail guards on development approved by the ensured city and county governments—here we are.
To remedy this, the past couple of years the Marion County School Board has used every option available to it has to generate revenue, other than placing the full burden on the taxpayers. They listed property for sale. They fought to bring back impact fees and make developers pay for their share. In July, impact fee collections that were halted in 2011 because of a sagging economy began again. For every new home built in Marion County, the developer pays a fee of up to $5,525 toward school construction and other capital projects.
This comes despite every roadblock Ocala and Marion County elected officials put in their path and over the opposition from the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, whose leaders thought the impact fees should be no more than a quarter of what a consultant recommended.
But those funds are too little, too late. With over $1 billion needed to build schools and construct additions to existing schools over the next 20 years, the school district must now ask for the community’s help to give children the education they deserve.
Marion County currently has a sales tax of 7%. If voters approve a half-cent sales tax for schools, the tax will be added to the existing tax. Keep in mind, if the sales tax increase is approved, the burden will not be on Marion County residents alone; about 30% of the revenue would come from tourists and travelers.
Also on the ballot this year is the Marion County Board of Commissioners’ request for an additional penny sales tax to raise funds for needed infrastructure and public safety improvements. First approved by voters in 2016, the tax needs to be continued, and the county is looked to extend it for a term of 20 years.
County commissioners have chosen to go to the taxpayers first rather than the developers for an increase in impact fees for roads or public safety. They also have refused to share the one-cent sales tax revenue with the school district over the last eight years they’ve had it, creating the need for the school district to ask the public to approve a ½ cent to help meet their dire needs.
Even if you don’t have kids in schools and don’t see how this tax increase might impact your life, consider that school facilities are also our county’s primary storm shelters. Two hurricanes in recent weeks are stark reminders that our county doesn’t have enough shelter space to meet the need of certain mandatory evacuation orders, a need that will only rise as our population increases.
The following question will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot for voters to decide:
“To retain high-quality teachers, reduce classroom overcrowding, and improve safety and security by expanding, constructing, and improving school facilities, with collected revenues shared according to Florida law with eligible public charter schools based on their proportion of total school district enrollment, with oversight by an independent volunteer committee, shall the school district of Marion County levy a one-half cent sales surtax for ten years to fund such activities for Marion County schools?”
If residents vote for the half-cent sales tax, the revenue may be used only for capital expenditures and cannot be used for other expenses. So why does the ballot measure reference teacher retention and school safety?
Because better facilities equal better working conditions for teachers and better learning conditions for students. If the school district can build schools and reduce overcrowding, then the student-to-teacher
ratio is lowered, allowing children the chance to have a more one-on-one, personalized learning experience and reduces stress on teachers.
Voting “yes” is a sign of respect for those who work for the largest employer in our county. It signals that the public wants them to work in a safe, clean environment and they have our gratitude for entering this noble profession, which our society relies on to help produce good citizens.
“Experts agree that newer and more functional school buildings lead to higher student and teacher morale, lower student and teacher absenteeism, higher levels of effort and increased job satisfaction,” according to Marion County Public Schools material supporting the tax increase.
School district staff has recommended five new schools and nine new wings to existing schools be constructed over the next 15 years to keep pace with the county’s population growth. The cost for this new construction, in addition to necessary maintenance and renovations to other schools, is estimated to be about $1.8 billion, $1 billion of which currently is unfunded.
The school half-cent sales tax has been a revenue generator for the district in the past, from January 2005 through December 2009. Levying the tax generated over $111 million in revenue and helped to fund the construction of four schools: Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, Legacy Elementary School, Liberty Middle School and Marion Oaks Elementary School, according to MCPS.
Most schools in the county, however, are aging and cannot keep up with the growth the area is seeing. Nearly half of MCPS schools are over 50 years old and 78% of MCPS schools are over 30 years old.
One prime example is Sparr Elementary, where “Gazette” reporter Caroline Brauchler and photographer Bruce Ackerman earlier this year walked through the campus by invitation of the district and witnessed the conditions in which young students attend school every day.
Sparr Elementary was built in 1964 and as the community evolved and grew, the school grew with it. But after multiple additions, there’s nowhere left to fit more students. Since its opening, Sparr’s enrollment has increased by 40% and now totals 440 students. Most of the classrooms, rooms and even closets are used for multiple purposes to efficiently use all available space.
Running through the floors, walls and ceilings is galvanized cast iron plumbing that is original to the school and is now in dire need of repair. The airconditioning system was installed in 1992, so the 32-year-old system is well past its expiration date. It often stops working, leaving students cooled by just fans. Several classrooms at Sparr don’t have direct access to restrooms. In one area of the school, three restrooms are shared by five classrooms, one of which only can be accessed by going through a classroom, which often causes interruptions for that class during the school day.
If you think the district’s $1 billion dollars in need is a lot, then imagine how much more it will need without the help of this sales tax. If the half-cent sales tax is not approved, building and maintenance program needs will exceed projected revenues by more than $2 billion through 2038, according to MCPS.
Building modern schools and expanding the district’s existing schools are necessities, not luxuries. The school district has taken every step to generate funding before asking the taxpayers for help, but with the growing needs of a growing county, these local officials are now humbly asking for your help.
The sacrifice of an additional half-cent sales tax could provide our next generation with the education they deserve and send a clear message about what our community holds dear.
CF nursing students benefit from new scholarship
Through the inaugural round of scholarships, 44 students had their tuition paid, collectively receiving nearly $53,000 in funds.
Staff report
College of Central Florida nursing students are benefitting from a new Citrus County Hospital Board Nursing Scholarship, which covers 100% of tuition and fees for Citrus County residents accepted into CF’s associate degree nursing program. The scholarship was made possible by an $11.7 million endowment established by the CF Foundation in partnership with the hospital board.
In the first round of scholarship awards, 44 students had their tuition paid for the Fall 2024 semester, collectively receiving nearly $53,000 in funds.
“In my cohort, a lot of us are working double time, and it can be really hard to balance that work with schooling. So now with this
scholarship, we’re able to focus primarily on school,” said Aleigh Alexander, a third semester nursing student at the CF Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, in the press release. “This is going to open so many more doors for us because we’re able to 100% focus on our education and grow as future nurses.”
CF offers associate and bachelor’s degrees, along with professional certificates, in more than 150 academic pathways at campuses in Ocala, Citrus and Levy counties. To qualify for the CCHB scholarship, students must be Citrus County residents and complete the application for federal student aid and CF Foundation scholarship application annually.
“I want to become a nurse because I want to help people,” said Julia Harrigan, a level one CF nursing student, said in the release.
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“This scholarship helps so much. I don’t believe I would be able to attend CF without the scholarship.”
The CF nursing program has received national recognition, including being ranked the top nursing program in Florida by registerednursing.org and number three for best online nursing programs in Florida by research. com. Most recently, CF was included on the “US News & World Report” list of best Bachelor of Science in nursing programs, in which CF was ranked highest among Florida College System institutions, the release noted.
CF anticipates supporting as many as 50 future registered nurses a year through the CCHB scholarship fund, the release stated.
To learn more, visit cf.edu/nursing
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First-semester nursing students, in red, and third-semester nursing students, in blue, pose with CF nursing faculty and Vernon Lawter, vice president of regional campuses, at the CF Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus. [Courtesy College of Central Florida]
OPINION
Florida? Or North Korea?
DeSantis talks about the “free state of Florida” while strong-arming broadcasters, our Capitol Columnist writes.
By Bill Cotterell Florida News Service
Political advertising has become increasingly nasty in recent elections, as voters seem to accept and even reward the most scurrilous and farfetched accusations candidates can sling at each other.
But one of this year’s hottest Florida contests has led to something new in attack tactics.
The state claims that a TV spot for Amendment 4—a ballot initiative that would restore abortion rights—is a sort of air pollution.
The Florida Department of Health has advised broadcasters that, like a burst sewer or a hazardous waste dump, the advertisement is a public-health hazard. Women who are still eligible for abortions under the state’s six-week gestation limit might mistakenly think they’re not or might go to unsafe extremes to get treatment in another state, the DOH contends.
Fortunately, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has told the state to knock it off. Walker, who has slapped Gov.
Ron DeSantis around on some other culture-war issues, was uncommonly blunt in saying the state can advocate for a political position, but it can’t stifle free speech by using criminal law to browbeat opponents.
“To keep it simple for the state of Florida,” Walker wrote in a temporary restraining order against the state, “it’s the First Amendment, stupid.”
The challenged advertisement features a woman who, while 20 weeks pregnant in 2022, was diagnosed with brain cancer and was told by doctors she couldn’t receive chemotherapy or radiation while pregnant. If the same conditions occurred now, under the six-week law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last year, she said she couldn’t end her pregnancy and wouldn’t be alive.
The health department disagrees.
“The advertisement is not only false; it is dangerous,” a DOH attorney wrote to a Gainesville TV station.
It’s true that the new law allows abortions after six weeks under very limited circumstances. Something like, if the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter
aligns with Mars, the Cubs make the playoffs and at least two physicians, one of whom must be left-handed, feel like it.
By the strained reasoning of the DOH, some women who are eligible might mistakenly believe they can’t get abortions and might do something desperate and dangerous. Therefore— First Amendment guarantees of free speech be damned—the department felt comfortable warning broadcasters of criminal penalties for causing “a sanitary nuisance” that endangers public health.
But there’s an obvious difference. Counting the toxins in air and water and nabbing a polluter is one thing.
Second-guessing a physician or speculating what different patients believe after seeing a TV spot is something else. And the courts have always given very wide leeway to political speech in election campaigns.
Fortunately, broadcasters weren’t intimidated. Jessica Rosenworcel, who chairs the Federal Communications Commission, said, “Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts
with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech.”
Maybe some stations might be bullied into dropping ads from Floridians Protecting Freedom, the political committee sponsoring Amendment 4. It’s cheaper to give up revenue from one advertiser than fight the state, with its unlimited tax dollars. But it wasn’t hard to see the state was bluffing about calling the cops.
The DOH threat against the abortion advertisements is a prominent part of the governor’s attempts to use state agencies to further his political ends. The Department of Transportation, Department of Children and Families and Department of State have all been put to work against the abortion amendment and Amendment 3, which would allow recreational marijuana use.
Jason Garcia, in his excellent “Seeking Rents” online newsletter, estimates the state has spent about $16 million on “public service” advertising that advances DeSantis’ positions.
It’s interesting that the DOH didn’t slap he cuffs on any
broadcaster execs for supposedly polluting the airwaves with ideas that DeSantis doesn’t like in the closing weeks of the campaign season. He could probably find one of his allied state attorneys and some judges he appointed to make a case if the state were serious about prosecuting those who air the pro-Amendment 4 spot.
But that’s what motions to dismiss or the appellate courts are for. The state doesn’t want to prosecute; it wants to keep the amendment from getting the required 60 percent of the vote on Nov. 5.
The Mob is better at this sort of stuff. It will just send a couple big guys around to say, “Nice little business you got here—be a real shame if, y’know, something unfortunate was to happen ….”
DeSantis likes to talk about “the free state of Florida.” But isn’t strong-arming broadcasters more like something you’d expect to see in, oh, maybe Venezuela and North Korea?
Bill Cotterell is a retired Capitol reporter for United Press International and the Tallahassee Democrat. He can be reached at wrcott43@aol.com
Mark Emery to speak about “Springs Forever”
The award-winning photographer, filmmaker and musician, and longtime Ocalan, will deliver the keynote during the Horse Farms Forever 2024 Conservation Summit.
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
Mark Emery, an Emmy awardwinning filmmaker, musician and photographer, will be the keynote speaker at the Horse Farms Forever 2024 Conservation Summit on Nov. 14, with the topic “Springs Forever.”
“Mark’s stunning images and films of the springs will help create more awareness about how important Marion County’s springs are to ensuring clean drinking water for residents and visitors,” noted HFF in announcing the event.
Emery, who is well known for his work with, among other entities, “National Geographic,” the Smithsonian Network, the BBC and PBS, grew up in Ocala.
“So, swimming in springs happened soon after walking,” he said of his early childhood. “My family was lucky, we lived only blocks from the famous Newt Perry. Newt and Ross Allen worked on some of the early Johnny Weissmuller films. Newt and his wife Dot taught swimming lessons at their pool near our house, and we could not have had a better or safer start to my life’s work.”
In recalling his youth, Emery, added, “As for the springs, like most of us here, I spent plenty of time jumping out of the Tarzan tree. We had put a rope up in a tall cypress no longer there at the end of the canal where it runs into the Silver River at Ray’s landing, or the boat basin as it was called in those days.”
Emery even piloted one of the worldfamous glass-bottom boats at Silver Springs for a year or so.
“I then went to work for Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute as a lecturer, so I have been surrounded by the riches of the springs for years. If you work at a spring every day, you will find that so many
folks are amazed by what we have right here in our backyard. There are really no collections of springs like we have here in central Florida, anywhere else in the world, it really is a national treasure,” he offered.
“Later I was lucky enough to work for many years with Jordan Klein Sr., who recently passed away, and his son Jordy Klein. Jordan was an underwater superstar in the world of film. He did his amazing work with special underwater housings he built himself. Later, Klein invented the Mako compressor so that we could get our tanks filled safely for long shoots underwater. Jordan also worked on films as a cinematographer for several James Bond films, “Jaws 3D,” “Splash,” “The Abyss,” “Cocoon” and, back in the day, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and even the original “Flipper” series,” Emery recalled.
“So, when I was invited to speak for the Horse Farms Forever springs celebration, I was anxious to go through all my footage to see what we could share with everyone. I am 40 hours in now— and I am still editing. We have worked on so many films here for the BBC, Apple TV, National Geographic Television, Nature on PBS and Planet Earth, so the well is deep. It is tough to figure what to leave out. The idea is simple though—it is to celebrate springs,” he said.
Emery often can be found in the company of the Silver Springs Professional Dive Team, whose members routinely go underwater to clean the glass-bottom boats at Silver Springs State Park as well as the movie props that remain on the springs floor from many years ago.
“It’s surprising what goes on in our own backyard,” he said.
Emery said people who are interested in going to the summit should know that, “We are going to celebrate the best springs on earth right here in Marion County. I have decided, and the folks at Horse Farms Forever, have agreed that we need to show the abundance of wildlife, both national and international critters that pass through from south and central America as visitors as well as the regular homebodies that we all know or think we know.”
He said there also will be “a few interviews with the old-school glass-bottom boat drivers who had been on the river for over 50
years. These folks are natural storytellers and see things few have witnessed; they are a wealth of rarely-tapped information. We will also follow a young lad as he explores springs and watch as he daydreams about the Native Americans who came before him.”
For his presentation at the summit, Emery noted that “Tracy Collins and I are providing the soundtrack music for the show and Jason Gulley, a ‘National Geographic’ photographer, and wellknown springs artist Margaret Tolbert will also be speaking. I am looking forward to hearing them.”
According to Horse Farms Forever: Florida is home to more than 1,000 artesian springs that are dependent on groundwater from the Floridan aquifer system.
There are three first magnitude springs in Marion County and they together discharge more than 1 billion gallons of water per day: Silver Glen Springs, Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs, which is the largest artesian spring in the world.
• The Springs Protection Zones for Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs are located within the 193,000acre Farmland Preservation Area, which was designated in 2005 by Marion County to protect the rare agricultural soils and springsheds in the area.
HFF is raising awareness about the importance of the Springs Protection Zones in the Farmland Preservation Area to help protect the recharge areas for the Floridan aquifer. The aquifer is referred to as “the lifeblood of the springs” and is the source of much of Florida’s drinking water.
“We are excited to be celebrating Marion County’s three first magnitude springs with Emmy award winning cinemaphotographer Mark Emery as our keynote speaker at this year’s summit. Mark will share stunning images and films of the springs to help create more awareness about how important Marion County’s springs are to ensuring clean drinking water,” said Sara Powell Fennessy, executive director, Horse Farms Forever, Inc. “The aquifer recharge areas for two first magnitude springs, Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs, are located in the Farmland Preservation Area. It is vitally important to protect this area to not only preserve prime agricultural soils for the equine industry, but also to protect our water for future generations.”
As part of the summit, poster and
essay winners of the K-12 student Springs Forever Art Contest, in partnership with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, will be presented with ribbons and gift certificates.
The Acorn Award will be presented to Guy Marwick.
“Through his decades-long leadership, he has helped protect thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land in Marion County and across Florida. Guy, who now serves as the executive director of The Felburn Foundation, was the original founder and director of the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center. The museum opened over 30 years ago in 1991 as a partnership with Marion County Public Schools and over 15,000 children visit the museum every year,” noted the news release.
In addition, equines from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses will be on hand to greet attendees.
“It will be a fine night to enjoy and celebrate our incredible springs,” Emery said.
The 2024 Conservation Summit will be held at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena, 1701 SW 60th Ave., Ocala. The guest speakers and presenters will be signing books, posters and prints, beginning at 4 p.m. The summit will begin at 5 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Tickets are $45 per person, available at horsefarmsforever.com/event/ conservation-summit-2024
Noted photographer Mark Emery “at work.” [Photo courtesy Mark Emery]
Mark and Mary Emery pose with one of the area’s famous natives. [Photo courtesy Mark Emery]
TEDxOcala to celebrate milestone
The independent local event, with a mission to share ‘ideas worth spreading,’ turns 10 this year and will feature 13 speakers talking about ‘humanity.’
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
TED was born in 1984 out of Richard Saul Wurman’s observation of a convergence among technology, entertainment and design. The first TED event, which Wurman co-founded with Harry Marks, did not turn out as hoped and it was six years later that the duo tried again.
TEDx is a grassroots initiative in the spirit of TED’s mission to share “ideas worth spreading.” TEDx events include live speakers and recorded TED Talks and are organized independently under a free license granted by TED. More than 3,000 events are held annually.
TEDxOcala is celebrating its 10th anniversary and this year’s event will take place Nov. 9 at the College of Central Florida. The local event is organized by Manal Fakhoury and a team of other volunteers. She recalled how she first learned about what has become a global outreach.
“I remember driving from Tallahassee to Ocala and listening to the radio. I had never heard of TED Talks and I was so intrigued that I looked it up,” she recalled. “Wurman said that in the ‘80s he was traveling a lot and the most interesting conversations he was having on flights were people in technology, entertainment or design. He was an architect. He noticed some intersectionality because the people in technology wanted to meet people in design, etc., and as he recognized that, he came up with this idea. The first TED event in 1984 was described as eclectic right from the beginning. He had, for example, Steve Jobs unveil the first MAC there; someone had to leave early to go accept their Grammy; a CEO passed out these shiny, round things—CDs. A lot of super cool things happened.”
After the second event in 1992, “They did a third event and then it became an annual event and there came a point where he sold the company.”
According to its website, TED became “one of the intellectual and emotional highlights of the year. That was certainly true for media entrepreneur Chris Anderson, who met with Wurman in 2000 to discuss the conference’s future. A deal was struck and in 2001 Anderson’s nonprofit Sapling Foundation acquired TED. As of July 1, 2019, TED is owned by TED Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation.”
Fakhoury said “they basically turned the company upside down. What they recognized is that people who were attending—like Oprah, Al Gore, Jeff Bezos—was that they wished they could share it with others, their families. So, they turned TED into a media company, and they got millions of views. And then they wanted to duplicate it and that’s when TEDx was born.”
She said TEDx events now are “done all over the world. Probably on average any day of the year, there are 11 to 12 events happening somewhere around the globe. They are done in prisons, third world countries, villages … It’s huge. You apply for the license. They have criteria,
including who can and cannot be your sponsor. For example, Lockheed Martin cannot be your sponsor because it is a weapons company.”
Fakhoury said the TEDx format is “not about a motivational speaker. And they don’t want necessarily professional speakers. They are looking for ideas that spread. And we even have a saying that ‘ideas that spread win.’”
As for the Ocala version, “We believe that at our event, the audience is just as important as the speakers. I’ve told our team we want to make this one of the best events in the world. And by that it’s for the speakers, for the volunteer team, for the audience, for the sponsors. We are not into just repeat, repeat, repeat. Every year we have to make it better,” Fakhoury said.
She said organizers are given the freedom to select a theme. This year’s theme in Ocala is “humanity.”
“This year we chose our theme like that,” Fakhoury said with a snap of her fingers. “The idea with the theme is that it doesn’t force you to use the word humanity in your talk. But when we think about humanity, so many things can be part of our humanity, whether it’s the work we are doing, the relationships we are building, whether it’s a world affair and things that are happening. And quite honestly, to me, the world is on fire. It’s sad that we can grace this earth and allow the damage, the death, the destruction just to happen. It’s just really devastating. With TED, the thing is to make the world a better place community by community.”
Fakhoury said the best talks need “to be memorable, they can be emotional, and they can be novel because you want to be learning something new.”
“Our speakers this year, we have 13, and the topics vary from the role of AI in our humanity to heroic anarchy as a new coined term to understanding the grieving process; it’s a variety, all different topics,” she shared.
Here are this year’s speakers:
• Angela Redondo Lightfoot is a martial artist and equestrian and has more than two decades of experience in coaching and development.
Anne Vogt McCune is a wife, mother, grandmother, author and has served on many boards and helped run events that have had city, state and worldwide impact.
Emily Kathleen Callahan is an acute care nurse practitioner who works in emergency medicine in the U.S. and internationally. She recently was evacuated from Gaza after treating burn victims with scarce supplies, navigating security operations and doing her best to get her team out after 26 days of intense bombing.
• Hanna Barakat is a researcher specializing in human-computer interaction and science and technology studies. She represented Palestine at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in the 100-meter sprint. Jad-Évangelo Nasser is a multilingual global inclusion specialist with Palestinian roots and Haitian heritage and 10-plus years of experience in DEI, cross-cultural communication, film, media and
higher education.
• Jasmine Marie Cruz is a marketing specialist in brand development and graphic design with a passion for personal growth and community empowerment.
Julie Ducan has thrived in Ocala for 14 years, working, building businesses and raising two girls. Her profession is based around creating experiences for people within the events and entertainment sphere.
Laura Duksta is the author of the “New York Times” bestseller “I Love You More,” and her titles have sold more than 1 million copies in eight languages. She shares a message of love through books, speaking engagements, music and school programs.
• Mark Cummins is an author; decorated U.S. Marine; coach, teacher and speaker; Boston Marathon and IRONMAN athlete; and high school and college football coach.
Scott Martin, founder of Groundswell Origins, has spent more than 25 years working in all types of marketing and branding as an agency owner and strategist to national brands. He is an author and podcaster.
• Seweryna Dumaisnil, known as Sev Joy, is a women’s empowerment mentor, leadership trainer and bestselling author.
• Tiffany Edith is a teacher, tutor and enrollment counselor at a global online school. She has acted, sang, done street poetry and won multiple speaking awards.
Tom Puketza has produced several stage plays, studied film accounting under an industry veteran and served on the board of The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre.
He is the owner of Finale Events, president of a nonprofit and coaches speakers professionally.
Each speaker is limited to 18 minutes.
“The original idea Wurman had was 18 minutes. He felt that was long enough to hold people’s attention and that you could teach something without it becoming a lecture. My guidance to our speakers is if you have a six-minute idea or a seven-minute idea, let it be. The sweet spot is about 12 minutes to 14 minutes,” Fakhoury said.
The event is interactive, with built-in breaks and lunch, and even a “swag bag.”
“An important thing with the TED format is audience engagement, so we have a committee that plans something different each year. We encourage people to move around and exchange ideas,” she noted.
R.J. Jenkins—an Ocala-based educator, higher education administrator, and institutional consultant—was a speaker last year.
“Being a speaker at TEDxOcala was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It encouraged me to take an idea that had long mattered to me and bring it to life for a wider audience. The process was exhilarating and humbling in equal measure and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be challenged in the best possible way,” Jenkins said.
Fakhoury, who volunteers with numerous local organizations such as Toastmasters, she is part of a Gavel Club at the Marion Correctional Institution, Ollin Women International and the American Heart Association, said she loves TEDxOcala.
“Of all the volunteer work that I do, and I love many of the things that I get to do, like the prison in terms of giving me fulfillment, this TEDx event is my favorite thing to be a part of. I’ve had people say that when they moved to Ocala, if there’s a TEDx event here, then we know it’s a happening city. I love that,” she stated.
“This is an opportunity for people to do something they may never have done before or to just use it as a day of selfreflection, networking, idea sharing,” she added. “They won’t be disappointed. That’s what the audience needs to know—they are going to walk away with some great ideas.”
TEDxOcala will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at the College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Tickets range from $25 to $75. For details, go to tedxocala.com
File photo: Dr. India White gives her speech during TEDxOcala in the Dassance Fine Arts Auditorium at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
File photo: People listen to a speaker during TEDxOcala in the Dassance Fine Arts Auditorium at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
Night of Hope
Continued from page A1
local domestic violence homicide victim by saying their name during the event. But with that number hitting 150 this year, they were printed instead. Cynthia Irving shared that in 2024 to date, there have already been six domestic violence homicides.
According to the 2020 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Uniform Crime Report, 106,515 domestic violence offenses were reported to law enforcement in the state.
“217 individuals died because of domestic violence homicide, representing
approximately 20 percent of all homicides in Florida,” according to the Florida Department of Children Family Services 2024 Domestic Violence Report.
“The top ten counties with the most reported domestic violence offenses (by percentage of the population) were Levy, Dixie, Marion, Taylor, DeSoto, Hardee, Duval, Pasco, Leon and Holmes Counties,” says the report.
Survivor Chris Wissinger shared her story of an abusive marriage.
“We moved to Ocala in 1979 from Springfield, Ohio. My husband was trying to isolate me from my family and friends,”
Down from left: Keynote speaker Pastor Michael Neely poses for a photo with his book, “Black Eyes and Sweet Talk,” during the “Night Of Hope - Honoring Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence” event at the College of Central Florida Klein Conference Center in Ocala on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. CF Professor Lee Rosen talks about his book, “The Five.” Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano. Lena Hopkins. Chris Wissinger talks about the abusive relationship and domestic violence she experienced with her ex-husband. Attendees listen to the speakers.
Wissinger said.
She said put up with the physical and emotional abuse for years until her husband wanted to leave her for another woman. Her three children were teenagers by then.
“He needed money to leave though, so I told him to take $3,000 from a credit card I had,” Wissinger said. “I never thought I’d pay that credit card off—that was a lot of money back then. But I did.”
Wissinger said she learned after she was married that her husband had come from an abusive family.
“But the cycle was broken and I’m proud to say that my children are successful, and not abusers,” she told the audience triumphantly.
The Rev. Michael Neely, senior pastor at New Millennium Community Church in Zephyrhills, and author of “Black Eyes and Sweet Talk: A Biblical Perspective on Domestic Violence,” was the keynote speaker. Neely told the story of abuse he had to overcome from his first wife.
He admitted staying too long in the marriage, guilted, he said, by scriptures about how God hates divorce. He also was told if he divorced it would impact his ability to continue in the ministry.
He told the crowd that wicked narcissists can be drawn to Christianity because Christians are taught to major in “grace, forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation.”
However, Neely told the Bible study group that he believed God wanted his followers “free” of their abusers.
Following the Bible study, Neely said he received 18 calls from women seeking help from abusive domestic partners.
“Fourteen of them were sitting next to their abusers at the bible study!” he noted.
One of the abusers worked as a custodian at the church.
“One of the women told me I was the first pastor during her 17 years of abuse to tell her God wants her free,” Neely said.
Bryant said that 55 of the people in attendance at the Night of Hope identified as “survivors” of domestic violence. The workforce group had eight volunteers watching 25 children so parents could attend.
Based on Neely’s personal experience, he sought to debunk problematic messaging of domestic violence in the church.
“We got a problem in the church,” Neely said.
When pastors tell domestic violence victims that God will not favor them breaking their union, they fail to place the burden of breaking the union where it should be—on the abuser, he stated.
A defining moment for Neely was during a Bible study of about 150 people. A woman asked, “What does God think about abuse, and divorce because of it?”
“It was amazing to see the level of support from the community for our victims and survivors. Those in the room felt safe to share their stories without fear of being judged. For the first time, some of them realized they were not alone and didn’t have to feel ashamed about being in an abusive relationship because help is available from advocates who are ready to assist them through the process. It truly was a Night of Hope for them,” Bryant said.
More resources are needed to meet the emergency needs of this vulnerable population, according to Bryant. The event’s fundraising goal was $20,000. As this article was going to press, $15,460 had been raised.
To contribute, go to mcchildrensalliance.networkforgood. com/events/70984-night-of-hope-2024 or mail a check made payable to “MCCA” and marked for the “Family Violence Prevention Workgroup” to 3482 NW 10th St., Ocala, FL 34475.
To learn more, go to breakthesilenceonviolence.org
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Serve on a government advisory board
Staff report
As a citizen, taxpayer and voter, it can sometimes feel like government moves along without you. But, in addition to contacting your board and council members, you can also have a voice in local government by helping out on a volunteer board. Maybe you’re an expert in commercial real estate; maybe you know a lot about small business marketing. That expertise can help you, your fellow citizens and local government if you want to volunteer on a board. As of Oct. 14, here are the listings of vacancies for cities in Marion County and the county itself.
City of Belleview:
Planning & Zoning Board
2 expired terms as of March, 2024 for a city resident
Description: The Planning and Zoning Board acts as an advisory Board to the Commission for planning and zoning issues. They also hear and decide variance and special exception requests. The Planning and Zoning Board is subject to the Sunshine Regulations and must file financial disclosure forms upon appointment and annually thereafter.
Members are appointed by the Commission for staggered three year terms and the alternate is appointed to a one year terms. If a member leaves, the Commission appoints another citizen to fill the vacated term. Members must live in Belleview, be a registered voter, and not delinquent in the payment of City taxes.
Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm. belleviewfl.org/151/Boards-Committees bit.ly/belleview-board-application
City of Dunnellon:
Historic Preservation Board
2 vacancies for a vice-chair and a 2nd alternate member term already expired; 1 term ending in November
Description: The purpose of the Historic Preservation Board is to promote and preserve educational, cultural and economic welfare of the public. The Historic Preservation Board has established uniform procedures to preserve the City’s historic resources by enhancing public participation and involvement in the preservation and protection of such resources, including buildings, structures, monuments, and other historic resources. In keeping with its purpose, the Board has developed the Application for Historic Preservation Grant Facade Renovations. Interested person(s) should complete the application and submit to the Community Development Department for submission to the Board.
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm.
dunnellon.org/government/boards-commissions/ historic-preservation-board
Planning Commission
2 vacancies for alternate members
Description: The Planning Commission has an administrative review function whereby the Commission reviews all changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, by amendment, evaluation, addition and appraisal for consistency with the existing Comprehensive Plan and reviews all land-related/zoning ordinances to determine consistency to the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission holds quasi-judicial hearings with regards to land planning/zoning cases, site plan reviews, variances, special exceptions, and review/appeal of administrative orders, and forwards its findings/ recommendations to the City Council.
Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm.
dunnellon.org/government/boards-commissions/ planning-commission
City of Ocala:
The City Council appoints individuals to serve on over 20 boards, advisory committees, and commissions. These volunteers are from all over Ocala, and their experience, knowledge and expertise help influence decisions affecting the City by providing advice and feedback to City leaders and Council.
If you have questions, contact clerk@ocalafl.gov or call the Office of the City Clerk at (352) 629-8266. The main page is ocalafl.gov/government/city-departmentsa-h/city-clerk/boards-and-commissions and each board has its own page and application link.
All are welcome to submit an application for consideration to a board or commission. Many boards have specific requirements, such as living within the city limits, being a qualified city voter, or owning real property within the city limits. These requirements, if any, are detailed for each board on their page.
Board of Adjustment
Description: The Board of Adjustment considers applications for zoning variances and special exception considerations for business and residential construction projects within the Ocala City Limits. Hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is error in any order, requirement, decision or determination made by the building official in the enforcement of the zoning code (chapter 122), authorize special exceptions as provided in the zoning code authorize variances as provided in the zoning code.
Vacancies: 3 current vacancies, one runs through undetermined; two run to Mar 1, 2028.
Size: 7 Members
Term Length: 4 years
Term Limit: n/a
Brownfields Advisory Committee
Description: The purpose of the advisory committee is to promote and receive public comment on the identification, rehabilitation and redevelopment of identified Brownfield sites. The purpose of the advisory committee is to promote and receive public comment on the identification, rehabilitation and redevelopment of identified Brownfield sites. The advisory committee shall provide guidance in areas such as land use, employment opportunities, development proposals, community safety and environmental justice. The committee consists of eleven members appointed by the Ocala City Council from boards, committees and organizations primarily representing West Ocala.
Vacancies: 1 vacancy, term from Mar 1, 2024 to Mar 1, 2028.
Size: 9 Members
Term Length: 4 years
Term Limit: n/a
Firefighters’ Retirement System Board of Trustees
Description: The sole and exclusive administration of, and the responsibility for the proper, effective operation of the Retirement Plan is vested in a Board of Trustees. The board of trustees shall consist of five persons; two firefighters elected by the firefighter members of the plan. Two trustees shall be residents of the City appointed by City Council. The fifth member of the board shall be chosen by a majority of the other four members of the Board and appointed by City Council as a ministerial act. Form 1 Financial Disclosures are required to be submitted annually to the Florida State Ethics Commission.
Vacancies: 1 term expired October 2024
Size: 5 Members
Term Length: 2 years
Term Limit: n/a
Historic Preservation Advisory Board
Description: The Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board oversees the historic resources of the City and advises City Council and City departments on matters relating to these resources, as well as manages Certificates of Appropriateness for properties located within the Tuscawilla Park and Ocala Historic Districts. Make recommendations to City council for matters relating to historic resources in the City changes to designated resources; attend pertinent informational or educational meetings, workshops and conferences; advise on development of goals, objectives and policies for historic preservation; advise city departments on matters relating to historic resources in the City; advise individuals on preservation of historic structures; educate public on economic benefits of same; and submit annual report to SHPO covering annual activities. The Board approves Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to properties located in the local Tuscawilla Park and Ocala Historic Districts.
Vacancies: 3 current vacancies with varying terms ending 2025-2027
Size: 9 Members
Term Length: 3 years
Term Limit: n/a
Municipal Code Enforcement Board
Description: The Code Enforcement Division enforces codes that pertain to zoning laws, nuisance abatement, contracting, and permitting requirements of the City of Ocala and the State of Florida, occupational licenses, sign codes, alcohol location permits, and many other local ordinances and State Statutes. The Municipal Code Enforcement Board hears cases relating to code violations. Examine code violation cases presented by City Code Enforcement Officers. Empowered to levy fines and place liens on property if, violation is not corrected.
Vacancies: 3 current vacancies, 1 regular and 2 alternates
Size: 7 Members
Term Length: 3 years
Term Limit: n/a
North Magnolia Redevelopment Advisory Committee
Description: The committee shall advise the Community Redevelopment Agency on redevelopment efforts of the established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Vacancies: 1 current vacancy to March 1, 2027
Size: 7 Members
Term Length: 4 years
Term Limit: n/a
Police Officers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees
Description: The Police Officers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees is responsible the administration and operation of the Retirement Plan for the City of Ocala Police Officers.
Vacancies: 1 citizen term expired August 6, 2024
Size: 7 Members
Term Length: 2 years
Term Limit: n/a
Recreation Commission
Description: The Recreation Commission advises City Council on matters relating to parks, recreation, and volunteer programs within the City of Ocala. The Commission shall advise and recommend to the City Council on the use of public facilities for recreational programs, and shall act as liaison with the board of county commissioners and the county school board regarding availability and use of county and school facilities. The commission shall advise and recommend to the City Council on the use of public facilities for
recreational programs. A majority of the member of the Recreation Commission shall be citizens of the City. Holders of other public or City office of employment shall be eligible for membership on the Recreation Commission.
Vacancies: 1 vacancy to March 1, 2027
Size: 7 Members
Term Length: 3 years
Term Limit: n/a
Utility Advisory Board
Description: The Ocala Utility Advisory Board advises and makes recommendations to City Council on matters relating to management of City-owned utilities, including Ocala Electric Utility and Ocala Water Resources. The Utility Advisory Board shall act in an advisory capacity to the city government in connection with the management of the City utilities. The City officials and officers and the staff of the city departments may consult with the board from time to time on matters coming within the scope of this division, and the board shall advise and consult with such officials, officers and staff of city departments in connection with the operation and management of city utilities.
Vacancies: 1 current vacancy, 4 terms ending November 2024
Size: 12 Members
Term Length: 4 years
Term Limit n/a
Marion County: Application deadline is Nov. 1, 2024 Marion County shows vacancies on the following boards: Code Enforcement, the Industrial Development Authority, the Land Development Regulation Commission and the WellFlorida Council. These are volunteer positions and have specific qualifications and criteria depending on the board’s focus. The county commission appoints members in regular BOCC meetings.
An online application can be downloaded here: marionfl.org/my-commissioners/advisory-boards and can be printed or saved as a PDF. Please email completed forms to commissionadmin@marionfl.org upon completion. Applications can also be obtained at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners’ Office located at 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala, Florida or by calling 352-438-2323.
Code Enforcement (2 alternate members – Terms expire February 2026 and November 2027)
Qualifications/restrictions: Members shall be residents of Marion County.
Responsibilities: Members shall be residents of Marion County and should have experience or interest in zoning and building control, ad shall, whenever possible be in the field of architecture, engineering, general contracting, or subcontracting. Members shall have the power to adopt rules for the conduct of its hearings; subpoena alleged violators & witnesses to its hearings; subpoena records, surveys, plats & other documentary evidence; take testimony under oath; issue orders having the force & effect of law, commanding whatever steps are necessary to bring a violation into compliance and establish and levy fines pursuant to county ordinance. Members are required to e-file Form 1 (Statement of Financial Interest) with the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Industrial Development Authority (2 full members –Terms through November 2028)
Qualifications/restrictions: Members shall reside within the boundaries of the district.
Responsibilities: Members shall participate in the preparation of the annual budget, review and comment on programs, activities, operations, goals and objectives of the district. As requested by the BCC, review all expenditures of district funds and provide comments thereon.
Land Development Regulation Commission (1 full member – Term through November 2028)
Qualifications/restrictions: Members shall be qualified electors in Marion County.
Responsibilities: Members shall preferably have knowledgeable in the areas of planning, environmental science, agriculture, and the development industry, as well as in technical fields related to land development regulations. They should have the ability to evaluate and recommend specific regulatory standards and criteria to the County Commission regarding the adoption and amendment of the Land Development Code and Zoning Code. Additionally, members are responsible for preparing an annual report recommending amendments to the Land Development Code or Zoning Code.
WellFlorida Council (1 full member, provider – Term through November 2026)
Qualifications/restrictions: Applicants must be a Provider of health care services including physicians, dentists, nurses, health facility administrators and members of governing bodies of health facilities.
Responsibilities: Well Florida Council is a resource for county health departments, community-based organizations, government agencies and healthcare facilities. Well Florida is known for producing the county health needs assessments. Members oversee Well Florida’s budget, advocate for Well Florida’s services and may advise County Commissioners on health planning for their county, the region and the state.
Meetings are held once a month at Well Florida Council in Gainesville. (Specific information may be provided by Well Florida Council.)
Mental health court program
Continued from page A1
and how you cope with mental illness,” Thompson said. “When you’re done with the program, I want that you are happy, that you’re healthy, that you wake up every morning with a smile on your face and a good attitude and you’re not weighed down by mental illness.”
There are currently about 40 in individuals in the program, which on average serves anywhere from 25 to 50.
During the Oct. 23 session of mental health court, Thompson greeted each candidate warmly and asked how each person fared through the recent hurricane.
The judge remembers details about the candidates, their spouses, children, jobs and even pets. For every person in the program, Thompson gives the same token piece of advice: “When you do good things, good things happen to you.”
The program consists of three phases and is individualized for each person depending on their illness, needs and crime committed. To successfully get through the program, everyone must adhere to the same rules—take your medication as prescribed, don’t drink alcohol, don’t do drugs and don’t break any laws.
Most people graduate from the program within six months to a year,
and upon graduation have their charges dropped by the state and their cases resolved. Participants must have an Axis I mental health diagnosis, which includes mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, eating disorders and psychotic disorders.
To be eligible for the program, the individual must have been arrested for or charged with a misdemeanor in Marion County, must be represented by an attorney, must meet a residency requirement and must be able to comprehend and conform to the diversion court program. In doing so, participants waive their right to a speedy trial.
After each court hearing, participants take a 12-panel drug and alcohol test to ensure their sobriety, starting on day one.
“If you did test positive for something on your first screening, what we’ll do is we’ll take that first screen and use that as a baseline, and then in future screens if whatever level of that substance goes down over time, that will be indication that if you were using, you stopped,” Thompson told a participant.
Between appearances in court, participants meet with case managers from the court, attend counseling, receive treatment and medication, go through social programs and work with their peers. Depending on the
offense, some might be assigned to an anger management course, a batterers’ intervention program, an intensive outpatient program, a parenting course, a shoplifting course or whatever work they are deemed to need for rehabilitation.
Mental health court works with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Marion County, SMA Healthcare and the Beacon Point program to provide resources and services to participants. The program also partners with the Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) program to provide assistance in individuals’ homes to provide more personal assistance with everyday activities and work-related training.
The case managers also work to ensure that the participants adhere to all requirements from the state for their charges, such as paying restitution by the time of graduation. The court has sympathy for the hard work it takes for many individuals to stay on track, and even asks anyone who needs to attend work on the day of their hearing to come forward first.
Punishment for not adhering to the program can be decided on a sliding scale, depending on the severity and frequency of occurrences. A lower sanction option might be to watch a video and write an essay about what you learn or do
community service.
A higher sanction could be to spend a few days in jail, something Thompson said could emphasize the severity of the possibilities if someone can’t complete the program. The ultimate sanction is removal from the program.
“If we can’t get you on the right path and you continue to violate the program rules, we’ve got to discharge you, we’ve got to kick you out, and you go to see another judge for resolution on your case,” Thompson said.
And if the opportunity for reform and dismissal of charges isn’t reward enough, the staff also makes sure to offer incentives and positive reinforcement at every turn. Everyone moving onto the next phase of the program receives a certificate of achievement and a gift card.
For someone who may have never had anyone acknowledge their achievements or hear that someone’s proud of them, positive reinforcement can go a long way, Thompson said.
“Stay focused and do the right thing,” Thompson said. “We’re here for people who want to help themselves.”
To learn more, go to bit.ly/mc-mental-health-court
City of Ocala officials reappointed
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
The Ocala city manager, clerk, attorney, internal auditor and the Ocala Police chief were all reappointed by the City Council on Oct. 15 to continue to serve in their respective capacities for another term.
Ocala City Manager
Pete Lee was reappointed to continue
serving as city manager. Lee was first appointed to the role on Sept. 20, 2022. Lee served as the interim city manager since April 19 of the same year, when he took over after the council fired City Manager Sandra
Wilson.
Starting on Nov. 1, Lee will earn a salary of $258,558 per year. His term will span for an additional two years.
Ocala City Clerk Angel Jacobs was reappointed as city clerk. She has served in the role since Dec. 1, 2009. Jacobs will earn a salary of $131,369 per year. Her term will span for an
additional two years.
Ocala Police Department Chief Mike Balken was reappointed as chief of the Ocala Police Department. He has served in the role since Nov. 17, 2020. Balken will earn a salary of $216,762 per year. His
Pete Lee [Supplied]
File photo: Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] Continued on next page
Three appointed by DeSantis to Marion County Early Learning Coalition
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
Three people have been appointed to the Marion County Early Learning Coalition by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Todd Panzer has been appointed as chair, and Brittney Morley and Lola Gonzalez have been appointed as members of the coalition’s board of directors. The appointment was made on Oct. 18.
“I am honored to be appointed as the board chair of Early Learning Coalition of Marion County by our Governor, Ron DeSantis,” Panzer said.
Panzer previously served as the vice chair and acting chair of the board.
“The wonderful work that the dedicated staff and volunteers of ELCMC provide for our community and children is not only important, but necessary. ELCMC is tasked via State Legislature to help the children and working families of our community in preparation for school readiness,” Panzer said. “Providing childcare subsidy for working parents, VPK, developmental and health screenings of children, Success by 6, and Provider Professional Development are just a few of the services ELCMC performs for Marion County. I am so happy to say that we have started the Dolly Parton Imagination Library this year as well. Another way to reach our kids early with reading materials.”
He is the owner and nurse practitioner for Panzer Concierge Medicine and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Brenau University and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Georgia.
“The health and growth of a community is largely dependent on how well we educate our children. To be just one member of such a wonderful organization is humbling. We strive to help our children to be better prepared, and successful, when they enter school.
That is a lifelong goal that I have for my home, Marion County,” he said.
Morley is the owner and broker of Ocala’s Finest Real Estate Agency.
“As a newly appointed board member of the Early Learning Coalition, I am eager to contribute to the growth and development of our community’s youngest learners. My primary goal during my term is to enhance access to quality early childhood education, ensuring that all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, have the tools and support they need to succeed,” Morley said.
Morley is the recipient of the Certification of Appreciation from the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County.
“I also aim to foster stronger partnerships between families, educators, and community resources to create an ecosystem where learning extends beyond the classroom. By advocating for policies and programs that support both children and their caregivers, I hope to build a more equitable and effective system that helps set the foundation for lifelong success,” she said.
She is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in business from the College of Central Florida.
“Additionally, I plan to focus on promoting professional development for educators and improving the coalition’s outreach efforts to ensure that families are aware of the resources and opportunities available to them,” Morley said.
Gonzalez is the CEO and senior investigator for Accurate Background Check Inc. She is the founder of the Hispanic Business Council in Marion County. Currently, Gonzalez serves as the chair of the Heart of Florida Health Center.
Gonzalez could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Both Morley and Gonzalez will serve as board members from the private sector.
MAN DIES AFTER WALKING INTO PATH OF VEHICLE, PER FHP
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
A74- year-old Sebring man died Saturday morning after he walked into the path of a Kia Forte on U.S. Highway 441 in southeast Marion County, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
According to an FHP press release, the unidentified victim was struck as he
term will span for an additional two years.
Ocala Internal Auditor
Randall Bridgeman was
walked west on the highway near the crest of a hill. The Kia was traveling south on the highway in the outside lane.
“The pedestrian continued into the southbound lanes and into the Kia’s direct travel path,” the release stated.
The crash occurred around 6:45 a.m. near Southeast 173rd Street. The driver of the Kia, a 44- year-old Ocala woman, was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured, the release stated.
reappointed as internal auditor. He has served in the role since May 21, 2019. Bridgeman will earn a salary of $150,144 per year. His term will span for an additional two years.
Ocala City Attorney William Sexton was reappointed as city attorney. He was served in the role since Sept. 1, 2022. Sexton will earn a salary of $235,000 per year. His term will span for an additional two years.
“No other candidates will be considered for these positions unless an individual is not
IN CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION
IN RE: Estate of JOHN A. HARTMANN, Deceased.
Case No.: 2024-CP-2580
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of JOHN A. HARTMANN, deceased, whose date of death was April 6, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW 1 st Avenue #1, Ocala, Florida 34471. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is October 25, 2024. /s/ Amy P. Slaman . AMY P. SLAMAN
Florida Bar No. 92052
CLARK PARTINGTON
4100 Legendary Drive, Suite 200 Destin, FL 32541
Phone: (850) 650-3304 | Fax: (850) 6503305
P/E: aslaman@clarkpartington.com
S/E: hpascoe@clarkpartington.com
Attorney for Personal Representative
JOHN PAUL HARTMANN
8092 SW 81st Loop Ocala, FL 34476
Personal Representative
IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE FIFTH
JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 24-CC-000086
LUIS SANCHEZ, Plaintiff, V. BEATRIZ ELENA CAMACHO, Defendant. NOTICE OF ACTION TO: BEATRIZ ELENA CAMACHO
YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for breach of contract and damages has been filed against you, and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to Isabella I. Limonta Ramirez, Esq., counsel for the plaintiff, whose address is The Law Office of Jeffrey D. Harper, PLLC, 3450 Dunn Avenue, Suite 302, Jacksonville, Florida 32218 (isabella@ harperlawpllc.com), on or before DECEMBER 2ND, 2024 and to file the original with the clerk of this court either before service on the plaintiff's counsel or immediately thereafter, otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition.
DATED: OCTOBER 14TH, 2024
H. Bibb
CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT
By: H. BIBB Deputy Clerk (COURT SEAL)
reappointed, at which point the position would become vacant and open for new applicants,” wrote City Spokesperson Gregory Davis.
IN RE: ESTATE OF KATHLEEN G. DAGHITA, Deceased. IN THE CIRCUIT COURT IN THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO. 2024-CP2594 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1 st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475 . The names and addresses of the co personal representatives and the copersonal representatives' attorney are indicated below . If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent's estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF T H IS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent's estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT'S DEATH.
The date of death of the decedent is: August 27, 2024
The date of first publication of this Notice is Attorneyfor Co-Personal Representatives :James L. Richard FL Bar #243477 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Email: jim@rmprobate.com
Co-Personal Representatives : Jesse L. Daghita 2970 SE 40th Street Ocala, FL 34480 DANE G. DAGHITA 8 Mill Street Van Etten, NY 14889- 9437
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA
In re: The Marriage of: Michael Ecko Lee, Petitioner and Leslie Michelle Lee, Respondent Case No. 24DR000156AX
NOTICE OF ACTION FOR Dissolution of Marriage TO: LESLIE MICHELLE LEE 7550 Southwest 86th Lane, Ocala, FL 34476
YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of written defenses, if any, to it on MICHAEL ECKO LEE, whose address is 1971 W Lumsden Rd, PMB 135, Brandon FL 33511, on or before December 9, 2024, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 110 NW 1st Ave, Ocala, FL 34475, before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition
Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.
You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the addresses on record at the clerk’s office.
NOTICE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA A MEETING OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES PLANNING NOTICE is hereby given that the Superintendent of Marion County Schools causes to be scheduled a meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on November 6, 2024, at 9:00 AM at the MCPS District Office - 1614 East Fort King Street, Ocala, FL 34471 – Building 1, Room 17. This meeting is scheduled to convene in accordance with language,
WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings. Extra
NOTICE OF SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Notice is hereby given that the School Board of Marion County, Florida, will meet on November 7, 2024, at 7:30 a.m., at the School Board Administration Office, 1614 E. Ft. King Street, Ocala, Florida, 34471. An agenda will be published seven days prior to the meeting. The agenda may be obtained at the Administration Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The agenda is also available from a link on the District’s website: www.marion. k12.fl.us.
Persons wishing to address the Board should register with the Chairman prior to 7:40 a.m.
Any person deciding to appeal any decision made by the Board at the meeting will need a record of the proceedings and, for such purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence on which the appeal is to be based.
William Sexton [City of Ocala]
Randall Bridgeman, the Internal Auditor, listens during the City of Ocala Strategic Planning meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Ocala on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2022
Passing of a legend in underwater cinematography
Continued from page A1
It is fitting that a celebration of life for Klein, who died Oct. 1 at the of 98, will be held at the theater on Nov. 9.
Klein was born Dec. 1, 1925, in Cleveland, but his family moved to Miami when he was quite young. He moved to the Ocala area in the 1970s, according to his son Jordan “Jordy” Klein Jr.
“He was on his second marriage and his second wife really loved horses. And, combined with that, there were a lot of changes going on in south Florida and Miami, changes that my dad wasn’t real crazy about, both living there and raising his family there,” Klein Jr. said.
“He said it was like paradise up here. He bought that big building on 17th Street for a fraction of what he sold his building in Miami for, and labor was cheap and all that. He had the springs for when he did his filming, and his wife was happy because she had the horses. It was a winwin thing,” he recalled.
According to historical information about Klein, he was drafted into the U.S. Navy at the start of WWII and served in the Pacific theater of operations. Having always had an affinity for the water, he put his skills to work in Jacksonville on crash boat duty and later as a bosun’s mate on the USS Trenton destroyer escort.
“He was sent as part of the first wave to hit the shores of Japan and was three days into the journey when they dropped the atomic bomb. After the war, he borrowed some money and bought a Navy PT boat, converting it into the first dive boat on Miami Beach. He also opened one of the first dive shops on Miami Beach. During this time, he modified an old compressor and started an air compressor company called Mako Compressors that catered to the emerging scuba diving industry,” notes an online biography.
Klein became popular in the “Miami scene” and “Life” magazine did a story on him. Then Samuel Goldwyn of MGM Studios called and asked if he could construct an underwater housing for one of their large Mitchell cameras. He was offered the role of underwater engineer and cameraman for “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” marking the start of his underwater cinematography career, the biography states.
Among the more unusual of Klein’s pursuits, he enjoyed stock car racing and even beat renowned NASCAR driver Fireball Roberts in a race.
The jordanklein.com website is filled with the accomplishments of the intrepid Klein. There are sections devoted to the fabled eras of his life, including The Early Innovator (1938-54), Making Waves (’54-’63), the James Bond Era (’65’67), Advanced Innovations (’67-’73), Hollywood’s Underwater Expert (’73-’85), Late Career and TV Work (’85-’95) and Final Projects and Legacy (’95-2010).
Timeline highlights include:
At age 10, in 1938, Klein developed an interest in diving and began building underwater camera housings using brass plates and silver. As his skills improved, he created underwater housings for Rolliflex, Bolex and Leica cameras. He contributed to early underwater films like “Creature from the Black Lagoon” using his first set of custom camera housings.
• He gained recognition for his work on TV shows such as “Sea Hunt” as well as television commercials and print media ads. He refined underwater housings for still photography and motion picture cameras in 8mm and 16mm formats.
In 1959, he designed the Mako Shark camera housing, one of the first commercially available underwater
“He had this saying when he first started, that there were people looking though a glassbottom bucket to see underwater. He knew there was a better way and just through his own inspiration he designed self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses and once he started to perfect that, and the air compressors used to fill those tanks to go underwater, he then began to set his sights on photography.”
Jordy Klein
camera housings, aimed at amateur divers.
His housings evolved to accommodate 35mm cameras.
• He served as director of underwater engineering for “Thunderball,” which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1966.
• In 1967, he co-developed the CryoLung, a liquid-air breathing device that significantly extended dive times.
• His underwater cinematography remained in demand, as seen in films such as “Hello Down There,” “Captain Nemo and the Underwater City” and the TV movie “The Aquarians.”
By the 1970s, he was working on films including “The Day of the Dolphin,” “Mako: Jaws of Death,” “Jaws” and “Cocoon.”
Subsequent projects included “Miami Vice,” “Flight of the Navigator,” “Jaws: The Revenge” and “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken.” He was involved with “SeaQuest DSV” and collaborated with the Discovery Channel on a number of nature documentaries.
“Even in his later years, Jordan remained passionate about his craft, continuing to innovate and explore well into his 90s. His adventurous spirit, technical genius and contributions to both cinema and diving make his life a story of relentless pursuit and discovery” noted the online obituary.
Father and son Jordy Klein himself has achieved notoriety as an aerial and aquatic cinematographer. He is the owner of Jordan Klein Film & Video and Xcam Aerials, Inc. As one might expect, he learned a lot from his father.
“In the early days, up until about 2006ish, everything was shot on film for the most part, especially for theatrical and episodic type shows. To put film in a film magazine to shoot with a film camera, you would put it in a changing bag. It had arm/ sleeve things you would put your arms through, and you could take the film out of the film canister and put it in the film magazine so it wasn’t exposed to light.
My dad taught me to do that and when I was about 4 years old, I actually fit in the changing bag. I could zip myself in and load film magazines for my dad. Basically, I say, I was born in a changing bag,” the junior Klein offered.
He said he also often went on movie sets with his dad.
“In my early days in Miami, I hung out in Ivan Tors’ studio with Ron Howard and Clint Howard and all the guys from ‘Flipper’ and all the shows they were doing there. It followed a natural progression,” he recalled.
“On top of that, my dad had Mako Air Compressors on 17th Street in Ocala for years. I worked there as a design engineer through my school (Lake Weir High School) and college years (then the Central Florida Community College) and I had to make a decision when he sold the company as to whether I wanted to remain working at the air compressor company or go full time into the movie business and I chose the movie business. I joined the cameraman’s union when I was in the 12th grade in high school, so I guess at that point would be when I considered (myself) dedicated to that career,” he explained.
pioneer of underwater photography, whose iconic images helped put Silver Springs on the map; and Newt Perry, whose swimming prowess and entrepreneurial spirit led to his involvement in movies and opening the famed Weeki Wachee attraction that featured mermaids using his air hose technology and underwater breathing chambers.
“My dad had one of the Perry submarines that he acquired through a movie production and, as far as Mozert, they were acquaintances because of the industry they were in, but my dad was more into theatrical and episodic-type productions,” Jordy recalled.
He said his father was “a very practically minded person, not much time for chit chat or small talk. If he was listening to the radio, it was always talk radio or something going on other than music because he kind of felt that was a waste of time. He had a very engineeringtype practical mind.”
He said his dad often offered “these one-liner things, like, ‘Do something even if it’s wrong, or ‘He who hesitates is lost.’
He had a ton of little sayings, such as, ‘Logic dictates.’”
“He had this saying when he first started, that there were people looking though a glass-bottom bucket to see underwater. He knew there was a better way and just through his own inspiration he designed self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses and once he started to perfect that, and the air compressors used to fill those tanks to go underwater, he then began to set his sights on photography. I guess his legacy would be the evolution of underwater exploration and technology in the evolution of underwater photography and cinematography,” Jordy offered.
From one photog to another Ocalan Mark Emery is an award-winning filmmaker, musician and photographer. He most recently shot footage for BBC’s “Live Alaska,” “PBS Live,” “BBC Natural WorldFlorida: The Sunshine State” and sections of a four-part series on North America for the Smithsonian Network. Emery also has been recognized with a plaque on the Walk of Fame in front of the Marion Theatre. He and his wife, Mary, have long enjoyed a relationship with the Klein family.
“As for learning how to film, particularly underwater, there could not have been more important influence than the many years I spent with Jordan and his son Jordy Klein,” he said.
Emery said most folks in the film industry can be secretive, concerned that you will “borrow” from their hard-won skill set and become competition down the road.
“I was sure I wanted to do natural history films but needed to learn so many skills to compete at the national and international levels. I learned most of it from working with the Kleins. I never felt they were secretive with us. They taught Mary and I how to load film cameras, about stabilizing underwater cameras and how use light for natural exposures with film and later digital,” he stated.
“We had many fine adventures with him,” Emery said of Klein Sr.
Among his and his father’s acquaintances in the Ocala area were the families of Jack Clark, who was noted for his involvement in business, politics and the arts; the Ray family, who owned Silver Springs at the time; Bruce Mozert, another
“Maybe little known among his many accomplishments were the first Americanmade shark shows for the Discovery channel. There were several Australian shark shows that were over the top dramatically at that time, but Jordan didn’t go that way. Luckily, they found local writer and editor Parker Bauer to tone it down and teach us something while still being blown away by the images and action,” Emery noted.
And, he added, “Jordan had at that time a unique knowledge of shark behavior for a filmmaker. He had worked with very large tiger sharks, a known man-eater, for one of the James Bond series. The footage on the big screen was memorable for me as a young fan of the Sean Connery shows.” Emery said he worked on movie sets with father and son and that he was impressed by his Klein Sr.’s demeanor on the set.
“We did a nighttime shoot for a film called ‘China Moon’ and I was able to talk with him between his underwater shoots and learned so much about how he thought about what he was trying to get while he was trying to get a shot that was going to appear on the big screen,” Emery shared.
Emery said he felt that his friend never really accepted that he was getting older.
“When he turned 90, I saw him at Millers Marine having his carburetor being worked on. I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. When I asked what he was up to, he said, ‘I turned 90 so I want to go 90 in my boat.’ He did, of course; he put a friend on board and then raced across the lake reportedly at 90 miles an hour,” Emery explained.
“Later in his life and mine, I started training interns, doing my best to pay it forward. I would bring up-and-coming cameraman and filmmakers by to visit with him and talk shop. I think he enjoyed that, and I am sure they did,” Emery offered.
Emery also noted that memorabilia was scattered around the place from several different film eras.
“The scooters Jordan built for James Bond’s ‘Thunderball’ hung from the rafters, black and white shots of him with director Ron Howard and many others were highlights for any visitor,” he noted.
“He will be missed at our home,” Emery continued. “He and his wife always welcomed us, and we had many fascinating conversations with him about his work. Most folks in our industry knew about his Academy Award but not from him, I never heard him bring it up in conversation. Mary and I were lucky to know and work with him and his son, it literally changed our life.”
Celebration of life
The senior Klein was the husband of Lori Klein, with whom he shared 35 years of marriage. In addition to Jordy, he was a stepfather to Monty Klein, Brad Storz and Tracey Braun, and father-in-law to Arlene Klein, Lanora Storz and Jason Braun. His grandchildren are Tyler Klein, Elle Klein, Rossi Klein, Brandon Storz, Chloe Braun, Lilly Braun and Gable Braun.
The celebration of life for Jordan Klein Sr. will begin at 2 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Marion Theatre. His son said there will be several showings of a 20-minute video about his dad’s life and that there will be food trucks and drinks for purchase. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, “a cause close to Jordan’s heart.”
To learn more about the celebration of life, go to bit.ly/3NFPEDz
Campaign finance, tax measures draw little attention
By Jim Turner Florida News Service
Amid fierce political battles about proposed constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana, two ballot measures about public financing of campaigns and property taxes are flying “under the radar.”
The measures, put on the Nov. 5 ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature, would end a matching-funds program available to candidates for governor and state Cabinet seats and revise the homestead property-tax exemption.
Susan MacManus, a retired politicalscience professor at the University of South Florida, said she thinks both measures will surpass the needed 60 percent of voter support to pass.
“Both of those, in the current economic environment, sound pretty good if you just look at the ballot summary,” MacManus said.
What appears on the ballot as Amendment 6 is titled “Repeal of Public Campaign Financing Requirement,” while what appears as Amendment 5 is titled “Annual Adjustments to the Value of Certain Homestead Exemption.”
University of Central Florida politicalscience professor Aubrey Jewett said the effort to repeal public campaign financing, which voters approved in 1998, seems less
likely to pass. Jewett said he thinks the proposal might be “a little confusing” and has at least 40 percent of voter support.
As for the homestead-exemption measure, while also “pretty confusing,” Jewett said, “it seems like the majority of voters might like the idea of a small property tax cut.”
While money has poured into campaigns over proposals to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution and allow recreational use of marijuana, there has been less attention, including polling, on other amendments. In all, six proposed constitutional amendments are on the ballot.
“I do think some of these proposed amendments will fly under the radar for people,” said Kevin Wagner, associate dean of research and creative achievement at Florida Atlantic University. “That makes the results a bit unpredictable as we do not know what they (voters) have seen or understand about some of the amendments. Some may simply be voting off the ballot summary.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis is leading efforts to defeat the proposed abortion and recreational-marijuana proposals. With the focus on those issues, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power said only one of the other amendments, a measure that would place hunting and fishing rights in the Constitution, “has a good chance of passing.”
“I’m not sure about the others, because I don’t think anyone’s put any money behind trying to pass them,” Power said.
After public campaign financing was approved by voters in 1998, a 2010 proposal by the Legislature to repeal the program fell short, getting 52.49 percent support from voters.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried supports keeping the matching-funds program, noting it helped her when she was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018 by 6,754 votes.
“It allowed me the opportunity to get some additional funds at the end, that put an extra couple points onto TV, which gave me some extra flexibility on some of my spend, that pushed me over the finish line,” Fried said. “It benefited Republicans when they were in the minority of our state, and so it’s really been an opportunity to try to equalize some of these campaigns.”
Under the program, statewide candidates can receive matches for individual contributions of $250 or less. In exchange, candidates agree to abide by certain campaign expenditure limits. Matching funds are not available for contributions to political committees or outside of statewide races.
The fund has been tapped for more than $33 million over the four most-recent gubernatorial election cycles.
In those contests, Republicans running for governor, attorney general, agriculture
commissioner and chief financial officer drew $18.65 million in matching funds. DeSantis accounted for $10.5 million of the funding for his 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial races.
Fifteen Democratic candidates received $14.618 million from the program.
Fried, the last Democrat to win statewide office, drew $158,507 in matching funds in her 2018 run for agriculture commissioner. Four years later, she drew $944,850 in state funding in an unsuccessful bid to become the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
As for the homestead-exemption measure, the proposal would give homeowners slightly larger property-tax breaks.
Homeowners receive tax exemptions on the assessed values of their property up to $25,000 and on the values between $50,000 and $75,000. The proposal would require adjusting for inflation the exempt portion currently between $50,000 and $75,000.
Jewett said city and county officials worry that the change would affect revenue needed for roads, libraries, parks and first-responders. Also, he said some people and groups are concerned it could lead to shifts in taxes to renters and commercial properties.
“If this one doesn’t pass, it will most likely be because it is confusing and people just don’t understand it,” Jewett said.
SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM
George Albright Marion County Tax Collector TO BETTER SERVE YOU . . . PAY ONLINE AT WWW.MARIONTAX.COM
George Albright Marion County Tax Collector
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE 2024 MARION COUNTY REAL ESTATE, TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY, AND RAILROAD TAX ROLLS have been delivered by the Property Appraiser to the Tax Collector and certified on October 1 , 2024. The 2024 tax roll is now open for collection. If you recently purchased a property after September 15th and have not received the 4 tax notice by 6 4, please contact the Marion County Tax Collector’s Tax Department at (352) 368-8274 for a duplicate notice. Please provide your correct mailing address.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE 2024 MARION COUNTY REAL ESTATE, TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY, AND RAILROAD TAX ROLLS have been delivered by the Property Appraiser to the Tax Collector and certified on October 16, 2024. The 2024 tax roll is now open for collection. If you recently purchased a property after September 15th and have not received the 2024 tax notice by Friday, November 8, 2024, please contact the Marion County Tax Collector’s Tax Department at (352) 368-8274 for a duplicate notice. Please provide your correct mailing address.
SCHEDULE OF DISCOUNTS
SCHEDULE OF DISCOUNTS
4% IF PAID BY NOVEMBER 30, 2024
4% IF PAID BY NOVEMBER 30, 2 24 3% IF PAID BY DECEMBER 31, 2 24
3% IF PAID BY DECEMBER 31, 2024
2% IF PAID BY JANUARY 31, 2025
2% IF PAID BY JANUARY 31, 2025 1% IF PAID BY FEBRUARY 28, 2025
1% IF PAID BY FEBRUARY 28, 2025
No discount if paid March 1 through March 31, 2025. ALL UNPAID 2 24 TAXES BECOME DELINQUENT APRIL 1, 2 25, AND STATUTORY INTEREST WILL BE IMPOSED. If the Tax Collector receives the payment of taxes by mail, he shall use the postmark to determine the date of payment, the applicable discount, and if the taxes were paid before the delinquency date. Payments received after the date of delinquency but postmarked prior to April 1, 2025 are not considered delinquent. When a discount period ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or Observed Holiday, the discount period shall be extended to the next working day if payment is delivered to an office of the Tax Collector. When the postmark indicates that taxes are delinquent, then the date payment is received in the Tax Collector’s Office shall be the date of payment for determining penalties, advertising and other costs. Taxes may be paid online at www mariontax.com, by mail to P.O. Box 970, Ocala, Florida 34478-0970, by phone (352) 368-8200 (credit or debit card only, subject to convenience fee of 2.5%), or at any of the following locations during hours indicated. MARION COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR OFFICE LOCATIONS
No discount if paid March 1 through March 31, 2025. ALL UNPAID 2024 TAXES BECOME DELINQUENT APRIL 1, 2025, AND STATUTORY INTEREST WILL BE IMPOSED. If the Tax Collector receives the payment of taxes by mail, he shall use the postmark to determine the date of payment, the applicable discount, and if the taxes were paid before the delinquency date. Payments received after the date of delinquency but postmarked prior to April 1, 2025 are not considered delinquent. When a discount period ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or Observed Holiday, the discount period shall be extended to the next working day if payment is delivered to an office of the Tax Collector. When the postmark indicates that taxes are delinquent, then the date payment is received in the Tax Collector’s Office shall be the date of payment for determining penalties, advertising and other costs. Taxes may be paid online at www.mariontax.com, by mail to P.O. Box 970, Ocala, Florida 34478-0970, by phone (352) 368-8200 (credit or debit card only, subject to convenience fee of 2.5%), or at any of the following locations during hours indicated.
MARION COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR OFFICE LOCATIONS Telephone: (352) 368-8200
Telephone: (352) 368-8200
People, Places & Things
By Makena Lang and Jiayu Liang University of Florida
his Halloween season, we’re celebrating a part of Florida’s natural history that’s often underappreciated: fungi, parasites and wasps. We’ve also thrown in a few plants for good measure. Each of these groups is an integral part of Florida’s biodiverse ecosystems, and each provides a uniquely lurid look at nature’s endless transformations into beautiful—and sometimes terrifying—forms.
Devil’s tooth fungus (Hydnellum peckii)
Straight out of John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” this alien fungus is sure to unsettle even the bravest mycologists. When it absorbs excess moisture, it exudes a red liquid that looks like blood from pores in its cap. The crimson color is the result of water mixing with red terphenylquinone pigment in the mushroom.
The underside of the mushroom is equally unsettling. Many mushrooms produce spores in furrows or pores on the underside of their caps, but, as its name suggests, the devil’s tooth fungus uses teeth instead. These fungal fangs aren’t real teeth. Instead, they’re made of mycelium like the rest of the mushroom, and their elongated, toothlike shape provides more surface area to produce spores.
Dead man’s fingers (Xylaria polymorpha)
Like an omen, dead man’s fingers grow at the base of dead and dying plants. Often bent and swollen, as if afflicted with arthritis, the fungal growths bear an uncanny resemblance to their namesake. When younger fungal bodies appear in the spring, they even produce a layer of pale, sometimes blue, asexual spores on their surface that often resemble fingernails.
This wood-rotting fungus grows on trees and shrubs, where it breaks down glucan, a chain of carbohydrates that binds the cell walls in wood together. After the fungus has made its meal of the rotting wood, all that’s left of the stump is a soft mass of cellulose and lignin that insects or other fungi can consume.
Dead man’s fingers grow throughout eastern North America, including Florida. It often appears on American elm, pear and plum trees and darkens until it is mature in summer or fall. Each of its “fingers” has a tiny hole for releasing sexual spores. Removing the above-ground portion of the fungus can reduce the spread of the spores but does nothing to slow the decomposition happening in the soil.
Winter worm summer grass (Ophiocordyceps sobolifera)
An ancient Chinese text from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-AD 907) and Tibetan manuscripts written in the 15-16th centuries reference a shape-shifting organism that lives out the winter as a worm and transforms into a plant during the summer.
This fanciful creature may seem like the stuff of myth, but it’s actually a fairly good description of a fungus that infects certain insects, including moths and cicadas.
If you live someplace warm, you’re probably most familiar with large adult cicadas, which ascend to the forest canopy in droves and emit a shrill, deafening chorus. But this is just the tail end of their lifecycle. Cicadas spend most of their lives as larva (worm-like, juvenile insects) and more developed nymphs, which live underground and chew on roots.
In many areas, including Florida, these juvenile cicadas are susceptible to a fungal infection that eats away at their insides and engulfs the cicada in a hardened sphere of wispy filaments called hyphae. At the onset of warmer weather, the fungus produces fruiting bodies that grow out of the cicada’s head and emerge above ground, where its spores are distributed by wind.
The Chinese and Tibetan text likely refer to a closely related fungal species, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, which similarly parasitizes ghost moths in the family Hepialidae.
Cicada killer wasps (Sphecius speciosus) By Halloween, many cicadas will have undergone unimaginable horror at the hands of the cicada killer wasp.
Measuring up to 2 inches long, cicada killer wasps are among the largest insects in the order Hymenoptera, a group that also includes ants and flies. They evolved their disturbingly large proportions to abduct cicadas, which are themselves large insects. Throughout July and September, female cicada killer wasps mate, dig nesting burrows in soil and hunt for cicadas. The wasp paralyzes its prey with a venomous sting, then climbs a tall object, like a tree, so she can glide back to the nest with her immobilized captive in tow.
Back
her way out. She repeats the process to fill around 15 egg chambers.
Later, the egg hatches into a larva that eats the cicada alive, gaining fuel to grow and spin a cocoon. It remains below ground through the winter as it transitions into a pupa before emerging in the summer as an adult, ready to start the cycle all over again.
Despite their intimidating name and appearance, cicada killer wasps are rarely aggressive toward humans and play an important role in keeping ecosystems balanced by controlling cicada populations. Male wasps may fly toward people that get too close to a nesting location, but they lack stingers and are completely harmless. The females do not have a nest-protecting instinct and will only sting if directly provoked.
Columned stinkhorn (Clathrus columnatus) A strange, alienlike egg has appeared in your home garden. It is the columned stinkhorn, a fungus that grows on decaying plant material and receives nutrients from bacterial activity in rotting wood.
Inside the white, round structure, a brown gelatinous substance encases the immature fruiting body until it is ready to emerge. Once it does, two to five spongy, orange-red columns will appear, curled like tentacles and sometimes merging at the top in a squishy arch.
The smell will hit you before you lay eyes on it. Stinkhorns are aptly named, with an odor similar to rotting flesh or feces—or both. Unlike many other mushroom-forming fungi, the columned stinkhorn does not disperse its spores by releasing them into the wind but by recruiting other organisms.
At the top of its stalks, the stinkhorn produces a slimy mass of spores known as the gleba. While the smell may be repugnant to humans, it’s irresistibly alluring to some insects and other invertebrates. As they crawl and fly around the columned stinkhorn, insects pick up a small amount of the brown, sporeembedded slime, which they later deposit on the next surface they rub against next.
Bladderwort (Utricularia spp.)
Bladderworts can be found lurking in freshwater all over the world, and they’re especially diverse in Florida, which boasts 14 native species. Bladderworts may look like regular aquatic plants, but don’t be fooled. Beneath the water’s surface, each plant produces hundreds of water-filled sacs called utricles or bladder traps. The trap is one of the fastest, most sophisticated and deadliest structures in the plant kingdom, and bladderworts use them to abduct and digest prey.
For the trap to work, specialized glands push some, but not all, of the water out, creating a bubble of air and a pressure differential inside. When the unsuspecting insect, protozoan or fish fry wanders too close, its movement triggers the tiny hairs on the outside of the trap. In less than one-hundredth of a second, the trap door mechanically buckles and caves in, acting as a vacuum and dragging the victim inside. The door quickly closes, and the trap secretes enzymes to break down its prey. A cabal of hungry bacteria and fungi that live inside the utricles help speed up digestion. The speed of this capture mechanism is so remarkably fast that scientists couldn’t figure out how it worked until the invention of high-speed cameras.
Scrub ghost pipe (Monotropa brittonii)
You may see ghost pipes out of the corner of your eye, growing beneath the trees in the deep, shady wilderness. These plants spend most of their lives hidden away underground, but when conditions are right, they emerge from the shadows with frightening flowers. Their ghastly stalks and flowers are eerily white and turn a dark coal black when they die. Ghost pipes have no chlorophyll, and they don’t photosynthesize. Instead, they indirectly steal nutrients from other plants by tapping into a massive subterranean network of fungi.
Mycorrhizae are fungi that creep and crawl through the soil and connect to roots, acting as a bridge between plant worlds. At least 80% of plants are known to have symbiotic relationships with underground fungi. Plants give sugars from photosynthesis to their fungal friends in exchange for water and nutrients from the soil. Mycorrhizae also create a sort of below-ground information highway, allowing plants to pass along signals to each other.
Ghost pipes hack into this fungal wood wide web and feed off the nutrient exchange network. It’s a hauntingly unique method of obtaining nutrients. Ghost pipes are also referred to as fungus flowers, since they look like pale mushrooms peeking up from the soil. Their flowers attract bumblebees and are oriented toward the ground to keep out rain. They closely resemble the flowers of blueberries and cranberries, to which ghost pipes are closely related.
To learn more, go to floridamuseum.ufl.edu
in the burrow, the wasp lays an egg on top of the unlucky cicada and seals up the entrance on
Hydnellum peckii [Photo by ngkoons, CC BY-NC]
Xylaria polymorpha [Photo by Jerald Pinson, CC0]
Ophiocordyceps sobolifera growing on cicada nymph [Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace]
Clathrus columnatus [Photo by Alex Abair, CC BY-NC]
Utricularia sp. [Photo by Gilles Ayotte, CC BY-SA
Monotropa sp. [Photo by Liz West, CC BY]
CF WEBBER GALLEY HOSTS
NATIONAL ART QUILT EXHIBITION
Staff report
The College of Central Florida Webber Gallery will host a competitive national art quilt exhibition, “Threading the Needle,” on view Nov. 7-Dec. 12. The juried show is open to 2D and 3D quilted works.
“This exhibition is a celebration and examination of contemporary art quilts created by artists from across the country,” said Tyrus Clutter, CF professor of art, in the announcement. “The Webber Gallery is honored to welcome award-winning Florida artist Bobbi Baugh as the juror for ‘Threading the Needle.’ She is a member
OCT’s
of the Studio Art Quilt Associates, an international organization dedicated to the vision that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium.”
The community is invited to an opening reception, awards ceremony and artist talk with Baugh at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 13.
The Webber Gallery is located at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 SW College Road. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and admission is free.
For more information, visit cf.edu/webber or call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1664.
VETERANS APPRECIATION WEEKEND IS OCT. 26 AND 27
The event will include military vehicles, memorabilia, demonstrations and more.
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
The Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park, Inc., Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group and Russell’s Military Vehicles are joining forces to give veterans a big “thank you for your service.”
A Veterans Appreciation Weekend set for Oct. 26 and 27 at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park will include a military vehicle show, small arms demonstrations, living history enactments, military memorabilia, entertainment, food trucks, access to the education center and activities for youth. Event coordinator, Dave Thomas, with the
‘Macabaret’ returns this weekend
The teen cabaret show will be light-hearted and fun, but also a bit spooky and dramatic.
By Chris D’Avanzo chris@magnoliamediaco.com
“Macabaret” makes its return to the Ocala Civic Theatre this weekend, Oct. 25 to 27. After a several years long hiatus, the annual teen cabaret show, which was once a staple of OCT’s youth and teen program, aims to leave a delightfully frightful impression on a new generation.
But before you think it’s something scary, think again. The show is geared towards being lighthearted and fun, getting you into the Halloween spirit just in time.
“It’s comedy,” said co-director Jason Bartosic, who previously was music director on the original. “It has spooky and Halloween themes, nutty, crazy, fun, and some dramatic scenes.”
“We did a holiday show last year, a Christmas show, and that’s a hard time of year,” said co-director Jessica Mongerio. “This was a better time to do something. It just made sense, and we were excited to bring it back.”
“Macabaret” is a 90-minutelong show that features varied material, such as things from sketch comedy to musical and dance numbers. Each scene contains an element
of the “macabre,” hence the name “Macabaret,” although usually done tongue-in-cheek, embodying the Halloween spirit.
“We’ve taken some musical numbers from ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Addams Family’, ‘Nightmare Before Christmas,’ quintessential themes, and just some scenes that have fun characters and Halloween masks,” said Mongerio.
“We wanted to honor some of the original material that was used and do some more contemporary stuff as well.”
For the cabaret aspect, OCT’s “Studio A” has been dressed up with Halloween decorations, and the audience will be seated at tables surrounding the stage, as cast members serve the audience members with drinks and desserts before and during the show. The
opportunity for crowd-work later on, for when scenes take place off-stage and cast members can playfully interact with audience members they just served out of character.
The cast is made up of students between 13 and 17 years old, in eighth grade or high school. For some, the experience is entirely new. For others with more theater experience, it’s an opportunity to try something new and develop other skills.
“Some of the students have never done mask work, puppetry, or even choreography,” Bartosic said. “It’s a brand-new experience for many of them.”
“A lot of the students are actually my students,” said Mongerio, who works full-time as the choir director at Forest High
“It’s been fun to bring them here into a different environment and have this technical support,” Mongerio added. “Not everybody’s comfortable with singing and dancing, but they’re jumping in and doing it, so it’s fun to watch them grow.”
“Macabaret” is this weekend only. Tickets can be purchased online at ocalacivictheatre. com, by calling (352) 236-2274, or in person at the OCT box office daily until 2pm.
To learn more, go to ocalacivictheatre.com
Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group, said more than 30 vehicles are expected, ranging from several military motorcycles to a World War II half-track armored vehicle.
“We’ll have a World War II and Korean War era recon set up,” Thomas said, complete with memorabilia such as radio gear and a minesweeper. Thomas said a Vietnam War-era M442 “Mighty Mite” small Jeep style vehicle with a towable .50 caliber machine gun will also be displayed.
The public is invited to the event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the park, located at 2601 E. Fort King St. Admission is free. To learn more, go to marionvetpark.com
“Becoming One With the Night” by Bobbi Baugh. [Courtesy College of Central Florida]
[Courtesy Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group website]
Hello, Ocala!
Meet
By Eadie Sickler Correspondent
Rinaldo “Ray” and Liliana “Lily” Carratala, who have lived in southwest Ocala for two years, both have exciting life stories.
Ray’s father was born in Cuba during the regime of Fulgencio Batista, a communist dictator, before the Fidel Castro presidency. Ray was born during the Fidel Castro era. His wife, Lily, and her twin sister, Carla, were born in Honduras to an Italian father and Argentinian mother.
So how did they come to the United States, meet under unlikely circumstances and end up in Ocala?
Ray’s story
Ray’s mother’s family was pro-Fidel (communist) and his father’s family was considered as loyal to the Batista (noncommunist) form of government. Because of the political differences in the families, the pair divorced when Ray was 1 year old.
Ray’s uncle worked with the government under the rule of Batista, who left Cuba and went to the Dominican Republic when Castro came into power. Castro said all followers of Batista would
be executed, giving them 24 hours to leave Cuba. A lot of citizens were killed, and his father and two others were arrested. They broke out of jail and escaped by boat, which was bombed by Castro’s coast guard. One died and two others, one of whom was Ray’s father, were saved by a U.S. Coast Guard boat that picked them up out of the water and took them to Miami.
His mother’s family remained in Cuba and his mother decided to give her permission for Ray’s aunt (his father’s sister) and husband to raise Ray and, being of the Castro persuasion, they were allowed to fly out of Cuba to New York City.
Ray lived and went to school in New York City until he was 14 or 15 years old. His aunt had given birth to a daughter and son during that time and the family moved to Miami to get out of the cold winters due to the daughter’s health issues. Ray graduated from high school in Miami and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He spent four years in Hawaii and two years in Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. He attained the rank of corporal in an artillery unit before his discharge.
In 1981, his unit was deployed on the USS Belleau Woods LHA3, a Naval ship. Ray said the Marine Corps does not have transport and relies on Army or
Navy facilities to move them into areas as needed. He said his ship traveled to the Indian Ocean during intense issues with Iran. While on that ship, they went to Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Following his military duty, Ray remained in corrections occupations, first with the Florida Department of Corrections as a corrections officer, then with the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, in Miami, for 14 years.
He noted that at one time he was guarding the infamous “Miami River Cops,” a group of seven policemen who had “gone bad,” killing people in drug deals, etc., and were in prison. Another notable event happened when he and several other correction officers were tasked with guarding Manuel Noriega, the president of Panama, who was a prisoner of war.
To wrap up his career, he worked in special investigative services for three years and was promoted back to Miami at a federal detention center. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach and retired after 26 years there, in 2009.
Since that time, Ray was employed for eight years as a contract worker with the U.S. Marshals Service in Miami, providing inmate transportation and court security.
Today, he is active with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit. He is bi-lingual, which is helpful to the unit. He also is currently in a sevenweek program with the Ocala Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy.
As for how he met Lily, Ray said he “took a wrong turn” while driving in Miami.
Lily’s story
Lily’s mother was Argentinian and met her father when he visited Argentina from Italy. They married and she was pregnant while she and her husband lived in Italy. They went to Honduras, where Lily’s father was employed to help build a new Fiat factory. Her mother fell, which induced labor, and Lily and her twin sister, Carla, were born in Honduras.
The rest of the family includes two more girls and two boys. The family stayed in Honduras as the weather there was good for Lily’s mother’s health issues. Her father contracted cancer and died in that country.
Lily’s mother decided to give her children a choice of where they wanted to live … Argentina, Italy or the United States. One son was in the armed forces in the United States. They all decided to live in the U.S., largely because women in this country are “allowed” to have an
education, to work outside the home, drive and be independent. Lily has been a proud U.S. citizen for 25 years.
Ray said he decided one day to take a different turn from his usual route while driving in Miami. He had a U.S. Marines sticker on his car. At a stop light, he pulled up beside a car with two girls inside. The driver said to him, “You aren’t a Marine, are you?” He answered that, yes, he was. Conversation ensued and the two cars pulled over to the side of road and the occupants talked briefly and exchanged telephone numbers. A couple of weeks later, Ray called the number and Lily answered the phone. He said he would like to take her on a date. She said, “I think you mean my sister, who was driving.” He said no, he wanted to take Lily on a date.
They have now been married for 30 years.
Lily said she worked to help support the family since she was 16 years old. She cleaned offices with her sister and mother and worked at a nursery for six years. She went to cosmetology school and worked for a year in that capacity. Thirty years ago, she began working at Walmart and was most recently an assistant manager (now called “coach”) and just retired a month ago.
She loves cooking Italian, Argentinian and Cuban foods.
“I don’t cook good desserts, though,” she said with a laugh. She is a soccer fan and likes to watch teams from Italy and Argentina.
Ray’s aunt Alexia, who raised him, is now 87 years old and lives with her daughter (Ray’s cousin) in Miami. Lily has a sister in Raleigh, North Carolina, and one in Orlando, and two brothers in Miami.
“We like the views in Ocala,” the couple said.
They enjoy the countryside and the backroads. Ray said he likes the peace and quiet here, and that the people are conservative and polite.
Lily collects dragon figurines and has pictures, paintings and tapestries she has inherited that are from Italy and Argentina. Ray likes motorcycles and baseball, especially the New York Yankees, and has some pictures with signatures of several well-known actors.
Now that they are both retired, they “have the chance to do local traveling and discovering Ocala,” Ray said. They have a dog, Sandy, who is a joy in their lives. In talking about his upbringing and reminiscing, Ray said he remembers one thing his grandmother always said, “Lies are like turtles. They’re slow, but they’ll catch up with you.”
Your Neighbors: Rinaldo and Liliana DeRosa Carratala
Ray and Lily Carratala and their dog, Sandy, a 6-year-old Chihuahua/Maltese mixed-breed, pose for a photo at their home in the Meadow Glenn subdivision in southwest Ocala on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
Bird of the week
Palm warbler
By Michael Warren
Palm warblers begin to arrive in Marion County in October and are abundant through springtime. They can be quickly distinguished from other local warblers by their constant tail bobbing. Also, unlike other warblers, they often feed on or near the ground rather than higher in the trees.
Sudoku is played on a grid of 9 x 9 spaces. Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the same row, column or square.
Palm warbler [MichaelWarren.com]
government
OCTOBER 28
Marion County Development Review
Office of County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala
9am
The committee meets each Monday to review and vote on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans and subdivision plans. See marion.fl.legistar.com/calendar.aspx for agenda and minutes.
NOVEMBER 5, 19
Marion County Board of County Commissioners
McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am
The commission meets in the morning of the first and third Tuesday of the month. Agendas, minutes and video are available at marionfl.legistar.com/calendar.aspx
NOVEMBER 5, 19
Ocala City Council
Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 4pm The council meets each first and third Tuesday of the month. Ocala government agendas and minutes are available at ocala.legistar.com/calendar.aspx
NOVEMBER 5, 19
Belleview City Commission
Belleview City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6pm Meets the first and third Tuesday of the month; agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/agendas-minutes
NOVEMBER 20
Dunnellon City Council
Dunnellon City Hall, 20750 S River Road, Dunnellon 5:30 to 7:30pm Meets the third Wednesday of the month; Agendas, minutes and video are available at dunnellon.org/government/agendas-minutes
community
THROUGH OCTOBER 31
Ocala Pumpkin Patch
Ocala First United Methodist Church, 1126 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL 34470
4 to 8pm Gear up for Halloween by picking out your favorite future Jack-o-lantern. The annual fundraiser benefits local organizations Compassion United Methodist Church and the Helping Hands Ministry of Ocala at First United Methodist. The Pumpkin Patch will be open weekdays 4pm to 8pm, Saturdays 9 am to 8pm, and Sundays 11am to 8pm, through Oct. 31, unless it sells out.
OCTOBER 26
Fall Maker’s Market Cedar Street Boutique, 11875 Cedar St., Dunnellon 9am to 4pm Sponsored by Grumbles House Antiques and Garden Shop, come see and purchase handmade crafts and other works of art by local artisans, in the lawn of the Cedar Street Boutique store located in downtown Dunnellon. Visit the website at grumbleshouseantiques.com
OCTOBER 30
College of Central Florida Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Anniversary Event College of Central Florida Dassance Fine Arts Center, 3001 SW College Rd., Ocala 6 to 8pm Join the team at CF as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. Guest Carolyn Jones, an award-winning photographer and documentary filmmaker, will lead a presentation titled “The American Nurse: Moving the Needle on the Most Important Issues of Our Time,” expanding on the concepts discussed in her film “The American Nurse.” Guests can RSVP at cf.edu/nurse
NOVEMBER 7-8
77th Annual Holiday Bazaar
Grace Episcopal Church, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala Fri from 5-7pm; Sat from 9am-2pm
Get into the holiday spirit with the 2024 edition of the holiday bazaar. A variety of items will be on sale, such as fall and Christmas decorations, handmade arts and crafts, homemade baked goods, and raffle drawings. On Friday, wine and cheese will be available for patrons at the special event preview, while on Saturday, vendors will be on-site for the morning and afternoon. Includes chance drawings for the 2024 bazaar quilt, themed baskets and more. Proceeds benefit local women and children in need. For more information call (352) 286-8536
NOVEMBER 9-10
Ocali Country Days Silver River Museum, 1455 NE 58th Ave., Ocala 9am to 4pm For one weekend only, visit the Silver River Museum campus as it is transported back in time to life in the 1800s. View history as it comes alive, with re-enactments of what it meant to live, work, learn and play for people in the 19th century. Guests will have the opportunity to witness real demonstrations of sugar making and other “old-timey” skills, all while sampling cuisine and touring the Silver River State Park. For more information, visit silverrivermuseum.com
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arts
OCTOBER 25-27
“Macabaret”
Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala
Fri/Sat at 7:30pm; Sat/Sun at 2pm
The Halloween-themed teen production is back. A “macabre” cabaret show, come see an assortment of sketches and songs that mix creepy with comedy, or perhaps spooky with “kooky” as “The Addams Family” and other classic holiday hits will be on the stage and re-imagined by a group of talented young performers. The show takes place inside Studio A at OCT, which will be decorated to get you into the Halloween spirit. Tickets are on sale for this weekend only. Visit ocalacivictheatre.com to learn more.
OCTOBER 26-27
Ocala Arts Festival Downtown Ocala
10am to 5pm
The annual Ocala Arts Festival is presented by Fine Arts For Ocala and will feature the creations of more than 140 artists. This year’s featured artist is Ocala’s own Jordan Shapot. The event is free to attend and will take place all around downtown Ocala. It includes live music, food and beverages, vendors, student performances and more. Learn more at fafo.org
THROUGH OCTOBER 31
“Equine Impressions” Exhibit College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala “Equine Impressions” has opened in the College of Central Florida’s Webber Gallery. Curated by 24 Hands Printmaking Collective, prints of all kinds will be on display highlighting the natural splendor of the equine world. To learn more, go to cf.edu
NOVEMBER 2
Free First Saturday
Appleton Museum, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 10am to 5pm
Entry to the museum is free for all patrons on the first Saturday of each month, typically with special programming or presentation for guests. This month features the documentary film “Finding Vivian Maire.” This film is a globetrotting true story of the life of Vivian Maier, a nanny in the vein of Mary Poppins, who took more than 150,000 photographs during her lifetime. After her death, her photography collection was recognized for how well it documented urban life in the 20th century. To learn more, go to appletonmuseum.org/events/free-first-saturday-november-2024
things to do
OCTOBER 26
“Metropolis”: Silent Film + Orchestra
Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala
7:30 to 9:30pm Led by Maestro Matthew Wardell, the Ocala Symphony Orchestra will perform the score to the classic 1927 silent film “Metropolis” live. Directed by Fritz Lang, “Metropolis” was one of the first feature length science fiction films. The version on-screen will be the 1984 remastered edition, featuring music by Brian Satterwhite, and performed in real-time by the OSO, timed to the on-screen events. For tickets, visit reillyartscenter.com/events/metropolis-silent-film-orchestra
NOVEMBER 10
Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band: “Veterans Light the Stars” Concert Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, 2601 SE Fort King St., Ocala
6:30 pm
The 13th annual “Veterans Light the Stars” concert will be a commemorative celebration of Veteran’s Day. Guests will be treated to a fireworks show and renditions of patriotic staples by the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band. Entry is free to all. The event is weather permitting, with a reschedule date of Nov. 11 if necessary. For more information, visit kingdomofthesunband.org
NOVEMBER 11
K County Songwriters Showcase
Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala
7 to 9pm
Clint Daniels, Elvie Shane and Trea Landon, three Nashville-based performers, bring their talents to Ocala for a night of original music. Daniels has written hit songs for country stars Joe Nichols, Montgomery Gentry, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn and others. Shane’s debut single “My Boy” was platinum-certified and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts in 2021, and No. 28 overall on the Billboard Hot 100 for all genres. Landon’s debut album “Dirt Road Dancin’” released in 2020 and has over 100 million streams. Learn more at ocalacivictheatre.com/event/k-country-songwriters-showcase
NOVEMBER 13
Coffee with the Conductor
Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala
10am
Sit down with Ocala Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro Matt Wardell and Choir Conductor Joshua Mazur for a preview of the upcoming “Messiah” Community Sing Along. These monthly sessions give audience members an opportunity to meet with the conductor to learn more about the concerts, the process behind each piece’s selection, and some of the history behind each song. For more information, visit reillyartscenter.com/events/coffee-with-the-conductor-2
Sports
High School Football Coverage is Sponsored By
Vanguard blanks South Sumter for historic victory
Knights celebrate coach Edwin Farmer’s 100th win at school.
“The biggest reward for me is seeing these former players go out and become successful in the community and change the direction of their lives.”
By Mark Pinson Special to the Ocala Gazette
Vanguard quarterback Terrance Lewis
scored the game’s only touchdown in the second quarter on a four-yard run and the Knights’ defense made it stand up by forcing three turnovers and shutting out South Sumter by a score of 7-0 on Oct. 18 at Booster Stadium.
The win, which was Vanguard’s seventh in a row, improved the Class 4A Knights to an impressive 7-1 on the season. Additionally, the hard-earned victory was head coach Edwin Farmer’s 100th win in his 11 years at his alma mater.
“It means a lot,” Farmer said of reaching the century mark in wins. “Time goes by so fast. You finish one season and then you have to get ready for the next with different athletes. Once you’re coaching you don’t really focus on the wins but I’m glad we got it done.”
The loss dropped the Class 3A Raiders to 3-5 overall.
Vanguard opened the game on an ominous note as Lewis fumbled the ball on the second play from scrimmage and South Sumter’s Colby Hodges pounced on the pigskin at the Knights’ 38-yard line.
The Raiders managed to move the ball to the Vanguard 23 before the Knights’ defense stiffened and forced a 41-yard field goal that sailed wide right on a very windy night.
After forcing a Vanguard punt, South Sumter put together a methodical 13-play, 61-yard drive that was sparked by the hard running of senior Ja’kyrian Turner, who gained 106 yards on 25 carries for the game. But on third-and-goal, senior running back Malakhi Boone was hit hard and fumbled the ball with the Knights’ recovering on their one.
Vanguard marched 99 yards in 10 plays as Lewis showed some nifty moves on several scrambles and senior running back Nasir Allen ripped off a 63-yard scamper. Lewis capped the drive with a four-yard run around left end. The extra point by senior kicker Jaxson Lee gave the Knights a 7-0 lead with 9:53 remaining in the second quarter.
South Sumter moved the ball down the field as Turner broke several tackles on his way to a pair of first downs. The Vanguard defense rose up and forced a turnover as Raiders’ senior quarterback Blaine Walker was hit as he attempted a pass that was intercepted by senior defensive back Zion Robinson at the Knights’ 36-yard line.
Neither team could move the ball with any consistency and the score remained 7-0 heading to the fourth period.
After a three and out, Vanguard was forced to punt and South Sumter took possession at its 26-yard line with
6:44 left in the game. Walker completed a pair of passes, including picking up 25 yards on third-and-20. Turner continued to gain yards against the stingy Vanguard defense and picked up a first down at the Knights’ 23 with under a minute to play.
South Sumter faced a fourth-and-nine from the Vanguard 22 and Walker connected with senior wide receiver Stanley Young for 21 yards and a first-and-goal at the one with four seconds to play. The Raiders had no timeouts left and before Walker took the snap time had run out on the game clock preserving the Knights’ victory.
“Our defense bent but didn’t break,” coach Farmer said. “We’ve got some things to work on, but we stopped them when we had to.”
After the win, coach Farmer was honored at midfield with a plaque acknowledging his accomplishment on the gridiron. There was a large contingent of former players who were on hand to help celebrate this special victory.
Farmer has helped more than 100 Vanguard players go on to compete in college and receive an education they might not have gotten had they not played football for the Knights.
“The biggest reward for me is seeing these former players go out and become successful in the community and change the direction of their lives,” he said. “The hard work and dedication and all the things they learn from playing football will help them be successful in the game of life.”
Vanguard is back on the gridiron on Oct. 25 when the Knights host district rival Gainesville High in a key Class 4A-District 5 clash at Booster Stadium.
Current Adoption Specials: “Ocala Gazette” regularly brings you three furry friends that are available for adoption from local animal rescue organizations.
marionfl.org/animal October is Adopt a Dog Month! Adoption fees are now waived for the rest of the month!
Stella
Young Stella has just discovered her deep love and appreciation of catnip. Put a little on the end of a feather toy and this 4-month-old kitten is yours for life.
Blue
Blue’s favorite words are “good boy.”
This 2-year-old guy is eager to learn new tricks and work for those magic words and hopes you’ll come prepared with tasty treats in your pocket.
Caymus
Vanguard’s Terrance Lewis (18) pushes ahead for extra yardage as he is swarmed by a host of South Sumter defenders during a football game at Booster Stadium in Ocala on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
Edwin Farmer Vanguard Knights Coach
Vanguard’s Zion Robinson (22) rushes down field as South Sumter’s Demarion Daniel (55) tries to stop him.
Vanguard’s Terrance Lewis (18) dives into the endzone for a touchdown ahead of South Sumter’s Bubba Boone (8).
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Trinity Catholic tops Foundation Academy for district volleyball title
By Mark Pinson
Special
to the Ocala Gazette
The Trinity Catholic volleyball team has lofty expectations each and every year but winning a district championship is the first goal. The Celtics, a perennial state power, accomplished their first objective of the season by holding off a scrappy Foundation Academy squad by scores of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-16 in the Class 2A-District 4 finals on Oct. 17.
The win in the district championship, the 13th in a row for Trinity Catholic, improved the Celtics to 17-3 on the season.
“Every district championship is special,” said Trinity Catholic coach Jeff Reavis. “Foundation Academy is a good team with good athletes. They pushed us, which is what we needed because you’re going to have adversity in the playoffs. We had some girls who didn’t have their best stuff tonight, but they fought through it, which was good to see.”
The win moves the Celtics into the Oct. 22 regional quarterfinals, while Foundation Academy (Winter Garden) dropped to 17-4 overall.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair with 10 ties, the last at 20-20 before Trinity Catholic pulled away as junior outside hitter Maddie Hewitson and sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Hallick had back-to-back kills and Foundation Academy had a net violation. The Lions called a time out to try and stem the tide, but Trinity Catholic sophomore Maggie O’Farrell drilled consecutive service aces to close out the set for the Celtics.
“Maddie and Ashlyn had really good nights,” coach Reavis said. “Addison Avery was solid at middle
blocker, had a great start and kind of set the tone for us.”
The second set was quite competitive as Foundation Academy, despite a size disadvantage at the net, tied the score at 11 as sophomore Haley Higgins had several of her team-high nine kills.
Trinity Catholic went on a 9-3 run as sophomore outside hitter Emily Reed found the range with a spike, Hewitson contributed two of her match-high 10 kills and junior Hannah Williams had a service ace. The Lions used a time out to regroup and clawed back within 21-19 as senior Madison Krause had a block and a pair of cross-court spikes.
Trinity Catholic came through in the clutch as senior Riley Murray and Hallick had kills and sophomore Isabella Rodriguez had consecutive service aces to finish the set and give the Celtics a commanding 2-0 lead.
The final set looked to be a formality as Trinity Catholic stormed out to a 12-4 lead. Foundation Academy refused to go quietly into the night and rallied to within 16-13 behind solid play from junior Lilly Bower and Higgins along with several uncharacteristic errors by the Celtics.
Trinity Catholic regained its focus and finished with a flourish as Murray had a pair of kills and a block and Hewitson added a spike and a block. The multi-talented Hewitson finished off the set and the match with a vicious kill shot to clinch the district championship for the Celtics.
“It’s supposed to be a group effort,” coach Reavis said. “We’ve put in a lot of work this season and we’re close to where I want us to be.”
Trinity Catholic was set to host a regional quarterfinal on Oct. 22 as the Celtics continued their quest for another state championship.
“Every
Jeff Reavis Trinity Catholic Coach
Trinity Catholic’s Maggie O’Farrell (3) and Addyson Avery (6) combine to block a spike from Foundation Academy’s Madison Krause (7) during a playoff volleyball match at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Trinity Catholic’s Ashlyn Hallick (22) spikes the ball as Foundation Academy’s Geiliany Del Valle (10) jumps for the block.
Nevada, Broom Maker
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Trinity Catholic overwhelms Bishop Snyder in regional quarterfinals
By Mark Pinson Special to the Ocala Gazette
Now that the state volleyball playoffs are in full swing, there is no room for error or an off night or your season comes to an abrupt end. That was the mindset of a very talented Trinity Catholic squad as they hosted Bishop Snyder High School in the Oct. 22 Class 2A regional quarterfinals.
The Celtics, a perennial state power, came out focused and made quick work of the Cardinals by scores of 25-11, 25-6 and 25-17 to improve to an impressive 19-3 on the season.
“The opportunity to play at this time of year I don’t want to ever take for granted,” said Trinity Catholic coach Jeff Reavis. “We talked about the expectations of what we’re trying to do, so we don’t make judgements because they have the ability to beat us. Half of the teams in the state aren’t playing now and we’re trying to stay in the moment and take each match as it comes.”
With the loss, Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) finished the season with a record of 18-9.
The first set was by far the most competitive as Bishop Snyder played well and took advantage of several Trinity Catholic miscues to pull within 9-5. The Celtics got in a rhythm as setter Maggie O’Farrell used pinpoint sets for sophomore middle blocker Addyson Avery, junior outside hitter Maddie Hewitson and senior Riley Murray for perfectly placed spikes. O’Farrell added a pair of service aces as Trinity Catholic extended its lead to 23-11. Sophomore outside hitter Emily Reed had a dink shot that found the floor between Bishop Snyder players and Hewitson
followed suit with another dink that scored to give the Celtics the set.
The second set was never in doubt as Trinity Catholic surged to an 18-3 advantage as Avery had six of her 12 kills, Reed contributed a pair of spikes and sophomore Isabella Rodriguez added a service ace. The Celtics won most of the long rallies against the Cardinals as their height advantage at the net proved decisive. The lead increased to 23-6 before senior Delaney Baker had a service ace and sophomore outside hitter Ashlyn Hallick blasted a cross-court kill shot to sew up the set.
“We want to score from multiple positions which makes us difficult to defend,” coach Reavis said. “Delaney is a senior and has been in the program for four years and understands what we’re trying to do and how things are supposed to work as does our libero Lyla Huggins.”
The third set was close with Trinity Catholic holding a 10-8 lead before a 7-1 run gave the Celtics a bigger cushion. Huggins had back-to-back aces, Reed drilled a pair of kill shots and Avery had a block and a pair of spikes to make it 17-9. Trinity Catholic continued to dominate play at the net as Hallick, Hewitson and Avery took turns finding holes in the Cardinals defense. Junior outside hitter Hannah Williams ended the match with a pair of powerful kill shots to send the Celtics on to the next round of the state playoffs.
Trinity Catholic, the number one seed, will host a regional semifinal Oct. 26 against fifth-seeded Oak Hall (Gainesville), which defeated Providence in their quarterfinal match. The Celtics did not play Oak Hall during the regular season.
“There’s no room for mistakes and we’re focused on our next match,” coach Reavis said. “We’re at home and we’ll be ready.”
“Half of the teams in the state aren’t playing now and we’re trying to stay in the moment and take each match as it comes.”
Jeff Reavis Trinity Catholic Coach
On View Through February 2 “Transformational
Trinity Catholic’s Lyla Huggins (2) makes a dig against Bishop Snyder.
Trinity Catholic’s Maddie Hewitson (21) spikes the ball past Bishop Snyder’s Brenley Collins (2).
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Trinity Catholic’s Ashlyn Hallick (22) battles at the net for the block on Bishop Snyder’s Faith Kennedy (4) during the regional quarterfinal at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
Trinity Catholic’s Riley Murray (14) gets the ball over the net past Bishop Snyder’s Faith Kennedy (4) as she battles at the net.
Jumble GRIME ICING POCKET VOLUME
The couple that bought a mountaintop cabin and a condo in a high-rise were -LIVING IT UP ANSWERS FOR PAGE
IHMC Lecture Series
Co-Hosted by:
WEDNESDAY
November 6, 2024
Reception: Begins at 5:30 p.m. Talk: Begins at 6:00 p.m.
Seating is limited RSVP to ihmc-20241106.eventbrite.com or call 352-387-3050
Dr. Todd Manini
THE TALK: Tools for Understanding Mobility Resilience in Late-Life
Resilience is a hallmark concept in Geriatrics and Gerontology that seeks to explain the variability in adaptation to stressors. However, quantifying the ability to positively adapt in the face of adversity is challenging making it understudied concept. This presentation will focus on using new gerotechnology tools to study “mobility resilience” in the context of episodic health events in older adults. Gerotechnology tools offer innovative approaches that enable researchers and clinicians to capture, monitor, and analyze mobility patterns in unprecedented ways. We will discuss state-of-the-art technologies, including wearable sensors, mobile applications, and remote monitoring platforms, that provide continuous and real-time insights into the causes and consequences of mobility loss in late-life.
Dr. Manini, a native of Steubenville Ohio, grew up in a blue-collar, Italian immigrant family. He was taught resiliency, hard-work and respect for elders and their cultural traditions which formed the building blocks for his future research career. He attended Ohio University in Athens, OH where he graduated with honors in Biology and minor in Biochemistry. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. as well as a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Gerontology from Syracuse University. He completed a fellowship at the Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, MD. He is currently as the administrative PI of the University of Florida’s Claude D. Pepper Older American’s Independence Center (OAIC) and Co-Leader of its Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Core. His other leadership positions include being the Director of the T32 Translational Research on Aging and Mobility (TRAM) program and the Division Chief of Clinical and Population Health Integration in The Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. He has an eclectic background of research experiences and curiosity that is ideally suited to study the translational spectrum of the science on aging.
Season Sponsors: Lecture Sponsors: A Friend of IHMC
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