Ocala Gazette | May 31 - June 6, 2024

Driver in fatal bus crash faces 11 new charges

New details have emerged on the victims’ injuries and a witness describes seeing the suspect driving erratically before the crash.

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

The driver of the pickup truck involved in the May 14 bus crash that left eight people dead and sent 38 others to area hospitals has been charged with 11 additional counts of causing bodily injury while driving under the influence.

Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, has been held in the Marion County Jail on eight counts of DUI manslaughter after the collision between his pickup truck and a bus carrying 53 farmworkers on State Road 40. He now faces the additional charges, according to Marion County Clerk of Court records.

At 6:35 a.m. on May 14 while driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck, Howard veered into the lane of oncoming traffic on S.R. 40 and struck an International bus carrying farmworkers on their way to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The bus veered off the roadway, ran through two fences, hit a tree and overturned.

Eight people were killed and 38 people were hospitalized, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Eleven victims sustained serious injuries resulting in additional charges for Howard. The injuries include: the amputation of an arm, brain bleeds, pulmonary bruising, a hematoma on a kidney, pulmonary contusions, a collapsed lung, liver lacerations, a kidney laceration, a broken sternum, a broken back, broken pelvis, a broken shoulder, a broken arm, a broken hand, broken wrists, broken ribs, broken jaws, facial fractures, avulsed facial skin, and a broken nose, according to Howard’s arrest affidavit.

Howard was also injured in the crash and transported to a hospital,

See Additional, page A2

High school project hangs

Investigation finds violations of district policy, threats from local contractor, in bids for new high school

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

An independent investigation has provided new details of behindthe-scenes maneuvering by a local construction firm, including veiled threats of political retribution against

school district leaders, in the jockeying for hundreds of millions of dollars in new school construction contracts.

During a May 14 school board meeting, Marion County School Superintendent Diane Gullet explained that due to threats and other irregularities related to the recent awarding to the Wharton-Smith

Inc. Construction Group of a $120 millionplus contract to build a high school, she called for an outside investigation into whether the district’s procurement policies had been violated in the selection process. Her decision followed allegations by School Board member Sarah James, who

An overtime crisis

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Imagine finishing a grueling, 24-hour shift only to find out you’ve been assigned to work another 24 hours. This is the grim reality for many Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters who, because of staffing shortages, are required to work mandatory overtime.

MCFR personnel can volunteer to work extra shifts, for extra pay. But many are not given the option and are being called in when they least expect it. This not only takes time away from their personal lives, it cuts the amount of recovery time they have between shifts.

Lt. Victoria Barreras and Lt. Brad Goode at Friendship

Station 21, the busiest fire station in Marion County, recently gave the “Gazette” insights into the difficulties the department has with being short staffed, working overtime and retaining good employees.

MCFR’s current schedule is for employees to work 24 hours and then have 48 hours off. But often, when someone is called for mandatory overtime, they must work for two shifts in a row. On May 6, for example, 30 MCFR employees were working overtime, both mandated and voluntarily. Overtime is calculated as an excess of 106 hours during a 14-day pay cycle. While working overtime, employees are paid 1.5 times their usual hourly rate. Mandatory overtime is

A collision between a pickup truck and a bus left eight people dead and 38 people hospitalized on May 14. [Florida Highway Patrol]

A scale model of the new school is shown during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school that will be built at Winding Oaks Farm off Southwest 49th Avenue Road in southwest Ocala on Thursday, March 21, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

Ken Ausley and others watch the beam being signed from the lift during the Ina A. Colen topping out ceremony as the new public charter school continues construction by Ausley Construction. The school opened in August 2022 with 214 students in grades Kindergarten through 6th. Eventually it will educate 660 students grades Kindergarten through 8th. [Alan Youngblood/Special to Ocala Gazette]

Clockwise from above: Nancy Thrower of the Marion County Public School Board speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school that will be built at Winding Oaks Farm off Southwest 49th Avenue Road in southwest Ocala on Thursday, March 21, 2024. School Board member Sarah James listens during a meeting of the Marion County School Board in Ocala on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Superintendent Diane Gullett speaks during a meeting of the Marion County School Board in Ocala on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. [Photos by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Lt. Brad Goode carries a recoiled fire hose back to Station 32’s engine after extinguishing a structure fire that engulfed

Brauchler/Ocala Gazette]

Additional charges

Continued from page A1 where records show he failed a number of sobriety tests conducted by FHP. Howard told investigators that he had smoked marijuana oil the night before, and had taken prescribed klonopin, lyrica and clonidine, according to the arrest affidavit.

A witness told FHP that she observed the Ford Ranger around S.R. 40 and U.S. 41 before the crash, and said the driver failed to stay in the correct lane of travel, according to the arrest affidavit.

“She stated that the

Ranger traveled onto the shoulder and into the eastbound lane of S.R. 40 numerous times,” according to the arrest affidavit. “Her attention was directed away from the Ranger when the crash occurred, and she did not witness the crash event.”

A paramedic who treated Howard at the scene described his behavior as erratic.

“Several times during their interaction, he began crying before becoming calm again,” according to the arrest affidavit.

A registered nurse at AdventHealth Ocala

hospital described Howard’s movements as being slow, his eyes glassy, and his speech thick and slurred.

Howard is being held

in the Marion County Jail without bond. He has waived his right to an arraignment, which was scheduled for June 18, and has pleaded not guilty.

Investigation into contractor

Continued from page A1 was among the selection committee members who ranked the companies that applied for the contract, that district staff had not handled the scoring in a way that gave preference to local vendors.

James earlier had praised the district’s process for evaluating construction companies when the board awarded contracts, worth $43 million each, to the A.D. Morgan and Ausley Construction to build Elementary Schools W and X. She later, however, expressed displeasure in using the same scoring mechanism for the high school when Ausley Construction did not win that bid.

According to the investigative report by the law firm GrayRobinson, James was the first selection committee member to complete her score sheet for the high school, followed by another committee member Harry Vandeven, a private developer. Both left their scoresheets and asked to be notified of the final tally on April 23 by the rest of the committee, all of whom were school district employees.

According to interviews and records obtained by Julie Zolty of GrayRobinson, author of the investigative report, during the evening of scoring, Ken Ausley contacted Vandeven to ask how his firm did. Vandeven reportedly told Ausley that he didn’t know the tally scores and that it would likely not be known until later.

The next day, Ausley called James as well as Barbara Dobbins, Senior Executive Director of Operations for MCPS, and other school district employees. Dobbins declined Ausley’s call because of the “cone of silence” related to the district’s procurement policy, but James took the call.

According to school district policy, “the cone of silence prohibits any communication regarding a particular IFB, RFP, or ITN between: a potential vendor, service provider, bidder, lobbyist, or consultant and the staff of the District, including school principals; and a potential vendor, service provider, bidder, lobbyist, or consultant and any one (1) or more of the School Board members or member-elects from the time the bid is advertised until “the Board acts on a written recommendation from the purchasing department or planning and construction department regarding contract award; provided, however, that communications are permitted when the Board receives public comment at the meeting when the recommendation is presented.”

Ausley presumably is familiar with this district policy because his company has done a significant amount of work for the school district and other governments that have similar procurement policies.

The day after the scoring, James voiced concerns to district facilities personnel about the scores being “rigged” against Ausley, a local company, to favor the Sanford,

“See, I don’t do business in Florida so they can’t do anything to me, and Nancy has already said she’s not running for office again, so this is the only thing they can hold over our heads: school funding.”

Fred Thrower

Florida-based Wharton-Smith, which scored the highest. In response to James’ concerns, Gullet set a meeting for April 30 to discuss the matter with key school personnel who oversaw the process as well as with James and Vandeven.

But before the meeting took place, Ausley Construction continued to lobby district officials. According to the investigative report and a district employment memo, Todd Duffy, chief operating officer for Ausley, contacted Shaun Duncan, the school district’s supervisor of technical services. Duncan wrote later that Duffy explored whether Duncan was interested in the job of district supervisor of facilities, which was then held by Robert Knight. Duffy reportedly told Duncan that Ausley could help make it happen due to the firm’s displeasure about the high school contract process.

In the April 30 meeting, James continued to question the integrity of the scoring process, suggesting there was a “perception” problem that led some to believe that three members of the facilities department may have altered the scores after James and Vandeven turned in their scores and left the meeting. James recommended redoing the process for the high school to “fill in some gaps.”

According to the investigative report, school district staff denied any wrongdoing. Vandeven did not support James’ concerns that district staff had handled the bidding wrong and privately apologized to Dobbins “for everything that occurred.” Gullett told James she would seek legal advice and recommended an external investigation into the allegations.

Also on April 30, local attorney Robert Batsel wrote the school district on behalf of his client, Ausley Construction, suggesting the board reject all bids and start over due to “defective and improper application of the evaluation criteria.”

According to the investigative report, the next day, School Board Chair Nancy Thrower’s husband, Fred, received a call from Duffy.

Fred Thrower told the “Gazette” that he knew Duffy from coaching their kids in baseball years ago. “He started the conversation with, ‘I can’t really trust Sarah James, so I’m calling you.” Duffy, Fred Thrower added, said, “He felt Robert [Knight] was out to get him.”

When Fred insisted he had no knowledge of the matter and could not be of help to Duffy, Fred said Duffy replied, “I don’t want Nancy or Gullett to be put in a bad situation.”

“That’s my wife he was threatening, and so I raised my voice in response, ‘Are you threatening my wife?’ which is about the time my wife walked in and heard the rest of the conversation,” recalled Fred, who

“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

Caroline Brauchler Reporter caroline@ocalagazette.com

Amy Crescenzo Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com

admitted to launching threats back at Duffy but offered this context:

“That is my wife!

“That’s when Todd Duffy put the phone on speaker and Ken [Ausley] took over the conversation saying ‘Todd didn’t mean to threaten anyone,’ but I didn’t even know Ausley was listening in on the conversation until that point. I had never talked to Ausley before,” Fred said.

“Ausley tried to explain that I didn’t understand the process, and that they were concerned if the high school contract bid wasn’t awarded ‘properly’ to a local vendor it would ‘jeopardize the sales tax,’” Fred said. Fred explained to the “Gazette” how he sees politics working in this town.

“See, I don’t do business in Florida so they can’t do anything to me, and Nancy has already said she’s not running for office again, so this is the only thing they can hold over our heads: school funding,” he said. “That’s how things are done here. People hold power over the heads of others when they need something done. And that’s the only reason he called because he needed help.”

Ausley denied ever having this conversation with Fred when interviewed by the investigator.

Later on April 30, Gullet sent an email to the three construction firms bidding for the high school project informing them that the process would restart and that the district had started forming a new interview committee. When Duncan was tapped to be on the committee, he reportedly asked if he would lose his job if he did not select Ausley. Duncan then shared with the district his conversation with Duffy, and it was agreed that Duncan would not be on the committee.

The next day, after an MCPS Independent Citizen Review Oversight Committee (ICROC) meeting where Ken Ausley serves as chairman, Ausley approached Gullett to ask about the bidding process. She declined to discuss it.

James had nominated Ausley to the ICROC, which oversees how the district spends funds earmarked to “fully restore art, music, library media services; physical education and vocational programs; to meet class-size requirements; to retain certified teachers and paraprofessionals; and enhance school security.”

On May 3, the district scheduled a new committee to reinterview the same three construction companies, using the same scoring system. According to the investigative report, Ausley reached out to find out if the scoring criteria had changed, and district officials explained it remained the same.

James said later that day she was contacted by Kevin Sheilley, CEO

Chris D’Avonzo Marketing Specialist chris@magnoliamediaco.com

Rosemarie Dowell Reporter rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Andy Fillmore Reporter andy@ocalagazette.com

Greg Hamilton Editor greg@magnoliamediaco.com

Susan Smiley-Height Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Belea Keeney Reporter belea@magnoliamediaco.com

Jane Lyons Account Executive jane@magnoliamediaco.com

Lisa McGinnes Reporter lisa@magnoliamediaco.com

Cheryl Specht Client Services Guru cheryl@magnoliamediaco.com

News tips tips@ocalagazette.com

Distribution Inquiries info@ocalagazette.com

Follow us @ocalagazette

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.

ocalagazette.com

©2024 Ocala Gazette, LLC

Ocala Gazette (USPS# 25590) (ISSN 2771-1595) is published weekly by Magnolia Media Company, LLC, 1900 SE 18TH AVE STE 200, OCALA, FL 34471-8235. Periodicals postage paid at Ocala, FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Ocala Gazette, PO Box 188, Ocala, FL 34478.

Share your news

The Ocala Gazette invites you to share your important news events with the community. Email your submissions to info@ocalagazette.com. Please include your name and contact information on the submission. Letters to the editor: 200 words or less.

Honorable Mentions: 150 words or less about an individual or organization accomplishment in the business, education, community service, athletics or other area of endeavor. Attach a photo of the individual or group being honored, if available.

• Upcoming events: Are you holding a charitable or community event that is open to the public? Include the organization hosting the event as well as the time, date and a brief description of the event, along with registration information or other important instructions.

News tips: Include whatever information you consider relevant.

[Florida Highway Patrol]

of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP), “I received a phone call from Mr. Sheilley that shared he was concerned because there are interviews scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday (May 6). This was the first I had heard about the interviews being rescheduled. He had questions for me regarding the process and scoring system that I was not able to answer,” James recorded in a memo.

The “Gazette” asked Sheilley if his involvement in the procurement dispute about the high school was something that regularly occurred for CEP members. Sheilley acknowledged that the high school contract was an important project, and that the CEP represents the interests of local businesses in Marion County and so generally advocates for policies that give locals preference.

Ken Ausley is on the Executive Board of the CEP, and Ausley Construction has historically remained one of the CEP’s top contributors. According to James’ campaign finance reports, Ken Ausley was one of her first donors.

James also indicated she had become concerned that it was “statistically impossible for a contractor who consistently does work on our continuing contract to be awarded work for a larger job when competing against firms who were not previously awarded work in our district.”

In addition to recently receiving the $43 million contract for Elementary X, Ausley also had renovated North Marion High School’s cafeteria for at least $7 million over the last few years. James expressed concerns that project may have impacted Ausley Construction’s ability to compete with newcomers for district business.

According to statements from school district employees who overheard the telephone exchange, James called Gullett and angrily told her that Gullett was on James’ “shit list” and that James was prepared to “bring down this house of cards.”

After another meeting with Gullett, James and attorneys to discuss how the interview process could proceed, it was decided that the district would cancel rescheduling the interview process with the new committee.

A few days later, on May 6, Gullett wrote Thrower about the need for an outside investigation of the process.

“Since the time of pausing the construction interview process, obtaining

legal advisement and restarting the second phase, as legally advised, I, multiple employees of the district from various departments, along with Board members have been the subject of threats and forms of intimidation both internally and externally,” Gullett wrote.

In addition to the threats, Gullett said she was concerned the “Cone of Silence” had potentially been violated.

“Since the construction manager interview process was originally held, in addition to what has been outlined above, there have been allegations of potential violations of the Cone of Silence, conflicts of interest with the members on the committee and a growing fear of workplace harassment and intimidation amongst my staff,” she wrote.

Gullett also noted she had received a letter from Batsel, who is representing Ausley Construction, which essentially raised the same concerns James did, that local vendors were being penalized in the scoring.

In a letter to school board attorney Jeremy Powers, Batsel noted the large amount of money at stake in the contract and requested the district reject all the bids and restart the process.

Neither Ausley Construction, James nor Batsel has provided any substantiation for their claim that MCPS scoring is stacked against local vendors. However, in a report obtained by the “Gazette” through a records request analyzing such awards, at least 70% of district contracts have gone to Marion County companies over the past 20 years, with outside companies receiving the other 30%.

The investigating attorney wrote in her report that she found allegations against staff, or “bid shopping” in the original high school procurement process unsubstantiated. However, the investigator substantiated the allegation that members of the committee and Ausley Construction violated the “Cone of Silence” in the procurement process.

“Since the time of pausing the construction interview process, obtaining legal advisement and restarting the second phase, as legally advised, I, multiple employees of the district from various departments, along with Board members have been the subject of threats and forms of intimidation both internally and externally.”

Diane Gullett Marion County Superintendent

“The CCC New High School is, for the near future, the largest and most expensive project undertaken by MCPS,” he wrote. “The ambiguities affecting how ‘local’ evaluation criteria would be applied were not discernible to proposers until the scoring process unfolded. But it is now abundantly clear that the combination of the restricted application of local preference and the simplistic process for imposing a disadvantage for performing work previously for MCPS was confusing, ambiguous, and posed problems for the committee evaluators.”

NEW RV CAMPGROUND TO OPEN AT SOUTHEASTERN LIVESTOCK PAVILION

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

Visitors at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion can soon stay overnight in the brand-new. 66-site RV campground. The new campground is expected to open soon and will bring more visitors than ever to the Pavilion for multi-day events. A groundbreaking ceremony for the site took place on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

The project cost a total of $2.9 million, $1 million of which was paid for with grant funding from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said Sara Lambert, community engagement coordinator for the Marion County Parks and Recreation department.

“The campground is located in the NE corner of the site, adjacent to the North Arena. There is a designated entrance off

of NE Jacksonville Rd.,” Lambert said.

Construction is complete, and the Parks and Recreation department anticipates it will begin to take reservations soon. A definite opening date has not been decided yet, Lambert said.

“Nightly rates begin at $60 and go up depending on site style (Premium vs Standard) and length of stay,” Lambert said. “Weekly rates will be offered in tandem with nightly rates.”

The campground is expected to generate more than $1.1 million in revenue by its fifth year in operation, according to a press release.

“This project is certainly a long time coming,” said Pavilion Manager Christen Milligan in the press release

“The additional spaces will bring in more events with larger participation, which in turn allows the events to garner larger sponsorships.”

remarkably different than the other school district member evaluations.

The investigator also substantiated “inappropriate influence to change of the scoring process internally at MCPS” by James, noting that in addition to “berating” Gullett in an “unprofessional manner,” James seemed to also be retaliating by giving Gullett a bad evaluation.

James’ evaluation accuses Gullett of unprofessional communications and bad internal and external communications for the district. The investigator noted that “none of the other school board members expressed similar concerns in their evaluations or decreased their evaluations of Dr. Gullett from the prior school year to the extent Dr. James did.”

Noting that committee members might not have understood the policy, the investigator wrote the same could not be said for Ausley Construction.

“Given the company’s extensive experience in public procurements and the express disclaimer on bid announcement, the number of calls to various members of MCPS and the school board member on the procurement committee, despite knowing the cone of silence was in place, is a serious concern that jeopardized the integrity of the process,’’ she wrote. “Based on these findings, I recommend the school board take action as they deem appropriate.”

The investigator also found that James had inappropriately used her influence “to change the scoring process internally at MCPS.” In addition to James berating Gullett, the investigator pointed to the poor performance evaluation Dr. James did of Gullett, indicating it stood

The investigating attorney recommended that a new interview process for the high school be started, with a new committee. Additionally, “I do not recommend any substantive changes to the rubric, scoring criteria, local preference, or weight of equitable distribution for the new interviews for the high school contract.”

The “Gazette” has reached out to talk with James, Ausley, Duffy and Batsel but has not received a response from any of them.

Although district officials have not released an official statement of what actions they deem appropriate at this juncture, school district Chair Thrower lamented this delay would impact plans for when the district could expect the high school finished, “Our need for this school stays the same.”

The district’s “Cone of Silence” policy states: “Any person, whether employed by the District or not, who knowingly violates a provision of this policy shall be prohibited from serving on a District competitive selection committee.

“Violation of this policy by a particular bidder, proposer, respondent, and/or representative may, at the discretion of the district, result in the rejection of said bidder, proposer, respondent, and/or representative’s bid, proposal, or offer and may render any contract award to said bidder, proposer, or respondent voidable.

“In addition to any other penalty provided by law, violation of this policy by a district employee shall subject said employee to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from service.’’

This story is developing and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

MAN, 82, DIES AFTER VEHICLE CRASH EARLY MAY 26

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

An 82-year-old Ocala man died Sunday morning, May 26, when the pickup truck he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree, according to the

Florida Highway Patrol.

The FHP press release stated that the crash occurred around 10:20 a.m. as the man was traveling south on Northwest 80th Avenue in the vicinity of Northwest 100th Street.

The pickup truck, which was pulling a utility trailer, “left the roadway to the left and collided with a tree on the east grass shoulder.” The man was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was not identified in the release.

MARION COUNTY TO HOST FREE CPR CLASS

On June 5, the Florida Department of Health in Marion County will be hosting a handsonly CPR class in Ocala. The class is free and open to all residents living in Marion County. The class, which is taught by Ocala Fire Rescue, is designed to help the public learn the necessary skills to provide effective CPR care. No registration is required for the class. The class will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on June 5, at the Florida Department of Health in Marion County at 1801 SE 32 Ave.

To learn more about the class, contact Community Health Director Christy Jergens at 352-644-2677 or at christy.jergens@flhealth.gov.

Ocala Fire Rescue Capt. Jesse Blaire leads about 20 Marion County residents in a class on hands-only CPR at the Ocala office of the Florida Department of Health in Marion County on April 23, 2024.

Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park hosts annual service

During the Memorial Day event, the lives of soldiers serving in every major conflict were remembered, from past wars to more recent conflicts.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

By Chris D’Avanzo chris@magnoliamediaco.com

On May 27, the Ocala-Marion County Veteran’s Memorial Park held its annual Memorial Day ceremony to honor the brave men and women who lost their lives in service of the nation. Members of every branch of the armed services were remembered for their ultimate sacrifice.

For civilians and veterans alike, Memorial Day is a time for many to give thanks to the soldiers who gave their lives to protect our country and freedoms. These soldiers come from all backgrounds, creeds, and even time periods, but all fought for a single, solemn purpose.

The annual event was led this year by several public speakers, each sharing the stories of their own experiences in the armed services, or the experiences of their loved ones. Not only were the fallen remembered, but so too were five surviving veterans of World War II and the Korean War.

Presented with an Award of Appreciation were Howard Mautner, a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran who fought during World War II. Mautner celebrated his 100th birthday in April. The U.S. Army Air Corps existed until 1947, and would later become a separate military branch, the United States Air Force, following World War II.

Also recognized was Ralph Mueller, an Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War. During his recognition, he played his harmonica for the crowd. The other men were Robert Anderson, a World War II veteran, Alfred Merrill, and Walter Lane. The latter two men were both veterans of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Each of the men wore a poppy flower lapel. The flower is a traditional symbol of

military remembrance.

County Commissioners Kathy Bryant, Matt McClain, and Michelle Stone, along with Sheriff Billy Woods and VA administrator Charles Whitehead, were in attendance to present each of these honors.

The keynote speaker was Col. (ret.) Janet Horton, Chaplain. Horton was only the third woman chaplain in U.S. Army history. Her career began in 1976 and lasted for 28 years until her retirement. In 1979, Horton successfully campaigned to allow women to wear pants as part of their army uniforms. Until then, women were required to wear skirts as part of their uniform. In 2001, she was a first responder at the Pentagon during the September 11 attacks.

Among the other speakers were Jeffery Askew, the director of Veterans Services for the Marion County BCC, and Col. (ret.) Craig Ham, president of the Marion County Veterans Council.

In addition to the public speakers, a number of Ocala-area families were honored as their loved ones were memorialized for their service. The lives of soldiers serving in every major conflict were remembered, from past wars to more recent conflicts such as wars in the Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Marion County Honor Guard presented colors and a rifle salute in honor of the fallen troops. The Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band played patriotic songs in between speakers, such as “God Bless America,” the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and the “Army Goes Rolling Along,” among others.

The Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park is located at 2601 E. Fort King St., Ocala. To learn more, go to the county’s website at marionfl.org or the Friends of Marion County Veterans Park Foundation site at marionvetpark.com

The family of U.S. Army PFC Markie T. Sims, from left, Shenita Boone, Kayden Sims, 11, and Shakeli Sims, look over a memorial wreath that was laid for him as Bob Levinson, right, salutes after he laid the wreath. Shakeli Sims and her family were honored for her husband, U.S. Army PFC Markie T. Sims, who was killed in Afghanistan in Dec. 2012 during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park in Ocala on Monday, May 27, 2024.

Left: Shawn Benjamin, who served in the Iraq War in Panama, reflects on his lost comrades with his wife, Ruth Conver-Benjamin.

Left to right: World War II veteran Robert Anderson, right, receives an award of appreciation from Kathy Bryant of the Marion County Commission, left. Autumn Beldock, 3 1/2, waves an American flag. Sr. Chief Donald Kennedy, U.S. Navy, ret., salutes.

Alfred Merrill, a Korean War veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, Ralph Mueller, a Korean War veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Air Corps World War II veteran Howard Mautner, left to right, salute together as the National Anthem is performed.

Left: Warbirds with the Humble Squadron, fly over.

County wins $20 million AZ Ocala Ranch lawsuit

The BOCC denied a 2017 land-use amendment and zoning change request for a proposed 5,400 homes, two golf courses and more at the southwest end of SR 200.

DATE: 10-24-2016

By Belea T. Keeney belea@magnoliamediaco.com

County staff expressed cautious relief at the summary judgment for the lawsuit brought against Marion County by AZ Ocala Ranch, LLC, following the denial of a 5,400-home and golf course development on the far south end of Southwest State Road 200 in 2017.

“I think that would be a win, to use that term,” County Attorney Guy Minter said. “The court entered a final summary judgment in favor of the county.”

MCFR

Continued from page A1

standards, according to MCFR policy.

With many firefighters being frequently called for mandatory overtime, firefighters’ pay often is inflated and misconstrued.

“That skews a little bit of when you look at what firefighters make,” Barreras said. “You can say one person makes $100,000 or something a year, but he’s literally working 48 hours on, with one day off, instead of working one day on and two days off.”

Choosing who must work mandatory overtime is based on a rotating list, with the most recent hires being chosen first.

“During situations when normal operational staffing cannot be maintained and all voluntary requests for overtime have been exhausted, the primary Division Chief may impose mandatory overtime to maintain a state of ‘Operational Readiness.’ Personnel from the off-going shift will be assigned overtime from a list based upon a “last-hired” process,” according to the policy.

As of May, there are 54 vacancies within the department. On May 29, three people were promoted to division chief and nine others were promoted to battalion chief. This does not fill any of the open vacancies but instead shifts around the roles that are vacant.

Because of these promotions to higher positions, lower-level positions— such as for firefighter paramedics and driver engineers—will have fewer personnel, increasing the likelihood of mandatory overtime for the majority of the department.

Due to the nature of the job, sleep deprivation is a common issue faced among firefighters, with calls often coming at night. Firefighters must remain alert

The judgment came after nearly seven years of court wrangling. The initial lawsuit—filed under the Bert Harris Jr. Private Property Rights Act—allows landowners to sue for losses due to improper government action, in this case a land-use change denial. The case was filed in late 2017 and mediation between the developers and county failed.

The summary judgment from Judge Gary L. Sanders read in part, “…because the PUD zoning had a density 28 times higher than the density permitted by the RL district,

the Board’s denial of the PUD zoning was consistent with the RL district,” the county is entitled to the judgment in its favor.

“The BCC decision to deny the Zoning Application was consistent with the as adopted Comprehensive Plan then in existence,” the judgment stated.

AZ Ocala Ranch case started in 2017

The original application for the project was denied in July 2017 when the Marion County Board of County Commissioners denied the Comprehensive Plan land-use change from rural to PUD and general

agricultural zoning, consistent with pastureland and farm-type usages. The suit noted that zoning had been in effect prior to 1995 and before the current owners purchased the property.

The scale of this project was considerably more than other recent developments that the BOCC has approved or denied in the past few years. In addition to 5,400 homes, the project proposed two golf courses, some commercial development, two recreational centers with various amenities and assisted living facilities to serve the 55+ community.

“Nothing of this significance or damages,” Minter said, has been brought against the county since an early 2010s suit brought by Compost USA.

The case can still be appealed until June 20.

“It’s still possible that they will file an appeal to the appellate court,” Minter said.” It may go on a while longer. With a company like this, a family-owned business, they have quite a bit of financial backing. They’ve been at it for six and half years; it’s possible.”

Potential lawsuits still possible

This judgment won’t stop other parties from filing suits if the BOCC denies future projects.

“They have good reason to be worried about litigation,” Minter said. “Land use law is complicated, and for years the state legislature has enacted a series of new protections for property rights. The Bert Harris Jr. Private Property Rights Act (started) in 1994, and there wasn’t much action under it, but more recently there’s been more activity under the act. It’s something the board definitely has to be aware of.”

Minter said as more local and regional attorneys make use of the act, more potential lawsuits could be filed. The BOCC has to balance its government power and controls to protect the community versus the private property rights of landowners, he explained.

A total dollar figure for the costs to the county are not yet been tabulated, said Minter, but would include the in-house legal staff time for Minter and the county paralegals; court costs and fees; and costs for depositions, court reporters and expert witnesses.

and prepared at all times, even when resting at the station.

“Many firefighters experience sleep disruptions or disorders that stem directly from their work. With a job that demands 24/7 alertness and responsiveness, sleep is often put on the backburner,” according to the Firefighter Health and Safety Collaborative.

Working overtime not only further disrupts sleep but takes away recovery time intended to be utilized between shifts.

“While there are many areas in which we can improve the physical health of our workforce, reducing sleep deprivation requires a significant reduction of workload in conjunction with increasing the interval between shifts for appropriate recovery and the reduction of mandatory overtime,” wrote MCFR Chief James Banta.

A possible solution that has been discussed would change the schedule to give firefighters 24 hours on, and 72 hours off to decrease mandatory overtime and increase retention.

“The department has to be competitive,” Barreras said. “For example, when we talk about the sleep deprivation, a lot of departments like Gainesville and a couple of the places are going to a 24-on,

72-off schedule.”

Marion County community leaders requested a survey by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in November 2023 called “Firefighter Resilience Blue Sky,” which assessed a number of ways to improve resilience amongst firefighters.

The 24-on, 72-off schedule garnered support in the survey, with many participants voting to explore the potential benefits of the change in schedule to allow for one more full recovery day between shifts. Marion County officials established a goal to “work toward more consistent shifts and less mandatory overtime.”

Changing the department’s schedule would be a challenge, requiring a large amount of financial and human resources to accomplish.

“Our initial look would be roughly $30 million in recurring costs to salaries and wages with an additional 200 (fulltime employees),” wrote Banta. “That number could change as we take a deeper look at opportunities for some cost savings in overtime.”

Other departments also offer days off accounted into firefighters’ schedule, not taken from sick leave or vacation time.

“While there are many areas in which we can improve the physical health of our workforce, reducing sleep deprivation requires a significant reduction of workload in conjunction with increasing the interval between shifts for appropriate recovery and the reduction of mandatory overtime.”

James Banta MCFR Chief

Marion County does not offer a “Kelly Day” to its firefighters, a designated day throughout one’s schedule where they have time off.

The Emergency Medical Services High Performance (HP) side of the department does receive these benefits, which can be attractive to paramedics who are considering working in Marion County.

“Our HP side has a Kelly Day, but we do not have a Kelly Day,” Barreras said. “Agencies that are going to have that have a big draw for experienced paramedics.”

Retention of experienced employees is also difficult for the department without many of the benefits that another department could offer, Goode said.

“The reason that we hire people is because we’re the first ones to call them because we’re always hiring. We’re always short staffed,” Goode said. “So, they’ll work here until they can get a job at a different department, with either a better wage package or benefits package.”

Marion County has worked on increasing wages and benefits for MCFR personnel, as exemplified in the renegotiation of the Professional Firefighters of Marion County union contract this past year.

The demands on the department and its staff still exist, however, and are only exasperated through a high volume of calls, which is only getting higher as Marion County experiences large amounts of growth.

“Just in our zone, I can think off the top of my head of four separate apartment buildings going up, plus the houses that are going up,” Barreras said. “You have that many more vehicles, that many more people, that many more geriatric residents. So, that equals many more calls.”

FLORIDA HIGHLANDS

[Photo from Marion County Government Website]

MCFR RECOGNIZED FOR RESPONSE AFTER BUS CRASH

Marion County Fire Rescue was recognized by HCA Florida Ocala Hospital for its quick response and intervention after the bus crash in west Marion County that killed eight people and sent 38 people to the hospital.

Deputy Chief Robert Kruger and his team accepted a plaque, which read “Your team’s quick response and teamwork saved many lives. We are honored to work alongside you in serving the citizens of Marion County.”

PARK MANAGER HONORED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE

Mickey Thompson, park manager for the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, was honored by the Marion County Commission this week for his years of service to the county.

Thompson has been a strong partner in the county’s ecotourism and environmental land management. He will soon retire

from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Greenways and Trails.

“He has affected significant, long-range positive change benefiting the Florida Greenways and Trails System by establishing and promoting the Cross Florida Greenway as a model linear conservation and recreation area,” according to Marion County.

EMS APPRECIATION WEEK

Aproclamation was presented to Marion County Fire Rescue Chief James Banta from the county in recognition of Emergency Medical Services Week from May 19-24.

“Emergency medical services is a vital public service providing lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” according to the county. “These teams also

help fill gaps in medical treatment by providing important, out of hospital care, including preventative medicine, follow-up care and access to telemedicine.”

OCALA/MARION COUNTY IS CELEBRATING NATIONAL TRAVEL &

As part of National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) celebrations, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners presented a proclamation at the BCC Meeting on Tuesday, May 21 recognizing NTTW and highlighting how travel uplifts the economy, creates quality jobs, inspires new businesses and elevates the quality of life for residents as well as visitors.

Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau is celebrating the positive impact of tourism on the local community ahead of National Travel and Tourism Week (May 19-25, 2024) with

Current Adoption Specials:

“Ocala Gazette” regularly brings you three furry friends that are available for adoption from local animal rescue organizations.

another record-breaking single month for Tourist Development Tax revenue, $697,599.40.

This number reflects tax collected from stays during February 2024, in shortterm accommodations in Marion County for less than six months. This is the highest revenue to date, for a single month, since voters approved the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) referendum effective January 2005—to which the use of revenue is strictly regulated by State Law (F.S. 125.0104).

“Tourism is vital to Marion County’s thriving economy and high quality of life. Our natural

wonders continue to attract events and visitors from all over the world,” said Marion County Board of County Commissioners Chair Michelle Stone. “Revenue from Florida’s tourism supports more than 10,000 local jobs and generates millions toward our community’s revenue. Tourism is the lifeblood of Florida, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and providing revenue that supports various sectors; from hospitality to retail,” continued Stone. “It’s an essential part of our identity and prosperity, allowing us to operate without a state income tax.”

[Marion County Fire Rescue]

[Marion County]

[Marion County]

[Marion County]

Florida’s school safety dashboard helps parents and teachers address root causes of bullying, fighting and other misbehavior

Florida updated its school safety dashboard in April 2024, and it is now one of the most comprehensive in the nation. F. Chris Curran is an education policy professor at the University of Florida who partnered with Safe Schools for Alex, a nonprofit created by Max Schachter following the murder of his son Alex in the Parkland massacre in 2018, to release the new version of the dashboard. The Conversation asked him how parents and schools can benefit from the dashboard and what other states might learn from it as well.

By F. Chris Curran Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Florida

What can this dashboard show parents about how safe a school is for their child?

Parents can use the Safe Schools for Alex dashboard to compare safety metrics in their child’s school with district and state averages as well as with other similar schools. The dashboard includes all public K-12 schools in Florida and over 50 indicators of school safety—ranging from fights and weapons to school bus crashes. Parents can also see information on school responses and resources, such as whether school staff are trained in suicide prevention and the ratio of counselors to students.

Access to this data lets parents and parent-teacher associations know what questions to ask of their teachers and school leaders to help them contribute to school improvement plans. It can also help parents better support their own children at home by talking about and addressing issues they see in the dashboard. For example, parents might talk to their kids about bullying or hazing, using the statistics in the dashboard.

With numerous measures of school safety at their fingertips, parents can look for the indicators that meet the needs of their individual child. For example, a parent with a child dealing with anxiety or depression might compare the mental health resources available at different schools.

What does the dashboard reveal about violence in schools today?

Schools nationwide have reported increases in student misbehavior over the past several years. The dashboard shows this increase too. However, while some of the increase in safety-related incidents is due to violence such as fights, a large part is driven by nonviolent incidents—particularly vaping.

The data also shows that while rates of some incidents are increasing, so are state resources such as funding for school safety and mental health. Specifically, state funding per student for mental health has doubled from about $24 per student to $48 per student in Florida over the past five years. Meanwhile, funding for implementing security practices such as hiring school police officers has increased by about 15%.

Ultimately, the dashboard reveals that there is a lot of variation across schools and districts. Some have high and some have low rates of violence; some are increasing and some are decreasing.

What’s next?

School safety is a top priority of students, parents and educators. Just as schools have embraced the use of data to improve academic instruction, the use of data to ensure school safety is also growing. Yet, we have found that a quarter to a third of states currently do not make school safety or discipline data publicly available.

Along with the Florida dashboard, Safe Schools for Alex has dashboards for Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Virginia. These other dashboards are in the process of being enhanced to include more data and features like the Florida one.

A number of other states, including Georgia, have their own dashboards that similarly include wide-ranging data points and interactive features. And some states, such as Kentucky, have integrated such measures into their broader school report cards. These dashboards do not have all the answers, but they can help parents and school leaders know what questions to ask and where to find resources to make schools safer, fairer and more conducive to learning.

How can schools use the dashboard?

School districts and educators can see their school safety data in relation to other schools and districts—and how such data relates to standardized test scores, community violence and other indicators. So, for example, a school might see an increasing trend in its community of students in poverty or living without health insurance and focus on connecting families with external social support resources. In contrast, a school that sees increases in school incidents despite improving community indicators might instead focus on improving school engagement and disciplinary responses.

In partnership with Safe Schools for Alex, my team also developed training that uses the dashboard to start conversations about school safety and find solutions. School leaders can use the dashboard to identify areas of concern in their own school—such as an increasing pattern of fights. The dashboard and the training then facilitate conversation about root causes of the issue. The dashboard’s list of resources provides evidencebased approaches to developing and implementing solutions. For example, school leaders might find a new bullying prevention program to implement or identify another school with decreasing fights to reach out to and learn from.

Could there be unintended consequences? Unfortunately, research has shown that data dashboards can result in a stigma toward certain schools and lead to more affluent families leaving those schools. Public rankings of schools have been linked to increases in economic, racial and educational segregation. Lower-ranked schools, in turn, can lose enrollment and resources as wealthier parents opt for higher-ranked schools.

The Safe Schools for Alex dashboard purposefully avoids ranking or labeling schools as “safe” or “unsafe” for this reason. The dashboard includes a range of indicators so educators and parents can avoid a simplistic view of a school as safe or not. While parents often want a single indicator of a school’s performance, such indicators often misrepresent safety or achievement, as they tend to be more indicative of other factors, such as the poverty level of students served.

Schools have reported increases in student misbehavior in recent years. [Stock photo]

A view of the Safe Schools for Alex school safety dashboard.

Questions arise about no SRO at NMHS during shooting

After-school events typically are secured by law enforcement by special request from a school official.

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

After a shooting took place in the parking lot of North Marion Middle School during an evening awards ceremony on May 22, the “Gazette” questioned why a school resource officer wasn’t present at the school to provide security.

SROs, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and officers from local police departments, provide security to schools on a daily basis. Marion County Public Schools has agreements with law enforcement to provide at least one officer for each school, as mandated by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act.

The contract with MCPS, renewed every three years, provides for one or two SROs to be stationed at 33 of Marion County’s elementary, middle and high schools, with 39 SROs total. The rest of the schools in MCPS are provided SROs through separate contracts with the Ocala Police Department and the Belleview Police Department.

The contracts only require the SROs to be stationed on campus during regular school hours, for a maximum of eight hours a day. If the school is having an event afterhours that the principal deems law enforcement should be present for, the principal would have to make a request in advance for a special detail and pay MCSO $65.

“From time to time they do that, and many of our local private schools also do the same thing,” said MCSO spokesperson Lt. Paul Bloom.

The district’s contract provides for SROs to be in schools during most “pressing” time of need, while school is in session, said School Board Chair

State FHSAA changes replace word ‘gender’

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved changes in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s bylaws that include replacing mentions of the word “gender” with the word “sex,” amid a larger dispute between federal and state officials.

The changes came as Florida and other Republican-led states are challenging a Biden administration rule that would help carry out Title IX, a decades-old law that bars discrimination in education programs based on sex.

The federal rule, in part, would require that discrimination on the basis of gender identity be included under the broader definition of sex discrimination.

“Do you think a child is living through this scrutiny to be their true, authentic selves to win at sports? Do you think that’s what is happening in these schools? This is just another way to push the culture wars,” Etienne said.

Etienne also warned that if Florida does not “comply with Title IX, we will be at risk to lose the federal funding that our schools need to succeed.”

Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina filed a federal lawsuit last month challenging the new Title IX rule. They allege, in part, that the Biden administration overstepped its legal authority in extending the regulations to apply to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Nancy Thrower.

“Anything that costs money affects our budget. However, we must prioritize for the most important, if needed, and pressing things,” Thrower said.

A special detail was not requested for the after-hours awards ceremony that took place at North Marion Middle School, where a man was shot and killed in the parking lot.

Thrower said that she felt that even if an SRO was present at the time of the shooting, they may not have been able to intervene as they would likely be present inside where the students were gathered.

Special details are typically requested by school principals for events where they anticipate a large turnout, as a means of safety and crowd control, Thrower said.

“They only go for certain matters for a big athletic events like football games and things like that where we’re expecting large crowds,” Thrower said.

“It’s very important to the district to have individual school leadership, which would be principals, to have a voice and articulate the needs of their schools,” Thrower said. “So that request (for a special detail) would be something that if it came from a school, it would certainly be evaluated and taken very seriously.”

The salary for each deputy who serves as an SRO in schools is $60,000 for the first year and $75,000 for the second and third years, and the school board reimburses MCSO for those costs.

For the three-year contract with MCSO, the district paid $8.2 million to account for these costs; $2.34 million is spent for the first year, and $2.93 million is spent for the second and third years each, according to the contract.

State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said Wednesday he has “directed the institutions under my purview not to take any steps toward implementing these harmful (federal) regulations.” Diaz said the Florida High School Athletics Association is one of those institutions.

The changes to the FHSAA bylaws included an update to the organization’s policy on “nondiscrimination.”

“The association will not discriminate in its governance policies, programs and employment practices on the basis of age, color, disability, sex, national origin, race, religion, creed, or educational choice. Each school is responsible to determine independently its own policies regarding nondiscrimination,” the updated bylaw says.

Florida and other Republican-led states in recent years have passed numerous measures focused on transgender people. In education, those measures have dealt with issues such as what bathrooms transgender students can use and barring transgender females from playing on girls’ sports teams.

During the education board meeting Wednesday in Miami, Crystal Etienne, a Miami-Dade County teacher, criticized the FHSAA bylaw changes after they were approved.

An Alabama federal judge will hear arguments July 1 on a request by the states and other plaintiffs for a preliminary injunction against the rule,

“By broadening the definition of sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity, the Biden administration is taking sports and educational opportunities away from girls,” Diaz said during Wednesday’s meeting.

But the U.S. Department of Education posted documents on its website that said the rule does not apply to issues about participation on sports teams.

“The department intends to issue a separate final rule to address Title IX’s application to sex-separate athletic teams,” one of the documents said.

State Board of Education ratification of FHSAA bylaws is a relatively new requirement. The Legislature last year passed a law requiring the board to give final approval to such changes.

“A bylaw adopted by the (FHSAA) Board of Directors does not take effect until it is ratified by the State Board (of Education), allowing us to have a little bit of oversight but also have a great dialogue with the FHSAA,” Board of Education Chairman Ben Gibson said Wednesday. Other changes to the bylaws approved Wednesday include allowing studentathletes to continue playing sports if they graduate early.

File photo: State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. opposes a new federal Title IX rule. [Colin Hackley]

[Jennifer Hunt Murty]

Challenges to 6-member juries rejected

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected constitutional challenges to Florida’s use of six-member juries in most felony trials, with Florida one of only a handful of states not requiring 12-member juries in criminal cases.

The Supreme Court, as is common, did not explain its reasons for declining to take up 13 cases about the issue. But Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a dissenting opinion that said the court should reconsider a 1970 ruling in a Florida case, saying the constitutional right to trial by a jury is not met by sixmember juries.

Gorsuch also wrote that “nothing prevents the people of Florida and other affected states from revising their jury practices

to ensure no government in this country may send a person to prison without the unanimous assent of 12 of his peers.”

“If we (justices) will not presently shoulder the burden of correcting our own mistake, they have the power to do so,” Gorsuch wrote. “For, no less than this (Supreme) Court, the American people serve as guardians of our enduring Constitution.”

Gorsuch wrote the dissent in a challenge filed by attorneys for Natoya Cunningham, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2022 after being convicted by a six-member Martin County jury on charges of aggravated battery and retaliation against a witness or informant, both second-degree felonies.

Cunningham’s attorneys went to the U.S. Supreme Court after the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal rejected the challenge to use of the six-member jury.

WORRELL SUSPENSION LAWSUIT TOSSED

Afederal judge Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit in which two voters and the group Florida Rising Together challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell.

U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed issued a 15-page ruling that said plaintiffs David Caicedo and Rajib Chowdhury and Florida Rising Together did not have legal standing to pursue the lawsuit.

“Upon consideration, the court finds that plaintiffs failed to allege an invasion of a legally protected interest in defendant’s (DeSantis’) removal of Ms. Worrell from her position pursuant to the Florida Constitution,” Sneed wrote. “Instead, plaintiffs’ injury appears to be largely derivative of Ms. Worrell’s own injury in being removed before the conclusion of her term for alleged partisan reasons.”

DeSantis on Aug. 9 issued an executive order suspending Worrell, a Democrat who was elected in 2020 in the 9th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Orange and Osceola counties.

Among other things, the order alleged that Worrell’s policies prevented or discouraged assistant

state attorneys from seeking minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses.

Attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center filed the lawsuit Nov. 30 on behalf of Caicedo, Chowdhury and Florida Rising Together, alleging that the suspension violated due-process and First Amendment rights.

It sought reinstatement of Worrell as state attorney. “Governor DeSantis’ intentional nullification of election results has undermined the fundamental fairness and integrity of the electoral process,” the lawsuit said. “The nature of the injury in this case is egregious. ... Governor DeSantis’ actions deprived nearly 400,000 people of their fundamental right to vote and threatens the integrity of the state’s democratic system.”

While dismissing the case, Sneed said the plaintiffs could file an amended complaint within 30 days.

DeSantis appointed Andrew Bain, who had served as an Orange County judge, to replace Worrell as state attorney.

Worrell is again running for the position in the November election.

Florida uses six-member juries except in capital cases, where 12-member juries are required. The state’s use of sixmember juries dates to 1877, according to documents filed at the Supreme Court.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office said in an October 2023 brief that Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Utah also use juries of fewer than 12 people in criminal cases.

Moody’s office argued that the Supreme Court ruled correctly in the 1970 case, known as Williams v. Florida, that six-member juries could be used. Also, the brief pointed to potential far-reaching effects for courts if the 1970 decision were overturned.

“Florida is the third most populous state in the country and tries all noncapital crimes before six-person juries,” the brief said. “Currently, roughly 5,000

criminal convictions are pending on direct appeal in Florida. Overruling Williams would force the use of public resources to conduct thousands of retrials on top of the trials already pending and might well result in the release of convicted criminals into the public.”

The Cunningham case focused on the use of six-member juries in felony cases, not cases involving misdemeanor charges. In a petition filed last year, her attorneys wrote that Florida began using six-member juries as the Reconstruction era ended and Jim Crow laws began.

“The jury-of-six thus first saw light at the birth of the Jim Crow era as former Confederates regained power in southern states and state prosecutors made a concerted effort to prevent blacks from serving on jurors,” the petition said.

A brief filed in October

FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE BRIEFS

by Cunningham’s attorneys, including former U.S. Solicitor General Seth Waxman, cited studies and said 12-member juries “deliberate longer and share more facts, ideas, and challenges to conclusions during higher-quality deliberations.”

It also said empaneling a “smaller jury also decreases the probability that members of minority groups (be they racial, religious, political, or socioeconomic) will serve.”

But Moody’s office disputed that Florida’s use of six-member juries was approved to suppress minority participation.

“Beyond noting that the rule dates from Reconstruction … petitioner cites no evidence suggesting that is so, and makes no attempt to explain how a rule establishing the size of juries without regard to race could be a covert instrument of racism,” the brief said.

STATE SEEKS FAST TRACK FOR WETLANDS CASE

Florida has asked a federal appeals court for “expedited” consideration of a legal battle about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands.

Attorneys for the state filed a motion Thursday asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to move quickly in Florida’s appeal of a ruling that vacated a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority from federal officials to the state. The appeals court last week rejected a request by the state for a stay of the ruling by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss.

In the motion Thursday seeking expedited consideration, the state made a series of arguments, including that Florida “has suffered—and will continue to suffer—an irreparable injury from having its … program

stripped away during lengthy appellate proceedings.” It said Florida had successfully administered the program for more than three years.

“Removing that program from Florida’s control constitutes a classically irreparable harm by impinging on Florida’s sovereign interests in the conservation and management of water resources, land use, and wildlife—areas of traditional state responsibility,” the motion said.

Attorneys from the Earthjustice legal group filed the lawsuit in 2021 against the federal government on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper and St. Johns Riverkeeper. The state later intervened to defend the transfer. Moss’ ruling

focused, in part, on whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service properly prepared a biological opinion and what is known as an “incidental take statement” as part of the process of approving the transfer.

Moss said a biological opinion and incidental take statement did not comply with the Endangered Species Act and another law known as the Administrative Procedure Act.

He wrote that because the biological opinion and incidental take statement that the Fish and Wildlife Service “issued in this case were facially and legally flawed, the EPA unreasonably relied on those documents in approving Florida’s assumption application.”

The plaintiffs and the federal government oppose the state’s motion for expedited consideration of the appeal, according to the state filing.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM

People, Places & Things

Dad encourages daughter’s knowledge and confidence with boating safety course

All

boaters in Florida born in 1988 or later must have a valid Boater Safety Education ID card.

By Carole Savage Hagans Correspondent

Opportunities for water sports are yearround in Florida, but as school days turn into summer days, more young people will be taking advantage of their time off to play in the lakes and rivers around the state, not to mention the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.

Scott Olschewske, owner of Keystone Construction and Development, Inc. and past president of the Marion County Building Industry Association, is father to 14-year-old Kiptyn Olschewske, and while he loves to share water sports with her, he also feels strongly about safety. So as Kiptyn was finishing her 8th grade year of school at St. John Lutheran School, she was also starting an online safe boating class offered by BoatUS Foundation.

“She’s of the age she’s starting to boat on other people’s boats, and being a freshman in high school next year, she’ll be out with friends more and needs to know what to do,” Scott Olschewske said, noting that whether Kiptyn is on jet skis, preparing to handle the boat or offshore fishing, he wants her to have fun. “And when she trailers or ties the boat, more of those kinds of things, I want her to feel confident.”

Kiptyn has been boating, canoeing and kayaking with her father since she was very young, and they enjoy being together on several lakes and rivers in the area. She spends time between her father and mother, Amber Eicoff, who also recently purchased a boat. Kiptyn looks forward to boating with her, particularly in Crystal River. Kiptyn noted that she has a lot of friends whose families have boats or watercraft like jet skis, and she has a great time just hanging out with them and playing in the water.

Scott and Kiptyn started discussing a boat safety class last summer, but he had waited to research it because he thought there was a minimum age of 14 to take the class, and Kiptyn would be 14 this summer.

“Then when I did research it, I found out anyone can drive as long as someone who passed the class is with them,” he said, noting that those who are born before 1988 are exempt from a course requirement.

Kiptyn agreed boat safety is important and has found the course to be fun. She alternated working on her boating safety course with her end-of-year exams. Now that she has more time for the course, she anticipates finishing it soon.

According to the information at BoatUS Foundation, the expected completion time is between four to eight hours, with six lessons and a final exam that includes 60 questions from the material.

Although Kiptyn already knew a lot about boating from having participated in water sports throughout her life, she said she was gaining a lot from the course.

“I’ve learned a lot of new things I didn’t know, like using a float device and navigating lights,” she said, “and how to go in the water.”

Scott has also been impressed with the class, which is the only free online boating safety course he found that was listed as approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“It’s not only power boating, but there are sections about rules of the water, sharing space with paddle boarders and who’s got the right of way, using hand signals,” he said, adding, “It’s pretty broad.”

Kiptyn recommends the course for other teens and offers some advice: “There’s reading and it’s important to read it all and answer the questions,” she said, pointing out that the videos shown during the course are helpful for things like how to take care of sewage, how to dock and to tie knots properly. “It helps with the visuals for some things,” she said.

Kiptyn has future plans to possibly study nursing and work in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, but she also may go into a field that relates to her love of the water and of which the boat safety course would be a good foundation— marine biology.

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said, “but I like both.”

All boaters in Florida born in 1988 or later must have a valid Boater Safety Education ID card. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website reports that in 2023, 73,120 boater safety ID cards were issued in the state, with 11,038 given to young people ages 0-16. An additional 12,110 were issued to young adults ages 17-21.

Boating safety tips and a list of approved boating courses are available on the FWC website at myfwc.com, including the free online course Kiptyn is taking.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

“I’ve learned a lot of new things I didn’t know, like using a float device and navigating lights ...”

Kiptyn Olschewske

Kiptyn Olschewske, 14, and her father, Scott, take a ride in their 24.8-foot SeaFox boat in Lake Weir as they come about to head back to the boat ramp at Carney Island Park near Ocklawaha on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Kiptyn Olschewske, 14, and her father, Scott, take a ride.

Below: Kiptyn Olschewske, 14, points out fish on the fish-finder part of the GPS navigation system.

Kiptyn Olschewske, 14, ties off their 24.8-foot SeaFox boat at the boat ramp at Carney Island Park.

Florida fossil porcupine solves a prickly dilemma 10-million years in the makin

A new study published in the journal “Current Biology” claims to have reconciled the dispute, thanks to an exceptionally rare, nearly complete porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida.

By Jerald Pinson Florida Museum of Natural History

There’s a longstanding debate simmering among biologists who study porcupines. There are 16 porcupine species in Central and South America, but only one in the United States and Canada. DNA evidence suggests North America’s sole porcupine belongs to a group that originated 10 million years ago, but fossils seem to tell a different story. Some paleontologists think they may have evolved just 2.5 million years ago, at the beginning of the ice ages.

A new study published in the journal “Current Biology” claims to have reconciled the dispute, thanks to an exceptionally rare, nearly complete porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida. The authors reached their conclusion by studying key differences in bone structure between North and South American porcupines, but getting there wasn’t easy. It took an entire class of graduate and undergraduate students and several years of careful preparation and study.

“Even for a seasoned curator with all the necessary expertise, it takes an incredible amount of time to fully study and process an entire skeleton,” said lead author Natasha Vitek.

While studying as a doctoral student at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Vitek teamed up with vertebrate paleontology curator Jonathan Bloch to create a college course in which students got hands-on research experience by studying porcupine fossils.

Ancient radiation gave rise to world’s largest rodents

Porcupines are a type of rodent and their ancestors likely originated in Africa more than 30 million years ago. Their descendants have since wandered into Asia and parts of Europe by land, but their journey to South America is a particularly defining event in the history of mammals. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean—likely by rafting —when Africa and South America were much closer together than they are today. They were the first rodents to ever set foot on the continent, where they evolved into well-known groups like guinea pigs, chinchillas, capybaras and porcupines.

Some took on giant proportions. There were lumbering, rat-like animals up to five feet long, equipped with a tiny brain that weighed less than a plum. Extinct relatives of the capybara grew to the size of cows.

Porcupines remained relatively small and evolved adaptations for life in the treetops of South America’s lush rainforests. Today, they travel through the canopy with the aid of long fingers capped with blunt, sickle-shaped claws perfectly angled for gripping branches. Many also have long, prehensile tails capable of bearing their weight, which they use while climbing and reaching for fruit.

Despite their excellent track record of getting around, South America was a dead end for many millions of years. A vast seaway with swift currents separated North and South America and most animals were unable to cross—with a few notable exceptions.

Beginning about 5 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama rose above sea level, cutting off the Pacific from the Atlantic. This land bridge became the ancient equivalent of a congested highway a few million years later, with traffic flowing in both directions.

Prehistoric elephants, saber-toothed cats, jaguars, llamas, peccaries, deer, skunks and bears streamed from North America to the south. The reverse trek was made by four different kinds of ground sloths, oversized armadillos, terror birds, capybaras and even a marsupial.

The two groups met with radically different fates. Those mammals migrating south did fairly well; many became successfully established in their new tropical environments and survived to the present. But nearly all lineages that ventured north into colder environments have gone extinct. Today, there are only three survivors: the nine-banded armadillo, the Virginia opossum and the North American porcupine.

they left behind. Warm, tropical forests gave way to open grasslands, deserts and cold deciduous forests. For porcupines, this meant coping with brutal winters, fewer resources and coming down from the trees to walk on land. They still haven’t quite gotten the hang of the latter; North American porcupines have a maximum ground speed of about 2 mph.

South American porcupines are equipped with a menacing coat of hollow, overlapping quills, which offer a substantial amount of protection but do little to regulate body temperature. North American porcupines replaced these with a mix of insulating fur and long, needle-like quills that can be raised when they feel threatened. They also had to modify their diet, which changed the shape of their jaw.

“In winter, when their favorite foods are not around, they will bite into tree bark to get at the softer tissue underneath. It’s not great food, but it’s better than nothing,” Vitek said. “We think this type of feeding selected for a particular jaw structure that makes them better at grinding.”

They also lost their prehensile tails. Although North American porcupines still like climbing, it’s not their forte. Museum specimens often show evidence of healed bone fractures, likely caused by falling from trees.

Many of these traits can be observed in fossils. The problem is there aren’t many fossils to go around. According to Vitek, most are either individual teeth or jaw fragments and researchers often lump them in with South American porcupines. Those that are considered to belong to the North American group lack the critical features that would provide paleontologists with clues to how they evolved.

So, when Florida Museum paleontologist Art Poyer found an exquisitely preserved porcupine skeleton in a Florida limestone quarry, they were well aware of its significance.

“When they first brought it in, I was amazed,” said Bloch, senior author of the study. “It is so rare to get fossil skeletons like this with not only a skull and jaws, but many associated bones from the rest of the body. It allows for a much more complete picture of how this extinct mammal would have interacted with its environment. Right away we noticed that it was different from modern North American porcupines in having a specialized tail for grasping branches.”

By comparing the fossil skeleton with bones from modern porcupines, Bloch and Vitek were confident they could determine its identity. But the amount of work this would require was more than one person could do on their own in a short amount of time. They co-created a paleontology college course in which the only assignment for the entire semester was studying porcupine bones.

“It’s the kind of thing that could only be taught at a place like the Florida Museum, where you have both collections and enough students to study them,” Vitek said. “We focused on details of the jaw, limbs, feet and tails. It required a very detailed series of comparisons that you might not even notice on the first pass.”

The results were surprising. The fossil lacked the reinforced bark-gnawing jaws and possessed a prehensile tail, making it appear more closely related to South American porcupines. But, Vitek said, other traits bore a stronger similarity to North American porcupines, including the shape of the middle ear bone as well as the shapes of the lower front and back teeth.

With all the data combined, analyses consistently provided the same answer. The fossils belonged to an extinct species of North American porcupine, meaning this group has a long history that likely began before the Isthmus of Panama had formed. But questions remain as to how many species once existed in this group or why they went extinct.

“One thing that isn’t resolved by our study is whether these extinct species are direct ancestors of the North American porcupine that is alive today,” Vitek said. “It’s also possible porcupines got into temperate regions twice, once along the Gulf Coast and once out west. We’re not there yet.”

Jennifer Hoeflich, Isaac Magallanes, Sean Moran, Rachel Narducci, Victor Perez, Jeanette Pirlo, Mitchell Riegler, Molly Selba, María Vallejo-Pareja, Michael Ziegler, Michael Granatosky and Richard Hulbert of the Florida Museum of Natural History are also authors on the paper. The study was supported in part by the National Science Foundation.

To learn more, go to floridamuseum.ufl.edu

New fossils catch evolution in the act Animals that traveled north had to contend with new environments that bore little resemblance to the ones

Former graduate student Natasha Vitek and her advisor Jonathan Bloch co-created a college course for students to learn about paleontology while getting hands-on experience with a rare 2 million-year-old porcupine skeleton. [Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage]

Clockwise from above: North (left) and South (right) American porcupines have been on separate evolutionary trajectories for as long as 10 million years. [Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace] Erethizon poyeri

[Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage]

South American porcupines have large, hollow quills, whereas those from North America are less conspicuous—but equally painful. [Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace]

Student Isaac Magallanes noted differences and similarities in the jaws of extinct and modern porcupines. [Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage]

The nearly complete fossil skeleton provides a glimpse of how North American porcupines evolved from their South American ancestors. [Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage]

Kissing horses for a good cause

The Marion County Literacy Council’s annual signature event allows the top fundraisers to smooch a local equine celebrity.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Marion County is the Horse Capital of the World, right. So, it makes sense that a large number of residents are invested in taking care of their equines, including feeding, grooming, training and riding them. But kissing them?

Well, yes.

The signature fundraiser each year for the Marion County Literacy Council is the Kiss the Horse campaign. This is where individuals and teams raise money for, and awareness of, the council. Whoever raises the most money gets to kiss a local celebrity equine.

The nonprofit Marion Literacy Council, located at 120 SW 5th St., Ocala, was founded by philanthropist Barbara Woodson in 1999. There currently are approximately 500 students, according to Executive Director Yamila Acosta. The council offers three core programs, Adult Basic Education, General Education Development (GED) and ESOL, or English for Speakers of Other Languages. They also offer workshops and classes in US citizenship, computer literacy, financial literacy, health literacy, college and career coaching, and Spanish language.

The council has two full-time staff members and an all-volunteer teacher core. The organization does not receive any government funding and is supported primarily by local donors and businesses, United Way of Marion County and the annual Give4Marion initiative. That is why events such as Kiss the Horse are so important in helping provide programming to students ages 16 and older.

This year was the 14th annual Kiss the Horse event and the Winner’s Circle celebration was hosted by literacy council board member R.J. Jenkins on May 23 at the Historic Taylor House in Ocala’s downtown historic district.

“Candidates, friends, families and

supporters were invited to help crown the 2024 Kiss the Horse winner at this event, which culminated 10 days of community fundraising efforts,” Jenkins noted.

There is no minimum or maximum amount of money that candidates or teams need to raise for Kiss the Horse.

“In past years, most candidates and teams have raised several thousand dollars each, but this year, our winning candidate, Chris Langley, senior banking officer for Citizens First Bank, raised over $16,000, smashing records set by winning candidates in recent years. Mr. Langley’s prize was the opportunity to give a celebratory smooch to Wesley, Marion Therapeutic Riding Association’s 2022 Horse of the Year,” Jenkins said.

“Chris Langley was joined by two other servant-hearted community leaders, Alan Keesee, CEO of HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, and Robert Bisbee, owner and operator of BizTech, to raise a grand total of $23,500 to support adult literacy education in our community. Thanks to the event’s presenting sponsor, ARK Holdings, whose generous sponsorship covered all costs associated with the celebratory event, every single dollar that was donated to a candidate or a team as part of Kiss the Horse will go directly to support the work of the Marion County Literacy Council,” he added.

“To say that we’re thrilled by this show of support would be an understatement,” Jenkins shared. “Every moment that we don’t have to spend raising funds is a moment that we can dedicate to providing services for folks who are working hard to build better lives for themselves and their families. That’s why events like this one are a double blessing: they give the gift of financial support, yes, but they also give the gift of additional bandwidth to serve those in need.”

To learn more, go to marionliteracy.org

“To say that we’re thrilled by this show of support would be an understatement. Every moment that we don’t have to spend raising funds is a moment that we can dedicate to providing services for folks who are working hard to build better lives for themselves and their families.”

R.J. Jenkins Literacy council board member

Marion Literacy Council board member R.J. Jenkins and Alan Keesee, CEO of HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, with Wesley.

Left: The Marion County Literacy Council’s Trevus Bryant, program manager; Arlynda Heard, program assistant; Yamila Acosta, executive director; and Christine Lewis, program assistant; visit with Wesley, the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association’s 2022 Horse of the Year during the Kiss the Horse event. [Photos courtesy Marion County Literacy Council]

Kaitlyn Wilson-Butler, with HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, kisses Wesley. [Photo courtesy Marion County Literacy Council]

Chris Langley, senior banking officer for Citizens First Bank, raised more than $16,000 to become this year’s Kiss the Horse winner. He is shown with Wesley, the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association’s 2022 Horse of the Year. [Photo courtesy Marion County Literacy Council]

Meredith Hayward looks on as Travis Arenburg, both longtime supporters of the Marion Literacy Council, bestows a kiss on Wesley, the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association’s 2022 Horse of the Year, during the Kiss the Horse Winner’s Circle celebration. [Photo courtesy Marion County Literacy Council]

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.

Common loon

By Michael Warren

JUNE 3, 10, 17, 24

Marion County Development Review

Office of County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala

9am The committee reviews and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans and subdivision plans. The committee meets weekly on Mondays. See marionfl.legistar.com/calendar.aspx for agenda and minutes.

JUNE 4, 18

Marion County Board of County Commissioners

McPherson Governmental Campus

Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala

9am

The commission meets the first and third Tuesday of the month. Agendas, minutes and video are available at marionfl.legistar.com/calendar.aspx.

JUNE 4, 18

Ocala City Council

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala

4pm The council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month. Ocala government agendas and minutes are available at ocala.legistar.com/calendar.aspx.

JUNE 4, 18

Belleview City Commission

Belleview City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview 6pm Meets the first and third Tuesday of the month; Belleview agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/agendas-minutes.

JUNE 10

Ocala Planning & Zoning Commission

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala

5:30pm Typically meets on the second Monday of the month, with agendas are usually posted the Thursday prior. Agendas, minutes, and video available from ocala.legistar.com/calendar.aspx

JUNE 11

Belleview Planning & Zoning Board

Belleview City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview

5:30pm Meets the second Tuesday of the month; Belleview agendas, minutes, and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/agendas-minutes

JUNE 12

Dunnellon City Council Meeting

Dunnellon City Hall, 20750 River, Dunnellon

5:30pm Meets the second Wednesday of the month; Dunnellon agendas, minutes, and video available at dunnellon.org/89/agendas-minutes

arts

government education

community

MAY 31

India Fest La Hacienda Recreation Center, 1200 Avenida Central, The Villages

6 to 11pm Experience India in an evening with a dinner theater performance brought to you by The Villages Asian American Club and The Indian Cultural & Education Center of Gainesville. There will be a selection of Indian food prepared by the Kebab House in Gainesville. Guests will be able to have henna painted on their arms and hands and take their picture at the Taj Mahal dressed in a sari. Tickets are $25. Visit asianamericanclub.org for more information.

JUNE 1-2

It’s Hot, Let’s Jump!

Ocala Dog Ranch, Registration at 8:30am, competition starts at 9am Dogs and their handlers will have a chance to compete in a variety of unique games, each designed to test the dog’s ability to swim, leap, or catch. Each game entered is $22, and day of entries are $25 per event. To register or learn more, visit ocaladogranch.com/home/the-pooldock-jumping/dock-jumping-touranments

JUNE 14

2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration: Grown Folks A Night of Elegance

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala 6 to 11pm Presented by The Sircle Inc., this black-tie gala celebrates the past, present and future of African Americans. It will feature keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Joy L. Gallmon, former pastor at St. Paul AME Church, along with music by DJ Tony and performances by Orlando-based dance troupe Be Heard Through Movement. Three high school seniors will be awarded scholarships of $1,000 each. For seating and sponsorships, visit bit.ly/3QyxghS

JUNE 22, 23

Ocala Pet Palooza

World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 10am to 4pm Get ready for paw-some fun with pet parades, contests, dynamic agility courses and cool prizes. There also will be a variety of pet product vendors and adoption opportunities. For more information, visit bmgevents.com/ocalapet.html

MAY 18 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

Free Museum Entry for Veterans

Appleton Museum of Art, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

All day—register for time slot online

The Appleton Museum, as part of the Blue Star Museums initiative, is extending free museum entry to all U.S. military active-duty and veterans, as well as up to five members of their family, for the duration of the summer. For more information, visit appletonmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit

JUNE 1

Free First Saturday at Appleton Museum

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

10am to 5pm Entry to the museum is free for members and non-members on the first Saturday of each month. Artist Margaret Ross Tolbert will lead a talk on her exhibit “Canvassing Florida Springs” from 11am to noon.

From 2 to 3pm, director Matt Keene will screen a presentation of his documentary film “Lost Springs.”

JUNE 24, 25

Auditions for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

All day—register for time slot online

Thespians are wanted for a variety of roles at Ocala Civic Theatre’s upcoming production of “Cinderella.” The classic fairy tale has been adapted many times in film, television, literature, and more. OCT’s production is a re-imagining of the 1957 musical written by Rodgers & Hammerstein, the duo behind many famous Broadway musicals. For more information, visit ocalacivictheatre.com/event/rodgers-hammersteins-cinderella

MAY 28 - AUGUST 2

The Morris Center Summer Brain Camp

3019 SW 27th Ave Suite 202, Ocala Times may vary

This summer program is designed to help children who struggle with learning disabilities, such as slow reading, dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, and more. Pricing begins at $200 per week for half-day sessions and $250 per week for full-day sessions. For more information, visit themorriscenter.com/services/summer-camp/ocala or call (352) 332-2629.

JUNE 3 - AUGUST 2, 2024

2024 Summer Art Camp at Appleton Museum

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Times may vary Half day camps are available throughout the summer for aspiring young artists ages 5 to 17. Professional artists and educators will introduce kids to unique styles and techniques, art history, and the collections of works on display at the Appleton. Supplies and materials are included. Visit appletonmuseum.org/2024-summer-art-camp for more.

JUNE 15 - JULY 13, 2024

Arts for All Too Summer Camp

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 10am to 2pm Students ages 6 to 8 can participate in this summer camp with no audition required. They will learn about the various aspects of a theatrical production, both performance and technical, and learn how to express themselves through storytelling and play. The camp will culminate in a live show for family and friends. Spots are available first-come, first-serve, so sign up ASAP. Visit bit.ly/arts-for-all-2024 for more.

Experience India

India Fest comes to The Villages on Friday night.

By Chris D’Avanzo chris@magnoliamediaco.com

Experience India with an evening of dinner theater and dancing. India Fest, brought to you by The Villages Asian American Club and The Indian Cultural & Education Center of Gainesville, will take place at the La Hacienda

Recreation Center at 1200 Avenida Central in The Villages. The Villages Asian American Club is a group designed to provide residents of The Villages and nearby communities with an opportunity to engage in cultural exchange. On the fourth Thursday of each month, the club meets for activities and get togethers. Focused primarily on East and South Asian cultures, India Fest

is the club’s annual event to celebrate India with food and festivities. The doors will open at 5 p.m. on May 31. Dinner will be served beginning at 5:45 p.m., with a presentation of festivities starting at 6:30. Representatives from the Indian Cultural & Education Center in Gainesville, co-sponsor of the event, will perform a live dance routine. The Kebab House

restaurant in Gainesville will cater the event, preparing a selection of Indian foods.

Guests will be able to have henna painted on their arms and hands and take their picture at a Taj Mahal backdrop while dressed in a sari.

Tickets are $25. Visit asianamericanclub.org for more information.

things to do

JUNE 1

Mimosa Fest

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

11am to 3pm

Guests 21+ can sample from a menu of mimosas and mingle with other guests at this event in the NOMA Black Box. A DJ will be on site. General admission tickets include a voucher for one free mimosa; VIP tickets include vouchers for three, along with a special event t-shirt. For more information and for tickets, visit reillyartscenter.com/events/mimosa-fest

JUNE 1

Barbergators

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 2 to 3:30pm The Barbergators return for a rousing rendition of timeless doo-wop and pop. Since 1973, this Gainesville-based barbershop quartet has been entertaining audiences and brining “harmony” to the community. Tickets are $10 for kids and $25 for adults. Go to bit.ly/4dWvyB7 to learn more.

JUNE 7

Deana Carter Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30 to 9pm The country singer will perform an intimate acoustic show. Debuting with the album “Did I Shave My Legs for This,” which peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 in 1997 and one of highest performing country records of the ‘90s, Carter has been a revolutionary figure for women in country music. She’s now the CEO of her own record label and does advocacy work in a variety of roles. She has been nominated three times for Grammy awards, was winner of a CMA Single of the Year for the song “Strawberry Wine” and is a 5x platinum selling artist. Visit reillyartscenter.com/events/deana-carter-acoustic-show for more.

JUNE

8

Tyler Fischer Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

7:30 to 9pm

Named “The Best New Impressionist” by the “New York Times,” Fischer’s comedy has been featured on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert and “Last

Week Tonight” with John Oliver. He’s also been a headlining performer at the NY Comedy Festival and is a frequent guest at the famous Comedy Cellar. Based in New York, Fischer tours as a standup nationwide and works as an actor, appearing in shows such as “Chicago Med” on NBC. Visit reillyartscenter.com/events/tyler-fischer for tickets.

JUNE 14

Stirrups Wine Series: Passport to the Mediterranean World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

6:30 to 9pm

This is another in the series of wine and food tasting events on the Stirrups’ Terrace at the Equestrian Hotel. This time you’ll journey to the Mediterranean, sampling the flavors from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and more, all known for their distinct food and drinks. The samplings range from classic to exotic, with a menu of grilled piri piri chicken, avocado tomato salad, falafel, grilled octopus, and other offerings from appetizers to desserts. Tickets are $150 per guest. Visit bit.ly/passport-mediterranean for more.

JUNE 21

Live Stand-Up with Killer Beaz

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

7:30 to 9pm

Even though he appears as a bootleg whisky maker on the Discovery Channel series “Moonshiners,” Beaz style of comedy is good for the whole family. Beaz is a performing comedian currently touring the nation on his “Official Bootleg Tour.” The Alabama native and southern “everyman” is based in Nashville and performs regularly at the Grand Ole Opry. Visit bit.ly/4bED8Po for tickets and more.

JUNE 30

Red, White, and OSO Blue: A Salute to Independence Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala Concert begins at 3pm Celebrate the Fourth of July with a patriotic-themed show by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. A tribute to veterans, the show will feature classic American music and the stylings of John Phillip Sousa, composer of many American military marches. Visit bit.ly/red-white-oso to learn more.

Treatment for a parastomal hernia

By Robert Cima, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My friend had a stoma created after years of managing Crohn’s disease. She recently had surgery to repair a hernia. What is a stoma, and are these types of hernias common? What is the typical treatment?

ANSWER: Occasionally, the surgical treatment of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other gastrointestinal, gynecologic, or urologic conditions, both cancerous or benign, may require reconstruction or removal of the bladder, colon, or rectum. Surgeons may use other parts of the intestine to replace the function of these organs to facilitate the removal of urine or stool from the body. When this is done, the surgeon constructs a stoma, a small opening in the abdomen used to remove this body waste into a collection bag.

When the stoma is connected to the urinary system, it is known as an urostomy. If the stoma is releasing stool, it can be an ileostomy constructed from the small intestine or a colostomy made from the colon, also known as the large intestine. Stomas may be temporary or permanent depending upon why they were constructed. If they are temporary, another operation is required to reverse them.

While adjusting to your stoma may take some time, you can lead a completely normal life with a stoma—there are really no limitations on activities.

Because a hole in the abdominal wall is required to construct a stoma, that hole can enlarge over time and become a hernia. An abdominal wall hernia is a condition where some abdominal tissue or part of an abdominal organ, most commonly the intestines, protrudes through the abdominal wall. From the outside, this may result in a noticeable bulge. Hernias may cause no symptoms or become quite symptomatic as they enlarge. Discomfort or pain with activity is the most common symptom of an abdominal wall hernia. Occasionally, hernias containing a portion of the intestine may result in an intestinal obstruction which can be life-threatening and require emergency surgery.

A hernia associated with a stoma is known as a parastomal hernia. Like other abdominal wall hernias, parastomal hernias result in a noticeable bulge and can have similar symptoms. However, parastomal hernias can be very problematic for patients because the bulging around the stoma frequently interferes with the function of the appliance that collects the waste material. If the appliance seal fails, then waste material will leak out onto the skin. Parastomal hernia repair not only improves the function of the collection pouch, but it also improves the appearance of the abdominal wall.

Local Journalism needs your support!

Help us to continue to investigate the stories that the community needs to know.

Follow the QR code to make a one-time donation to the Ocala Gazette. Your donations will allow us to continue delivering accurate and unbiased news on the stories that matter to our community.

Athens on the rise

By Rick Steves

Iused to think of Athens as a big ugly city with obligatory ancient sights, fine museums, the Plaka (an extremely touristy old quarter), and not much else. “The joy of Greece is outside of Athens,” I wrote. “See Athens’ museums and scram.”

But while updating my guidebook one summer, I enjoyed the city more than ever before. I discovered a many-faceted city that’s getting its act together, despite Greece’s economic struggles. I had a great experience even though it was the worst time of year for a visit. It was sweltering— well over 100 degrees—and since it was mid-August, most Athenians were gone, finding relief on the beach. Still, there was an energy in Athens that made me want to come back and linger … in the spring or fall. I discovered much of that energy in

the offbeat parts of the city, thanks to Matt Barrett, who splits his time between Greece and North Carolina. He splashes through his adopted hometown like a kid in a wading pool, enthusiastically sharing his discoveries and observations on his generous website (www.athensguide.com).

He took me to Exarchia, a student district just a short walk from Athens’ Omonia Square. This area has long been the heart and soul of Athens’ feisty love of freedom and its nonconformist spirit. Slathered in colorful graffiti, it’s defiant, artsy, and full of life.

From the small Exarchia Square, side streets spin off into grungy neighborhoods. Because of the cheap rent and abundance of students (three universities are nearby), the streets are lined with cafés, bars, art centers, and bookstores. Each evening, Exarchia is a thriving festival of alternative lifestyles. The juxtaposition

Most patients who have a parastomal hernia may be candidates for robotic surgery to repair the hernia. Robotic repair typically results in improved outcomes with a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery than open repairs. Robotic surgery can lead to lower rates of complications.

Parastomal hernias can be repaired, but it requires a higher level of surgical training and experience to perform a long-lasting repair of the abdominal wall without compromising the function of the stoma. It’s important for patients to seek out care at a high-volume hospital, like Mayo Clinic, to lower the recurrence rate of future hernias.—Robert Cima, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, 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.)

between Exarchia and the adjacent upscale diplomatic district of Kolonaki is striking.

A more trendy Athens neighborhood is the Psyrri district north of the Acropolis. Until recently, it was a grimy area of workshops and cottage industries, famous locally as a hotbed of poets, musicians, revolutionaries, and troublemakers. But now it’s become one of central Athens’ top after-hours zones. The mix of trendy and crusty gives the area a unique charm. The options include slick, touristy tavernas with live traditional music; highly conceptual café/bars catering to cool young Athenians; and clubs with DJs or live music for partying the night away.

Just beyond Psyrri, Athens’ Central Market isn’t cute or idyllic, like a smalltown French halles, and it’s not a tourist trap, like Barcelona’s La Boqueria. The Central Market—an 1886 glass and iron arcade and the surrounding lanes—is refreshingly real: a thriving marketplace where workaday Athenians stock up on ingredients. A walk through the market is a treat for all the senses—sights, smells, and sounds.

The spice sellers are the great-greatgrandchildren of those ethnic-Greek refugees from the Greco-Turkish war of the 1920s, who arrived bringing a pungent whiff of exotic Istanbul bazaars.

You’ll see bushels of rice, grains, nuts, and dried fruits. Keep an eye out for bunches of partially dried flowering herbs tied up with string—this is Greek mountain tea, an herbal mixture revered for its healing properties. You’ll also see classic Greek oregano, thyme, basil, and the precious Greek red saffron.

The meat and fish hall is a vivid parade of proteins. Vegetarians might want to skip this gut of the market. Tables are piled high with beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and

goat and livestock is proudly pictured on some signs above the stalls. Little delivery scooters nudge their way past pedestrians. Around the corner displays do their best to make the “fifth quarter” or hardto-sell meat look appetizing: hooves, tripe, liver, and other organs. You may also see barrels of snails—a cheap source of protein during times of hardship, when locals developed a taste for the little critters that persists today.

Close by, the pleasant, pedestrianfriendly Aiolou Street, quieter than the parallel Athinas drag, is emerging as one of downtown Athens’ most appealing streets. It bustles with interesting stores, designer coffee shops, occasional street musicians, and lots of lunch-focused restaurants for busy urbanites. You can take a break from the heat in the petite, gorgeously restored Kimisi Theotokou Chrisospileotissis church, with a beautiful, serene interior. Back outside, the little square of St. Irene—the epicenter of hip, young locals, day or night—used to be known as the square of the flower vendors; these days only one remains open, and it’s still loyally frequented by Athenians.

Today’s Athens has become peoplefriendly, an urban scene of pedestrian boulevards and squares filled with benches, shade-giving trees, and inviting cafés. While its drawing power will always be its classic ancient sights, take time to taste its spicy, mod neighborhoods.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick’s favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

In the “rickety-chic” Psyrri neighborhood of Athens, you’ll find slick outdoor restaurants next to vibrant street art.

[Rick Steves]

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4

A judge will authorize officers to make arrests, search property, etc., when it’s -WARRANTED

Crossword

Jumble

Sudoku

Gasoline Alley

Broom Hilda

Middletons

Minutes matter when you or a loved one has an illness, injury, chest pain or symptoms of a stroke. With three locations in Marion County, the emergency experts at AdventHealth are nearby to provide the care you need to help you feel whole.

In case of a medical emergency, call 911.

(4), respectfully applies for a change of the minor child’s name to Oliver Journey Aldaz and requests that a new birth certificate be issued in the child’s new name and pursuant to court order. The facts supporting this proposed change of name are as follows:

1. Petitioner Danielle Aldaz (fka May) is the natural mother of the minor child Oliver Journey May, born March 11, 2023, in Pima, Arizona.

2. Both Petitioner and the child, Oliver Journey May, currently reside together in Pima County, Arizona and have been residents of Pima County since 2022.

3. Petitioner and father Jeremy May married on May 8, 2022.

4. Petitioner and Jeremy May have never resided in the same home.

5. Jeremy May has committed several acts of domestic violence against Petitioner.

6. Jeremy May resides in Florida and conducts no parenting time with the minor child.

7. Petitioner was awarded sole legaldecision making authority in the parties’ Decree of Dissolution signed March 5, 2024 in D20232216. Respondent’s only potential parenting time would only occur supervised in Tucson. Respondent has not exercised parenting time or seen the minor child since Late March 2023 with exception of one facetime call in September 2023.

8. The minor child’s only familial relationship is with Petitioner’s family.

9. Petitioner provides for the health insurance coverage for the minor child.

10. The subject child has no obligations which would require notice to any third party other than the child’s parents and no fraud on creditors could result as a consequence of the requested name change.

11. The subject child’s status as legal child and heir of his biological parents will remain unchanged as a consequence of the requested name change.

12. Through the instant application, Petitioner consents to the requested change of name as in the best interests of the minor child.

13. The best interests of the child warrants a name change of the minor child to OLIVER MAY ALDAZ and this application is made based upon the best interests of this child. Petitioner and Petitioner’s family are active in the minor child’s life, and it is in his best interests to have the same last name as his mother and maternal grandparents. It is further in the best interest of the child to have the same name of the parent with whom he lives, and not that of an absent parent. There are no reasonable objections to the requested change of name of the minor child and such a change of name is consistent with the public interest.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF KENNETH G. JONES, Deceased.

CASE NO: 2024-CP-1255

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the co-personal representatives and the copersonal representative’s attorney are indicated below.

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH.

The date of death of the decedent is: April 8, 2024. The date of first publication of this Notice is May 31, 2024.

Attorney for Co-Personal Representatives: JOSHUA L. MOSES Richard & Moses, LLC Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Co-Personal Representatives: JENNIFER JONES 7 Towpath Way New Hope, PA 18938 DARYL JONES 421 Shallowbrook Farms Road Thomasville, GA 31792

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF KEVIN J. KOVACH, Deceased. CASE NO: 2024-CP-1214 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below. If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH. The date of death of the decedent is: March 4, 2024. The date of first publication of this Notice is May 24, 2024.

Attorney for Personal Representative: JOSHUA L. MOSES Richard & Moses, LLC Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Personal Representative: KIM KOVACH 9540 SE 70th Terrace Ocala, FL 34472

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF RENEE BOTTOMLY Deceased. FILE NO.: 2024-CP-1300

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of RENEE BOTTOMLY, deceased, whose date of death was March 7, 2024; is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division; File Number 2024-CP-1300; the address of which is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the Personal Representative and the Personal Representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons, who have claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, and who have been served a copy of this Note, must file their claims with this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court, WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. THE DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE IS MAY 24, 2024.

Personal Representative: REGINA L. NATIVIO 3598 N.W. 56th Avenue Ocala, Florida 34482 Attorney for Personal Representative: R. WILLIAM FUTCH

Florida Bar No.: 0319856 DAVIS R. WATSON III Florida Bar No.: 117996 R. WILLIAM FUTCH, P.A. 2201 S. E. 30th Avenue Suite 202 Ocala, Florida 34471 (352) 732-8080 Email Address: bill@futchlaw.net

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH

JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA File No. 2023-CP-845 IN RE: ESTATE OF JOANN D. HILLMAN

Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JOANN D. HILLMAN, deceased, whose date of death was December 16, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for MARION County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, #1, Ocala, Florida 34471. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS

AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is May 24, 2024.

Personal Representative:

STEVEN J. UPESLEJA

Attorney for Personal Representative: SHANTA MATTHEWS, Attorney

Florida Bar Number: 69935

814 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Suite D OCALA, FL 34470

Telephone: (352) 421-8722

Fax: (352) 306-3759

E-Mail: shanta@smatthewslaw.com

Secondary: lori@smatthewslaw.com

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF LISA S. MARTIN, a/k/a LISA S. PARIS, Deceased. CASE NO: 2024-CP-1234 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below. If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH.

The date of death of the decedent is: April 15, 2024. The date of first publication of this Notice is May 24, 2024.

Attorney for Personal Representative: JOSHUA L. MOSES

Richard & Moses, LLC

Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300 Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com Personal Representative: MITCHELL PARIS 5278 Leatherwood Drive West

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No. 2024-CP-968 IN RE: ESTATE OF RICHARD ALLEN GROCCIA Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of RICHARD ALLEN GROCCIA, deceased, whose date of death was March 1, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for MARION County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, #1, Ocala, Florida 34471. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is May 24, 2024.

Personal Representative: LYNN M. BUCK

Attorney for Personal Representative: SHANTA MATTHEWS, Attorney Florida

Bar Number: 69935

814 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Suite D OCALA, FL 34470

Telephone: (352) 421-8722

Fax: (352) 306-3759

E-Mail: shanta@smatthewslaw.com

Secondary: lori@smatthewslaw.com

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF EARLE S. CLEWELL, JR., Deceased. CASE NO: 2024-CP-1293

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below.

If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH.

The date of death of the decedent is: April 6, 2024. The date of first publication of this Notice is May 24, 2024.

Attorney for Personal Representative: JOSHUA L. MOSES Richard & Moses, LLC Florida Bar No. 119304 808 E Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471 (352) 369-1300

Primary Email: Josh@RMProbate.com

Personal Representative: EDWARD CLEWELL 1130 Sherwood Drive Laurys Station, PA 18059

NOTICE OF FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA Case Number: 2024-CA-624 IN RE: FORFEITURE OF:

$5,055.25 (Five Thousand, Fifty-Five Dollars and Twenty-Five Cents) in U.S. Currency and One (1) 2017 Nissan Maxima VIN: 1N4BL4BV4MN366543, ALL PERSONS who claim an interest in the following property: $5,055.25 (Five Thousand, Fifty-Five Dollars and TwentyFive Cents) and One (1) 2017 Nissan Maxima VIN: 1N4BL4BV4MN366543, which was seized because said property is alleged to be contraband as defined by Sections 932.701 (2)(a)(1-6), Florida Statutes, by the City of Ocala, Division of Ocala Police Department, on or about March 21, 2024, in Marion County, Florida. Any owner, entity, bona fide lienholder, or person in possession of the property when seized has the right to request an adversarial preliminary hearing for a probable cause determination within fifteen (15) days of initial receipt of notice, by providing such request to Kristi Van Vleet, Assistant City Attorney, City of Ocala City Attorney’s Office, 110 S.E. Watula Ave, Ocala, FL 34471, by certified mail return receipt requested. A complaint for forfeiture has been filed in the above styled court.

NOTICE OF FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA Case Number: 2024-CA-486 IN RE: FORFEITURE OF: One (1) 2006 Mercedes-Benz C280 VIN: WDBRF54H46A908276, ALL PERSONS who claim an interest in the following property: One (1) 2006 Mercedes-Benz C280 VIN: WDBRF54H46A908276 which was seized because said property is alleged to be contraband as defined by Sections 932.701 (2)(a)(1-6), Florida Statutes, by the City of Ocala, Division of Ocala Police Department, on or about February 26, 2024, in Marion County, Florida. Any owner, entity, bona fide lienholder, or person in possession of the property when seized has the right to request an adversarial preliminary hearing for a probable cause determination within fifteen (15) days of initial receipt of notice, by providing such request to Kristi Van Vleet, Assistant City Attorney, City of Ocala City Attorney’s Office, 110 S.E. Watula Ave, Ocala, FL 34471, by certified mail return receipt requested. A complaint for forfeiture has been filed in the above styled court.

Extraspace Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 2020 SW 57th Ave, Ocala, FL 34474 on June 11, 2024 at 12:00 pm Christina Pangburn-Furniture & Household goods, Litoya Mcfatten-Household goods, Lagenia Gonzalez-Clothing & Household goods The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at