Ocala Gazette | May 27 - June 2, 2022

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022

Federal rental relief distributed quickly, but not without challenges

Ocala residents should budget for increasing energy costs

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

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he Ocala City Council voted unanimously last week to increase Ocala Electric Utility (OEU) rates starting June 1, 2022. The average household that uses about 1,000-kilowatt hours a month will see an increase of $28 to their bill, according to city staff.

The resolution amends the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) rate, a mechanism used to stabilize rates so that the OEU isn’t raising and lowering rates each month, from 2.8 cents to 5.6 cents. Staff told council members the hike was largely necessary due to rising fuel and energy costs.

Doug Peebles, OEU director, said the increase supports council’s strategic goal of fiscal sustainability, adding that staff has been using the rate stabilization tool to respond to volatility in the energy markets and to minimize customer impact.

However, he said, due to the rising fuel costs, staff believed the adjustment was necessary.

“We use the PCA to stabilize those rates,” Peebles said. “So the total impact to a customer would be in the 23% to 21% range.”

Mike McCleary of the Florida Municipal Power Agency shared a short presentation to the council, illustrating how rising fuel costs led to the OEU’s request—a situation, he said, that is happening frequently around the state.

“Since the pandemic, commodities on a global scale have had a hard time keeping up with the pace of the post-COVID recovery,”

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

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asked with moving over $11 million in federal rental assistance funds to residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic last year in less than seven months, Marion County officials faced a daunting challenge. No mechanism existed to allocate the money, and the clock was ticking.

The first round of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA1) funding was intended to help those who had lost income, incurred significant costs or other financial hardships due to COVID-19. To hasten the distribution process, the county turned to United Way of Marion County to help manage the outreach into the community.

While the effort officially began in January 2021 when Marion County signed off on an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department, the county did not start rolling out the money until it entered into a separate agreement with the United Way in April 2021.

According to that agreement, the United Way had till July 31, 2021, or a little more than three months, to distribute the funds, which ultimately amounted to $11,038,909.

To speed things up, county officials connected United Way with Capital Access (CA), a company that has worked with Marion County on similar projects. United Way and CA became “subrecipients” of the grant funds and answered directly to the county commission who, in turn, answered to the U.S. Treasury, the source of the funds.

Using a newly devised system to distribute millions of dollars in emergency aid to residents and businesses in a compressed time period during a pandemic was a recipe for missteps. Since neither the county administration nor the county Finance Department would be directly monitoring ERA1 activity, county officials knew they needed some oversight to provide accountability to the Treasury for the funds.

County leadership determined that Sachiko Horikawa, the county’s internal audit director for the county at the Clerk of Court’s office, would ensure the parties complied with the agreements.

In a subsequent audit, See Internal, page A2

he said on May 17. He added that once the pandemic started to ease, a lot of things began to happen at once, impacting the availability of fuels and other commodities.

The average Florida resident is going to see somewhere around $3,000 to $5,000 in additional energy costs in 2022, said McCleary, which includes gasoline and other products.

Electric bills are also rising by 15% to 30%.

He showed charts that illustrated Florida residents on average use twice as much power than those living in California and New York.

“It’s about our weather,” said McCleary.

“It’s about how that works here. So the impact on Florida residents is significant. We have to recognize that. And as your wholesale provider, we want you to understand that we’re working hard to control those costs and make it as affordable as possible.”

Rock Gibboney, who regularly attends council meetings, spoke out against the rate raise.

“I’m a retired guy,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are like me and don’t make a lot of money. This is going to kill people. In one month, it’s going to harm them terribly.”

In the end, the city council voted 5-0 to pass the PCA rate increase.

Rate Stabilization Reserve

More than four months ago, on Jan. 4, the city council voted unanimously to stabilize electric rates for OEU customers by applying $8 million from the city’s Rate Stabilization Reserve (RSR) See OEU, page A2

Early Voting the latest Classic winner for Ocala’s Niall Brennan Stables

Early Voting winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. [Photo by Maryland Jockey Club]

By Michael Compton Correspondent

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ike Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike, Early Voting, winner of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico on Saturday, May 21, received his early training in Ocala/Marion County. Early Voting’s facile win in the second

leg of the Triple Crown gave the local equestrian community a sweep of sorts of the first two legs of this year’s Triple Crown.

While Rich Strike parlayed the foundation he gained at Ocala’s Mayberry Farm to success in the Run for the Roses on May 7 at Churchill Downs, Early Voting learned how to be a racehorse at Niall and Stephanie Brennan’s Niall

Brennan Stables.

Niall, a former jockey who won the first race of his career at the age of 16 in his native Ireland, has trained horses around the globe, working in New Zealand, Australia, California, and Kentucky before relocating to Florida in the late 1980s. He began consigning to auctions in 1991 and is perennially a leading consignor in North America. Stephanie, from Western Canada, has an extensive background in racehorses and show horses, and earlier this year, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which provides sanctuary for retired racehorses no longer able to compete on the racetrack.

The Brennans and their team are no strangers to top horses. Early Voting’s Preakness victory provided Niall Brennan Stables with a Triple Crown of its own. The operation boasts Classic-winning graduates such as Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist (2016) and Orb (2013) and

Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Essential Quality (2021) and Palace Malice (2013). With Early Voting’s Preakness victory, Niall Brennan Stables can now boast of having trained winners of all three Triple Crown races.

“It’s very special,” Brennan said of the feat. “These guys work so hard, the entire farm team. It’s a seven-day, 365 days a year job. The horses have to be cared for all the time. They are all used to seeing these horses every day, so seeing them develop is like watching your kids. They are going through school, or sports in this case, and you’re watching their development. When they get to the top level, it’s very gratifying because you’ve been a part of it all.”

Early Voting had qualified for this year’s Kentucky Derby but his connections—owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown—bypassed the Derby in favor of the Preakness Stakes. The talented son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun See Niall, page A7

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Internal auditor releases report on ERA1 distribution Continued from page A1 Horikawa’s team identified a number of problems, many of which were corrected soon after they raised them. The report, however, was also noteworthy for what was not included: possible conflicts involving county officials involved with the relief effort.

For this article, the internal auditor, Horikawa, and Clerk of Court, Gregory Harrell, would not grant the “Gazette” request for a telephone interview about the audit report and would only answer questions in writing by email through the clerk of court’s public information officer.

Funding challenges

Facing a looming deadline, the United Way and CA had to invent a system for distributing the money. They created an online portal where both landlords and tenants seeking grants would provide supporting documentation and written and verbal attestations. CA reviewed payee information and identified duplication of benefits and any other concerns.

If approved, the applicant’s name, payee information and amount due were sent to United Way. Payments were made directly to the payee (landlord or utility company), though there was an option to pay the applicant directly if the payee was uncooperative.

Horikawa’s team tested a sample size of 40 randomly chosen approved and funded applicants, landlords and utility companies.

They flagged several issues, including documentation for the applications and conflicts with information already in the HMIS system, a database used across many agencies to ensure that people don’t receive duplication of benefits.

Of the 40 applications, the auditors wrote: “UW did not include a birthdate for 23 applicants. The remaining 17 had correct birthdates added previously by other agencies.” Also, “All 40 applicants had incorrect income information and half those applicants had incorrect household size.”

The auditor also noted that United Way was paying utilities. While the Treasury allowed this, the county’s subcontract with United Way did not.

After the review, Horikawa reached out to the county, United Way and CA to tighten up the process. Horikawa agreed to not issue an audit report until United Way and CA had been given time to make the adjustments.

On April 27 of this year, Horikawa released the audit to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes.

Here are some of the issues and remedies identified in the report: • Two employees of the United Way received rent payments of $4,350 and $3,680 respectively after applying as tenants, even though the county’s agreement with the agency prohibited United Way and CA employees from receiving ERA1 fund. Officials intercepted a payment to a third employee before it could be made. The United Way returned the money to the county.

• The auditor was concerned that ERA1 funds were “comingled” in the same United Way account that held Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF).

United Way provided documentation showing the account had essentially been emptied of CRF before ERA1 funds were deposited.

• CA did not have all of the required documentation related to applicants’ grant eligibility and they weren’t

crosschecking HMIS. When used appropriately, HMIS mitigates the risk of duplicate funding by allowing CA to verify if other funding was awarded prior to approval of funding, and for UW to document funding provided to assist other agencies when performing duplicate benefit searches. CA did not consistently follow up with discrepancies or questionable supporting documentation, relying on “self-attestation.” The auditor noted the county’s agreement with United Way and CA did not specify when attestation should be relied on over supporting documentation.

• CA Projects and Grant Management Services (CAPGMS) portal lacked adequate internal controls compromising the integrity and availability of the data because too many people had access to change or update information without keeping track of who was making the changes or what the changes were Once this risk was identified, CA did tighten up access to what information could be edited in the system.

• CA allowed payments for prospective utilities when the county agreement prohibited such payments. The county amended its agreement retroactively with the UW and CA to allow for utility payments in line with the Treasury’s guidelines. “We are aware that the Treasury rules allowed a longer period of prospective payments on utility than the county allowed.

County limited it to up to three months,” said Horikawa. “The Treasury rules also allowed for assistance for the internet.”

• CA case managers and quality control managers did not accurately determine household income for some applicants or provide the correct amounts for eligible funding.

Issues not addressed in the auditor’s report

Although not mentioned in the auditor’s report, a Gazette public records review indicates that Marion County Commissioner Kathy Bryant-House received $4,700 in ERA1 funds. BryantHouse is a licensed Realtor and a landlord.

When asked why there is no conflict for county commissioners, who are ultimately responsible for overseeing the ERA1 funds, in receiving these funds,

Horikawa told the Gazette: “I am not aware of any Treasury rules that would preclude Commissioner Bryant from receiving ERA1 funds as a landlord.”

But there also is no Treasury rule forbidding United Way or CA employees from receiving ERA1 grant money. That condition was added by the commissioners to their agreement with UW and CA. At a commission meeting last summer, Bryant-House recused herself from voting on any ERA-related business to avoid any conflicts of interest.

The “Gazette” emailed the county spokesperson asking the county to explain why their agreement conflicted UW employees from receiving ERA1 funds but not commissioners. However, the county did not respond to the question.

The audit also makes no mention of potential conflicts of interest involving Clerk of Court and Comptroller Gregory Harrell, whose office oversees Horikawa and her team, and his involvement with one of the parties under review. Harrell was on the United Way board of directors and became chair of the organization on Aug. 25, 2021.

Here is how Horikawa explained the relationship.

“In this audit, as well as other audits, Clerk Harrell did not/does not direct how the audit should be performed or ask to change our findings. He has an opportunity to review our draft reports for readability and attend the exit conference,” she said.

“It is important to note that our objective and scope were to ensure that payments made were within the boundary of the Treasury guidelines and the county agreement,” Horikawa added. “It was not our scope to identify all the differences between the Treasury guidelines and the county agreement as the county was allowed to establish its own rules as a grantee so long as it did not violate the Treasury guidelines.”

Harrell told the “Gazette” that he recused himself from both the audit and financial functions associated with the county’s ERA1 program and did not have any management-level decision-making role into how the funds would be spent.

Harrell said he told Horikawa and General Counsel Rob Davis at the audit’s outset that, while the final report for the audit would be published to the Board of County Commissioners and County Management on Clerk letterhead because, under Article VIII, Section 1(d) of the Florida Constitution, a clerk of the circuit court is the auditor of all county funds, he

“It is important to note that our objective and scope were to ensure that payments made were within the boundary of the Treasury guidelines and the county agreement.”

Sachiko Horikawa

Internal Auditor for Marion County

would be recusing himself from that role in this instance as much as possible and delegating it to Horikawa and her team.

“While I did not supervise, restrict or alter the auditing team’s substantive work on this audit, I did review report drafts to suggest grammatical changes for ease of reading,’’ Harrell said. “However, I did not change, or suggest to change, any finding contained within the reports.”

Harrell also recused himself from ERA1 matters at the United Way’s board meeting on July 28, 2021.

“The Internal Audit Director independently performed the ERA1 audit and the Finance Director independently coordinated the receipt and disbursement of ERA funds,” Harrell said on May 19. “As the Board Chair of United Way, I did not vote, or, in any way, influence the decisions associated with the ERA program.”

“As the Clerk of Court and Comptroller,” he continued, “my ability to perform my statutory and constitutional responsibilities with independence and professional objectivity were never compromised.”

Last Tuesday, the auditor’s report was attached to the agenda for the county commission’s May 17 regular meeting; however, the report was not brought up for discussion.

United Way’s challenge

In response to the auditor’s concerns, United Way’s Executive Director Scot Quintel issued a memorandum on Aug. 19, 2021, which as included in the auditor’s report, stating that in order for CA to succeed “at the scale and time frame as specified” by the agreement the county made with the Treasury, it needed its CAP (COVID-19 Assistance Program) team to be held accountable to the ERA1 rules stipulated by Treasury and not be “overburdened” with state and county rules that seemed to muddy up the process.

According to Quintel, in an email from the White House Intergovernmental Affairs office dated Aug. 18, 2021, the day before his memo, the administration stressed, “ERA programs can and should use simple forms and remove unnecessary documentation requirements to move swiftly to distribute ERA funds.”

“They [could] do so without falling out of compliance with the program regulation,” said Quintel on May 18. “The context in that [above mentioned] memo [from the auditor’s report on Aug. 19] was to remind all partners of the guidance provided by U.S. Treasury administration.”

Horikawa advised that county administration continue to monitor the subrecipient for the next ERA program— ERA2—that started “recapturing and reallocating” funds on March 31, 2022, according to the Treasury’s website.

The auditor further advised future vigilance to ensure the amount of direct assistance disbursed is compliant with Treasury rules.

Marion County was allocated $8.7 million in its next wave of federal rental relief, according to Marion County Senior Public Relations Specialist Stacie Causey, which it has been receiving in roughly $3 million chunks since last year.

As of May 24, the county is awaiting receipt of the final $2.6 million in ERA2 funds, said Causey, adding she had no guarantee yet of when that money would be received from the U.S. Treasury.

At this point, the county has received upwards of 75% of the ERA2 funds or approximately $6.1 million. UW has a Sept. 30, 2025 deadline to distribute all allocated ERA2 funds.

OEU rate raise increases energy bill for average household by $28 Continued from page A1 to combat rising fuel costs.

The RSR is used by the city to: a) stabilize rates for OEU customers due to fuel cost volatility; b) address local economic conditions; and c) for other lawful purposes, per city records.

Typically, the major factors contributing to fuel costs are natural gas prices and weather. Today, there are other economic factors driving market fuel costs and creating volatile rates.

Council member James Hilty told the

“Gazette” on May 23 that the RSR exists to offset these factors as best it can.

“There’s been a huge increase in natural gas prices, which is the majority of what we use to create the electricity we provide for OEU customers,” said Hilty. “We tried to stabilize things back in January [by applying $8 million from the RSR]. It didn’t work. We thought that the market would slow down, but it obviously has not.

Prices on everything are escalating. It’s hard to hide from any of it.”

Ocala received roughly $27 million in settlement money to create the RSR when

the city’s former electricity partner, Duke Energy in Crystal River, closed down its nuclear power plant in 2013.

Ocala joined the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), which enables municipal electric utilities to work together on projects such as power supply resources, fuel supplies and transmission facilities, according to city documents.

FMPA supplies all the power needs for 15 municipal utilities, including OEU, through a contractual arrangement.

Ocala is unique in that it has its own electric company. The city government has

the ability to step in and keep electric rates stable when necessary. While the PCA rate can be adjusted as often as monthly, the recent practice by the city has been to make minimal adjustments in order to maintain stable rates to customers.

If oil prices drop, explained Hilty, city council could vote to lower the PCA rate. But when that could happen is anyone’s guess.

“We’re monitoring the situation as best we can,” he said. “We’re taking it as it comes.”

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Announcing a new Gazette policy Dear readers,

ACCURACY

FAIR N E SS

I

’d like to talk to you about an issue that impacts the quality of the news we are able to report, the lack of transparency of some of our public representatives, and introduce a new policy at the Gazette that seeks to address this concern.

Perhaps you’re familiar with a social media hashtag, #nofilter, that has gained popularity in recent years. It is meant to signal that the content provided is transparent--no photo manipulations, no spin, just reality. The popularity of #nofilter is indicative of a growing appetite for honest communication rather than smoke and mirrors or worse the hate that dominates public discourse today.

Unfortunately, such transparency seems to be in short supply among many public officials. Rather, it is the rare officeholder who will answer openly and candidly when asked a question by a reporter, or who will not hide behind a spokesperson trained to spin and frame responses.

More and more officials aren’t content to just use these buffers themselves, they also want to keep their employees from speaking to journalists. This goes beyond any legitimate aim of having public comments funneled through a single, knowledgeable source to limit misinformation. It’s more about creating an unnecessary wall between public servants and their ultimate bosses--you, the public.

The Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at University of Florida has recognized this disturbing trend.

“Governments have increasingly imposed gag rules on their employees, barring staff from talking to journalists and providing information only through a public information office. With their careers on the line, employees have little incentive to litigate their speech rights, leaving the public blind to what the government is doing beyond the information officially approved for release through press officers.”

Here’s what that looks like on the local level: 1. Public information officers often take days to answer simple questions, if they bother to answer them at all.

2. Officials who ignore requests for interviews, instead speaking only through press officers—who, it must be reiterated, are NOT the people elected by the public.

3. Elected officials who will only answer a reporter’s questions by email, thereby limiting the opportunity for important follow-up questions.

Why should you care?

Because reporters are asking these questions on your behalf. Many of the issues are complicated, and it’s a journalist’s job to distill this information and present it to the public fairly.

A knee-jerk reaction to this point, especially in our current toxic political environment, is to scoff and shout, “fake news,’’ to broad-brush all reporters’ allegiances and political leanings. Admittedly, it is not easy to tease out legitimate news organizations from online outlets masquerading as such. But we trust our readers’ intelligence and offer this advice when considering the veracity of our reporting: Use the eye test. To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it.

For reasons we cannot explain, some local public officials appear to be offended by reporters’ questions. Perhaps they forgot that part of the job description when they took their public roles, they are answerable to the public. That means facing questions they may find offensive because they carry a suggestion of impropriety.

This paper will not stop asking them because we, too, answer to the public. And the public isn’t sending us encouraging notes and news tips because they want us to tip-toe around the feelings of those in power. In fact, quite the opposite.

But here are the two pillars supporting our pact with the people we report on and serve: fairness and accuracy. The free flow of conversation with public officials gives insight into the thought processes involved in making decisions. And, as always, if our reporting contains any factual inaccuracy, we encourage—no, demand—that this be brought to our attention so we can correct the record. We won’t hold public officials to any standard we don’t apply to ourselves.

So, here’s our new policy. Whenever a public servant refuses requests for a telephone or in-person interview, or denies public records in a readily accessible format, or in any other way obstructs the free flow of information, our stories will note it. This is not intended to be punitive or petulant; rather, it is important context for you, the reader, to evaluate not only the news but the manner in which it was gathered.

We’ll conclude by noting that some public servants get it. School board member Allison Campbell, for example, has posted a “Let’s get real movement” item online every week over the past seven years. The end of each post asks, “Want to be transparent and lose the phony? Then join the #letsgetrealmovement.”

Yes, by all means let’s be transparent and lose the phony. Why? Because it’s the best way to build trust and openly tackle the challenges our community faces.

Jennifer Hunt Murty

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

District explores measures to combat school overcrowding

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

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s part of a presentation given to the school board at Thursday’s administrative work session, district staff outlined key areas of residential development that will contribute to overcrowding in schools.

Several proposals were presented to encourage both short and long-term facility planning, as well as long-term financial planning to help alleviate the stress placed on school capacity as soon as possible, while preventing further overcrowding in the future.

Short-Term Facility Planning

Barbara Dobbins, executive director of operations and emergency management, outlined several ways that the district may accommodate the growing number of school-aged residents in Marion County. The most notable measures included conducting ongoing school site review and placing portable classrooms on school campuses that face the highest utilization rates.

“Since the projections for school year 2022-2023 were released, I have been in contact with principals who are being impacted by overcrowding,” Dobbins said. “Our technical services team has conducted school site reviews and is identifying potential portable placements and utility locations for those portables.”

These site reviews led school board and district members to believe that portable classrooms will continue to be the most efficient and viable solution to deal with overcrowding as a method of short-term facility planning as efforts to fund new construction continue.

“We have identified available portables that can be relocated. We are also in the process of contracting with a vendor for portable leasing, and we have increased our budget for portables in our 2022-2023 budget,” Dobbins said.

The portable classrooms will be relocated on a highest-need basis, which will be dependent on the utilization levels seen in the most recent Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) report and the Impact of Growth on Marion County presentation given at the administrative work session.

“At this time, we know that Liberty Middle School does not have the ability to appropriately house students for the next school year,” Dobbins said. “We are in the process of relocating three portables over the summer to Liberty Middle School so that they can be in place for the start of the school year.”

Liberty Middle School is just one of several schools in the southwest area of Marion County that is far over capacity.

The school is at 111% enrollment capacity, with 1339 students enrolled while the school only has a capacity of 1203 seats, according to the presentation.

“For all of our schools that have potential overcrowding, we are also exploring a modular building unit that would house four to six classrooms,” Dobbins said. “Meanwhile we continue ongoing communication and monitoring of the situations.”

Dobbins noted that some schools are either landlocked or lack infrastructure to add portable units. One example Dobbins pointed to was Saddlewood Elementary, an over capacity school that had recently become a hot topic at city council meetings when a developer proposed building more than 300 units across the street.

Long-Term Facility Planning

The maintenance needs of the schools surpass the capital outlay funding available by millions of dollars, according to Dobbins. She said that because of this, there is no available funding from the capital outlay to allocate towards the construction of new schools in the future.

“We know that we have to replace Lake Weir Middle School, which was board approved in 2018, but again we have no capital outlay funds available for new construction,” Dobbins said. “Since 2018, we have to ask if Lake Weir Middle School is our first priority now. Is the

land location for the new middle school the right location?”

The board discussed cost comparisons between renovating existing schools versus building entirely new wings with 10-12 classrooms and utilities, but no definitive cost analysis could be made without specific intention to do so.

“Currently based on city and county land development, we think we need a K-8 school in the southwest area, and we know we have needs for multiple wings at numerous schools due to a large number of usage of portables currently and also a potential overcrowding,” Dobbins said.

The most crucial steps for the district to take to begin long term facility planning are for a long-term needs assessment and an impact fee analysis to be conducted respectively to create a concrete plan for how development will proceed.

“In order to make an informed decision grounded in evidence-based data, we must seek out a credentialed independent analysis that can evaluate and validate our current and future prioritized needs,” Dobbins said.

The impact fee analysis that would follow would consist of payments made by the local government to expand the public capital facilities that may benefit the funding directed towards new construction.

“To consider seeking impact fees, we again must conduct an in-depth study to validate the need for such fees,” Dobbins said. “We are currently planning for these two analyses and anticipate that these indepth assessments will take a minimum of six months once the board approves.”

Long-Term Financial Planning

The school district may utilize funds that are already available to implement the suggested changes, as well as vote to use other sources to allocate spending,

“At this time, we know that Liberty Middle School does not have the ability to appropriately house students for the next school year.”

Barbara Dobbins

Executive director of operations and emergency management

according to Chief Financial Officer Theresa Boston-Ellis.

Boston-Ellis said that the required local effort to participate in the Florida Education Finance Program, as well as agreeing to levy a required local tax, might provide the district the chance to allocate these funds towards not only maintenance and renovation, but the construction of new facilities.

“In addition to that, a school district may levy what we call a discretionary non-voted current operating millage,” Boston-Ellis said. “There are many things that you can use those funds for: new construction, remodeling, expansion of existing sites, improvement of sites and auxiliary facilities.”

These funds can also be used towards maintenance, renovations and repairs as the district sees fit. This also leaves open the option for the district to lease equipment, computer hardware and other devices, according to Boston-Ellis.

“This year, our tax base was about $24.5 billion dollars, and that generated approximately $35 million dollars for our fiscal year for capital projects,” BostonEllis said. “Unless we get really excited about that…we do use those dollars to pay for debt, so of that $35 million that we are projecting for next year approximately $14 million of that is already relegated to debt payments.”

The debts that the funds are already relegated to include the fee for the district’s certificate of participation, and for a lease purchase made by the district for 150 school buses.

The district formerly utilized the Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO), provided by the state, with categories of funding for both new construction and renovation. Boston-Ellis said that the district has not received PECO funds for construction for the past 11 years, and that it received $11 million dollars 11 years ago but only received sporadic funding since, and then no funding from 2019 on.

The district may utilize the sales surtax to fund schools, pending voter approval, Boston-Ellis said. The sales surtax is based off Florida Statute 212.055, and if the board levies this tax as a resolution it may appear before voters to decide whether or not the tax will be implemented to benefit schools.

School board amends contract for remodeling of North Marion High School Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

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Nancy Thrower of District 4 listens during a meeting of the Marion County Public School Board at the MTI auditorium in Ocala on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

“We wanted to have this done a lot sooner, but there are a lot of situations when it comes to managing our school system where compliance issues hold us back.”

Nancy Thrower

Marion County School Board Member

construction change order on the remodel of North Marion High School was approved by the Marion County School board during a meeting on Tuesday.

The change order extended the completion date under the original agreement with Ausley Construction by another 175 days, at the cost of $157,853.27.

The original 2021 agreement was part of a Five-Year District Work Program with estimated price tag of $7 million. Those plans included a new cafeteria and kitchen building which have already been completed.

The change order addresses work to be completed renovating the old cafeteria and kitchen space into multi use space.

“We wanted to have this done a lot sooner, but there are a lot of situations when it comes to managing our school system where compliance issues hold us back,” said Board Member Nancy Thrower.

Thrower emphasized that despite the inconvenience of the project falling behind, the most important aspect is that the schools are up to code to safely house students and ensure that everything passes inspection.

“When it comes to school construction law, there are so many codes that we have to follow and any

time we want to make a change to the plan, even if it’s going to benefit students…it always has to comply with all these different regulatory bodies,” Thrower said.

The effect of action for the change order will allow for the Facilities Department to direct the contractor to make whatever changes deemed fit by the Fire Marshall plan review, according to Agenda Item 21.2. School Board Vice-Chair said that the fire code has not been the only problem to delay the completion of the remodeling.

“Some of this also could have been supply chain related, depending on the equipment that was needed at the time,” Campbell said. “I know with…starting construction ahead of a pandemic, going through a pandemic, etcetera, I know we had significant supply chain issues with this particular construction project.”

Campbell agreed with Thrower’s stance that while the extenuation of the project may be frustrating, the district must ensure that the time and money spent are well-allocated and that the finished product is up to the necessary standard.

“We need to ensure that we get it right the first time and we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to ensure that the whole project is completed to perfection and satisfaction,” Campbell said.

A5

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

U.S. News releases latest Best Places to Live report

Motorists drive on I-75 as shown from the Southwest 66th Street bridge south of Ocala on February 1, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Ocala retains its #6 spot from last year for fastest growing metro, but slides in other categories.

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

M

arion County Commissioner Carl Zalak III presented the State of the County address at the Ocala

Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) breakfast on Thursday, May 17.

Included in his county update, Zalak presented a slide show, which utilized the “U.S. News & World Report” Best Places to Live rankings from 2021-2022.

The slide informed the gathered crowd that Ocala was ranked fourth in the Safest Place to Live category, ranked sixth in the Fastest Growing Metro category and ranked sixth, again, in the Best Place to Retire category.

Coincidentally, that same day the “U.S. News & World Report” released its 2022-2023 Best Places to Live rankings on its website and, according to the new lists, Ocala’s rank stayed the same in only one area: Fastest Growing Metro, #6 out of the 150 metros.

According to the new rankings, Ocala dropped from #4 in the Safest Places to Live category to #10. Ocala had also dropped from #6 in the Best Places to Retire category to #16.

Of the 150 metros included in the report, Ocala has fallen from the 58th-ranked Best Place to Live last year to 91 this year—the most precipitous change in the rankings.

For some context, Tampa, with a metro population of 3.2 million people (significantly more than Ocala’s metro population of 360,210), was ranked sixth in the Best Places to Retire category, ranked fifth in the Best Places to Live in Florida category, ranked sixth in the Safest Places to Live category, all higher rankings than Ocala in 2022-2023, and

is the 15th-ranked FastingGrowing Place (the one category Ocala was ahead).

Overall, Tampa was ranked the 39th Best Place to Live in 2022-2023—52 places ahead of Ocala.

“U.S. News & World Report” creates its rankings by using data from several sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as the outlet’s own internal resources. The data is then categorized into five indexes and evaluated using a methodology determined

by Americans’ preferences, according to the “U.S. News & World Report” website.

The percent weighting for each index follows the answers from a March 2022 public survey in which people from across the country voted for what they believed was the most important factor to consider when choosing where to live.

Check out the rankings at https://bit.ly/3yZ51Bg

April jobless rate drops below 3%

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

T

he unemployment rate in the tri-county region consisting of Marion, Citrus and Levy counties dropped to 2.9% in April, according to a CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion (CLM) press release on May 20.

This was 2.3 percentage points lower than the region’s year ago rate of 5.2%.

Across the region, the labor force in April 2022 was 206,790, up 2,148 over the year for a 1.0% increase, the release continued. There were 5,977 unemployed residents in the region.

Rusty Skinner, chief executive officer for CareerSource CLM, noted that the unemployment rates in each county are “historically low” and “provide opportunities to find jobs and even new careers.”

Marion County had a labor force in April 2022 of 142,569, with 138,599 employed and 3,970 unemployed, earning a 2.8% unemployment rate.

The rate ties Marion County with Madison County for the 11th highest unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) out of 67 counties in the State of Florida. Contextually, Putnam County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 3.6%.

Additionally, compared to all the metros across the state, the Ocala metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a 2.8% unemployment rate as well, ranked fifth in Florida. Sebring MSA (3.5%) had the highest unemployment rate, according to the jobs report.

Florida’s seasonally adjusted It’s people who are actually encouraged,” unemployment rate was 3.0% in April said Johnston. “They feel that there are 2022, down from 3.2% in March, and opportunities to find other work and down 2.1 percentage points from a year perhaps improve their career.” ago, according to the Florida Department Johnston noted the hospitality sector, of Economic Opportunity (DEO). There which took the biggest hit from the were 321,000 jobless Floridians out of a pandemic, gained 152,300 jobs, a number labor force of 10,543,000. still lower than desired, she admitted, but Florida’s not seasonally adjusted jobless record tourism in the first quarter of 2022 rate—a measure that matches the way offered some positive signs. local rates are calculated—was 2.4%.

“We know the industry overall is In total, Florida’s nonagricultural and performing very well and that there’s a lot private sector employment surpassed the of productivity,” she said. “We just haven’t February 2020 (pre-pandemic) level in quite gotten back to where we were with October 2021 and labor force surpassed jobs, but we continue to make progress in the February 2020 level in June 2021, that area.” according to the DEO. Florida lost 1.3 After leisure and hospitality, sectors million jobs from February to April 2020 involved with trade, transportation and and has since gained back all jobs lost utilities have done the second best in (+1.5 million jobs). adding jobs over the past year, up 118,400 One sign of improved economic positions, followed by professional conditions for workers is that 404,000 and business services at 102,100 jobs Floridians in and financial March quit jobs, activities at 97,000 more 40,800 jobs.

“We know the industry than in February The state also and 167,000 reported growth overall is performing very more than a year over the past well and that there’s a lot of earlier, Adrienne year in jobs in Johnston, DEO manufacturing, productivity. We just haven’t chief economist, construction and said in a education and quite gotten back to where conference call health services. we were with jobs, but we with reporters.

Despite “It’s not people the drop in continue to make progress...” moving out of the unemployment, Adrienne Johnston labor force. It’s Gov. Ron DEO chief economist not people who DeSantis are discouraged. continues to warn

about high gasoline prices and a potential recession that he blames on federal economic policies.

During an appearance at Retro Fitness in West Palm Beach, DeSantis touched on the unemployment report, which indicated Florida picked up about 57,000 privatesector jobs last month.

“Employers in Florida have now 24 consecutive months where we’ve had private-sector job growth, and our privatesector growth has exceeded the nation’s for over a year,” DeSantis said. “I think even, you know, somewhat more importantly, if you look at some of the dislocations we see in other parts of the country, and even around the world, our labor force grew by 30,000 people. The nation as a whole lost 363,000 people from the workforce.”

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% in April.

DeSantis also used the appearance to continue to forecast increases in alreadyrecord gas prices amid summer travel and the potential for four-decade-high inflation to result in a recession.

He added that the state has large reserves that would help it ward off any initial hit from a national economic downturn.

“We’re happy we’re doing it right in Florida,” DeSantis said.

The monthly jobs report for May will be released on Friday, June 17.

“News Service of Florida” reporting contributed to the writing of this article.

Current Adoption Specials: Ocala Gazette regularly brings you two furry friends that are available for adoption from local animal rescue organizations.

Coal

He is a little guy with a big personality.

Ignore this one and he’ll meow loud enough for you to come running to see what he needs- which is usually just a little attention. At only 3 months of age, he’s ready to give you a lifetime of funny moments and love.

No appointment needed!

Adoptions are $25 for the rest of the month.

Adoption fee includes up-to-date vaccinations, county license, microchip, and spay/neuter surgery.

View all of our adoptable pets at MarionFL.org/Animal. This database is updated every hour.

Leonard

Take a long look at Leonard. Don’t you want to give him a treat? It’s hard to believe this 12-year-old guy has been looking for a new home for more than 6 months. We hope it’s his time to be noticed and find his person.

A6

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dunnellon chamber does not speak for the City of Dunnellon says the council

By Jan Cubbage City of Dunnellon Council Member

I

believe we have come to the ultimate point in time that Florida voters absolutely must remove from all political offices those persons who are the captains of greed bent on destroying our state’s natural resources in order to support the ballooning profit motives of real estate investors, developers and road builders. These companies come to Marion County to reap a bonanza, do not support the infrastructure accompanying their vast commercial property and high-density housing projects, cash in their chips and walk away. What they create in the process with their excavators and bulldozers is a severely wounded landscape stripped of anything that resembles the natural beauty of rural Marion County.

As rural farmlands, wetlands, lakes, springs, rivers, sandhill and pine woodlands and the wildlife corridors that remain are eroded by “progress” what will be left? Remember that much-touted phrase “VISIT THE REAL FLORIDA”?

Our region of Florida is becoming increasingly “UNREAL.” The proposed FL turnpike NW Corridor projected pathway is a multi-faceted “ROADS TO RUIN” that will carry the devastating consequences of the aforementioned to an area just a few miles beyond the city limits of the town of Dunnellon. Our small town has developed a big voice and

our residents in and outside of city limits are more than willing to actively defend what is most cherished by all. Dunnellon’s one voice has clearly stated that we have no desire to be part of the land grab and build mentality of Kevin Sheilly and the Ocala Metro Chamber members he speaks for.

Dunnellon’s brand as a small town with big ecotourism and agritourism amenities will be erased if a turnpike bisects our region. Effects on our “outstanding waterway” the Rainbow River are stated and documented by Florida Department of Environmental Protection based on a number of quantified studies. Our Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) is absolutely for the NO BUILD option to keep state lands free of a six-lane asphalt path that would pollute regional water, surface and aquifer, during construction and post-construction. The “common concerns” listed on the joint chamber letter sent to FDOT and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise directors are all very valid reasons to take the stand of NO BUILD. Yet this letter endorsed by DOBA director Judy Terwilliger is saying that the defenders of Dunnellon’s surrounding natural amenities are out of line in expressing dissension to the proposed turnpike corridor that would directly impact Dunnellon. The NO BUILD supports have done their homework with diligence and will not be belittled by

Kevin Sheilly of the Ocala Metro/County Chamber and agent for Marion Industrial Development Authority whose wellembedded mindset is to wipe out rural SW Marion County in order to pave and build for the profit of multi-millionaire corporate land speculators and associated construction firms.

The letter presented by Judy Terwilleger (Director of DCBA) to Dunnellon City Council on Monday’s Council Workshop that supposedly represents the members of Dunnellon’s Chamber & Business Association is a message of outright submission to go ahead and build the proposed six lane turnpike through SW Marion County because “if a turnpike extension is ultimately built, that it is (to be) the most beneficial to our communities of Ocala, Citrus and Dunnellon. No details are provided as to how exactly that would happen in small town Dunnellon.

Monday evening, the Dunnellon City Council consensus was that this letter of unity crafted to open the doors for turnpike construction written by the commerce chambers of Ocala, Citrus County and Dunnellon should be retracted in respect to any association with the City of Dunnellon. On Monday evening, Dunnellon City Council advised DOBA director Terwilliger to retract her agreement to the letter sent to her

by Ocala Metro Chamber and Citrus County’s Chamber presidents.

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

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com James Blevins, Reporter james@ocalagazette.com Caroline Brauchler, Reporter caroline@ocalagazette.com Rosemarie Donell, Reporter rosemarie@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Greg Hamilton, Editor greg@magnoliamediaco.com Amy Harbert, Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com Lisa Maliff, Graphic Designer lisa.maliff@magnoliamediaco.com

Director of Sales and Marketing Andrew Hinkle andrew@magnoliamediaco.com Account Executives Evelyn Anderson evelyn@magnoliamediaco.com

Distribution Inquiries info@ocalagazette.com

Follow us @ocalagazette May 6, 2022 Jared Perdue, Secretary Florida Department of Transportation 605 Suwannee St. Tallahassee, FL 32399

Nicola Liquori, Executive Director / CEO Florida Turnpike Enterprise Turkey Lake Service Plaza Milepost 263, Bldg. #5315 P.O. Box 613069 Ocoee, Florida 34761

Dear Secretary Perdue and Director Liquori, As FDOT and FTE consider the 4 preliminary alternative corridors to extend the Florida Turnpike to US Hwy 19, the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, the Ocala Metro County Chamber & Economic Partnership, and the Dunnellon Chamber & Business Association recognize that our Chambers can and should be partners to help DOT through this process.

Our respective Chambers have done much to listen to the concerns of our businesses and our residents and have already worked hard to help calm the rhetoric and correct the misinformation that has circulated. By joining forces together on this turnpike issue, we believe we can be not only an asset to our communities, but also to FDOT to help with accurate dissemination of information.

Similar to parameters that DOT follows when designing a roadway, our collaborating Chambers also advocate parameters and concerns to take into account when determining the ultimate corridor.

Among our common concerns are: ● Farmland preservation areas, including the character and culture of the farmlands and horse farms, as well as the other things that make our communities unique ● Existing conservation lands owned by the State of Florida and Southwest Florida Water Management District ● Rainbow Springs, karst regions and other environmentally sensitive areas ● Wildlife habitat preservation and safe access corridors ● Existing residential neighborhoods and schools ● Existing business / industrial area ● Local comprehensive and strategic plans As FTE and FDOT take further initiatives toward extending the Turnpike, we would appreciate you staying in close contact with our three Chambers. Between us, we represent approximately 2,500 (Dunnellon – 230; Citrus – 910; CEP - 1400) local businesses and organizations which employ upwards of 50,000 people, and we communicate regularly with them. We seek to be your partners

in assuring that if a turnpike extension is ultimately built, that it is the most beneficial to our communities.

Sincerely

Josh Wooten, President / CEO Citrus County Chamber of Commerce josh@citruscountychamber.com

Kevin Sheilly, President Ocala Metro County Chamber & Economic Partnership kevin@ocalacep.com

Copy of chamber letter referenced by Councilmember Jan Cubbage

Judy Terwilliger, Executive Director, Dunnellon Chamber & Business Association dunnellonchambercommerce @gmail.com

Our mission is to inform and uplift our readers by reporting on the events, issues and stories that shape Ocala with accuracy, fairness and passion. We also strive to serve as a forum where all voices can be heard and to chronicle our community’s history.

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A7

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Niall Brennan Stables does it again Continued from page A1 Runner—another graduate of the Niall Brennan Stables training program—nearly won the Wood Memorial (G2), a traditional Derby prep, getting caught right on the wire by Mo Donegal. That rival subsequently finished fourth behind Rich Strike, Epicenter, and Florida-bred Simplification in the Kentucky Derby while Early Voting was bidding his time and awaiting a chance at glory in the Preakness.

“What might be surprising to people is the discipline and experience required to make that decision (to bypass the Derby),” Brennan said.

“Everyone wants to be in the Derby. A lot of people go into the Derby knowing they have a 50-1 shot because they want the experience. It’s a great experience. Chad made the right call; he knows the horse. He had the points to run. He ran huge in the Wood Memorial and only got caught in the last few jumps.

If anyone else owned that horse, he was going to the Derby.

“I think they read it right,” Brennan added. “Ultimately, they made the right decision to freshen him off of the big effort in the Wood. Their instinct told them that the horse would benefit from the race, and Chad said in an interview after the Preakness, ‘It’s great when a plan works out.’ And plans don’t always work out when it comes to racehorses. In this case, it did work out to perfection.”

As far as Brennan’s initial impressions of Early Voting as

a youngster during his stay in Ocala, the veteran conditioner said, “In the winter last year— it’s kind of like kindergarten for these horses—they start sorting themselves out just like kids.

He was always a good student, but he was a big colt, a bit lazy.

He enjoyed life but the light didn’t go on as quickly as some others. So, we didn’t push on him. By April and early May when the first batch of 2-yearolds start going out to their trainers (at the racetrack), I placed him in the second batch going to Chad, who has a lot of 2-year-olds each year.

“I told Chad at the time, “He’s doing well, but he’s not going to be an early horse, running in June or July (of his 2-year-old year).’ He didn’t ship out of here until July. We knew he wasn’t a five-furlong sprinter type. By this time (May) last year, the light started to go on. He started having several easy breezes in company (with other horses), and he loved the competition. He started getting fit and we realized how easy he was doing things. We saw the talent; he was very athletic. He was just a bigger horse who carried a lot of condition, so we never pushed on him early and let him develop.”

Niall Brennan Stables sees about 200 head go through its training program each season with a peak time that runs from November through January before the 2-year-old sales begin. And while the operation often celebrates wins from graduates at the industry’s highest levels, Early Voting’s

Preakness victory is even more memorable.

“For us, the team here, we’ve had two horses win the Kentucky Derby, two horses have won the Belmont, and now we have a Preakness winner out of the operation,” he said. “That is very special to have won all three Classic races. It means a lot.”

Niall Brennan [Judit Seipert]

Early Voting winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. [Photo by Maryland Jockey Club]

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A8

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

City Council pumps brakes on another planned development close to Saddlewood Elementary

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

O

n May 17, the Ocala City Council denied approval of a planned multifamily development of 84 potential townhomes near Southwest 43rd Court behind Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and less than half a mile south of Saddlewood Elementary.

There are currently two single-family homes on the proposed property, both built in 1953 on two separate parcels and zoned “Agricultural” under the county.

Cay Ventures, LLC, owns the north half of the site, while BDG Albee, LLC, owns the south half. Belleair Development Group, LLC, based out of Pinellas Park, is developing the property, proposing a density of 8.58 units per acre.

Previously, on May 3, the city council had also voted to thwart a proposed development of 320 potential units near Saddlewood Elementary, slightly south of the above-mentioned Planned Development (PD), which shared similar concerns for council members of overcrowded schools and long-standing traffic issues inherent to the area.

Considered as four agenda items all interconnected, the city council voted unanimously to annex the 9.1 acres into the city from the county, as well as voted 4-1 to change the land use category to “Neighborhood,” replacing the county’s “Low Residential” designation.

However, city council voted 2-3 against both rezoning the parcel to “Planned Development” and the applicant’s development plan for the property.

Council members Kristen Dreyer, Jim Hilty Jr. and Barry Mansfield all voted “nay,” while Jay Musleh and Ire Bethea Sr. voted in support of the measures.

Originally, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the

plan in June 2021. City officials worked with the developer on several revisions of the plan. Though city staff recommended approval of the new plan, the commission was still split 3-3 during its April meeting.

Council members admitted openness to development on the property, but did not support the density of the townhomes and the traffic it could produce near Saddlewood Elementary.

“Smart growth comes up a lot,” said Hilty on May 17. “That area is already oversaturated, just for traffic alone. We have to solve it with what we’re trying to do with the 44th Street [expansion] first.

At some point, you just have to look at the whole picture and say that it’s not the right time.”

Dreyer said that she was in agreement with annexing the 9.1 acres and designating them a future land use category but did not think the project’s design and scale of units were compatible with the neighboring property.

“And the access to this project falls short as well because it misses the fourlane highway,” Dreyer added.

The Northwest-Southwest 44th Avenue extension project, according to Sean Lanier, director of Water Resources/ Engineering for the city, who presented information to the council on May 17 on the $16-million project, is located north of Saddlewood Elementary.

According to city staff, when completed, the entire corridor will host a four-lane road from S.R. 200, crossing S.R. 40 and moving up towards U.S. 27. However, completion of the project is dependent upon the city receiving $8 million in appropriated money from the state government and would take a calendar year to complete construction.

Cynthia Janeiro, who had previously attended the May 3 regular meeting to voice her concerns against the proposed

development across from Saddlewood Elementary, spoke out once again last week.

“This development really affects me and everyone in my neighborhood,” she began. “Once again, I’m here battling developments that will shatter the southwest. The fact is we are overcapacity and our schools are bursting at the seams. Even an 85-unit complex will have a negative impact on me, in my neighborhood and on our schools. Traffic is unbearable already.”

Janeiro asked the council what Ocala

was going to look like in 10 or 20 years.

“Are we still going to be horse country or are we going to be Orlando?” she asked the council further. “Because I need to know. Because if we’re going the Orlandoroute, then we are moving.”

The applicant could reapply in one year with a new PD proposal, according to Tye Chighizola, growth management director for the City of Ocala, or sooner with a waiver from the council. They could also request a lower land use, allowing for 30 to 35 single-family homes on the property.

Aerial image of proposed property [Supplied]

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State DeSantis to sign off on housing money

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

A

s he prepares to act on a proposed state budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday backed a new $100 million program to help people such as teachers, health-care workers and police officers buy homes.

Amid soaring housing costs in many parts of Florida, DeSantis said during a news conference at the Cape Coral Police Department that the “Hometown Heroes” program is needed so people in a number of professions can live in or close to the communities they serve.

“It really matters if they can afford to have a home here and live in the community and shop in the same store … and see everybody than if you have to commute from, like, far away, just because 45 minutes away maybe is where you can find a home that’s affordable for you,” DeSantis said.

Lawmakers approved the program in March, though it and other budget issues have not formally been sent to DeSantis, who has line-item veto power.

The $100 million would be carved out

of $209 million allocated for the State Housing Initiative Partnership program, or SHIP. The SHIP program supports local-government programs intended to encourage the construction of affordable housing and to assist low-income residents with repairs, down payments and closing costs.

While the money for the Hometown Heroes program won’t be available until the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, Florida Housing Finance Corp. Executive Director Trey Price said eligible people can begin to apply on June 1.

The funding will offer borrowers up to 5 percent --- at a maximum of $25,000 --on first mortgage loans for down-payment and closing-cost assistance.

“Hometown Heroes is the highestincome eligible program we’ll be offering, which will allow more hard-working middle-class families to take advantage of these resources,” Price said.

DeSantis also said he will sign off on an overall $362.7 million in the budget for affordable housing, which includes the SHIP funding.

In addition, voters in November will consider a proposed constitutional amendment that would give additional housing assistance to teachers, lawenforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency-medical technicians, paramedics, child-welfare services professionals, active-duty military members and Florida National

“Hometown Heroes is the highest-income eligible program we’ll be offering, which will allow more hard-working middle-class families to take advantage of these resources.”

Trey Price

Florida Housing Finance Corp. Executive Director

Guard members.

Under current law, homeowners can qualify for homestead property-tax exemptions on the first $25,000 of the appraised value of property. They also can qualify for $25,000 homestead exemptions on the value between $50,000 and $75,000.

Any higher property value is taxable.

Under the proposal, which was put on the ballot by the Legislature, homeowners in the targeted professions could receive an additional $50,000 exemption, which would apply to the property value between $100,000 and $150,000.

The current exemption for the value between $50,000 and $75,000 doesn’t apply to property taxes collected for school districts, and neither would the proposed amendment.

If approved by 60 percent of the voters, the exemption is projected to save $80.9 million for the targeted property owners next fiscal year, with the annual savings growing to $93.6 million in five years.

The Florida Association of Counties has expressed concerns the proposal would shift more of the tax burden to renters, including members of the targeted professions, and businesses.

Lawmakers eye roof claims, lawsuits, reinsurance

File photo

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

H

eading into a special session next week to address the state’s troubled propertyinsurance market, legislative leaders said late Friday they will focus on issues such as roofdamage claims, litigation and reinsurance.

The House and Senate released outlines of bills for the session, which Gov. Ron DeSantis called after lawmakers could not reach agreement on insurance

changes during this year’s regular session.

“I believe the legislation I will file for your consideration during the special session will address the many issues leading to the instability of the current property insurance market in our state,” Senate Banking and Insurance Chairman Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, wrote in a memo to senators. “The proposal balances fair costs and protections for consumers while adding reasonable guardrails for insurance companies against the frivolous litigation and fraudulent

claims that drive up rates for everyone.”

In a memo to House members, House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull, a Panama City Republican who has played a key role in negotiations, said the legislation will include “policies that we believe will help curb abuses in the market without creating unintended consequences. In developing this legislation, we have worked to balance the interests of the stakeholders in Florida’s insurance market while ensuring that the consumer remains paramount in the conversation.”

The outlines indicated that a major part of the legislation will deal with roof-damage claims.

Insurers blame questionable, if not fraudulent, roof-damage claims for driving up costs.

The outlines said the legislation, in part, would allow insurers to require deductibles for roof damage, something the Senate has sought in the past.

Also, the legislation will rein in decisions by insurers to refuse to write or renew policies because of the ages of roofs. They would be prevented from refusing to write or renew policies if roofs are less than 15 years old.

Insurers also have long

blamed litigation for troubles in the industry. The legislation, in part, would put additional restrictions on what are known as “contingency fee multipliers” that can substantially increase fees paid to attorneys who represent policyholders in insurance disputes, according to the outlines.

The legislation also would authorize $2 billion to expand insurer access to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, a state program that provides relatively cheap reinsurance. The House outline said insurers who take part would have to reduce rates for policyholders to reflect the savings.

Many insurers need to have reinsurance contracts by June 1 and are struggling to find the critical backup coverage. Industry officials say global reinsurers have increased prices and limited the amount of coverage they are selling in the Florida market.

“The rubber meets the road for many carriers on June 1,” Kyle Ulrich, president and CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, said during an online event held this week by the AM Best rating agency.

During the regular session, the Senate wanted to be more

aggressive in trying to bolster the insurance industry, while House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said changes passed in 2021 should be given more time to work.

But problems have continued to mount in the insurance market, with three carriers — Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp., Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and St. Johns Insurance Co. — being declared insolvent and placed into receivership since February.

Also, the state Office of Insurance Regulation approved an agreement May 13 that will lead to FedNat Insurance Co., Maison Insurance Co. and Monarch National Insurance Co. canceling 68,200 policies. The three insurers are part of the same holding company.

As an outgrowth of the problems in the market, thousands of policies a week have poured into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp, which was created as an insurer of last resort. Citizens had more than 851,000 policies as of the end of April and is expected to top 1 million this year.

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State targets ‘CRT,’ social justice in social studies books

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

A

s the Florida Department of Education seeks proposals from textbook companies to provide social-studies materials to schools, it is making clear concepts such as critical race theory and social justice should not be included.

The department is accepting bids from companies through June 10 to provide social-studies books for a five-year period starting in 2023. The department posted to its website a 29-page document that lists criteria for what is expected to be included in the books — and what’s expected to be left out.

“Critical race theory, social justice, culturally responsive teaching, social and emotional learning, and any other unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination are prohibited,” part of the document said, citing state education standards.

The criteria emphasize a requirement that all materials align with the state’s “Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking” standards, which were adopted by the state in 2019. Those standards came after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to eliminate vestiges of politically unpopular “Common Core” standards.

Companies vying to provide socialstudies textbooks should “not attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a viewpoint inconsistent with Florida standards,” the guidelines say.

The State Board of Education last

summer approved a rule that placed restrictions on the way history can be taught in public schools, a move DeSantis billed as a way to combat critical race theory.

Critical race theory, which is based on the premise that racism is embedded in American institutions, has been a target of DeSantis and other Republicans across the country. DeSantis last month signed a bill (HB 7) that will limit the way race-related issues can be taught in schools and in workplace training. That law also serves as a basis for the state’s prohibition on critical race theory, often referred to as CRT. “We’re working to make sure that the purpose of the school system is to educate our kids, not to indoctrinate our kids. And that’s what parents want to see. So, we are doing more than anybody on education across the board,” DeSantis said during an event Wednesday in Crestview.

The social-studies textbook guidelines quote the state law and list what are described as “potential CRT components,” such as the concept that a person “bears responsibility for, or should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of, actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex, or national origin.”

The textbook criteria also explicitly bar social-studies materials that would teach the concept of social justice.

“Social justice is closely aligned to CRT (critical race theory),” the document said.

The department lists what it calls “potential social justice components” that will not be accepted in textbook bids.

“Seeking to eliminate undeserved

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disadvantages for selected groups,” one such example said.

“Undeserved disadvantages are from mere chance of birth and are factors beyond anyone’s control, thereby landing different groups in different conditions,” said another.

“Equality of treatment under the law is not a sufficient condition to achieve justice,” was a third potential social-justice component listed by the department.

Social emotional learning is another concept that would be barred from textbooks. That would include instruction incorporating “identity and identity identification concepts,” managing emotion, developing relationships and social awareness.

The state’s process for adopting socialstudies materials is slated to continue through April 2023. It is underway after the Department of Education drew national attention when it rejected proposed math textbooks for reasons such as the inclusion of critical race theory.

In an April 15 news release, the Department of Education reported 41 percent of math textbooks during an adoption process were rejected for reasons related to critical race theory, Common Core and social emotional learning.

“The highest number of books rejected were for grade levels K-5, where an alarming 71 percent were not appropriately aligned with Florida standards or included prohibited topics and unsolicited strategies,” the news release said.

On Tuesday, the department posted an

update to social media that said 88 percent of the math- textbook submissions have now been accepted, with 12 percent still being refused.

“Publishers are aligning their instructional materials to state standards,” the department said in a graphic that accompanied the post.

Free-speech organization PEN America issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the state about the math textbooks’ rejection.

Jeremy Young, senior manager of the organization’s Free Expression and Education program, said the rejection “demonstrates how broadly ‘educational gag orders’ can be wielded against a range” of educational materials.

“The rejections come in the midst of a multi-pronged effort to undermine faith in public schooling, and invoke terms that have become buzzwords for justifying censorship, but which remain vague and ill-defined. Math textbooks’ merit should be evaluated in terms of how effectively they help students learn mathematical concepts. Questions remain about the grounds for these rejections, and whether these removals are really about scoring political points,” Young said.

Democratic candidates vying to challenge DeSantis in the November election have criticized the governor over the textbook issue.

“DeSantis is banning math books, I want to expand Medicaid,” state Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried tweeted Wednesday.

APPEALS COURT REVIVES DISNEY MASK CASE

By Florida News Service

G

ov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a measure Friday that would have increased the value of vehicles protected from legal claims in bankruptcy proceedings. Lawmakers passed the measure (HB 265) during the legislative session that ended in March, but it was the third bill DeSantis has vetoed. It proposed increasing the exemption of debtors’ interests in motor vehicles from $1,000 to $5,000.

In a veto letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd, DeSantis wrote the measure could incentivize people to seek bankruptcy protection. “Although it may be time to consider increasing the outdated exemption amount, this increase should apply to all persons who can claim Florida exemptions, whether in or out of bankruptcy, so that people are not incentivized to file for bankruptcy, which has long-lasting, negative consequences for a person’s credit history,” DeSantis wrote.

State law allows people seeking bankruptcy protection to exempt homesteaded property, regardless of value, from the claims of creditors. They also can seek protections on up to $1,000 in personal property, as well as the protection on the value of vehicles. The personal property protection grows by $4,000 if the people do not get homestead protection.

Lawmakers passed the bill without opposition. DeSantis also announced late Friday that he had signed eight bills from the session.

File photo: Walt Disney World [John Raoux/Associated Press]

By Florida News Service

A

n appeals court Wednesday revived a disability-discrimination complaint filed by a man who contended that Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts did not properly provide an exemption from its mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aaron Abadi filed the complaint at the Florida Commission on Human Relations under a state civil-rights law and said he had a disability that prevented him from wearing a mask or face shield, according to Wednesday’s ruling by a panel of the 1st District

Court of Appeal.

The commission dismissed the complaint, finding that he did not allege how he had been denied services because he did not visit Disney. But the appeals court said such a visit was not necessary to move forward with the case.

“Appellant (Abadi) alleged that he visited appellee (Disney) on a yearly basis before the COVID pandemic; planned to visit appellee with his family in late September or early October 2021; and requested an exemption from appellee’s facecovering policy due to his disability,

which was denied by appellee,” said the ruling by Judges Joseph Lewis, Ross Bilbrey and Harvey Jay. “Because appellant plausibly alleged that he was aware of discriminatory conditions at appellee’s public accommodation and that the denial of his request for a modification deterred him from visiting or patronizing that accommodation, the commission improperly dismissed appellant’s complaint on an invalid ground.”

The ruling, which sent the case back to the commission, did not specify Abadi’s disability.

INPATIENTS WITH COVID-19 TOP 2,200

By Florida News Service

T

he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released data Wednesday showing that 2,253 Florida hospital inpatients had COVID-19, as the number steadily

increases. The total was up from 2,157 inpatients with COVID-19 on Tuesday.

The new data also showed 189 COVID-19 patients were in intensivecare units, up from 178 on Tuesday.

Florida in recent weeks has seen steady increases in COVID-19 cases

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

‘GHOST’ CANDIDATE, 2 OPERATIVES FACE CHARGES IN FLORIDA

FILE - Stuffed and ceramic animals are shown on the desk of Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur after a legislative session, April 30, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Two political operatives and an independent candidate who opponents say hardly campaigned and only entered a state Senate race in central Florida in 2020 to siphon off votes from a Democrat were criminally charged on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Prosecutors filed election finance charges against the candidate, Jestine Iannotti, as well as Seminole County GOP chairman Ben Paris and political consultant James “Eric” Foglesong in Seminole County, a suburb of Orlando. Paris works for the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, which is led by Republican Sen. Brodeur. [Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press]

By Associate Press

T

wo political operatives and an independent candidate who opponents say hardly campaigned and only entered a state Senate race in central

Florida in 2020 to siphon off votes from a Democrat were criminally charged on Tuesday.

Prosecutors filed election finance charges against the candidate, Jestine Iannotti, as well as Seminole County

GOP chairman Ben Paris and political consultant James “Eric” Foglesong in Seminole County, a suburb of Orlando.

Some candidates with no party affiliation “commonly referred to as ‘ghost’ candidates, have been used by political parties as a way to close elections or siphon off votes,” State Attorney Phil Archer, whose jurisdiction covers Seminole County, said in a statement. “While not illegal per se, many have questioned the ethics of the practice. However, when that candidate and the partisan political operatives involved violate election finance laws by illegally funding those races and filing false reports, it is the responsibility of government to act.”

The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

According to the FDLE, Iannotti illegally accepted a $1,200 cash donation from Foglesong for her campaign. Iannoitti and Foglesong falsely used the names of others as contributors in state campaign finance reports in order to skirt Florida laws on campaign contributions, the FDLE said in a news release.

Paris provided the name and address of one of the individuals Iannotti and Foglesong falsely used in their official campaign reporting, even though Paris knew the individual had not contributed to the campaign, according to the FDLE. Paris works for the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, which is led by

Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur.

Brodeur won the election in which Iannotti ran in 2020. Brodeur won the District 9 race with 50.3% of the vote to Democrat Patricia Sigman’s 47.6%.

Iannotti took in 2.1% of the vote.

No online court records had been filed yet in Seminole County, so it wasn’t known if Iannotti, Paris and Foglesong had attorneys. No phone number was listed for Iannotti in campaign records filed with the state. Paris didn’t return a voicemail message left for him. Foglesong didn’t comment while turning himself in Tuesday at the Seminole County Jail.

Iannotti’s campaign, as well as those of two others in South Florida, have been the focus of scrutiny over concerns that they were “ghost” candidates solely in the race to siphon off votes from Democrats.

The three candidates were promoted by a pair of entities chaired by thenGOP political consultant Alex Alvarado, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Alvarado has been notified by South Florida prosecutors that he is a target of their investigation, which has already led to the indictment of former lawmaker Frank Artiles, according to the Sentinel.

Artiles is accused of bribing another of the “ghost” candidates to run in South Florida’s Senate District 37.

Small districts could be cut out of textbook deals

By Dara Kam Florida News Service

S

ome of Florida’s most financially strapped small school districts could have paid thousands of dollars more for textbooks than their larger counterparts, and local officials are asking state leaders to do something about it.

A whistleblower identified as “John/Jane Doe” recently sent allegations to state officials about publishers potentially violating state law by providing free or discounted instructional materials to some districts but not offering the same deals to all 67 county districts.

The state establishes a price for each item on a list of approved instructional materials available for purchase by districts.

But the whistleblower alleges that some districts received special deals that effectively reduced the per-unit cost of materials.

The deals weren’t offered to all districts, according to letters sent to state officials by attorneys representing the whistleblower.

The letters include details about prices school districts paid for instructional materials, including some items that were provided free-of-charge or at a cost of a penny per unit. The free or deeply discounted items reduced the per-unit cost in what allegedly is a violation of state law, according to letters sent by Doe’s lawyers, William Spicola --- a former general counsel for former Gov. Rick Scott --- and Adam Komisar.

The Small School District

Council Consortium, made up of districts in 39 rural and fiscally constrained counties, has asked Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders to investigate whether some districts are receiving special benefits that aren’t available to others. School officials in some of the state’s poorest counties are also seeking retroactive reimbursements or credits for future purchases.

“If there is a special deal, it needs to be publicized, reported and given to everybody,” Chris Doolin, a lobbyist who represents the consortium and who alerted the group’s school superintendents about the issue, told The News Service of Florida in an interview.

Under Florida law, publishers are required to furnish instructional materials to the state that “may not exceed the lowest price at which they offer such instructional materials adoption or sale to any state or school district in the United States.”

Publishers also must “reduce automatically the price of the instructional materials to any district school to the extent that reductions are made” anywhere else in the country.

The law also requires publishers to “provide any instructional materials free of charge” to the same extent they are made free elsewhere.

Spicola and Komisar in March sent two letters outlining the whistleblower’s allegations to the top lawyers for the Department of Education, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

The lawyers, responding to requests for more information, followed up with additional details showing disparate discounts or freebies among counties.

“Some out-of-state instructional materials publishers … engage in a pattern and practice of overcharging many Florida school districts resulting in false claims for payment being made against the state,” Spicola and Komisar wrote on May 5.

For example, the letter said Franklin County was “overcharged” $10,233.04 for English Language Arts textbooks for grades one through five, when compared to the adjusted price Miami-Dade County paid for the same products in 2021 after receiving free or discounted products. Hamilton County paid $19,383.55 more for materials for kindergarten, first grade and grades three through five, according to the whistleblower documents.

While $10,000 may not seem like a lot of money in some districts, the amount represents more than 10 percent of the $89,000 total allocation Franklin County receives for instructional materials. The overall poverty rate in the North Florida coastal county’s schools, which serve approximately 1,200 students, is about 80 percent, Franklin County Superintendent of Schools Steve Lanier told the News Service.

“We’ll take whatever we can get. I don’t think it’s fair that we would pay for something that a larger school district may get (for free),” Lanier said. “I’m looking

forward to seeing what’s going to happen on this. I appreciate somebody being honest about the situation and letting us know. …

We’re hoping that it’s going to be something positive for us.”

Hamilton County Superintendent of Schools Dorothy Wetherington-Zamora said the roughly $20,000 price differential makes up about 15 percent of her district’s $130,000 total allocation for instructional materials. The per-unit cost difference “directly impacts our students,” she said.

“So $20,000, obviously, in a small district such as we serve, could go a long way … if this actually turns out to be something that has been done,” she said.

The district “could definitely expand our purchasing power,” if reimbursements or credits are made available.

State education officials are reviewing the whistleblower’s allegations, according to Department of Education spokeswoman Cassie Palelis.

“Textbook prices are set as part of the state’s approval process for curriculum, and they are meant to provide financial surety for districts and schools.

We take complaints regarding the violation of these processes very seriously. At this time, we are engaged in a deliberate, detailed and thorough process of reviewing the complaints to determine whether Florida law was either complied with or broken,” Palelis said in an email. “If there were violations of Florida law, then those responsible will be held

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accountable. In the meantime, in fairness to all involved, it would be wrong to presume compliance or noncompliance with Florida law, until the matter is fully reviewed.”

The practice of publishers providing free or deeply discounted books to certain school districts isn’t new.

A 2003 report by the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, or OPPAGA, flagged the issue. A follow-up report two years later said the Department of Education had “taken steps to ensure that all districts receive the same free materials, but more could be done.”

The education department’s “ability to monitor compliance with this requirement is hindered because some publisher representatives are reportedly dealing directly with individual schools rather than school districts,” the 2005 report said.

Districts don’t have any way of knowing what special deals are being offered elsewhere because the deals aren’t publicly posted, Doolin said.

He wants state officials to calculate the value of benefits provided to certain districts and not to others and is seeking retroactive reimbursement of benefits or a forward credit for districts that didn’t receive equivalent prices or free materials.

Doolin also suggested that the state might need to change its purchasing process to ensure that all districts are provided equivalent benefits and prices from publishers.

A12

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Byrd: More Elections Changes Could Be Necessary

Florida Rep. Cord Byrd speaks during a legislative session, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida lawmakers were poised to finalize new rules on voting by mail and tighten ID requirements for routine voter registration changes — as Republicans hailed their state as a national model while Democrats had neighboring Georgia weighing heavily on their minds. [Wilfredo Lee/ Associated Press]

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

F

lorida’s top elections official said Tuesday that voters should be confident in the state’s voting process, including when casting ballots by mail.

But when asked about the 2020 presidential election, Secretary of State Cord Byrd said there were “irregularities” in other states and refused to say whether President Joe Biden won the election.

Byrd, who served in the Florida House until Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped the Neptune

Beach Republican as secretary of state earlier this month, told reporters that Florida needs to be proactive in combatting efforts to interfere with upcoming elections.

“Voting is a right and we want to encourage everybody that wants to exercise that right that they have that ability,” he said prior to addressing the Florida Supervisors of Elections association at the group’s mid-winter conference in Miramar Beach.

“You just heard in some of the training this morning that we send out cards to people who are eligible to vote but unregistered,” Byrd added. “So, we are doing

our part at the state level and the supervisors are doing their part at the county level to provide as much information, as much access to the ballot as humanly possible.”

DeSantis’ May 13 appointment of Byrd, who was at the forefront of some of the most controversial legislation supported by the governor, to succeed Laurel Lee immediately drew pushback from Democrats.

Lee stepped down from the post to run for Congress.

House Democrats were quick to question Byrd’s temperament, calling him a “conspiracy theorist” and a “hyper-partisan GOP loyalist.”

In March, DeSantis appointed Byrd’s wife, Esther, to the State Board of Education.

The Byrds left Twitter after Esther Byrd drew criticism for tweeting about the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.

Asked Tuesday about the 2020 presidential contest, Byrd repeatedly said that Biden was certified for the office by Congress.

But when pressed about whether Biden won the election against Trump, Byrd pointed to issues with voting in several other states.

“He was certified as the president. He is the president of the United States,” Byrd said of Biden. “There were irregularities in certain states. … I’m not the secretary of state of Wisconsin or Pennsylvania or Arizona. That’s up to their voters. We in Florida had a successful election in 2020. And that’s what I want to continue to have in 2022.”

Florida’s 2020 election was “successful and accurate. The governor has made that clear,” Byrd said. Trump defeated Biden

by more than three percentage points in Florida.

“But we also know that people want to interfere and sow chaos, and they get smarter and more creative,” Byrd added, defending controversial electionlaw measures approved by state lawmakers over the past two years. “Just like you don’t wait until there is a fire in your house to buy a fire extinguisher, we can’t wait for a problem to surface to address it when it comes to election laws.”

As part of their conference Tuesday morning, elections supervisors shared repetitive steps they continue to take to keep ballots secure as they implement recent changes to the voting process.

“We are all going to be under a microscope this year like we have never ever been,” St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes told her colleagues.

After Trump’s defeat in 2020, Republicans across the country argued that steps needed to be taken to combat voter fraud.

The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature last year approved a sweeping election-law measure that in part restricts supervisors’ use of “drop boxes” for submitting vote-by-mail ballots, prevents groups from providing items such as food and water to voters waiting in line at polling places, and imposes additional regulations on voter-registration organizations.

Voting-rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging the 2021 law, arguing that it was intended to make it harder for Black and Hispanic Floridians to register and vote. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled that the law was unconstitutionally intended to discriminate against Black voters. But a three-judge

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panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this month put Walker’s ruling on hold, meaning the controversial law will almost certainly be kept in place for the 2022 elections.

The Legislature this year passed a measure, championed

by DeSantis, expanding the 2021 law and creating a first-of-itskind Office of Election Crimes and Security in the Department of State to investigate voting irregularities. The law, signed by the governor in April, also made other changes to the state’s elections system.

DeSantis has said that Byrd will ensure the state’s elections will be “run efficiently and transparently” and that the new laws should give Floridians “more confidence” about the voting process.

Byrd said Tuesday more changes may be needed following the 2022 election cycle.

“We don’t want to change the law and change anything else coming into the election officials.

We’ve already put enough on their plate,” Byrd said. “But certainly, after the 2022 election, there will be time to contemplate and see what other improvements we can make.”

In defending the new election crimes office, Byrd said the agency with 15 non-sworn officers will consolidate state and local efforts, similar to how federal terrorism was addressed after the 9/11 attacks.

Byrd indicated that work already may be lined up for the new office, which will be staffed by data analysts and former law enforcement workers, as soon as its director is hired.

“We have potential cases that may be ready once that person, the director, is in place,” he said.

B1

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Elderly woman fighting to stay in the home she and her husband built 57 years ago

Allean Cunningham, 96, becomes emotional as she talks about her home which needs major repairs or rebuilding, on Southeast 31st Street in Ocala on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2022.

By Marian Rizzo Correspondent

N

early 60 years ago, Allean Cunningham set down roots in southeast Ocala. She raised 11 children in a two-bedroom house, did her laundry in a metal wash pot, and ate homegrown vegetables and barbecued pork cut from a hog her husband, Lester, butchered and cured in their backyard smokehouse. After Lester passed away in September, 1992, Allean continued to stay in their home, long after it had started falling apart.

These days, the little house on Southeast 31st Street suffers from multiple ailments, including cracked interior walls, rotted wood flooring, termite damage, inadequate electrical wiring, and damaged kitchen and bathroom fixtures. A leaky roof was replaced through Cunningham’s home insurance policy, and she now has a washer and dryer, but

the home’s foundation and nearly everything else have been steadily crumbling away.

Nevertheless, Cunningham insists, “There’s no place like home.”

“I don’t have no memories nowhere else,” Cunningham said as she choked back tears. “I have memories here. My husband would cook and neighbors would come. Anybody who had kids, they could stay here too. Black or white. If they wanted to spend the night they could spend the night.

I loved them all. If they got out of line they couldn’t come back.”

Cunningham will turn 97 on June 4. She’s legally blind, disabled, and living on an extremely low fixed income.

Cunningham’s youngest daughter, Erica, lives with her as a fulltime caregiver. A couple of years ago, an illness sent Allean to the hospital. She could hardly wait to get home, and now says she doesn’t want to leave.

“If I had to move, I’d just give

up.” Cunningham said, her voice soft. “I’m fightin’ and tryin’ to hold on. It’ll make me live longer if I was satisfied. That’s all I want.

God said he would never leave me or forsake me. I’d be happy if someone would just help me out.”

Cunningham’s son, Walter, understands his mother’s need to stay in the home her husband built with the help of neighbors and men from his workplace at Drake Construction. In the beginning the house had only two bedrooms and one bath.

“That’s when bunk beds was popular,” chuckled Walter, who was the fifth out of 11 children.

As more kids came along, his father and grandfather added two more bedrooms and another bathroom, he said.

“We paid for this place picking peanuts,” said Walter. “That’s how we survived.”

Walter and his wife, Audrey, live in Ocala, but they both work in West Palm Beach. Walter will turn 67 on June 1, but he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I want to stop working when I get my mother’s house done,” he said. “We even offered to let her live in our house. She didn’t want that. She’s old school. My dad struggled to pay for what they got so I have to respect her wish.”

To that end, Walter and Audrey have been trying since 2017 to get help from government programs or through local service organizations to either renovate his mother’s house, or to tear it down and build a new home for her. Audrey has corresponded with multiple government officials and community agencies, including U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Florida Senator Keith Perry, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Marion County Community Services, Habitat for Humanity, and Community With A Heart—all to no avail.

Every response deemed the structure in such poor condition it could not be repaired for the allowable grants, a determination

that was confirmed through an independent certified inspection.

“It’s been stressful, very frustrating,” Audrey said. “I was seeking for her best and all the doors closed and nobody’s trying to help her. They said, ‘I’m sorry.

It’s beyond our scope of help.’ Of course, she had a lot of things wrong with the house. They said to keep checking, but it would have been nice if somebody had said, ‘We can do this.’ They could only allow so much money and that’s it. So we’re still not done.”

Walter said he and his brother, Willie, have access to a front-end loader and can help with the demolition if one is arranged.

Together with donations from his siblings and other relatives, he’s raised $41,000 toward the project, he said.

“If we can just get somebody to finance the rest of it, we’ll do whatever we can do,” Walter said.

In a Marion County Commission ruling on May 17, commissioners unanimously approved a State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) and a Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP), however, those programs are for renovations and don’t fit Cunningham’s need, noted County Commissioner Craig Curry.

“This home is so far beyond

being able to repair it, they’re telling me it needs to be torn down and something built,” said Curry. “I hate to hear these stories. They’re heart-wrenching.”

According to an email from Stacie Causey, senior public relations specialist for Marion County, a Community Services team has been working to develop a new program that will address cases similar to Mrs. Cunningham’s.

“Once the new program has been developed, it will need to be brought before the county commission, and, if approved, the program will be submitted to the state for review (and hopefully approval),” Causey wrote in the email. “We’re expecting the program to be brought before the county commission this fiscal year; before September 30,” she added.

Commissioner Curry agreed that such a plan might possibly help Cunningham.

“The new program seems to be, from what I’ve heard, written around her need,” Curry said. “It sounds like people are motivated to try to help this lady. I’ll keep it on my front burner to kind of check back with the staff to see how it’s coming along.”

A memorial marker is shown in front of Allean Cunningham’s damaged home on Southeast 31st Street in Ocala on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

“I don’t have no memories nowhere else. I have memories here.”

Allean Cunningham

Walter Cunningham, Allean Cunningham’s son, shows the structural damage to the back of his mother’s home on Southeast 31st Street in Ocala on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Allean Cunningham, 96, who will celebrate her 97th birthday on June 4, raised 11 children in the home that was built in 1965. Now the home is falling apart and the family has been trying for years to get help rebuilding the house which has been determined to be unsafe to live in. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Right: Meals On Wheels driver Jerry Hesler from Marion Senior Services delivers lunch to Allean Cunningham at her home. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Rocking the Square

Members of the Ocala Rock Art group pose together on the Ocala Downtown Square during the Ocala Rock Art Rocking The Square event in downtown Ocala on Saturday, May 21, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

“Kindness” Movement Rocks Ocala

By Eadie Sickler Correspondent

A

s part of the international “Kindness” Movement, members of the Ocala Rock Art group gathered Saturday evening at the square in downtown Ocala to place, or “hide in plain sight,” rocks that had been painted with various designs and mottos.

Rocks were hidden randomly on window ledges, in trees, benches or flower planters.

The hope of the group is that visitors to the square will spot the rocks, read whatever message is painted on them, and keep them to enjoy, or pass on or “rehide” it if they wish. “It is all about spreading kindness,” said Teresa Fikaris, who explains that Ocala Rock Art is a local Facebook group that is about sharing rock art throughout Ocala and surrounding areas.

The first event of the group was in 2017 at City Hall. The group participates

in the annual Trunk or Treat festivities, distributing painted rocks and also goodies for children. In the past the group has been active with family movie days, hiking days and other events. Fikaris said anyone can join the group. It does not require being an artist. Any level of talent, and any age person is welcomed. We are not in competition with one another, she added. “Our motto is, Bringing joy to people through rock art.”

The Ocala group is part of an international movement, Fikaris explained, the local organization boasting 1,900 online members. “It is a fun thing that has spread like wildfire,” she said, adding, “just about any town has local groups painting rocks and spreading kindness.” She told of a woman who was at a local grocery store who reported receiving an upsetting phone call who found a rock there and reported she felt it was as if God spoke to her through the message on the rock and it meant a lot to her.” One of Fikaris’ rocks was found by

Photos By Bruce Ackerman

a person in England, she shared. How the rock traveled to England is unknown.

Folks who find a rock will notice there is a message on the back of the rock asking the finder to take a picture of it and post their find on Facebook, noting where they found it and its meaning to them. Those interested can join the rock painting kindness group on the Facebook page.

The group meets once a month at the Cornerstone Pentecostal Church in Ocala.

Member Denise Myford said, “I have heard and seen results from people who found rocks and it just brightened their day. We don’t know what people are going through but knowing that a little act of kindness made them smile…that’s what this is all about, adding, “What attracted me was not only the creativity, but that they are given away. They aren’t for profit.”

Each local member who “rocked the square” Saturday brought at least ten rocks to locate in the downtown area.

Rock Art is shown before it was placed on the Ocala Downtown Square.

Ocala Gazette

The back of a piece of Rock Art

Several pieces of Teresa Fikaris’ Rock Art.

“Our motto is, Bringing joy to people through rock art.”

Teresa Fikaris

Teresa Fikaris, center, hides one of her pieces of Rock Art in a tree as her grandson, Derek Ortiz, 12, left, and Sonia Bonilla, right, watch.

Kylie Read, 10, shows off some of her Rock Art.

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MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

New beginnings for Sarah Lajealle The Ocala-based emerging artist has put down her paintbrushes (for now) to create works with resin.

Sarah Lejealle [Supplied]

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

character named Sniffles and worked with children grieving the loss of their parents.

The project later inspired Yoder to open arah Lajealle has loved creating Sniffles Place for Grieving Children, a imagery since childhood, but being a nonprofit support center in North Carolina. full-time artist is fairly new to her.

Lajealle later got a job as a director of “Art has always stuck with me,” marketing for a restaurant chain. On the Lajealle added. “I don’t have any formal side, she painted whiskey bottles for her art education other than a couple of boss’s gastropub. classes on bone structure, body structure, “I kind of wanted to get away from that, things like that.” not in a bad way, but just personal reasons In the past, she’s painted for friends with alcohol,” she said. “I wanted to kind of and restaurants, or for the occasional move on past that. When I moved here, I commission. Along with shifting her kind of just took a breather from everything priorities, Lajealle’s muse has shifted and started drawing again. toward a whole new process: resin making.

In 2017, Lajealle moved to Florida to “I had never really be near her mom in the played with resin and Villages, and last year, pretty much from the she moved to Ocala. day I figured out how to The name Lajealle, work with it, I fell in love by the way, is actually with the possibilities of a middle name. It pays what you could do with tribute to a relative it,” she said. who was one of the Resin is an epoxy first female doctors in that conveys a slick, Europe. luminous quality. The “My mom decided process has inspired to name me after her, Lajealle to create tributes but she spelled it wrong to her new(ish) Florida and apparently my home and other imagery, grandmother was not ranging from the familiar very happy with her.” to the abstract. She’s In February, she drawn to natural beauty will add a new last and created a tribute to name, Baldwin, when Silver Springs State Park she marries her fiance for her entry in Marion whose first name, Cultural Alliance’s coincidentally, is Art. “Landmarks” show.

In the meantime, Sarah Lajealle Lajealle began to sell Lajealle recurrently works professionally after participates in the college, but, like most Ladies Night Out Sip artists, had other dayjobs to make ends meet. and Shop. The get-together happens at “I got an opportunity to work for small different venues every couple of weeks.

Christian schools as an art teacher, and I Visit the Facebook Group Ladies Night Out kinda took it and ran with it,” she said.

- Ocala for details.

In the 1990s, Lajealle helped grow Besides growing her reach as an artist the art scene in Lafayette, Indiana, by and getting married, Lajealle plans to launching a community art walk and explore every nook and cranny of Florida. other events.

“As I have grown, I am increasingly “And then, funny enough, I started drawn to letting the medium lead me working in a funeral home and, though where it goes to create a more natural it was not my job, I started doing their piece,” Lajealle says in her artist advertising,” she recalled. “That’s when a statement. I am blessed to travel and client came up with an idea for a children’s observe nature. Any new ideas I encounter coloring book for grief.” will be reflected in my work.”

Lajealled created illustrations for Visit lajealleartworks.com to learn more friend Cyndy Yoder Shafer, who created a about Sarah Lajealle and her artwork.

S

“Silver Springs State Park”

“I had never really played with resin and pretty much from the day I figured out how to work with it, I fell in love with the possibilities of what you could do with it.”

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B4

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

MEMORIAL DAY

Florida

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.

FACTOIDS

- A TIME TO REMEMBER

Let’s pause this Memorial Day weekend to salute and honor the dedicated citizen-soldiers of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 351st Military Police Detachment in Ocala. Originally organized in 1943 during the dark days of World War II, the 351st has answered the call for almost 80 years, including numerous activations plus seven (yes, SEVEN) deployments to hot combat areas like Kuwait, BosniaHerzogivina, Iraq and Afghanistan. They are our neighbors; truly the best of the best, so if you know any of the troops, by all means give them a shout out, or better yet, a proper military This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in a salute for Memorial Day. In that regard, today we quiz you on always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when Florida’s enduring relationship with the military.

WORD FIND

pleted the puzzle, there will be 16 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

Of Florida’s 21 major military installations, eleven are bases for this branch of the service. It is: A. U. S. Army B. U. S. Marines C. U. S. Navy D. U. S. Air Force

2.

Orlando International, the world’s seventh busiest airport, was actually a major military base until 1975, known as: A. Pinecastle Air Force Base B. McCoy Air Force Base C. Lindbergh Air Force Base D. McDill Air Force Base

3.

Originally built by the WPA to house workers on the Cross Florida Canal, this community near Santos became home for returning WWII vets. it is: A. Summerfield B. Camp Roosevelt C. Shady D. Montague

4.

The last naval battle of the American Revolution was fought on March 10 1783 just off Florida’s east coast near what is now: A: Ponte Vedra B. Key Biscayne C. St. Augustine D. Cape Canaveral

5.

This historic 73,000-acre military training center near Starke also served as an internment camp for more than 4,000 WWII prisoners.

It is: A. Camp Blanding B. Camp Mitchell C. Fort Jefferson D. Cecil Field

6.

More than 5,000 army pilots got their wings at Ocala’s Greenville Aviation in WWII. Which of these was NOT one of their training aircraft?

A. B-17 Superfortress B. Fairchild PT-19 C. Stearman PT-17 D. P-40 Warhawk

7.

During the Civil War, Marion County farmers provided vast amounts of this valuable commodity for Confederate troops. It is: A. Ammo B. Salt C. Sugar D. Beef

8.

A marker at Ocala’s Veterans’ Park honors Navy Chief Ernest Holland, who was aboard the submarine USS __________, when it transited the North Pole in 1958.

A. Thresher B. Shark C. Nautilus D. Ohio

9.

The largest Air Force base in the world, by area, served as the training field for Jimmy Doolittle’s daring Tokyo bombing raid in April, 1942. It is: A. Hurlburt Field B. Eglin AFB C. Templehof AFB D. Jacksonville AFB

10.

Since it opened in Sumter County in 1988, it has grown to become one of the largest military cemeteries in the U.S. with 180,000 interments. It is in: A. Coleman B. The Villages C. Bushnell D. Wildwood

Bush beauty Solution: 16 Letters

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

1.

Arid Basic Bees Birds Bush Calm Camp Canoe Care Cedar Cheap

Creek Edge Elkhorn Esky Fauna Fish Flies Flowers Fresh Growth Guide

Gums Hammock Hats Hike Idle Indigo Isolated Knife Leaves Look Mist

Native plants Nest Oaks Orchids Owls Path Sand Seasons Shade Sleet

Slip Smell Snakes Spur Summit Tent Trail Valley Yams

Answers are on page B7

Contact Bob Hauck: rhauck39@gmail.com

: The great outdoors

COMING JUNE 10: Bone up on your Florida geography.

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

WOMEN’S EXPO SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, June 25, 2022 • 10am - 3pm College of Central Florida, Klein Center

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7

Date: 5/27

B5

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

community MAY 27 & JUNE 3

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 28 & JUNE 4

Yoga in the Park

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am Snake into your cobra pose and get your downward dog going. Stretch out by the Sholom Park stage; recurs every Saturday morning. Visit sholompark.org for details.

MAY 28 & JUNE 4

Free and open to the public. In covered Arena 5.

WEC also offers fast casual dining options and retail shops. See worldequestriancenter.com or pasofinoocala.com for more info.

MAY 28

Replant day at West Ocala Wellness Community Garden 2200 W Highway 40, Ocala 8:30am Planting season is on! Now is the time to freshen up vegetable beds, do some weeding, solarize garden beds and prep your plot for cool season plants to come. This is the perfect time of year to plant seeds, veggies and more. To rent a plot for only $10 per year, visit ocalafl.org/garden

MAY 28

Memorial Day Weekend Car Show

Ocala Farmers Market

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 28 & JUNE 4

Highland Memorial Park, 1515 NE 3rd St., Ocala 10am-2pm Enjoy classic, muscle and show cars at this judged event. Hot dogs and drinks available, DJ playing tunes and prizes for winning cars. For more info, ocalastreetcruiser.wixsite.com

MAY 30

Memorial Day Remembrance

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.

Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, 2601 SE Fort King St., Ocala 10am Join Marion County Board of County Commissioners Carl Zalak III, Kathy Bryant and Michelle Stone to commemorate our veterans.

Music from the Kingdom of Sun Concert Band and bag piper John Earl. Stroll the pathways and get a sense of the tremendous contributions that Marion County veterans have made to this country. Learn more at mariofl.org

MAY 27-28

JUNE 2

Farmers Swap Meet

Paso Fino Extravaganza International

Farmers Market

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-8pm Paso Finos are elegant, high-stepping horses with a unique gait that entertains all. Classes include youth, trail, costume and even trot/gallop classes.

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 9am-1pm Large selection of fresh seasonal produce from local growers as well as baked goods, plants, handmade soaps and more; recurs every Thursday.

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

arts MAY 24

Student and Emerging Artist Competition Gallery Reception

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 5:30-7pm The City of Ocala is offering a reception for the “Content of Character” Emerging Artist Competition and the gallery will display the artists’ works for perusal. Live music provided by percussionist Sean Thomas. An awards ceremony follows at 6pm. Prizes include scholarships to the College of Central Florida, an Artist Affiliate membership to the Magnolia Art Xchange and memberships to the Appleton Museum of Art. Refreshments provided. For more info, ocalafl.org

MAY 26

MAY 29

Spheres Bubble Show

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 1pm & 3:30 pm This unique bubble show will entertain kids of all ages. Using music, lasers and, of course, bubble sculptures, the “Expand the Universe Tour” is sure to entertain. Folks sitting in the front rows might get wet! Tickets $17-$27. For more info, reillyartscenter.com

THROUGH MAY 26

Horsemanship by Walter Israel

Max Weinberg’s Jukebox

Reilly Arts Center, NOMA Black Box, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm Not only was Weinberg a key player for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, he has a unique stage show where the audience picks the songs.

With a playlist of over 200 rock n’ roll greats, the audience has an interactive concert with songs on demand. Tickets start at $20 and VIP experiences are available. See reillyartscenter.com

MAY 27

The Global Jazz Collective

Wilson and Latin Grammy Award winner and UF head of Music Business and Entrepreneurship Jose Valentino. For more info, reillyartscenter.com

Reilly Arts Center, NOMA Black Box, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm The Global Jazz Collective combines funk and bebop in a multicultural musical setting. The group is led by the UF Director of Jazz Studies Scott

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

MAY 28

An Evening with Macey Mac & the Orange Blossom Opry Band

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale 7pm This powerhouse young singer/songwriter is influenced by classic country artists, rock titans and bluesy soul singers. See her with the Orange Blossom Opry house band; tickets are $20-$31. See obopry.com for more info.

JUNE 2

Lil’ Leaf Series: Activate and Motivate

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 10am-12pm Getting outdoors with children helps them learn to use their senses, and enhances their motor skills with activity. Coaches Cammy Dennis and Jessica Pinkowski will get the kids (ages 4-12) moving at this workshop. Snack and story time included.

Advance registration required; $5 for each child; parent or guardian must attend. For more info, sholompark.org

JUNE 3-5

Mounted Drill Team Competition

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala Drill teams are a group choreographed event where horses and riders run specific patterns as a group. Every step counts! Also, check out the vendors, food trucks and enjoy a great day outdoors. For more info, flhorsepark.com

JUNE 4

Recovery on the Square- Break the Stigma

Downtown Square, 1 SE Broadway St., Ocala 12-4pm To recognize people in recovery and to help break its stigma, Zero Hour Life Center is sponsoring this event that includes guest speaker Jennifer Webb, former member of the Florida House of Representatives. Music from DJ Ron. Food trucks Squatch Cart, K&S 7Spice, Kona Ice and others will offer food options. A kids’ zone will offer games and arts and crafts. For more info, zerohourlifecenter.org

JUNE 4-6

Florida Summer Horse Trials

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala This eventing series showcases dressage, cross country and show jumping competitions. Check out the vendors and food trucks. For more info, flhorsepark.com

JUNE 5

Ocala Cars & Coffee

War Horse Harley-Davidson, 5331 N US Hwy 441, Ocala 7:30-11am See hundreds of show cars, drink coffee, peruse auto-related vendors, enjoy kids’ activities and more. Cars on display from the 1940s to today’s hottest racers. Recurs the first Sunday of each month. More info at Facebook.com/ carsandcoffeeocala/

THROUGH JUNE 18

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 and jump course.

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

JUNE 4

Jumpin’ June Swing Dance Social

Reilly Arts Center, NOMA Black Box, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala Becky Sinn and Swing Theory will sweep you back to the 1940s when swing dancers cut the rug and big bands ruled the stage. Dance lessons offered so you can learn to swing that thing. Themed dress and grooming encouraged. Tickets $20-$25. Check out reillyartscenter.org for more info.

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

JUNE 3

THROUGH JULY 28

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. The June 3 band will be Reggae Force. For more info, ocalafl.org or facebook.com/ levittampocala

Summer Spotlight XXV: Town and Country

College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala Mon-Fri 10am-4pm This special collection, by the Visual Artists Society, is part of its Summer Spotlight series that displays local artists’ works in a variety of mediums.

Experience the creativity and see artwork done in photographs, digital media, paintings, 3-D objects and more. For more info, cf.edu/student-life/artsand-culture/webber-gallery

JUNE 3

Ty Herndon

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale 7pm This Grammy-nominated country artist has hits like “What Mattered Most’ and “Hands of a Working Man.” With 20 years of hits to choose from, see him live. Tickets are $25-$40. See obopry.com for more info.

JUNE 4

Free First Saturday at the Appleton Museum of Art

THROUGH JULY 31

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

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

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 10am-5pm Free admission for all to the permanent collection and special exhibits. Take this opportunity to explore this art-filled space, the garden atrium, plus Big Lee’s BBQ food truck is onsite from 11am2pm. For more info, appletonmuseum.org

VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE OCALAGAZETTE.COM/EVENTS

B6

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

&

music nightlife nig ghtlife MAY 25

MAY 28

Houston Keen

Grass Campers

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

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

MAY 26

MAY 28

TJ Brown

Billy Buchanan & His Rock n’ Soul Revue

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.

MAY 26

MAY 28

Centerlane

West 27

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

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

MAY 27

MAY 29

Retro Express

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

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

JUNE 1

MAY 27

Billy Buchanan

Greg Warren Band

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.

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

MAY 27

JUNE 1

Blue Jams

Sidepiece

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

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

JUNE 2

Michelle Ingrham

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

JUNE 2

Big Rascal

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

JUNE 3

Food Truck Friday with Clark Barrios Band The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Food and fun; OTOW does their monthly party. Free and open to the public. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JUNE 3

Conrad Marcum

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

JUNE 3

REL

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

Ecliff Farrar

JUNE 4

Ecliff Farrar

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

JUNE 4

Get the Funk

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.

JUNE 4

Good 2 Go

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

JUNE 5

Doug Adams

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

FINAL LEG OF 2022 SPECIAL OLYMPICS LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN COMING TO STIRRUPS ‘N STRIDES ON JUNE 2

E

very Friday, James Blevins, this newspaper’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.

I Say This Warmly

By James Blevins

because today I woke rosy-cheeked,

S

embraced by the sun and sky.

And dogging at my feet, pushing itself into each morning footfall, a single word: try.

James Blevins was born in Oak Harbor, Ohio, in 1981. He is an award-winning poet and journalist who graduated from the College of Central Florida in 2017.

Bitterzoet Press published his first chapbook, “What Nature Keeps Secret,”

By Ocala Gazette Staff

in 2018. Blevins is currently working on a new collection of poems he hopes to share with the world one day—or at least share with his parents, relatives, coworkers and friends who haven’t unfollowed him on Facebook yet.

tirrups and Strides Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc., will be part of the final leg of the 2022 Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run on Thursday, June 2, at 8:30 a.m., according to a May 12 press release.

Held at Stirrups ‘n Strides Quail Roost Covered Arena, 4246 W. Hwy 318, in Citra, the event will help send off four Marion County equestrian competitors to the Special Olympics: Becky Richter, Kathy Gray, Ashley Quesnel and Adam Warch.

The Games will be held in Orlando, starting on June 5 and ending on June 12.

“Stirrups ‘n Strides is proud and excited to have four competitors in the Equestrian Games at the USA Special Olympics Games,” said officials close to the event. “We are also honored to be a site for the Torch Run for these Games.

We welcome our community to come and cheer on the athletes at our Center during the Torch Run ceremony and give them a big send off!”

The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for the Special Olympics is one of the largest grassroots fundraisers for the international event, according to

the press release. More than 100,000 law enforcement members in all 50 U.S. states, 12 Canadian provinces/territories and 44 other countries contribute to LETR efforts annually.

At its most basic level, the LETR is an actual running event where law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes run the “Flame of Hope” into the opening ceremonies for the 2022 Special Olympics.

Overall, the LETR takes place from May 20-June 6. A team of 70 members— which includes 55 law enforcement officer runners, six Special Olympics athletes and logistics personnel—will serve as “Guardians of the Flame” as they run the “Flame of Hope,” starting in Chicago, Illinois, all the way to Miami, Florida, and up the coast to the opening ceremonies.

On Thursday, June 2, the event ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m., but event organizers encourage people wishing to attend to arrive at 8 a.m. Refreshments will be available.

For more information, call Public Relations/Communications Program Manager Gail McDaniel at (941) 809-3908 or reach out by email at programmgr@ stirrupsnstrides.com.

B7

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

RED, WHITE & BLUES FARM PRESENTS THE FIRST ANNUAL PEACH FESTIVAL THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Red, White & Blues Farm will be presenting its First Annual Peach Festival this coming Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30, at 3250 N.E. 140th Ave. in Williston.

The festival will feature live music performed by the Doc Adams Band, Big Jim Adam, Jeff Jarrett, Tru Blue Duo and Lionel Jr. There will be peaches to pick, many peach-themed activities and treats,

as well as arts and crafts, numerous vendors, a corn hole tournament, a peach cobbler-eating contest, plus other farmrelated activities for the whole family to enjoy.

“This is a special time when farmers gather the community together to celebrate the newest Peach crop,” said a May 12 press release. “Red, White & Blues Farm is excited to celebrate their plentiful peach season. Bring the family and enjoy a great weekend of fun!”

Lunch and fresh baked goods will be available for purchase at the farm’s café: peach milkshakes, peach cobbler and more will be on the menu.

Active duty members of the armed forces, veterans and first responders (police, firefighters and paramedics) are allowed one free ticket to the Peach Festival. Member must present ID or badge upon entry.

Admission to the Peach Festival is $5 per person, 2 years old or older,

in advance, if bought online at www. redwhiteandbluesfarm.myshopify.com/.

Guests are also able to purchase tickets at the door for $7 per person, 2 years old or older. Parking is free.

For more information, please visit www.redwhiteandbluesfarm.com/peachfestival/ or call Stephanie Carten at (352) 705-6175.

DAVID TENNANT AND CATHERINE TATE TO REPRISE ‘DOCTOR WHO’ ROLES FOR 60TH ANNIVERSARY

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4

D

avid Tennant and Catherine Tate are returning to “Doctor Who,” reuniting for new scenes that will coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023.

Tennant and Tate will reprise their respective roles of the 10th Doctor and companion Donna Noble. The pair’s tenure on the series spanned from 2005 to 2010. When the characters were last seen together, the Doctor had to wipe Donna’s memory in order to save her life.

“They’re back! And it looks impossible -first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna, what on earth is happening?” showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a statement. “Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world.

Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The

only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.”

Tennant had returned to the role of the Doctor once before, teaming up with thenDoctor Matt Smith in 2013 as part of the show’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

The news comes only one week after the official reveal of “Sex Education” star Ncuti Gatwa as the newest actor to play the Doctor.

Gatwa’s tenure in the role will begin in 2023, after Jodie Whittaker’s current incarnation concludes with one more special episode later this year.

Tennant and Tate’s tenure on “Doctor Who” remains the height of the series’ popularity, helping lead the show to new international audiences. The 2008 series featuring the two brought in an average audience of more than eight million viewers per episode.

Florida

FACTOIDS

From left, Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan, Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair, Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor and Bradley Walsh as Graham O’Brien in ‘Spyfall,’ the Season 12 opener of ‘Doctor Who.’ [Ben Blackall/BBC Studios/TNS]

By J. Kim Murphy Variety

1. C U. S. Navy 2. B McCoy Air Force Base 3. B Camp Roosevelt 4. D Cape Canaveral 5. A Camp Blanding

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8. C Nautilus

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10. C Bushnell

7. C Sugar 9. B Eglin AFB

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B8

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

‘Top Gun’ and Tom Cruise return to the danger zone

Tom Cruise poses for the media during the ‘Top Gun Maverick’ UK premiere at a central London cinema, on Thursday, May 19, 2022. [AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali]

By Jake Coyle AP Film Writer

I

n 1983, producer Jerry Bruckheimer was flipping through the May issue of California magazine when he was struck by a story. “Top Guns” read the headline, with a large photograph from inside the cockpit of an F-14 fighter jet.

The story opened: “At Mach 2 and 40,000 feet over California, it’s always high noon.”

“I saw that cover and I said, ‘We gotta do this. This looks great,’” recalls Bruckheimer. “It’s ‘Star Wars’ on Earth.”

And at the box office, “Top Gun” did nearly reach “Star Wars” proportions.

It was the No. 1 film of 1986, a rocketboosted, testosterone-fueled sensation that established the then 24-year-old Tom Cruise as a major star. It made Bomber jackets, Aviator sunglasses and playing homoerotic games of beach volleyball in jeans hip just as it did military service. In the jingoist Reagan-era ‚80s, “Top Gun” was about as American as it gets. The Navy set up recruitment tables in theaters.

Enlistments soared.

If all of that — the go-go patriotism, a star-led blockbuster, magazines — sounds like a like time ago, it was. But almost four decades later, and after sitting on the shelf for two years due to the pandemic, “Top Gun: Maverick” is flying full throttle into a new world.

In the film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, there’s a new mission to win and dogfights to wage. But this time, the task of “Top Gun” feels even weightier.

It’s here to, in a CGI, Marvel world, prove

that a propulsive brand of moviemaking fueled by star power, practical effects and filmmaking prowess can, still, summon the need for speed.

“I wanted it to have that old-school experience,” says Kosinski, director of “Tron: Legacy” and “Oblivion.” Just as Maverick is going back to Top Gun, I wanted to take the audience back to that type of filmmaking.”

Paramount Pictures, which held off on pushing “Top Gun: Maverick” to streaming, has put a military-grade push behind the sequel. After kicking off aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego ( where Cruise arrived by helicopter ) a worldwide promotional tour has included stops at the Cannes Film Festival ( where Cruise received an honorary Palme d’Or ) and a royal premiere in London. The film, finally, opens in theaters Friday.

But where countless decades-later sequels have crashed and burned, “Top Gun: Maverick” may be a retro-blockbuster that succeeds — and maybe even rivals the original. The film has certain advantages, most notably the seemingly agelessness of its 59-year-old star.

But “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which a middle-aged Maverick returns to the elite aviation training program to train a new generation of flying aces (among them Goose’s hot-head son Rooster, played by Miles Teller), is an action adventure that recaptures a high-flying moviemaking style with modern-day technology. With visceral aerial scenes filmed inside the cockpit and a surprisingly emotional storyline soaked

through with memory and loss, “Top Gun: Maverick” rekindles a daredevil spirit for digital times.

Early in the film, a skeptical general played by Ed Harris tells Maverick his kind is headed for extinction, a relic soon to replaced by automation. Maverick replies, with a smirk, “Not today.”

“In the film, he’s talking about him as an aviator. But watching it last week, it did feel like Tom Cruise is talking about the movie business,” says Kosinski. “In the age of streaming, he’s still making a really, really strong case for the theatrical experience.”

But does a new “Top Gun” fit as seamlessly into today as the original did the Reagan ‚80s? The original “Top Gun” wasn’t a hit with critics. Pauline Kael called it a “shiny homoerotic commercial,” a thread that Quentin Tarantino picked in 1994’s “Sleep With Me” when he, as an actor, called it “a story about a man’s struggle with his own homosexuality.”

Others saw a Pentagon-backed recruitment film with pumped up patriotism, and a portrait of American individualism set against a faceless, country-less enemy. Much of that is still present in “Maverick” — there’s no shortage of disobeyed orders and the bad guys remain a blank slate. But Kosinski approached the film as foremost about the close-knit culture of aviators.

“I do feel like the theme of the first film is not really about politics. It really is about friendship, camaraderie, competition, sacrifice,” says Kosinski.

“That’s what we wanted to do on this film very purposefully. We designed a fictional

antagonist. The mission itself is one about keeping the world safe. It’s not about invasion. It’s really about the relationship between Maverick and Rooster.”

In 2012, momentum was starting to gather for a sequel. The original film’s director, Tony Scott, was meeting with Bruckheimer at the Naval Fighter Weapons School known as Top Gun in Nevada. Scott killed himself days later.

“We certainly were doubtful that it was going to happen,” says Bruckheimer. “But we still had interest in trying to get the movie made.”

Bruckheimer brought in Kosinski, who had directed Cruise in the sleek 2013 science-fiction adventure “Oblivion.”

Knowing from that experience what Cruise would respond to, Kosinski focused his pitch to the actor on character and emotion. He and Bruckheimer flew to Paris to meet with Cruise while he was shooting a “Mission: Impossible” film. The director, who came with a poster adorned with the title “Top Gun: Maverick,” had 20 minutes to make his case.

“At the end of that meeting, Tom stood and he walked over to the phone and he called the head of the studio and said, ‘We’re making this film,’” says Kosinski.

“I mean, that’s a real movie star who can greenlight a movie with a phone call.”

Cruise had a few stipulations. One was that Val Kilmer, who has difficulty speaking after throat cancer and numerous trachea surgeries, return to play Iceman.

(The actor appears briefly but poignantly.)

Another was that all the actors playing pilots be trained to ride in F-16s and withstand higher G-forces. On the original, only Cruise managed it.

“Tom devised a way to train the actors.

In the first one, when they put them up in the air with one camera in the cockpit, everybody threw up. We had no usable footage. Their eyes were rolling back in their heads,” says Bruckheimer. “Tom said, ‘Listen, we have to figure out a way to put our actors up there so they can handle the G-forces.’”

It took 15 months, Bruckheimer says, to work out with the Navy, lawyers and the film crew how to have six cameras in the cockpit. Actors playing pilots — Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Greg Tarzan Davis, Danny Ramirez, Lewis Pullman and Jay Ellis — were trained over three months to prepare for the velocity of F-18 flights.

“Some actors said, ‘I won’t do it. I’m afraid of flying.’ So we lost some talented people who just couldn’t commit to making the movie in the way we did it,” Bruckheimer says. “The majority of the pilots that we worked with on this current movie said they joined the military because they joined the first ‘Top Gun.’” So “Top Gun” has already proved that it can have a lasting effect in the real world.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is hoping to show that, when done well, big Bruckheimerstyled blockbusters can still outrace anything else in theaters, or at home.

“This film is looking to the future,” says Kosinski. “Not only the past.”

B9

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

FWC statewide redfish workshops start next week “My mission is to serve, lead and inspire people who want to have a positive life experience as a result of the Real Estate business.”

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File photo

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold a series of public workshops starting next week to gather public input on proposed rules for redfish, according to a May 24 press release.

Proposed rules under discussion in the workshops include nine new management regions and off-the-water transport limits, to name just a few. The FWC developed these proposed changes using a new management approach to better capture regional differences in the fishery.

The public is encouraged to attend one of FWC’s in-person workshops that are being held throughout the state.

Workshops will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude by 8 p.m. local time.

Below is a list of locations: • June 1—Crystal River City Hall Council Chambers, 123 N.W. U.S. Highway 19, Crystal River, FL. 34428 • June 2—Steinhatchee Community Center, 1013 Riverside Drive, Steinhatchee, FL. 32359 • June 6—Charlotte County Administration Center Commissioner Chambers, 18500 Murdock Circle, Room 119, Port Charlotte, FL. 33948 • June 7—Brannon Center, 105 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach, FL. 32168 • June 8—Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, 300 Tower Road, Naples, FL. 34413

• June 13—Gulf Coast State College, Holley Language and Literature Building/Sarzin Lecture Hall, 5230 W. U.S. Highway 98, Panama City, FL. 32401 • June 14—Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Karen A. Steidinger Auditorium, 100 Eighth Ave. S.E., St. Petersburg, FL. 33701 • June 14—St. Lucie County Commission Chambers, Roger Poitras Administration Annex, 2300 Virginia Ave., Ft. Pierce, FL. 34982 • June 15—Lightner Museum, West Wing, 75 King St., St. Augustine, FL. 32084 • June 15—Wakulla County Community Center, Wakulla Room, 318 Shadeville Road, Crawfordville, FL. 32327 • June 16—Mudville Grille, 3105 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, FL. 32207 • June 16—Brevard County Commission Chambers, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL. 32940

If unable to attend a workshop, visit www.MyFWC.com/ SaltwaterComments and click on “Workshops” to watch a recorded presentation.

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B10

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

TAHINI AND BANANA, A POPULAR (AND TASTY!) PAIRING

By America’s Test Kitchen You know peanut butter, but have you tried tahini? While peanut butter is made by grinding up peanuts, tahini is a paste made by grinding up toasted sesame seeds and is a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine (think hummus). Just be sure to stir it up before measuring for this dish.

“I thought it would taste weird because of the tahini and sesame seeds, but it was heaven and we cannot wait to make it again,” said our 10-year-old recipe tester Max.

Tahini-Banana Snack Cake Serves 12

Vegetable oil spray 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all- purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 very ripe bananas (skins should be speckled black) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar 1/3 cup tahini 2 large eggs 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup (2 ounces) whole milk 2 teaspoons sesame seeds 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray inside bottom and sides of an 8- inch square metal baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

Line bottom of the baking pan with an 8- inch square piece of parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.

3. Peel bananas and place in a large bowl. Use a large fork or potato masher to mash bananas until broken down but still chunky. Measure out 1 cup mashed bananas (discard any extra).

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or large bowl if using a handheld mixer), combine softened butter, sugar and tahini. Start mixer on medium- high speed. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add mashed bananas and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

6. Add half of the flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly pour in milk and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.

7. Add the remaining flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from stand mixer, if using.

8. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in any remaining dry flour. Scrape batter into the parchment-lined baking pan and smooth top (make sure to spread batter into corners to create an even layer). Sprinkle sesame seeds over top.

9. Place baking pan in the oven. Bake until the cake is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours.

10. Remove cake from baking pan and discard parchment. Cut the cake into pieces and serve.

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands -- which includes Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen Kids -- offers reliable recipes for cooks of all ages and skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

Deerwood

RELIEF FOR DRY EYES

By Robert Friese, O.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

D

EAR MAYO CLINIC: Since the start of winter, my eyes feel dry and scratchy. I can no longer wear contacts because my eyes burn and sting, and are watery. How can my eyes be dry and watery at the same time, and what can be done to fix this?

ANSWER: It is common to have dry and watery eyes at the same time. Watery eyes is the No. 1 complaint of those with dry eyes. That’s because when your eyes get dry enough, they act as if there is something in them and try to flush it out. And this leads to watery eyes.

People with dry eyes produce poor-quality tears, not enough tears or both. This leads to chronic inflammation of the eye surface and a stinging or burning sensation.

You also could have eye redness, difficulty wearing contact lenses, blurred vision, sensitivity to light or eye fatigue. Winter can be especially challenging with dry air and forced-air heaters in vehicles or other enclosed environments.

There are many causes of dry eyes, and some people have a greater risk of developing dry eyes. People who have acne rosacea; diabetes; thyroid disease; autoimmune diseases; and inflammatory diseases that include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome are more likely to develop dry eyes.

The development of dry eyes can be affected by the overall health of your eyes.

Irregular eyelid margins, eyelash mites and some eye diseases can contribute to dry eye disease. Wearing contacts for a long time, or a poor blinking rate or incomplete blinking, which often occurs when using digital devices, also can lead to dry eyes.

Environmental factors, like secondhand smoke, low seasonal air quality or polluted air, can cause eye irritation and be problematic. Your diet also can affect your eyes. Diets high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids can cause inflammation, a key component to dry eye disease. A heart-smart diet high in vitamin D, such as the Mediterranean diet, is an eye-smart diet.

Taking some medications, like antihistamines, antidepressants and birth control pills, can increase the likelihood of dry eyes. Preservatives in medicated eyedrops used chronically, including glaucoma drops and over-the-counter artificial tears, also can worsen dry eye symptoms. Avoid drops that claim to get the red out. These can lead to rebound red eyes, which cause eyes to be even redder and more irritated than before.

Finally, dry eyes are more common as you get older. Normal aging changes your eyes, and they don’t function as well as when you’re younger. Dry eyes also can be caused by changes in hormone levels associated with age, menopause, pregnancy or birth control pills.

So, what can you do if you have dry, yet watery eyes? The first step is to visit your eye doctor and discuss your symptoms. Many people fail to mention these issues because they don’t see them as important. Your doctor will work to evaluate your symptoms, and the quality and quantity of your tears.

Once an evaluation is complete, your doctor will design a treatment plan to improve the environment for your eyes and your dry eye disease. This could include using supplements, hot compresses or prescription drops; improving your diet; and controlling your environment with a humidifier.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic wand to make dry eye disease instantly better. Your dry eye disease didn’t occur overnight. It took many months or years to develop, and it’s not going to go away immediately. However, if you follow a treatment plan, and you learn and use new habits, your dry eye disease can improve. -- Robert Friese, O.D., Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic Health System, Fairmont, Minnesota (Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

‘THE REAL LOVE BOAT’ DATING SHOW TO SAIL ON CBS’ FALL LINEUP

By David Bauder and Lynn Elber AP Entertainment Writers

N

etwork TV’s fondness for reality fare and reboots combine in “The Real Love Boat,” a sea-going dating show that’s part of the CBS fall schedule announced Wednesday.

Described as a “romance adventure competition,” the series credits as its inspiration the popular and kitschy comedy-drama “The Love Boat,” which aired from 1977-86 on ABC. “The Real Love Boat” will follow returning shows “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” on Wednesday, a rare all-reality night for CBS. With so much programming available to viewers, “flow is important, lead-ins are important, compatible programming is important,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment president. “This looked like a real good bet to us. It also looks like a real competitive kind of counterprogramming move.”

By contrast, network rivals NBC and ABC have stocked their Wednesday lineups with comedies and dramas.

There’s more to guard against than just other broadcasters, given the rise of streaming services with splashy shows and on-demand convenience.

That’s prompted growing broadcast

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reliance on fare known to viewers, including spinoffs and reboots. But CBS, which leans on the scripted “NCIS” and “FBI” franchises, is also placing bets on a trio of unpedigreed new dramas this fall.

“East New York” stars Amanda Warren as the newly promoted head of a police precinct in the working-class neighborhood where she has roots.

Jimmy Smits co-stars. “Fire Country” follows young convict (Max Thieriot, “Seal Team”) who joins a California prison-release firefighting program for a second chance.

The other scripted addition, “So Help Me Todd,” is described as a “humorous legal drama.” Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollock”) stars as a successful attorney who hires her less-driven son, a private detective played by Skylar Astin, to work for her law firm.

The shows canceled by CBS are “Magnum P.I.”; “United States of Al”; “B Positive”; “Good Sam” and “How We Roll.”

The network and its Paramount Global siblings, including Paramount+, presented their wares to advertisers in New York on Wednesday. The streaming service announced that “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone as a mobster exiled to Oklahoma, will debut Nov. 13.

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B11

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Rick Steves’ Europe: Baden-Baden: Getting naked with strangers

An elegant pool at the Caracalla Thermal Baths. [Sandra Hundacker, Rick Steves’ Europe.]

By Rick Steves

R

elaxing at the spa resort of BadenBaden in southern Germany’s Black Forest, I see more naked people in two hours than many Americans see in their entire lives.

Ever since the Roman emperor Caracalla bathed in the mineral waters here, Baden-Baden has welcomed those in need of a good soak. In the 19th century, the town was Germany’s ultimate spa resort, and even today, the name BadenBaden is synonymous with relaxation in a land where the government still pays for its overworked citizens to take a little spa

time. And since the beginning, the dress code has always been “naked.”

Americans who can’t handle nudity don’t know what they’re missing. My first time was with some German friends -- a classy, good-looking young couple. We were swept into the changing area with no explanation. Suddenly they were naked and I felt like the Road Runner just beyond the cliff ’s edge. Then -- easing up, and stripping down -- I realized it’s not sexy ... simply open and free.

For me, enjoying the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Baths in Baden-Baden is one of Europe’s most elegant experiences.

Traditional, stately, indoors, these baths

are extremely relaxing ... and not very social. It’s just you, your body, and an unforgettable experience.

Wearing only the locker key strapped around my wrist, I start by weighing myself -- 92 kilos. The attendant leads me under the industrial-strength shower. This torrential kickoff pounds my head and shoulders and obliterates the rest of the world. He gives me plastic slippers and a towel, ushering me into a dry-heat room with fine wooden lounges -- the slats too hot to sit on without the towel. Staring up at exotic tiles of herons and palms, I cook.

After more hot rooms punctuated with showers, it’s time for my massage.

Like someone really drunk going for one more glass, I climb gingerly onto the marble slab and lay belly-up. The masseur holds up two mitts and asks, “Hard or soft?” In the spirit of wild abandon, I growl, “Hard,” not even certain what that will mean for my skin. I get the coarse, Brillo-pad scrub-down. Tenderized like a slab of meat, I feel entirely relaxed.

The massage is over, and with a Teutonic spank, I’m sent off into the pools.

Nude, without my glasses, and not speaking the language, I bumble like Mr. Magoo in flip-flops through a series of steam rooms and cold plunges.

The steamy labyrinth leads to the mixed section. This is where the Americans get uptight. The parallel spa facilities intersect, bringing men and women together to share the finest three pools in Friedrichsbad. Here, all are welcome to drift under the exquisite domes in perfect silence, like aristocratic swans. A woman glides in front of me, on her back.

Like a serene flotilla, her peaceful face and buoyant breasts glide by, creating barely a ripple. On my right, an Aryan

Adonis, staring at the ethereal dome, drapes himself over the lip of the pool.

Germans are nonchalant, tuned in to their bodies and focused on solitary relaxation.

Tourists are tentative, trying to be cool ... but more aware of their nudity. I remind myself there’s nothing sexy about it. Just vivid life in full flower.

The climax is the cold plunge. I’m usually not a fan of cold water -- yet I absolutely love this. You must not wimp out on the cold plunge.

For my last stop, the attendant escorts me into the “quiet room” and asks when I’d like to be awakened. I tell him closing time.

He wraps me in hot sheets and a brown blanket. Actually, I’m not wrapped ... I’m swaddled: warm, flat on my back, among 20 hospital-type beds. Only one other bed is occupied; the guy in it is as still as a corpse. I stare up at the ceiling, losing track of time and myself. Sometime later, I’m jolted awake by my own snore.

As I leave, I weigh myself again: 91 kilos. I’ve shed two pounds of sweat. It would have been more if tension had mass. Stepping into the cool evening air, I’m thankful my hotel is a level, two-block stroll away.

Back in my room, I fall in slow motion onto my down comforter, the big pillow puffing around my head. Wonderfully naked under my clothes, I can only think, “Ahhh ... Baden-Baden.”

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his new book, For the Love of Europe. You can email Rick at rick@ ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

New this week: Dinosaurs, Def Leppard and ‘The Responder’

By Lindsey Bahr, Mark Kennedy and ynn Elber The Associated Press

H

ere’s a collection curated

by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

MOVIES

— In the satirical comedy “Emergency,” college seniors Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) set out for an epic night of partying only to return home to a shocking scene: Their door is ajar and a woman is passed out on their floor. The men are Black and the woman is white and they know that calling the police is not a straightforward proposition. The film, directed by Carey Williams and written by KD Dávila, was one of the breakouts of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year for its penetrating look at racial dynamics in a heightened, comedic setting. It’s currently playing in theaters for a limited time before streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting Friday.

— “Navalny,” the riveting documentary about Russian

opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been making the rounds in theaters and on CNN, but starting Thursday it’ll be available on HBO Max as well. Taut and suspenseful, Daniel Roher’s film plays more like a John le Carré thriller than a true story. It has taken on even greater significance since the Russian war on Ukraine, too, according to many of the people involved. “It gives so much context to what’s happening now in Ukraine,” Maria Pevchikh, head of the investigative unit for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and an executive producer on the film, told the AP. — While we sit and wait to see what the big breakouts will be at the Cannes Film Festival this year, the film streaming platform MUBI has one of the festival’s all-timers coming on Friday: David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive,” which won Lynch the directing prize at the festival in 2001 (shared with Joel Coen for “The Man Who Wasn’t There”).

And when you’re done wandering around the fringes of Hollywood with Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harding, MUBI has an entire Cannes takeover section to explore with films like Andrea

Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” Joachim Trier’s “Oslo, August 31st” (for new Trier fans thanks to “The Worst Person in the World”), as well as Ruben Östlund’s “The Square” and “Force Majeure.”

MUSIC

— Def Leppard get back to basics with “Diamond Star Halos,” their 12th studio album and first work since 2015. The first single, “Kick,” is less hair metal and more classic arena rock. “You never quit” go the lyrics and that sounds apt for the band, too. Def Leppard recorded in three different countries, with singer Joe Elliott in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage in England, and guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, as well as drummer Rick Allen, in the United States. The album nods to the members’ earliest collective influences, like David Bowie, T. Rex, and Mott the Hoople, among others, and the title comes from T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On).”

— The weekend’s big movie is also a place for new music.

The soundtrack from “Top Gun: Maverick” features the singles “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga and “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic. There’s the return

of “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, while Miles Teller, who plays Goose’s son, recorded a live rendition of “Great Balls of Fire.”

The album also features original tracks by the movie’s composers but there’s no reprise of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” — perhaps that would have been a step too far into the danger zone.

TELEVISION

— The good old days for dinosaurs concluded some 60 million years ago, when they owned the ancient Earth in all its glory. That’s where “Prehistoric Planet” is set, using a mix of wildlife filmmaking, paleontology findings and visual effects for a promised “one-ofa-kind immersive experience.”

Among the stars: the Mongolian Titan and the frightfully clawed Therizinosaurus, who along with other dinos are introduced in their respective land, sea and air habitats. The five-part Apple TV+ series, out Monday through Friday, May 23-27, boasts narrator David Attenborough and music by Oscarwinning composer Hans Zimmer.

— Martin Freeman keeps proving he can play anything. The “Sherlock” and “Breeders” actor stars as a deeply troubled English

police officer in “The Responder,” debuting Tuesday, on the Britbox streaming service. Demoted from inspector, Chris Carson is patrolling the streets of his Liverpool, England, hometown, confronting crime and his own angst. He’s also reluctant partner to a rookie, played by Adelayo Adedayo, and his marriage is at risk. The series, inspired by the experiences of its creator and producer, Tony Schumacher, unfolds over a week of night shifts as Chris tries to rescue a young addict from deadly jeopardy.

— “Keeping Company with Sondheim” follows the creation of Broadway’s reimagined, genderswapping version of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Company.” The documentary, filmed over a two-year period during the pandemic, also looks back at the original production’s debut during a bleak time for New York City. Marianne Elliott, director of the new production, and members of the original 1970 cast were among those interviewed for the film airing Friday as part of PBS’ “Great Performances.” So was Sondheim, the theater giant who died last November at age 91.

B12

MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning back in East finals

By Fred Goodall AP Sports Writer

J

on Cooper had every reason to be confident the twotime defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning could keep their bid for a threepeat alive.

“Our story is not finished being written,” the coach said earlier this month with his team on the brink of elimination in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “We’ve got a lot left

the Carolina Hurricanes or New York Rangers.

“We’ve found a recipe that has obviously allowed us to go deep into the playoffs, and especially in the last 2 1/2 years now, and we want to keep it up,” captain Steven Stamkos said after Monday night’s 2-0 victory over Florida gave the Lightning its first sweep of a playoff series in 11 years.

“It’s the most fun and gutwrenching and nerve-wracking time of the year, but that’s just

in us, we feel.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of reasons.

The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner has won six straight games since the Lightning fell behind the Maple Leafs 3-2 in their opening round series, including a Game 7 gem in Toronto and a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Up next is Tampa Bay’s sixth trip to the East finals in eight years, where they’ll face either

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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) sprays water on his face during a timeout against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Monday, May 23, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. [AP Photo/Chris O’Meara]

to win at least 10 consecutive playoff series. Maroon, who won with St. Louis in 2019 before signing with Tampa Bay two years ago, has been a part of 14 consecutive series wins.

“I’m fortunate to play with two really good teams the last few years, but this team has been very impressive,” Maroon said.

“The way we compete. The way we stick in there every every game, we’re never out of it. ... It’s been tremendous to watch what we’ve been through the last few years,” Maroon added, “and it’s unbelievable to be a part of it.”

Tampa Bay is the third franchise to win at least 10 consecutive playoff series.

Montreal has done it twice, taking 13 in a row from 1976-80 and 10 straight from1956-60. The New York Islanders won a record 19 in a row from 1980-84.

Two more series wins, and the Lightning will become the first team to win three consecutive Stanley Cup titles since the Islanders claimed four in a row from 1980-83.

“Twelve would sound even better, wouldn’t it?” forward Alex Killorn said.

“It’s impressive. I know, Coop mentioned that, and then Patty has 14. So he’s got the one up, but it’s special to be a part of this group,” Killorn added. “Like I said, with Vassy. I think there’s a lot of players on this team that will go down as some pretty good players, Hall of Fame players. So I’m just happy to be a part of it, to be honest.”

For even more

an amazing feeling,” Stamkos added. “You can’t really describe it unless you go through it, and this group has certainly been through it.”

Vasilevskiy had 49 saves and posted the sixth shutout in his past seven series-clinching wins.

Since yielding three or more goals in each of Tampa Bay’s first six games against Toronto, he’s given up four total in the last five outings.

“It’s my job to just give our boys the chance to win, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job doing that the whole series,” Vasilevskiy said, playing down the way he’s played time and time again during his team’s championship run.

“Nothing special. I think it’s just the way the whole team is playing in those games. The whole series just constant blocked shots, sacrifices, and boys literally breaking bones to stop the puck,” the goaltender added. “Just such a great effort by everybody on our team. It’s obviously not just me.

I’m just trying to do my job as best I can.”

Pat Maroon, chasing his fourth consecutive Stanley Cup title, snapped a scoreless tie a little over six minutes into the third period. Ondrej Palat added a empty-net goal with 22 seconds remaining for Lightning, who had two goals disallowed within a 48-second span of the second period.

The Lightning joined the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens as the only franchises

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