Ocala Gazette | April 9 - 15, 2021

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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 41

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APRIL 9- APRIL 15, 2021

Ocala gets $250,000 for homeless

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

Motorists drive on Southeast Maricamp Road east of the intersection of Southeast 25th Avenue. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Guess what?

More development

coming to Maricamp Road

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

T

he stretch of Maricamp Road roughly between Southeast 47th and 25th Avenues continues to be a beehive of activity.

At just less than 2.5 miles, what was once a sleepy part of town is transforming into a hub.

Among the more recent additions are Ocala Health System’s Maricamp ER, 2897 SE Maricamp Rd., which opened the doors to its 10,000 square-foot facility in September 2019.

Close on its heels came Ocala’s fifth Wawa location, 3080 SE Maricamp Rd., which opened at the intersection of Southeast

Maricamp Road and Southeast 24th Avenue in February 2020.

Wawa joined the road’s gas station scene, that now number five along the stretch.

It opened across from the Publix Parkview Commons that opened in 2011 and brought with it several other businesses, including fast food restaurants, a car wash and more.

Other establishments popping up along the stretch recently include a Waffle House, a barbecue restaurant and a Starbucks.

Now, other developers are eying the corridor including a 7-Eleven near the intersection of Maricamp and Southeast 25th Avenue, a proposed 320 multi-family unit residential community nearby and more.

And while the 7-Eleven has not received final approval from the Ocala City Council, residents of the nearby Woodland Villages neighborhood are digging in for a fight.

The proposed location is in front of the community.

It isn’t the first time the community has faced off a developer. In 2015, a Walmart grocery store eyed the property.

“We’ve been through this before when a proposed mini-Walmart was proposed,” Carol Droullard, a resident of Woodland Villages, wrote to council members in an email. “The feelings of the residents have not changed since that proposal but once again we are See Development, page A2

The Ocala City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an agreement with Marion County to accept $250,000 from the Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG) to aid homeless people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The $250,000 is part of the $3.96 billion in CARES Act funds that went to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Sept. 1. The ESG funds are to be used to prevent, prepare and respond to COVID-19 among individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

“The city entered into an agreement with Marion County so the Office of Homeless Prevention could use a portion of the county’s Emergency Solutions Grant Coronavirus funds to pay for hotel stays associated with COVID-19,” Ashley Dobbs, communications manager for the City of Ocala, wrote in an email.

However, the city can spend some of the money on other items to help the homeless.

The funds were split into two categories: street outreach and essential services.

Street outreach includes engagement efforts, emergency mental health services, case management, transportation, emergency health services, bus passes and identification cards. A total of $50,000 of the money will support street outreach efforts.

The remaining $200,000 will go towards essential services including case management, childcare, education, employment assistance, outpatient health services, legal services, life skills training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, transportation and motel vouchers.

Sheltering Ocala’s homeless is the priority.

See Homeless, page A9

COVID-19 cases among seniors fall in Marion as young adults become eligible for vaccine Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com Mark Lander, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Marion County, reported a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases among seniors on Tuesday during the regular county commission meeting.

Landers presented charts showing the sharp drop in cases among those 65 and older coincided with the start of vaccinations in late December.

The chart showed peaks in July and December.

Those peaks coincided with holidays including July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cases spiked to their highest point in Marion County just after New Year’s, about a week after the county started vaccinating seniors.

Since then, cases among the most vulnerable age group have fallen off a cliff.

“I think what’s interesting in this one is you look at the slope... very sharp, very steep, as opposed to the slope in

More than 68,000 people 65 and older or about 64% of seniors in Marion County have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

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July, which was more of a natural – there was no vaccines available – more of a natural burnout of this virus out of the population,” Lander said.

“And so, it could be an indicator that vaccines really target that population and reduce the amount of infections.”

More than 68,000 people 65 and older or about 64% of seniors in Marion County have received at least one dose of the vaccine,

according to DOH records.

With demand among those 65 and older waning, the state opened vaccinations for to those 18 and older on Monday.

Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine has been cleared for 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consent.

See COVID, page A4

Inside: Judge Scott to Retire.............. A3 Sadie Fitzpatrick..................... A5 State News.............................. A10 Big Screen Dreams................. B2 New OCT Production............ B4 Calendar................................... B5

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Easter Morning Above: The sun pokes out above the tree line on a chilly Easter Sunday dawn in the garden at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on Southeast 41st Avenue on April 4.

Left: Pastor Robert Roseberry speaks during the Easter sunrise service at St. Paul’s.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Brad King joins OPD

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Brad King is hitting the road again, more than 40 years after his last stint on patrol.

On Monday, King, 63, the former state attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida, took the oath to serve as an Ocala Police Department reserve officer.

Before graduating law school in 1981, he served as a Marion County Sheriff ’s deputy.

The position is part-time, with no pay. After completing OPD training, King will become the 17th reserve officer at the department,

according to OPD. “These are volunteer positions to help out the Department as a sworn officer,” wrote OPD spokeswoman Corie Byrd in an email. “They require the same training and follow the same policies that a full-time officer does.”

Reserve officer duties mirror those of full-time officers, including the ability to conduct traffic stops, assist other officers and respond to police calls.

King decided not to seek re-election in 2020 after 32 years as state attorney.

And while he and his wife Tammy planned a retirement trip, the

COVID-19 of Central pandemic, Florida’s coupled with Criminal the adoption Justice of his fourInstitute in year-old February. son Oliver, King said changed those he wanted plans. a post that “I didn’t worked well want to with Oliver’s completely schedule and walk away even weighed from law becoming enforcement,” a school King said. “I resource didn’t really officer. take any time Brad King [John Jernigan] Ocala off.”

Mayor Kent King graduated from Guinn, who oversees OPD, the Florida Basic Recruit said that adding King to the Academy at the College department played a role

in his decision to seek reelection for a sixth term as mayor. City elections are set for Sept. 21.

“To have a guy like that, probably the top prosecutor in the State of Florida, working with the police department, I mean, that’s just a wealth of knowledge that we can have. And I want to be a part of that. Big time.”

However, King’s role will not include offering official legal advice, according to Byrd.

“I’m sure his legal history and vast knowledge of statutes etc. will help him along his journey,” she wrote.

From Development, page A1 having to protest this similar type of retail business proposed for this this area.”

Walmart backed off and nixed the store.

Droullard was just one of numerous Woodland Villages residents who penned emails to council members protesting the latest plan. Most messages, including Droullard’s, referenced concerns over how the proposed gas station would impact the neighborhood’s traffic.

“The biggest part of our protest is the traffic situation,” Droullard wrote.

“Our little entry cannot support the amount of traffic that will use this road.”

The entrance to the Woodland Villages neighborhood is accessed

by Southeast 25th Avenue.

If constructed, the 7-Eleven would use the same road.

Mike Sizemore, president of the Woodland Villages homeowner’s association, asked the city to conduct a proper traffic study to analyze the effects the

convenience store would have on traffic.

Residents of Woodland Villages, as well as others who frequent Southeast Maricamp Road, have watched how the boom has affected traffic.

Two people were recently injured in a six-car pileup on Southeast Maricamp Road near Southeast 31st Street early in the morning on April 2.

But according to crash statistics provided by the Ocala Police Department accidents have gone down.

There were 80 vehicle accidents on Southeast Maricamp Road between Southeast 36th Avenue and Southeast 25th Avenue in 2017-18. In 2020-21, there were 53 accidents.

While accidents dropped, traffic stops and speeding citations doubled during the same period, according to statistics.

“Experiencing growth on a major thoroughfare is an important part of development within a

Motorists drive on Southeast Maricamp Road east of the intersection of Southeast 25th Avenue. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette]

community,” said Ashley Dobbs, Ocala spokeswoman.

“Growth creates jobs, points to a healthy economy, provides opportunities for private investment and signals that a community is a desirable location for businesses and residents.”

In addition to the proposed development,

another four acres in the 2800 Block of Southeast Maricamp Road could also soon come into play.

The property is currently owned by the Advocacy Resource Center of Marion County (ARC). It wants to change the zoning to allow for commercial development.

In 1964, Marion County gave 16 acres to the ARC to support its services for the developmentally disabled.

A stipulation in the deal allows the county to take back the property if ARC stops providing services. The county has not decided how it would handle a change in zoning of the four acres.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

- Thomas Jefferson Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Carlos Medina, Managing Editor carlos@ocalagazette.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com Ainslie Lee, Associate Editor ainslie@ocalagazette.com Brendan Farrell, Reporter brendan@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Lisa McGinnes, Editor lisa@magnoliamediaco.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com

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Judicial help approved by county commission

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com With the court system facing a backlog of cases due to COVID-19, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners agreed to the salaries of two assistant state attorneys, a general magistrate and support staff for the public defender’s office.

The county’s backlog of cases stems from not holding jury trials for nearly a year. The first jury trial in the county since the pandemic hit was in early March. The local public defender’s caseload from March 2020 to March 2021 has increased by 111%, including a 304% increase in misdemeanors.

“Now that we’ve opened back up and we are seeing juries come in every week, we are experiencing, you know, the natural backlog and clogging of the docket,” said Bill Gladson, state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.

In a letter written to the commission, Gladson stated that the state cut 6% of the state attorney’s budget, resulting in layoffs. He wrote that the state courts have requested an increase in their budget, as have state attorneys and public defenders.

The two state attorney positions approved by the commission will cost $150,000 for one year.

Ocala Gazette Staff

Lee Kerr lee@magnoliamediaco.com

With an Indiana Jones-themed introduction, Kevin Sheilley of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) kicked off this year’s annual luncheon, where the organization highlights its successes and introduces its plans for the coming year.

Sheilley described how the COVID-19 pandemic upended the local economy. The group helped distribute federal money to local businesses affected by the pandemic by working with the Marion County government and local bankers to try and create a seamless process.

While the pandemic slowed

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Fifth Circuit Public Defender Michael Graves also wrote the commission requesting three parttime support personnel for $60,000 to handle duties such as “data processing, interviewing in-custody defendants and serving process in preparation of trials.”

“Probably the heaviest workload that we have is preparing for bad trials, we have a lot of those coming up,” Graves said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Additionally, the commission approved funding for a fulltime magistrate and a full-time

assistant to officiate dependency cases. According to Judge Ann Craggs, there is only one judge for dependency cases and one part-time assistant.

In her letter to the commission, Craggs wrote that the full-time magistrate would handle more than 1,500 hearings. The magistrate’s salary is $180,000.

“The issues that we’re having is on the compressed time schedules that the statute sets forth and trying to handle these cases by Zoom, we just don’t feel like we’re giving them the attention they deserve,” she said.

CEP: Logistics segment booming in Marion

Ralph Grandizio ralph@magnoliamediaco.com

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Judge Steven Rogers speaks to jurors during a trial at the Marion County Judicial Center on Wednesday. Facing a backlog of cases due to COVID-19, the Marion County Commission agreed to help pay the salaries of additional assistant state attorneys, a general magistrate and support staff for the public defenders’ office. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

things down, the group still worked with many Black-owned businesses to help them start and grow their projects. In 2021, the CEP hopes to conduct similar outreach to the Hispanic community.

Despite the economic issues, developers still flocked to build warehouses and logistic properties as the county continues to build its reputation as a logistics hub.

The process started several years ago with companies such as FedEx, Chewy and AutoZone building fulfillment and distribution centers.

Then Dollar Tree announced its 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center. Soon after Red Rock Developments, a company from North Carolina, announced it would build a 617,000-square-foot

warehouse facility on speculation.

They leased it to Amazon even before construction was finished, Sheilley said.

The momentum continues with plans to build 5 million more square feet of warehouse space in the works, he said.

One of those is the nearly 725,000-square-foot airport logistics park planned for property adjacent to the Ocala International Airport. The project will be developed in two phases, with the first consisting of 325,000 square feet. That site broke ground on Wednesday, Sheilley said.

The CEP also hopes to open satellite offices around the county to complement its downtown headquarters.

Judge Scott to retire

By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com Marion County’s administrative judge, Circuit Judge Edward Scott announced he would retire effective June 30.

Scott, 69, said it was time. He turns 70 on June 15, and his twoyear stint as administrative judge comes to an end in June as well.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he said. “I still love this job; that’s been the problem. It’s hard to quit something you really like doing.”

Scott is the second judge to announce their retirement this year. County Judge Sarah Ritterhoff Williams announced in January that she would retire on May 14.

A local judicial nominating commission recently sent a list of four nominees to Gov. Ron DeSantis from which to choose her replacement.

Scott said changes to court operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic did not contribute to his decision to retire.

“It certainly changed the way we conduct court. Now, we’re using Zoom for hearings. I don’t mind it. I can do everything quicker,” he said. “I am ready to start spending as much time as I can with my kids, grandkids.”

First, he said he plans to catch up on sleep. Then, he hopes to travel with his wife and maybe buy a new boat so they can go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico again. He

also will focus on Territory. I was 15. I his guitar playing operated the printing more. press. If you wanted to “I don’t have get a newspaper that any grandiose said you robbed a bank, plans,” he said. that was my job,” he He hopes to said. return as a senior Six Gun Territory judge after a was a Western-themed year. State rules attraction located near prevent judges the current Silver from working for Springs State Park. a year after they Six Gun closed in 1984 retire. Senior and was torn down for Edward Scott [Submitted] judges serve on development. an on-call basis to Scott said he will hear cases when dockets are heavy. miss the rapport with other judges, Due to the backlog of cases from attorneys and bailiffs. the suspension of trials due to “I’m going to miss the people I COVID-19, circuits across the state work with. I’ve gotten to know a lot will rely heavily on senior judges. of really good people,” he said.

“To me, it’s the most ridiculous One of those people is Becky rule I have ever seen. I can’t even Knipe, his long-time legal assistant. come back as a volunteer. I have to The pair have worked together for sit out for a year,” he said.

30 years.

First elected to the bench in “He doesn’t shout. He takes 2006, he ran unopposed in 2012 everything under the law exactly. and 2018. Circuit judges serve sixHe gives everybody a fair shot,” year terms and Scott’s seat would Knipe said. not come up until 2024. DeSantis Knipe said he is the politest will appoint someone to serve out person she knows but is nobody’s his term. fool.

During his time in the circuit, “He is mild-mannered, but Scott presided over a broad range everybody knows when he’s serious. of cases, from family law to felony It just takes a lean or a look, and to civil. that’s enough,” she said.

Before becoming a judge, he She said she’s come to think of served in private practice for 20 him as family but gets emotional years and was a Marion County knowing things will not be the same Sheriff ’s Office deputy before that. after he retires.

By his count, he’s spent 55 years “He’s just a good guy all the way working. around. He will truly be missed,” “My first job was at Six Gun she said, her voice cracking.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Marion County reaches 100,000 vaccinated Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com This week, the Florida Department of Health in Marion County eclipsed the 100,000 mark for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Through Wednesday, 104,919 people received at least one dose of the vaccine. Marion became the 19th county in the state to hit 100,000 vaccinations.

The latest numbers show 67,477 people completed their shot series, while

another 37,442 have been given their first dose of a two-shot series. More than 16,300 residents have received a shot in the arm in the last seven days for an average of 2,341 per day. On April 1, shots totaled 3,099 in the county.

As Marion County continues to vaccinate its residents, the Centers for Disease Control announced this week that the first shot of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is 80% effective against COVID-19 after two

weeks, while the second shot offers 90% effectiveness after two weeks. The CDC also stated that fully vaccinated people can now safely travel domestically without a test or quarantine, though travel is still not recommended until cases nationwide decline.

On Monday, all adults became eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the state of Florida. Marion County residents can sign up through https://tinyurl. com/MarionCOVIDvax.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

From COVID, page A1

Josue Centeno, 24, of Ocala, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination from a licensed nurse at the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office Emergency Management COVID-19 drive-thru vaccination site at the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Opening up the vaccine to most of the general population has resulted in a flood of appointments in Marion County. The Florida Department of Health in Marion County announced on Tuesday that it is scheduling 8,000 first-dose appointments this week to meet the demand. The county administered 7,167 first doses last week.

“Don’t wait - register today,” Lander said in a release. “We are working hard to fill these thousands of appointments and make the vaccination process as easy as possible, and we need you to register to make sure all our vaccine doses wind up in residents’ arms.”

The county has experienced a slight increase in cases recently, and Lander attributes that to spring break.

Lander also reported that the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is in short supply, especially locally.

Only 3.3% of those vaccinated Marion County received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Residents looking to book a vaccine appointment can do so through the county’s site at tinyurl.com/marionCOVIDvax or call 352-644-2590. Additionally, residents can find appointments at local partners like Publix, Heart of Florida and CVS. In Marion County, the following locations also offer vaccinations: •Heart of Florida Health Center myhfhc.org/covid-19announcements-and-information/ •Select CVS Pharmacy locations cvs.com/store-locator/cvspharmacy-locations/covid-vaccine/ Florida/Ocala •Select Walgreens Pharmacy location https://bit.ly/2Ou3WMT •Select Walmart and Sam’s Club locations walmart.com/covidvaccine, Sam’s Club at samsclub.com/pharmacy •Select Winn Dixie locations winndixie.com/pharmacy/covidvaccine •Publix Supermarkets publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Opinion Commentary

An unwavering passion guides Ocala street preacher stones to hold down the Bible’s thin pages when a breeze kicks up and a halfempty bottle of olive oil, which he uses to You may pass him anoint those on your way to who seek his work or taking counsel. He the kids to is prepared school. He’s for the almost always elements in a folding with a striped Sadie Fitzpatrick chair with a umbrella Columnist tattered Bible if a stray on his lap. He thunderstorm has probably smiled and should arise and a small, waved while you sat at a hand-held fan for relief red light, his megaphone from the unrelenting preachings dimmed by the Florida sun. screech of brakes and the On a recent Tuesday, blaring of horns.

Joseph carefully unpacks From his perch in front each item, placing them of Walgreens on Southwest within arm’s reach of his 17th Street in Ocala, Joseph chair. The last item he puts Strachan has been winning out is his offering box where souls for Jesus for 30 visitors can donate to his years, inspiring some with cause if they feel moved to his unwavering devotion do so. to his ministry and, in all Settled in, he begins to likelihood, causing some to read into his megaphone the question his sanity. words that the Lord has put Dewy dawn to hazy dusk, on his heart that day. He drenching rain or blistering doesn’t prepare a sermon or heat, Joseph mans his post pick out verses in advance, seven days a week. He instead trusting that God pulls a small grocery cart will give him the words that with the necessities he will will draw people to him, and need for the day’s work: eventually, to God. his black folding chair, his “Jesus leads the people megaphone, his Bible, small here. If it were up to men, Editor’s Note: Sadie Fitzpatrick uses this space to explore the character and quirks that make Ocala uniquely wonderful and occasionally irksome.

two people would show up, but Jesus sends who needs to be here. I see 10-20 people a day,” he explained.

As he reads into his megaphone, his voice swells with passion about what he’s preaching. In between readings, he closes his eyes tightly, raises his hands to the sky and shakes his head back and forth, wordlessly praising Jesus.

Joseph says he draws the curious, the impervious and the downtrodden to his humble patch of grass.

Some approach him out of curiosity, others come to sneer at his unwavering faith.

When his faith is questioned, he turns back to the Bible, saying, “It’s all in there. I just read what the Lord says, and the answers are all there. I lead the people to the Word.”

Joseph draws all kinds of people. He claims to have cured people of medical conditions such as AIDS and cancer and has counseled others who have had suicidal thoughts. His ardent supporters stop by weekly to pray with him.

Those desperately seeking one-time relief through prayer rarely return. He hopes they found what they needed from him.

“I love people. They are

my work. I’m here to tell them about Jesus. I live by and for the Lord,” he said.

Joseph’s journey began on August 20, 1975 in Nassau, The Bahamas, when he says God came to him in a vision and told him to go out and spread the Word of the Lord.

“I asked, ‘How can I do this, Lord? Who will fight my battle? How will I be provided for?’ And the Lord said, ‘I will take care of all of it. Just go.’ And He has. He’s taken care of everything, praise God,” Joseph said.

This street ministry is Joseph’s full-time occupation. He says he plans to continue preaching until his last day on earth.

He relies on the kindness of both strangers and supporters to provide “tithes and offerings,” which allow him to purchase food and maintain his residence at the Palms Motel on Pine Street.

Joseph’s ministry isn’t traditional in any sense.

There are no pews or stained glass windows, no Holy Communion or wearing your Sunday best yet hundreds of people in Ocala have looked to Joseph for spiritual fulfillment throughout the years.

“The glory is to God. I give the people what they

are looking for. Everyone is looking for peace, for redemption. When they come to me, they learn about Jesus and what He alone can provide.”

It would appear those that are part of Joseph’s flock have seemingly better lives than he does — with sufficient financial stability, transportation and housing.

However, they seek words of redemption from a man whose earthly needs are barely met.

Joseph believes wholeheartedly that there is no need to worry as God has promised to protect him, holding tight to the words of Psalm 91: “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Perhaps it is Joseph, a man of meager financial means and few earthly possessions, who has become the fortress for those in Ocala seeking salvation and hope. Next time you’re at that red light on 17th Street, roll down your window and listen to the verses that filter through the air above the traffic noise.

It just might be what you needed to hear that day.

Have your own observations about Ocala?

Share them with Sadie at sadie@ocalagazette.com.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

City considers term limits, no salary cap

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Ocala residents may soon get an opportunity to vote on changes to the city charter, including imposing term limits and removing salary caps for city council members and the mayor.

On Tuesday, the council took the first step in the process by introducing the proposed six amendments, as well as the language to appear on the ballot during city elections on Sept. 21.

But some on the dais quickly spoke out against lifting their salary caps.

Currently, council members earn a maximum monthly salary of $200, while the council president makes $250 a month. Meanwhile, the mayor’s salary is capped at $550 a month.

“I’m not in favor of this ordinance, and I won’t vote for it. The optics are horrible given the times we’re at right now,” said Councilman Jay Muslesh.

Council President Justin Grabelle agreed as did Mayor Kent Guinn.

The council did not vote on the proposed amendments on Tuesday. On April 20, after public comments, the council will consider each amendment separately. Those amendments passed, will go on the ballot.

Voters must approve each of the six amendments by a simple majority of 50% plus one.

Half of the amendments under consideration are directly related to issues the council faced in the last 17 months, including the timing of special and run-off

elections, when council member’s terms end and begin and shortening the window for mayoral vetoes of emergency ordinances.

Here’s a look at the six prospective charter changes, which went throuhg first readings at Tuesday night’s council meeting: Timing of Special and [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] Run-Off Elections The proposed change The Oliver election also would make the timing of revealed the need to clarify special and run-off election when council and mayoral more flexible to allow for terms begin and end. transit time of certain ballots.

The charter is fuzzy on the Currently, the charter issue. requires that special An attorney for Oliver elections be held less than noted the charter states the 60 days following a vacancy. new council takes over on the Meanwhile, run-off elections first Tuesday in December in are to be held on the third an election year. The phrase Tuesday of November implies the former council is following a September out of power at midnight on election. the first Tuesday.

The amended By that argument, the requirements would allow council that decided not those elections to be held to seat Oliver on that first “as soon as reasonably Tuesday was technically out practicable and in compliance of power and unable to make with state and federal law.” the decision. The question led The issue came up after to a second council vote to Tyrone Oliver was elected avoid a legal challenge. to the council in November The change provides 2019. Later, he was found that the terms for council ineligible to take the seat members and the mayor because he was a convicted officially start when they felon and did not have his are “adjudged, elected and rights restored. A series of qualified by City Council and special elections eventually upon swearing an oath of led to Councilman Ire Bethea office.” taking the District 2 seat.

Terms would officially end But during the process, the at the commencement of a charter’s provisions conflicted successor’s term. with the time frame allowed for military personnel serving Mayoral Veto of Emergency abroad to return their ballots.

Ordinances The city is proposing that the Term Beginning and End city mayor’s timeline to veto for Council Members and an emergency ordinance be Mayor shortened from 10 days to 48

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hours from the council’s adoption of such an ordinance.

The proposed change comes after Mayor Kent Guinn waited six days to veto the city’s emergency mask mandate, which the council passed on Aug. 4.

The council later overturned the mayor veto by a four-fifths vote on Aug. 12.

Under the proposed rule, if the mayor fails to file his veto within the 48-hour-mark, the emergency ordinance would be effective immediately.

The proposed change does not affect the mayor’s timeline to veto other ordinances. That would remain at 10 days.

Term Limits for Council Members and Mayor The City of Ocala’s code of ordinances currently has no term limits in place for its mayor and council members.

The proposed change would cap officials at eight consecutive years of service to the city.

“No person shall be permitted to appear on a ballot for re-election to the office of city council member or mayor if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will have serves or, but for resignation, would have served, in that office for eight consecutive years,” the proposed amendment reads.

While the change would take effect moving forward, the terms are not counted retroactively.

Guinn has held the office of mayor for ten years and plans to run for his sixth consecutive term

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in September. District 1 Councilman Brent Malever has also been at his post since 2013 and is approaching the eight-year mark. Malever announced he will also seek re-election in September.

Removing Maximum Salary for Council Members and Mayor Salary limits for the council and the mayor would disappear under a proposed amendment.

In its place, salaries would be decided at the discretion of the council with no ceiling.

Eliminating GenderSpecific References The city is proposing the revision of the charter in its entirety to remove genderspecific references to be more gender-neutral.

For instance, “councilman” would be referred to as “council member” and “policeman” would be changed to “police officer.”

Other changes would include referring to officials by their titles instead of references such as “he”, “him” and “his.”

The amendments were proposed after individual meetings between the city attorney and each council member, said Rob Batsel, the city attorney.

The proposed changes were then discussed during a city council workshop and whittled down to the six current proposed amendments. A charter review commission was considered, but the city council decided against that move, Batsel said.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Student media festival remains virtual For the second year in a row, the Marion County Student Media Festival will go virtual because of COVID-19 restrictions.

This is the 20th anniversary of the annual event.

Like last year, the 20th annual event airs on Marion County Public Schools’ YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/ mcpsmedia) on Friday, April 9, at 7 p.m. It also hits the airwaves of the Marion Education Channel at the same time and throughout April, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

The festival showcases

the work created by video production students at all grade levels throughout Marion County Public Schools.

This year, students submitted 209 entries (76 elementary and 133 middle/high) from 17 schools. In March, nearly three dozen industry experts judged the entries in 12 categories and four age groups.

Best of Show honors include trophies, bragging rights and $1,000 cash prizes for schools.

For information, contact the Public Relations Office at 352-671-7555.

CareerSource reopening offices CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion facilities will resume normal service hours beginning April 12.

The career center in Marion, as well as CareerSource CLM’s affiliate Talent Center at the College of Central Florida, will open to the public on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Virtual services will continue during regular business hours via careersourceclm.com, Live Chat, email, and phone.

The centers expect demand to increase after waivers to work registration and job search requirements expire on April 24. Those waivers for Reemployment Assistance started last

March.

Those receiving unemployment assistance will be required to return to the Department of Economic Opportunity’s CONNECT system every two weeks to request their benefits or “claim their weeks.”

CareerSource CLM’s fee-free services include job referrals as well as helping candidates create or update targeted resumes and prepare for interviews.

CareerSource CLM career offices are located at 2703 NE 14th St. and 3001 SW College Road, Building 42, Suite 101.

Ocala waste amnesty day set The City of Ocala, in partnership with Green For Life, will conduct a residential special waste amnesty day on April 24 The collection site at Northeast 14th Street and Northeast Eighth Avenue will open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The location will collect special waste including household hazardous waste and electronics. Special waste from businesses will not be accepted.

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Sheriff ’s returns $2.1 million to county, but wants it back

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com The Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved shifting $2.1 million in unspent money from the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office into the general fund but earmarked it for future improvements to the sheriff ’s campus.

Woods returned roughly $2.1 million which was not spent during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The fiscal year ended Sept.

30.

More than $500,000 came from unused money allocated for the jail’s fencing project. Another $766,384 came from unspent jail overtime. The sheriff also returned $1.1 million in Municipal Service Taxing Unit money.

“This is strictly moving the money into the appropriate account so that it is able to be assigned and managed as those decisions are made,” said Audrey Fowler, the county’s budget director.

In a letter to the commission, Sheriff Billy Woods requested the money return to him to pay for “various construction and remodeling projects at the Sheriff ’s Office Complex.”

Woods also returned over $840,000 as reimbursement for expenditures relating to the response for Hurricanes Irma and Michael. Woods asked for those funds to be reserved for a future emergency response, citing the difficulty in funding overtime and supplies when responses to disasters like hurricanes happen toward the end of a fiscal year.

Commissioner Carl Zalak was bothered by the way the way the issue was handled.

“This is the wrong way to do this, in my personal opinion,” he said. “That’s the entire point of why we go through a budget, that’s why we put together capital improvement plans, that’s why we have a CIP, the whole freakin’ book that y’all prepare for us for those budgets and planned items.”

Zalak said that he wanted the money to be returned to the commission to be allocated in the next budget.

“We funded all of the operations, we funded all of the overtime, we funded all of the raises, we funded everything else,” Zalak said. “I don’t know that setting this money aside, you know, and we’ve had some priorities and we kind of go through the budget and then this thing gets set off to the side.”

Still, Zalak and the rest of the commission voted unanimously in favor of the budget amendment.

Chairman Jeff Gold assured Zalak that any request for the money would undergo the same oversight that projects do during the usual budget process.

“Each project has to be vetted, the money was just put into that account to keep it there,” Gold said.

APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Police Chief: More officers needed soon

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken worries a boom in planned development in Ocala will mean a shortage of police officers if something is not done soon.

During the City of Ocala’s strategic planning workshop on March 10, Balken said the planned growth will require more officers.

He’s just not sure how many, but he pledged to develop a plan that would quantify the need.

“What really concerns me as we move forward is our ability to keep pace with that seems like exponential growth in the city,” Chief Mike Balkin [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] Balken said at the meeting.

His answer is to develop a developments in the city include the 391methodology that will give Ocala City home Ridge at Heath Brook development Council members an idea of what impact along State Road 200, the 5,000-home proposed development projects will have Calesa Township in Southwest Ocala on policing. and the almost 1,000-home West Oaks “I would like to produce a business development on the former 217-acre Pine model plan for the police department,” Oaks golf course.

Balken said, adding he hoped to work The recently inaugurated World with the Ocala Metro Chamber and Equestrian Center and the visitors it Economic Partnership to develop that attracts are already having an impact, plan.

Balken said.

Balken said he hopes to plug in the “With all that growth and all the great location and number of homes proposed 300,000-square-foot places, they generate for any development into the plan and crime. They generate traffic crashes. They estimate the impact on crime and calls for generate street obstruction,” he said. police service.

Planning for the future is essential “The police department works on because of the time it takes to bring a a grid system,” Balken said. “We can police officer online. After recruit school, calculate and forecast how much crime orientation and a four-month training will occur in the grid.” period, you’re looking at a year to turn Balken hopes to break down the out a new officer, Balken said. average time it takes officers to work “That’s to turn out a very green, very different calls and then use that unseasoned 19-year-old cop,” he said. information, combined with the crime Both Balken and Mayor Kent Guinn, forecasts to determine the officers who oversees the police department, needed. declined to speak further about the plan Some of the bigger planned until it is presented to the city council.

A9

APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local drug seizures, arrests in spotlight Ocala Gazette Staff The local United Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) apprehended 83 felony offenders in the first quarter of 2021, UDEST announced in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

In response to growing opioid overdoses and deaths, UDEST launched investigations into organizations tied to trafficking narcotics.

Charges ranged from the sale and possession of cocaine to trafficking kilograms of fentanyl, a highly addictive and fatal substance responsible for a rise in drug-related deaths around Marion County and the nation.

UDEST agents seized 300 marijuana plants, in addition to over 300 pounds of marijuana packaged for trafficking. Agents also brought in two kilograms of cocaine, three kilograms of fentanyl and 30 pounds of crystal meth, otherwise known as ice.

According to Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, OPD has responded to 900 drug overdoses since the middle of 2017. Of those, 119 incidents have resulted in death.

“It’s happening at an alarming rate,” Balken said Wednesday. “When you put that number in context, it’s quite frankly scary.

It’s terrifying that that number of people can die from a drug dealer.”

UDEST is a cooperative agency composed of a partnership between the Ocala Police Department, Marion County Sheriff ’s Office and other state and federal agencies.

From Homeless, page A1 According to the city, there is a growing need for non-traditional, non-congregate sheltering.

In response to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued homeless shelter guidelines, which reduced the number of people per shelter.

The Salvation Army had to cut its capacity by half, said Major Dwayne Durham of the local chapter.

“We are consistently at full capacity within those

guidelines,” Durham said in a text message.

Instead, homeless people and families are having to stay in hotel rooms, which costs more than six times a shelter bed, said Karla Grimsley, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services.

“We simply don’t have enough shelter beds in our county,” Grimsley added in a text.

The hope is that the funds help with the shelter shortage. The city has until Sept. 30 to spend the money.

Homeless people gather together in a parking lot near the intersection of Northwest First Avenue and Northwest Third Street. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

State News DeSantis nixes COVID-19 passport idea Florida Governor pushes for Legislature to impose permanent ban

By Christine Sexton News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order barring government agencies from issuing COVID-19 “passports” and preventing Florida businesses from requiring customers to show documentation that they have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 before gaining entrance.

The order directs state agencies – such as the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Agency for Health Care Administration, which regulate bars and restaurants and nursing homes and hospitals, respectively – to “work to ensure businesses comply with this order.”

Moreover, the order precludes businesses that violate DeSantis’ order from qualifying for grants or contracts funded with state tax dollars.

“Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine

passports for taking part in everyday life – such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater – would create two classes of citizens based on vaccination,” the order said.

The order added that “it is necessary to protect the fundamental rights and privacies of Floridians and the free flow of commerce within the state.”

The executive order made good on a promise

by DeSantis to use his broad executive authority to block businesses from requiring customers to show COVID-19 passports.

Earlier this week, DeSantis said he thought vaccine passports would create “huge” privacy issues that could result in people handing over medical information to a “big corporation.”

“It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,” DeSantis

said. “If you want to go to the movie theater, should you have to show that? No. If you want to go to a game, no. If you want to go to a theme park, no. … I think it’s something that people have certain freedoms and individual liberties to make decisions for themselves.”

Noting that executive orders generally only are good for 90 days, DeSantis also told reporters that he wanted the Legislature to pass a bill that would ban the use of the passports.

“I think it would provide a lot of certainty to a lot of people to say that,” DeSantis said.

Senate President Wilton Simpson said Thursday that he doesn’t think passports should be required. But Simpson didn’t make any promises that the Senate would pass a ban.

“So, it’s something that we will certainly attempt to address if there is an appropriate bill to do that with,” Simpson, R-Trilby, told reporters.

Last week, Simpson told reporters that private businesses should be able

to operate as they see fit.

“On the surface, I would say ‘yes’ because they are a private business.”

Simpson said when asked if businesses should be able to require customers to have passports.

“They can do what they want. But, Gov. Ron DeSantis [Cyndi Chambers] clearly, they will will prove that people have bear the responsibility of been vaccinated against that decision.”

COVID-19, have already DeSantis’ executive recovered from the virus or order came after news have tested negative. The reports that the Biden goal is for the Digital Green administration is certificates to be in play by considering pushing federal summer. agencies and companies In Israel, people who to develop a program that are vaccinated or who would allow people to show already have been infected they have been vaccinated.

by COVID-19 can get a Republican leaders in other “green pass” from the parts of the country also Health Ministry. The app have criticized passport allows them access to gyms, requirements. theaters and clubs.

The European Union, Nearly 6 million people meanwhile, has announced in Florida had received at that it plans to issue a least one dose of vaccine as “Digital Green Certificate” of Wednesday, with about that will allow European 3.4 million fully vaccinated, Union citizens to freely state Department of Health travel across member numbers show. nations. The certificates

interscholastic athletics in a manner consistent with their gender identity and expression,” a staff analysis of the bill said.

Guidelines of the NCAA, the main governing body for college sports, permit transgender athletes to participate in sports but include some restrictions.

Senate bill sponsor Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that her proposal is designed to make sports more equitable for girls and young women.

“Men typically have an advantage over women when it comes to competition. So, we have separated the sports between male and female, so that women would have opportunities,” Stargel told the Senate committee.

But Democrats called the proposal cruel.

“Legislation like this affects all individuals in the transgender community. It promotes discrimination, whether or not they are athletes,” Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, said.

She said dozens of companies have come out

against similar measures and that the plan could jeopardize billions of dollars in federal funding.

Under Stargel’s plan, a transgender female student would be allowed to participate on a girls’ or women’s sports team if the student “has declared a female identity to her school or institution;” “demonstrates that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 10” nanomoles per liter for at least a year before her first competition; and has a total testosterone level in serum below 10 nanomoles per liter “throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.”

According to a Senate staff analysis of the bill (SB 2012), the normal female range of testosterone is between 0.06 and 1.68 nanomoles per liter, and the normal male range is between 7.7 and 29.4 nanomoles per liter.

The proposal would require school districts, postsecondary institutions, the state university system Board of Governors and the Florida Department of Education to adopt rules to

Legislature considers transgender athlete limit

By Dara Kam News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – A Florida Senate panel Wednesday signed off on a proposal aimed at keeping most transgender females from participating in highschool and college sports, but the measure stops short of an all-out ban being considered by the House.

The measures have become one of the 2021 legislative session’s most contentious issues and put Florida in line with at least two dozen other Republican-controlled state houses that have passed or are considering similar proposals.

Opponents of the bills maintain the proposed restrictions could endanger teenagers and young adults who are already vulnerable to bullying and abuse and cause the state to lose out on lucrative college championship games.

But advocates of the plans contend that preventing those born as males from competing against females in high-school and college athletics is necessary to ensure that girls and young

women have a fair chance to win scholarships and excel in sports.

A bill moving in the House (HB 1475) would require high-school and college sports teams to be designated based on students’ “biological sex,” a term disputed by the transgender community and advocates. The House plan, which has passed two committees and faces another panel before being ready for a full House vote, would ban transgender females from taking part in girls’ or women’s highschool and college teams.

Under a measure approved by the Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday, “athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.”

But the Senate plan includes an exception for “persons who transition from male to female” if they meet certain conditions, such as specified testosterone levels.

Currently, the Florida High School Athletic Association has a process for transgender students “to participate in

establish and administer transgender policies.

Democrats also said a federal judge blocked Idaho’s transgender-athlete ban from going into effect last year, and the lawsuit is still underway.

But proponents of the measure argued that it would ensure that inherent biological differences between males and females don’t give transgender athletes an advantage.

“You can’t make the facts move for someone. I can stand out here in the garage all day, convinced that I am an automobile.

But it doesn’t make me an automobile. At the end of the day, it gives me a very confused life,” said Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican and a former head of the state Christian Coalition “I have a lot of granddaughters, and I don’t want to see some big male who thinks he is a woman or who is convinced he is a woman knocking her down on the ground. It’s not a matter of just capacity, that is dangerous.”

– News Service Assignment Manager Tom Urban contributed to this report.

A11

APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Court: Police fall under ‘Marsy’s Law’ The decision would shield identities of threatened officers

By Dara Kam News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victims’ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents.

The decision by a threejudge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a lawsuit filed on behalf of two Tallahassee police officers who maintained that, as victims, they were entitled to privacy protections included in the 2018 constitutional amendment known as “Marsy’s Law.” The lawsuit was the first major test of whether Marsy’s Law conflicts with a decades-old governmentin-the-sunshine amendment that enshrined in the Florida Constitution some of the nation’s broadest publicrecords laws.

But in Tuesday’s 13-page decision, Judge Lori Rowe wrote that no conflict exists.

Nothing in the 2018 constitutional amendment “excludes law enforcement officers – or other government employees – from the protections granted crime victims,” Rowe wrote in a ruling joined by Judges Timothy Osterhaus and Robert Long.

A police officer “meets the definition of a crime victim” under Marsy’s Law “when a crime suspect threatens the officer with deadly force, placing the officer in fear for his life,” Rowe added.

“That the officer acts in self-defense to that threat does not defeat the officer’s

status as a crime victim.

And thus as a crime victim, such an officer has the right to keep confidential ‘information or records that could be used

to locate or harass the victim or the victim’s family, or which could disclose confidential or privileged information of the victim,’” she wrote, referring to some of the victims’ rights spelled out in the constitutional amendment.

The decision came in a lawsuit filed against the city of Tallahassee by the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which represents the police officers. The union asserted that Marsy’s Law applies to the officers, identified in court as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2,” because they were victims in the use-offorce incidents.

In an incident that drew national attention, “John Doe 2” shot a Black transgender man last May. Because the police officer was the victim of an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the incident involving Natosha “Tony” McDade, the union said he had the right to invoke the privacy privilege provided by Marsy’s Law. The union also alleged

‘Alcohol to go’ moves closer to law

that the city changed its policy for shielding police officers’ identities following the death in May of George Floyd, a 46-year old Black man who died while former

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for at least eight minutes.

Floyd’s death sparked protests against police brutality and racial inequality throughout the country.

The city, however, denied that it changed its policy and maintained that the Tallahassee Police Department developed its own procedure without city officials’ approval.

The First Amendment Foundation, the Florida Press Association and a number of media outlets intervened in the lawsuit, arguing that allowing Marsy’s Law to apply to law enforcement officers would undercut the state’s openrecords laws.

“Today’s decision was an unfortunate setback for

police accountability. We respectfully disagree with the court’s reasoning and are considering our options,” Tampa lawyer Mark Caramanica, who represents the media organizations, said in a prepared statement.

The appellate court ruling reversed a decision by then-Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, who in July found that the “explicit language of Marsy’s Law was not intended to apply to law enforcement officers when acting in their official capacity.”

Dodson said the case involved balancing victims’ rights with the “public’s right to hold government accountable by inspecting public records” and ordered the city to release the names of the two police officers.

The Florida Police Benevolent Association immediately appealed Dodson’s ruling and asked that it be put on hold while an appeal moved forward.

The appellate panel criticized Dodson’s decision, saying he “carved out an exemption” from Marsy’s Law “that would apply equally to all of Florida’s state and local government employees, numbering over 1 million.”

The news outlets also argued that shielding law

Intellectual freedom bill goes to DeSantis News Service of Florida

News Service of Florida The Florida Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would make permanent a move that has allowed restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks with take-home meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Senate voted 38-2 to approve the measure (SB 148), sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island. Bradley’s district covers part of Marion County.

The dissenting votes were cast by Sen. Lauren Book D-Plantation, and Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order last year that allowed what has become known as “alcohol to go” as a way to help restaurants that were forced to scale back operations in the early stages of the pandemic. The bill would make that practice permanent. It would cap individual alcohol container sizes at 32 ounces and require motorists to place drinks in locked compartments, vehicle trunks or in areas behind the last upright seats in vehicles.

A similar House bill (HB 329), sponsored by Rep. Josie Tomkow, R-Polk City, is ready for consideration by the full House.

Sen. Jennifer Bradley

enforcement officers’ identities would impede the media’s ability to act as a government watchdog. But the panel disagreed, saying other safeguards are in place.

The Tallahassee police officers “had a right to seek confidential treatment for public records that could be used to locate or harass them,” the ruling said.

“This does not mean that the public cannot hold law enforcement officers accountable for any misconduct. Maintaining confidential information about a law enforcement officer who is a crime victim would not halt an internal affairs investigation nor impede any grand jury proceedings. Nor would it prevent a state attorney from reviewing the facts and considering whether the officer was a victim,” Rowe wrote.

The panel acknowledged the “breadth and scope” of Florida’s Sunshine Law. “But however compelling the public policy considerations may be in favoring broad public records disclosure and the ability of the public to access records of the machinery of government, it is not the province of the judiciary to read into the language of the constitutional text anything not included or to limit the text in a manner not supported by its plain language,” Rowe wrote.

The legal wrangling over Marsy’s Law has created division even within the law enforcement community.

“I don’t believe that it’s appropriate for law enforcement officers in the course and scope of their employment, acting under color of law, to have their names and their personal information withheld. I don’t think that was the intent,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who is a lawyer, told The News Service of Florida last year.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing.”

Florida colleges and universities could be required to issue campus-wide surveys gauging “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” under a measure passed Wednesday by the Senate.

The bill (HB 233) had already been approved by the House, meaning it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. If he signs it, the bill would take effect in July.

A DeSantis spokeswoman did not answer whether he will sign the bill. Without any debate, the Republicancontrolled Senate passed the bill in a 23-15 vote, with Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, the only GOP lawmaker voting against it.

The House passed the bill in a 77-42 party-line vote on March 18. The measure would require the state university system’s Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to create an “objective, nonpartisan and statistically valid survey.”

Students, faculty and staff at the schools would be given the surveys, and the resulting data would be published by the governing bodies that oversee colleges and universities.

During a debate last month, House sponsor Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, said future legislatures could “use that data as the basis to make a policy decision.” The proposal

also would prevent colleges and universities from “shielding” students, faculty and staff from any kind of speech. In addition, schools could not bar any person or group from speaking on campus.

Under the bill, students could also make audio or video recordings of classroom lectures for their educational use, in connection to complaints against the institutions or in legal proceedings.

That part of the bill has drawn objections from the United Faculty of Florida, citing intellectual property concerns.

The proposal also would prevent colleges and universities from “shielding” students, faculty and staff from any kind of speech.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports

The College of Central Florida’s Tre Hondras (10) looks for the out as Santa Fe’s Nick Herndon (7) slides safely into second base. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Pats Punched Patriots lose second straight game to Santa Fe College

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ ocalagazette.com

T

railing 6-5 with the heart of the order coming up to the plate, it seemed like the stage was set for another comeback, walk-off win for the Patriots, whose offense has delivered time and time again in the clutch this season.

That was not the case on Wednesday.

Miguel Useche flied out to center field, designated hitter Matthew Cedarburg

lined out to left field and outfielder Kevin Kilpatrick ended the game on a line out to center field.

The 6-5 loss to No. 19 Santa Fe College is the No. 13 Patriots’ third in a row and fourth in their last six.

It’s also the second straight loss to the Saints for Central Florida (32-12), who will face Santa Fe again on Friday on the road.

“We had it the other day in the seventh or eighth and the same thing happened, but you know, they hit it

hard,” Patriots coach Marty Smith said. “(Usche) just got under it and fly out to right.

(Cedarburg) hits his hard, (Kilpatrick) hits his hard, goes right to ‘em.”

Santa Fe drew first blood in the first inning for the second game in a row. With runners on first and second with two outs, outfielder Coy Phillips lined a single through the right side of the infield to plate the game’s first run. The Saints then doubled their lead in the second inning with a two-out

RBI double.

Central Florida knocked home a run in the top of the second, but Santa Fe blew the game wide open with a four-run fourth inning.

After Pat’s starter Logan Adams retired the first batter, he plunked the next two before a single scored another run for the Saints. Smith then yanked Adams, who was credited with three earned runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

CF reliever Logan Clayton was one strike away from getting out of the inning before giving up a three-run bomb to third baseman Luis Rodriguez that nearly cleared the road behind Goodlett Field’s

tall left-field fence.

Saints starter Robb Adams cruised through the first five innings, but he ran into trouble in the sixth. With runners on second and third and two outs, first baseman Garett Wallace smacked an RBI single to center field to bring the Patriots within four.

Kilpatrick then touched home on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.

Clayton and fellow CF relievers Francisco Mateo and Evan Michelson held the Saints to just two hits after the fourth inning, while Robb Adams was still on the mound heading into the bottom of the eighth. Robb Adams’ 119th pitch of the day

was also his last, as CF shortstop Edrick Felix clobbered a two-run home run to left field to make it a one-run game. But that would be the end of Central Florida’s rally.

“Just haven’t gotten a really good, quality start in the last couple weeks, just haven’t gotten a good, quality start,” Smith said. “Haven’t gotten a clutch hit when we needed to, haven’t been able to put hitters away that we’ve gotten two strikes on and, you know, sometimes you got to tip your hat to the other team. They hit good pitches for hits and battle and win those little battles that end up winning you the game.”

Rattlers jump on Wildcats early in 9-4 win

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

top half of the first inning, Belleview jumped on Forest pitcher Leah Meyer early to post five runs on their way to a 9-4 win.

The Rattlers were nearly The sophomore gave up two months removed from three hits and four walks in their first meeting with the her opening inning of action, Forest Wildcats when they and the Rattlers capitalized welcomed them to Belleview as they cycled through all on Wednesday night. nine of their batters.

In the teams’ first meeting Meyer, who Greer regards on Feb. 17, Forest thumped as one of the best in the Belleview 9-1. county, wasn’t expected to “After that Forest loss, it start on Wednesday night. woke us up a bit,” Belleview But with little time to adjust, head coach Gary Greer said.

Greer told his team to do “It kinda slapped us around.” what they do.

The Rattlers were wide “Our approach at the awake for the rematch. plate looked aggressive,” After giving up two Greer said. “They didn’t look runs to the Wildcats in the scared of anything.”

Even Belleview freshman outfielder Jordan McLaughlin didn’t flinch.

In her opening atbat with the bases loaded, McLaughlin launched Forest’s Izzy Lewis (17) scores as Belleview’s catcher a two-out, Maicey Wilsher (12), pitcher Lauren Reimsnyder (11) base-clearing and first baseman Brooke Butcher (3) run in on defense. triple to the [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

centerfield fence.

Belleview senior pitcher Lauren Reimsnyder didn’t make it easy for Forest either.

Reimsnyder, who signed to play college softball with Bethel University in January, hurled back-to-back strikeouts while only facing four batters in the top of the second inning.

Those strikeouts would be the only ones she’d dish all Belleview’s Kylah Gardner (24) slides safely into third base as Forest’s Kinley Varner (24) night. looks for the out. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] “Usually, Lauren is a strikeout relief, Melody Poling, took (2-4, two RBIs) would also pitcher,” Greer said. “Forest over pitching duties in the contribute on offense. has a very deep lineup of second inning and hurled Greer feels the Rattlers’ hitters... good quality hitters. six strikeouts through 5.2 opening struggles of the So, our goal was to keep frames. season are behind them. them off balance, and I The Rattlers added four “I think we have more to thought Lauren did a really more runs onto their fivego,” Greer said. “I’m really good job of doing that.” run opening at-bat with the excited about what I saw The Wildcats would help of senior Jaela Haynes’ (tonight). I saw a different tack on only two more runs 3-4 performance from the thing... Now, it’s like, ‘Who’s against Reimsnyder and the plate. next?’”

Rattlers.

Haynes, who will play for Belleview (14-6) will Forest sophomore Izzy Stetson University next year, travel to Taylor (Pierson) Lewis went 3-4 with two had a single, double and on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. singles and a double, while triple. contest, while Forest (9-9) Meyer added an RBI single Belleview senior Kylah looks to bounce back while and a double.

Gardner (2-4, double, single) hosting Lake Weir on Friday The Wildcats’ junior and junior Haili Mitchell at 7 p.m.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

West Port dominates Lake Weir, 13-3

West Port’s Ryan Gingras (8) tags out Lake Weir’s Blake Daughtry (21) at second base as West Port’s Rolando Cruz (11) backs him up. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com West Port baseball coach Billy Renfroe will tell you that his school’s baseball history hasn’t been sterling.

But he’s got his team believing that they can do anything this year, and they were firing on all cylinders on Monday night.

“They have a good attitude, they do what we ask them to do, they play hard all the time every game, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” he said.

“West Port has kind of in the past had a reputation to not do those things, so that’s what I’m proud of.”

A four-run first inning

and a seven-run fifth inning bookended a 13-3 mercyrule win for West Port. The Wolf Pack grabbed its eighth win of the season (8-7), while Lake Weir’s tough season (3-13, 2-1) continues with its eighth straight loss. Wolf Pack starter Cole Renfroe, the coach’s son, pitched all five innings for the complete game.

“What I really liked was their killer instinct tonight,” Billy Renfroe said. “They put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up.”

West Port’s offense went to work immediately. The Wolf Pack’s first three hitters singled before catcher Edwin Forty brought home the game’s first two runs on a double. A passed ball allowed

another run to score, and West Port capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly to drive home a fourth run.

Lake Weir answered in the top of the second with a leadoff double by sophomore Manny Geisel, who then scored after a throwing error on the next at-bat to make it 4-1. The Hurricanes managed to hold off the Wolf Pack for an inning, but some small ball

by West Port let them widen the lead once again.

Jayson Vaccarino reached first on an error and then stole second to put himself in scoring position.

He advanced to third on a Forty single to put runners at the corners. A balk after Forty stole second allowed Vaccarino to score, and then

Forty touched home on an RBI single to put West Port up 6-1.

Lake Weir had hopes of a comeback after tallying a couple of runs in the top of the fifth to lessen the lead to 6-3, but West Port shattered those dreams with a sledgehammer in the bottom of the inning.

With runners on first and second, right fielder James McEvoy brought home a run with a double before designated hitter Alex White cleared the bases with a twoRBI double. A walk and a single then loaded the bases for Vaccarino with two outs.

Vaccarino smacked a two-RBI single to increase the lead to eight. Forty’s big night continued with a twoRBI single that ended the game via mercy rule. Forty had three hits and four RBIs on the night.

“I believe our school record is eight wins, so that feels pretty good,” Billy Renfroe said. “We’re having a really good season, and I’m proud of the guys, they work hard.”

West Port’s catcher Edwin Forty (1) gets the out at the plate against Lake Weir’s Austin Dodd (2). [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Big screen dreams come true for Ocala man Nick Steele Ocala Gazette As a child growing up in Marion County, Clint Robinson dreamed about what he wanted to be when he grew up.

One of his aunts recently recalled how he and his cousin once cast themselves into future roles as garbage men and even sent her an elaborate homemade card with the pair’s young faces pasted on hand-illustrated bodies dressed in overalls and matching caps in front of a truck bearing the name Cousins Inc. However, those plans were blown off course in 1996 when Robinson encountered the whiteknuckle adventure film “Twister,” starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as a pair of adventure-seeking storm chasers.

“It was the first movie that I remember watching that made me think, I want to be an actor, but I also want to be a weatherman,” he recalled.

Now Robinson comes full circle when he makes his feature film debut in the

hurricane-inspired “Because of Charley” at the Florida Film Festival in Maitland on Friday. It is the first COVID-compliant film to be shot in Florida during the pandemic.

Robinson stars alongside a talented ensemble cast led by veteran actor John Amos, who also starred in “Roots,” “Good Times” and the “Coming 2 America” movies.

The quirky comedy/drama takes place over the weekend that Hurricane Charley hit Central Florida in 2004. But the storm brewing outside is matched in intensity by the stormy scenes playing out between the estranged extended family members inside. It touches on race, sexuality, maintaining love relationships and the oftentreacherous territory of family dynamics.

“I love the way so many of these heavy topics are touched on, but in a really subtle way,” said Robinson.

“Everyone has their own little story going on at the exact same time. And that’s what life is like.”

Robinson’s challenge was portraying a complex backstory involving a character that never appears

on screen.

His character, Michael, is gay and is dating an older man. Meanwhile, Michael’s father has never openly accepted the young man’s lifestyle.

“I make a comment [in the film] about how my character’s father and I have a ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ policy with regard to my sexuality,” Robinson said. “Michael has a lot of negativity that he’s dealt with in his life, but he still has to somehow put on a brave face, wake up every day and go about his life.

That’s what I love about being an actor – I get use these experiences that I have had, or I have observed that other people have had, and channel them into something creative.”

For the actor, a pivotal moment in the film comes when his character realizes his stepsister not only accepts him but is on his side. It’s particularly significant because it represents the kind of acceptance that Robinson credits with saving his own life when he struggled with being bullied for pursuing his passions.

“I grew up in a place where sports really are a big part of the lifestyle. So, being a boy who was able to sing and act and dance, that wasn’t exactly the popular thing… especially in middle school,” Robinson said.

Middle school and the first have of high school were tumultuous times for Robinson.

“I had a lot of friends, but I remember feeling alone,” he said. “I didn’t really talk about being bullied.”

He did tell his parents, who offered their support.

“My parents kept telling me, ‘I know it seems impossible at the moment, but just forget about it and work hard, because in 10 or 15 years, you’re going to look back and be thankful that you kept going.’ And that’s what I did. I used all that bullying, the name-calling, the negativity that lasted for six years of my life, and I channeled it into this fire of, ‘No, I wanna win!’ I wanted to prove to 13-year-old me that it does pay off. It does get better,” he said.

But without his family cheering him on, the story might have had a very different ending.

“It was pretty bad. I know that if I didn’t have my family… I don’t know if I’d be standing here today. My family is the reason I made it through. So many kids don’t make it through that kind of bullying.

Daryl and Pat Robinson raised six children and built their businesses through hard work.

“Seeing how they built their lives, I thought, I wanna be like them. They

are the type of people that others aspire to be like because if you believe in yourself, work hard and surround yourself with a good support system, you can achieve anything,” Robinson said.

In the movie, Michael starts to see some of his walls come down and can reflect positively on his life.

The same seems to be true for the boy who once dreamed of hauling garbage and chasing storms.

“We had a private screening, and as I was walking up to the theater, outside I saw the title of the film, my name and photo outside and, I’m not going to lie, I had a lump in my throat,” he said. “Being in a movie was the goal for me… All those years of hard work all paid off, and it was a moment of, ‘Wow, I did it.’

I’m living this dream that I had as a kid.”

The Florida Film Festival runs from April 9 - 22. For information, tickets and to learn how to stream films at home, visit floridafilmfestival.com. Visit becauseofcharley.com for information about the film.

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Band of Brothers Above: World War II veterans sit together during a ceremony held in their honor at the VFW Veterans Village in Fort McCoy on April 2. Eight World War II veterans, including six who live at the VFW Veterans Village, were given certificates and coins of appreciation and they were able to reminisce and tell their stories. Left: Cyndie McQuaig, center, and Pam Lottman, second from right, laugh with World War II veterans, John Shearin, 94, a U.S. Navy veteran, left, and Peter Clemens, 93, a U.S. Navy submariner, right.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

AT in memory of Dick Hancock, Horse Fever Champion

CRITTERS BONNIE EADS

HOME SWEET HOME CARLYNNE HERSHBERGER

FESTIVALS OF SPEED THOROUGHBRED WEEKEND at WORLD EQUESTRIAN CENTER OCALA

SUNNY DAZE RONDA RICHLEY

VISIT OUR BOOTH MEET THE HORSES BUY A TICKET and You Could Win a Priceless Horse Fever 20th Anniversary Horse for $100 Online Raffle Tickets Are Available Now! Visit: www.biddingowl.com/MarionCulturalAlliance for complete details.

DERBY FAIRE HAT CONTEST LUXURY CAR SHOW

Benefitting MCA and its support of the arts in Ocala, Marion County The Giving Collection drawing is being conducted by Marion Cultural Alliance, Inc., located at 23 SW Broadway Street, Ocala, Florida 34471. Please note: Horses are 3D, life-size sculptures and actual designs may vary. The drawing will take place at 6pm on Friday, June 4, 2021 at Brick City Center for the Arts (home of Marion Cultural Alliance, Inc.). The winner of each horse (Sunny Daze, Critters, and Home Sweet Home) will be selected at random. Entrants do not have to be present to win. All three horses will be drawn and awarded. Winners will be notified by telephone. The suggested donation is $100 $1 per ticket. In accordance with state law, no purchase or contribution is required to enter. Please mail requests for a ticket to 23 SW Broadway Street, Ocala, Florida 34471. For questions, a complete list of rules, and prizes, please contact

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sisters for life “Crimes of the Heart” opens at Ocala Civic Theatre

Deion Bruce Howard as as Doc Porter, Ashlyn Gibbs as Chick Boyle and Kiersten Nicole Farley as Lenny Magrath, left to right. The play about the delightfully dysfunctional Magrath family of small-town Hazlehurst, MS is live on stage from April 8 to May 2. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Lizzy Allen as Meg Magrath, Lily Capote as Babe Botrelle and Kiersten Nicole Farley as Lenny Magrath, left to right. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

very tender, even serious moments.

“I think really the play is about what isolation will do to you and what being together will do for you,” she said, adding that it’s a particularly relatable theme as we emerge from a global pandemic.

Scenic designer Tyler Schank’s 1970s set is an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, complete with flowered wallpaper, an avocado green stove with matching Crock-Pot and the lace curtains and crocheted afghan that could be from grandma’s house.

So, will Lenny ever get to make her birthday wish?

Will it come true? You’ll have to go along on this sentimental journey to find out.

Lizzy Allen as Meg Magrath and Deion Bruce Howard as as Doc Porter, rehearse a scene. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

“Crimes of the Heart” runs from April 8 - May 2 with socially distanced performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and a 2 p.m. show on Saturday and Sunday at the theater, 4337 is aBlvd. theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They m E. Silver This Springs run in any but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring Tickets are availabledirection at each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 14 letters left ocalacivictheatre.com or by over.

They spell out the alternative theme thewas puzzle. calling (352) 236-2274.

The set of Crimes of theof Heart designed by Scenic Designer Tyler Schank.

WORD FIND

Fun in the water Solution: 14 Letters

© 2021 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

The spacious kitchen of their family home in smalltown Mississippi is where the three Magrath sisters are having an impromptu reunion after the youngest sister’s run-in with the law.

To be honest, none of them is having a good day.

Or a good year, for that matter. Babe, the youngest, hasn’t told anyone just how unhappy she is in her marriage to the state senator. Meanwhile the middle sister, Meg, tells everyone her Hollywood singing career is a success, but it’s not the whole story. And Lenny, ever the responsible oldest sibling, is having a crisis over turning 30 – a milestone birthday no one remembered.

“They have a lot of things to work through, and most of them, I think for the audience, will be very funny – although for the girls, it’s very serious,” explained director Trudy Bruner.

Just as you’d expect from three sisters who suddenly find themselves under the same roof, reminiscing

begins with giggling over the time Babe was “drunk on champagne punch” but digresses to jealous accusations of “you always got what you wanted” and builds to shouts of, “Meg, shut up! Why did you have to make Lenny cry?”

As only sisters can, the Magrath girls laugh, weep, and bring out the best and the worst in each other.

One thing they can agree on: judgy, gossipy cousin Chick, convincingly played

by Ashlyn Gibbs, can go on back next door where she belongs – even if they have to chase her off with a broom.

Ocala Civic Theatre newbie Lily Capote is endearing as the lovely and naive Babe. Kiersten Nicole Farley is relatable as big sis Lenny, and Lizzy Allen, playing rebel middle child Meg, shares some serious sparks with former flame Doc Porter, played by Deion Bruce Howard. Joshua Plante makes the most of his role as small town lawyer-with-a-vendetta Barnette Lloyd.

As Bruner noted, this Pulitzer prize-winning play is a comedy with some

Abate Birds Bondi Boogie Breaststroke Chop Coach Collision Contest Curl Dive Drink

Drop in Dude Dump Exhilarating Fads Foam Gnarly Grass Grit Heat Inside Kahuna

Laps Lennox Mistake Overarm Peak Rail Reentry Rescue Rips Sand Sets Shark

Shelter Skeg Slash Snack Spray Squad Steps Surf Swell Swim Tube

: Just play it safe

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette

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APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Community

Now The Villages Polo -5/23

4/13

Novels at Night Book Club

4/9

Marion Oaks Farmers Market

4/14

The Big Fix

4/9

Marion County Friday Market

4/14

1 Million Cups Ocala

4/14

Forest Readers Book Club

4/14

Lunch Bunch Book Club

4/14

Wednesday Midday Market

4/14

Graphic Novel Book Club

The Villages Polo Club, 703 N Buena Vista Blvd, The Villages 3pm Fridays, 1pm Sundays Watch competitive matches from the club’s elevated two-level stadium with optional tailgating. Visit thevillagespoloclub.com for tickets and more information.

4/9 4/9

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

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

Creepy Crawly Fuzzy Cute

Fort King National Historic Site, 3925 E Fort King St. 10am All ages are invited to examine bugs up close at this free program in the park. Visit ocalafl.org/recpark for more information.

After Dark in the Park: The Lorax

Tuscawilla Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave. 8:30pm Bring chairs or blankets and enjoy this free family movie based on the classic Dr. Seuss book. Visit ocalafl.org/recpark for more information.

Marion Public Library Headquarters, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd.

4pm Join a discussion of Gail Honeyman’s “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.” Call (352) 671-8551 to register.

Sheltering Hands, 10397 US Highway 27 and VOCAL, 6393 SW 52nd Street 8am-2pm Local animal welfare organizations are partnering for a one-day free cat sterilization event to help owned, feral and community cats. Visit vocalforpets.org to register owned cats and shelteringhands.org to register feral and community cats.

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

Forest Public Library, 905 S County Road 314A, Ocklawaha 10:30am Join a discussion of Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief.” Call (352) 438-2540 to register.

Dunnellon Public Library, 20351 Robinson Road, Dunnellon 1pm Bring your lunch and join a discussion of Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s “The Language of Flowers.” Call (352) 438-2520 to register.

4/9 -10

Magnolia Junkin’ Market

4/9 -11

PacWest Barrel Race

4/10

Marion Saddle Club Show

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S County Road 475 8am Spectators are welcome at Marion County’s oldest running hunter/jumper horse show. Visit mschorseshows.net for more information.

4/15

CEP 75 West Networks

4/10

April Three-Phase Schooling Show

4/15

Farmers Market

4/10

Ocala Downtown Market

4/15

CEP Equine Initiative Meeting

4/10

Brownwood Farmers Market

4/10

Two Sisters Vintage, 540 NE 14th St. 8am-3pm Shop vintage items, antiques and crafts from more than 50 vendors. Visit fb.com/twosistersvintagethrift for more information.

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion 5pm Friday, 12pm Saturday, 10am Sunday Barrel racing is a fast-paced equine sport with winners determined by fractions of inches and thousandths of a second.

Visit pacwestbarrelracing.com for more information.

Majestic Oaks Ocala, 17500 N US Highway 441, Reddick 8am Watch riders compete in all three phases of eventing – dressage, stadium jumping and cross country. Visit majesticoaksocala.com for more information.

310 SE Third St. 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, arts and crafts, rain or shine. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

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

Boomtown Days

Historic Downtown Dunnellon, W Pennsylvania Ave. and Cedar Street 9am-5pm Family fun will include a car show, pageants, wild west cowboy shows, live music, a pie eating contest and food and craft vendors. Visit dunnellonchamber.com for more information.

4/10 -11

Timberline Farm Butterfly & Blueberry Festival

4/10

Chasing Coral

4/11

Run for the Mutts

4/11

Classics and Cocktails: Citizen Kane

4/13

VetNet Networks Group

Timberline Farm, 3200 SE 115th St., Belleview 10am-6pm Saturday, 12pm-6pm Sunday Enjoy blueberry shortcake and blueberry plants for sale as well as family activities including a butterfly house and butterfly garden, train rides and hay rides, farm animals and crafts.

Visit timberlinefarm.net for more information.

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave. 5:15pm The free screening of the 2017 Netflix documentary exploring our disappearing coral reefs is part of a Water Conservation Month series. City of Ocala Water Resources Conservation Coordinator Rachel Slocumb will introduce the film and free popcorn will be provided courtesy of Water Resources. Visit mariontheatre.org for more information.

Cactus Jack’s, 23740 NE County Highway 314, Salt Springs 11:30am The seventh annual motorcycle ride to benefit the Humane Society of Marion County will stop at five locations throughout the county with live music, food and raffles. Call (352) 6530254 for more information.

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave. 4:30pm Experience the 1941 Oscar-winning film with a signature Rosebud cocktail. Visit mariontheatre.org for more information.

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9am Call Julian Sinisterra at (786) 566-1476 for more information about this veteran business owners’ networking group.

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St. 1-6pm Shop a selection of produce, meat, natural and handmade products and food trucks. ocaladowntownmarket.com

Marion Public Library Headquarters, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd.

5pm Adults are invited to join a discussion of Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga, Vol. 1.” Call (352) 671-8551 to register.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ocala, 4100 SW 40th St. 9am Contact Laurel Ziemann at (352) 817-6984 for more information on this referral networking group.

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

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S County Road 475 2-3:30pm Facility host Jason Reynolds will lead the group on a tour of the Florida Horse Park. Please bring a folding chair and wear comfortable shoes and a mask. Visit ocalacep.com for more information.

Now The Art of Adventure -4/25

Arts

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm An exhibition of 1970s serigraphs by Clayton Pond highlighting artworks from Pond’s “Leisure-time Obsessions Series.” Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Now Young in Art -4/25

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm Artwork created by Marion County Public School students highlights the importance of art education. More than 200 works from 42 schools are on display. The Superintendent’s Art Show in the museum café showcases one work selected from each school. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

B6

APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Government

Now -5/1

Then and Now

4/12

Marion County Development Review Committee

Now -5/7

Visual Arts Student Exhibition

4/12

City of Belleview Site Plan Committee

4/12

City of Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission

4/12

Dunnellon City Council

4/12

Marion County Historical Commission

4/13

Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District Board

4/13

Marion Oaks Recreation Services and Facilities Advisory Board

4/13

Ocala/Marion County TPO Technical Advisory Committee

4/13

Ocala/Marion County TPO Technical Advisory Committee

4/13

City of Belleview Planning & Zoning Board

4/13

Marion County License Review Board

4/13

Silver Springs Shores Tax Advisory Council

4/14

Marion County Code Enforcement Board

4/14

Marion County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee

4/15

Marion County Development Review Committee Staff Meeting

4/15

City of Ocala Brownfields Advisory Committee

Now -6/21

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm A collective show featuring works by Ocala Art Group members. Opening reception March 5, 5–6pm; exhibit open Tuesday-Saturday through May 1. Visit mcaocala.org for more information.

CF Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road 10am-4pm A variety of artworks created by College of Central Florida visual arts students will be on display Monday-Friday. Visit cf.edu for more information.

People

Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave. 9am-4pm This new exhibit of works by artist Shirley S. Wulff celebrates her memories, feelings and thoughts about collaborations with others. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

Now The Audience -6/25

Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration, 828 NE Eighth Ave. 9am-5pm A new exhibit featuring the paintings of Ocala-based Emmeline Basulto, artistically known as Embot, reflect herself in representational and abstract forms. Her works are also on display at the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center at 830 NE Eighth Avenue. Both locations are open Monday-Friday. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

Now -6/27 Now -5/2 Now -7/7 4/9

Luminous Worlds

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm An exhibition featuring the large abstract canvases of Kristin Herzog, a Naples, Florida-based artist and former civil engineering draftsman. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Crimes of the Heart

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd.

2 & 7:30pm Three sisters reunite amid scandal at their Mississippi childhood home in this 1970s Southern Gothic dramedy. Visit ocalacivictheatre.com for show times and tickets.

Spectrum of Creativity

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 9am-5pm This student and emerging artist competition features the work of high school students and artists with less than 10 years’ experience. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

Ocala Symphony String Orchestra Open Rehearsal

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St. 7pm Students and their families are invited to enjoy free admission and snacks and watch the Ocala Symphony String Orchestra rehearse for their upcoming concert. Visit reillyartscenter.com for more information.

4/10

Second Saturday Art Studio

4/10

Ocala Symphony String Orchestra

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. 12pm-3pm Artists of all levels and ages are invited to create their own masterpiece in the studio or courtyard. Visit fb.com/mcaocala for more information.

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St. 7:30pm This energetic concert will feature Samuel Barber’s “Adagio,” Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings” and New York composer Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst.” Visit reillyartscenter.com for tickets and more information.

4/10

The Soldier’s Tale

4/12 -19

Before I Die

4/13

Teaching Tuesday: Clay Monster

4/13

4/15

CF Charles R. Dassance Fine Arts Center, 3001 SW College Road 7:30pm The College of Central Florida Visual and Performing Arts Department will perform Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 Spanish Flu-era classic which will feature seven musicians, one narrator and one dancer. Visit cf.edu for free tickets and more information.

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

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 9am Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 5:30pm Also accessible online at https://zoom.us/j/97314299662. Call (352) 629-8404 for more information.

Dunnellon City Hall, 20750 River Dr., Dunnellon 5:30pm Call (352) 465-8500 for more information.

McPherson Government Complex, 601 SE 25th Ave. 6pm For more information, call Rolando Sosa at (352) 620-0944.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

9:30am Call (352) 438-2475 for more information.

Annex Building, 280 Marion Oaks Lane 9:30am The Board helps determine the budget and projects for the Marion Oaks Community Center. Call (352) 438-2828 for more information.

Marion County Public Library Headquarters, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

10:30am Call (352) 629-8297 for more information.

Marion County Public Library Headquarters, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

3pm Call (352) 629-8297 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 5:30pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

6pm The License Review Board hears and investigate complaints regarding competency of licensed contractors. Call (352) 4382428 for more information.

Silver Springs Shores Community Center, 590 Silver Road 6pm Call (352) 438-2810 for more information.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

9am The Code Enforcement Board hears and resolves cases in which there is a code violation dispute. Call (352) 671-8900 for more information.

Tuscawilla Art Park, 213 NE Fifth St. Sunrise-sunset This interactive art display is based on artist Candy Chang’s chalk painting prompting neighbors to answer the question “Before I die I want to ___.” Attendees are invited to add their hopes and ambitions. On April 16, Hospice of Marion County volunteers will be on-site from 10am-3pm to facilitate conversations about mortality and adding meaning to our daily lives. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

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

The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra

The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, 1051 Main St., The Villages 3 & 7pm The orchestra will perform classical works including Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 10 in B Minor” as well as Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Moscardi’s “Elegia Op. 28 for Viola and Orchestra.” Visit thesharon.com for tickets and more information.

Artist’s Outlook: Kristin Herzog

Virtual 7-8:15pm The Appleton Museum of Art will present a free Zoom talk with Florida artist Kristin Herzog, whose work is on view in the Appleton’s Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Green Clover Hall, 315 SE 25th Ave. 3:30pm Call (352) 671-8770 for more information.

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

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. 2:30pm Call (352) 629-8381 for more information.

B7

APRIL 9 - APRIL 15, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR 9

6:30pm Gilly & the Girl

9

La Cuisine French Restaurant

9

The Keep Downtown

10

7pm Tracy Byrd Circle Square Cultural Center

9

9

7pm Country Music All-Star Tribute Orange Blossom Opry

7pm The Big Bad

10

7pm Mike Smithson

10

2pm Mike Smithson

2:30 & 7pm James Carothers

11

11

NOMA Gallery

10

O’Calahans

11

7pm Grass Campers

12

11:30am Becky Sinn

11

7pm The Big Bad The Crazy Cucumber

15

2pm Charity Cox Timberline Farm

7pm Turn the Page Bob Seger Tribute Circle Square Cultural Center

4pm Gilly & the Girl Bank Street Patio Bar

Pi on Broadway

4pm Becky Sinn

2:30 & 7pm Dailey & Vincent Orange Blossom Opry

Bank Street Patio Bar

Orange Blossom Opry

10

11

7pm Charity Cox Horse & Hounds

Eaton’s Beach

The Crazy Cucumber

9

10

8pm Becky Sinn

7pm John Johnson Horse & Hounds

15

2pm The 4Play Band Eaton’s Beach

7pm Orange Blossom Showcase Orange Blossom Opry

Fresh Water Fun The Ocala Wetland Recharge Park recently opened new educational exhibits at the park, 2105 NW 21st St. The park first opened in September but closed temporarily for the installation of the new exhibits, which include information about the importance of water conservation.

One exhibit allows for a walkthrough of a wetland and gives information about the animals and organisms that live in the habitat. The exhibits are free and open to the public. For information about the park, visit wetlandpark.ocalafl.org or call 352-351-6772. [Submitted photos]

Spring a Shelter Pet Special: Half off adoption fees in April View more adoptable pets at www.marioncountyfl.org/animal Adoption price includes up-to-date vaccinations, county license, microchip and spay/neuter surgery.

Cleveland

Skittles

Best Furry Friend Loyal 5-year-old mixed breed male dog wants to be someone’s sidekick. He’s friendly with other calm, good-natured dogs but prefers a home without farm animals or cats.

Seriously Singular Uniquely marked 1 1/2-year-old shorthaired female cat seeks placement as a Working Whisker. This program places less social felines where they can help with rodent control.

352.671.8700

Answers for pages B4

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

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