Ocala Gazette | March 11 - March 17, 2022

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Plans to revive historic building

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Page B1 MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022

Ocalan worries for family in Ukraine

Update on local law enforcement agency’s recruitment efforts

By Rosemarie Dowell and Jennifer Murty

M

Maryna Lumia, center, who moved to the United States from Ukraine in 2004, poses with her daughters, Mia, 11, left, and Lia, 6, as they hold sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, at their home in southwest Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Caroline Brauchler Special to the Gazette

M

aryna Lumia, 41, lives in Ocala with her four children, but most of her family and friends are still in her home country of

Ukraine, which has recently become a battleground against an invading Russian force, with many of Lumia’s loved ones caught in the crossfire.

Lumia was born in Boyarka, Ukraine, and lived in Kyiv until coming to the United States in 2004. While her family must choose

to either stay at home or flee the country, Lumia has taken up her own fight here in Ocala to support her family in danger overseas.

“I just need to figure out how to keep my mind strong,” Lumia See Local, page A3

County Commission conditionally approves Sunny Oaks PUD

A sign is shown that opposes the proposed 453-acre Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center, including 4 million square feet of warehouse space that would be built near the intersection of I-75 and County Road 318 in Reddick. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] March 8, 2022.

The proposed development will be of a mix of industrial and commercial uses

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

T

he Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a rezoning request related

to an application from B. Smith Hialeah, LLC for their Sunny Oaks Planned Unit Development (PUD) during the planning & zoning portion of their March 1 regular meeting.

The land was previously zoned A-1 and sits outside

the Urban Growth Boundry and within the Farmland Preservation Area, however, text amendments to the county’s Comprehensive Plan in 2014 allowed for the rezoning that permitted industrial and commercial

purposes.

Earlier in the meeting, the BOCC voted to transmit a Comprehensive Plan text amendment to Tallahassee for state review and comments

arion County’s two largest law enforcement agencies have increased starting pay for new officers and offered recruits incentives and signing bonuses to bolster their respective ranks.

To fill vacant positions, recruiters with the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office have traveled to military bases to meet with potential applicants, and talked with others working in agencies outside Florida, said Sgt. Paul Bloom, public information director for the MCSO, in an email.

“Our recruiters have visited multiple military bases to offer jobs to those leaving the service,” he said.

The department currently has 17 detention deputy positions and 11 patrol deputy positions available.

The MCSO currently employs more than 300 total deputies and has increased its starting pay by more than $2,500 since 2019, from just over $42,000 to $44,566 for the current fiscal year.

The higher starting salary, along with a $7,000 moving assistance stipend for hires coming from out of state, and a $5,000 signing bonus, has helped the sheriff ’s office attract more viable candidates.

“There has never been a better time to begin a career in law enforcement,” said Bloom.

Those that are not certified as Law Enforcement Officers but wish to be, can apply for the sheriff ’s office sponsorship program which pays for schooling in the Deputy Training Program, he said.

Trainees earn $33,420 annually while attending school, but their pay is increased to the starting pay of $44,566 once they graduate, he noted.

The Ocala Police Department currently has just four vacancies, according to its public information officer Jeff Walczak.

Starting pay for OPD new hires is $45,900 annually, an increase of $4,900 since 2019, when new officers made $41,000 a year.

For police officers who are already certified in other states, OPD offers up to $1,400 towards getting certified in Florida, said Walczak in an email, as long as they commit to the agency for at least two years.

It also offers an additional $1,500 incentive for recruits who relocate 150 miles or more, he said.

“Our agency has seen a steady number of applicants throughout the years and recently has seen

See Sunny, page A2

See Recruits, page A3

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MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sunny Oaks commercial/industrial plan approved Continued from page A1 related to the proposed WEC/OJC development, which, if approved once it comes in front of the board later this year, would allow for a future PUD application to be submitted.

During the meeting, Commissioner Kathy Bryant asked Marion County Attorney Guy Minter to explain to those in attendance how the Sunny Oaks PUD application was different than the WEC/ OJC text amendment transmittal and how the request falls in line with the county’s current Comprehensive Plan.

“They’re [B. Smith Hialeah, LLC] applying to modify their land use and zoning in this application, and they are entitled to have something that’s consistent with all the land uses that they [currently] have,” Minter said. “They have certain property rights…so the county can’t take away their property rights to develop, consistent with their land use. We may not have to give them all the intensity they’re looking for, but we have to give them something.”

The board heard from David Tillman, president of Tillman & Associates Engineering, the firm working with B. Smith Hialeah, and who represented the developer at the March 1 meeting. Tillman discussed how multiple issues raised by the board related to traffic, buffers and utilities would be addressed by the developer.

He also mentioned the possibility the development could create approximately 2,700 new jobs in Marion County.

The board also heard from dozens of residents who expressed their displeasure and unhappiness regarding the development during the threehour portion of the meeting. Many pointed to the intensified traffic on West Highway 318, a two-lane road, as well as the increase in urban sprawl and the potentially negative environmental effects of the proposed plan.

“I don’t feel like the commission heard the needs of the people and are protecting our interests,” said Eddie Strong Jr. after the meeting. “I feel like it’s been shoved down our throats, to be honest. The people spoke, we don’t want any change. How are you preserving farmland when you’re building industrial buildings, multiple over five stories? When you go to a farm, you expect to see a barn, tractors, animals, and horses, not a wastewater plant. That’s not

a farm.”

Both Strong Jr. and his mother Dollie were among those who spoke in opposition to the development at the meeting. The land their family has owned for over a century falls in the middle of the proposed plan. Dollie said she understands the property owners have rights, but she feels like the board could have protected them more than they did.

“I’m just disappointed, I’m hurt. I feel bad and I didn’t sleep at all [the night after the meeting],” said Dollie, whose parents passed the property down to her and her four siblings, one of which was born there.

Strong said she was taught from a young age what the land meant to her family.

“Our parents instilled in us, no matter what, pay your taxes, don’t lose the property. And so far, we still have the property.”

While the Strongs and the other families whose land falls inside the proposed development aren’t at risk of losing their property in the short term, Strong said she believes property taxes will ultimately go up, and they are at risk of losing the rural way of life they have come to know. Once it’s gone, she said, it’s gone for good.

“We go way back. My daddy farmed, my brother farmed. My husband farmed. We raised animals; we always had something, horses, cows, all kinds of different animals.

We always had agriculture, and for them to take that away, I was so hurt,” Dollie said.

Reddick resident Henri Davis also spoke at the meeting. Like the Strongs, the property she lives on would be entirely surrounded by the development.

Additionally, according to the conceptual plans, Davis would have a wastewater treatment plant built directly to the south of their property.

“I’ve been there over 62-and-a-half years,” Davis said. “I really hope y’all take us into consideration, because I’m right there in the middle, and it’s been in my family a long time. With all of those industrial buildings they’re thinking of putting around us, how is that really going to affect us?,” she asked.

Both Davis and Strong Jr. cited the concerns they have about air quality, with Strong Jr. saying he regularly exercises outdoors on his family’s property, but may be forced to find somewhere else should the air quality deteriorate once the buildings are constructed.

Dollie Modican-Strong, 81, top left, and her great grandsons, Trenton Yarn, 17 months, center, Timothy Yarn Jr., 3, bottom left, and Jase Johnson, 2, and her sister, Almetta Modican-Mitchell, 83, top right, pose on their property in Reddick on March 8.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

While the board approved the application for the Irvine/Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center, they did so on the condition that certain buffer requirements were met, as well as traffic concurrency issues be addressed. Additionally, they limited building to 1.5 million square feet until traffic and utility infrastructure are put in place.

The conceptual plan also calls for an easement to be constructed allowing Davis access to west HWY 318, and Commission Chair Carl Zalak raised the possibility of the developers providing Davis a privacy gate into her property.

In addition to commercial and industrial buildings, the conceptual plan for Sunny Oaks also includes a fire station on the site, however, Marion County Fire Chief James Banta indicated to the board during the meeting that the proposed site

might be further west than necessary in order to best serve the county’s needs, even if it falls on the eastern-most portion of the development.

The county and Marion County Fire Rescue (MCFR) have been exploring using the penny sales tax to assist with relocating MCFR Fire Station 9 from its current location on US 441 just south of McIntosh to a more central location closer to I-75, which Highway 318 would provide.

Banta said moving down to the 318 area would be more beneficial to the county and residents of the area as a whole, as opposed to its current location when looking at call volume and the amount of call volumes that will continue occurring. Banta indicated MCFR is exploring multiple options including a new station located outside of the Sunny Oaks PUD. Commissioners Gold, Stone, Curry, and Zalak voted for approving the application.

Bryant voted against it.

Since the vote on March 1, the county has already begun the process of studying and analyzing traffic concurrency and utility infrastructure considerations, including water and sewer in the area.

“The commission approved [County Administrator] Mounir [Bouyounes] to use the consultant under contract for this fiscal year. We have already provided the consultant the scope of work, and the consultant started work on this project Monday, March 7,” said Stacie Causey, a spokesperson for the county.

Tillman did not return multiple requests for comment related to the developer’s timeline for meeting the conditions set forth by the board.

Map 14b1: Irvine / Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center (RGAC)

±

Cattle are shown in a rural farmland area near the proposed 453-acre Sunny Oaks Regional Activity Center. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

W HWY 318

NW SB

Strong Family home

I7 5

8

36 8

NW NB

Medium Residential (1 - 4 du/ac)

I75

High Residential (4 - 8 du/ac)

Y HW NW 225

Employment Center (0 - 12 du/ac; FAR 2.0)

36

IT EX

Low Residential (0 - 1 du/ac)

Commercial (0 - 6 du/ac; FAR 1.0)

IT EX

I75

Rural Land (1 du/10 ac)

Rural Community (0 - 3 du/ac; FAR 0.70)

75

SB

GS_FLUM

Rural Activity Center (0 - 2 du/ac; FAR 0.35)

BI PN

MP RA

Proposed FLUM

Urban Residential (8 - 16 du/ac)

AM FR OF

ON

Legend

*

*Davis/Rackard homes

Commerce District (N/A; FAR 2.0) Public (N/A; FAR 1.0) Preservation (N/A; N/A) Municipality

Roads CLASS Interstate Major Regional Activity Center (RGAC) Tax Parcel

May 8, 2014

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MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local concerned for family in Ukraine “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com James Blevins, Reporter james@ocalagazette.com Matthew Cretul, Senior Reporter matthew@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com Amy Harbert, Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com Lisa Maliff, Graphic Designer lisa.maliff@magnoliamediaco.com Kristine Nolan, Editor kristine@magnoliamediaco.com

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Continued from page A1 said. “There’s seven hours difference with Ukraine, and I don’t sleep.”

Her brother, along with his wife and four children, faced food shortages, bombing and fire during the initial attacks, Lumia said. They would soon leave their home with one bag, taking only the neccessities such as winter jackets to keep them warm in the snow, knowing that returning home would not be an option.

According to Lumia, on the morning of Feb. 25, her brother decided that he and his family needed to leave Ukraine as soon as possible. To protect her family’s safety, Lumia did not disclose where her brother’s family is now located but said that they have safely crossed over the Ukrainian border.

Lumia said she is attempting to help him with the process of applying for a visa so that he and his family might eventually be able to come to the United States. “[It’s] just scary as a parent to not provide for your child —their safety,” Lumia said. “I think that was [their] motivation to leave. I was begging them to leave so I can provide them a safe place.

I was just hoping there’s any way I can find a way to get him, maybe [to] Romania and just fly him here and fill out whatever documents we need to fill out.”

While Lumia anxiously awaits news from her relatives, she said she must continue her everyday responsibilities of looking after her children and animals, adding that she had the difficult task of explaing to her children, who range in age from 6 to 14 years old, what was happening in Ukraine, and the dangerous situation her family and friends were currenly experiencing.

“I just said that they [are] in danger and they got bombed, and hopefully some of the family will come here and we’re going to have more family together,” Lumia said.

In the meantime, while she waits for her relatives to arrive, Lumia said she encouraged her children to be loving and to show compassion.

“I just asked them to be nice and kind to each other, and you know, not fight over little things and be considerate,” Lumia said.

She discouraged others from spreading hate, regardless of the war and violence that have ensued.

“I have a lot of friends that are Russian,” Lumia said. “I just want to give a message that I just want everybody [to] be kind, and not say hurtful words, because that’s not helping.”

She said that she worries for her children at this time and feels like she can’t be present for them while always thinking of the safety of her family in Ukraine.

“As a mother I feel like I’m failing because…I can’t concentrate and spend time laughing with them or playing,” Lumia said.

Friend and former neighbor Amy Stetzer, 52, has been helping Lumia around the house, looking after Lumia’s horses and her dog, as well as occasionally babysitting two of her children.

“We used to be neighbors, and that’s how our friendship started,” Stetzer said.

“She’s very distraught over everything

Maryna Lumia, who moved to the United States from the Ukraine in 2004, looks through a family album with photos of her father at her home in southwest Ocala on March 7. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she is worried and very emotional about her father and her brother and his family who are still living in Kyiv. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Maryna Lumia is shown in an old family photo taken in Ukraine with her brother and her father and other family members.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

that’s going on in Ukraine, obviously, so I’ve been just trying to help her out.”

Stetzer said that she had gotten to know Lumia’s father during the time he spent visiting his family in Ocala during summers.

“I’ve never met her brother, but I’ve met her dad,” Stetzer said. “We always had really good conversations and we’ve talked about war in Ukraine, and what he’s been through.”

Unlike Lumia’s brother, her father, who works as a professor, has decided to stay in Ukraine; she said that he did not want to abandon his students and colleagues.

“With my dad, I just hope that I can send money…and just hope that some supplies would be left,” Lumia said. “He doesn’t want to leave, so I really don’t know.”

In addition to the money she sends to her family, Lumia and her friends have been donating and shipping supplies to aid Ukrainians for many years, specifically for children without families.

“A lot of my American friends [have] been donating some clothes and toys and stuff like that, and we’ve been sending to Ukraine during a lot of years…to help the people there,” said Lumia.

Not only is the war in Ukraine hard for those in the country, Lumia explained, but it is also hard for those who have gotten out and feel as if there is nothing they can do to help.

“We already went through so many things in our lives, and I just don’t know why they are happening,” said Lumia.

“You know it says that God gives you only what you can take? I just don’t know how much I can take anymore.”

Before Lumia could say more, she said she could see a rainbow taking shape in the sky outside her window.

“I see a rainbow…right now,” Lumia said. “You know [the] rainbow is a sign of the good news? I hope so—I hope so.”

Recruits Continued from page A1 an increase of out-of-state applicants,” said Walczak.

Both agencies and other law enforcement organizations across the state may soon get significant help with retention and recruitment from Florida legislators.

The House Judiciary Committee in February unanimously approved HB 3 by Rep. Tom Leek, which creates the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program to provide one-time bonus payments to newly employed law enforcement officers in Florida and increase the base salary of deputies by $5,000, among other benefits. It is favored to pass the Senate.

Another bill, HJR1 would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would create an additional $50,000 homestead exception for law enforcement officers, teachers, child welfare workers, and others. The bill was passed by the House

Feb. 18 and was favored to pass the Senate this week.

In the meantime, Bloom said the MCSO is also assisting recruits through a partnership with local realtors as well as businesses through the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic

“We are looking at our candidates as a family and not just an individual.”

Sgt. Paul Bloom

Public information director for the MCSO

Partnership or Ocala CEP. Packets with information, including details on local schools and daycares are included, as well as other data that newcomers to the area may need.

“We are looking at our candidates as a family and not just an individual,” said Bloom. “We want to be able to have jobs to offer here locally to the spouses of deputies that are moving to the area.”

“Our feeling on this is that our county deserves to have great talent working here at the Sheriff ’s Office,” he said. “The best way to attract the best talent is by providing an entire package that is attractive to both the candidate and his/her family that will be coming with them.”

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MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

City attorneys object to questions about their ethics

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

T

he Ocala City Council was poised to decide Tuesday night whether to create an in-house legal department or continue to use an outside firm when they gave the floor to the three lawyers representing the city, who spent an hour expressing outrage that their professional ethics have been brought into question.

Although Robert Batsel, Jr. and Jimmy Gooding had indicated they were splitting away from the city attorney firm--and would not seek a new contract when the current one is up at the end of September, city attorney Patrick Gilligan told the council the firm would like to continue to serve the city’s legal needs. On one point the three agreed: After 30 years of serving in the role, for which the firm historically has been paid $1 million a year, they were hurt and frustrated that they weren’t being consulted more in the council’s decision for future legal services.

Gilligan asked to address the council before they voted on the matter. An hour later, the council members decided to table their vote and set another workshop to explore more details about what each option would entail.

The main point of contention from the attorneys focused on a presentation given during a Feb. 1 city workshop on legal services by City Manager Sandra Wilson. The presentation outlined the pros and cons of having an in-house legal department vs. an external one.

The attorneys took special exception to two areas of the presentation: first, that it included a cited staff concern about the firm’s billing practices; and, second, that it referenced a December article by the Gazette about potential conflicts of interest with the firm.

The workshop presentation

Wilson’s presentation included complaints several city departments made to city management about working with the law firm. The Gazette, through a public records request, obtained the written statements used in Wilson’s summary.

The complaints ranged from concerns the firm was taking cases to court rather than seeking a settlement because doing so would increase billable hours to long waits for document and contract reviews and unanswered emails and phone calls, delays that department heads said hurt their units’ efficiency.

Christopher J. Watt, the director of Human Resources & Risk Management, who also is an attorney, compiled staff feedback and wrote in an email to Wilson: “I would like to see the relationship between Risk and the City Attorney become directional where the City decides the most economical and efficient way to proceed with a case, including early settlement in some cases. The city attorney’s office would then carry out the city’s instructions in a manner that is most economically sound from the city’s perspective.”

The feedback from the department Watt oversees indicated that cases were going to mediation “without first completing depositions” or other legal discovery mechanisms such as written interrogatories or requesting documents from the other side and was not aggressive in settling claims.

“There is no incentive for the city attorney’s office to settle claims as taking claims to court increases their revenue,” the email from Watt read.

The Risk Management department had the most to say about how the firm handled litigation, complaining that there was very little communication regarding the status of cases, and that the attorneys did not seek city input in their litigation strategy.

Another email memo that seemed to originate from the Risk Management department stated, “Sometimes I believe the city attorney is too aggressive defending actions and ordinances which it has been involved drafting. It would be easy to allege a conflict in cases like this, and the public likely feels that way.”

The Ocala Electric Utility Department said in its memo, “Several of these issues go back many months and years without being updated or resolved. There really needs to be some method of getting updates from the City Attorney office on status of open requests (at least monthly), so we know where each request is in the queue.”

manager, Also included Wilson, had been in the complaints conspiring to were concerns undermine them of “questionable for almost a year. billing practices” Wilson related to the acknowledged way attorney during the conferences were meeting that billed, as well as she understood work including how some of scheduling or the information review of medical presented could records that could be taken out of be performed by a context. However, paralegal instead of she explained the a lawyer. reason Robinson Concerns about created the memo conflicts of interest File photo: City attorney Patrick Gilligan [Bruce Ackerman/ was to explore were also raised Ocala Gazette] 2022. efficiencies and by city staff in the the potential for city manager’s handling only presentation, citing certain legal services in-house. Wilson also the Gazette report published in December indicated that Batsel was aware that the city about how the firm inserted a conflict-ofwas exploring the issue. interest waiver that had not been in any of In specific responses to the the prior city attorney contracts. presentation, the city attorneys focused on The conflict-of-interest clause was not discussed with the council or city manager the firm’s billing practices and skirted the other staff complaints. when the contract was signed and only For nearly an hour, however, the city recently became a public concern because attorneys complained to the council of the Gazette report. The clause said the about how the media reports and the city city attorney had advised the city, and the manager’s presentation had hurt their city is aware that the firm also represents “private persons and entities” that include feelings. At one point, Gilligan pointed out his wife and staff members from his firm “developers or contractors” who “have who were sitting in the front row, saying relationships with, or seek approvals they also were hurt and embarrassed from, [the] city.” through association by any insinuations In preparing for the workshop, a memo that Gilligan had participated in any surfaced that was written a year ago by unethical behavior. another attorney, Daphne Robinson, They also described Gazette reports who works in the city’s Procurement about potential conflicts of interest Department. as factually inaccurate. Batsel said At the top of the memo, Robinson even including the news reports in presented two questions she intended to the workshop presentation gave them answer: legitimacy.

1. Whether there were certain legal Batsel recalled an example Council services provided by the city attorney’s office that could be handled in-house Member Barry Mansfield had used to by her and/or the Procurement explain why he was uncomfortable about Department. the potential for conflicts: “I just can’t 2. Whether there will be a substantial imagine a world where I’m a contractor savings of attorney time and costs if and my attorney is also representing the the City of Ocala utilized an in-house subcontractor.” legal department.

“If I was the contractor’s attorney,” he Robinson outlined several legal said, “then I would tell the subcontractor, services she has already provided to no, I have a conflict. And if the the city, outside the city attorney firm’s subcontractor later said I’m going to start sphere, such as “drafting of responses a restaurant [and] do something totally to bid protests; contract termination independent of what I do with you, and letters; mediating contractual disputes they wanted me to represent them, then I between vendors and department heads; would have to get your consent and make researching novel issues of importance to sure you both consented and only do so upper management; and providing other with that understanding. And if they ever routine legal advice for lower-level issues.” had anything that involved the contractor Robinson volunteered to do more, stating, then they would have to be put on notice “I have no problem making myself available just like all of our private clients are that to the City Attorney’s Office to assist in the there is no way I’m going to represent capacity of in-house legal counsel where you and prior to my representation to needed for litigation-based projects.” you on anything else you’re going to She also acknowledged areas of have to consent that when you do have law where she did not have sufficient something adverse to that contractor, I’m experience to comfortably handle. representing the contractor. So, that is the Her memo raised questions about how way we do things.” the city attorney’s office did its billing The Gazette, however, found this is not and gave advice on how creating stricter how the firm always does things. guidelines for outside attorney billing Batsel explained to council that could “reduce waste and costs.” the rules require both clients to give Robinson pored through hundreds of informed consent in the case of an pages of city attorney bills and created attorney continuing representation notes about what she thought were despite a potential conflict of interest. In inappropriate billing practices, such as the Gazette’s investigation, it took at face passing along a firm overhead cost of value the attorneys explanation of how research to the city or multiple attorneys they navigated conflicts with their private charging the city for talking to each other clients, but found through extensive or staff. interviews with city management, city Robinson’s memo was never presented employees, and the city council the to the council and only resurfaced as a attorneys have never asked the city result of preparing for the workshop, said for its informed consent to continue Wilson. representation despite potential conflicts A snapshot of the volume of contracts for interest between their private clients managed by the department Robinson and the city. works in was found in her end of the In one instance, Gooding was drafting report to her department head, Tiffany a form Annex Agreement in 2020 for Kimball, in an email dated Jan. 7. the city to use with developers outside of Robinson reported increased efficiencies city limits to hook up to water services. in the year 2021, despite the increased Gooding did not inform the city that he volume of contracts, namely reducing also represented some of the developers contract processing by 14 days. who would be signing the agreement just According to Kimball, the department two months after it was approved by the currently has 1,340 open contracts for council, did not explain the risk, or inform the city, which requires “ongoing actions them of other options including hiring a for contract deficiency, terminations, different lawyer to handle the matter. renewals, and other management tasks In 2020, when the city was negotiating involved in the upkeep of them.” with Marion County and the World Equestrian Center for potential water The lawyers’ objection hook up for the WEC developer, Batsel At Tuesday’s meeting, the city attorneys did not ask the city to waive the conflict told the council that the report by of interest that existed as his firm Robinson was evidence that the city represented both the WEC developer and

the city.

Batsel told the council and the Gazette that when the firm does represent the developer in other matters, they always tell the city staffer. This raises questions of which city employees are authorized to weigh and waive conflicts of interest for city attorneys.

Rule4-1.7 of the Florida Bar Rules & Standards, related to professional conduct of lawyers, states that a lawyer must not represent a client if 1. The representation of one client will be directly adverse to another client; or 2. There is a substantial risk that the representation of one or more clients will be materially limited by the lawyer’s responsibilities to another client, a former client or a third person, or by a personal interest of the lawyer.

The exception to that rule is if the lawyer “reasonably believes that the lawyer will be able to provide competent and diligent representation to each affected client” and “each affected client gives informed consent, confirmed in writing or clearly stated on the record at a hearing.”

According to the rules, “informed consent” denotes the agreement by a person to a proposed course of conduct after the lawyer has communicated adequate information and explanation about the material risks of and reasonably available alternatives to the proposed course of conduct.

In the case of the city attorneys’ conflictof-interest waiver, no specific clients were identified, only industries–development and contractors and no separate, more specific conflict memos could be identified by the attorneys or city staff.

In a legal memo to city council last week, Gooding said the Gazette’s report contained “a number of misstatements and, more importantly, a defective analysis of the ethical rules that govern attorneys.”

Gooding said the Gazette article “mischaracterized” work he had done for Golden Ocala or World Equestrian Center related to the city. Instead, he said his partner Batsel had been the one negotiating for the city in business with WEC. But Gooding gave no explanation as to why his representation of the WEC developer did not create a conflict of interest that applied to his partners.

Gooding wrote in the memo, “One of the things that I am most proud of (and that I think speaks highly of the work we have done for the City) is the absence – until the Gazette article – of publicity (good or bad) directed at the City Attorney’s office during our long tenure. Rather than showing (as I suspect the Gazette may contend) how well we have concealed our misdeeds, I think it shows that our goal has been to serve as good attorneys only and not get involved in political issues for which we were not hired. And obviously prior City Councils thought we were doing something right by continuously providing us with favorable reviews and re-hiring us. It is unfortunate that unfounded charges against us have been dragged into the more important issue of how the City should meet its legal needs in the future.”

Neither of the three attorneys have reached out to the Gazette requesting retractions or corrections following the December report. During a follow-up interview with the Gazette in February, Gooding made no comment about inaccurate reporting or analysis.

The Gazette has also not received any requests for factual corrections from the city for the article.

Council’s response

Most of the council members indicated that they leaned toward creating an inhouse legal department during the city council workshop.

However, upon objection that the city attorneys were not being included in the process, the council asked the city manager to set another workshop.

This time, city staff was directed to bring more details of what an in-house legal department would look like but also give an opportunity for Gilligan to pitch what it would look like for the city to stay with his firm minus contributions from his old partners, Batsel and Gooding, who are now only officemates with the Gilligan firm.

Council Member Kristen Dryer reminded Gilligan of something he had taught her prior to being elected: “If you are explaining, you are losing.” Dreyer indicated she had adopted the motto and gave credit to Gilligan every time she used it herself.

A5

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

County to reexamine issuance of special permits in ag land following lawsuit by OTOW for violations of policy

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

A

proposed settlement agreement for a lawsuit brought by On top of the World Communities, LLC (OTOW) against Marion County started a lengthy conversation by the Marion County Board of County Commission (MCBOCC) at their March 1st meeting in regards to whether or not the county should tighten up what exceptions it makes to its land-use code through granting special permits.

The 2019 lawsuit brought by OTOW against Marion County alleged that the county had bypassed its policy in issuing a special use permit to LS Enterprises Florida LLC that allowed commercial purpose in agriculturally-zoned land to the one-acre lot that fronts S.W. 80th Avenue even though it was unrelated to any other existing or planned development, contrary to the Marion County Comprehensive Plan and the Marion County Land Development Code.

Throughout the discussion, the County Attorney, Guy Minter and commissioners

referred to L.S. Enterprises as belonging to “Boyd.” The R. Thad Boyd, III Living Trust Dated March 5, 2016, is a manager of L.S. Enterprises, according to state records.

According to the Complaint and Minter’s own explanation to the MCBOCC, the Boyd property was issued a special permit in an agricultural zone land near another development called Calesa, a project by the same principal of OTOW, without the proper legal notices and correct application process that would have alerted interested parties to voice their objection.

The complaint alleged that “OTOW Communities is an aggrieved or adversely affected party as defined by Section 163.3215, Fla. Stat., because OTOW Communities will be adversely affected to a much greater degree than the community at large, due to the proximity of the OTOW Land to the Subject Parcel and the investment that OTOW Communities has made in planning and carrying out its development and related infrastructure.”

“OTOW objects to piecemeal conversion of rural lands along S.W. 80th Avenue. It is inconsistent with

FIRST CANDIDATE FILES FOR SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 5

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

P

arish Tanner has filed the necessary paperwork to run for the District 5 seat on the Marion County School Board.

Tanner, the owner of Ocala Car Audio and Tint in Downtown Ocala, felt it was his time to serve, and that led him to put the paperwork in.

“I’ve never thought politics was something I wanted to do, that it’s always for somebody else. But at some point, you’ve got to realize that we are that somebody else,” he said. “And I said, well, I think that I can bring some unique things to the table.”

There is a trio of V’s Tanner believes are important and can help students, teachers, and parents be successful.

“I want to find a way to better align [the] visions between parents and the schools, I want to help our children with their voices, and I want to strengthen our vocations. And I think with those three things, we can spell victory for our children in the school system,” he said.

Having his children attend schools locally, Tanner said, along with his business background, gives him a unique perspective. “[I’ve] raised three kids here in Marion County,” he said. “I think that by bringing some common sense business approaches to the school board, from a parent’s point of view that’s raised our kids in it, I think I’m set to help bring that to the forefront.”

Tanner is conscious of the growth the county is experiencing but said it presents somewhat of a double-edged sword.

“Well…growth is good and growth is bad.

Managed growth is good…I think realistically when we’re looking at the growth, I think that we need to be prepping our children for the jobs that are coming here,” he said.

An interaction with one of his children, Tanner said, also led to his decision to seek the school board seat.

“My daughter told me recently that she was thinking that she may have to move to a bigger city to get better job opportunities for what she wants to do. And it kind of breaks a parent’s heart to have their kids move away,” he said. “So I kind of want to try to find a way that my kids don’t have to move away. So I want them to find their dream jobs here, and to help other kids find their dream jobs here…I just figured that with the school board, that’s something that would give me a good opportunity to work towards.”

Tanner is the first candidate to file for the District 5 seat, currently held by Kelly King, who has not yet filed for re-election.

The general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022.

including the criteria to minimize the need for waivers to the county’s access standards within twelve (12) months.”

Zalak argued that the county could reject the settlement and not be beholden to change its rules for use of special permits during a “building boom” since the commission could merely send Boyd’s property through the process all over again and get it approved with the right notices.

That would leave the litigation hanging in the balance though, and still subject to attorneys fees and costs being awarded to OTOW for having to bring the lawsuit, warned Minter.

Minter, County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes as well as commissioners Michelle Stone and Kathy Bryant argued that it was exactly due to the development boom that it might serve the county’s best interest, regardless of the settlement, to scrutinize what special permits could be issued in agriculturally zoned land in order to avoid future litigation.

The commission approved the settlement agreement unanimously.

WILL HARRIS FILES TO RUN FOR COUNTY JUDGE

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

W

ill Harris, an Assistant County Attorney with Marion County, has filed the paperwork necessary to run for the position of County Judge. He points to his professional qualifications and love of his hometown as his reason for filing.

“In talking to various people, looking at my credentials and the experience I had, I thought I could make a positive impact on my community. I’m a fourth-generation Marion County resident,” he said.

“So I decided to, at this point, put my name in the hat.”

According to his personnel file provided by the Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Harris was employed as an Assistant State Attorney from 2006-2019. Prior to his time with the Office of the State Attorney, Harris worked for a private firm dealing with personal injury cases. He also worked briefly with a personal injury firm after leaving the Office of the State Attorney before beginning his current role with Marion County.

Additionally, his personnel file shows during his time with the Office of the State Attorney, Harris received satisfactory reviews and individual scores that correlated to either performance above expectations or extraordinary performance.

His disposition and familiarity with both public and private sectors, Harris said, would serve him well on the bench, should he be elected.

“I think my temperament is such where I can deal with different personalities that might come before the

court. The experience I have in the civil Marion County Bar Association, and criminal areas both representing Harris is the Juvenile Drug Court persons and representing the state of Judge, a local pretrial intervention Florida, I think I’ve seen pretty much program. He also sits on the everything that would appear before me Marion County Professionalism in County Court,” he said.

Panel, Professionalism Conference Harris’ family has been in Marion Committee, and is a member of the County for over a hundred years, Middle District of Florida Merit farming, ranching, and running a Selection Panel. cattle operation, he said. Through that, Additionally, he is on the Board he’s had the opportunity to come into of Directors for the Public Education contact with a wide variety of people Foundation of Marion County, an from all walks of life. He said those Executive Committee Member of the experiences gave him some insight into NAACP, on the Board of Directors how people perceive the legal system, of the Boy Scouts of America- North and he sees that as a plus.

Florida Council, and a member of “I grew up here working in the the Floria Cattlemen’s Association watermelon, peanut, and hay fields, and Marion County Cattlemen’s dealing with various persons, a lot of Association. them on the lower spectrum of the Harris is the second candidate socio-economic scale,” he said. “I think to file for the seat. Lori Cotton has I just have life experiences that will also filed to keep the seat she was benefit me in making good decisions appointed to in May 2021. from the bench.”

The general election will be held on Not only has the population in Nov. 8, 2022.

Marion County grown, but court dockets have as well. Harris said there is a balancing act between moving cases through the system and giving them their due consideration.

“That’s when preparation goes into place.

Now, you don’t want to prejudge the case, but at the same time, set expectations for the attorneys to be well prepared. So when they get to court, most of the issues that need to be addressed by the judge can be done so expeditiously,” he said.

In addition to being a past president of the Will Harris [photo supplied]

SECOND CANDIDATE FILES TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 3

Steve Sweet [photo supplied]

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

S Parish Tanner [photo supplied]

policy 4.3.2.A to permit urban uses in the General Agricultural zoning district. The County is required to permit only rural or agricultural uses until such time that it is appropriate to change the FLUM and zoning district to urban designations, which should be implemented in a carefully planned process to ensure that OTOW Communities’ interests in the S.W. 80th Avenue improvements is not undermined,” the complaint read.

Although the settlement agreement provided for each party bearing their own attorneys fees and costs, one particular provision of the settlement agreement raised an eyebrow with MCBOCC chairman, Carl Zalak, who pulled the consent agenda item for discussion.

Under the settlement agreement, the county would be required “to evaluate, develop, apply and present at a duly noticed public hearing for the Marion County Board of County Commissioners consideration an amendment to Policy 2.1.15 of the Comp Plan which provides a specific definition for and addresses criteria for the location and development of neighborhood commercial and offices,

teve Swett has filed the paperwork necessary to run for the District 3 seat on the Marion County School Board.

Swett cited the county’s

low statewide rankings as his decision to run. He said with the ingredients found in Marion County, the outcomes should be better.

“We have a $750 million budget. We have a good community of citizens. We have good teachers, we just need to get it together,” he said.

Swett retired from the U.S. Postal Service, where he worked from 1974-2005.

Before that, he served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970, spending a year in Vietnam. He was also part of the first graduating class of Florida International University where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice.

He believes the country has provided him a good life, and cited his desire to

ensure that same sort of life for others as another reason he filed.

“I believe I’m qualified because I’m involved. I’ve been an involved citizen, I want to pay back to the opportunity and the blessings this nation has given me,” he said. “And I think I am as well qualified as anybody else. And I have the interest and the enthusiasm to try to make the school board better for our children and our teaching staff.”

In addition to growth, Swett pointed out four areas of concern he sees within the county and the school district.

“Growth is number one, you know what’s going to happen to this county,” he

said. “The students, our future, [are also a concern], then stewardship of our money entrusted to take care of the teachers of the students, and schools. Then taking care of our teachers, because they’ve been behind the eight ball, not just teachers but educational staff, their needs need to be addressed as well. And then we just need to be as efficient as we can for the good of our future and of this country.”

Swett is the second candidate to file for the District 3 seat, currently held by school board chair Eric Cummings, who filed for re-election last month.

The general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022.

A6

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Simplification proves best in Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth Stakes

Tami Bobo [Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos]

The Florida-bred colt has local horsewoman Tami Bobo Derby dreaming.

By Michael Compton Special to the Gazette

T

ami Bobo’s Florida-bred Simplification stamped himself as a serious contender for the 2022 Triple Crown with an impressive victory in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, March 5.

With the facile score in the 76th running of the key prep race for the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on April 2, Simplification earned 50 qualifying points on this year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard (tying him for second with 54 total points) and will now possibly seek to add his name to the list of 14 previous Fountain of Youth winners who have gone on to win the Florida Derby. There has also been 14 Fountain of Youth victors who have parlayed their South Florida wins to victories in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

“He has shown tremendous heart and he just digs in and absolutely gives us 110 percent when you ask him,” related Bobo.

“It’s been very rewarding to have a colt I

Simplification [Coglianese Photos]

feel confident in going forward.”

Trained for Bobo by Antonio Sano and ridden in the Fountain of Youth by Jose Ortiz, Simplification rated well behind a fast early pace set by fellow Sunshine State product Markhamian. Simplification made an eye-catching five-wide move around the far turn and swept to a decisive 3 ½-length score, notching his second stakes win of the year after a front-running four-length win in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 1. Simplification’s final time for the 1 1/16 miles in the Fountain of Youth was 1:44.04.

“For me, I liked the trip,” said winning trainer Antonio Sano who saddled the popular campaigner Gunnevera to a victory in the Fountain of Youth in 2017.

“I wanted him to stay outside. Our horse in front with the speed horses won’t have a chance. The horse responded to Jose. He said, ‘Go,’ and it was all good.”

When asked to compare Gunnevera—an earner of more than $5 million in a stellar racing career and currently a stallion owned by Bobo and Sano who stands at Ocala’s Pleasant Acres—to Simplification,

Sano said, “Both horses are nice horses, class horses, but Gunnevera wanted to go all the time. This horse is different.

He can run in front or from behind, it doesn’t matter.”

In addition to his previous stakes win in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, Simplification finished a determined second in the Feb. 5 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) after a troubled start. Ortiz piloted Simplification for the first time in the Fountain of Youth.

“I knew he was going to be tough,” Ortiz said. “I worked him, and Antonio had a lot of confidence in him. He broke well. He pulled me into the race. He put me there.

At the three-eighths pole, I decided to go wide, and he was there for me.”

By traveling wide around the final turn, Simplification was able to avoid a twohorse spill in which High Oak fell in traffic, unseating jockey Junior Alvarado. Galt also fell in tight quarters around the turn, unseating jockey Joel Rosario. Both horses and riders escaped serious injury.

Sano indicated that Simplification, who is now a winner in 3-of-6 career starts

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

“A SPECIAL CURTAIN CALL THANK YOU”

FORMER POSTAL WORKER IN FLORIDA CONVICTED OF STEALING MAIL

A

Les and Marcia Muncaster. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] February 21, 2022.

W

e wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful musicians, friends and patrons of Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band for your continued love and support during our 24 years with the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band. You have granted us the incredible opportunity to take the gifts we’ve been so graciously given and, together, used these gifts to share something we both love...our music.

Our “Curtain Call” performances on March 5 & 6, certainly bittersweet, may have been our farewell concerts; but, we hope and pray that the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band will, with your continued support and the promise of

all those future musicians waiting in the wings, continue to prosper and grow, expanding musical opportunities for musicians, young and old, professional and amateur, providing free performances to all, bringing smiles to faces and a song to hearts.

Thank you...all of you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Les Muncaster, Conductor Emeritus Mrs. Marcia Muncaster, Vocalist Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band

with earnings of $411,350, would likely be pointed toward the Florida Derby (G1), although a final determination has not been made on his next start. Bred by France and Irwin Weiner, Simplification is a son of Kentucky stallion Not This Time and is produced from the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Simply Confection, a stakes-placed earner of $124,688 during her racing career. A half-sister to Simplification (by a different sire than Simplification) is slated to sell on the first day of the upcoming Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale on March 15. The dark bay or brown filly, consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent, is by Mendelssohn and will sell as Hip 125.

“He came out of the race (the Fountain of Youth) amazingly well,” Bobo said. “He has 54 points, so we don’t have to run in the Florida Derby (to qualify for the Kentucky Derby). “But this colt likes his races, and he can get a little fresh between races. I don’t know what the right answer is now (eight weeks out from the Kentucky Derby). It’s a question that we need to make collectively closer to the race.”

former Florida postal worker whose mail delivery route included the prominent retirement community of The Villages was convicted Wednesday of stealing mail for cash and gift cards.

Miranda Delee Farleigh, 25, of Ocklawaha, pleaded guilty in Ocala federal court to a count of possessing stolen mail, according to court records.

She faces up to five years in prison. A sentencing date wasn’t immediately set.

According to court records, Farleigh worked as a contract employee of the U.S. Postal Service delivering mail for the Lady Lake Post Office.

Farleigh’s route included mail delivery services to postal stations in The Villages, a large retirement community northwest of Orlando.

Farleigh’s supervisor discovered several tubs and bags of mail in Farleigh’s possession that had been unlawfully opened in November, prosecutors said. They added that when confronted, Farleigh admitted to law enforcement that she had been opening outgoing mail in Lake and Sumter counties for a month with the intent to steal money and gift cards to support her heroin addiction.

Officials said Farleigh rifled through approximately 4,000 pieces of mail.

A7

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

County, MCPS, state, all see sustained decline in COVID cases

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

MARION COUNTY UPDATE New COVID cases in Marion County dropped for the seventh straight week, as the county registered 235 new cases during the week of Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) Friday evening.

“The community got some very good news in this week’s report,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander in a press release. “Our hope is that we are on the downward slope with the virus. But we encourage the community to maintain the practices that helped us reach this point. Practice good personal hygiene, stay home if you are sick, take steps to safeguard others, and consider healthier lifestyle habits.”

In addition to new case numbers dropping, the county’s cases per 100,000 and new case positivity both decreased as well. The cases per 100,000 dropped from 112.5 to 63.1, and the positivity rate declined last week from 6.9% to 3.6%.

According to FLDOH numbers, Marion County has registered 82,909 total cases of COVID since March 2020, when the first case was reported in the county.

While hospital numbers had remained high despite the declining number of cases, overall inpatient hospitalizations and ICU beds occupied have leveled out over the past three weeks, and COVID patients filling the beds have declined.

In Health and Human Services (HHS) hospitalization numbers last updated March 1, county hospitals reported 90% of inpatient beds filled, with 13% being COVID patients. In addition, 88% of ICU

beds were filled, with 14% being COVID patients, the same numbers HHS posted on Feb. 25.

The Florida Department of Health – Marion is offering free vaccinations from 8:30–11:30 a.m. and 1–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at its main office, located at 1801 SE 32nd Ave., Ocala. To make a vaccination appointment, go to tinyurl. com/MakeMarionFLVaxAppt.

In Ocala, COVID Test FL is offering testing at the Ocala First Baptist Church located at 2801 S.E. Maricamp Road.

COVID Test Express is offering testing in the Villages at 11714 N.E. 62nd Terrace.

Both locations are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

STATE UPDATE

Marion County lags behind the state when it comes to the percentage of residents vaccinated, 63% to 74%.

MCPS UPDATE Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) cases continued the downward trend seen across the county and state as well, as MCPS reported 12 cases for the week of Feb. 26 – March 4, with seven students and five employees confirmed COVID-19 positive by the Florida Department of Health in Marion County in figures released on Monday morning.

For comparison, MCPS reported 55 cases for the week of Feb. 19-Feb. 25, with 47 students and eight employees

As with Marion County, Florida saw cases fall across the state as a whole, as it recorded 14,148 new COVID cases for the week of Feb. 25 – March 3. For reference, Florida reported 25,571 new COVID cases for the week of Feb. 18 – Feb. 24.

The last time Florida saw an increase in cases was when 393,663 new cases were recorded during the week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6 and 427,548 new cases were recorded during the week of Jan. 7-13.

As expected with the drop in cases, the state’s cases per 100,000 average and new case positivity both dropped as well. Cases per 100,000 fell from 116.7 to 64.4, and new case positivity from 5.6% to 3.3%.

Both numbers have consistently fallen since the first of the year.

FLDOH reports show Florida has now reported 5,814,517 cumulative cases and 70,997 deaths. The data also shows 74% of the state’s 20.8 million residents ages 5 and up have received at least one dose of the vaccination.

Additionally, according to the data,

confirmed COVID-19 positive by the Florida Department of Health in Marion County, and 37 students and two employees had been identified as direct contacts to a COVID-positive case confirmed by DOH. With the drop, the cases per 100,000 and new case positivity are now both to an acceptable level where MCPS no longer needs to consider having students wear face coverings.

According to FLDOH guidance, the county must be below 99.9 cases per 100,000 (currently at 63.1) and the new case positivity must remain below 10% (currently at 3.6%) for two weeks in order for coverings not to be required.

Jan. 13:

New reported Covid-19 cases per week

5,000 4,500

Feb. 25 - Mar. 3 Aug. 26:

3,228

3,500

4,000 3,500

Source: Marion County Health Department

3,000

5,536

5,500

3,000

2,500

2,500

Mar. 3:

2,000

2,000

235

1,500

1,500

1,000

1,000 500 26 2 9 16 23 30 AUG. SEPTEMBER

7

14 21 28 OCTOBER

4

11 18 25 NOVEMBER

2

9 16 23 30 DECEMBER

6

13 20 27 JANUARY

3

10 17 24 3 FEBRUARY MAR.

AMY HARBERT/Ocala Gazette

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A8

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Local government lawsuit bill going to DeSantis

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

W

ith supporters touting the measure as pro-business, the Florida House gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that could open the door to businesses filing lawsuits against cities and counties.

The House voted 69-45 to pass the bill (SB 620), which was approved by the Senate in January and is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bill would allow businesses to sue cities and counties if ordinances cause at least 15 percent losses of profits. It would apply to businesses that have been in operation for at least three years and allow them to file lawsuits seeking lost profits for seven years or the number of years the businesses have been in operation, whichever is less.

House sponsor Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, said the bill would cause local governments to “pause” before they enact ordinances that would hurt businesses.

“The tie should absolutely go to the risk taker,” McClure said. “It should go to the private sector.”

But Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a Democrat who is a former mayor of Parkland, said the bill would not help small-business owners who work closely with local governments.

“This is just going to give the bad actors another opportunity to threaten local governments to get their ways,” Hunschofsky said.

Supporters titled the proposal the “Local Business Protection Act,” with

Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, saying in January that it could help end what are known as preemption bills in the Legislature. Such bills involve the state taking power away from local governments on specific issues.

Under the measure, local governments would be shielded from lawsuits about ordinances related to such things as complying with state and federal laws and complying with the Florida Building Code and the Fire Prevention Code.

Among other exemptions, it would prevent lawsuits about ordinances “intended to promote, enable or facilitate economic competition.”

Six House Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting against the bill.

Those Republicans were Thad Altman of Indialantic; Melony Bell of Fort Meade; Sam Killebrew of Winter Haven; Patt Maney of Shalimar; Jim Mooney of Islamorada; and David Smith of Winter Springs. Rep. Anika Omphroy, D-Lauderdale Lakes, voted for the bill.

Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa, argued that the bill would create a “chilling effect” on local governments passing regulations that are supported by residents. Also, opponents have said residents would bear the costs of lawsuits.

“I believe that this is the greatest unfunded mandate for all of our constituents,” Hart said.

But supporters said it would help businesses that can face hostility from local governments.

“This is my favorite bill by far,” Rep. Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin, R-Miami-Dade County, said. “It’s a great bill.”

Nursing home staffing standards revamped

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

F

lorida lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a plan that would change staffing standards in nursing homes, amid debate about how it would affect residents.

The Senate voted 28-9 to pass the bill (HB 1239), which was approved Friday by the House in an 80-31 vote. It is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The debate has centered on changes involving certified nursing assistants, who provide much of the hands-on care to nursing-home residents. The bill’s opponents, including the state’s long-term care ombudsman, the senior-advocacy group AARP and the Service Employees International Union, which represents nursing-home workers, have contended that it would lead to reduced care for residents, potentially leading to harm.

But Senate sponsor Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said he did not think it would endanger residents “If I really, really believed that this was going to injure a resident, my name would not be on this bill,” Albritton said Friday as the Senate took up the measure.

Lawmakers passed staffing standards in 2001 as part of a series of changes dealing with nursing homes. But the standards have long been controversial, and the nursinghome industry lobbied for the changes during this year’s legislative session.

Supporters argued, in part, that the changes would help address staffing shortages that have led at least some nursing homes to leave beds empty because of a lack of workers.

“Our providers have, and continue to explore, every possible avenue to recruit, train and retain qualified health-care personnel, but the reality is that even with significantly increased hourly wages, there is a scarcity in the long-term care workforce,”

Steve Bahmer, president and CEO of the industry group LeadingAge Florida, said in a prepared statement Monday.

Current law requires that certified nursing assistants provide a minimum of 2.5 hours of direct care per resident per day.

The bill would reduce that to two hours.

Also, current law requires that certified nursing assistants and licensed nurses provide a weekly average of 3.6 hours of direct care per patient per day. The bill would keep that 3.6-hour average, but it would allow time spent by other types of workers, such as physical therapists and occupational therapists, to be factored into the calculation.

During a House debate Friday, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said certified nursing assistants have been “underpaid and overworked for years” and that the changes wouldn’t help solve workforce issues.

“That’s not going to attract more people to the field,” Eskamani said. “I don’t think it makes good economic sense.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said the changes “will result in real harm.”

But supporters said the bill would give more flexibility for nursing homes to meet the needs of residents, while also helping address the staffing shortages.

“I want to empower our elderly with the highest possible quality of life,” House sponsor Lauren Melo, R-Naples, said.

Nursing homes and plaintiffs’ attorneys have long battled, but this year’s bill has been unusual because it had the support of the Florida Justice Association, which represents trial lawyers.

During a committee meeting last month, Blair Mendes, an attorney representing the association, said nursing homes have used the minimum 2.5-hour standard as a “shield” in defending against lawsuits. He said the bill would eliminate “some of the shields that nursing homes can use to avoid accountability in courtrooms.”

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A9

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Gender identity, sexual orientation bill passes

LGBTQ lawmakers Michele Rayner, Carlos Guillermo Smith and Shevrin Jones criticize the Legislature’s passage of a bill that places restrictions on teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation. [Ryan Dailey]

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

A

fiercely debated bill that would bar instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for young public-school students is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite Democrats’ warnings Tuesday that the measure’s approval sends “a message of hate” to Floridians.

Senators voted 22-17 to pass the bill (HB 1557) along almost straight party lines. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, voted with Democrats against the bill.

The House voted 69-47 to pass the measure last month, meaning it is ready to go to DeSantis.

The proposal would require that instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity “may not occur” in kindergarten through third grade. For higher grades, the bill would prohibit such instruction if it is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate as determined by state academic standards.

“This (bill) doesn’t prevent that teacher from helping a student, from advising a student. What it does is specifically speak to planned instruction,” Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, said in supporting the measure.

But the bill drew protests from LGBTQ-advocacy groups and has been the subject of headlines nationally, many of which have referred to it as the “don’t say gay” bill — a moniker given to it by critics.

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, echoed other opponents in

arguing the proposal isn’t needed.

“Despite the premise of the bill, I can tell you with absolute, 100 percent certainty, Florida’s educators are not indoctrinating young children with age-inappropriate or developmentally inappropriate curriculum. They’re not secretly pushing the gay agenda, the trans agenda, the woke agenda. It’s just not happening,” Book said.

Book also described the “spirit” of the bill as discriminatory.

“Members (senators), before you vote today, consider for yourself what kind of message do you, do we, want to send to every single person in the state of Florida and around the world?” Book added. “Does this body want to send a message of inclusion, of acceptance and celebration of diversity? Or do we want to send a message of hate, intolerance, othering and discrimination?”

Supporters titled the bill “Parental Rights in Education” and have pushed back against the “don’t say gay” label.

Other parts of the bill seek to prohibit schools from withholding information from parents about students’ mental or physical health and well-being.

For example, the bill says school employees “may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical” health.

Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, argued that the bill has been misrepresented by “rhetoric outside and on the news.”

“If I thought that this bill targeted a particular group of students, I’d press the red button (vote no). I’m voting in favor of

this bill because I believe in our parents.

This bill says parents have rights. It does not discriminate, and it does not silence anyone,” Burgess said.

But Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat who is gay, spoke with reporters after the Senate vote and disputed that the bill had been mischaracterized.

“Eight Republicans from both the House and the Senate voted against this legislation because they know that it’s wrong,” Smith said.

Senate Democrats also hammered part of the legislation that would allow parents to sue school districts for violations of the bill.

“This bill opens the floodgate for vigilante justice,” Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, said. “Parents who don’t like a teacher, don’t like a principal, don’t like a school or something that their child came home with. They can register their concern with the school district.

If not satisfied with the outcomes, they can keep going and file suit without fear of consequences if their claim is without merit or even outrageous.”

The bill includes an alternative process for resolving disputes, which would involve administrative hearings before special magistrates.

DeSantis on Monday appeared to endorse the bill, telling reporters that lawmakers are trying to ensure that parents can “send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum.”

But Sen. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat who is gay, told reporters Tuesday that he expects the bill to be

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challenged in court.

“There is a legal aspect of this that I believe…as soon as we sine die (end the legislative session), it will be challenged,” Jones said. “I’m no attorney, and I know it will be challenged.”

Rep. Michelle Rayner, a St. Petersburg Democrat who is lesbian and a lawyer, said the legislation was “written vaguely for a purpose.”

“I think that some of the supporters of the ‘don’t say gay’ bill, they want to go to court because they are hoping that the court system will agree with their discriminatory practices. But we have a whole plethora of law, we have case law, we have statutes, that say that this type of discrimination cannot happen,” Rayner said.

The bill’s passage Tuesday drew an immediate rebuke from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who criticized Florida lawmakers for “prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need.” The federal education department has frequently locked horns with the DeSantis administration, most recently over the governor’s efforts to prevent mask mandates in schools.

“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported,” Cardona said in a statement.

If signed by DeSantis, the measure would go into effect in July.

A10

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sheriffs could get more budget power

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

A

A Bell Model 407 helicopter is shown in the Marion County Sheriff‘s Office Aviation Unit hangar at Ocala International Airport in Ocala on July 8, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

made up of the governor and members of the Florida Cabinet.

The overall bill would establish a program to provide one-time payments of up to $5,000 to newly employed lawenforcement officers, along with bonuses for officers who adopt children.

The proposal also would set up a Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program to cover basictraining tuition and fees for new officers, and the state Department of Economic Opportunity would develop minimum

eligibility requirements for newly employed officers to get bonus payments.

The proposal also would make $10,000 available to law enforcement officers who adopt through the state child welfare system, with the benefit growing to $25,000 for an adoption involving a child with special needs.

Sheriffs, under the bill, would see their base salaries grow by $5,000 a year.

— News Service Executive Editor Jim Saunders contributed to this report.

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couldn’t be shifted without approval from the county commission.

The 30-page ruling, written by Justice John Couriel, said state law spells out a process for budget amendments and that the “Legislature decided the sheriff must obtain the county’s approval before amending those appropriations that the county had previously fixed and approved from the funds it had collected.”

Under state law, sheriffs can appeal county budgetary decisions to the state Administration Commission, which is

For even more

bill aimed at attracting lawenforcement officers from across the country and helping retain officers got a heavily debated change Wednesday when the Senate supported giving county sheriffs more leeway with their budgets.

The bill (HB 3), which is a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis, likely will receive a vote Thursday from the Senate and then would go back to the House. House members voted 108-4 last month to approve the initial version of the measure.

In a voice vote, the Republicandominated Senate approved an amendment that would allow sheriffs to transfer money within their budgets after the spending plans have been approved by county commissions.

“There are things that happen in this state in every county that none of us can know about or predict there,” said Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican who spearheaded the amendment. “This amendment clearly is my attempt to preserve the independence of the sheriffs and give them the flexibility to ensure the safety of the citizens.”

But Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said sheriffs already have spending flexibility during emergencies, and the amendment would reduce local government oversight of the sheriffs’ budgets.

“What happens if a sheriff does something in the first term, then the people of the state of Florida or the county get to deal with it in four years (when the sheriff comes up for re-election)?” Brandes said. “That isn’t good oversight.”

The proposal has emerged after a legal battle about an attempt by then-Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell to shift money within her budget. Alachua County fought the move, and the Florida Supreme Court in January ruled that the money

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B1

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com ocal philanthropists and real estate developers, David and Lisa Midgett have announced their intentions to restore the tallest building downtown, located at 108 N. Magnolia Avenue, back to a hotel.

Lisa recounted how the idea came about. “Last year we came back from visiting our hotel in Porto, and we were driving by the Marion Sovereign when I asked David what it would take to restore this wonderful old building.”

David felt the answer was simple, “The building just needs a single owner with a vision.”

“When we travel, I always love to stay in the heart of a community at a small place with historic significance,” said Lisa, who is also the owner of NOMA Gallery, a fine art gallery also located up the road on North Magnolia Avenue.

“The reason I love boutique hotels is they are always quirky, one-off, unique brands that provide great experiences. They help you fall in love with a place in a way a large impersonal hotel just can’t,” said Lisa.

Lisa thinks the restored Marion Hotel could be that for Ocala, “Picture a fullyrenovated boutique hotel, complete with paintings and sculptures from local artists.

Imagine the best fine dining in Marion County in the current ballroom, with a coffee shop that turns into a high-end cocktail bar at night. Think about sunsets on the rooftop deck, a high-end boutique, restored walnut and brass elevators, and a cozy second-floor club lounge overlooking North Magnolia.”

While David’s idea to bring the building under a single owner sounded simple at the start, it turns out it wasn’t exactly easy. “Last year, the Association consisted of 17 different units owned by a bunch of different people. The only realistic way to restore this building was to buy all the units one by one. Every other attempt in the past two decades has failed because the owners could not agree on raising the money,” said David.

Starting in December 2021, the Midgett’s development company, Marion Opportunity Zone Fund, LLC, began purchasing individual office units and now holds the majority voting rights. However, three remaining owners, Michael Trahan, Trinity Insurance; Danesh Sookal of R&S Worldwide Investments; and attorney William McLean- have not agreed to sell.

“We have made generous offers, we offer leasebacks to provide more time, and we can communicate our vision for how wonderful this building will look restored as the Marion Hotel-but there is nothing you can do to make people sell,” said David.

However, David is confident they will acquire all the units. “We’ve been through this before as developers. You just have to be patient. Once you own a majority stake, control the Board, and pass assessments, eventually everyone comes to terms with the financial reality and the project moves forward,” he said.

“At the very least, by controlling the Association, we know we can tackle

“We can’t make any changes to the exterior character of the building. We have to preserve the distinctive features and craftsmanship of the property. We lean towards repairing, not replacing.”

Lisa Midgett

the exterior repairs this year. We have received bids from contractors. We will pass assessments and get this work done.

Hopefully the remaining owners will pay their fair share of repairs without forcing us to file liens for the work,” explained David.

The Midgetts are not newcomers to restoring historic buildings. They have restored other Ocala landmarks such as the Coca Cola Bottling Plant, located at 939 N. Magnolia Ave, the Smith House located 507 NE 8th Ave, an 1888 Victorian, located on 507 E Ft. King St, and the Barnett Bank building located at 35 SE 1st Ave. The couple has also invested time and money restoring historic hotels and resorts in Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

When asked about the costs of the project, David said, “Like everything else on this project, it depends on whether we get full control. At a minimum, fixing the exterior will likely cost about $1 million. If we are lucky enough to build a hotel, it will cost a lot more than it did back in 1927.

They originally built this as a 100 room hotel for $500,000. We would be looking at 48 rooms, and the total cost would be around $12 million.”

According to history provided by the City of Ocala, citizens of Ocala came together to finance the construction of the

Marion Hotel in 1927.

The costs of the initial construction were covered by the sale of stock certificates sold by the Community Hotel Corporation, using the slogan “What Ocala Builds, Builds Ocala”, with all the capital raised in just six weeks. The sevenstory Mediterranean Revival hotel was built to accommodate Ocala’s growing tourism and business travelers and remains one of Ocala’s tallest buildings.

Like many historic downtown buildings, the Marion Hotel suffered in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The building was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and in 1985, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation granted a facade easement to protect the building and ensure it would be preserved and maintained for future generations.

In the 1990s, the building was converted to office condominiums as the Ocala National Bank building and renamed the Marion Sovereign Building in 2007.

Pete Lee, Assistant City Manager for the City of Ocala told the Gazette that he, along with city staff, Gus Gianiakis and Tye Chighizola had been working for years to try to get historic preservation grants to no avail. And working with so many different owners, made it hard to come to

any sort of consensus on those repairs.

Lee agreed with David Midgett’s assessment that it would cost at least a million dollars to do necessary repairs to the building. “We know that the building needs extensive work, but we’re really excited about the possibility of that building being restored to, if not its original condition, a condition that really makes us proud in the city. A beacon for downtown.”

Lee said that city personnel from fire and building departments have recently visited the property with the Midgetts to give feedback on what it would entail to restore the downtown North Magnolia historic structure.

The Midgetts know that large projects like this one will require patience and are estimating it will take a year to come up with the architectural design and engineering plans relevant to the interior.

Meanwhile, former unit owners have the ability to lease back their units through the end of 2022 while work on the exterior is being performed.

“We intend to get started on the outside of the building very soon, regardless of whether we own all the units. Everyone knows this building is a catalyst for the City’s midtown redevelopment plan. It is an eyesore, especially compared to recent renovations by neighbors like MainStreet Bank and HDG,” said David.

Because the property is listed on the National Register and the exterior is subject to a facade easement, all of the exterior rehabilitation work must be done in accordance with standards and guidelines set out by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. “We can’t make any changes to the exterior character of the building. We have to preserve the distinctive features and craftsmanship of the property. We lean towards repairing, not replacing. This unfortunately drives up the cost, but results in the enhancement of a historic property,” said Lisa.

The couple plan to restore the building’s name to Marion Hotel, but they have not yet decided whether the new hotel will be branded as a “flag”, or franchised hotel. “Flags certainly bring awareness, reservations and proven systems, and there are some fantastic boutique franchises available, but we want to put our own touch on things and we have a really specific vision in mind,” Lisa explained.

The Midgetts say they will not be operating the hotel or the bar and fine dining restaurant they envision on the ground floor.

“I love to stay in hotels, and I love to eat in great restaurants, but I have no business running those businesses.

We have already started conversations with some very smart, experienced, and successful operators, for both the hotel management side and the food and beverage operations, so we can just focus on development, design and construction,” said David.

City of Ocala Councilman President Ire Bethea says they look forward to hearing more details about the Midgetts plans for the building.

Ocala’s City Manager, Sandra Wilson called the Midgett’s plans for the building “exciting” with the potential to “ignite” that area of downtown. “This is the opportunity the city has been looking for,” she said.

B2

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Tooting John Ash’s horn

The CF instructor and ensemble director will receive national recognition this spring.

By Julie Garisto Special to the Gazette

J

ohn Ash, an associate professor of music at the College of Central Florida, doesn’t like to toot his own horn but he agreed to an interview with the Gazette to discuss a national award he is receiving this spring.

“I just made sure that our faculty was in good enough shape to be able to get through the Zoom years and keep providing good education to all the students that were still coming around,” he allowed with a touch of modesty.

Along with teaching music classes, Ash serves as CF’s department chair for visual and performing arts, director of the college’s bands and wind symphony and has served as the faculty senate president for two years. He also has performed as principal tuba for the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, the East Tennessee

State University Wind Ensemble and other notable symphonies, including the Ocala Symphony Orchestra.

Ash is an easygoing teacher, hardworking but with high standards and expectations.

“I’m proud of the students who persisted through the second year of the pandemic, when we were pretty much all online,” he said. “They were serious about the subjects and they were very serious about wanting to continue their education.”

Ash will be honored with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) 2022 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition at the group’s annual conference in New York City in May. He will not be at the ceremony but expressed his appreciation for the award.

And it’s not his first award for his above-and-beyond instruction during the pandemic. Last spring, the staff at CF recognized Ash with a Stars award.

John Ash [photo supplied]

“It’s nice to get recognition, especially from the bosses but it’s a whole other feeling to be appreciated by your colleagues,” Ash acknowledged.

The Parnell award, named after a former AACC leader, recognizes individuals making a difference in the classroom.

“Professor Ash always puts our students first and has been a great asset to the College of Central Florida,” said Mark Paugh, CF’s vice president for academic affairs. “Throughout the pandemic, he has led his department to safely offer musical and theatrical instruction and performances for our students.”

Along with the usual demands of teaching music, Ash implemented detailed procedures without compromising the quality of his instruction throughout the pandemic. Though he didn’t have an ensemble in the fall of 2020, by the spring of 2021 safety protocols had come fully into play, protecting students from catching and spreading the COVID-19 virus.

“We rescheduled to nighttime rehearsals and, to ensure safety, we spaced out the students,” he explained. “We had masks that were specially made for musicians so they could put mouthpieces and whatnot up to their lips and still make noises and we placed covers over the instruments.”

Students would rehearse alternate weeks and every two weeks, and played a concert outdoors, so their music instruction followed a relatively organic progression, culminating in a performance.

When Ash isn’t directing and teaching CF musicians, he shares quality time with his wife, Jong Ash, an English professor at the college, and three sons, ages 6 to 13.

He also helps direct high school bands; an avocation that’s almost automatic to him since he taught high school band in Crystal River before working at CF. “I work with high school bands often,” Ash said, “and I was recently the guest conductor for the Citrus All-County

Band. So, it was basically all three of the county’s high school bands. I got a chance to conduct them all day, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

And what are those experiences like?

“First and foremost, they’re recruiting experiences for me because I want those kids to come here and get an education from me or at the very least play in my band,” he explained. “But then again, just making music with them is great too. It’s always fun to take a group of kids that have never played together and make a concert happen in three days.”

Ash has been teaching for 24 years, more than half his lifetime. He graduated from East Tennessee State University on a tuba scholarship. The big brass instrument, he insists, is too often overlooked.

“A lot of people don’t understand that it’s the most versatile instrument because it has the depth that no other instrument has,” he emphasized. “The tuba has all of the ability that all of the other instruments have as well. I’ve got a good friend, Joe Murphy, who produced an album called ‘Super Tuba.’ It is jazz tuba with a rhythm section behind him and it is just absolutely incredible.”

Indeed, Ash does get by with a little help from his friends. He insists he couldn’t accomplish all he does at the college without the friendship and support of his colleagues.

“Working with the people I work with here is really an honor,” Ash said. “These are some of the finest people I’ve ever met and some of the smartest educators we have in Florida. It’s just a shame we don’t have people knocking the doors down to come learn from all of these amazing people we have here.”

For more information about the College of Central Florida’s music programs, visit CF.edu. For more information about the AACC, visit aacc.nche.edu.

Two different faiths, one roof

The Ocala Tree Of Life Sanctuary, which is a combination of the First Congregational United Church of Christ and Temple Beth Shalom, on Southwest 78th Avenue Road in Ocala. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

By Rosemarie Dowell Correspondent

W

hat began as an extraordinary possibility six years ago has now become a heavenly reality for two differing faith communities in Marion County.

The Ocala Tree of Life Sanctuary, 6140 SW 78th Avenue Road, a joint and equal interfaith place of worship for Temple Beth Shalom and the First Congregational United Church of Christ, will be dedicated during an official grand opening from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday (March 13).

The multi-million dollar 17,000-square-foot facility houses both a separate synagogue and church under its roof, with the Jews and Christians sharing common areas including a social hall, courtyards, and offices as well as space for artistic, educational and social justice programming for the community.

“There are two sanctuaries under one roof; the church’s worship space is on the right; the Jewish synagogue is on the left,” said Rabbi Ze’ev Harari, spiritual leader of Beth Shalom for the past 11 years. “It is

good economically for the two congregations.”

“But it is also good for the community to show that differences of faith do not mean you cannot talk to each other, that you can cooperate and can find common ground despite your differences,” he said.

Temple Beth Shalom was founded 40 years ago as an outgrowth of United Hebrews of Ocala, while First Congregational was established in 1983.

The two congregations have been meeting in the building since January, said the Rev. Dr. Hal McSwain of First Congregational, with relatively few kinks. Harari and McSwain have been close colleagues for ten years.

“It’s very exciting and amazing that Christians and Jews can equally share the same space, resources and utilities,” he said.

Two diverse faiths maintaining their identities while equally sharing space, resources and costs are rare, with just a handful of others known worldwide, including Genesis of Ann Arbor, a partnership between St. Clare’s Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Emeth in Michigan.

“It is a safe and sacred place for both congregations to worship in.”

Pat Keith

“We believe it is only the fourth time that it’s been done,” said McSwain, lead pastor of the church for the past 12 years.

The unique project had its genesis six years ago when the church began searching for property on which to build a new sanctuary in an area that would attract younger people to its services, said Pat Keith, a Bartow native and member of First Congregational for 20 years.

“We were seeking ways to keep the church vital and growing for the next 50 years,” she said.

“Small protestant churches aren’t doing well these days.”

One such property, within the new Calesa Township masterplanned community southwest of Ocala, ended up belonging to a member of Temple Beth Shalom, which triggered the innovative and cost-saving idea, she said.

“We began to discuss the extraordinary possibility of doing this joint, interfaith worship center together with learning, arts, concerts and student activities for the community,” said Keith, who became the chair of a joint planning committee in Nov. of 2016 once the idea took root.

Herb Katz, then president of Temple Beth Shalom, said church members first approached him to see if the synagogue would be interested in a joint endeavor on the three-to-four-acre site.

He was for it, while others were not, at first.

“It took at least two years to get both congregations fully on board,” said Katz, a native of Pennsylvania who’s lived in Florida since 1984. “Some people had misconceptions about what constitutes a holy building.”

Now that the project has been completed, it’s proven to be a valuable cost-saving venture for both the synagogue and the church, he said.

“We were taking care of four buildings and they were taking care of three before this,” he said.

“It’s much more efficient in that two different congregations can use it at different times.”

Keith said the project was quite a journey for everyone involved.

“It was a long six-year project with hundreds of people helping with planning, details and bringing it all together,” she said.

Ocala Tree of Life Sanctuary can hold up to 550 worshippers when pocket doors dividing the two worship spaces are opened all the way.

“It is a safe and sacred place for both congregations to worship in,” she said. “And it’ll be a wonderful place for community events and interfaith services.”

Dedicated to the principle of Tikkun Olam, which in Hebrew means “Healing the World,” the Ocala Tree of Life’s dedication will begin at 2:30 p.m. Sunday when members of Temple Beth Shalom lead a traditional processional of its Torah scrolls from the parking lot into the synagogue, said Harari, a native of Israel who plans to retire in June.

We will be walking our Torah scrolls into the building and placing them in the Ark,” he said. “After that, we will have an interfaith service with choirs, the dedication, and reception.”

B3

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Steeplechase racing makes a successful return to Florida

The Happy Giant [Nancy Compton/Special to the Gazette]

By Michael Compton Special to the Gazette

F

ollowing a 10-year hiatus, steeplechase racing returned to Florida on Saturday, March 5, with the running of the inaugural Florida Steeplechase.

In the works since 2020, the inaugural Florida Steeplechase proved well worth the wait for co-founders Archie Macauley and Jessica Berry, as well as for eager and curious racegoers who attended the festive event on a sun-splashed afternoon at the Florida Horse Park. Florida last hosted a steeplechase event in 2009 at The Little Everglades in Dade City, a meet that began in 2000 and continued through 2009.

Despite competition from other significant equine events in the area on the same day, the Florida Steeplechase drew its share of fans and tailgaters who turned out to watch the exhibition races. In addition to the racing, the day also featured a parade from the South Creek Foxhounds, Florida’s oldest foxhunting club (officially founded in 1965); an appearance from a team of Clydesdales; and a ladies’ Fashions on the Field competition.

“The day was a great success,” said Macauley. “Everything went well, everyone was happy with the races. The tailgating

groups had so much fun all afternoon. It was just phenomenal.”

Berry added, “It was almost surreal to see the event come to fruition after so long and to see how well it was received by the local community. There were quite a few first-time steeplechase attendees that came, and we tried to encourage people to embrace steeplechasing traditions like tailgating and fashions on the field through our social media prior to the event. We were absolutely blown away by the response we received. From the unbelievable tailgates to the sheer number of participants we had in the fashion competition, it was fantastic to see everybody participating with such enthusiasm.”

Created by Macauley and Berry to fill a void in the sport’s schedule, the Florida Steeplechase was run with the guidance and supervision of both the National Steeplechase Association (NSA), the governing body of American steeplechase racing and the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation. Macauley and Berry are hopeful that the event has the potential to grow into a sanctioned event on the NSA calendar.

“We had small fields, but we anticipated that for this time of year,” Macauley shared. “While the fields were small, they

were competitive. Every fence was exciting, and we had some thrilling finishes. We are already calling on sponsors for next year’s event. We started putting everything away today (Monday), and we are already planning for next year. We want it to be bigger and better next year, and have a sanctioned race meet with purse money.

That will lead to even larger, more competitive fields.”

Support from horse owners, trainers, and riders, is critical for the long-term viability of the event. Macauley expressed gratitude for the support that the first event received and for the reception the Florida Steeplechase received from horsemen, sponsors and fans.

“The horsemen were very happy, and our sponsors all had a great time in the tent,” Macauley said. “It was a positive day.

We had volunteers who really looked out for us. Everyone came together to make it all happen. We are so pleased to have brought steeplechase racing to Ocala.”

Among the winners on the five-race card was Allison B. Fulmer’s The Happy Giant, who won the Brown Advisory Hurdle at the distance of two miles. Sixth in a maiden special weight race at Tampa Bay Downs in February, the 6-year-old gelded son of Frost Giant-Marquet Rate,

by Marquetry, was ridden to victory by Mell Boucher, who made the trip to Ocala from Camden, South Carolina, where she is a freshman in college.

“I’ve ridden him a couple of times before,” said Boucher. “I love this horse.

He’s been at a flat track (Turfway Park in Kentucky) all winter, so he hasn’t jumped.

He is a horse who likes to come from out of it, but in a three-horse field, it was tough to keep him covered up. When I asked him a little bit at the last jump, he just took off.

I am happy I got to ride him. My trip to Ocala was worth it.

“I’m thrilled that Archie and Jessica put this event together,” she added. “They are giving us all a shot at another place to compete. There aren’t a lot of places (courses) that offer steeplechase racing, so it’s a big effort to put something like this together. They’ve created a great atmosphere here, and I’m happy that so many people showed up to support the event. A meet like this has the potential to get a lot more people involved in our sport.”

While the inaugural event was run as a preliminarily sanctioned meet, the hope is that the Florida Steeplechase returns as a

fully sanctioned meet in 2023.

“The turnout completely exceeded expectations, and we were delighted with how the event went,” Berry said. “All the races went off without a hitch, and we had some very exciting close finishes. Next year we aim to run fully sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association and offer prize money. This year was a great introduction of steeplechasing to the Ocala community, and we will spend the next year planning to grow the event significantly in 2023.

“We would like to thank all our volunteers and sponsors, without whom this event would not have been possible,” Berry continued. “A special thank you is owed to Mason Lampton, who in addition to being a sponsor, has been a mentor, voice of reason, and a friend to us throughout this journey.”

Macauley echoed Berry’s sentiments, adding, “When everything was said and done at the end of the day, it was a tremendous relief and a feeling of achievement. We’re so glad that everyone had such a good time. This is just the beginning. We built the entire thing in a relatively short period of time, and we produced a product that everybody loved.

What everyone saw this past weekend is just the start. There are bigger and better things to come.”

Mell Boucher [Nancy Compton/Special to the Gazette]

OCALA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS ‘THE UNFINISHED’

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Ocala Symphony Orchestra (OSO) announced on Tuesday, March 8 its latest program, “The Unfinished,” with scheduled performances on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. and March 20 at 3 p.m. at the Reilly Arts Center.

Principal guest conductor Raymond Chobaz will lead the orchestra, joined by the winners of the 31st Annual Young Artist Competition—violinist Kye Richardson, 12, and pianist Elisabeth Thomashoff, 20. The winners will take the

stage with the OSO for two performances, featuring the music of Samuel ColeridgeTaylor, Franz Shubert, Niccolò Paganini and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Tickets are $15 to $40 for adults and $10 for students. For tickets and more information on the concert, visit www.reillyartscenter.com/events/theunfinished/.

Complimentary tickets are also available for nonprofit and youth organizations as part of the “Access for All” program presented by Duke Energy.

To inquire about complimentary tickets,

contact Pamela@reillyartscenter.com.

In addition to the performances, the OSO is hosting two events centered on the concert “The Unfinished.” Both are free and open to the public. Coffee with the Conductor will be held Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m. at the Marion Theatre, located at 50 S. Magnolia Ave., while the OSO Open Rehearsal for students and families will be held on Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Reilly Arts Center. To learn more and RSVP, visit www.reillyartscenter.com/ symphony/orchestra/#open-rehearsals.

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B4

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

&

music nig ghtlife nightlife

MAR. 11

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.

MAR. 16

Tim McCaig

Blues Jam

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks, and entertainment. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com/events.

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAR. 11

Sawyer

MAR. 17

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

Cameron Band Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAR. 18

WORD FIND

Noah Hunton

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any 6-9pm Dinner, drinks, and entertainment. For details, visit always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when yo worldequestriancenter.com/events. pleted the puzzle, there will be 24 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

MAR. 12

3 for the Road Plus 1 The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 8th St., Ocala 6-9pm Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

MAR. 18

Humans in Disguise

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAR. 12

Uptown Music

Paradigm

© 2022 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 8th St., Ocala 6-9pm Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

MAR. 12

MAR. 19

REL

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

Rebel Soul

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAR. 16

MAR. 19

Cliff Dorsey

The Wrecking Crew

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks, and entertainment. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com/events.

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 8th St., Ocala 6-9pm Free and open to the public. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

“Finally Get Help with Numbness and Pain in Your Feet!”

Advanced Treatment is Now Available to You if You are Suffering from the Debilitating Effects of Neuropathy Symptoms!

Do you suffer from any of the following…

Numbness of your feet and legs?

Painful tingling feet? > Night-time discomfort? > Pin-like sensations with each step? > >

Have you ever been told… >

Solution: 24 Letters

MAR. 18

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-90pm Dinner, drinks, and entertainment. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com/events.

>

Rainforest magic

You have Neuropathy?

You must live with the pain, because nothing can be done?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you’re in LUCK!

Algae Ambush Ants Aril Bacteria Bark Bats Bees Berries Bird Branch Carnivore Damp

Endangered Fauna Fern Figs Frogs Fungus Green Heat Lizard Mist Mosquitoes Moth Mulch

Orchid Palms Parasite Precious Python Smell Snakes Spider Staghorn Sunlight Taste Tropical Vine

ion: Diverse and fragile ecology

So just how can you see if Dr. Swinson’s Neuropathy Pain Relief treatment will help you to reduce or eliminate your foot or leg pain and/or numbness?

Creators Syndicate 737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

352-840-0444 and receive a

FREE 6-Point Evaluation

During your FREE evaluation you will be checked for: We have a very limited number of Free Evaluation times left, so call before they are gone!

Once you’ve been evaluated fully and completely with our very thorough Neuropathy Treatment Evaluation, we will know if you are a candidate for this new painless and effective Neuropathy Pain Relief Program.

“Doc, I can’t live with this excruciating foot and leg pain and numbness!”

When you hear this from a patient it gets your attention.

Typically, I get the worst of the worst pain patients but when I recently heard this exclamation, my attention was particularly peaked. Let’s call this patient Bob. Bob is 62 years old with neuropathy in his hands and feet. He had Type II Diabetes and his life was literally as he described it “a living hell.” Clearly he was coming to the end of his rope. The nerves in his legs and feet were damaged. He was in HORRIBLE CONSTANT PAIN!

“I Can’t Sleep at Night!”

He complained to me, “I can’t sleep at night because my legs feel like they are being eaten by little bugs or chewed on by small animals.”

During the day, he could hardly walk and every step sent shooting pain like lightning from his toes and up his legs up almost to his knees. He had numbness in his feet and couldn’t feel his feet very well and had terrible balance problems. He was worried he might fall and injure himself.

“I Had to Help This Man!” I recently was fortunate enough to accidentally discover a new non-invasive and non-drug treatment for severe and constant foot numbness and pain caused by neuropathy.

> Foot and Leg Circulation > Nerve Sensitivity > Pain Fiber Receptors > Thermal Receptors

> Pressure Receptors > Light Touch Sensitivity > Nutritional Sensitivities

Don’t Suffer any Longer!

Call 352-840-0444 Now! I have been treating Neuropathy for years with great success but stumbled onto this new treatment in 2011 that is used to treat patients who are fearful of losing their legs. My staff and I witnessed some amazing reductions and eliminations of some of the worst pain and numbness syndromes I had ever seen…

And it was FAST! After just a few minutes of treatment on patients with extreme and chronic pain and numbness of the worst kind, we had patients telling us how their pain levels and numbness had decreased and they were shocked.

Some of them had their pain and numbness alleviated after only one treatment.

Using the latest and most recent technologies, I now offer a non-invasive, non surgical and painless neuropathy pain treatment. I help patients reduce or even eliminate their neuropathy pain and/or numbness using nutritional therapies, deep tissue super-pulsed cold laser treatments, combined with specific non-surgical, non-invasive, relaxing re-integration and stimulation treatments of peripheral nerves using whole body vibration to increase their function quickly.

We were able to reduce or even eliminate NEUROPATHY PAIN and/or NUMBNESS of the worst kind!

Dr. Douglas Swinson Chiropractic Physician

5481 SW 60th St. Ste 302 Ocala, FL | swinsonchiro�l.com

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7

Date: 3/11/22

B5

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

st. patrick’s day MAR. 17

MAR. 17

St. Patrick’s Day Block Party

Yellow Pony parking lot, World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 5-10pm Live music, food and drink specials, Irish dancers, yard games. Tickets include small plates of traditional Irish fare. $25 from showclix.com/ event/st-patrick-s-day-celebration.

The Mystic Celts

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 6pm Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish folk music. Flutes, fiddles and food trucks. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the spring evening in a park setting. More info at sholompark.org.

community MAR. 10-13 & MAR. 16-20

World Equestrian Center Ocala Winter Spectacular Weeks 10 and 11

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala Part of the 12-week show series, this hunter/jumper competition ends with Saturday night Grand Prix show jumping in the Grand Arena. Shops, fullservice and fast-casual restaurants and pubs are available on site. Parking is free and leashed dogs are permitted.

MAR. 11 & 18

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Government Campus Field, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am-2pm Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils and seafood; recurs every Friday.

MAR. 17

MAR. 12

Evergreen Cemetery Volunteer Cleanup

Evergreen Cemetery, 300 NW 8th St., Ocala 8am-12pm Help clean headstones, rake leaves and pick up tree limbs as the City of Ocala sponsors this opportunity to restore and beautify this historical cemetery. COVID guidelines in place. For more info, call Tom Casey with the City of Ocala Public Works Department at (352) 351-6723.

MAR. 12 & 19

Yoga in the Park

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am Get your downward dog going. Stretch out by the Sholom Park stage; recurs every Saturday morning.

Visit sholompark.org for details.

St. Patrick’s Day Dog Parade

Crystal River Town Square, 559 N Citrus Ave., Crystal River 10am-2pm Dress up yourself and your canine friend and join the dog parade this year. Best-dressed pet contest for large and small pets. Wellbehaved people are also welcome. For more info, see facebook.com/ events/1180590619374189/

MAR. 12 & 19

MAR. 11-13

Ocala Downtown Market

310 SE Third St., Ocala 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey and arts and crafts. Check out some local food trucks and the occasional guest entertainer.

Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

MAR. 13 & 20

Ocala Polo Club Winter Games

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Highway 475, Ocala 1pm Get up close and personal with the equine athletes and their riders at this unique sporting event.

Tailgating at polo is the perfect venue to enjoy an afternoon out with your family and friends. Chairs are suggested, food and drink are welcome, tents are available for rent. Leashed dogs are welcome.

For more information, visit ocalapolo.com.

MAR. 12

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala All day Come see the qualifying classes for this year’s championship dressage competitions. Dressage has been described as dancing on horseback and you’ll have a chance to see these skilled horses and riders test at various levels. For more information, www.worldequestriancenter.com

MAR. 12

Leaf Series: Backyard Butterflies

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 10:30am Master gardener Patricia Burns has a talent for raising Monarch butterflies and she’ll share her expertise on how to attract and help these delicate pollinators in your own yard. $5 registration fee.

More info at sholompark.org

MAR. 17

Pi Fest

Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala 10am-4pm Pi Day celebrates the mathematical symbol of Pi with hands-on, pie-related activities like dodge ball with pies, pies to eat and mini pies on sale. Admission is $8 per person and allows entrance to the Brain Games exhibit. For more info, visit mydiscoverycenter.org.

World Equestrian Center Ocala Dressage 1

Farmers Market

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 8th St., Ocala 9am-1pm Large selection of fresh seasonal produce from local growers as well as baked goods, plants, handmade soaps and more; recurs every Thursday.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

File photo: Discovery Center [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

government MAR. 14

MAR. 15

Dunnellon City Council Meeting

Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission, first hearing – McPherson Governmental Campus

20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm Regular meeting of city council.

601 SE 25th Ave., auditorium, Ocala 5:30 PM The Planning & Zoning Commission conducts hearings for zoning changes and special use permits.

MAR. 14

Marion County Development Review Committee

MAR. 15

Ocala City Council Meeting

City Hall Council Chamber – Second Floor, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 4pm (note this is a time change) First and third Tuesdays. If accommodations are needed for you to participate in this meeting, call (352) 629-8401 two days in advance so arrangements can be made. For assistance accessing this meeting via Zoom, call (352) 629-8226.

MAR. 15

Office of the County Engineer– 412 SE 25th Ave., building 1, Ocala 9am The DRC ensures compliance with the county’s Land Development Code and votes on items such as waiver requests, major site plans and subdivision master plans, preliminary plats, improvement plans and final plats.

City Commission Meeting

5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6-8pm Regular meeting of city commission.

arts ENDING MARCH 11

CF Webber Gallery: Selections from the Permanent Collection

The Webber Gallery at the College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala Mon-Thu 10am-4pm “Selections from the Permanent Collection” is a curated glimpse into the hundreds of works contained in the College of Central Florida’s public art collection. This sneak peek into the college’s treasure trove features art by local and national artists as well as alumni. Admission is free. For more information, call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1664.

MAR. 11

Kevin Nealon

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm Join comic, actor and writer Kevin Nealon for an evening of wit, sarcasm and, yes, maybe a little bit of subliminal comedy. In addition to his long stint on “Saturday Night Live,” Nealon also received acclaim for his work in “Weeds” from Showtime and currently stars in “Man With a Plan” from CBS. More info from www.reillyartscenter.com

MAR. 12

Love Your Pet Art Fest

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala 11am-1pm This hands-on art festival is designed for kids and pets. Mixed media art fun is sponsored by the Marion Cultural Alliance with artists Kay Deuben and Terry Luke offering help and enthusiasm for creating your own art. Pets are welcome if leashed

and potty trained or bring a photo to help create an ode to an animal. Aprons and smocks are encouraged, and art supplies are furnished for attendees. $5 admission, proceeds to benefit the Marion County Humane Society.

MAR. 12-13

UF/IFAS Marion County Master Gardener Spring Festival

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala Sat. 8am-4pm; Sun 9am-4pm Plants for sale, hourly education sessions, vendor booths with plants and seedlings, flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs, garden décor, food trucks and more. $2 admission fee. Info at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ marion/master-gardeners-/events/

MAR. 18

THROUGH MARCH 20

THROUGH APRIL 24

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala Performance times vary An eccentric librarian (Alex Dagg) finds a battered travel guide in the library’s return bin – 113 years overdue. The book has notes in every language scrawled in the margins and a puzzling clue – a Chinese laundry ticket from London in 1913 – hidden in its pages. Both captivated by the mystery and irritated by the late return, the librarian embarks on a quest to seek the borrower’s identity. Buy tickets by phone at (352) 236-2274 or at the box office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Masks are recommended. For more info or to buy tickets online, visit www.ocalacivictheatre.com.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Florida artist Susan Martin’s photorealistic canvasses explore the botanical world by concentrating on small portions of plant life.

Her detailed explorations, influenced by the photographs of Russell Lee, can be observed in her sharp, clean examination of the subject, her preference for strong contrast that reveals surface quality and detail, and an emphasis on composition that comes from years of work in black-and-white.

Visit appletonmuseum.org for details.

Underneath the Lintel

Garden Party: Botanical Paintings

by Susan Martin

Rock Meets Reggae

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm More than just listening, this interactive evening encourages guests to drum and dance . Jam with musicians to hip hop, rap, blues, funk and more. $15, tickets available at the box office or reillyartscenter.com/events

MAR. 19-20

Rainbow Springs Art Festival

20804 W Pennsylvania Ave., Dunnellon 10am-5pm Browse sculptures, paintings, metalworks, stained glass, jewelry, photographs and more. Food vendors will be on site and Kenny & the Heads band will perform at noon on Saturday. For more info, rainbowspringsart.com

THROUGH JULY 31 THROUGH APRIL 24

Heart of the Horse: Photographs by Juliet van Otteren

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm The beauty and complexity of horses is revealed through 40 black-and-white photographs by Juliet van Otteren. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

A Strange and Picturesque Country: Etchings by Earl H. Reed

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Prints from the permanent collection by Earl Howell Reed. Although a largely self-taught artist, Reed’s work can be viewed in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Visit appletonmuseum.org for details.

B6

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Southeastern Youth Fair

Logan Rector, 14, tries to coax a pig out of the back of a trailer.

Madelynn Moreno, 10, of the Town and Country 4-H, center, tries to coax her pig to a stall as she gets some help from Crystal McCazzio, right, and Madelynn’s mother, Christen, left, during the weigh-in for the Swine Show for the Southeastern Youth Fair at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala on March 3.

Photos By BRUCE ACKERMAN Ocala Gazette

T

he Southeastern Youth Fair, the oldest and largest of its kind in the nation, provides a showcase for local youth who are involved in 4-H and FFA programs. Through their monthslong involvement, the students learn leadership and personal development skills. By the end of the fair on March 5, many of them will have earned money to help further their education. To learn more, go to seyfair.com.

Hunter Winterbauer, 9, right, leads his pig, “Nightmare,” to his stall as he gets some help from his sister, Rylie, 14, center, and Alexis Riley, 17, left.

An ultrasound for back fat is taken. The limit for back fat is one inch.

The Four Diamond, World Equestrian Center Ocala.

THE ULTIMATE KENTUCKY DERBY PARTY. Friday, May 6th 8:00 pm-10:30 pm Guests will enjoy a display of exotic & classic cars, festive cocktails, fine culinary offerings, scotch & bourbon tastings, luxury brand displays, great music, best derby hat contest & more MOTORSPORTS GATHERING Saturday, May 7th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

200+ exotic, classic & muscle cars will be on display at this Four Diamond resort.

Join the fun and display your car with us! After the car show watch the Kentucky Derby on 100 ft Jumbo-Tron’s.

For sponsor details, tickets or to register a show car: www.festivalsofspeed.com / 352-406-9325

B7

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Black Thumb? You Can Grow Green with Herbs

By DL Paget Member of Pioneer Garden Club, Daffodil Circle

A

s a member of the Pioneer Garden Club of Ocala, I hear people say all the time, “I have such a black thumb, I could never be a gardener!” Does this sound like you? We’d love for you to join us in our interest in gardening and horticulture, and with herbs, you really can have your garden and eat it, too. They really are easy to grow and take up very little space if grown in containers. No fancy pots needed. In fact, last year I used Walmart’s end-of-summer-season beach buckets.

As with any type of gardening, growing my own herbs connects me with nature and I feel like I’m giving my body a little bit of nature’s love. Container gardening is a way to garden without the mess and hassle of “plowing the back 40”, and as an added bonus there is virtually no weeding because the soil is clean and controlled.

Growing Tips

Here are some great tips for growing container herbs. First, consider having at least two herbs in a container as many love to grow together. Second, choose a sunny location, because herbs really do love the sun.

Third, make sure the containers have good drainage, as herbs don’t like wet “feet.” Fourth, make sure they have just enough water. Being a bit dry sometimes really is okay. Different herbs, of course, have different watering needs, so having them in different containers helps with moisture control. And lastly, harvesting them properly really is important and not difficult, and it’s necessary for the continued health of the plant.

What herbs should you plant?

Well, of course, plant herbs that you enjoy and will use in your cooking. You can find many healthy herb seedlings in your local garden center.

Here are a few suggestions. *Basil, an annual, is easy to grow. It loves sunshine, well-drained soil and frequent harvesting. Snip leaves off at the stem, pinch back any flower buds and your basil plant will push out fresh growth and flavorful leaves for months. It’s been hybridized and you can choose lemon and chocolate basil with distinct aromatic leaves. *Thyme loves to pair with basil in the sunshine!

It’s low maintenance and drought-tolerant and likes to be a bit dry. Try some English thyme or lemon thyme for some bold culinary flavors. This herb likes to be trimmed back, so don’t let it get too leggy. *Parsley and chives make a good container pair too. Cut their stems close to the base, about an inch from the soil.

New growth should appear in about a week. My fave for

salads? Garlic chives. *Mint and rosemary are also a good container pairing.

Mint loves to spread out and can be invasive, so a container is perfect to tame this vibrant herb. Both of these plants like consistent moisture, not wet feet. Trim often. You can give away your cuttings to family and friends. Cut back new growth on rosemary to encourage it to fill out. *Dill is an herb you may not use often, but it is pretty and fun. Let it go to seed and use the seeds for new plants. *Sage is such a stunning herb with touchable leaves.

Grow it in its own pretty pot. And you’ll want to find recipes to use this very delectable herb. *Oregano offers varieties, and I grow several for their different flavor profiles. Greek and Italian are my faves. This herb grows enthusiastically, and its small leaves pack a lot of flavor.

Feed your herbs about every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer for edibles. Use sharp, clean snippers for trimming. Rotate and move the containers around for the best sunshine. Water “just enough” to get the soil nice and moist.

When you harvest and have too much to use, you can dry them for use later. Lay out stemless herbs on a paper towel and let them air dry or gently dry in the microwave for a few seconds.

Now, cook with your fresh herbs

Growing your own herbs means you probably don’t have to wash them, since water will quicken their demise. If you can, skip this step. Storebought herbs? Place your herbs gently in a bowl of cold water and swish them around slowly to remove any dirt. Pat dry using a paper towel.

Wrap your herbs in a slightly damp paper towel and put in a Ziploc® bag with a little bit of air inside. Put it in the warmest part of your fridge (usually located either in the doors or on the top shelf ). Fresh herbs don’t last long so use them as soon as possible.

You can use them fresh or dried. To maximize the flavor of your herbs, chop them as finely as you can so more oils are released. Delicate herbs like parsley and cilantro should be chopped right before use as they will lose their aroma quickly.

For garnish and maximum flavor, add fresh herbs into recipes at the very end of cooking.

Adding herbs at the beginning of your cooking can create a subtle background note. If, at the end of cooking, you find you want to punch up the dish’s flavor, just add a bit more.

Remember, you don’t want any one flavor to stand out too much. Robust herbs like rosemary and thyme can be used in simmering dishes. Gently bruise the leaves with your fingers before dropping them in to release more oils and increase flavor.

Add your herbs to salads, eggs, bread dough, sauces, meat marinades and as garnishes for an at-home chef experience!

Try container herb gardening and feel the chlorophyll spreading into your black thumb. It’ll be green in no time.

Check out more about gardening activities on our site, PioneerGardenClub.org

EARLY LEARNING COALITION HIRES NEW CEO

OEU OFFERS 300 FREE TREES TO CUSTOMERS THROUGH ENERGYSAVING PROGRAM

By Ocala Gazette Staff

O

cala Electric Utility (OEU), in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, is providing 300 trees for customers to reserve and pick up, according to a city press release on Wednesday, March 9.

The Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) is the world’s largest membership nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. It’s EnergySaving Trees program helps utility providers distribute free trees to their customers while providing the knowledge of where best to plant them.

“This program enables utility providers an opportunity to

become directly involved with their communities,” said Kristen Bousquet, program manager at the ADF. “This unique program benefits utility providers, their customers and the communities they serve by finding natural ways to conserve energy. The right trees in the right place can help a homeowner save up to 30% on their electric bill.”

The program will continue until all trees are reserved. Trees will be delivered directly to customers at an ideal time for planting.

OEU customers can reserve their free trees at www.arborday.org/ ocalaelectric.

Sarah Lankester with Seuss characters [supplied]

By Ocala Gazette Staff

R

obert Colen, chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County (ELCMC), announced via press release on Monday, March 7 that Sarah Lankester has been hired as CEO effective April 1.

The original announcement came during the ELCMC’s Second Annual Good Beginnings for Children Breakfast held at the College

of Central Florida on March 2.

“Sarah has been a strong advocate in our community,” said Colen. “We are confident she will continue to move the coalition forward and help us serve more families.”

Currently the director of finance at Hospice of Marion County, Lankester will succeed Roseann Fricks, who is retiring after leading the coalition for 19 years. Fricks will remain on the ELCMC team for the next few months

to help ensure a smooth transition.

Lankester previously served as the executive director for Marion Senior Services. Additionally, she is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Florida.

For more information, call (352) 369-2315 or visit elcmarion.org.

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4 Sudoku

Newsday Crossword

B8

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local women gather to celebrate

By Ocala Gazette Staff

O

llin Women International opened its International Women’s Day luncheon celebration on Tuesday with Dr. Manal Fakhoury reading a quote attributed to the Dalai Lama: “To promote greater compassion, we must pay special attention to the role of women.

Given that mothers carry the fetus for months within their own bodies, from a biological point of view women, in general, may possess greater sensitivity of heart and capacity for empathy.

My FIRST teacher of love and compassion was my own mother, who provided me with the maximum love…

The time has come for women to take more active roles in all domains of human society, in an age in which education and the capacities of the mind, not physical strength, define leadership. This could help create a more equitable and compassionate society.”

Held at the Webber Center at the College of Central Florida, 125 women

attended the luncheon, all gathering to honor local women for their contributions in the area of education.

According to the International Women’s Day website, March 8 is “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” The day also marks “a call to action for accelerating gender parity,” where “significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.”

Event programming included a character performance by Dee Collier, who gave a historical reenactment of Anne Sullivan, who was Helen Keller’s teacher.

Marion County Public School’s chief woman in education, Superintendent Diana Gullet, told the crowd that educators appreciated the encouragement and engagement from the community and acknowledged educators cannot operate in a separate space from the community.

Barbara Fitos, who chaired the event committee, invited each honoree up to much applause, summarizing each woman’s considerable accomplishments.

Edna Simmons, center, waves as she receives her Women In Education award from Manal Fakhoury, right, and Barbara Fitos, left, during the Ollin Women International 2022 International Women’s Day Celebration at The Webber Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on March 8. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Below are the names of the 13 honorees, as well as some excerpts from Fitos’ spoken introductions as each woman approached the stage:

B Kim Burt

urt began her career in public education in 2008 as a desktop support technician for the Marion County School Board. She has served as instructor in the Information Technology Academy at the Marion Technical Institute (MTI) since 2012. She has also instructed night classes at MTI since 2017. Fitos called Burt the “technology wizard extraordinaire.”

C Simone Campbell

D

ampbell is a certified speech-language pathologist, as well as a licensed realtor. She is also an international professional speaker coach and distinguished toastmaster. Fitos said that Campbell has enhanced the quality of her clients’ life, educating children and parents alike with life affirming skills and techniques.

Loukeitha Daymon

F

F

ox has been teaching at Lake Weir High School since 2008, specializing in the subjects of World History, US History, Law & Government and Economics.

She was an Academic Team coach for the International Baccalaureate program for the Hurricanes as well. Prior to teaching at Lake Weir, Fox served for eight years at Emory Riddle Aeronautical University as a support specialist, and later as a new enrollment advisor.

Ronda Fox

Roseann Fricks

D

ricks, who formally retired in 2022, has been the chief executive officer of the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) for nearly 20 years. Prior to her tenure with ELC, Fricks worked for the United Way of Marion County, heading up the First Call for Help/211 Initiative. Friend and Colleague Laura Byrnes, director of communications at CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion, said, according to Fitos’, that Fricks “has been an indefatigable advocate for this community in every and any capacity she has served.”

A

r. Fryns is associate vice president of Career and Professional Programs at the College of Central Florida (CF), where she effectively works to connect students with the compatible industries in need of their requisite hard and soft skills. She has been in this role for the past six years— in a career at CF that has spanned nearly the last 15 years. Dr. Fryns holds a PhD. in Philosophy from Florida State University and is a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr. Jennifer Fryns

aymon has been involved in education for nearly 15 years— seven of which has been at College Park Elementary where she was named “Teacher of the Year” in 2017.

She has also taught third and fourth grade at Madison Street Academy where she was “Rookie Teacher of the Year” for two consecutive years.

retired educator with nearly 40 years experience, Hagins was the Golden Apple “Teacher of the Year” in 2000, joining a distinguished group of exceptional educators in Ocala/Marion County. Nowadays, she sometimes substitutes at Dunnellon Elementary, where she once taught first grade for over 30 years. Fitos said that Hagins’ advice to parents today after admitting that times have indeed changed was to continue to support teachers—they still need it.

Mercie Dee Hagins

Join the

Team

HOW TO APPLY

Go to www.cf.edu/jobs Select one of the following online portals Administrative/Faculty/ Adjunct Career Opportunities or Professional/Career/Part-time Career Opportunities.

Submit an electronic application, a copy of unofficial transcripts and resume online.

A copy of transcripts from an accredited institution must be submitted with the application.

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B9

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

International Women’s Day

Women listen as Dee Collier portrays Annie Sullivan, who was Helen Keller’s teacher, during the Ollin Women International 2022 International Women’s Day Celebration. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Dr. Diane Gullett, the Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools, speaks. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

M Lourdes Manresa

anresa has been an educator for over 30 years, proudly serving as principal at Hillcrest School for over 10 years. District winner for the 2017 Florida “Principal of the Year,” Manresa serves as a board member for the Transition Life Center at Hillcrest, serving ESE (Exceptional Student Education) students who “age out” of the public school system. Her daughter, Arielle, said of Manresa that she has had honor of sharing a “super woman” for a mom with thousands of students all across the county.

T Ruth Reed

eaching primarily fourth, and later, fifth grade, Reed was the first and only Black teacher hired at Shady Hill Elementary in the late-1980s. In a career that spanned nearly three decades, she retired from teaching in 1996, only to begin a second career as an environmental activist, lobbying City Council, the State Legislature and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to clean up the hazardous Royal Oak Charcoal Plant located in West Ocala. Her efforts would help see the plant closed in 2005 and ultimately demolished a few years later. Today, the site will be the future home of the Mary Sue Rich Community Center, located at Reed Place.

S

S

healy started her career as a science teacher before becoming assistant principal, then principal, at Belleview Elementary. She was also principal at Osceola Middle School, before retiring as a curriculum administrator for the district after 30-plus years in education. A lover of art, Shealy now pursues fine art fulltime in her retirement; she is currently board president for the Board of Fine Arts for Ocala (FAFO).

Julie Shealy

Julie Sieg

A

R

t 90 years old, Simmons taught in the Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) system for over 30 years.

She was one of 16 charter members who founded and organized the Eta Tau Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in February 1962. She is a Pearl Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, with over 65 years of active service initiated at Bethune Cookman University.

Edna G. Simmons

ieg has been the library director for the Marion County Public Library System (MCPLS) for nearly 30 years, shepherding in three new branches in Downtown Ocala, Dunnellon and Belleview over her long tenure.

After three decades, Fitos said that Sieg, as director, has faced legendary budget cuts, censorship challenges, demographic shifts, as well as the “all-encompassing digital revolution,” while always accomplishing the “overarching” goal of MCPLS—to “bring [the] love of learning to all our citizens.”

etiring in 2021, Zanetti has been with the MCPS system for over 20 years, beginning her teaching career in 1990. In 2004, Zanetti was elected to the Marion County School Board, serving for eight years. In 2012, she was chosen to head the Public Education Foundation as its executive director. During her tenure, the foundation received national recognition for its signature programs, including the Golden Apple Awards, Take Stock in Children, Grants for Great Ideas and the successful Tools4Teaching.

Judi Zanetti

B10

MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

SCORE BOARD SELECTED MARION COUNTY

HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE

SPORTS RESULTS MAR. 1 - 7

Forest’s Juli Gabriel (30) tags out Vanguard’s Alivia Vance (7) as Vance gets caught between first and second during a softball game at Forest High School in Ocala on March 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

PREP BASEBALL SCORES

March 5 Menendez Vanguard

March 1 Belleview Trinity Catholic Santa Fe Dunnellon

5 9 10 2

Eustis Forest

1 3

Vanguard Lake Weir

6 0

North Marion West Port

13 11

March 7 Gainesville West Port Redeemer Christian St. John Lutheran

Results were gathered from MaxPreps.com and compiled by James Blevins

PREP SOFTBALL (FAST PITCH) SCORES

6 17

11 2

South Sumter Belleview

Belleview Holmes County

March 2

15 0

Dunnellon Lake Weir

8 5

North Marion Forest

6 2

The Villages Charter West Port

1 2

Ocala Christian Academy Countryside Christian

Belleview Tavares

4 5

1 5

Lake Weir Dunnellon

3 5

North Marion 1 Lake Weir

6 8

March 4 Arnold Belleview

8 2

Tavares Belleview

5 0

Interlachen Vanguard

1 8

West Port Dunnellon

4 3

West Port Clay

4 3

Chiles Forest

2 3

West Port Gainesville

11 1

Trinity Catholic North Marion

9 5

Saint Francis Catholic St. John Lutheran

7 3

Trinity Catholic Bishop Moore

8 9

College of Central Florida 2 Tallahassee Community College 3

West Port Buchholz

8 3

March 5

West Port Santa Fe

1 4

March 7

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES

Vanguard Forest

Forest’s Ainsley Burry (1) throws a pitch against Vanguard during a softball game at Forest High School in Ocala on March 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Trinity Catholic Bishop Kenny

5 10

10 4

March 4

College of Central Florida 4 Tallahassee Community College 5

Ocala Christian Academy Bronson

Umatilla Dunnellon

13 1

8 7

22 3

March 3

March 1

Trinity Catholic Pensacola Catholic

5 15

March 3

West Port Redeemer Christian

6 17

Lake Weir Vanguard

3 4

Forest The Villages Charter

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES

March 5

March 1 7 6

Vanguard’s Alivia Vance (7) gets a hit against Lake Weir during a softball game at Vanguard High School in Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

March 1 FS College at Jacksonville College of Central Florida

FS College at Jacksonville College of Central Florida

1 9

Vanguard’s Kaylee Myers (6) throws a pitch against Lake Weir during a softball game at Vanguard High School in Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

March 5 8 3

March 4 Indian River State College College of Central Florida

0 12

7 3

March 2 College of Central Florida Tampa University JV

FS College at Jacksonville College of Central Florida

College of Central Florida Santa Fe College

6 8

Match 7 13 4

Santa Fe College of Central Florida

1 11

Vanguard’s Hannah Davis (13) catches a Lake Weir hit in left field during a softball game at Vanguard High School in Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

2 1

Vanguard’s Abigail Esmay (79) makes it safely to second base as Lake Weir’s Kyra Rigozzi (15) looks for the out during a softball game at Vanguard High School in Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Forest’s Savannah Nolin (55) makes it safely to second base as Vanguard’s Lia Vanryk (42) looks for the out during a softball game at Forest High School in Ocala on March 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Forest’s Kinley Varner (24) and Emily Bellomo (15) converge to try and tag out Vanguard’s Alivia Vance (7) as Vance gets caught between first and second during a softball game at Forest High School in Ocala on March 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Vanguard’s Alivia Vance (7) slides safely into second base as Lake Weir’s Jessica Hellford (22) and Kyra Rigozzi (15) converge to try and make the out during a softball game at Vanguard High School in Ocala on March 7. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.