Ocala Gazette | May 6 - May 12, 2022

Kentucky Derby - May 7 Page A8

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 18

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022

MARION REDISTRICTING

City management shuffle

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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he Florida Constitution directs the Legislature to redraw district boundaries during its regular session in the second year following results from the U.S. census, which is performed every 10 years.

Florida gained one congressional seat due to population growth, for a total of 28. Lawmakers crafted a bipartisan redistricting plan that would have increased the GOP’s 16-11 advantage by two seats.

However, in March, Gov. Ron

DeSantis vetoed that map. He called for a special session in April, during which the Republicancontrolled Legislature approved DeSantis’ proposed map, which gives the GOP a 20-8 edge.

Several groups, including the League of Women Voters, have filed suits challenging the constitutionality of DeSantis’ plan, saying it violates the state’s anti-gerrymandering standards – called Fair Districts – that the voters approved in 2010.

Opponents also point out the new map unfairly impacts Black voters because it dismantles districts with predominately African

American majorities.

While the courts consider the issues raised, supervisors of elections all over the state are gearing up for the primary and general elections later this year that will use the new maps.

In an interview last week with Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox, the Gazette explored the implications for Marion County voters.

The changes for each office up for election this year are identified in the infographics that follow.

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he Ocala City Council has unanimously voted against a development agreement for a Georgia company, Catalyst Development Partners II, LLC, to build a multifamily residential development consisting of a maximum of 320 units on the east side of Southwest 43rd Court in the 3600 block, across from Saddlewood Elementary.

The May 3 regular meeting was standing room only, with many members of the public sitting just outside the meeting room chamber, lined up down the aisles and into the downstairs lobby.

After two prior public hearings on March 1 and March 15, council postponed their vote on April 19.

The development agreement

considered by the council would have would have allowed 12 units per acre, under “R-3 Multi-family Residential” zoning classification.

Attorney for the applicant, Fred Roberts, argued to the council that the city had previously anticipated future land use for the property to be “Medium Intensity/Special District,” which would allow for a minimum of five units per acre and a maximum of 30 units per acre.

City staff had previously expressed apprehensions about congestion in the area of the proposed development, according to city documents, including a lack of infrastructure for schools and roads specifically.

Council member Jay Musleh said that the city seemed to expect that the addition of improved infrastructures would

Tye Chighizola, director of Growth Management for the City of Ocala, showed a map to the council illustrating 16 projects in the corridor that Saddlewood Elementary is positioned within, equaling a possible 8,600 units, many of which multifamily or mixed-use.

Regarding school district overcrowding, council member Barry Mansfield asked Chighizola how he thought the city was going to work with the school board on remedying the issue. Chighizola said that most of the overcrowding in the schools was taking place in the southwest corridor, affecting Osceola Middle School within the city and West Port High

See Public, page A9

See Pete, page A10

See Redistricting maps, page A4

solve a lot of the traffic and school capacity issues associated with the development.

“And it probably will,” said Musleh. “But we haven’t seen it yet. And we don’t know when we’re going to see it. It could be 18 or 24 months from now.

It could be 36 months. This is unlike any development that I’ve seen up here for the last 10 years and voted on and approved. It’s a very intensive corridor.”

Regarding his vote, Musleh said, “We should delay it until we have seen the roadway constructed and completed.”

“I think we should have the infrastructure at least paid for before we approve this,” he added.

Council member James Hilty argued that the proposed development was not smart growth at its current point.

Council member Kristen Dreyer echoed her fellow council

Interim City Manager, Peter Lee

At the April 19 meeting, after Wilson was dismissed, Lee was appointed interim city manager.

There was no council discussion of other possible candidates.

Lee has worked for Ocala in the growth management department for 20 years.

He skipped past being a department head to being named assistant city manager on July 6, 2021, the same day former City Councilmember Justin Grabelle moved, unsuccessfully, to fire Wilson over her dismissal of then-Ocala Fire Chief Shane Alexander.

Parties involved in the 2021 action against Wilson confirmed to the Gazette that Lee would have been their choice for interim city manager had the vote passed that day.

That promotion, however, boosted Lee’s annual salary from $85,000 to $150,000. As interim city manager, his base salary is $225,500.

The Ocala/Marion Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) had specifically requested Wilson promote Lee last year from working in the Growth Management office to assistant city manager. Wilson said that when the CEP made that request, she had already been considering promoting Lee because he worked well with and was liked by those in the business community. She said

City council thwarts proposed development after hearing concerns from community

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

he Ocala City Council this week tied up loose ends related to last month’s surprising dismissal of former City Manager Sandra Wilson by agreeing to a severance pay amount for her while also signing off on the promotion of Peter Lee to interim city manager.

City council unanimously agreed during its May 3 meeting that Wilson, who was fired at the end of the council’s April 19 meeting, had been dismissed without cause and therefore was entitled to payment under the remainder of her contract, which was set to expire in October this year.

The severance payout to Wilson totals $294,227. In exchange, Wilson signed a General Release of any claims she would have brought against the city related to her employment.

With more than 30-combined years of municipal government experience, Wilson was the first Black person, male or female, to hold the city manager post.

Prior to taking over the top spot, she had been assistant city manager and director of human resources and risk management.

As city manager, she received an annual base salary of $225,500.

members’ sentiments after hearing public concerns.

Busy Corridor Challenges

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Election Integrity.......................... A2 Sadie’s Column.............................. A3 State News.................................... A11 Mt. Moriah Turns 155................. B1 Calendar......................................... B5

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Wilcox answers questions on new election legislation aimed at maintaining voting integrity

File photo: Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox on June 29, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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he Ocala “Gazette” sat down with Marion County’s Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox to discuss how SB 524 recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis impacts local voters Wilcox, a Republican now in his third term, is also president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections, an organization consisting of all the state’s election supervisors. In that role, he gained insights into the concerns of the Legislature and the state’s elections supervisors as this bill and other election-related measures evolved during this past legislative session.

Parts of the bill that have received considerable national attention are the creation of a new office purportedly to ensure ballot integrity and enhanced penalties associated with election law violations.

The new Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Florida Department of State will aid the Secretary of State with investigating election law violations or irregularities. The office is also tasked with annually reporting allegations of reported “election law violations or election irregularities.”

The Florida Department of State has historically overseen enforcing matters related to election activity. The department’s website called Florida the “model for successful election administration in the 2020 election cycle” and reported receiving 262 Elections Fraud Complaint forms, referring 75 of them to law enforcement or prosecuting authorities.

In addition to the Florida Department of State, the bill also expands the governor’s current authority to “appoint special officers by requiring the governor to, in consultation with the executive director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, appoint special officers to investigate alleged violations of election laws.”

The measure also increases penalties for certain election law violations. The annual cap on fines assessed against a third-party voter registration effort that does not timely deliver completed voter registration applications goes from $1,000 to $50,000.

The severity of criminal penalties for ballot harvesting and crimes related to ballot petition signatures was upped and criminal penalties for early disclosure of election results were expanded. It also requires authorized observers of voteby-mail ballot duplication to sign an affidavit acknowledging they are subject to the penalty.

A new penalty was created for people collecting applications on behalf of an organization if they are found guilty of altering an application without consent. In that case, the organization would be subject to a fine of $1,000 per altered application.

The measures come amid continuing, and widely debunked, complaints by supporters of President Trump that the

2020 election was somehow fraudulent.

DeSantis himself praised Florida’s performance in tallying the vote. “The way Florida did it inspires confidence,’’ he said in November 2020. “We’re now being looked at as the state that did it right.’’

So what problems, Wilcox was asked, are these new laws in response to?

“First, there are persistent myths around elections and no matter how untrue and how long we fought against said myth, it persists,” he said.

He offered two common myths about the integrity of voting-by-mail or what some call absentee voting.

“There’s a myth that we don’t check any of the signatures on the vote-by-mail ballots. And then there’s a myth that we throw out a whole lot of these ballots.

Both of those myths are counter to each other, but they get repeated often and both of them are absolutely false. Some of this [legislation] is in response to myths that continue to perpetuate,” he said. “That being said, I do also see some necessity out of this.

“You ask if there is an uptick in election violations or election law violations? Well, I do think there is. More are being discovered in today’s world, but the reason they are is because of the advocacy of the supervisors of elections.

We are catching more.”

One example Wilcox points to is Florida joining the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a 2017 decision he said was supported by both parties and unanimously by all 67 supervisors of elections. “(ERIC) consists of over 30 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia.

What it allows us to do is to check our voter records to see if there’s also a voter in Michigan or Texas or someplace else (with the same information). This allows us to remove duplicates across state lines.”

“There was no national voter registration database,’’ he continued, “nor would I ever advocate for such. But the ERIC consortium allows us to come together and check across state lines and remove those duplicates. It allows us to find those people who may have voted by mail or absentee in Michigan and then went to an early voting site here in the state of Florida.

“I think there have been four people who are being prosecuted out of Sumter County because we were able to isolate these. It’s going to enhance our position of if you attempt to cheat in the state of Florida, we’re going to prosecute you.”

While Wilcox is quick to point out that four ballots in a pool of 100,000 ballots cast is a minuscule number, he does believe people knowing there are mechanisms for prosecuting election crimes could be a deterrent.

“I want this institution to be as secure as possible. It’s very important to me that everybody who is eligible to vote has an opportunity, but nobody has an opportunity to cheat the system,” Wilcox said.

“Challenges that we as supervisors have faced in the past because of the legal system is that there has been no

all-inclusive entity to where if I find something of concern, I can go say, OK, here’s where I take it to. So, if this new office allows us as supervisors to have a unified reporting agent.”

When asked about the concerns of some about this new office, Wilcox agrees that if this office was ever used as a political tool, it would be detrimental to the system and something he would not be in favor of.

Wilcox hopes that the measure gives Secretary of State Laurel Lee, someone he esteems, more personnel to do prosecutions and investigations.

“So, if this agency just becomes a catchall for these issues, that’s good.”

Wilcox also feels the other possible positive coming from this agency is that it could help election supervisors across the state who are being inundated with unfounded allegations of election fraud.

“We check that, we check this, and they’ve all been unfounded, and I can document that their allegation or their premise is false,” Wilcox said. But the unfounded allegations just keep coming.

“With this new office, I’m going to say: Here you go. Let them come in and say there’s nothing there.”

Wilcox hopes having one entity compiling the complaints, which he speculates will be numerous, will provide a clear picture of how many are frivolous or unfounded.

Asked about concerns voiced by critics that the special elections units could be used to intimidate voters and elections supervisors, Wilcox said, “I understand the concern. But I operate in the sunshine, and I have no concerns whatsoever with any of my operations. If at any point in time there’s anything in here you want to come see, I’m confident enough in what we do – you can come look.”

Maintenance of voter lists

The bill increases the frequency with which voter list maintenance must be conducted, revises options supervisors of elections may use for identifying changeof-address information, and specifies voter addresses those supervisors of elections must use in conducting list maintenance activities.

Wilcox said much of this is already in place.

“I don’t see anything in this process that is going to require me to do any massive changes of what I do, because my goal as supervisor is to have the most accurate voter rolls at any point in time.

“About 10% of our population moves every three months, and that’s just reality.

And so it’s a constant process all the time,’’ he said.

Because look- I’m about to mail a new voter card to 275,000 voters. It is in my best interest to have an accurate address for you, because if I don’t, it costs me money and time,’’ he said. “If I’ve got your accurate address, it goes to you one time and it’s done. When you move, it’s going to come back to me as undeliverable.

Somebody here now has to process that and then update your address and mail you a new one.’’

One potential problem he hopes will be fixed before being implemented in 2023 is the requirements to mail address confirmation requests and final notices customarily tied to voter list maintenance to a physical residential address. The voter notices are required pursuant to Fla. Statutes 98.065 and 98.075 to maintain the “active” and “inactive” voter rolls.”

But the small town of McIntosh is exhibit A in how this process can be derailed: McIntosh does not have postal service to voters’ legal residences.

“If you live in McIntosh and don’t vote in two consecutive federal elections, I have to mail a notice to your house on 412 Avenue H. There is no postal delivery whatsoever to that address, so it’s coming back to me as undeliverable.

Now I’m going to have to come back and mail something to every address I have on file- which once again comes back to me as undeliverable. I’m going to have to mail you something again to Avenue H and now to your P.O. box. Now the one I send to your P.O. box is going to get to you, but the other one is going to again be undeliverable.

“Our goal as we move into the next legislative session is to be able to come in and isolate that particular section of it, and, you know, make necessary changes

to it.”

When asked if this “inactive” status could deter disenfranchised voters, from returning to vote, Wilcox replied, “There’s got to be some voter ownership here, OK? If I’ve done my diligence attempting to contact you, mailed everything I have and I don’t know where you are, then this gives you four years to do something, anything.”

“Anything” according to Wilcox includes things such as signing a candidate petition, an voter initiative petition, or voting in any election whether it be local or federal brings a voter “back to active.”

Voter initiatives

The law also authorizes that amendment review processes will be halted if the validity of signatures for an initiative petition have expired. It revises retention, maintenance, and websiteposting requirements for petition signature forms.

“We do most of the processing of a citizen initiative on an odd-numbered year because they have a deadline to be turned by Feb. 1 in an even-numbered years, if they want it to make the ballot in November. In 2021, we processed and verified or looked at 130,000 to 140,000 signatures in Marion County alone.”

According to Wilcox, the petition signatures are turned in to his office in batches of thousands at a time. Since they have a certain percentage of voters across the entire state or in certain congressional districts, some petitions could have more signatures.

“And every one of those signatures is checked by someone in my office,” he said.

Last year, Wilcox estimates that almost 1,000 signatures were identified as questionable and turned over to authorities for investigation. Those signatures were related to five or six petition signature “gatherers” who may have exchanged their lists back and forth.

According to Wilcox, these gatherers were flagged because the voter information they were turning in was not matching Wilcox’s office’s records.

“They made a real wonderful mistake and turned in an initiative petition signed

by Wesley Wilcox. And then I think it was the next day one came in for my wife.”

“This is why I don’t call it purported fraud because I know for a fact at least two records and I’ve got documentation on a couple hundred more that I know they’re fraudulent also. But I can personally say I know two of them are now. We found this and we started turning it over to the Secretary of State’s office.”

That was mid-November. By midDecember, Wilcox said it was turned over to the attorney general’s office.

When Wilcox didn’t hear anything, he reached out to State Attorney William Gladson, who had already interviewed the person who said they witnessed Wilcox’s signature. The state attorney’s office could only confirm that it was investigating Wilcox’s report, but could not discuss details of the pending investigation.

Exploring new systems for verifying identities

The bill tasks the Florida Department of State with submitting a plan to use identifying numbers to confirm the identity of each voter returning a vote-bymail ballot.

Wilcox says the original legislation proposed the voter not only sign their mail-in ballot but also include either a driver’s license number or last four digits of a Social Security number, and the need for another envelope.

When supervisors expressed concerns about this requirement and the potential for identity fraud, another idea surfaced that would include coming up with a number for each voter that could not be used for the same purpose but wouldn’t pose a risk.

In some cases, depending on when a person applied to vote and the requirements that were in place at that time, Wilcox may not have their driver’s license number or Social Security to verify identity against.

When asked during the interview how many people are we talking in Marion County fit these circumstances, Wilcox quickly answered, but with a chuckle, “17 people.”

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

COMMENTARY

Relationships, not just retail: Local clothing store owner passes the torch to a new generation Editor’s Note:

Sadie Fitzpatrick uses this space to explore the character and quirks that make Ocala uniquely wonderful and occasionally irksome.

By Sadie Fitzpatrick sadie@ocalagazette.com

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new suit can take you places.

A new suit can dance with your high school sweetheart at your senior prom, help you land that coveted job, and start a new life together at your wedding.

For almost 60 years, men in Ocala have purchased their suits for these major milestones from Greiner’s, a haven for fine men’s fashion located in downtown Ocala.

The witness to many of these men’s major life events has been David DeSantis, owner and operator of Greiner’s.

“It is an honor that people trust me and want to invite me in to what’s going on in their lives. We’ve dressed men for proms, graduations, weddings, and unfortunately, funerals,” DeSantis explained.

After a 28-year stint as Ocala’s go-to fine clothier, DeSantis is moving on.

In April, he closed on the sale of Greiner’s to Steve and April Dixon along with Chris Harris, the owners of Beau Outfitters in Jacksonville. Greiner’s will retain its name, its staff, and its current product line.

Augie Greiner opened his eponymous clothing store in 1962. The store soon evolved into a fine clothing establishment, becoming Ocala’s very own haberdashery.

DeSantis served as a mainstay at Greiner’s since he began working there as a fresh-faced college student in July 1994.

He was brought on as a business partner

in 2001 when Bill Davis purchased the business from Augie Greiner. In 2013, DeSantis purchased Greiner’s from Davis, becoming sole owner and operator.

Over the years, DeSantis revolutionized this venerable men’s clothing store by introducing a blend of up-and-coming clothing brands like Free Fly with more well-established brands like Hickey Freeman. He also offered clothing at varying price points, providing quality products for every budget. He transformed Lady Greiner’s, the women’s side of the store, from a dated establishment to a light and airy destination for beautiful, on-trend women’s clothing in Her Kloset at Greiner’s.

The attention to detail and excellent customer service Ocalans grew to expect from Greiner’s never wavered despite the major changes brought to the brand.

DeSantis understands the unique nature of his former job. It allowed him to serve as a small part of an individual’s momentous life events. The intimate, trusting environment he created made people feel comfortable enough to chat with him as he carefully took their measurements while standing before the large fitting mirror.

He noted, “Through this business, I’ve been able to meet so many people that I wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise.

I’ve been able to meet a lot of interesting people and hear a lot of interesting stories.

I’m fascinated by what people do or what people have done. There are so many different things out there—people work so hard, they’re so creative. It’s just so fascinating to hear about people’s lives, especially for someone like me who was born and raised in Ocala and haven’t really traveled a lot. To hear what people have done in their lives is just amazing.”

Shopping at Greiner’s is an unhurried, pleasant experience, a rarity in this age of fast-paced consumerism. Upon entering the store, you are greeted enthusiastically by name. There are no pushy salespeople, just DeSantis and one or two of the high school boys on staff to help find any sizes or styles you may need. You can linger among the tables of neatly folded shirts on display or run your hands along the beautiful, buttery soft fabric of the suit jackets lining the walls. You’re encouraged to take your time finding the right item of clothing for you or your loved one. Once you’ve made your purchase, your item is carefully wrapped in tissue paper and placed in the distinct green paper bag with gold embossed lettering that is Greiner’s signature.

DeSantis learned the styles and fits that best suited his regular customers, committing their measurements to memory. He would pull aside shirts or ties he thought the wives and daughters of his customers could purchase for birthdays, Christmas, and Father’s Day. Through years in the business, he can now pinpoint a man’s shirt size based on the breadth of his shoulders.

This convivial atmosphere he provided at Greiner’s created customers and friends for life.

“I grew up going with my dad to Greiner’s.

A couple of

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months ago, I took my 4-year-old son to Greiner’s to get fitted for a suit for my brother’s wedding with my grandpa, who is my son’s great grandpa. It’s pretty cool that four generations shopped for the same suit,” said Danielle Hampy, an Ocala native.

DeSantis believes in giving back to the community that has given him so much.

He’s done so by providing auction items for nonprofit events, sponsoring youth sports teams, and collecting funds for a variety of community causes. DeSantis never boasts about his involvement with these philanthropic endeavors.

Ryan Barhoush, who grew up in Ocala and currently lives in Washington, D.C., offered a testament to DeSantis’ underthe-radar generosity. He said, “David and humility go hand-in-hand. When I was 19, the week my mom passed away, I came in to Greiner’s to buy a suit for the funeral.

My dad was in the Middle East taking care of my uncle, so I didn’t have a way to pay for the suit while he was gone. David still let me pick out a great suit, tailored it, rush ordered it so I would have it in time, and told me I could pay for it whenever my dad got back in town. It was one of the nicest things anyone did for me, and I will always remember that.”

Though DeSantis isn’t sure what his next career move will entail, he’s embracing the beauty of the unknown. He is confident that the Dixons and Harris, along with new general manager Alex Hebert, will continue to take care of Greiner’s loyal customers.

“In the end, people don’t come to Greiner’s just to buy clothes—they come for service, for community, for friendship. That’s what they can find,” said DeSantis.

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Redistricting maps New U.S. Congressional District

Continued from page A1

Effective 11/2022

*Filed to run in District 3:

*Filed to run in District 6:

Incumbent Kat Cammack (REP) Manuel P. Asensio (REP) Justin James Waters (REP) Danielle Nicole Hawk (DEM) Andrew Preston Robinson (DEM) Milton Sumpter Jr. (DEM) Tom Beckwith Wells (DEM)

Incumbent Michael Waltz (REP) Charles E. Davis (REP) Richard Thripp (DEM) Joseph “Joe” Hannoush (LPF) John G. “Gerry” Nolan (NPA)

This information is provided as a visual representation only and is not intended to be used as a legal or official representation of legal boundaries.

Created by the Marion County Election Center, April 2022/cn

Change: Marion County reduces its number of congressional seats from 3 to 2.

New State House District *Filed to run in District 21:

Effective 11/2022

Incumbent Yvonne Hayes Hinson (DEM) is jumping from district 20 (Marion and Alachua) Hollye Gabrielle Merton (REP)

*Filed to run in District 20: Incumbent Bobby Payne (REP) is jumping from district 19 (Bradford, Putnam, Union and part of Clay) and running unopposed

*Filed to run in District 23: Robert Matthew Bagdanovich (REP) Rebecca Kay Bays (REP) Tod Gordon Cloud (REP) Ralph E. Massullo Jr (REP) Nancy Sue Pierson (DEM) Paul John Reinhardt (REP)

*Filed to run in District 27:

*Filed to run in District 24: Incumbent Joe Harding (REP) is jumping from district 22 (Levy and part of Marion) and runs unopposed.

Incumbent Stan McClain (REP) jumps from district 23 (Marion) and runs unopposed.

This information is provided as a visual representation only and is not intended to be used as a legal or official representation of legal boundaries.

Created by the Marion County Election Center, April 2022/cn

Change: Marion County jumps from 4 house seats to 5.

New School Board District Effective 12/2022

*Filed to run in District 5: Taylor Smith is running unopposed after Parish Tanner withdrew his application.

*Filed to run in District 4: Incumbent Nancy B. Thrower is unchallenged.

*Filed to run in District 2:

*Filed to run in District 3:

Joseph Suranni Lori Conrad

Incumbent Eric Ruben Cummings Steve Swett This information is provided as a visual representation only and is not intended to be used as a legal or official representation of legal boundaries.

Created by the Marion County Election Center, April 2022/cn

Note: School board is a nonpartisan race.

Change: Slight impact to district lines, however, no current school board member finds themselves living outside their district. *Candidates must qualify by June 17.

Maps courtesy of Wesley Wilcox, Supervisor of Elections

A5

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

New State Senate District Effective 11/2022

*Filed to run in District 9: Incumbent Keith Perry (REP) Rodney J. Long (DEM)

This information is provided as a visual representation only and is not intended to be used as a legal or official representation of legal boundaries.

Created by the Marion County Election Center, April 2022/cn

Change: Marion County reduces its number of senate seats from 3 to only 1, shifting senators Dennis Baxley and Jennifer Bradley to run in districts outside Marion County.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

By JoAnne Willits

W

hatever political garbage piles up at the state and national levels begins at the local level.

Disinterested citizens who do not vote or who endorse bad decisions by office holders contribute to the garbage. Voting for people who denigrate another’s

religion or ethnicity, ones who don’t do their jobs vetting bad advice from attorneys and voting for people who spend time plotting against a competent employee in order to advance a “son of old Ocala” to the position puts us on the fast track to the land fill.

We argue and agonize about what goes on in state and national government, but

truthfully there is very little we can do once the stench reaches Tallahassee or DC. Where we do have a voice is in our local government. Your vote counts at the local level where you likely as not know the candidates, their character, and have a vested interest in the issues.

When office holders and the professionals who serve them whine

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in public about “being picked on” and “getting their feelings hurt” that says the press is doing their job. If we pay attention to the investigative journalism in our local papers telling “the rest of the story,” we can make informed decisions about the kinds of people we want to represent us and the way we want to live.

A6

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

TAYLOR SMITH FILES TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 5 AS LONE CANDIDATE AFTER PARISH TANNER WITHDRAWS CANDIDACY

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

T

Incumbent Kelly King has yet to file her intent to defend seat Taylor Smith [Supplied]

aylor Smith has filed her intent to run for the office of Marion County School Board District 5 in the 2022 election cycle, according to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website.

When asked why she decided to run, Smith, 24, said she believes that the public education system in America is broken and just throwing money at the problem doesn’t always fix the issue.

“We cannot continue to operate the same way and expect better outcomes,” Smith said.

“My education was not the same as my parents. We must reexamine what we’re teaching our students.”

If elected, Smith said she would work to resolve the “problematic” issue of cell phones in classrooms; she would incentivize students to arrive to class on time, engaged and ready to learn; and she would enhance vocational opportunities for students.

“Instead of spending millions on a new school board location, let’s build an equine vocational facility where many students could attain jobs in our equine industry,” she said.

Parental involvement is another issue of great concern to Smith who said she wants parents

to know she is in their corner.

“I believe it is a parent’s right to know everything occurring in their child’s education,” Smith said, adding that parents should “have a say” as well.

Growing up on a farm, Smith learned how to break and train wild mustangs when she was only 16 and still attending West Port High School. She graduated in 2016. She said she now lives and works on the Circle T farm where as manager she helps breed thoroughbred horses and cattle.

Smith is the only active-filed candidate for the District 5 seat. Parish Tanner, who had previously filed to run, withdrew from the race, according to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website. Smith currently has $0 in contributions as of April 26. Current District 5 board member Kelly King, elected in 2018, has yet to file her intent to run in 2022 as of this reporting.

The voter registration deadline is July 25.

Election Day will be held on Aug. 23. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Early voting begins on Aug. 13 and runs through to Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The mail ballot request deadline is Aug. 13 by 5 p.m. (Mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m.

Election Day to be counted.)

SURANNI FILES TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 2 SEAT

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

J

oseph Suranni has filed his intent to run for the District 2 seat on the Marion County School Board in the 2022 election cycle, according to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website.

“Our children and our parents, as well as our schools, deserve a strong voice with the experience that I have,” Suranni told the Gazette as his reason for running.

Suranni earned his B.A. at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, in 2002, before receiving his MBA at Webster University (2005) and later his Masters in Education at Saint Leo University (2007). He also did some post-graduate work specializing in education at Saint Leo in 2009.

Working for Marion County Public Schools for nearly 16 years, Suranni said that he feels like he’s done almost every job in the school district at one time or another.

“I started as an ESC teacher. I’ve taught just about every special education course that you can teach, at varying levels. And then I moved into a dean job at the elementary level,” said Suranni.

Serving as an assistant principal for three years at Reddick-Collier Elementary, Suranni has also worked at Shady Hill Elementary and was Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) regional facilitator at the Florida State Department of Education from 2005 to 2006.

Currently, he is student services manager at Belleview-Santos Elementary.

He has worked there since 2006.

“I’ve had my hand in just about everything that the school system does,” Suranni said.

Two major issues top Suranni’s platform: the first is that the school board should be a better steward of taxpayer money.

“I want the spending to mirror what the constituents want spent,” he said.

“I’m a firm believer in the saying it’s people not programs that help children. I want to put more people in classrooms to help students.”

His second major issue is to build a better partnership between family, school and community—all while admitting he isn’t sure just how to accomplish the difficult feat. He just knows it needs to be done.

“I’ll have to get out on the hickory stump and talk to people and help make school a more inviting place for parents to come back to,” Suranni said. “I don’t know where that ideal has gone but it’s gotten lost.”

Suranni joins Lori Conrad as the other active-filed candidate for the District 2 seat.

According to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website, Suranni currently has $0 in contributions as of April 29, while his opponent has $26,500 in total monetary contributions as of the same date, with $35.63 in expenditures and distributions.

Current District 2 board member Don Browning, appointed by Gov. Ron

DeSantis in 2021, has yet to file his intent to run in 2022 as of this reporting.

School board races are nonpartisan and are four-year terms. Board members are elected countywide but must live in the district they represent. The job pays $39,732 plus benefits.

The voter registration deadline is July 25. Election Day will be held on Aug. 23.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Early voting begins on Aug. 13 and runs through to Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The mail ballot request deadline is Aug. 13 by 5 p.m. (Mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. Election Day to be counted.)

T

he body of 21-year-old May Craft was found in the early morning hours of July 5, 2003, dumped on the side of a road in Anthony. About 6:40 a.m., a passing motorist in the 5300 block of NE 97th Street Road (also known as Burbank Road), noticed the body on the road’s shoulder and called the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office.

An MCSO investigator arrived at the scene at 6:55 a.m. and saw the body, partially covered with a white bed sheet.

After contacting EMS and upon pulling the bloodstained sheet back, the first responders observed a white female with brown hair. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Later, she was positively identified as May Craft, 5 feet tall, weighing 140 pounds.

A news media report published after the body was found stated the MCSO [Supplied]

listed the cause of death as asphyxiation caused by strangulation, and that Craft had been beaten severely about her face.

May Craft had stayed at the Shangri La Motel on S. Pine Avenue, Ocala, for less than the preceding 48 hours, news reports said at the time. She was last seen there about 8 p.m. July 4 near her room.

A description of the man she was seen leaving the motel with has not turned up any leads. This person is still being sought for questioning. However, authorities said it remains unclear whether she met someone else later that night.

The old newspaper account listed her father’s address in Ossineke, Michigan.

No other personal information was forthcoming, although the news story said Craft was formerly of Hillsborough County.

The article identified Craft as a “South Pine prostitute,” which also stated that status did not

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

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Joseph Suranni [Supplied]

DO YOU REMEMBER MAY CRAFT?

By Eadie Sickler Correspondent

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

change the MCSO investigation priority.

Since this crime occurred 19 years ago and has no known suspect, it is classified by law enforcement as a “cold case.”

However, MCSO still considers this case “pending, and active.” It has not been forgotten.

The earlier news report noted more than 1,300 investigative staff hours had been spent at that time, involving dozens of interviews and searching for clues to the killer of May Craft.

The MCSO Cold Case Unit investigators continue to work on the case, dedicating many hours to the search for justice. It is their hope that someone seeing this retelling might remember something, however seemingly insignificant, and be willing to report it to the MCSO. It might just be the missing piece of the puzzle of May Craft’s murder.

If you have any information, call Detective John Lightle at 352-369-6715.

Citizens can phone anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 368-STOP, or 368-7867.

If your tip to Crime Stoppers leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Ocala Gazette is published weekly by Magnolia Media Company, LLC, 1515 NE 22nd Avenue, Ocala, FL 34470.

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A7

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Craig Damon named FHSAA executive director elect

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

I

n a historical moment, the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to name Craig Damon as FHSAA executive director elect on April 23.

Damon, a 1987 graduate of North Marion High School who served in multiple roles at his alma mater, will become the 11th executive director of the association and the first Black person to hold the position. He is set to replace FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn, who is retiring after five years of service.

“I am very excited and very grateful for the opportunity,” Damon told the “Gazette” last week. “Ever since I got into

“My challenge is to take the gift I was given and use it to impact more people in a positive way and on a larger scale.”

Craig Damon

education back in 1993, I have always wanted to have an impact on students, and now I can at the highest level in the state.”

Collectively, Damon has 29 years of experience in interscholastic athletics. He has been an FHSAA staff member since 2013, where he started as a director of Athletics before being promoted to associate executive director of Eligibility & Compliance.

Contract negotiations are expected to begin immediately between Damon, FHSAA President Doug Dodd and Leonard Ireland, the association’s legal counsel.

“The board followed a guided process to hire an exceptional candidate,” said Dodd in an FHSAA press release. “From the application process through the final interviews, board members worked diligently to select a well-qualified and experienced candidate in Craig Damon.”

“I am confident he will continue to advance [the FHSAA] in the years to come and serve our student-athletes well,” he added.

Prior to his tenure with the FHSAA, Damon served as a dean, athletic director, teacher and coach at North Marion High School in his hometown of Ocala. He graduated from North Marion in 1987.

One of the biggest issues Damon said he would like to tackle coming into his

position would be the general disconnect between the association and state schools after a devastating two years of COVID-19.

“We had to cancel sports in the spring of 2020. We started schools back up, started sports back up, but not everyone could start back. Some started at different times. We need face-to-face interaction with folks again. I’m looking forward to that challenge of reconnecting with our membership,” he said.

Damon said growing up in Marion County has taught him gratitude for the coaches, teachers, and mentors who have guided him in the right directions since he was a child. It was a gift, he explained, one he doesn’t take for granted as he takes on his new role at the FHSAA. “My challenge is to take the gift I was given and use it to impact more people in a positive way and on a larger scale,” he said.

When asked about North Marion’s wellknown motto “NorthSide Pride,” Damon credited it as something he learned early in life as a North Marion Colt, and something he still carries with him to this day.

“Growing up in those small communities,” said Damon, before pausing for a moment: “We can be mad at each other one day, but if something were to happen to you, we’d drop everything we’re doing to help you and make sure you’re

taken care of. That’s NorthSide Pride.”

“Doesn’t matter what race you are or whatever,” he added. “When someone in the community is down, the community picks you back up. I carry NorthSide Pride with me to this day.”

For more information, visit FHSAA.com.

Craig Damon [Supplied]

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A8

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Top 3-year-olds poised to prove their mettle in Kentucky Derby 148

Below: OBS graduate and Florida Derby winner White Abarrio in a Gulfstream Park workout.

[Photo by Lauren King]

Race photo of White Abarrio shown winning the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. [Photo by Lauren King]

Florida-bred Simplification, winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes, breezing at Gulfstream Park. [Photo by Lauren King]

Simplification is the lone Florida-bred in this year’s “Run for the Roses”

By Michael Compton Correspondent

T

he $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1)—”the most exciting two minutes in sports” and the first leg of the Triple Crown—will be run for the 148th time on Saturday, May 7, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. With an intriguing and competitive full field of 20 runners primed to run the race of their lives over 1 ¼ miles, the Sunshine State’s Derby dreams rest on the shoulders of Simplification, the lone Florida-bred in this year’s race.

Owned by Ocala/Marion County’s Tami Bobo and Tristan de Meric and trained by Antonio Sano, Simplification drew post position No. 13 at Monday’s draw, and the son of Kentucky stallion Not This Time is listed of odds of 20-1 on the morning line. Bred by France and Irwin Weiner, Simplification is produced from the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Simply Confection, and he will be ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard the colt in his last two races.

Sano expressed confidence in his charge’s post position, saying on Tuesday, “The 13 is perfect, a little outside and toward the middle. I didn’t want to be inside.”

Following Simplification’s fivefurlong breeze in a fast :59 2/5 on April 22 at Gulfstream Park, Sano said of the workout, “I’m so happy. The work was impressive. He did it very handily, very easy. I am 100 percent confident in my horse. I know the race is very strong, but I’m confident in the horse.”

Simplification will attempt to become the first Florida-bred since Silver Charm in 1997 to win the Kentucky Derby and the seventh overall. In addition to the six Florida-bred Derby winners— Silver Charm (1997), Unbridled (1990), Affirmed (1978), Foolish Pleasure (1975), Carry Back (1961), and Needles (1956)— Florida also boasts a Triple Crown winner in Harbor View Farm’s Affirmed, who swept the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes (G1), and the Belmont Stakes (G1) in 1978.

Florida-bred Medina Spirit, who died following a training session at Santa Anita in December, crossed the wire first in last year’s Derby for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Zedan Racing Stables but his win was short lived.

He was subsequently disqualified for testing positive for the banned race-day substance betamethasone.

Poised to end Florida’s drought, Simplification enters the Derby after a productive season of prep races. He was all business in his seasonal debut on Jan. 1, winning the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park by four dominating lengths. He was runner-up to fellow Derby contender White Abarrio in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) in February and was third behind that rival again in the Florida Derby (G1) on April 2.

Sandwiched between those two efforts was an impressive 3 ½-length victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) in March after closing from last to win going away.

Regardless of whether or not her horse is draped in a lush blanket of roses

at the end of the race, Bobo is grateful for the experience.

“I feel very blessed and honored to be in this situation,” said Tami Bobo. “I am truly gratified to be a part of this horse’s path. I feel like I am a spectator in the world of what Simplification has to offer us going forward.

“I think the horse is full of talent, and it’s been a blessing to be part of his career and to watch him develop,” Bobo continued. “I just hope he can run his race. This is a tough field of horses, and it is anyone’s race. I think at the end of the day, we all know it’s the Kentucky Derby and the horsemen know it’s going to go to the horse that gets the best trip on the day.

There are a lot of talented 3-year-olds in this race, and just to be a part of the best 20 3-year-olds in the world is a blessing for all of us in the race. I hope everyone has a safe trip and we all come out on the other end to race another day.”

Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company will be represented in the Derby by the aforementioned White Abarrio, who went through the ring twice at OBS. He first sold through Summerfield Sales (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck) at the 2020 Winter Mixed Sale for $7,500 and then was a $40,000 graduate of last year’s OBS March Sale where he was consigned by Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds. Racing for C2 Racing Stable and La Milagros, White Abarrio has won four of five starts and has banked $823,650. Third in last year’s Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, the flashy gray or roan son of Race Day won the Holy Bull Stakes by 4 ½ lengths and captured the Florida Derby in his most recent start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. With a win on Saturday, White Abarrio would join fellow OBS graduates Lil E. Tee (1992), Silver Charm (1997), and I’ll Have Another (2012) as Derby victors.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has ties to Ocala through his father J.J. Pletcher’s Payton Training Center and his stepmother’s Joan Pletcher Real Estate, will saddle three horses—Mo Donegal, Charge It (a Kentucky homebred for Mandy Pope’s Florida-based Whisper Hill Farm), and Pioneer of Medina. Pletcher is in pursuit of his third Kentucky Derby victory after winning the roses with Super Saver in 2010 and with Always Dreaming in 2017. Mo Donegal drew the rail; Charge It will break from post position No. 8; and Pioneer of Medina is in post position No. 11.

“I think the new gate (which brings the inside horses farther off the rail) should work to Mo Donegal’s advantage,” said Todd Pletcher earlier this week. “He’s got some experience in there; he just won the Wood Memorial from the one hole. He’s used to having dirt in his face, and I’d hope that Irad (Ortiz) could save some ground around that first turn and get us in a good spot. He’s one of the few horses in my barn that I think could handle a spot like that.

The other two—Charge It and Pioneer of Medina—I’m happy with their posts.”

The top two favorites on the morning line are Zandon (3-1), who will start from post position No. 10, and Epicenter (7-2), who drew post position No. 3. Zandon, a

son of Upstart bred by former Kentucky more experienced stablemate Messier by 2 Governor Brereton C. Jones., hails from ¼ lengths for owner Zedan Racing Stables. the barn of New York-based trainer Chad Messier, a son of Empire Maker bred in Brown and is owned by Jeff Drown.

Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, will break from Flavien Prat has the mount abord the colt post position No. 6 in the Derby and will who won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at be ridden by John Velazquez, who also Keeneland on April 9, weaving his way piloted Medina Spirit last year. Messier through traffic to score going away. spent his early formative days at Sam-Son “I wanted him to draw toward the Farm in Ocala, and he would become the middle of the starting gate and we got just third Canadian-bred winner of the Derby, that,” Brown said. “Training wise, we’ve joining Northern Dancer (1965) and done most of our serious work and he’s fit Sunny’s Halo (1983). for Saturday” Taiba, a $1.7 million son of Gun Runner, Epicenter, like Simplification, is a will begin from post position No. 12 and son of Not This Time, last year’s leading will have the services of two-time Kentucky Second-Crop Sire and this year’s leading Derby winning jockey Mike Smith, who Third-Crop Sire. Campaigned by Winchell won the 2018 Triple Crown partnering Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve with Justify and was aboard Giacomo Asmussen, Epicenter won the Louisiana for his Derby victory in 2005. Taiba has Derby (G1) and the Risen Star Stakes (G2) flashed brilliance in his young career but at Fair Grounds this year and captured the will have to overcome history to wear the Gun Runner Stakes last year at two after roses. The only other horse in history to breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs win the Kentucky Derby in just his third in November. Joel Rosario, who has been career start was Leonatus in 1883. about Epicenter in four of his six lifetime Crown Pride (JPN) is aiming to starts, has the mount. become the first Japanese-bred winner of “My favorite thing about Epicenter the Kentucky Derby. Winner of the UAE is how consistent he has been, how he Derby (G2) at Meydan in the United Arab has looked (in the mornings),” noted Emirates, the dark bay or brown colt is Asmussen, who is Churchill Downs’ allowned by Teruya Yoshida and is trained time leading trainer but is 0-for-23 in

by Koichi Shintani. Crown Pride is a son the Derby. “I think he looked the same of Reach the Crown (JPN), a grandson of on the racetrack today (Tuesday), four Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence. days before the Derby as he did in New The Kentucky Derby will be televised by Orleans this winter. Very professional, NBC on Saturday; post time for the race very consistent with his temperament and is 6:57 p.m. ET. The Kentucky Oaks (post his stride. We are just wanting more of time of 5:51 p.m. ET) will be televised the same, just a little faster which is what Friday, May 6, on USA Network. he has done in every one of his starts this year and there is no Kentucky Derby field and morning-line odds reason he shouldn’t carry on.”

Also among the 1. Mo Donegal (10-1) leading contenders 2. Happy Jack (30-1) in this year’s Derby 3. Epicenter (7-2) are a pair of talented 4. Summer Is Tomorrow (30-1) colts from California for trainer Tim 5. Smile Happy (20-1) Yakteen, a former 6. Messier (8-1) assistant to Baffert.

7. Crown Pride [JPN] (20-1) Top prospects 8. Charge It (20-1) Messier and Taiba 9. Tiz the Bomb (30-1) were transferred to Yakteen as a 10. Zandon (3-1) result of Baffert’s 11. Pioneer of Medina (30-1) two-year Churchill 12. Taiba (12-1) Downs suspension 13. Simplification (20-1) – Florida-bred for Medina Spirit’s 14. Barber Road (30-1) positive test that bans him from 15. White Abarrio (10-1) – OBS graduate entering horses 16. Cyberknife (20-1) in the Derby this 17. Classic Causeway (30-1) year and in 2023.

18. Tawny Port (30-1) Both horses began 19. Zozos (20-1) their respective careers in Baffert’s 20. Ethereal Road (30-1) care and figure to be formidable on Florida-bred Kentucky Derby winners Saturday.

Silver Charm (1997) In the Santa Unbridled (1990) Anita Derby (G1) on April 9, Affirmed (1978) the stablemates Foolish Pleasure (1975) squared off with Carry Back (1961) Taiba—making just Needles (1956) his second career start—defeating his

A9

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Public outcry over proposed development saw crowded council chamber Continued from page A1 School beyond that.

Mansfield asked if the children living in the new proposed development would “strictly go to Saddlewood [Elementary],” to which Chighizola affirmed that they would.

Liberty Middle School and West Port High School are also zoned to serve students who would live on the proposed property.

“That would have to be redistricting.

They would have to redraw redistricting to move certain students out,” said Chighizola. “They would most probably have to bus further to another school.”

Chighizola explained to the counsel that the school board has certain limitations— as does the city.

“They just can’t go build a school. They have state requirements that they have to live by in terms of building a school,” he said, adding that there is definitely an issue in the southwest corridor regarding school capacity and overcrowding.

The director of Growth Management told the council that traffic capacity would be met in the affected corridor upon the building of a four-lane highway. But when Musleh asked City Manager Pete Lee if the city had the money to build the four-lane highway, Lee admitted that they didn’t at that time and were waiting on state funding.

“We don’t have the money in hand to build a complete four-lane road. We’re waiting on an appropriation that the governor needs to sign for $8 million,” said Lee. “If we get that signed, we’ll have the money to build the four-lane road from U.S. 27 to 200.”

City engineer Sean Lanier informed council that the city did have a two-lane roadway fully budgeted to join 43rd Court, but Musleh said the infrastructure in that area is so “woefully inadequate” that a two-lane road would be like “putting a bandage on a gash.”

Council member Kristen Dreyer said, “The school board needs to come up with its own plan for their school overcrowding.

Then, as a board, they have to come before us and ask us for help with concurrency.

That’s what has to happen. We’re trying to help them but they have procedures that they have to do prior to anything that we can do on our end.”

Chighizola then outlined the “catch-22” position facing the school board in working to improve school capacity and overcrowding, especially, he said, “when all the development occurs in one area.”

“We have 11 private schools. We have 4,000 seats vacant availability, when you look at the whole county. And again, a lot of that availability is in the northeast, in the southeast. There is plenty of capacity there. And that’s what hinders the school board. The state sees those vacant seats and says, ‘You still have capacity in your school system. You have to figure that out, redistrict and redo those things. That’s why they won’t give the money to build further schools.”

Local Governmental Collaboration

School board member Allison Campbell, who represents District 1, spoke to the council on Tuesday during public

comment, hoping to provide more information and perspective on the school capacity and overcrowding issue affecting Saddlewood Elementary and other schools in Marion County.

She started by sharing new numbers regarding Saddlewood Elementary’s enrollment. Original Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) report numbers were 945 enrolled students.

“Today, the enrollment for that school is 966,” said Campbell. “So we’re even further over capacity today than we were then when the original numbers were submitted.”

Even at 945 enrolled students, according to Florida Department of Education (FDOE) date collected in 2021-2022, Saddlewood Elementary had 138 more students than FISH capacity or 124.91% over capacity.

According to FDOE data, Liberty Middle is 111.64% over FISH capacity.

West Port has the highest percent total capacity of any other public high school in Marion County at 112.32% or 2,754 students to the recommended FISH capacity of 2,452. But these numbers do not include the more updated numbers associated with Saddlewood that Campbell presented to the council.

Campbell explained that Calesa Township does have a charter school that takes 200 students—but no more.

“Yes, they built a charter school, and 200 students is certainly going to help, but with some 5,000 homes potentially [coming in total in the corridor], 200 students is not going to help that much,” she said. “I understand the numbers we’re hearing tonight. But I also understand the reality.”

In 2002, citizens approved an amendment to the Florida Constitution that set limits on the number of students in core classes (Math, English, Science, etc.) in the state’s public schools.

Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, the maximum number of students in each core class would be: 18 students in prekindergarten through grade 3; 22 students in grades 4 through 8; and 25 students in grades 9 through 12.

Referring to earlier comments made by Dreyer, Campbell acknowledged that the councilwoman indeed sits on the interlocal agreement committee to discuss these issues twice a month with a fellow school board member. But for more than a dozen years, said Campbell, nothing has been done to that inter-local agreement prior to 2020.

“I’ve been [on the school board] for 16 months,” said Campbell. “We’re playing catch up now. These issues in the southwest part of the county are only going to grow. But when the state looks at how we’re going to fund those things, it’s not as simple as just saying we need a new school.”

Dreyer called the Saddlewood corridor “an interesting governmental crossover of city, county and school board.” A lot of the time, she added, residents look to the city council as the “end all, be all” because they have an Ocala address, but that isn’t always the case.

“Sometimes, to their detriment, that isn’t the situation that they’re currently in,” Dreyer concluded.

Campbell mentioned that the school board would be having a work session on May 19 to specifically address development in Marion County and its impact on school capacity and overcrowding.

Public Comment

Brigitt Smith, who lives near the proposed development, spoke up at the meeting on Tuesday greatly concerned with potential traffic issues compounding the issues that already exist on roads near the parcel.

“My granddaughter attends Saddlewood Elementary. I pick her up and take her there three days a week. So I see firsthand the traffic and that intersection [near the school] is abominable. [We’re] literally in line for 45 minutes. We understand that growth is coming. It’s developers’ right to get and develop this property. But we need access roads.”

Sarah Williams told the council that she has lived in Marion County for 16 years. She previously lived in South Florida where she said it was already overpopulated.

“When we moved here it was a nice change to see a little bit of country mixed in with city life,” she said, adding that the city used to be “pickier about what developments or businesses went certain places.”

“Now, when you drive around, all you see is construction and the country feel is diminishing,” Williams said. “I don’t want to watch Ocala turn into a crime-filled place where nobody wants to live.”

One member of the public said she lived in an enclave near the proposed development. She said she was surrounded on all three sides by the city while still living in the county.

“Technically, I guess I’m not a constituent because I can’t vote for any of you,” she said. “But what you do still affects me and my family and my community.”

Cindy Janeiro confessed her exhaustion to the council, coming to meeting after meeting saying the same things.

“It’s getting tiresome,” she said. “We elected you for smart, responsible growth.

This is not smart, and it’s not responsible.”

Justin Savino speaks during the Ocala City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Kimberly Sindy speaks during the Ocala City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

People listen during the City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

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Brigitt Smith speaks during the Ocala City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Pete Lee appointed interim City Manager on April 19 Continued from page A1

Interim City Manager Peter Lee, right, listens with Councilman Barry Mansfield, left, during the Ocala City Council at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

she had hoped the arrangement would facilitate economic development “wins” for the city.

At the April 19 council meeting, Ocala resident Brian Creekbaum asked if the council was considering performing a nationwide search for new city manager candidates, but there was no discussion of the question. Lee indicated later he did not know of any timeline for such a discussion.

When asked by the Gazette, Lee said he had not decided if he would apply for the position permanently. “I’m focused on the job at hand,” he said.

Under Ocala’s charter, the city council has the authority to hire and fire those serving in the positions of city manager, city auditor, city attorneys, and city clerk.

Except for the police department, which

falls under the supervision of Mayor Kent Guinn, the city manager has authority over all other city employees.

Assistant City Managers and CFO’s

The day following the surprise dismissal of Wilson, Assistant City Manager Bill Kaufman, who also served as the city’s chief financial officer, announced his retirement. His last day was May 4, 2022.

Emory Roberts, the city’s director of Finance & Customer Service, has been named interim CFO, according to Lee. Additionally, Lee indicated he has appointed Director of Human Resources Chris Watt as interim chief of staff.

Ken Whitehead, who has served as an assistant city manager since 2015, remains in that position.

Budget ‘Turkey’ List Totals $281 Million

The list includes two local projects

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

F

lorida TaxWatch on Thursday released a list of 166 “turkeys” in a newly passed state budget but suggested that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office should give extra scrutiny to all 1,221 local projects that lawmakers put into the record spending plan.

With the state flush with cash from federal stimulus money and higher-thanexpected tax collections, TaxWatch officials complimented lawmakers for not going as wild as they could have in putting together the $112.1 billion budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1.

But the non-profit group’s “turkey” list of questionable spending items totaled $281 million. Also, TaxWatch Executive Vice President Tony Carvajal said all local projects pushed by individual lawmakers — totaling about $2.8 billion — “deserve some extra scrutiny.”

“Florida’s taxpayers do not have a choice as to whether they pay these taxes,” Carvajal said. “They deserve to have an accountable and transparent allocation of their funds.”

The reconstructed fort is shown at the Fort King National Historic Landmark in Ocala on Nov. 30, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

The Legislature passed the budget March 14 but has not formally sent it to DeSantis, who has line-item veto power.

TaxWatch singles out turkeys based on how spending items get into the budget, rather than trying to evaluate the economic merits of projects or whether they are needed by citizens.

The two local projects that made the list include the City of Ocala’s Sewer ExFiltration Project at $500,000 and the Fort King Museum, Education, and Tourism Center at $700,000.

Among the highest-profile items on the new list was $35 million for what was described as a “Sports Training and Youth Tournament Complex” in Pasco County.

The complex was added late in the budget-negotiation process between the Senate and House as part of a supplemental, or “sprinkle,” list of spending items.

The Tampa Bay Times reported the money would help cover a new spring training facility for the Tampa Bay Rays, though budget documents do not specifically mention the Rays.

“It’s one of those that was taken out of the budget during conference

(negotiations), to where both chambers had agreed there would be nothing in it. The sprinkle list added it back at $35 million,” Kurt Wenner, TaxWatch senior vice president of research, said. “That actually made our list twice, once because it was added back through the sprinkle list and the other because it could have sought some funding through (the Department of Environmental Protection), through their parks and recreation grant.”

George LeMieux, a former U.S. senator who is chairman of the TaxWatch board, said “sprinkles are the new turkeys.” He added that requested funding for local member projects in the upcoming fiscal year topped overall spending for local projects in the prior five years.

The list released Thursday was up from 116 items, totaling $157.5 million, highlighted in TaxWatch’s turkey list last year. DeSantis wound up vetoing about 150 line items from a roughly $100 billion budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, which will end June 30.

TaxWatch officials praised lawmakers for setting aside nearly $9 billion in reserves in the new budget and creating a separate fund to address inflation-driven

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cost increases for state projects. But they said lawmakers will need to consider “increasing headwinds,” such as inflation and rising home costs, in putting together future budgets.

“In less than 20 years, the state budget has doubled while the population of Florida has not doubled,” said LeMieux, who also served as a chief of staff for former Gov. Charlie Crist. “So, lawmakers in the future are going to have to be very circumspect with their spending and not expect to have these 10 and 20 percent increases every year.”

TaxWatch also intends to post recommendations ahead of a special legislative session on property insurance that will begin May 23.

“When you look at the cost of what it takes to own and afford a home or to rent in this state, we’ve got some critical issues,” Carvajal said. “I don’t even know that the Legislature has an answer on how they’re going to fix this.”

Ocala Gazette staff contributed to this report

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State PINELLAS SEEKS INJUNCTION AGAINST ELECTION CHANGES

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

DESANTIS UNSURE ABOUT ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY’ TIMING

W

ith a candidate-qualifying period looming in June, Pinellas County is seeking a temporary injunction to block part of a new state law that would make changes in the election of Pinellas County commissioners.

Pinellas attorneys filed a motion for an injunction Monday, three days after filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a section of a broad elections law.

The lawsuit and motion contend that the section would improperly apply only to Pinellas County and would require elections this year for two county-commission seats that otherwise would not come up for election until 2024.

“Pinellas County will sustain irreparable harm if this court does not issue the requested temporary injunction as two current Pinellas County commissioners will be forced to run for reelection in the 2022 general election despite being only two years into the four-year terms for which they were elected, and the stability afforded to the board through staggered terms will be jeopardized. … It is unlikely that the challenge brought by Pinellas County will be fully and finally resolved prior to the primary election,” the motion said. “Once an election occurs, there is no do-over and practically speaking, no redress.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed the bill (SB 524), which drew controversy because of other issues, such as its creation of a new state office to investigate alleged voting irregularities.

But the law also would change the timing of the election of two Pinellas County commissioners, the lawsuit and motion said.

Term-limited state Rep. Chris Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who is a close ally of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, is running for one of those two commission seats, according to the Pinellas County elections website.

The lawsuit names as defendants Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Attorney General Ashley Moody. It alleges, in part, that the challenged part of the measure is what is known as an unconstitutional “special law” because it would effectively apply only to Pinellas County.

Because of exceptions included in the law, the motion said 66 of the state’s 67 counties would be exempted, “leaving only Pinellas County subject to the mandatory election.”

Also, Pinellas County contends that the measure contradicts part of the Florida Constitution requiring staggered terms for county commissioners.

“The temporary injunction will maintain the base level of continuity in the composition of the Board of County Commissioners achieved by the staggered four-year terms, which would otherwise be jeopardized by the election mandated by the challenged provision,” Monday’s motion said.

The state has not filed documents in the case, which has been assigned to Circuit Judge John Cooper. Qualifying for this year’s elections will start June 13.

By News Service of Florida

T

he Republican-dominated Legislature might not have the votes yet for Gov. Ron DeSantis to push for a major change in Florida gun laws during a special legislative session this month.

DeSantis reaffirmed Tuesday during an appearance in Fort Myers Beach that he expects to eventually sign into law a proposal known as “constitutional carry,” but he wouldn’t put a timeline on when that could occur. “In terms of when? You know, I don’t know.

The Legislature has got to pass it,” DeSantis said. “I mean, I’ve said for years I would sign. I don’t know if they have the votes now. But I know that this is something that a lot of people are going to be looking at as we go forward into this next election.” DeSantis, who is running for re-election this year, said Friday he expects to sign such a measure into law before he leaves office.

Under current law, people who want to carry guns must get concealed-weapons licenses from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Constitutional carry would allow people to carry guns without the licenses. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor, oversees the licensing process.

DeSantis contended that the “licensing scheme” allows “people that want to take away your license, these officials, they can do that.” But Fried issued a statement Friday that called DeSantis’ stance on constitutional carry “absurd political pandering from the governor of a state that has experienced some of the worst mass shootings in our country’s history.”

As of April 30, Florida had about 2.52 million concealed-weapons license holders. Lawmakers will start a special session May 23 that has been called to address property-insurance issues.

THREE JUSTICES REPORT NET WORTHS TOPPING $1M

By Florida News Service

A

s five Florida Supreme Court justices prepare to run in merit-retention elections this year, three reported net worths topping $1 million.

Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justices Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga, John Couriel and Jamie Grosshans were required to file financialdisclosure forms before qualifying last week to appear on the November ballot.

Couriel reported the highest net worth at

$5,143,060 as of March 31, according to the filings posted on the state Division of Elections website.

Labarga was next at $1,758,347, followed by Polston at $1,169,461. Canady reported a net worth of $906,469, while Grosshans’ net worth was $729,442, according to the filings.

Justices Alan Lawson and Carlos Muniz will have to file annual disclosure reports this summer.

Lawson has announced he is retiring from the court on Aug. 31, while Muniz is not up for a merit-retention election this year.

DESANTIS SIGNS BILL ON RESILIENCY OFFICE

Gov. Ron DeSantis

Department of Environmental Protection. Along with shifting the office to be more directly under DeSantis’ control, the new law will require a resilienceaction plan for the state highway system, a prioritized list of resilience projects that would include costs and timelines, and a database that would identify such things as medical centers, utilities, emergency-operation centers and airports that would be threatened by rising sea levels.

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The measure also expands a 2021 law that directed the Department of Environmental Protection to develop an annual statewide flooding and sealevel rise resilience plan and to create the Resilient Florida Grant Program for cities and counties. Among the other bills signed Tuesday was a measure (HB 497) that will allow Lee County voters to decide if the superintendent of schools should be appointed or elected.

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ov. Ron DeSantis late Tuesday signed into law a measure that will create a resiliency office directly under his watch to address the impacts of flooding and sea-level rise on the state.

The bill (HB 7053) was among 10 signed Tuesday by DeSantis after being approved during the legislative session that ended March 14. Kate Wesner,

Florida director of the American Flood Coalition, called the new Statewide Office of Resilience a “historic investment” that tackles “this challenge head-on.” During the legislative session, Democrats unsuccessfully pushed to include provisions addressing climate change that causes rising seas.

Days after he was sworn into office in January 2019, DeSantis used an executive order to create the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection in the

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Abortion Draft Ruling Ratchets Up Florida Debate

U.S. Supreme Court

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

A

leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision ignited a sense of urgency Tuesday among Florida Democrats while drawing praise from Republicans.

Authored by Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. and supported by other members of the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, the draft opinion was reported Monday night by Politico. Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed that the leaked document was authentic.

The 98-page draft, if it comes to fruition, would rescind the 1973 Roe v.

Wade ruling and allow states to make their own decisions on abortion. However, a news release that accompanied Roberts’ statement Tuesday said the draft “does not represent a decision by the court or the final position” of any of its members.

The draft was made public just shy of two months before a new Florida law will go

into effect prohibiting most abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed the measure, which will take effect July 1. Roe v. Wade generally has allowed women to have abortions until about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Responding to the U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion Tuesday, DeSantis touted the new state abortion law as “the strongest that Florida has seen in decades” and said the state is prepared to defend it from lawsuits challenging its constitutionality.

“We think we’re going to win there, but that is going to be something that we have to do. At the end of the day, it’s a mistake to read the federal Constitution to completely prohibit any pro-life protections. That’s not consistent with the text history structure. I don’t know if that (Supreme Court) opinion is going to be the actual opinion, Roberts said that’s not going to be … final, so who knows what’s going on behind the scenes,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Fort Myers Beach.

But state House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, gave a more emphatic

endorsement of the draft opinion.

“I have long believed Roe v. Wade represents an abuse of power to manufacture law by judicial fiat. I eagerly await the official & final opinion issued by the Court. The leak however, is a stunning breach of trust & lack of honor by the individual responsible,” Sprowls wrote in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Democrats braced for what they called a “raid on women’s rights” and quickly organized protests across the state.

“We are walking into a post-Roe world.

This is the reality that exists for my daughter that never existed for me. It is a very dangerous world that we are living in,” state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, said.

Book told The News Service of Florida that Democrats, who are heavily outnumbered in the Legislature, will need voters to rally in support of candidates during the November elections to combat further restrictions to abortion access.

“People need to go and vote. We need the numbers. The reality is, and I’ve gotten a lot of questions today about … will the governor add a further restriction on abortion in a special (legislative) session. We know that the governor can do anything he wants, and the Republicandriven Legislature will follow suit and do whatever it is he is asking for,” Book said.

DeSantis has called a special session starting May 23 to address the state’s beleaguered property-insurance system.

Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, decried the potential Supreme Court ruling’s effect on other Republican-led states that have abortion laws that would be triggered by a decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Immediately, about 25 states will ban abortion, they have trigger laws in place. So, within days, within hours of the Supreme Court ruling, abortion will be banned in nearly half the United States of America,” Skidmore said.

Promising that “the fight is just beginning,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor this year, held a rally in Miami to

try to energize potential voters. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, another Democrat running for governor, said in a statement that the issue will be “front and center” in the gubernatorial race.

The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates advertised a rally to be held Tuesday afternoon outside the Florida Supreme Court.

“We are devastated, we are furious, and we will fight back. This draft opinion is outrageous, and unprecedented, but it is not final. Abortion is still legal in Florida.

As of today, it remains your constitutional right,” Stephanie Fraim, president of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida said in a statement.

But groups that oppose abortion cheered the potential decision.

“The state has a compelling interest in protecting human life that is vulnerable, especially at that age. This is a huge day for those of us who have worked almost all of our lives to see this moment happen,” John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, said.

DeSantis, who went to law school at Harvard, focused much of his remarks Tuesday on the leaking of the draft opinion, characterizing it as an act of political intimidation. The draft is part of a case about a Mississippi law, similar to the new Florida law, that would prevent abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“To have that leak out the way it did was really unprecedented. I think it was really an attack on a lot of the justices. I think it was an intentional thing to try to whip up a lot of the public and to try to make it very political,” DeSantis said.

Roberts called the leak a “singular and egregious breach” of trust that the court has with employees to keep such internal communications confidential.

“To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the court will not be affected in any way,” Roberts said in a statement.

Judge Gives Go-Ahead to Immigration Case

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

A

federal judge Wednesday rejected a request by the Biden administration to toss out a lawsuit filed by Florida over the release of undocumented immigrants.

Pensacola-based U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell denied a motion by U.S. Department of Justice attorneys to dismiss the case, which Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed last year.

The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration has violated immigration laws through policies that have led to people being released from detention after crossing the U.S. border with Mexico. Also, it alleges that the releases affect Florida because of issues such as increased education, healthcare and criminal-justice costs.

Justice Department attorneys raised a series of arguments in seeking dismissal of the case, including disputing a Florida contention that the Biden administration has a “non-detention” policy.

But Wetherell, a former state appealscourt judge, ruled that the lawsuit should continue to move forward.

“Suffice it to say the court is wholly unpersuaded by defendants’ position

that they have unfettered discretion to determine how (or if ) to comply with the immigration statutes and that there is nothing that Florida or this court can do about their policies even if they contravene the immigration statutes,” Wetherell wrote in a 37-page decision. “This position is as remarkable as it is wrong because it is well established that no one, not even the president, is above the law and the court unquestionably has the authority to say what the law is and to invalidate action of the executive branch that contravenes the law and/or the Constitution. Thus, if Florida’s allegations that defendants are essentially flaunting the immigration laws are proven to be true, the court most certainly can (and will) do something about it.”

Moody has filed or joined a series of lawsuits challenging the Biden administration, as she and Gov. Ron DeSantis regularly criticize the handling of undocumented immigrants entering the country.

“Congress has not given immigration officials unbounded discretion regarding the detention of arriving aliens,” the state’s lawyers wrote in a March court document.

“It has instead expressly commanded those officials to detain arriving aliens.”

But the federal government has contended that officials have discretion in carrying out immigration laws, taking into account issues such as limited detention space, humanitarian reasons and prioritization of resources. Also, the federal government argued Florida lacks legal “standing” to pursue the case.

“In particular, plaintiff hypothesizes that paroled noncitizens might settle in Florida and, if so, then might commit crimes or require social services,” the federal government argued in a court document filed in April. “Plaintiff ’s predictions are too attenuated and uncertain to provide standing. If such incidental, conjectural consequences were sufficient … the federal courts could be drawn into every immigration policy dispute between a state and the federal government. Plaintiff ’s theory would characterize any increase of noncitizens within its borders necessarily as an injury.”

But Wetherell, who was nominated to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump, refused to dismiss the case based on standing.

“Florida has plausibly alleged that the challenged policies already have and will continue to cost it millions of dollars, including the cost of incarcerating criminal

aliens and the cost of providing a variety of public benefits, including unemployment benefits, free public education and emergency services to aliens who settle in Florida after being ‘paroled’ into the country,” Wetherell wrote.

Also, Wetherell wrote that he has not overlooked the federal government’s arguments that “Congress has authorized it to establish immigration enforcement policies and priorities, specifically those related to allocating its limited resources, thereby conveying discretion.”

“However, Congress was presumably aware that defendants have limited resources when it enacted the detention requirement, yet it still chose to use language mandating detention,” he wrote.

“Even if resource allocation and other policy priorities can be considered in defendants’ exercise of their limited parole authority … those considerations do not give defendants carte blanche to release arriving aliens without undertaking individualized case-by-case assessments as required by that statute, as they have allegedly done through the challenged policies — particularly if, as Florida alleges, defendants have essentially created the problem the challenged policies seek to alleviate.”

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church turns 155

The Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church is shown on Southwest 3rd Avenue in Ocala on May 3.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

A stained glass window at the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.

By Rosemarie Dowell Correspondent

F

or little Shiyann Adams, spotting Thelma Parker’s car rumbling towards her home on a Saturday in the early 1970s could only mean one thing - Youth Day was coming to Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.

Back then, the Ocala congregation allowed children to take over the Sunday worship service once a month and Parker, the director of the youth ministries, would deliver the program to them the day before so they could study and learn their respective roles.

“She would bring us the script on Saturday so we could practice for Sunday,” said Adams, then known by her maiden name Shiyann Washington. Her older brother, Remardo, “Mardy,” Washington also participated, albeit reluctantly.

“I loved it; my brother hated it,” she said. “He didn’t like getting up in front of the church and I did.”

Adams can trace her family’s membership in Mount Moriah to 1926 when her grandmother, the late Bertha Gaskin, joined at the age of nine, but the church’s beginning predates Gaskin’s membership by nearly six decades.

Mount Moriah, 55 SW 3rd Ave., was founded in May 1867 when the Rev. Samuel Small and 90 black members of First Baptist Church, most of them former slaves, decided to break away and form a church of their own, according to church documents.

Now, more than a century and a half later,

Mount Moriah, the oldest African American church in the Ocala area is set to celebrate its 155th anniversary with special worship services at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. May 15.

Other festivities include a Gospel concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, (May 7) featuring the Brightside Gospel Singers.

Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling the church office at 352-6293782. A prayer service will also take place at 6 p.m. May 11, followed by dinner on the grounds.

Regis Boatwright, 73, a lifelong member of the church, said it has always strived to meet the needs of its congregation and the black community as a whole throughout its history.

“We’ve always been a church at the forefront of reaching the spiritual, cultural, social, and physical needs of not only our members but the community as well,” she said. “We were one of the first churches to have an outreach center that gave food, clothing, and assistance to the community.”

An anniversary committee co-chair and a former youth department director, Boatwright said Mount Moriah is affectionally known as the “Mother Church,” because it birthed so many other churches in the black community, including Shady Grove Baptist Church, Covenant Baptist Church, and Hopewell Baptist Church, in 1874, 1899 and 1906, respectively Boatwright is particularly proud of the church’s role in the Civil Rights movement in Marion County, under the leadership of the Rev. Frank G. Pinkston Sr., who served from 1964-67 and was known as the “Black Liberator of Marion County,” and

later the Rev. Dr. Lorenzo Edwards, who served the church for 50 years, from 1968 to 2018, and was responsible for major initiatives that kept the church relevant and growing.

Boatwright, whose husband, Bill, is a forty-year deacon of the church, also fondly recalls her days under the watchful eye and guidance of Parker, a public school administrator who passed away in 2008 at the age of 96, and others.

“The church was at the center of my spiritual and social life growing up,” she said. “We did Easter and Christmas pageants, community plays, and beauty pageants for girls going from middle to high school.”

“Those are the kind of things we still do,” said Boatwright, who has two adult children with Bill, and two grandchildren.

A mere 14 pastors have served Mount Moriah over the years, including its current spiritual leader who was installed in 2019 - the Rev. Dr. Jerry Alexander.

The church, which has roughly 200 members and an average attendance of 85 at both of its Sunday services, can attribute its longevity to love – for God and one another, said Alexander.

“There’s a lot of love here at Mount Moriah; it’s a blessing,” he said. “There’s great fellowship and genuine concern for one another even if we disagree on something.”

Alexander said elders of the church include John Jay Livingston, Edmond Fordham, now in his mid-90s, whose roots in the church go back several generations, and Fred Washington, Adam’s father, who is now 82. Her

The cornerstone at the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.

Left and Right: Rev. Jerry Alexander, the pastor, looks over historical photos and items in a display case at the Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.

mother, the late Barbara Washington, is the daughter of Gaskin, and the Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center in Ocala is named in her honor.

Mount Moriah’s first sanctuary, a log building, was constructed by its members and located on South Pine Avenue. It’s been at its current location since 1911, with its present-day sanctuary built in 1966, and expanded and modernized in 1997.

Whatever the future holds for Mount Moriah one thing is certain – it won’t be on 3rd Avenue much longer. The church recently agreed to sell its 1.62-acre campus to the City of Ocala for $1.76 million for the construction of a parking garage, said Alexander.

The church has planned a move for several decades. The congregation purchased a four-acre property at Southwest Fifth Street and Southwest 24th Avenue in the 1980s and has already started the process of building a new church on the site, said Alexander.

As for Adams, she’s thankful her children and grandchildren have continued the family’s legacy of church membership.

She was just three years old when she was baptized by Edwards, who became a second father to her over the years.

She joined the church the same day her brother did, although it wasn’t planned.

“I saw him coming down the aisle after they called him up and I jumped down out of the choir stand and joined him,” said Adams, who married her husband, Michael in the church 27 years ago. “I’m grateful that my children and now my grandchildren are a part of the church too.”

B2

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Special Delivery

Steve Clem, the Interfaith food distribution manager, Tim Legge, U.S.P.S. retired and Karla Greenway, the CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, left to right, look over a nearly empty food container box in the Interfaith Reuben Brawner Center Warehouse Food Pantry, as they talk about the upcoming Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive at Interfaith Emergency Services in Ocala on April 27. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

The National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive, which is critical for local pantries, will take place May 14 after a two-year hiatus.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

L

ooking over empty food bins at the Interfaith Emergency Services (IES) warehouse, Tim Legge, who is retired from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), said he was helping organize this year’s National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive because, “It’s tradition. I’ve been involved since it started. This is the 30th annual. It’s hard to not do it.”

Karla Grimsley-Greenway, executive director of IES, chimed in to say, “He’s just a champion who is still coming back and doing this, which is amazing.”

The national food drive, which did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, provides critical supplies for local food pantries, including IES. Legge said that about four weeks ago, with “COVID restrictions coming down, the national union put out the word that any USPS branch that wanted to participate this year was free to proceed.”

“So, right away, we got involved here in Ocala,” he said.

Officials at the downtown Ocala, Paddock Park and Maricamp Road post office branches immediately jumped onboard.

“And it will pretty much be all of Marion County,” Grimsley-Greenway noted.

The drive will take place Saturday, May 14. USPS customers can put nonperishable food items in, near or on their mailbox, or in drop boxes at some branch locations. Some communities, such as On Top of the World, will have donation bins placed near communal mailbox sites,

Grimsley-Greenway noted.

All of the food collected locally will help families in Marion County. IES partners with a number of other local organizations to make the food available across the county.

Steve Clem, food distribution manager for IES, said some of the partner agencies are “the Salvation Army, His Compassion, Help Agency of the Forest, Gateway of Hope and Dunnellon Outreach.” Clem noted that in 2019, for example, the drive collected 127,838 pounds of food and 32,809 pounds of that went to partner agencies.

IES, which was formed in 1983, helps approximately 30,000 people annually.

Clients range from those who may be experiencing homelessness, to senior citizens and veterans, and people with disabilities or who are just struggling to make ends meet. Clients are referred by word of mouth and entities such as houses of worship and public services agencies. IES provides basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medications and hygiene items.

The Stamp Out Hunger drive, especially, helps IES and other local food pantries get through the summer months.

“For many years, as part of the national food drive, our community ranked number one for food collected for this size community. We were champions because of our postal workers. They were amazing.

And so, we’re hoping to get back to that level because, before COVID, this is what sustained Interfaith and some of our partner pantries through the summer. We kind of have this momentum here where, the holidays, November, December, we have

all these food drives and that carries us through the spring and then we get like this – sweeping her arm over empty food bins – and this food drive would carry us through the summer,” Grimsley-Greenway said.

“Without it, it was a little scary, to not have this the last couple of years. We really had to call on more neighborhoods, we had to order a lot more food. The year of the pandemic, we had to order over $100,000 of food. Thank God for COVID CARES (The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) money because that helped offset it. This makes up for that. This keeps us from having to buy $100,000 worth of food. So it is that significant. I know a lot of people think, well I only have a couple of cans – it adds up. It’s amazing how it adds up. And it’s not a big effort. Go to your pantry and clean it out and the things you don’t need, toss our way because somebody else needs it,” she added.

The most needed items are things such as “peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, macaroni and cheese, soup, Hamburger Helper, anything to make a meal out of,” Clem said.

On the day of the drive, volunteers recruited by IES will fan out in vehicles around the county to help collect donations, along with the letter carriers.

When postal vehicles arrive at the IES warehouse, they are “number one,” said Clem. “We have to get them unloaded and out of here because most of them have to go back and pick up more mail—and food.”

Some of the donations, such those coming through the Paddock Park and Maricamp branches, will be loaded onto semi tractor-trailer rigs loaned to the cause.

“Swift Transportation has supported us for a few years by loaning us tractors and trailers, and we couldn’t do it without them,” Legge said. “When the carriers come back in to Paddock and Maricamp, all that food will be loaded from their little vehicles onto the dock. From there it will go into large containers that will be loaded on the 18-wheeler. Then they come here, to the warehouse.”

At the warehouse, volunteers will work all day and into the night to sort the donations into containers. Many of the workers come from the partner agencies.

Grimsley-Greenway noted that this year a new group would be pitching in to help— youngsters involved with the Ocala Marion County Fire Rescue Mentorship Program.

Clem and Grimsley-Greenway both said they have seen an increase in the numbers of people seeking help.

“I’ve seen an increase. We had a family of 10 recently. And our families of fours, fives, sixes and sevens are up too,” Clem said.

“It’s getting tough. Even just gas prices will force a lot of families to have come here for groceries, plus the fact that groceries cost so much more. Times are getting tough,” Grimsley-Greenway added.

She reiterated again that even small donations can make a big difference, such as a few canned items, a jar of peanut butter and a box of cereal.

“Can you imagine if everybody in the county did that, what a difference it would make!” Legge said hopefully.

To learn more, go to Fb.com/ STAMPOUTHUNGEROCALAFL

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Below: Empty food container boxes are shown in the Interfaith Reuben Brawner Center Warehouse Food Pantry at Interfaith Emergency Services in Ocala on April 27.

Maxi Rodriguez of Interfaith moves a pallet in a nearly empty Interfaith Reuben Brawner Center Warehouse Food Pantry, as she helps get the warehouse organized for the upcoming Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive at Interfaith Emergency Services in Ocala on April 27.

Interfaith volunteer James “Red” Sanborn moves a pallet of water out of the way in the Interfaith Reuben Brawner Center Warehouse Food Pantry to make space for the upcoming Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

B3

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Nurturing the spirit through art Lisa Midgett is launching Arts in Health Ocala Metro, a nonprofit with a goal of helping people heal through the creative arts. Patricia Tomlinson will serve as executive director.

By Julie Garisto

A

rt heals is a phrase we hear often and studies have concluded that art can indeed be a gamechanger when it comes to illness and recovery.

The concept of arts in healing has inspired Ocala arts and civic leader and NOMA Gallery owner Lisa Midgett to begin a new nonprofit organization, Arts in Health Ocala Metro, that will have a mission and goal of helping people heal through the arts.

Midgett has hired Patricia Tomlinson, who will be leaving her position as curator of exhibitions at the Appleton Museum of Art on May 15, as executive director.

Development Partner Tina Mullen adds to the leadership triumvirate.

Mullen has worked with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine for 31 years. Mullen is retired and lives in Ithaca, New York. She communicates with Midgett and Tomlinson via Zoom.

The pioneer and leader in the field of arts in health, director emeritus UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine and adjunct faculty of the UF Center for Arts in Medicine will lend her expertise and ideas to Arts in Health Ocala Metro.

Acknowledging the ephemeral influences of creativity and performance on health, the arts in health studies program at UF has gained traction since it formed in 1999. UF’s Center for Arts in Medicine states on its website: “Arts in health professionals understand how to facilitate creative experiences with patient or participant safety in mind. …

Artists in public health settings partner with members of the community alongside

Leslie Jean Wengler experiencing the healing connection of art with Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida. Pictured with Leslie are Jason Hedges to the left, and Ricky Kendall on the right. [Supplied]

public health professionals and social workers to deploy the arts in support of community-wide health and wellbeing.”

Midgett says she experienced the healing power of art when she saw sparks of hope and happiness light up the eyes of friends healing from debilitating illnesses, which stoked a fire in the already impassioned arts advocate. She has been working overtime with the University of Florida to create the Arts in Health Ocala Metro program through the auspices of her and husband’s charitable foundation, The David and Lisa Midgett Foundation.

When Midgett turned 31, a seismic shift in priorities shook her world when her mom died at the age of 59. She said she and David re-evaluated what sparked joy in them and started to put their energy into projects they were passionate about.

One of their most prominent endeavors is their art hub, the NOMA Gallery, in the historic former Coca-Cola bottling plant at 939 N Magnolia Ave., Ocala.

Midgett said she has a tendency to try to take on everything herself when she engages in a project but felt this time that it was crucial to get input and participation from experts in the community.

“I realized very quickly as I dove more into the program and learning about it, that I need an executive director,” she said.

“I did not actively recruit Patricia

(Tomlinson), but I found out that she was thinking about getting her Ph.D. in arts and health. We discovered that we had both talked to the University of Florida—separately—at the same time,” Midgett explained.

Tomlinson, a personal friend of Midgett’s, sent her an email about the Arts in Health program at UF: ‘Have you heard about this?’

Midgett laughed and responded: “A little bit!”

Their common interest led to the Midgetts recruiting Tomlinson as executive director of Arts in Health Ocala Metro.

Midgett said she courted Tomlinson in March, but she had a project to complete before she could make things official.

“Lisa Midgett is the perfect person to champion this cause because her passion for, and commitment to, the arts is made up of a deep and abiding love,” said Tomlinson. “She intuitively ‘gets’ our fundamental need as human beings to create art and understands the power that art carries, how it can foster community, change lives for the better and aid in health and wellness.”

May 15 is Tomlinson’s last day in her current position at the museum, which she has held for more than five years.

“During the five and a half years I

have lived in Florida, I was made aware of wonderful arts in health programs, such as those at the University of Florida, and made a concerted effort to learn more by attending in-person convenings, seminars and other programming, which I continued to do virtually as the COVID-19 crises worsened,” Tomlinson added.

As a result of what Tomlinson called a “growing knowledge base,” she said she has sought to create arts in health programming in all of the professional settings she has worked in, especially after she learned of the large number of veterans who could be assisted in Ocala and Marion County.

According to Midgett, all creatives in all disciplines are encouraged to participate in Arts in Health Ocala Metro. A commitment of time and selfsacrifice is needed.

“If you’re an artist and you’re doing this to further your career, that won’t work,” Midgett warned.

The nonprofit will host a free LAUNCHeon at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at NOMA Gallery, with a meal prepared by the Fiery Chef, to share information about the new organization and its program goals.

“We’re not just looking for artists,” Midgett clarified. “We need healthcare professionals; we need business people, we need anyone who is curious to attend.”

“Use your creativity and expertise to advance health, wellness, and equity as a paid, trained arts in health professional.

The Arts in Health Ocala Metro team will help you understand how you can be a part of this innovative new organization,” notes a Facebook post about the event.

Midgett said the panel at the event will include the new leaders of Arts in Health Ocala Metro (Mullen via Zoom), a representative from UF Health Shands and testimonials from people who have benefited from the arts during their healing journey.

The next objective will be training, which will be required for those who wish to be part of the program. Those who are interested should apply quickly because there is a summer intensive at UF in June for artist training.

“There are numerous studies that show the benefits of therapeutic artmaking and, in my 22-year career in the arts, I have seen firsthand how art transforms lives. I look forward to this new artistic endeavor to make a real and lasting difference in people’s health and quality of life in Ocala,” Tomlinson said.

For more information or to register for the LAUNCHeon, find the event on Eventbrite or go to aihom.org and scan the QR code.

A NEW HORSE UNVEILED

E

very Friday, James Blevins, the Gazette’s in-house reporter and poet—who has seen his work previously published in “Salt Hill Journal,” “Pretty Owl Poetry,” “Stoneboat Journal,” “Mud Season Review” and

“AZURE,” as well as numerous other outlets both online and in print—chooses one poem for publication.

Additionally, Blevins will share a poem of his own, just for good measure, at the end of each calendar month.

Now Close the Windows

By Robert Frost

Now close the windows and hush all the fields; If the trees must, let them silently toss; No bird is singing now, and if there is, Be it my loss.

[Supplied]

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Public Education Foundation of Marion County’s (PEFMC) unveiled an acrylic Golden Apple Horse named “Apple.”

The horse was named after the annual awards bestowed by PEFMC on exemplary Marion County School educators since 1991.

Apple was created in partnership with the Marion Cultural Alliance and donated in

memory of Whit Palmer, a former PEFMC board member and advocate for public schools.

The artist who gave life to the horse is Gene Hotaling, a retired MCPS teacher and 2001 Golden Apple Teacher of the Year.

For more information on PEFMC or “Apple”, contact PEFMC Executive Director Meghan Magamoll at Meghan.Magamoll@ marion.k12.fl.us or 352.671.4167.

It will be long ere the marshes resume, It will be long ere the earliest bird: So close the windows and not hear the wind, But see all wind-stirred.

Robert Frost, one of the most celebrated figures in American poetry, was born in San Francisco in 1874. He was the author of numerous poetry collections, including New Hampshire (Henry

Holt and Company, 1923), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1924, his first of four such awards, the most of any poet in history. Frost died in Boston in 1963.

&

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

music nightlife nig ghtlife MAY 6

MAY 7

Ecliff Farrar

Southbound 41

MAY 6

Doug Adams

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

Food Truck Friday with Clark Barrios Band

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Food from Big Lee’s Serious about Barbecue and live music.

Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

MAY 6

Aunt Jackie

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

MAY 7

The Mudds

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

MAY 7

Cool Corporate Cats

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

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

MAY 8

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 2pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAY 11

Dave & Vicky

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 6pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

MAY 12

Houston Keene

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 6pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

Sudoku is played on a grid of 9 x 9 spaces. Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the same row, column or square.

MAY 13

Kenny & the Heads

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

MAY 14

Radlin Rootz

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

WORD FIND

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when y pleted the puzzle, there will be 14 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Miranda Madison

MAY 14

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

Leisure lifestyle Solution: 14 Letters

MAY 14

Sidepiece

MAY 13

Second Slice

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

MAY 13

Jeff Jarrett

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks, and entertainment.

For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Free and open to the public.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

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

B4

MAY 15

Jeff Jarrett

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 2pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

Disney’s magical musical

Abseil Adept Arts Bait Ball Basking Beer Bistro Boats Book Brother Calm Chat Chess

City Contemplation Cross country Cup of tea Dawn Dogs Draw Dunk DVDs Expo Farm Flee Food

Game Hose Hush Idle Laps Ludo Lunch Movie Open Poker machines Pool Praise Puzzles

Races Rural Sand Scuba Shore Song Sunset Surf Table Tonic Travel Trip

on: Lazy summer days

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

live on stage may 12 - june 5 $30 for adults

$15 for 18 and younger

SPONSORED BY K-Country Ocala Gazette Tallen Builders

4337 E. Silver Springs BLVD. Ocala, Fl 34470 (352) 236—2274 Ocalacivictheatre.com ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7

Date: 5/6/22

B5

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

derby day MAY 6-7

Derby Day Jackpot Cattle Show

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala All day They won’t win any races, but they’re fun to see.

Showmanship competitions and other cattle classes take place this weekend. Champion bulls and heifers, kids’ classes and more. Visit flhorsepark.org for details.

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

MAY 6-8

Derby Days Barrel Race Show

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala Friday/Saturday 8am-7pm; Sunday 9am-last race Check out a different kind of race when the horses run the barrels at this event. Multiple rounds with great prizes and exciting action. Saturday afternoon will have a break to watch the Kentucky Derby, then live music afterward. For more info, see gobarrelrace.com/derbydays.

MAY 7

MAY 7

Kentucky Derby Hat Party

Kentucky Derby Viewing Party

MAY 7 & 14

MAY 14

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 5-7:30pm Dress up to celebrate the best two minutes in sports. This Derby party takes place at Stirrups at the Equestrian Hotel and includes food stations, an open bar featuring specialty cocktails, dessert and a bottle of bourbon, plus a Jumbo Tron view of the race.

Tickets start at $395 per couple, visit showclix.com.

World Equestrian Center Ocala, Grand Arena, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 5-7pm Watch the best two minutes in sports. The viewing party takes place in the Grand Arena and offers food options from WEC’s fast casual restaurants plus pop-up food court servings like hamburgers, hotdogs and tacos. Cocktails available at cash bars.

Free attendance and parking.

community MAY 6 & 13

Marion County Friday Market

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

MAY 6

First Friday Art Walk

Ocala Downtown Square, 1 SE Broadway St., Ocala 6-9 PM Artists will display their work, free family activities will be available and there will be live music from the stage and buskers out and about. This is the last Art Walk of the season; the next evening will be in September. Free and open to the public.

Guests are encouraged to bring chairs.

For more information, call (352) 629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artwalk

MAY 6-7

Friends of the Library Quarterly Book Sale

Headquarters Ocala Public Library, Meetings Room A&B, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Friday 11am-2pm; Saturday 10am-2pm Calling all book worms! This quarterly fundraiser lets you browse for books and help the Friends of the Library nonprofit at the same time. Bring your book list and treasure hunt to find old classics, newer best sellers, fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and more. Paperbacks will sell for a quarter; hardbacks sell for 50 cents. Note: members only on Friday; open to the general public on Saturday. For more info, check out friendsoftheocalalibrary.org

MAY 6-8

Ocala Feathered Horse Classic

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-6pm Gypsy Vanners are fairy tale horses with their elegant coloring, long feathered feet and flowing manes and tails. The costume class, Concours D’Elegance Exhibition, is the last class of the Saturday show. Horses (and riders) dress in Victorian and Edwardian elegance and audience participation helps pick the winner. Free and open to the public. See featheredhorseclassic.com or worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

MAY 7

Festivals of Speed Car Show

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 10am-4pm Check out a different kind of speed (not the Kentucky Derby) with this enticing display of exotic, classic and muscle cars all carefully polished up and ready to rev. Over 200 cars will be shown, including such famed brands as Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, McLaren and Lamborghini. General admission is $20 and VIP experiences are also available. See festivalsofspeed.com for more info.

Yoga in the Park

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am Stretch out by the Sholom Park stage; recurs every Saturday morning. Visit sholompark.org for details.

MAY 7 & 14

Ocala Downtown Market

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

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

MAY 7 & 14

Farmers Swap Meet

Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala 9am-2pm A true farmers swap meet where chickens, goats, turkeys, rabbits and sometimes even ponies are available along with horse tack, home-grown plants, produce and hand-crafted items. Booth types vary with occasional meat vendors, food trucks and other goods. Saturdays, weather permitting.

MAY 7-21 WEEKENDS

Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale

UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Nursery, 2232 NW Jacksonville Road, Ocala 8am-12pm Free admission. All kinds of plants for sale, including natives, herbs, trees, flowers, perennials, shrubs and more. Plus, soil testing kits available and consultations with master gardeners. Bring your own wagon, cash or check only please. For more info, (352) 671-8400.

World Equestrian Center, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-5pm Burn up some calories doing the 5K run/walk looping through the beautiful grounds of the World Equestrian Center, then wolf down some calories at the blueberry pancake breakfast afterward. The all-day festival activities include a farmer’s market with local vendors, lots of blueberry specialties, live music, games and more. The 5K and breakfast require tickets; the festival is free and open to the public. See worldequestriancenter.com/events for more info.

MAY 14

Healthy 55 Car Show & Farmer’s Market

One Health Center, 1714 SW 17th St., Ocala 10am-2pm Free admission to the car show and enjoy food trucks like Big Lee’s BBQ, Jeremiah’s and Krafty Kettle along with artisan farmer’s market goods from Whistle Stop Bakery, Lavone Cox Farm and Produce, Buzz and Grind and Barkin’ Bakery.

Benefits the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.

For more info, www.healthy 55.org

THROUGH JUNE 18

Sunflower Festival

MAY 7

Blueberry Festival, Pancake Breakfast and 5K Run/Walk

Coon Hollo Farm, 22480 N Highway 441, north of McIntosh 9am-2pm Head out to the farm and enjoy Coon Hollo’s Sunflower Festival. Take a hayride to feed the cows, browse through Nana’s Country Store for goodies and farm fresh delights. Vendor booths, farm animals, and, of course, lots and lots of sunflowers, those cheery faces of the plant world. This farm is a fifth-generation endeavor and offers tons of photos opportunities and a chance to see how a real family farm works and plays. Visit coonhollo.com

Horsin’ Around at the Discovery Center

701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm The Discovery Center, Ocala’s hands-on children’s museum, hands it over to the horsey set with an opportunity to explore the world of horses.

Kids can figure how tall they are in horse hands, visit with an equine vet, see a day in the life of a jockey and try out a hobby horse dressage course.

Admission fee of $8 includes the regular exhibits and interactive hallway. Visit mydiscovery.org.

government MAY 9

Marion County Development Review Committee Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am Ensures compliance with the county’s Land Development Code and votes on items such as waiver requests, major site plans and subdivision master plans, preliminary plats, improvement plans and final plats. Meets on Mondays.

MAY 9

MAY 10

Dunnellon City Council Meeting

City of Belleview Planning & Zoning Board

City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm

5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 5:30-6:30pm

Center for Dentistry

DR. JOHN BORCHERS, DDS. PA DR. MICHAEL T. MCKEE, DDS MS.PA. DR. WALTER VANNESS, DDS

3300 SW 34th Ave., Suite 136 Ocala, FL 34474

(352) 732-7218 4 S.E. Broadway Street Ocala, Florida 34471

EMERGENCY EXAM & X RAY

CROWNS or BRIDGEWORK

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$69500

New Patient Special 00140

352-873-4844 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm www.flgentledental.com

DENTURES

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Porcelain & Noble Metal, 006242

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EMERGENCIES & WALK-INS WELCOME

OCALA’S LOCAL FIRM ON THE SQUARE

The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or to be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination or treatment which is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free discounted fee or reduced fee service, examination or treatment specials available with this coupon only. Not valid with any other offers.

B6

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

arts MAY 6 & 13

MAY 7

Battle of the Brushes

Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series

Webb Field at Martin Luther King Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th St, Ocala 7-9pm Free music concerts sponsored by the City of Ocala and the Marion Cultural Alliance. A variety of music genres will get your toes tapping, your feet dancing and your heart pumping along with the rhythm. May 6 is Indigenous; May 13 is the Byrne Brothers. For more info, ocalafl.org or facebook.com/ levittampocala

8th Avenue Gallery, 1531 NE 8th Ave., Ocala 2pm- artists’ start time; 9pm- votes cast Nine local Ocala artists compete in an “art off,” painting canvases while spectators enjoy the creative process, sample beer from Infinite Ale Works, and enjoy live music from Glizzy Gilispie, Sam Carlson and His Borderline Brothers and Just Joel.

The event benefits the Marion Cultural Alliance and Magnolia Art Xchange. More info at mcaocala.org.

MAY 12

MAY 14

Beauty and the Beast

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Show times vary This classic fairy tale comes to live as Belle enchants her Beast, and love prevails. The live onstage version of the beloved Disney movie will feature all of the songs from the movie, along with added hits, dazzling costumes and gorgeous production.

The entire family will enjoy this magical journey into this beloved fairy tale. Performances are Thursdays-Sundays; show runs through June 5, show times vary. For tickets and more info, ocalacivictheatre.com

MAY 14

MAY 6

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 3pm This unique performance mixes fine art, live music, singing dancing, humor and interaction in a colorful whirl of movement and creation. Artists, singers, dancers and musicians work and play together to create new art pieces and encourage audience participation. At the end, you’ll be able jump on stage to see and experience the new artworks that were created during the presentation. Suitable for all ages, get tickets from reillyartscenter.com

Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., Ocala 7pm Ocala talent Cindy Moody performs Patsy Cline’s hits in this tribute to the country star.

Tickets start at $26. For more info, csculturalcenter.com.

MAY 6

“Landmarks” Art Exhibit Opening Reception

Marion Cultural Alliance, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala 5-7pm This French-themed soiree is the opening of the “Landmarks” exhibit with local and global landscapes created by MCA artists. Light snacks and French wine. Free. For more info, go to mcaocala.org.

MAY 7

British Rock Invasion: Foreigner and Bad Company Tributes Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm Slip back into the ‘70s with this tribute performance as it pays homage to two powerhouse bands with songs like “Head Games,” “Bad Company” and more. Check out reillyartscenter.com for more info.

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 8pm Combining African rhythms, live percussion and a DJ mixer, Dancehall stars like Yellowman, Shabba Ranks and more heat up the dance floor for this one-of-a-kind musical experience. Info and tickets from reillyartscenter.com.

THROUGH MAY 26

Horsemanship by Walter Israel

Artrageous at the Reilly

An Evening with Patsy Cline

Dancehall Meets African Pop

MAY 14

City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri 8am-5pm Longtime horseman and artist Walter Israel exhibits his charcoal portraits of horses and their people. He uses light and dark to complement and express his passion for animals. Free to the public.

More info at ocalafl.org

THROUGH JULY 31

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

Grease Singalong at the Marion Theatre

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala 3pm & 8pm Dress up and get ready to sing and dance ‘50s style. This iconic movie lends itself to a Rocky Horror-style experience with heckling the screen, sing (and dance) alongs encouraged. Pull out those saddle shoes, style up that pompadour and remember, grease is the word. More info and tickets at www.reillyartscenter.com/themarion/

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

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MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

APPLETON ANNOUNCES ‘FINDING BEAUTY,’ A COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION WITH OCT

[Supplied]

[Supplied]

By Ocala Gazette Staff

“Along with showcasing the inspiration objects, the exhibition also highlights the creative design process and how a static object, such as a clock, can eventually become the costume for a living actor to magically transform into a character such as Cogsworth,” said the CF press release.

The exhibition also includes set photos and sketches by OCT’s award-winning costume designer Eryn Brooks Brewer, a touch table of fabrics and costume embellishments, a photo op and more. “‘Finding Beauty’ is a true labor of love with our friends and neighbors at OCT,” said Patricia Tomlinson, Appleton Museum curator of exhibitions. “The marriage of the Appleton’s artworks and Eryn’s brilliant costumes has been a delight to bring to life. We are excited to present the beauty of collaboration to our

T

he College of Central Florida’s Appleton Museum of Art announced “Finding Beauty,” its latest unique exhibition in partnership with Ocala Civic Theatre (OCT), according to a CF press release on March 28.

On view May 12-Jan. 15, 2023, “Finding Beauty” merges costume drawings and more from OCT’s production of “Beauty and the Beast,” with objects from the Appleton collection that inspired them.

Based on Rococo-style works in the collection, OCT’s costumes borrow patterns, colors and motifs from objects such as a Louis XIV-type clock and wardrobe, as well as fine porcelain objects and elaborate candelabra.

members, patrons and viewers.”

After June 5, a selection of costumes from the actual performance will also be on view.

Appleton Director’s Circle members are invited to the VIP Reception on Thursday, May 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will be a French-inspired evening with hors d’oeuvres, music and a special preview of the exhibition.

RSVP is required for the reception.

To RSVP, contact Colleen Harper at harperc@cf.edu, or call (352) 291-4455, ext. 1831.

OCT’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” runs May 12-June 5. Tickets go on sale April 11. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The theatre is located next to the Appleton at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

For more information about OCT or to purchase tickets, visit www.ocalacivictheatre.com or call (352) 236-2274. Those with tickets to “Beauty and the Beast” may visit the Appleton “Finding Beauty” exhibit (and all galleries) one time, free of charge, from May 12, 2022 to Jan. 15, 2023.

Proof of tickets must be presented upon visiting the museum.

The Appleton Museum, art space and store, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. A campus of CF, the Appleton is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on S.R. 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95).

Parking is free.

For more information, call (352) 291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

[Supplied]

Spookala horror convention haunts Marion County this month Corey Taylor, Felissa Rose, Harvey Guillen among featured guests

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

B

reak out your cosplay chainsaws and toy machetes, Marion County, because Spookala is coming to town this May! Held at 1390 N.W. 80th Ave., the three-day horror convention will start Friday, May 13, and run through to Sunday, May 15.

The event features a wide variety of celebrity guests from both film and television to stars of extreme music and professional wrestling.

Special guests include Corey Taylor of the band Slipknot; Harvey Guillen from the FX TV show “What We Do In The Shadows”; Malakai Black and

Danhausen, both of All-Elite Wrestling; Thom Mathews from the film “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives”; Andrew Bryniarski from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2003); and many, many more.

Event organizer D.J. Gualandri told the “Gazette” that tickets for the weekend event are affordable and include all kinds of built-in perks.

“On Saturday, you get to see Cory Taylor perform for no additional costs. You get to see Ice Nine Kills perform acoustic as well; then they’re doing a Q&A afterwards,” said Gualandri. “We’re going to have discussion panels with our main guests on Saturday, as well, celebrity meet and greets, plenty

of vendors. It’s the best place to go this side of Orlando if you like horror movies.”

Gualandri, who has been hosting events like Spookala in Ocala for nearly two decades, said that the local market for these conventions continue to grow steadily in popularity every year.

“The reaction I’ve been getting from this event and from everyone in Ocala has just been amazing,” Gualandri said.

The convention is open to all ages. Children 10 and under receive free admission with a paid adult. Parking is free.

For more information, visit www.Spookala.com.

Spookala Schedule * Friday, May 13

Doors: VIP 3:30 p.m.; General admission: 4 p.m.

Panels/Stage times 5 p.m.—5:45 p.m.—Felissa Rose (Sleep Away Camp) 6 p.m.—6:45 p.m.—Ari Lehman (Friday the 13th (1980)) 7 p.m.—7:45 p.m.—Tom Morga (Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, Halloween 4) 8 p.m.—8:45 p.m.—Thom Mathews (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives)

Saturday, May 14

Doors: VIP 9:30 a.m.; General admission: 10 a.m.

Panels/Stage times 11 a.m.—11:45 a.m.—Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie) 12 p.m.—12:45 p.m.—James Jude Courtney (Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills) 1 p.m.—1:45 p.m.—TBA 2 p.m.—2:45 p.m.—Harvey Guillen (What We Do In The Shadows) 3:15 p.m.—4 p.m.—Ice Nine Kills (Short acoustic set and Q&A) 4:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m.—Corey Taylor of Slipknot (Acoustic set) 6 p.m.—7 p.m.—Cherry Bombs (Dance performance)

Sunday, May 15

Doors: VIP 10:30 a.m.; General admission: 11 a.m.

Panels/Stage times 12 p.m.—12:45 p.m.—Wrinkles the Clown 1 p.m.—1:45 p.m.—Quinn Lord (Trick ‘r Treat) 2 p.m.—2:45 p.m.—Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story) 3 p.m.—3:45 p.m.—Miko Hughes (Pet Sematary (1989)) 4 p.m.—4:45 p.m.—Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) 5 p.m.—Costume/Cosplay contest Cancellations: Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Brian Prince and Bob Elmore. *All information was taken from the Spookala.com website on April 25.

See website for updated information as the event nears.

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B8

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

The Basquiat of Brisket Local barbecue legend Rashad Jones brings his culinary art skills to the test, competing in the first episode of Food Network’s new season of “BBQ Brawl” premiering Monday, May 9, on Food Network and streaming on discovery+

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

R

ashad Jones, owner of Big Lee’s BBQ in Ocala and a competitor on Food Network’s upcoming season of “BBQ Brawl,” is more than a local celebrity with a gift for brisket. He considers himself a fine artist with a basting brush, someone who paints mouthwatering masterworks with barbecue sauce and carves unforgettable effigies of flavor from grilled and charred meats.

“I’m a culinary artist,” said Jones with emphasis on “artist.”

“That’s the true heart and spirit of what I do.”

Simply put: barbecue is art for Jones, and like any artist, he wants to share his work with others.

“Whether you’re a painter or musician, you want to be recognized for the blood, sweat and tears that went into that beautiful portrait or amazing song you have created. It’s no different for me,” explained Jones.

“That’s why we create. We don’t create to lock it away in a closet somewhere. We create something that we think is noteworthy so people can enjoy it.”

Jones will get his chance on the third season of “BBQ Brawl,” scheduled to premiere with a 90-minute special episode on Monday, May 9, at 9 p.m. on the Food Network. It will also be available for streaming on discovery+ with new episodes available weekly after the Monday premiere.

Through eight episodes, superstar chefs Bobby Flay, Anne Burrell and Jet Tila mentor and coach nine upcoming stars in the barbecue world with culinary battles that test their skills and their ability to work together as a team.

With the captains guiding their teams every step of the way, a panel of judges featuring barbecue legend Rodney Scott, famed chef Brooke Williamson and lifestyle personality Carson Kressley decide which competitor is worthy of being crowned “Master of ‘Cue” and appear

across Food Network’s digital platforms to become its official BBQ expert for the year.

Jones couldn’t tell the “Gazette” much ahead of the show’s premiere, for fear of giving anything away, but he did say that the upcoming season of “BBQ Brawl” is “incredible.”

“This is a bunch of amazing pitmasters and chefs from all around the country who know what they’re doing,” he said. “It’s a really heated battle. And it’s definitely something you should want to tune in to because it’s an entertaining show, regardless of whether you love barbecue or not.”

Jones was chosen to participate in the TV show after a nationwide search for some of the best pitmasters in the country.

People who really know what they’re doing, said Jones.

“I guess my name came up in that conversation. They reached out to me and the rest is pretty much history,” he added.

This isn’t Jones’ first rodeo on the Food Network. In 2017, he auditioned for celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s culinary contest, “Guy’s Big Project,” on Food Network and was cast as one of the show’s 10 contestants.

Not only did he win the contest, but also on the show’s finale, Fieri and the network were so charmed by Jones that they awarded him a full six-episode primetime series called “Eat, Sleep, BBQ,” which aired on the Food Network in December 2017.

Though he was never classically trained in any sort of specific cuisine, Jones learned barbecue in his backyard, teaching himself the skills he now uses at Big Lee’s, 343 NE First Ave., and to compete on television. As skilled as he is, and despite being a former champion of a Food Network show, “BBQ Brawl” challenged him, he admitted.

“The show pushes you out of your comfort zone. The way I cook at home, the way I cook at Big Lee’s, it’s very different than some of the things that they were expecting of me on the show,” he said. “And those things make for great television. Can you think

Contender Rashad Jones, as seen on BBQ Brawl, Season 3. © 2021, Discovery, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

quickly on your feet? Can you adjust? That’s very challenging. It did throw me for a loop at first.”

Jones said it was amazing to work with Flay on the show, calling the Food Network star an “absolute legend.”

“He’s cooked literally every type of food you could ever imagine,” said Jones. “He’s so good at what he does. Just being able to spend the amount of time I did with him: he’s so cool, laidback and humble. No big head at all. He’s actually very generous, very complimentary—but hypercompetitive. The man wants to win. It’s not just a game for him.

And I admire that. I’ve got that same competitive spirit in me.”

Set at the famed Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas, the show features competitors who are divided into three teams under the tutelage of Flay, Burrell and Tila. In each episode, the captains do everything in their power to keep their team members in the game—including diving into the action themselves—guiding the hopefuls in two rounds of grilling and smoking challenges.

The team that is determined by the judges to be least successful in the challenges will have one of their contenders eliminated. In the end, only one competitor and captain will reign supreme.

Working on “BBQ Brawl,” Jones said he has met some of the most genuine, honest, hardworking and fun individuals he’s ever known. The nine competitors have formed a bond competing on the show, he added, and they all remain friends to this day.

“You’re cooking in Austin, Texas, around smokers and different grills, all running at 250-or-so degrees. It’s hot. You can only do that and do it well if you love it. To share that love and passion with so many other people and immerse yourselves in it—[I have formed] memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Ever humble, Jones doesn’t think of himself as a local celebrity, but over the last five years or more, he has done much to place Marion County firmly on the barbecue-stained map.

Deerwood

“I don’t feel any different than I did before,” confessed Jones.

“I do recognize the significance of it. Barbecue is something we take incredibly serious in this country. I like to refer to it as America’s cuisine. So being able to represent our country and represent it from Ocala and Marion County means more to me than I can fully compute. But it does feel good for folks to see me out and about and say, ‘You know, man, you made us proud.’”

“Great barbecue is no longer relegated to only Texas, Kansas

Contender Rashad Jones seasons the beef for his first Advantage Challenge dish, as seen on BBQ Brawl, Season 3. © 2021, Discovery, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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City, Memphis or the Carolinas,” continued Jones. “Not to say those regions don’t have great barbecue, but you can come right here to Ocala and get something that’s just as amazing as well.”

To learn more about Big Lee’s BBQ, visit the website at www. mybigleesbbq.com. For savory images of Jones’ barbecue art, visit Big Lee’s Instagram at username “mybigleesbbq.” For exclusive barbecue tips from the stars of Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” and more, visit FoodNetwork.com.

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B9

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Black Catholic nuns: A compelling, long-overlooked history

File photo

By David Crary AP National Writer

E

ven as a young adult, Shannen Dee Williams – who grew up Black and Catholic in Memphis, Tennessee – knew of only one Black nun, and a fake one at that: Sister Mary Clarence, as played by Whoopi Goldberg in the comic film “Sister Act.” After 14 years of tenacious research, Williams – a history professor at the University of Dayton -- arguably now knows more about America’s Black nuns than anyone in the world. Her comprehensive and compelling history of them, “Subversive Habits,” will be published May 17.

Williams found that many Black nuns were modest about their achievements and reticent about sharing details of bad experiences, such as encountering racism and discrimination. Some acknowledged wrenching events only after Williams confronted them with details gleaned from other sources.

“For me, it was about recognizing the ways in which trauma silences people in ways they may not even be aware of,” she said.

The story is told chronologically, yet always in the context of a theme Williams forcefully outlines in her preface: that the nearly 200-year history of these nuns in the U.S. has been overlooked or suppressed by those who resented or disrespected them.

“For far too long, scholars of the American, Catholic, and Black pasts have unconsciously or consciously declared -- by virtue of misrepresentation, marginalization, and outright erasure -- that the history of Black Catholic nuns does not matter,” Williams writes, depicting her book as proof that their history “has always mattered.”

The book arrives as numerous American institutions, including religious groups, grapple with their racist pasts and shine a spotlight on their communities’ overlooked Black pioneers.

Williams begins her narrative in the pre-Civil War era when some Black women – even in slave-holding states – found their way into Catholic sisterhood.

Some entered previously whites-only orders, often in subservient roles, while a few trailblazing women succeeded in forming orders for Black nuns in Baltimore and New Orleans.

Even as the number of American nuns – of all races – shrinks relentlessly, that Baltimore order founded in 1829 remains intact, continuing its mission to educate Black youths. Some current members of the Oblate Sisters of Providence help run Saint Frances Academy, a high school serving low-income Black neighborhoods.

Some of the most detailed passages

in “Subversive Habits” recount the Jim Crow era, extending from the 1870s through the 1950s, when Black nuns were not spared from the segregation and discrimination endured by many other African Americans.

In the 1960s, Williams writes, Black nuns were often discouraged or blocked by their white superiors from engaging in the civil rights struggle.

Yet one of them, Sister Mary Antona Ebo, was on the front lines of marchers who gathered in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 in support of Black voting rights and in protest of the violence of Bloody Sunday when white state troopers brutally dispersed peaceful Black demonstrators.

An Associated Press photo of Ebo and other nuns in the march on March 10 — three days after Bloody Sunday — ran on the front pages of many newspapers.

During two decades before Selma, Ebo faced repeated struggles to break down racial barriers. At one point she was denied admittance to Catholic nursing schools because of her race, and later endured segregation policies at the whiteled order of sisters she joined in St. Louis in 1946, according to Williams.

The idea for “Subversive Habits” took shape in 2007, when Williams – then a graduate student at Rutgers University – was desperately seeking a compelling topic for a paper due in a seminar on African American history.

At the library, she searched through microfilm editions of Black-owned newspapers and came across a 1968 article in the Pittsburgh Courier about a group of Catholic nuns forming the National Black Sisters’ Conference.

The accompanying photo, of four smiling Black nuns, “literally stopped me in my tracks,” she said. “I was raised Catholic … How did I not know that Black nuns existed?”

Mesmerized by her discovery, she began devouring “everything I could that had been published about Black Catholic history,” while setting out to interview the founding members of the National Black Sisters’ Conference.

Among the women Williams interviewed extensively was Patricia Grey, who was a nun in the Sisters of Mercy and a founder of the NBSC before leaving religious life in 1974.

Grey shared with The Associated Press some painful memories from 1960, when – as an aspiring nurse – she was rejected for membership in a Catholic order because she was Black.

“I was so hurt and disappointed, I couldn’t believe it,” she said about reading that rejection letter. “I remember crumbling it up and I didn’t even want to look at it again or think about it again.”

Grey initially was reluctant to assist with “Subversive Habits,” but eventually shared her own story and her personal archives after urging Williams to write about “the mostly unsung and underresearched history” of America’s Black nuns.

“If you can, try to tell all of our stories,” Grey told her.

Williams set out to do just that – scouring overlooked archives, previously sealed church records and out-of-print books, while conducting more than 100 interviews.

“I bore witness to a profoundly unfamiliar history that disrupts and revises much of what has been said and

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written about the U.S. Catholic Church and the place of Black people within it,” Williams writes. “Because it is impossible to narrate Black sisters’ journey in the United States -- accurately and honestly -- without confronting the Church’s largely unacknowledged and unreconciled histories of colonialism, slavery, and segregation.”

Historians have been unable to identify the nation’s first Black Catholic nun, but Williams recounts some of the earliest moves to bring Black women into Catholic religious orders – in some cases on the expectation they would function as servants.

One of the oldest Black sisterhoods, the Sisters of the Holy Family, formed in New Orleans in 1842 because white sisterhoods in Louisiana, including the slave-holding Ursuline order, refused to accept African Americans.

The principal founder of that New Orleans order — Henriette Delille — and Oblate Sisters of Providence founder Mary Lange are among three Black nuns from the U.S. designated by Catholic officials as worthy of consideration for sainthood. The other is Sister Thea Bowman, a beloved educator, evangelist and singer who died in Mississippi in 1990 and is buried in Williams’s hometown of Memphis.

Researching less prominent nuns, Williams faced many challenges – for example tracking down Catholic sisters who were known to their contemporaries by their religious names but were listed in archives by their secular names.

Among the many pioneers is Sister Cora Marie Billings, who as a 17-yearold in 1956 became the first Black person admitted into the Sisters of Mercy in Philadelphia. Later, she was the first Black nun to teach in a Catholic high school in Philadelphia and was a co-founder of the National Black Sisters’ Conference.

In 1990, Billings became the first Black woman in the U.S. to manage a Catholic parish when she was named pastoral coordinator for St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia.

“I’ve gone through many situations of racism and oppression throughout my life,” Billings told The Associated Press. “But somehow or other, I’ve just dealt with it

and then kept on going.”

According to recent figures from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are about 400 African American religious sisters, out of a total of roughly 40,000 nuns.

That overall figure is only one-fourth of the 160,000 nuns in 1970, according to statistics compiled by Catholic researchers at Georgetown University. Whatever their races, many of the remaining nuns are elderly, and the influx of youthful novices is sparse.

The Baltimore-based Oblate Sisters of Providence used to have more than 300 members, according to its superior general, Sister Rita Michelle Proctor, and now has less than 50 – most of them living at the motherhouse in Baltimore’s outskirts.

“Though we’re small, we are still about serving God and God’s people.” Proctor said.

“Most of us are elderly, but we still want to do so for as long as God is calling us to.”

Even with diminished ranks, the Oblate Sisters continue to operate Saint Frances Academy – founded in Baltimore by Mary Lange in 1828. The coed school is the country’s oldest continually operating Black Catholic educational facility, with a mission prioritizing help for “the poor and the neglected.”

Williams, in an interview with the AP, said she was considering leaving the Catholic church – due partly to its handling of racial issues – at the time she started researching Black nuns. Hearing their histories, in their own voices, revitalized her faith, she said.

“As these women were telling me their stories, they were also preaching to me in a such a beautiful way,” Williams said. “It wasn’t done in a way that reflected any anger -- they had already made their peace with it, despite the unholy discrimination they had faced.”

What keeps her in the church now, Williams said, is a commitment to these women who chose to share their stories.

“It took a lot for them to get it out,” she said. “I remain in awe of these women, of their faithfulness.”

AP video journalist Jessie Wardarski contributed to this report.

B10

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

UF Softball: Falby named 2022 NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Top-25 finalist

VISUAL ARTISTS’ SOCIETY PRESENTS SUMMER SPOTLIGHT EXHIBITION

OUTFIELDER LEADS ALL SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FRESHMEN IN BATTING AVERAGE, HITS, RUNS SCORED AND STOLEN BASES.

Right: “Hiroshima, August 6, 1945,”

by Linda Harlow [Supplied]

By Ocala Gazette Staff

annual opportunities for Visual Artists’ Society members to display the works that showcase their talent and imagination,” said CF’s release.

The society has more than 100 members from all over Marion County and Central Florida, the release added, including professional and amateur artists and many of CF’s talented students—each displaying a variety of styles and mediums, from traditional paintings and photographs to 3D objects and digital media.

Ronda Richley, who has 50 years of art experience both as an educator and owner of various art

T

he Visual Artists’ Society announced that the theme for its upcoming Summer Spotlight XXV exhibit would be “Town and Country,” according to a College of Central Florida (CF) press release on March 30.

The exhibit, which showcases the work of local and regional artists in a wide variety of mediums, will be held May 16-July 28 at the Webber Gallery, located at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

“The Summer Spotlight is one of two

Reporting done by Herb Brooks contributed to this article.

businesses from coast to coast, will judge the exhibit.

She was first introduced to Ocala through Marion Cultural Alliance’s “Horse Fever 20/20” exhibit. Her horse “Sunny Daze” can be found at the CF Vintage Farm Campus.

An opening reception and awards ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Webber Gallery summer hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1552.

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F

lorida softball freshman Kendra Falby was named a 2022 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Freshman of the Year Top-25 finalist, according to a UF Communications press release on April 28.

Falby, a native of Odessa, Florida, has been “electric” for the Gators during the 2022 season, according to UF Communications Correspondent Herb Brooks. The talented outfielder has made highlight reel-worth plays all year and has been a force at the plate and on the bases as well.

This season, Falby sports a .393 average at the plate with 59 hits, 45 runs scored, 22 RBI, 28 stolen bases and 11 total extra base hits that includes an inside-the-park homerun.

When compared to her freshmen peers, she leads all SEC freshmen in batting average, hits, runs scored and stolen bases, Brooks continued. Among other freshmen at the national level, Falby ranks ninth in batting average, second in stolen bases, second in runs scored and third in total hits.

The Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman.

On May 12, the list will be trimmed to the top 10. The names of the three finalists will be released on May 26. The 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year will be announced on May 31.

The list of 25 was selected by the NFCA. The NFCA Division I AllAmerican Committee will vote to choose the top 10, top three and overall winner.

In 2022, the NFCA will award Freshman of the Year honors to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA awards, visit NFCA.org.

For even more

By Ocala Gazette Staff

Ronda Richley [Supplied]

10AM — 6PM *Payments shown based on 48 month financing estimates. Your payments may vary based on your credit approval. See associate for details. Prior sales not included. Due to early advertising deadlines, some items may be sold or out of stock. See or call store for details on total delivery area. Delivery is additional. Product photos are for illustration only, actual product may not be as pictured. Not responsible for typographical errors

B11

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

The bold and colorful journey of Moisés Brador

Moisés Brador at NOMA. His works appear in the “Traces of Reality” show currently on display. [Supplied]

By Julie Garisto Correspondent

A

rtist Moisés Brador is a seeker. As a writer, painter and photographer, he has created colorful boldness and grandeur from flotsam and jetsam that one might otherwise deem as minutia. His works call to mind cosmic collisions and offer alternate, intriguing perspectives of our world and the possibility of other worlds.

As viewers, we accompany Brador on his quest for spiritual revelations, aided by symbolic breadcrumbs along the way.

The artist’s newest photographs will be premiering in the Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA) “Landmarks” show, which opens with a reception at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 6, at the home of the organization, which is the Brick Center for the Arts, or the Brick, at 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala.

Through the objects, colors and shapes, Brador expresses his view of how art and community are connected and build from each other in Ocala.

“There is a symbiosis between a city and its art, and this is one of the reasons I decided to choose the Brick,” Brador explains in his artist statement. “The Brick is a landmark of the art, opportunities, integration and inclusiveness that reflect and model this symbiosis.”

Brador first exhibited his fine art photography at the NOMA Gallery in February 2021 and his works will be up at the Magnolia Avenue gallery for the next few months.

Among them, you’ll find “La Mónada” (photography on metal, 16×20, $695), which references The Monad, a theory explored by philosophers from Liebniz to Plato, which, in the simplest terms, suggests an origination from a single source.

In Brador’s otherworldly “La Mónada,” we see what appears to be floating rings and fomenting bubbles against a multicolor backdrop, suggesting a primordial cosmic soup of sorts.

“You can see the light playing with the colors, forms and shapes,” Brador suggested. “It is a dance that ended in creation and manifestation … you can see a flow. Red equals passion and the love of the creator; yellow equals light; green equals hope and the electric color blue on “La Mónada,” that is the subject: the little rounded circle piece with that glow and energy.”

A work that conjures the aftermath of the Big Bang, “In the Beginning,” also on sale at NOMA (photography on metal, $695) borrows from the Bible’s famous opening line and carries with it similar color motifs; a swatch of red resembles a volcanic eruption in the background. Blue swirls in the foreground evoke a churning ocean and the planet Earth, and a yellow dot in the center conjures the promise of the sun.

“I grab my camera and throw myself into conquering our daily realities,” Brador’s artist statement reads. “I dig deep within myself to unveil my subject’s real essence, and mercifully I’m able to escape the

grasp of everyday reality and reveal my own.”

Brador’s life travels have wound along some unpredictable paths, but they have taken him back to family, love and centeredness.

Born in 1966 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Brador lost his father, a commercial pilot, in a cargo plane crash before he was old enough to remember him.

“I was just 2 years, 8 months old,” he said. I didn’t meet my dad. I don’t even know how his voice sounded or how he walked. I became a fatherless and only child. I would ask, ‘Where is my father?’ and everyone would say he is in heaven. That pointed me to look for my father in heaven and I developed in me a vertical worldview, you know, not just horizontal. And I have since been searching for the light, for the truth.”

In his pursuit of truth, Brador received his BA in Christian ministry and began to study toward a Master of Divinity but realized a vocation in organized religion wasn’t the right direction for him.

“I decided that to serve the Lord, you do not have to be a pastor and that you can minister to others through different roles and settings,” Brador explained. “And that is what I am doing with my art and everything I do. I serve the Lord. I just want to be a giver of light and a receiver of light.”

Before relocating to Ocala last year and working full-time as an artist, Brador lived in Miami for 23 years and spent some time in Arkansas and Iowa. His varied career has included stints as a USDA food inspector and other government jobs.

He has been married twice and has five children from both marriages. Brador’s most recent marriage, in 2013, was to a teenage sweetheart, a love that got away.

They reunited almost 30 years later on Facebook.

“We are like a love story,” he said with fondness.

Brador uses the word love often.

He loves the outdoors, and to travel.

In his works he finds love in the most unexpected ways, depicting organic and plastic objects and liquids, and then he prints on metal.

“I prefer to use things that have energy and are small,” he said. “I have used vegetables and fruits as well. And I use a lot of crystals.”

These days, Brador is veering from what he calls total abstraction to subject-centered works.

“I am playing more with light,” he said. “I think I have used macro, maybe 10 precent of the time. The rest of the time, it’s a wide-angle lens.”

Most of all, Brador is moved by feelings and intuition.

“I choose my colors and objects and decide if they will be submerged or not, and what kind of fluid or liquid I am going to use,” he explained. “Then I start shooting and when I am editing and reviewing the shots is when the title of the piece reveals itself to me.”

The MCA member created Landmarks exhibit, which celebrates local landscapes and global destinations, will be on display through May 28. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. To learn more, visit mcaocala.org.

“I decided that to serve the Lord, you do not have to be a pastor and that you can minister to others through different roles and settings...And that is what I am doing with my art and everything I do.

I serve the Lord.

I just want to be a giver of light and a receiver of light.”

Moisés Brador

“Penetrating the Veil of Reality” photo on metal

“Reflective Mood” photo on metal

“Ballet of the Soul” photo on metal

B12

MAY 6 - MAY 12, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

SCORE BOARD SELECTED MARION COUNTY

HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE

SPORTS Williston’s Brendan Clemenzi (6) can’t handle the throw as Trinity Catholic’s Conner Tunois (30) slides safely into second base during a baseball game at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on April 27. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

RESULTS APRIL 26 - MAY 2

North Marion’s Rowan Quartararo (8) slides safely back to first base as Lake Weir’s Tanner Gronlund (4) can’t handle the throw during the Region 4A District 4 quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2. The Colts scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning and defeated the Lake Weir Hurricanes 13-3. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

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

Williston’s Nolan Benton (13) tags out Trinity Catholic’s Conner Tunois (30) as Tunois gets caught between third base and the plate during a baseball game at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on April 27. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

PREP BASEBALL SCORES

April 29

April 26

Williston Dunnellon

St. John Lutheran Belleview

Belleview Buchholz

0 6

Vanguard Dunnellon

4 5

Wildwood Lake Weir

2 10

East Ridge Forest

1 11

Trinity Catholic Citrus

11 0

North Marion Gainesville

7 4

1 14 4 8

May 2

7A-2 District Quarterfinal West Port DeLand 2A-5 District Quarterfinal St. John Lutheran First Academy 4A-4 District Quarterfinal Lake Weir North Marion

4 6

11 2

Forest Buchholz

9 6

Lake Weir Leesburg

7 8

Williston Trinity Catholic Vanguard Citrus

14

3 13

Dunnellon Trinity Catholic Forest Williston West Port Crystal River Lake Weir Belleview Belleview Lake Highland Prep Vanguard Dunnellon Lake Weir The Villages Charter Buchholz Trinity Catholic

3 11 5 6

North Marion’s Jake Tompkins (22) wears a cowboy hat as he celebrates his home run with the dugout during the Region 4A District 4 quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

April 29 Mount Dora North Marion

0 15

May 2 0 10 3 12 15 3 6 16

April 27 16 1 14 4 0 14 0 14

5A-4 District Quarterfinal St. Augustine Belleview

5 12

3A-5 District Quarterfinal Mount Dora Dunnellon

1 16

6A-4 District Quarterfinal Forest University

0 10

4A-4 District Quarterfinal Lake Weir Tocoi Creek

6 11

7A-2 District Semifinal DeLand West Port

0 10

North Marion’s Eli Blair (19) throws a pitch during the Region 4A District 4 quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES

April 28

April 28 Santa Fe Forest

9 16

Williston Vanguard

9 1

West Port North Marion

7 2

Trinity Catholic Belleview

PREP SOFTBALL (FAST PITCH) SCORES

4 April 26

April 27 Dunnellon Newberry

Williston’s Hunter Bullock (3) throws a pitch during a game at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on April 27. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

13 5

Trinity Catholic’s Cole Stephens (9) throws a pitch during a game at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on April 27.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Belleview Dunnellon The Villages Charter Forest Crystal River North Marion Leesburg Vanguard Trinity Catholic Seminole

10 4 6 11 2 3 1 11 8 1

April 27 College of Central Florida 9 Pasco-Hernando State College 2 College of Central Florida 7 Pasco-Hernando State College 8

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES Lake Weir’s Dominic Toste (7) slides safely back to first base as North Marion’s Jake Tompkins (22) looks for the out during the Region 4A District 4 quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Trinity Catholic’s Bryan Navarro (37) makes it safely back to first base as Williston’s Trace Clemenzi (20) looks for the out during a baseball game at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on April 27. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Lake Weir’s Manny Geisel (13) throws a pitch during the quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

April 27 College of Central Florida Seminole State College

9 25

North Marion’s Sam Cauthen (10) slides safely back to first base as Lake Weir’s Tanner Gronlund (4) looks for the out during the Region 4A District 4 quarterfinal at North Marion High School in Citra on May 2. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.