Ocala Gazette | June 3 - June 9, 2022

Refreshing summer watermelon drink recipe Page B10

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 22

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022

WHAT HAPPENED TO FORT DRANE?

An old pipe end and two old civilian buttons, that Jeffrey Winans said he found at the Mid Florida Mining Site in 1991, are shown at his home on Northwest County Road 329 north of Ocala on Thursday, May 19, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Left and Right: Fort Drane artifacts are shown in a photo in Jeffrey Winans’ book. [Courtesy Jeffrey Winans] 2022.

The old question is revisited after the Division of Historical Resources recently raised the issue in response to Marion County Board of County Commissioners’ request for changes to their comprehensive land plan to accommodate WEC developer’s plans for the old Ocala Jockey Club.

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

T

he name Fort Drane easily rolls off the tongues of Lonnie K. Edwards III and Annabelle Leitner and it’s no wonder, the two often visited the Second Seminole War site near Irvine while growing up.

Edwards, now 80, didn’t have to travel far to see the ruins of the fort built in 1835 on the 3,000-acre Auld Lang Syne sugar plantation of Col. Duncan L. Clinch; it was located on thousands of acres of rolling bucolic pastureland his family had owned and farmed since the early 1900s.

“I remember the footings or foundations of not just one but multiple buildings there,” said Edwards, the oldest child of the late former State Senator L.K.

Edwards Jr., a cattle rancher and farmer.

“We’d have birthday parties by fallen down oak trees on the property near the fort,” he said.

As for Leitner, her family knew the Edwards clan and they visited their nearby farm numerous times during her childhood, which included a visit to the site of the old fort on several occasions.

“Senator Edwards would pile all of us into his black stretch limo and drive across the pasture and up the hill to the fort and point out different things to us”, said Leitner, 63, who also went on several school field trips to the site in the 1960s. “I remember the cannon mounts and bricks; they were still there.”

The fort, erected on a hill near presentday two-lane West County Road 318 near the property line of the former Ocala Jockey Club, was abandoned by January

of 1837 and was ultimately burned down, along with the plantation house, by Seminole warriors who then camped at the site for a short period of time.

But during its brief existence, Fort Drane was a busy hub of military activity.

It housed thousands of soldiers, civilians and Native American refugees, served as a critical base for attacks against the Seminoles along the Withlacoochee River, and also functioned as a hospital for wounded and dying soldiers, according to historical records.

While state officials and historians had long debated Fort Drane’s exact location and place in the annals of Second Seminole War history, most everyone who grew up in rural northwest Marion County knew its storied history and its precise whereabouts.

“Everyone from around here knew

where it was,” said Edwards, who said the family gatherings near the fort site often included stories about the fort and the old sugar mill plantation that had been passed down through the generations.

But now it’s gone

Today, however, if stunning allegations against the late owner of a local mining company and his son are true, it’s doubtful any remnants of the fort, as well as the remains of the dozens of American soldiers, Native Americans and civilians who were buried on its grounds, could be found.

According to a review by the Gazette of 50 pages of sworn statements taken in late August 1991, Mid-Florida Mining, then owned and operated by Whit Palmer Jr. and managed by his son, Martin Palmer, See The loss, page A2

Planning veterans weigh in on Marion County’s farmland preservation area

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

T

he Marion County Board of County Commissioners on June 21 will consider amending Marion County’s Comprehensive Land Plan to stretch the urban growth boundary line into the Farmland Preservation Area, paving the way for the World Equestrian Center developers to move forward with plans to redevelop the former Ocala Jockey Club.

Initial plans for the 1,000acre site envision 94 houses, a 200-room hotel, a 100-site RV park, a 9,000-seat stadium, polo fields, retail space, an exhibition area, and space for agricultural functions and competitive trail riding.

The commissioners will vote on whether to amend the county’s comprehensive land-use plan related to the county’s Future

Land Use Element. If they amend the plan, they next must decide on changing the property’s rural land-use designation to the special WEC land-use designation, which was created to allow the developer to build the World Equestrian Center.

The WEC land-use designation “identifies potential development options and maximum development amounts...whether or not a World Equestrian Center site [is] located in an urban or rural area,” according to Chris Rison, a senior planner with Marion County.

The proposed actions are sparking community concerns because the property is undeniably rural and outside the Urban Growth Boundary.

Critics ask how does approving this request from the developer, and the massive project that comes with it, square with the county’s long-term plans to fight urban sprawl and preserve

farmland as outlined in county’s comprehensive plan?

Among those raising concerns are local residents Gary and Judy Greenberg. Gary, who holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida, helped craft the policy language in 2005 that established the county’s Farmland Preservation Area. He also helped perform the mapping analysis that led to the initial boundaries for the Farmland Preservation Area.

His efforts were in concert with the Marion County Citizens Coalition, a nonprofit organization that formed specifically to monitor growth in Marion County and to present planning options to the county commissioners.

Judy has a background in a broad spectrum of landuse issues: physical attributes including water, soil and air, and economics including

Ocala Jockey Club on May 13, 2022.

transportation, jobs, and rural infrastructure. She has volunteered with the The Public Policy Institute of Marion County at the College of Central Florida and participated in

numerous studies about growth consequences and traffic.

The Greenbergs recently sent a letter to the county See Greenberg, page A4

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

The loss of Fort Drane

Jeffrey Winans looks through old paperwork and photos as he talks about the aerial photos he took of the Mid Florida Mining Site in 1991 at his home on Northwest County Road 329 north of Ocala on Thursday, May 19, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Continued from page A1

including a large swath of the former sugar plantation, to M.J. allegedly destroyed any evidence Stavola Industries, which then sold it to Allen Edgar, founder of of the fort as well as the human remains buried there.

Mid-Florida Mining.

In 1977, Whit Palmer Jr. The statements were taken on behalf of the now-defunct Friends purchased Mid-Florida Mining and began mining the 700-plusof Fort Drane and the Marion acre site for its clay soil, County Historical Society and eventually becoming one of the the still-in-existence Micanopy nation’s top cat litter producers.

Historical Society, all of which Mid-Florida Mining, later MFM had fought for years to prove Industries, is now known as the fort’s location in order to get Palmer Resources, LLC., and the historically significant site recognized and preserved by local leases the mine to SCI Materials, according to public records. and state officials.

Whit Palmer Jr., a native of “They dug everything up and Ocala who died in 2020 at the got rid of it,” said Jeffrey Winans age of 90, was well-known in the of Reddick, who said he took community for his many civic pictures over the fence of the and charitable contributions, Ocala Jockey Club that allegedly devotion to his alma mater, the show mine workers digging up the remainder of the fort in 1991. University of Florida, and his influential business and political “All they cared about was mining ties across the state. the clay for kitty litter.”

Palmer’s daughter, Margaret Lonnie Edwards said he Palmer Parks, speaking on and the late Alyce Tincher, behalf of the family and Palmer then president of the Micanopy Resources, LLC, told the Gazette, Historical Society and a key “We cannot talk about the mine,’’ leader in the long effort to save Fort Drane, had even approached and declined any further comment.

But the sworn statements Whit Palmer a year or so before from former mine employees the sworn statements were taken offer disturbing allegations of the about the need to preserve and deliberate destruction of the fort protect the site.

Tincher, who attended the same and the desecration of its graves: mine manager Martin Palmer, church as Palmer and considered they stated, ordered human him a friend, asked him to at remains unearthed during least consider placing a historical mining operations to be reburied marker at the mine, he said. in a 50-foot-deep pit onsite.

“We had an uproar with Whit about it; we tried to prevent it Taken in late August 1991, the former employees, Dana Hughes from being destroyed, but he didn’t care and didn’t want to and Thomas L. Reaves, both now hear about it,” said Edwards. deceased, gave grim accounts of finding remains that included human skulls with teeth and long From Historic Fort to Mining Operation bones in January that same year.

In the early 1970s, Lonnie Much, much larger bones, as big Edwards’ father sold a part of his as a table, were also found, they said in their statements. property, Winans, whose mother, the late noted horsewoman Carol Harris, employed the two men after they were fired shortly after the discovery and reburial of the human remains, said each of them spoke about what happened at the mine.

“Reaves told me they were told to keep quiet and keep on working because if the state found out about it, mining operations would stop,” said Winans.

“Hughes was upset about the whole thing; they both were.”

The two men Osceola, Seminole Chief of Florida. lithograph by George Catlin ca. 1838 also said in

their statements that artifacts and relics, including military buttons, broken swords, dishes, Native American pottery and arrowheads were dug up and removed altogether from the site

by Martin Palmer and at least one of his friends.

Food lockers, lined, squared holes in the ground used to store food and provisions, were also dug up and destroyed, the men said.

The alleged desecration of the graves and the removal of the artifacts began roughly a month after Martin Palmer asked Hughes to stay late one day because he and a friend had found some bricks near an oak tree and he wanted Hughes to scrape the area.

“And I hung around there, and he (Martin Palmer) says, I think this is where Fort Drane – he mentioned Fort Drane, and I said Fort Drane ain’t back here, Fort Drane is up on the hill over there,” said Hughes, in his statement.

“So, he said, ‘come and show me,’” said Hughes, who stated he then took Martin Palmer and the friend to the site, where they found nails and military buttons, and other artifacts.

“But until that day, Martin Palmer didn’t know where Fort Drane was,” he said. Palmer had been mine manager for only a short period of time.

Hughes said two years earlier, two men who claimed they had permission to be on the property showed him the location of Fort Drane, saying they had been looking for it for seven years before finding it.

Around the same time Hughes showed Martin Palmer the fort site, the St. Petersburg Times, now the Tampa Bay Times learned about Fort Drane (and soon the efforts to save it) and sent a reporter to Mid-Florida Mining.

The resulting story, Florida’s Lost Fort, ran on Dec. 2, 1990.

In the article, Martin Palmer mentioned the bricks he’d found near the base of the oak tree to a reporter, the same bricks he’d previously asked Hughes to scrape.

The company is asking an archaeologist to confirm the location, “just to kind of put the whole thing to rest,” Martin Palmer said in the story. Palmer also told the reporter, “The company does not want or need to mine in the area where soldiers and Seminoles once fought and died.”

Martin Palmer also said in the article, “We don’t want to ever disturb this fort.”

However, Whit Palmer was quoted in the same article as saying, “The problem is we don’t know where the mine is.”

The quotes by the elder Palmer contradict Tincher and Edwards’ months-earlier conversation with him about the fort.

In January 1991, roughly a month after Hughes showed Martin Palmer the fort site and the Times article ran, Palmer ordered mining operations to begin in the area, which was pastureland, according to the statements.

The discovery of artifacts came first, but roughly a week later, about 40 feet or so away from the relics site, Hughes began digging up bones.

Hughes said in the statement that as soon as he saw a human skull with teeth in it, he told Palmer.

“Martin told me to, ‘Shut up and keep digging,’” said Hughes.

Other employees also mentioned seeing bones to Palmer and the need for him to notify authorities, Hughes alleged.

“The operators – not only me but other operators in the mine -- commented to him a few times about it, you know,” said Hughes in the sworn statement. “And he was very obnoxious about it, and just said, ‘If you don’t want to work here go somewhere else.’”

Human remains are protected under Florida law, which requires anyone finding them to immediately contact local law enforcement, which in turn contacts the local medical examiner who determines the age of the remains. If the remains are deemed to be 75-years-old or older, the case is turned over to the Florida Department of States,

Division of Historical Resources, for investigation. It is not illegal for a private property owner to remove artifacts, however.

The sworn statements

by Hughes and Reaves also include allegations that MidFlorida Mining secretly buried contaminated soil on the site.

Nothing to see here

In the Spring of 1991, Gainesvillebased archaeological firm SouthArc arrived at the mine to confirm Fort Drane’s location.

However, after five months SouthArc said it was unable to confirm its location on the basis of maps and historical information, according to an Aug. 1991 local newspaper column by the late David Cook. No digging was done in connection to the firm’s study, however.

But Joe Knetsch, Ph.D., a noted authority on the Seminole Indian Wars and retired research historian for the State of Florida, who was quoted in the Times article along with Tincher whom he had recently befriended over the Fort Drane saga, takes little stock in SouthArc’s 1991 findings.

“They were notorious in the field for finding what they were paid to find,” Knetsch told the Ocala Gazette. “And there was no digging.”

SouthArc was purchased by Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc., in July 2020, becoming part of its network of archaeological firms.

A woman who answered the phone at Commonwealth’s Gainesville office said Martin Dickinson, the founder of SouthArc who conducted the 1991 mine survey, retired and was no longer available.

The frontier fort, a 150 yard by 80-yard picketed fence enclosure with two blockhouses and several other buildings, may have had a brief existence, but some famous military leaders passed through its gates, Knetsch told the Gazette.

“Benjamin Pierce, the brother of the eventual President (Franklin Pierce), Lt. Col. Ichabod Crane and Col. Zachary Taylor who became President, were all there at one time or another,” he said, “Three thousand soldiers passed through Fort Drane; it was the Army’s largest outpost at one time.”

“There’s no way in hell there weren’t artifacts and remains left behind,” he said.

Knetsch said Tincher sent officials at the Florida Department of State a package of information about Fort Drane, including the sworn statements about the desecrations. He and other employees, including state archeologist Henry Baker, began investigating but were soon ordered to stop.

“It was political; it was shut down at the state level from the top on down,” said Knetsch, author of several books including Florida’s Seminole Wars 18171858 and Fear and Anxiety on the Florida Frontier, which includes a story about Fort Drane. The Times, according to Knetsch, began working on the story after he gave a speech about the fort in Ocala.

“Whenever we tried to get something done, we were stonewalled,” he said. “Henry (Baker) had gotten some aerial photos at some point, which he believed showed some discoloration on the ground that was orderly in nature and would indicate burial plots.”

“But his file on Fort Drane disappeared from his desk and he never found it again,” said Knetsch.

Winans, who was involved in the effort to save Fort Drane, and wrote a book, What Happened to Fort Drane in Marion County, based on his research, said by the time SouthArc surveyed the site it was too late; its ruins had been destroyed and its graves desecrated.

In the sworn statements, Martin Palmer was also quoted as saying, “If there ain’t nothing there, then nothing will be found.”

Timothy Parsons, director of the Department of State’s Historical Resources division, has not responded to requests from the Gazette to discuss questions about Fort Drane. Morgan Mallory,

spokeswoman for the Department of State, sent an email offering her assistance for this story but has not responded to subsequent messages from the Gazette.

Renewed interest

However, the Division of Historical Resources, along with other state agencies, did review a recent request by Marion County to make changes to its comprehensive land use plan that would allow major development on the former Ocala Jockey Club property, which was purchased last year and is now known as the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Jockey Club.

In a letter dated April 20, the Division of Historical Resources did note the numerous cultural resources recorded in the general vicinity of the property and that there had been multiple attempts to locate a potential historic site known as Fort Drane, which is thought to contain human remains, in the immediate area.

The agency also noted a cultural resource assessment survey had not been conducted to determine if unrecorded historic resources are present and said development should be “sensitive,” to locating, assessing, and avoiding potential adverse impacts to any resources.

In their sworn statements, Hughes and Reaves both mention Fort Drane as being located very near the property line of the Ocala Jockey Club, a good portion of which had been part of the massive Auld Lang Syne plantation at one time.

The response by the Division of Historical Resources is what prompted the Ocala Gazette investigation into what happened to Fort Drane, which led to the discovery of the sworn statements.

Local conservation and environmental groups, including Save Our Rural Lands (SORA) have voiced strong opposition to the PUD application by the developer of the WEC Jockey Club, which is within the county’s Farmland Preservation Area and outside its Urban Growth Boundary.

“History doesn’t stop at a fence line,” said Gail Stern of SORA. “There needs to be a cultural resources survey done to determine who and what is buried on the property.”

In 1991, the historical groups, led by Tincher, reportedly also contacted local officials about, “a crime being committed,” but both Glen Fiorello and Gail Cross, who served on the Marion County Commission during that time, said they do not recall hearing anything about Fort Drane.

A search of Marion County’s Clerk of Court website about Fort Drane came up empty, except for several columns by Cook. The Marion County Sheriff ’s Office also said it had not received a complaint about Fort Drane, but did receive one on a reported African American slave cemetery on the mine property.

An email to the American Indian Movement, Florida chapter, as well as the Florida Historical Society, requesting comment on the allegations had not been answered as of press time.

Knetsch said he has no doubt the accusations against MidFlorida Mining are true.

“Those men had everything to lose and nothing to gain by coming forward,” he said. “Other people were there and said the same thing.”

“Alyce worked her fanny off trying to save Fort Drane,” said Knetsch. “What happened still bothers me after all these years.”

For Edwards and Leitner and other residents who were born and raised in the rural enclave, the proposed development at the former Ocala Jockey Club brings back memories of Fort Drane and the Auld Lang Syne sugar plantation.

“We all knew where it was,” said Leitner, who still lives on farmland her family settled on in 1842 not too far from the mine.

“It was on top of the hill at the kitty litter mine.”

“Maybe now the truth will come out,” she said.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

COMMENTARY

No more ‘thoughts and prayers,’ it’s time for action Editor’s Note:

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

By Sadie Fitzpatrick sadie@ocalagazette.com

L

ast night, my toddler insisted on being rocked to sleep. As she settled against my chest, I swayed back and forth, humming a wordless melody. Her hair was damp from the bath, and she still smelled slightly of sunscreen from our day at the pool. In the stillness of the room, I relished the weight of her tiny body on mine.

As I marveled at this beautiful human being, I was reminded that there is a more urgent, pressing weight that we as Ocalans, as Americans, must face: gun violence.

We all watched in horror last week as news of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas filled our screens.

Nineteen children and two adults were murdered by a lone gunman wielding an AR-15 rifle, becoming the second-worst school massacre since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which claimed the lives of 26 first-graders and one teacher.

Uvalde is a small town in southwest Texas with a population of almost 16,000 people. Gun massacres don’t just happen in big cities like Buffalo, Orlando and Charleston. It made me realize that there could be a day when it’s our sweet, sleepy Ocala that makes the news for something tragic like this, if we do not begin to make significant changes to our nation’s gun laws.

Gun violence has become commonplace in our country, an accepted hazard of living in these United States. According to Brady: United Against Gun Violence, an organization dedicated to gun law reform, 321 people of all ages are shot each day in the United States.

Mass shootings occur and many Americans are quick to repeat the mantra, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”

I would agree with this statement in that people kill people with guns because our country lacks sufficient gun safety laws.

Allowing almost anyone and everyone quick and easy access to a firearm fuels an individual to weaponize their hate or emotional or mental distress by purchasing and using a firearm.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently noted that in children and adolescents there was “a sharp 13.5% increase in the crude rate of firearmrelated deaths from 2019 to 2020. This change was driven largely by firearm homicides, which saw a 33.4% increase in the crude rate from 2019 to 2020.”

The NEJM further stated that “in 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death in that age group (1-19 years of age). From 2019 to 2020, the relative increase in the rate of firearmrelated deaths of all types among children and adolescents was 29.5% — more than twice as high as the relative increase in the general population. The increase was seen across most demographic characteristics and types of firearm-related deaths.”

When I became a mother almost four years ago, I learned that there is no such thing as “other people’s children.” The same desire for the safety, health, and well-being of my children is what I want for all children.

In our country, however, the protection of our nation’s children has become secondary to ensuring our Second Amendment right to bear arms remains intact. Our Founding Fathers wrote of the right to bear arms in 1791 when the predominant weapon of choice was a rudimentary musket that could fire three to four rounds per minute.

Now, we claim an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle should also be protected by this same amendment, though it can shoot 20 to 45 bullets per minute, causing such disfiguring injuries that DNA swabs from relatives were needed to identify several of the murdered children in Uvalde.

Gun ownership should be viewed as a privilege rather than a right. This

privilege would be afforded to an individual once they complete a thorough background check.

Currently, federal law prohibits convicted felons and people with certain mental health issues from purchasing firearms.

Background checks are used to screen potential gun buyers to ensure they are not convicted felons or suffering from mental health issues.

When a person buys a gun from a federally licensed dealer, the seller is required to run a background check by submitting information to either the FBI or a state agency. This does not apply to unlicensed dealers, such as people selling guns online or at a gun show.

To increase safe gun ownership, we must push for background checks to become universal, covering the sales of firearms at gun shows, on the internet, and in private transactions.

According to a 2017 study by the Annals of Internal Medicine, “78% of all gun sales in the United States were through licensed firearms dealers while 22% of gun transfers (purchased and nonpurchased) were completed without a background check.”

We must push to close the gaps in our gun safety laws that allow people who are at risk of hurting themselves or others to purchase a gun. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, “Under federal law, gun purchases may move forward by default after three business days—even if a background check has not been completed.

While 90% of federal background checks are completed in minutes, those that take longer than three business days are four times as likely to be denied.”

This gap in the federal law has become known as the “Charleston loophole”

since 2015 when the shooter of nine worshipers at a predominantly Black church in Charleston, South Carolina was able to purchase a gun because of a loophole in the background check system. He was prohibited from purchasing and possessing a firearm but was able to complete the purchase because his background check was not completed within the stated three business days.

Furthermore, we must push to reinstitute the Assault Weapons Ban, which was signed

by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and expired in 2004. This would ban the manufacturing and selling of assault-style rifles like the AR-15.

Assault-style rifles have been the weapon of choice in at least eight mass shootings in the last 10 years, resulting in the deaths of 220 people, according to NPR.org.

This is not a call to wrestle guns away from Americans, but rather a rallying cry to regulate the gun industry. Just as cars have become safer due to the federal regulations and laws put into place (seatbelts, car seats, airbags, etc.), so, too, can America become a safer place when it comes to firearms.

Protecting the right to bear arms should not equal doing nothing to reduce these horrific killings. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue, it is a human issue.

Please call our state’s representatives and senators today to encourage them to vote yes on the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446).

To learn more about how you can advocate for gun reform, please visit Brady United at https://www.bradyunited.org and Everytown for Gun Safety at https://www.everytown.org.

Gazette faces resistance from new city management to supply information about how economic incentive agreements are processed Under the city’s new management, staff most knowledgeable of a subject are prohibited from answering media questions directly.

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazete.com

I

recently wrote to the Gazette’s readers to explain our new policy of identifying obstacles to the transparent flow of information between public employees and their bosses–you, the public. Some of you might not have understood why we take this seriously and how big a problem this has become in Ocala.

Right on cue comes a prime example of the struggle following an inquiry to the city about agenda items at the May 17 city council meeting. Indulge me as I briefly set the table.

The council that day was considering two requests from businesses to get taxpayer dollars to help them grow, known as economic incentive grants.

One came from R&L Carriers, which asked for $300,000 to offset the costs of water, sewer, fire impact fees and building permit fees for their 125,000-square-foot trucking logistics center that is within the city limits. The council unanimously approved the grant without discussion.

Although the agenda noted the project’s expected economic impact, it seemed odd to us that the owners would need any incentives from the city. After all, R&L is owned by the same billionaire developers behind World Equestrian Center. If these grants are some sort of thank you gift for doing business in the city, let’s talk about who else is entitled to that generosity.

That brings us to the second request, this one from GTI Florida, LLC, a medical marijuana growing facility. GTI asked for a rate reduction of up to a 20% for five years from Ocala Electric Utility. The company plans to spend $30 million to erect two buildings totaling 130,000 square feet at the site of the former Mark III facility.

Their request was unanimously denied.

Why, you might ask? Good question.

Councilmember Jay Musleh said the plant was just outside the city limits, so Ocala would not have the benefit of increased property tax revenue.

“Now, I want to say that we don’t just say, well, if you don’t live in the city, we’re not going help you out. We want all of Marion County to grow. But we were we just talked about raising our PCA (Power Cost Adjustment) rate (for OEU customers). We’re doubling it, and yet we’re choosing to give a significant rebate back to a non-city [business],” said Musleh, adding that his thoughts had nothing to do with the company growing cannabis.

Fair enough. Then interim City Manager Pete Lee joined in.

“I’ve had discussions with Mr. Sheilley about this project from the beginning,’’ he said, referring to Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala Marion Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership.

“Aubrey (Hale) has handled everything to do with the agreement, so he can speak more clearly to that. But the one aspect was the 50 full-time positions with $54,000 minimum (salary) was my consideration in beginning.”

Musleh quickly noted GTI is going to build the facility regardless of the incentives and had no choice but to purchase power from OEU. “We just raised [electric] rates and now we want to give a discount here?”

Musleh asked rhetorically.

The Gazette asked city staff to explain how these economic initiative requests are handled. Does it make a difference if they come by way of the CEP? Our interest was piqued for a couple of reasons. For starters, the calculations for the projected return on investment for each of the projects do not appear to have been crafted by the same agency or arrived

at using the same methodology.

More importantly, R&L Carriers is represented by the same law firm that represents the city. Knowing how the deal originated and how the city processed it is relevant for the public to understand whether this truly is an arm’s-length transaction.

Still with me? Good, because here is where the process of us gathering information and context for you goes sideways.

We followed the city’s media policy (drafted, we must note, without input or approval of those of us to whom the policy applies – the media.)

We emailed the city’s spokesperson, Ashley Dobbs, numerous times over the course of 13 days seeking to interview staffers, like Aubry Hale, whom Lee said handled the GTI request. In her email to the Gazette she explained delays, “Due to the complicated process, I just don’t have enough knowledge to be able to provide the information myself.”

Noting that we were approaching the two-week mark for a response to a question, we asked for 10 minutes of Hale’s time. Denied. We could, however, send some written questions.

At this point, Dobbs attaches the city’s media policy again “as a reminder.”

At this point, I don’t know why exactly she thought we needed a reminder since we were 13 days into the policy’s inefficient new cycle, and the memory was still very fresh.

We asked city council members for help breaking the logjam of information.

Only Jay Musleh, Jim Hilty, and Barry Mansfield responded that they’d encourage city management to communicate with the Gazette on the issue.

Councilmember Kristin Dreyer declined to respond, but previously

she told the Gazette she thinks media should be restricted from talking to city staff and only be allowed to talk with a public information officer, “just like a corporation.” We asked then if she understood the difference between a company’s right to privacy and a government’s obligation to be transparent.

She reiterated her position and expressed concern that the press was reporting on issues before she was aware of them, which she did not think was appropriate.

It needs to be stated that this roadblock is new. Under the previous city manager, Sandra Wilson, when the press asked about subjects that were technical, the department head or employee with the most knowledge on the topic was made available for an interview, with the city’s public information officer kept in the loop.

This choking off of public information is not unique to the Gazette and the city of Ocala. The Society of Professional Journalists recently sounded an alarm in their piece Gagging of America: Policies show employee speech heavily restricted across government.

“The silencing of employees is problematic for workers, journalists and the public for many reasons, and is especially troubling in the public sector, which is funded by taxpayers’ dollars and protected by the First Amendment. Even though restrictive speech policies are almost certainly illegal, they remain prevalent.”

This national organization encourages journalists everywhere to push back against this dangerous trend.

“Journalists can seek out and report on gag policies at the agencies they cover, inform sources of their First Amendment rights, and let readers know who isn’t being allowed to speak and what questions aren’t being answered as a result.”

So, now you know.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Greenberg interview Continued from page A1 commissioners raising objections about the proposed development. The following is an interview the Gazette conducted with the couple elaborating on their concerns.

Gazette: In 2005, Marion County made efforts

to protect farmland by establishing a Farmland Preservation Area. What was happening locally around that time to encourage such measures and what role did you play in that preservation initiative?

Judy: In 2002, Walmart approached the commission

about locating a distribution center on Irish Acres Farm in north Marion County along the U.S. 441 corridor. Citizens sent a clear and poignant message to Walmart executives and to the commission opposing the distribution center on that site. Piecemeal development requests along the U.S. 27 corridor and other rural areas gave cause for the citizens to formulate a plan for protecting the last remaining large expanses of rural lands in Marion County. Heightened concern about the health and future of Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs by the state of Florida and Marion County played heavily on the minds and hearts of the citizens. The Farmland Preservation boundaries were determined to encompass major natural land filtration attributes that impact both of these first-magnitude springs. Development had been allowed unchecked in other areas of the county that were equally important to water quality; however, once paved it is lost forever.

A big part of the initial farmland preservation efforts was aimed at protecting the function it serves as a vast network of depressions that are filled with water just waiting to perform a natural function for the springs.

My role in the preservation initiative has been to participate as a volunteer Citizen Planner providing data analysis to support good land-use decisionmaking by the commissioners and by providing workshops to educate the public and government about the Farmland Preservation Area and Transfer of Development Rights Program. One of the first transfer of development rights by the program resulted in the preservation of the north 100 acres of the Orange Lake Overlook just south of the town of McIntosh.

Gazette: The World Equestrian Center developer’s

plans for the former Ocala Jockey Club property require the county commissioners to shift the Urban Growth Boundary into the Farmland Preservation Area. Can you explain in layman’s terms what the Urban Growth Boundary is and why it’s so important to growth planning?

Gary: In simple terms, Urban Growth Boundaries

are exactly what they sound like—they are the spatial boundaries within which urban growth is deemed appropriate and desirable. UGBs are areas targeted (planned) for growth and development as well as areas specifically appropriate for more dense infill (higher density development) as opposed to suburban and

rural areas. Moreover, they are appropriate “receiving areas” with respect to the county’s Transfer of Development Rights program.

Part 2 of chapter 163, Florida Statutes, refers to appropriate planning when maintaining urban, rural, conservation, and other facilities. Placing an urbanstyle development such as WEC within the FPA is completely inappropriate to those who call the FPA home.

Gazette: The county created a special land-use

designation for the WEC developers to build the World Equestrian Center even though it encroached into the Farmland Preservation Area. Now, the developers are asking to develop the former Ocala Jockey Club using that same special WEC land-use designation. What are your thoughts?

Gary: The language of the existing World Equestrian

Center Future Land Use Designation Definition demonstrates inconsistency of thought with Marion County’s Comprehensive Land Use plan and Marion County citizens should take notice.

The WEC land-use designation conflicts with what was originally intended for rural land use since it allows for commercial purposes such as hotels and retail space. Rural land, addressed in policy 2.1.16 of Marion County’s land-use plan, only allowed cluster development under a planned unit development process with a maximum density of one dwelling unit per seven gross acres and a required minimum of 60% open space set aside.

Additionally, under policy 3.3.3., the standard for amending the Farmland Preservation Area requires a new Urban Growth Boundary, which would have all sorts of implications for development in that rural area of the county that has remained outside the boundary.

Judy: Anyone who has been to WEC off 80th Avenue has seen what a beautiful commercial venture they’ve created. It’s stunning, sumptuous, and vibrant. It’s also 100% incompatible as a development within the Marion County Farmland Preservation Area.

Perhaps this special WEC land-use designation made sense for the original area designated for this fabulous World Equestrian Center because the urban and rural lands had already begun to intertwine … because of a growth scenario that was in the making for decades.

However, our “Horse Capital of the World” is a multifaceted jewel. The Farmland Preservation Area is a totally different facet worthy of a separate and distinct land-use definition, not to be confused with or by the special WEC land-use designation.

Gazette: What is your advice to the county

commissioners as they contemplate their decision?

Gary: In an ideal world, decisions by the commission regarding major changes to future land use should be buffered from erratic, day-to-day political maneuvering, and must focus on our long-term goals and objectives. Much like deliberations by the

U.S. Supreme Court attempting to uphold the U.S. Constitution amidst the backdrop of undue social pressure, the county commission must uphold the comprehensive plan.

The highly controversial adoption request by Golden Ocala Equestrian Lands, LLC for the Ocala Jockey Club agricultural parcels located in our Farmland Preservation Area encompasses a major unacceptable divergence from the Farmland Preservation Area’s original intent.

The commissioners will need to weigh the interests of the developer’s request against our future and the public good.

Judy: I’m not going to mince words here. It may be

within the commissioner’s legal rights to allow this incompatibility to proceed unchallenged and to adopt it as submitted. But to do so would be a complete abrogation of their responsibilities as the stewards of our county. I hope the board denies this request and sends it back to the developer to be revised in a manner fitting with the land, the vernacular, and the desires of those who live in this immediate area of the proposed development.

Gazette: There seemed to be disagreement between the county’s growth management department and the planning and zoning commission regarding the developer’s application. Can you attribute that disagreement to anything in particular?

Gary: Yes, the county’s growth service staff

recommended denial since the new proposal creates a huge commercial operation inside the Farmland Preservation Area. As to the Planning and Zoning Commission recommending approval, we both discount that approval since the commission did not have all the proposed policy text during its consideration.

Gazette: What is your personal motivation for speaking up on this matter now? Would your home be impacted by this proposed development?

Gary: Every person who has chosen a rural lifestyle

is negatively impacted by development such as this. It completely changes the landscape and once built, will never be returned to open space.

When we bought our property, we specifically paid attention to the zoning rights and restrictions for the region (agriculture, one unit per 10 acres, etc). We, along with many others, have worked hard to see this maintained and preserved.

We have witnessed people move into the rural community from other, more-developed locations and then go to county commission meetings complaining about the smell of cow manure or the noise of tractors starting by daybreak. It’s problematic for the working farmers and the benefits they produce for us all.

The line between rural and urban/suburban is crucial to Marion County’s future—it must be preserved and protected.

HONORABLE MENTION

‘Horse Capital Television’ receives Communicator Awards

By Ocala Gazette Staff

O

cala-based “Horse Capital Television” won three Awards of Excellence at the 28th-annual Communicator Awards presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, according to a May 25 press release.

Barbara Hooper, host of “Horse Capital Television,” was named Best Host for the Virtual and Remote Category for her work on the “Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association 2021 Champions Award Show.”

“There was a very large pool of talented communicators entered and I am truly honored to have received this award,” Hooper said. “Our team as ‘Horse Capital TV’ work hard every day to share the best quality of equine stories to those living in the Horse Capital of the World.”

With more than 4,000 entries received from across the United States and around the world, the Communicator Awards is among the most expansive and competitive awards programs honoring creative excellence for communications professionals, the release said.

“These awards reflect our commitment to a broadcast quality standard and the

equestrian industry around us; we are honored and humbled to be recognized for our efforts,” said Sean Kaplan, “Horse Capital Television” CEO and founder.

In addition, “Horse Capital Television” was presented an Award of Excellence for Campaigns & Series – News & Informational for Social Media and an Award for Excellence for Campaign or Series – Web Series for Online Video.

“With the ‘Horse Capital TV’ brand as our vehicle, we sought to produce the highest caliber program we could,” said Tammy Gantt, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (FTBOA) associate vice president of Members Services and Events.

“After researching what other national awards shows both inside and outside of our industry were doing, we set the bar high for quality with our proven format and a platform that could attract the most viewers as we showcased our industry’s Floridabred champions and their connections.”

“It’s a special and rewarding moment for Barbara, Sean and myself to be recognized for a project we loved creating,” Gantt added.

Launched in 2018, “Horse Capital Television” is the

official video network of the Horse Capital of the World, according to the press release.

Kaplan Media partnered with the FTBOA to create relevant content that supports the

equine industry.

“Horse Capital Television” airs on WCJB, channel 20, in Gainesville, each Wednesday morning during the “TV20 Morning Edition” and each

Sunday at 11 p.m. The program is also available on Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and selected downloadable apps on Google Play and the Apple app store.

Horse Capital Television’s Barbara Hooper riding World Cup Grand Champion Fino Stallion, Vivaldi de Besilu at the Besilu Collection in Micanopy.

[Stunning Steeds/Cheri Prill]

A5

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Cotton says she is ready to hold county judge seat in 2022 election after last year’s appointment

County Judge Lori Cotten [Supplied]

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

B

ack in November, it was announced that Lori Cotton had filed to run for the county court judge position she has held through appointment since May 2021.

A longtime prosecutor, Cotton was first appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the judicial vacancy following the retirement of the Honorable Judge Sarah Ritterhoff.

Cotton was officially swornin on June 1, 2021. She had her investiture ceremony a few weeks ago; it had previously been delayed several times due to COVID-19.

Last week, Cotton told the “Gazette” that she’s more than ready to hold the seat in her first election later this year.

“It took me a little bit of time to figure out how I wanted to do things [as a judge], because I don’t do things exactly the same way my predecessor did,” explained Cotton on May 27.

“I follow the law, of course, but I’ve definitely got a direction and a plan of my own now. I know exactly where I’m headed.”

Cotton currently presides over the alternative DUI

Court, small claims and civil infractions. She also rotates every four weeks presiding over first appearances and arraignments.

And though her number one job is to take care of her caseload, Cotton admitted, she loves most helping those she can in DUI Court turn their lives around.

“It is so incredible to witness people who want to get better, who want to get sober, do so and move on with their lives in a safe way,” she said.

Last October, Cotton’s daughter, Riley, 21, was involved in a DUI accident while driving her mother’s car that resulted in injuries to the people in the other car, as well as to herself.

In a Facebook post on May 21, Cotton told the public that the local sheriff ’s office called for the whereabouts of her daughter for the first time since the warrant was issued on March 2, 2022.

According to Cotton’s public post, her daughter spent a month in the hospital recovering after the accident, before then seeking out an alcohol rehabilitation facility.

Cotton told the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office that her daughter was at a rehab facility in south Florida, which resulted in Riley being arrested a week ago by authorities in Broward County, where she currently remains in police custody, according to Cotton, who has not bonded her out or seen her since January when she initially entered the facility.

Witnessing her daughter’s struggles with alcohol have helped to provide Cotton with some deeply personal insights on the issue, she said, both as a mother and a human being, insights she then applies to the cases she presides over in her courtroom as a judge.

“If we can equip those in my DUI Court to be sober and live without putting people on the roads at risk, then we are doing a whole lot more to help the community than we would be by

just putting them in jail alone,” said Cotton. “I really want to work on finding a better way.”

Cotton graduated from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, in 2001. Previous to her appointment, Cotton had been an assistant state attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit for 20 years, practicing criminal law. She also acted as legal advisor for the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Task Force, including approving warrants and assisting in wiretap investigations.

Over the last year since her appointment, Cotton said the job of county judge had surprised her in many ways—first among them was how much she has relished the work.

“I have been surprised at some of the things that I enjoy that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought that I would have enjoyed coming in,” she said. “For example, the management of the civil docket: it’s challenging, and it’s changing.”

The Florida Supreme Court has directed judges to handle their own dockets, said Cotton, which has changed recently over the past couple of years.

“They’re basically telling judges to drive the bus,” she said.

Being in the courtroom, presiding over cases as a judge, Cotton said, has given her a deep appreciation for the profoundness of her role in the Florida legal system, something she hadn’t experienced to this degree as a criminal lawyer.

“When you’re a judge, and the words are coming out of your mouth, speaking about Constitutional rights, it has a very heavy, profound feeling,” said Cotton.

“Honestly, I’m still thrilled, every day that I get to do this job. That feeling has not worn off after a year,” she added. “I’m just so excited that I’ve been entrusted with a job that I love doing and hope to continue doing further.”

William Harris, an assistant attorney with Marion County, joins Cotton in the race for the County Judge seat. He filed in March of this year, according to documents filed with the Marion County Supervisor of Elections office.

As of May 31, Cotton had $31,030.88 in monetary contributions, $576.63 in in-kind contributions and $3,222.79 in total expenditures and distributions, according to VoteMarion.gov. Harris had $28,825 in contributions and $10,016.33 in total expenditures and distributions.

County court judges serve sixyear terms and are often referred to as “the people’s courts,” mainly because a large part of the courts’ work involves voluminous citizen disputes, such as traffic offenses, less serious criminal matters (misdemeanors) and relatively small monetary disputes involving $30,000 or less.

County Judge Lori Cotten is seen here surrounded by friends, family and colleagues to celebrate her investiture at the Marion County Judicial Center on May 6, 2022. [Supplied]

Sarah James files to run for School Board District 5 seat, joins Taylor Smith in race Incumbent Kelly King has yet to file her intent to run.

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

S

Sarah James [Supplied]

arah James has filed her intent to run for the Marion County School Board District 5 seat in the upcoming 2022 election cycle, according to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website.

When asked why she is running, James put it simply: she is a parent first and foremost. And as a parent with a daughter entering kindergarten soon, the mother of three confessed that she has an invested interest in the success of Marion County Public Schools (MCPS).

Specifically, James said, she wants to focus on recruiting and retaining qualified personnel throughout the district.

“Not only as our teachers,” she explained, “but I’m also looking at our bus drivers and our custodial staff.”

Furthermore, James expressed concern over how much and how quickly the district is currently growing.

“We have lots of people coming to Marion County. We really need to plan for responsible growth, all while keeping a balanced budget

and making sure the budget remains student-centered,” she said.

Along with student-centered budgets and responsible growth, James said she wants to see a healthy expansion of vocational opportunities available for Marion County students as well, keeping future graduates in the area and contributing to Ocala’s ongoing success.

“As our students are entering their junior and senior years, we want to make sure that they are given opportunities to get that vocational education, so they can get direct job placement in Marion County and have practical job experience before applying for all of our industries here,” said James.

If elected, James expressed her desire to help the School Board work together, to make the tough decisions that are necessary, all while putting the best interests of MCPS students first.

“I think that’s one of the biggest things,” she said. “And then we are obviously going to have to continue to focus on hardening all of our school campuses and making sure they are meeting the standard that was set in 2018.”

A University of Florida graduate, James received her Masters in

Education from the University of Central Florida and her doctorate in Educational Leadership from National Louis University.

She has more than 10 years of experience in public and private education, according to her campaign website, working as a teacher in grades Pre-K through Grade 10. Additionally, she has previously worked as an administrator on the elementary and high school levels.

James joins Taylor Smith in the District 5 race. Parish Tanner, who had previously filed to run, withdrew in late April. James currently has $0 in contributions as of June 1; Smith has $0 as well.

Current District 5 board member Kelly King, elected in 2018, has yet to file her intent to run in 2022 as of this reporting.

The voter registration deadline is July 25. Election Day will be held on Aug. 23. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

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

A6

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

MCSO ANNOUNCES CITIZENS ACADEMY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Marion County Sheriff ’s Office (MCSO) Citizens Academy and Partnership (CAP) program is currently accepting applications for classes beginning in September 2022, according to a May 31 press release.

The free seven-week educational course about the operations of the sheriff ’s office will be held at the MCSO Multi-Purpose Room, 3300 N.W. 10th

St., every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. starting on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

During the program, MCSO staff will highlight all units within the Sheriff ’s Office, giving citizens an in-depth understanding of what the agency is doing for the community, said the release. Each week will focus on a different aspect of the agency, personnel, equipment, policies, procedures and overall function.

Students will have an opportunity to view specialty unit equipment, hear from experts in the fields of law enforcement, investigations, detention and administration.

To apply, visit the MCSO website at www.marionso.com/citizens-academy.

For more information, contact Wendy Holland, MCSO volunteer coordinator, at wholland@marionso.com or call at (352) 369-6761.

M

arion County Public Schools said it anticipates providing over 200,000 meals to children in need this summer with the continuation of its Summer Food Service Plan.

The long-standing program is available to anyone 18 years old or younger, and a breakfast and a lunch will be provided per person at 33 different locations throughout Marion County on Mondays through Thursdays from June 6 until July 14, according to

MCPS Public Relations Director Kevin Christian.

“Any child who walks in within those age parameters is welcome to eat,” Christian said. “It doesn’t matter where they go to school, or if they even go to school at all.”

The funding for the meals is provided

by Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the district will be reimbursed for all program related expenses, according to MCPS. “The following 10 organizations will

also be community delivery centers to serve students participating in their respective programs: Blessed Trinity Catholic Church; Boys & Girls Clubs in Dunnellon, Marion County, and Silver Springs Shores; Central Christian Church; E.D. Croskey Recreation Center; Frank Deluca YMCA; Greater New Hope Church; Lillian Bryant Center, Ocala Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” said Christian in a press release on Tuesday.

For more information on distribution locations and available food choices, see the Food and Nutrition Services Homepage or call 352-671-4190.

Baby formula shortage highlights racial disparities

File photo

By Jacquelyn Martin, Adriana Gomez Licon and Terry Tang Associated Press

C

apri Isidoro broke down in tears in the office of a lactation consultant.

The mother of two had been struggling to breastfeed her 1-month-old daughter ever since she was born, when the hospital gave the baby formula first without consulting her on her desire to breastfeed.

Now, with massive safety recall and supply disruptions causing formula shortages across the United States, she also can’t find the specific formula that helps with her baby’s gas pains.

“It is so sad. It shouldn’t be like this,” said Isidoro, who lives in the Baltimore suburb of Ellicott City. “We need formula for our kid, and where is this formula going to come from?”

As parents across the United States struggle to find formula to feed their children, the pain is particularly acute among Black and Hispanic women.

Black women have historically faced obstacles to breastfeeding, including a lack of lactation support in the hospital, more pressure to formula feed and cultural roadblocks. It’s one of many inequalities for Black mothers : They are far more likely to die from pregnancy complications, and less likely to have their concerns about pain taken seriously by doctors.

Low-income families buy the majority of formula in the U.S., and face a particular struggle: Experts fear small neighborhood grocery stores that serve these vulnerable populations are not replenishing as much as larger retail stores, leaving some of these families without the resources or means to hunt for formula.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20% of Black women and 23% of Hispanic women exclusively breastfeed through six months, compared to 29% of white women. The overall rate stands at 26%.

Hospitals that encourage breastfeeding

and overall lactation support are less prevalent in Black neighborhoods, according to the CDC. The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses also says Hispanic and Black women classified as low wage workers have less access to lactation support in their workplaces.

The racial disparities reach far back in America’s history. The demands of slave labor prevented mothers from nursing their children, and slave owners separated mothers from their own babies to have them serve as wet nurses, breastfeeding other women’s children.

In the 1950s, racially targeted commercials falsely advertised formula as a superior source of nutrition for infants.

And studies continue to show that the babies of Black mothers are more likely to be introduced to formula in the hospital than the babies of white mothers, which happened to Isidoro after her emergency cesarean section.

Physicians say introducing formula means the baby will require fewer feedings from the mother, decreasing the milk supply as the breast is not stimulated enough to produce.

Andrea Freeman, author of the book “Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race and Injustice,” said these mothers still aren’t getting the support they need when it comes to having the choice of whether to breastfeed or use formula. They also may have jobs that do not accommodate the time and space needed for breastfeeding or pumping milk, Freeman said.

“Nobody’s taking responsibility for the fact that they’ve steered families of color toward formula for so many years and made people rely on it and taken away choice. And then when it falls apart, there’s not really any recognition or accountability,” Freeman said.

Breastfeeding practices are often influenced by previous generations, with some studies suggesting better outcomes for mothers who were breastfed when they were babies.

Kate Bauer, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said she began hearing back in February about Black and Latino families in Detroit and Grand Rapids feeling stuck after finding smaller grocery stores running out of formula.

Some were told to go to the local office of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC, the federal program that supports lowincome expectant and new mothers.

Between 50% and 65% of the formula in the U.S. is bought through the program.

“Going to the WIC office is like a full day’s errand for some moms,” Bauer said.

She fears mothers are getting desperate enough to try foods that are not

- 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

STUDENTS CAN CONTINUE TO RECEIVE FREE MEALS AT SELECT LOCATIONS THROUGH THE SUMMER

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

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

recommended for babies under 6 months.

Yury Navas, a Salvadoran immigrant who works at a restaurant and lives in Laurel, Maryland, says she was not able to produce enough breast milk and struggled to find the right formula for her nearly 3-month-old baby Jose Ismael, after others caused vomiting, diarrhea and discomfort.

One time, they drove half an hour to a store where workers told them they had the type she needed, but it was gone when they got there. Her husband goes out every night to search pharmacies around midnight.

“It’s so hard to find this type,” she said, saying sometimes they have run out before they can secure more formula.

“The baby will cry and cry, so we give him rice water.”

On a recent day, she was down to her last container and called an advocacy group that had told her it would try to get her some at an appointment in five days. But the group could not guarantee anything.

Some mothers have turned to social media and even befriended other locals to cast a wider net during shopping trips.

In Miami, Denise Castro, who owns a construction company, started a virtual group to support new moms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it’s helping moms get the formula they need as they go back to work. One of them is a Hispanic teacher whose job leaves her with little flexibility to care for her 2-month old infant, who has been sensitive to a lot of formula brands.

“Most of the moms we have been helping are Black and Latinas,” Castro said. “These moms really don’t have the time to visit three to four places in their lunch hour.”

Lisette Fernandez, a 34-year-old Cuban American first-time mother of twins, has relied on friends and family to find the liquid 2-ounce bottles she needs for her boy and girl. Earlier this week, her father went to four different pharmacies before he was able to get her some boxes with the tiny bottles. They run out quickly as the babies grow.

Fernandez said she wasn’t able to initiate breastfeeding, trying with an electric pump but saying she produced very little. Her mother, who arrived in Miami from Cuba as a 7-year-old girl, had chosen not to breastfeed her children, saying she did not want to, and taken medication to suppress lactation.

Some studies have attributed changes in breastfeeding behavior among Hispanics to assimilation, saying Latina immigrants perceive formula feeding as an American practice.

“Over the last three to six weeks it has been insane,” Fernandez said. “I am used to everything that COVID has brought.

But worrying about my children not having milk? I did not see that coming.”

James Blevins, Reporter james@ocalagazette.com Caroline Brauchler, Reporter caroline@ocalagazette.com Rosemarie Donell, Reporter rosemarie@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Greg Hamilton, Editor greg@magnoliamediaco.com Amy Harbert, Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com Lisa Maliff, Graphic Designer lisa.maliff@magnoliamediaco.com

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A7

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

BUSINESS

Prepare for sticker shock if you are traveling this summer

File photo

By David Koenig AP Airlines Writer

A

irlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during travel.

Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even exceed levels in the good-old, pre-pandemic days.

However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019, and that has at times contributed to widespread flight cancellations.

People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.

Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 a round trip, 24% higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a whopping 45% higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper.

“The time to have gotten cheap summer flights was probably three or four months ago,” says Scott Keyes, who runs the Scott’s Cheap Flights site.

Internationally, fares are also up from 2019, but only 10%. Prices to Europe are about 5% cheaper than before the pandemic — $868 for the average round trip, according to Hopper. Keyes said

Europe is the best travel bargain out there.

Steve Nelson of Mansfield, Texas, was standing in line this week at a security checkpoint in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, ready to board a flight to Nice, France, with plans to attend a Formula One race in Monaco.

“I decided it’s time to work on my bucket list,” Nelson said. “I hadn’t even considered Monaco until this year.”

Although many countries have eased rules for travel, there are still restrictions in place that add to the hassle factor.

Notably, the United States still requires a negative COVID-19 test within a day of flying to the country.

“We only realized that a couple days before coming here. We kind of panicked to find a place to get tested,” said Jonny Dawe, a software engineer from Bath, England, who was in Dallas for a conference — his first major trip since the pandemic started. “You have to check all the testing requirements for the countries you are visiting, and you have to worry about contracting the virus.”

Online spending on U.S. flights eased in April after a torrid March, but it’s still up 23% from spring 2019 mostly because of higher prices, according to Adobe Analytics.

Airlines blame the steeper fares on jet fuel roughly doubling in price over 2019. It’s more than that, however. The number of flights has not returned to

pre-pandemic levels even though demand for travel is surging.

“We have more travelers looking to book fewer seats, and each of those seats is going to be more expensive for airlines to fly this summer because of jet fuel,” says Hopper economist Hayley Berg.

When travelers reach their destination, they will be greeted with hotel rates that are up about one-third from last year. Hotels are filling up faster, too. Hotel companies blame the higher prices on increasing cost for supplies as well as workers in a tight labor market.

Rental cars were hard to find and very expensive last summer, but that seems to have eased as the rental companies rebuild their fleets. The nationwide average price is currently around $70 a day, according to Hopper.

Jonathan Weinberg, founder of a rental car shopping site called AutoSlash, said prices and availability of vehicles will be very uneven. It won’t be as bad as last summer, but prices for vehicles will still be “way above average, if you can even find one,” in Hawaii, Alaska and near destinations such as national parks.

Even if you drive your own car, it’ll still be pricey. The national average for regular gasoline hit $4.60 a gallon on Thursday — more than $6 in California.

Those prices have some people considering staying home.

“You don’t really get used to $6 gas,” said Juliet Ripley of San Diego as she paid $46.38 to put 7.1 gallons in her Honda Civic. The single mom of two has no summer vacation plans other than an occasional trip to a nearby beach.

For those determined to travel, however, it is an open question whether airlines, airports, hotels and other travel businesses will be able to handle them.

More than 2.1 million people a day on average are boarding planes in the United States, about 90% of 2019 levels and a number that is sure to grow by several hundred thousand a day by July.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has tapped nearly 1,000 checkpoint screeners who can move from one airport to another, depending on where they are needed most.

“We are as ready as we possibly can be,”

says TSA chief David Pekoske.

Airlines that paid employees to quit when travel collapsed in 2020 are now scrambling to hire enough pilots, flight attendants and other workers. The largest four U.S. airlines — American, Delta, United and Southwest — together had roughly 36,000 fewer employees at the start of 2022 than before the pandemic, a drop of nearly 10%, despite aggressive hiring that started last year.

Pilots are in particularly short supply at smaller regional airlines that operate nearly half of all U.S. flights under names like American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express.

Airlines are trimming summer schedules to avoid overloading their staffs and canceling flights at the last minute. This week, Delta cut about 100 flights a day, or 2%, from its July schedule, and more than 150 flights a day on average, or 3%, in August.

Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue previously reduced summer flights.

Cancellations aren’t limited to the U.S. In the United Kingdom, easyJet and British Airways scrubbed many flights this spring because of staffing shortages.

Air travel within Europe is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels this summer, although visitors from outside the region will likely be down 30% from 2019, according to a new report from the European Travel Commission. The group doesn’t expect international travel to return to normal until 2025.

Russia’s war in Ukraine does not appear to be hurting bookings to most of Europe, according to travel experts, but it will reduce the number of Russian and Ukrainian travelers, whose favorite destinations include Cyprus, Montenegro, Latvia, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania, the commission said.

Russian tourists tend to be big spenders, so their absence will hurt tourism economies in those destinations.

Also largely missing: Chinese tourists, the world’s largest travel spenders, who remain largely restricted by their government’s “zero-COVID” strategy.

Some European destinations report that the number of Chinese tourists is down by more than 90% from 2019.

Kelvin Chan in London and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Key inflation gauge slowed to still-high 6.3% over past year

By Christopher Rugaber AP Economics Writer

A

n inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve rose 6.3% in April from a year earlier, the first slowdown since November 2020 and a sign that high prices may finally be moderating, at least for now.

The inflation figure the Commerce Department reported Friday was below the four-decade high of 6.6% set in March.

While high inflation is still causing hardships for millions of households, any slowing of price increases, if sustained, would provide some modest relief.

The report also showed that consumer spending rose at a healthy 0.9% annual rate from March to April, outpacing the month-to-month inflation rate for a fourth straight time.

The ongoing willingness of the nation’s consumers to keep spending freely despite inflated prices is helping sustain the economy. Yet all that spending is helping keep prices high and could make the Federal Reserve’s goal of taming inflation even harder.

“Inflation is finally slowing, but it’s a little early for highfives,” said Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank.

Adams noted that gas and food prices have risen in May and that Russia’s war against Ukraine and COVID-19-related

lockdowns in China could further disrupt supply shortages and send prices accelerating again.

Consumers’ resilience in the face of sharply higher prices suggests that economic growth is rebounding in the current April-June quarter. The economy shrank at a 1.5% annual rate in the first quarter, mostly because of an increase in the trade deficit.

But analysts now project that, on an annual basis, it’s growing as much as 3% in the current quarter.

Americans have been able to keep spending, despite higher inflation, because of rising wages, a stockpile of savings built up during the pandemic and a rebound in credit card use.

Economists say those factors could bolster spending and support the economy for much of this year.

Incomes rose 0.4% from March to April, Friday’s report showed, slightly faster than inflation. Still, high inflation is forcing consumers, on average, to save less. The savings rate fell to 4.4% last month, the lowest level since 2008. Overall, though, Americans have built up an additional $2.5 trillion in savings since the pandemic, and economists calculate that that pile is eroding only slowly.

Friday’s report showed that on a month-to-month basis, prices rose 0.2% from March to April, down from the 0.9% increase from February to March. The

April increase was the smallest since November 2020.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 0.3% from March to April, matching the previous month’s rise. Core prices climbed 4.9% from a year earlier, the first such drop since October 2020.

Still, inflation remains painfully high, and it’s inflicting a heavy burden in particular on lower-income households, many of them Black or Hispanic.

Surging demand for furniture, appliances and other goods, combined with supply chain snarls, began sending prices surging about a year ago.

Consumers have shifted some of their spending from goods to services, like airline fares and entertainment tickets. That trend could help cool inflation in the months ahead, though it’s unclear by how much.

Goods prices, which were the major drivers of inflation last year, fell 0.2% from March to April after having jumped the previous month. Used car prices dropped 2.3% in April, though they’re still much more expensive than a year ago. The cost of clothing, appliances, and computers also declined.

And retailers like Target have reported rising stockpiles of televisions, patio furniture and other goods for the home as consumers have shifted their spending more toward travel

and services-related goods like luggage and restaurant gift cards.

Those stores will likely have to offer discounts to clear inventory in the coming months. And auto manufacturers have been ramping up production as some supply chain snarls untangle and as they have managed to hire more workers. Both trends could keep reducing the cost of manufactured items.

Yet the cost of such services as restaurant meals, plane tickets and hotel rooms is still rising, offsetting much of the relief from cheaper goods. And the rising prices of gas and food, worsened

by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will keep measures of inflation painfully high at least into the summer. The national average price of a gallon of gas has reached $4.60, according to AAA. A year ago, it was $3.04.

Chair Jerome Powell has pledged to keep ratcheting up the Fed’s key short-term interest rate until inflation is “coming down in a clear and convincing way.” Those rate hikes have spurred fears that the Fed, in its drive to slow borrowing and spending, may push the economy into a recession. That concern has caused sharp drops in stock prices in the past two months, though markets have rallied this week.

Powell has signaled that the Fed will likely raise its benchmark rate by a half-point in both June and July — twice the

size of the usual rate increase.

Most economists have forecast that inflation, as measured by the Fed’s preferred gauge, will still be at about 4% or higher by the end of this year. Price increases at that level would likely mean that the Fed will still raise interest rates to lower inflation to its 2% target.

A better-known inflation gauge, the consumer price index, earlier this month also reported a slowing in price gains. The CPI jumped 8.3% in April from a year earlier, down from a 40-year high in March of 8.5%.

The inflation measure reported Friday, called the personal consumption expenditures price index, differs in several ways from the consumer price index that help explain why it shows a lower inflation level than the CPI does.

The PCE is a broader measure of inflation that includes payments made on behalf of consumers, such as medical services covered by insurance or government programs. The CPI covers only out-of-pocket costs, which in recent years have risen more. Rents, which are steadily rising, are also given less weight in the PCE than in the CPI. The PCE price index also seeks to account for changes in how people shop when inflation jumps. As a result, it can capture, for example, when consumers switch from pricey national brands to cheaper store brands.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

COMMENTARY

Florida’s modest step on property insurance

By Tampa Bay Times

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umbling in the dark for a solution to high rates Florida lawmakers set modest goals for this week’s special session on property insurance, and that’s exactly what they achieved. The handful of reforms aren’t likely to make a serious dent in fastrising rate increases, at least for the near term. It’s also unclear if the changes will bring more protections and oversight to an opaque industry. The outcome is the product of a disengaged Legislature and state regulators who were unprepared.

Lawmakers seemed preordained to return to Tallahassee, having failed to address insurance during the regular session in an election-year where rates are increasing by double-digits and insurers are shedding tens of thousands of policies.

On the consumers’ side, lawmakers are reviving a 16-year-old program that could give homeowners up to $10,000 to stormharden their homes, which could help curb skyrocketing rates. The measures also bar insurers from refusing to cover some homes solely because of an older roof. For the industry, the legislation creates new access to reinsurance, a critical financial backstop for carriers, and limits the amount attorneys can collect in lawsuits against insurance companies.

The changes can help but many

certainly amount to low-hanging fruit.

The home hardening program, known as My Safe Florida Home, could enable thousands of homeowners to get free home inspections and matching state grants to replace their windows, doors and roofs, But the program’s past iteration was marred by incompetence and fraud during its two-year run. Considering their support for the program, lawmakers should have used the opportunity to provide it the resources necessary to be both meaningful and accountable. But legislators gave the program $150 million, 40% less than the $250 million the Legislature committed in 2006. Given the state’s growth, healthy reserves and increased risks from a warming climate, this wasn’t the time to be pound-foolish.

Lawmakers also took steps to curb the number of lawsuits filed against insurers over disputed claims. Carriers and Florida officials have long blamed excessive litigation by trial lawyers and fraudulent claims from roofers for driving up costs.

The bill limits an attorney’s ability to charge double or triple their normal rates, except in a “rare and exceptional circumstance.” It also eliminates automatic payments for attorneys who are assigned benefits under a lawsuit against insurers, and it tightens anti-fraud provisions governing how contractors can solicit homeowners to make an insurance claim.

Lawmakers, though, haven’t done any analyses to determine what effect the legislation will have on homeowners’ rates.

State officials said it’s unlikely rates will go down for at least 18 months. They also don’t know how many companies would tap into the reinsurance program. Another unknown: How much do those lawsuits actually cost insurers?

“This has been a constant source of frustration,” House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, told reporters about the lack of data on Tuesday. “It is very difficult for us to do anything on any policy area without information.”

What’s going on here? Florida’s property insurance crisis and the state’s vulnerability to hurricanes is hardly a lastminute surprise. Why hasn’t the speaker, the Senate president or the governor demanded some hard data and straight answers long before now?

“We haven’t heard from anyone from (the Office of Insurance Regulation),” Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, remarked Monday more than two hours into a Senate committee hearing. State Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier sat in the back of the room. Legislators this week convened no panels of experts and heard no testimony from key state insurance officials, including the Department of Financial Services, which splits insurance regulation with Altmaier’s office. The

legislation passed by the House and Senate, released less than 72 hours before the start of the special session, each received a single hearing, and Republican leaders entertained no serious debate or discussion about amending them.

As the Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower noted, the Legislature — from start to finish — spent a total of three days in Tallahassee to address what most agree is a five-alarm crisis in the state’s insurance market.

Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, the Senate’s point person on the reforms, said he’s asked Senate leadership to hold a workshop over the summer to explore the issue. We won’t hold our breath.

What’s required to get Tallahassee’s attention? The Legislature found plenty of time this year to marginalize gays, fight Disney World and create a new elections police force. But the Office of Insurance Regulation still hasn’t produced data about lawsuits against insurers that lawmakers wanted underway this year. Maybe Jimmy Patronis needs to pay more attention to his regulatory responsibilities as the state’s elected CFO instead of tweeting about Joe Biden’s flaws and the best chicken fingers in Jacksonville.

The ballooning cost of homeowners’ insurance is a dinner-table worry for everyday Floridians. They deserve better from their state leaders.

Arrests in ghost-candidate case could lead to more truth

By Orlando Sentinel

E

ight misdemeanor and four felony charges, most centered on the giving and receiving of relatively small donations in 2020′s hotly contested state Senate District 9 race. Three new defendants, two of whom are active in in Seminole County political circles and one who earned the title “ghost candidate” by filing as a nonpartisan in a state Senate race then slipping away to Sweden.

And one very big — and welcome — surprise.

Many political observers had given up hope for closure in Central Florida’s chapter of the 2020 ghost candidate scandal. It featured a pattern also seen in South Florida districts 37 and 39: A candidate with no party affiliation — in this case Jestine Iannotti, a former substitute teacher for Seminole County Schools — qualified in a tight Senate race between Republican Jason Brodeur and Democrat Patricia Sigman. She didn’t campaign or answer questions; in fact, she left the country for Sweden. But a mysterious political committee was active on her behalf, sending out campaign mail picturing a Black woman (Iannotti is white) and pitching her as a progressive alternative to Sigman. Those ads were nearly identical to mailers in the two South Florida districts.

Action has been slow in coming. More than a year has passed since the March 2021 arrests of key figures in the District 37 race. (Former state senator Frank Artiles is expected to go to trial this fall on charges that he orchestrated that scheme, including a payment of $50,000 to a ghost candidate with the same name as the Democratic incumbent.) Around that time State Attorney Phil Archer, who represents the judicial circuit that covers most of that district, told the Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell that his office didn’t investigate crimes.

But the Florida Department of Law Enforcement does. Archer contacted the agency in July, and their investigation led to the arrest of Iannotti, along with political operative Eric Foglesong and Ben Paris, chair of the Seminole County Republican Executive Committee.

All of the charges announced Tuesday focus on bogus campaign contributions — including one from a man who told the Sentinel he never contributed to Iannotti and didn’t know who she was, even though he was listed as one of four donors to her campaign.

Critics may dismiss this case as small potatoes: There’s no evidence that Iannotti’s candidacy changed the outcome of the Senate race, though it cut Brodeur’s lead to a razor-thin margin. But step back, and it’s easy to see why it’s a big deal. The committee that sent out mailers

touting Iannotti is part of a daisy chain of links that connect political scandals large and small across Florida.

The documents released this week reveal no new connections between the three defendants and other highprofile figures. But the same types of shadowy committees with bland names keep showing up — waystations on a vast underground river of secretive political cash, often visibly interconnected but constructed in ways that make it impossible to trace campaign spending back to the deep pockets from which it flowed.

Secrecy can be a fragile thing, however. Every time prosecutors make another arrest, they increase the potential for self-interested cooperation from powerful Floridians who are able to follow that money — because they help make the decisions that direct its flow.

That’s why the Sentinel will keep pursuing this story, and why we hope state attorneys, law enforcement agencies, elections officials and other truth seekers keep pushing to uncover the truth about power and money in Florida. We are convinced that what happened in Senate District 9 is just one small part of an overall picture , but Seminole County is emerging as a significant node through which many connections flow. The people of Florida deserve to know the truth, and we hope Archer is ready to play a leading role in uncovering it.

Trump-appointed judge slams Florida’s attack on the First Amendment.

By Miami Herald

T

hat’s a relief.

In their frenzy to protect Donald Trump’s “free speech” rights to spread falsehoods on social media, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans appear to have misunderstood — or flat-out ignored — the First Amendment.

That beloved 45-word amendment to the U.S. Constitution gets its fair share of mentions in political speeches. But, in Florida, it sometimes applies only to those who toe the line of the party in power.

Disney learned that the hard way when it got blacklisted for opposing a parentalrights bill critics call “Don’t say gay.”

One group that really gets under the governor’s skin are Silicon Valley’s “Big Tech” firms, the so-called “woke” folks who banned Trump from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube after the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol last year. Despite warnings that he would run afoul of the U.S. Constitution, DeSantis pushed a bill through the Legislature that, among other things, fined social-media companies for de-platforming political candidates in the run-up to an election. Disney, which at the time hadn’t yet fallen from grace with Republicans, earned a special exemption for its mobile platforms.

HARSH WORDS

To no one’s surprise, the 11th U.S. Circuit

Court of Appeals recently ruled that the law restricts tech companies’ First Amendment rights. In a decision ironically written by a Trump appointee, appellate Judge Kevin Newsom, the court dressed down Senate Bill 7072: “The government can’t tell a private person or entity what to say or how to say it.”

The court upheld most of a preliminary injunction imposed last year by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who had even harsher words, saying the tech crackdown is “riddled with imprecision and ambiguity.”

After the appeals-court ruling, a DeSantis spokesman posted on Twitter, “Our office is currently reviewing the options for appeal. We will continue to fight big tech censorship and protect the First Amendment rights of Floridians.” How odd to bring up the First Amendment, given that it makes it clear that, “Congress shall make no law” abridging the freedom of speech (as well the exercise of religion, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances). In other words, the amendment is largely understood to restrict government regulations on speech — the very thing that DeSantis and lawmakers attempted to do.

Trump, in or out of elected office, has no “First Amendment right” to post whatever he wants on Twitter, just like he doesn’t have the right to force, for

example, a newspaper to run a column he’s written. Such companies are privately owned and allowed to regulate the content that they feature. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974 ruled the Miami Herald was not obligated to print a response by a state House candidate to an editorial, striking down the state’s “right-to-reply” law. Likewise, Judge Newson wrote socialmedia sites exercise “editorial judgment to curate the content that they display and disseminate.” That said, Elon Musk, who has made an offer to buy Twitter, says he would reverse the ban on Trump, as would be his right.

BIG TECH IS NO SAINT

DeSantis isn’t entirely wrong about the need to hold tech companies accountable and about users’ lack of control over their personal information. The appellate court allowed parts of the Florida law to stand, some of which are reasonable. That was enough for Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to try to spin in a tweet that the court’s decision as victory for the state. No quite. Still, for example, the law requires social-media platforms to publish their standards for determining how they censor, de-platform and “shadow ban” users. That’s overdue accountability we can support.

Tech’s slew of problematic business practices range from Facebook’s role in Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election to a whistle blower’s testimony

to Congress about the company’s knowledge that its platforms harm young girls. Democrats and Republicans recognize such companies must be reined in, but they’re limited by a 1996 federal law known as Section 230 that shields online platform from lawsuits over what their users post. Yet congressional inaction is unacceptable.

If conservatives want to force socialmedia sites to allow users who violate their policies to remain on their platform, then they can’t cry foul if liberal states compel these companies to ban people spreading misinformation. The latter is actually what threatens our democracy and augments polarization, not the perceived “censorship” of conservative voices by “woke” tech corporations. A New York University study published last year found the claim that platforms target right-wing content for removal is “a falsehood with no reliable evidence to support it.”

Falsehood or not, DeSantis has helped galvanize the misguided belief that conservatives are the victims of “Big Tech oligarchs.” He can still claim credit for fighting the “good fight” even if he’s tilting at wind mills and losing his battle in court — at taxpayers’ expense.

Florida would be much better served by tech reforms that actually accomplish something and if the governor used his bully pulpit to push Congress, where this issue belongs, to act.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Hospital districts push back on opioid settlements

By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida

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wo public hospital districts are firing back against Attorney General Ashley Moody in a dispute about settlements with pharmaceutical-industry companies over the opioid epidemic, accusing her of overstepping her authority.

The Sarasota County Public Hospital District and Lee Memorial Health System filed a counterclaim Friday in a lawsuit that Moody filed in April against five hospital districts and the Miami-Dade County School Board.

Moody’s lawsuit contends that the hospital districts and the school board are jeopardizing more than $2.4 billion in settlements her office reached with companies that manufacture, distribute or sell opioids. That is because the hospital districts and school boards are pursuing separate claims against pharmaceuticalindustry companies.

But in the filing Friday, the Sarasota and Lee districts said Moody reached the settlements without consulting the hospital districts. The counterclaim seeks a ruling that Moody lacks the “authority to settle and extinguish the claims of the hospital districts.” As an alternative, it asks for more than $100 million.

The Southwest Florida districts, which do business as the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and Lee Health, said they were created by the Legislature and, as a result, are not under the control of the attorney general.

“For the attorney general to now presume to control — unilaterally no

less — powers the Legislature gave to the special districts is a seismic power grab by the attorney general of power that has always resided in the Legislature, not in the executive branch,” the filing said.

Moody’s office filed the lawsuit April 6 in Leon County circuit court against the Sarasota and Lee districts, the North Broward Hospital District, Halifax Hospital Medical Center, the West Volusia Hospital Authority and the Miami-Dade School Board.

Moody’s office is seeking a ruling that it has the power to essentially override “subordinate” claims by the hospital systems and the school board. The lawsuit said the settlements require releasing claims from government agencies that are considered “subdivisions” of the state.

“Defendants — subdivisions that have brought claims that are subordinate to the attorney general’s action — place the attorney general’s settlements in jeopardy and threaten to immediately devalue the relief available to those who have been impacted by the opioid crisis,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants’ claims therefore imperil Florida’s actions, as sovereign, to protect the safety and welfare of Florida citizens.”

Moody’s office has reached settlements with AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; McKesson Corp.; Johnson & Johnson, Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; CVS Pharmacy, Inc.; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.; Allergan-affiliated companies and Walgreens.

Some settlements resulted from multistate litigation, while others came as a result of a lawsuit that Moody’s office filed in Pasco County.

The lawsuit that Moody’s office filed in

GAS PRICES COULD AFFECT STORM EVACUATIONS

By News Service of Florida

R

ecord fuel prices could make many Floridians less willing to evacuate if they are threatened by hurricanes, the AAA auto club said.

With the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida at a near-record $4.57 on Tuesday, AAA released survey results that said 42 percent of Floridians might be hesitant about getting out of harm’s way because of fuel prices.

“Prices at the pump are likely to remain high throughout the summer,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said in a prepared statement. “So, if you’re worried about evacuation costs, it may

be a good idea to start setting aside some money now.”

Overall, 25 percent of Floridians would ignore evacuation warnings, the survey found. Meanwhile, 60 percent would head to shelters or other destinations if hurricanes reach Category 3 status or stronger, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph or higher.

Other reasons people could decide to stay home include such things as they don’t have safe

Mark Jenkins

Center for Dentistry

April in Leon County said the settlements will provide money for opioid treatment, prevention and recovery services and that money would go to communities throughout the state.

But the Sarasota and Lee districts have pursued separate claims that have been incorporated in multi-state litigation in federal court in Ohio. The counterclaim filed Friday said it is “unclear whether a single cent will be allocated to the hospital

options for their pets, don’t know where to go and aren’t able to afford hotels.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie has said emergencymanagement officials anticipate many people will select shelters rather than hotels hundreds of miles away when storms approach.

“We’re prepared for that,” Guthrie said. “The division has done some shelter-staff augmentation. So, if a county asks for assistance at their local shelter, we can … get individuals to go there.

But I do believe we’re going to have more people go to shelter this year.”

“Prices at the pump are likely to remain high throughout the summer.”

AAA spokesman

File photo: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody addresses the media and supports on the State filing a lawsuit to block the Biden administration over vaccine mandates Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 in Lakeland. [Calvin Knight/The Ledger via AP]

districts” from Moody’s settlements.

“Florida’s hospital districts are on the front lines of the battle against the opioid epidemic, spending millions of dollars each year to provide health care services including emergency response services, emergency room treatment for overdoses and other opioid abuse-related injuries, adult and neonatal intensive care and critical care and inpatient health care services,” the counterclaim said.

DEMINGS FILES PAPERWORK TO CHALLENGE RUBIO

By News Service of Florida

D

emocratic Congresswoman Val Demings formally filed paperwork Tuesday in her bid to unseat two-term U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Speaking to reporters before turning in qualifying papers in Tallahassee, Demings said Rubio’s politics are out of touch with Floridians and that he has taken the wrong stance on hotbutton issues of abortion access and gun control.

“If there is legislation on the table that is good for Florida, and when I say good for Florida,

that means Floridians, I am going to support that legislation,” Demings, a former Orlando police chief, said. “If it is bad for Florida or bad for Floridians, I am not going to support that. Time and time again, we have seen Florida’s senior senator (Rubio) play political games.”

Demings has represented parts of Central Florida in Congress since 2017. The formal qualifying period for this year’s elections is June 13 to June 17, though candidates can file paperwork starting this week.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Court clears way for campus shutdown case

By Jim Saunders New Service of Florida

A

n appeals court Wednesday refused to dismiss a potential class-action lawsuit against the University of South Florida over fees that were collected from students for on-campus services that were not provided because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The USF case is one of numerous lawsuits in Florida and across the country stemming from campus shutdowns early in the pandemic. The ruling Wednesday by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal centered on whether USF breached a contract with student ValerieMarie Moore.

USF argued that the case should be dismissed because of sovereign immunity, a legal concept that helps shield

government agencies from lawsuits.

The appeals court upheld a Hillsborough County circuit judge’s refusal to dismiss the case, though it said its ruling was “without prejudice to USF’s right to again raise the defense of sovereign immunity if supported by the facts.”

A key issue in the case is whether an “express written contract” existed between USF and Moore, according to the ruling.

“When the state enters into a contract authorized by general law, the defense of sovereign immunity will not shield it from litigation,” said the 13-page ruling, written

by Judge Darryl Casanueva and joined by Judges Craig Villanti and Suzanne Labrit.

“When the Legislature has authorized a state entity to enter into a contract, it clearly intends that the contract be valid and binding on both parties.”

The ruling said that based on language in a registration agreement, Moore “entered into a legal, binding contract with USF.” It said USF argued that, even if such a contract existed, it had not promised to provide specific services in exchange for student fees.

“Therefore, it contends, Ms. Moore cannot establish that USF breached a provision of the contract,” the ruling said. “We conclude that the trial court correctly rejected this argument at this stage of the pleadings.”

Campuses in Florida and across the country shut down in 2020 to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The USF case, like others, involves fees that students paid for services — not tuition.

An amended version of the lawsuit

filed last year in Hillsborough County said Moore was a doctoral student in USF’s College of Education.

Courts have taken differing stances on whether colleges and universities breached contracts when they required students to learn remotely to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As an example, the state’s 3rd District Court of Appeal in April rejected a potential class-action lawsuit against Miami Dade College over fees collected from students in 2020. Meanwhile, an Alachua County circuit judge in October refused to dismiss a potential-class action lawsuit against the University of Florida.

That case is pending at the 1st District Court of Appeal.

Contractors challenge new insurance law “Senate Bill 2-D contains significant litigation reforms and gets to the heart of escalating rates and limited coverage — lawsuit abuse.”

William Large

President of the Florida Justice Reform Institute

By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida

L

ess than a week after Florida lawmakers rushed to make propertyinsurance changes, a contractors group Tuesday filed a constitutional challenge that targets a new restriction on attorney fees in lawsuits against insurance companies.

The Restoration Association of Florida and Air Quality Assessors, LLC, an Orlando firm that does work such as mold testing and leak detection, filed the lawsuit in Leon County circuit court.

It came after lawmakers last week passed a measure (SB 2-D) to try to bolster a troubled property-insurance market that has led to homeowners losing coverage and seeing spiraling premiums. Lawmakers gave final approval to the bill on Wednesday, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it on Thursday.

Insurers have long blamed litigation and attorney fees for driving up costs. The new law took a series of steps to try to address those issues, but the constitutional challenge focuses on part of the measure that deals with what is known as “assignment of benefits.”

In assignment of benefits, homeowners sign over their

insurance claims to contractors, who then seek payment from insurance companies — often spurring lawsuits about claims and payments.

Contractors in the past have been able to recover their attorney fees from insurers if they are successful in the lawsuits, a concept known as “prevailing party fees.” But the new law stripped contractors of being able to recover prevailing-party fees when they are assigned benefits.

Homeowners can still recover prevailing-party fees if they file lawsuits directly against insurers, but the contractors cannot. The lawsuit alleges that the change violates equal-protection and due-process rights and denies contractors access to courts.

“Claims submitted to insurers for work performed by contractors under an AOB (assignment of benefit) are generally not large in monetary amount,” the lawsuit said. “When the insurer delays, underpays or does not pay a claim at all, contractors are forced to commence an action against the insurer to recover the full amount due for the work performed.

Without the corresponding right to recover prevailing party fees, SB 2-D makes it economically unfeasible for the contractor to pursue its lawful rights and remedies in court. Invoices for

work performed by contractors under AOBs are generally not significant enough for a lawyer to agree to represent the contractor on a contingency fee basis and it is not economically reasonable for the contractor to … pay a lawyer on an hourly basis to recover the amount(s) owed.”

The lawsuit said invoices for work done by Air Quality Assessors and many other members of the association often total $2,500 to $3,000.

“The inability to recover prevailing party attorneys’ fees will effectively shut the courthouse door to plaintiffs because it will be cost-prohibitive to pay an attorney for these types of small claims,” the lawsuit said.

But William Large, president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute, a business-backed

group that lobbies to reduce litigation, said in a statement after the law passed that “property insurance lawsuits have exploded over the last several years, overwhelming Florida’s insurance market.”

“Senate Bill 2-D contains significant litigation reforms and gets to the heart of escalating rates and limited coverage — lawsuit abuse,” Large said.

Assignment of benefits has long been a contentious issue in the insurance industry.

The Legislature in 2019 put additional restrictions on assignment of benefits, at least in part because of an increase in residential water-damage claims.

But contractors contend that assignment of benefits helps homeowners who are unfamiliar with making sure insurance

claims are handled properly.

“AOBs are not new and have been used for a long time, especially during emergency weather situations,” the lawsuit said. “In Florida, AOBs are prevalent in the residential property context when homeowners suffer damage to their home and need to hire contractors to repair the issues.”

The lawsuit, which includes seeking a preliminary injunction against the law, names as defendants Melanie Griffin, secretary of the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and Donald Shaw, executive director of the Construction Industry Licensing Board. The case has been assigned to Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith, according to an online docket.

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A11

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Deal reached on Manatee habitat protections

[News Service of Florida]

By Jim Turner News Service of Florida

E

nvironmental groups and federal wildlife officials have reached a deal to upgrade habitat protections for manatees, which suffered a record number of deaths last year in Florida waters.

The agreement, announced Wednesday, requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake long-discussed revisions of “critical habitat” for Florida manatees by Sept. 12, 2024.

The agreement came after the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and the Save the Manatee Club filed a lawsuit in February in federal court in Washington, D.C. The groups said they had waited more than a decade for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revise habitat designations.

“Safeguarding the places where manatees live will help put these incredibly imperiled animals back on a path toward recovery,” Ragan Whitlock, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

The Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

When the lawsuit was filed, the groups argued the wildlife agency did not take final action on a 2008 petition to revise critical-habitat designations for manatees.

The lawsuit described the designations as key “for ensuring the survival and effectuating the recovery of imperiled species such as the Florida manatee.”

Under the federal Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Service designates areas of critical habitat to help in the recovery of endangered or threatened species, according to the

lawsuit. The agency in 1976 designated waterways that were important areas for manatees.

But the environmental groups argued in the lawsuit that the agency did not revise the designation after changes were made in 1978 to the Endangered Species Act. They also allege that the agency did not properly act on the 2008 petition.

Pat Rose, executive director of Save the Manatee Club, said in a statement Wednesday that the agreement hopefully “signals a shift in prioritizing manatee survival and recovery.”

“The service has delayed revising critical habitat for a decade, and now the manatee’s predicament is so dire that revising critical habitat can no longer be put on the back burner,” Rose said.

The settlement said that in 2010, the federal agency, after “a thorough review of all available scientific and commercial

information” found that “revisions to critical habitat for the Florida manatee are warranted.” However, at the time “sufficient funds” weren’t available and the federal agency intended to start rulemaking when it had completed higher priorities and had adequate resources.

A record 1,101 manatee deaths were reported in Florida waters in 2021, with many of the sea cows dying of starvation caused by the decline of seagrass beds that are prime foraging areas.

The state averaged 625 manatee deaths the prior five years.

“Once the species’ current critical habitat is identified, we’re hopeful that federal, state and private conservation partners can take decisive action to put the manatee back on the road to recovery,” Defenders of Wildlife Senior Attorney Jane Davenport said in a statement Wednesday.

Last month, the three groups filed a separate lawsuit in federal court in Orlando to try to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reengage in talks with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about water quality in the Indian River Lagoon, which has been the leading site of manatee deaths in 2021 and this year.

The lawsuit, which also contends sea turtles are being harmed by water degradation, alleges that water-quality standards set in 2009 aren’t being “adequately followed or enforced.” The lawsuit pointed to “unchecked pollution” in the Indian River Lagoon from wastewater-treatment discharges, leaking septic systems, fertilizer runoff and other sources that have killed thousands of acres of seagrass.

The Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017 changed the listing of manatees from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. State and federal officials undertook an unprecedented manatee-feeding program this past winter, providing lettuce to the sea cows. Through May 27, 562 manatee deaths had been reported this year.

At the same point in 2021, 763 manatees had died.

A fiscal year 2022-2023 state budget awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis signature includes $30 million to help manatees.

Grieco drops out of senate race

By News Service of Florida

S

tate Rep. Mike Grieco, D-Miami Beach, dropped out of a closely watched Florida Senate race on Wednesday, saying it is “clear that we will not have the resources to navigate a path to victory.”

The move came in what has been expected to be a competitive Senate District 36, where Sen. Ileana Garcia,

R-Miami, is seeking re-election.

In a series of Twitter posts, Grieco pointed to the likelihood of being outspent by $5 million to $10 million.

“Our campaign’s predicted lack of necessary resources is not from the absence of local community support, but from the lack of backbone of the Tallahassee establishment that talks a good game but fails to walk the walk when dedicated public servants choose to stick

their necks out for their community,” Grieco tweeted.

Grieco also said he will not seek reelection to the House, where he has served since 2018. The candidate-qualifying period for this year’s elections will be June 13 to June 17.

After Grieco’s announcement, the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, known as Florida Senate Victory, issued a statement that said it supported Grieco

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in “whatever decision is best for him and his family. This does not change our plans to aggressively challenge Senate District 36 and the (Democratic) caucus’ efforts to take back this district. Stay tuned… the fight is not over as a strong Democrat will be filing in short order.”

Garcia defeated then-Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, by 32 votes in a heavily disputed 2020 election.

A12

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State gets another bump in tax revenues

By Jim Turner New Service of Florida

F

lorida tax collections continue to top expectations, but the impacts of inflation could be showing in how people spend money.

General-revenue collections in April topped projections by 23 percent, or $824.1 million, according to a report posted online Wednesday by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.

Economists had projected the state would collect nearly $3.588 billion in general revenue during the month. The state brought in about $4.412 billion.

Monthly revenues have repeatedly topped projections. During the first four months of 2022, collections exceeded expectations by $2.125 billion.

But the report said sales-tax collections in April accounted for “less than one-half of the total overage” for the first time since September.

“The immediate response to inflation is an increase in sales tax collections that reflects the higher prices,” the report said. “Persistent inflation conditions, however, ultimately suppress collections as consumers begin to spend more money on non-taxable necessities like food and health care.”

The report said prices for food at home increased by 10.8 percent in April, the largest 12-month percentage increase since November 1980. Also, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Florida hit a record high of $4.65 on Wednesday, according to data from the AAA auto club.

Meanwhile, Floridians’ personalsavings rate continues to fall.

The rate, which is the percentage

of disposable income that people save, went from 6.3 percent in February to 5.0 percent in March and 4.4 percent in April, according to state economists.

In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate was 7.9 percent.

Aided by federal stimulus money, the savings rate ballooned to 33.7 percent during the early stages of the pandemic.

During an appearance last week in the Gadsden County town of Havana, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is well-positioned for the initial impacts of a potential recession because of record reserves.

“If we end up in a situation where the revenue slows, the economy slows, I’m not going to miss a beat,” DeSantis said.

“We’re going to fund the schools. We’re going to fund infrastructure. We’re going to fund all the key things. I’ll take some money from the rainy-day fund, just plug it in. And we go.”

DeSantis said revenue for May is likely to be $600 million over estimates.

In the April report from state economists, sales taxes on tourism came in 19.4 percent over projections, while tax revenues from auto sales were 26.5 percent over projections.

Also, in what the report said was a sign that the “housing market remained stronger than expected,” documentarystamp taxes on real-estate transactions were 159.7 percent over projections.

Economists expected the state to collect $97.4 million in “doc stamp” revenue, but the total was $252.9 million.

General revenue is closely watched in state government, as legislators use it to fund key portions of education and health-care programs and prisons.

Florida abortion restriction law challenged with lawsuit

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds up a 15-week abortion ban law after signing it on April 14, 2022, in Kissimmee, Fla. Reproductive health providers sued Florida on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, alleging that the law violates a provision in the state constitution guaranteeing a person’s right to privacy, “including the right to abortion.” [John Raoux/Associated Press]

By Anthony Izaguirre Associated Press

R

eproductive health providers sued Florida on Wednesday over a new law banning abortions after 15 weeks, one of numerous legal challenges to such laws passed across the country by Republican leaders in anticipation of a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision that would limit the procedure.

The filing in state court in Tallahassee from Planned Parenthood and other health centers alleges that the law violates a provision in the state constitution guaranteeing a person’s right to privacy, “including the right to abortion.”

“HB 5 radically curtails the ability of Floridians to make decisions about whether or not to continue a pregnancy and have a child, in violation of their rights under the Florida Constitution,” the filing reads.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 15-week ban into law in April, as part of a growing conservative movement to restrict access to the procedure after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks.

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The high court’s decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade and make other legal challenges unlikely to succeed.

In a statement, DeSantis’ office said it “is confident that this law will ultimately withstand all legal challenges.”

Florida’s law, which is set to take effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.

A federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said about 2% of the nearly 72,000 abortions reported in Florida in 2019 were performed after 15 weeks. That same year, 2,256 out-of-state residents got abortions in Florida, with the majority — about 1,200 — coming from Georgia and more than 300 from Alabama, according to the CDC. The origin of the remaining patients was not clear.

Florida Republicans have said they want the state to be well placed to limit access to abortions if the Supreme Court upholds Mississippi’s law. If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights.

Republican lawmakers in other states have introduced new abortion restrictions, some similar to a Texas law that bans the procedure after roughly six weeks and leaves enforcement up to private citizens.

In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed a bill to make it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March signed legislation to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court leaves Mississippi’s law in place.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things The ice cream man

Items in Jim Phillips’ ice cream memorabilia collection.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Jim Phillips describes how ice cream was pressed with a vintage ice cream wafer maker as he talks about his large collection of ice cream memorabilia at the Ocala Downtown Market on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Phillips has collected hundreds of items related to ice cream and some date back to the late 1800s.

By Eadie Sickler Correspondent

J

im Phillips has the scoop.

Really. He probably has more than 300 of them.

We are talking about ice cream scoops. Scoops of all ages, shapes and sizes. Phillips has more scoops—and knows the history behind them all—than most people ever realized even existed.

He is also extremely proficient in the history of ice cream. The two go easily together and Phillips loves to share the stories.

Many years have passed since Phillips served as best man at his best friend and Navy buddy’s wedding and was given an unusual antique ice cream scoop as a gift.

He researched the scoop and found it to be one of nine sizes the manufacturer, Gilchrist, produced from 1910 to 1916. That piqued his interest and he started on the quest for the other eight, which he now has, in addition to others in his now vast collection. Initially, the Gilchrist scoops were made for only right-handed people. In 1914, Gilchrist patented a scoop for right or left-handed folks.

Phillips passed along information most people do not realize: On a Gilchrist ice cream scoop is a number, which coincides with the size of the scoop and tells how many scoops of ice cream you can get from a quart of ice cream

with that number scoop. Other manufacturers of scoops have used the number system as well, but most modern ones do not.

As his interest in ice cream history and various scoops progressed over the years, Phillips acquired many unusual and even rare scoops, as well as much memorabilia about ice cream in general. The most notable, he said, is the Manos Novelty Co. of Toronto, OH, heart-shaped scoop. It is the only one of its kind and few were made by the company in 1925. Four heart-shaped ice cream dishes were made by the company and Phillips has them all. Currently valued at about $250 apiece, he found them at an antique store sale for $11 apiece 28 years ago.

He said the scoop and dishes are among his personal favorites in his collection.

Such an enormous collection of scoops and ice cream memorabilia takes up a lot of space.

“Our kitchen is just full of scoops on every wall,” he said, as well as other places in their home.

Phillips does presentations in local elementary schools and for groups and organizations, such as a recent appearance at the Wednesday Market in downtown Ocala. At the school presentations, he usually has a girl and a boy see who can pile the most scoops of ice cream on a cone in a timed event.

Some of the items in Jim Phillips’ ice cream memorablia collection.

“They have a lot of fun,” he said.

Phillips’ wife, Connie, helps him pack the items to take to various events and sets up the displays with him, which usually takes about six hours, plus an hour-and-a-half to set up at the destination.

“She puts up with me,” he said, adding, “I couldn’t get along without her.”

At an event, Phillips explains the history of ice cream, first produced commercially in about 1850. Several presidents have had notable ice cream stories: When New York City was the nation’s capitol from 1785 to 1790, George Washington purchased ice cream for an event there.

“Martha Washington loved ice cream,” he said, and Thomas Jefferson once traveled to France and discovered they added vanilla flavoring to ice cream and it was considered a fancy dessert. He took vanilla beans he thought the French had produced back to her.

He found out later the French got the beans from Mexico by way of Spanish merchants.

James Madison’s wife, Dolly, served strawberry ice cream at his inauguration.

In the 1890s, “Blue Laws” became prevalent during the era of prohibition. When alcohol was no longer legal to sell on Sundays, bars lost revenue and started

selling ice cream with various toppings on Sundays, thus the name “ice cream sundaes” was born.

At the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, ice cream was served on paper plates and cups which produced much waste at the fair.

Vendors ran out of the paper products and noticed a vendor making a waffle-type confection and they took those, rolled them up and put the ice cream in them.

Phillips said President Ronald Reagan declared July as National Ice Cream Month, with the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. He has a copy of the proclamation with Reagan’s picture. In addition to the heartshaped scoop, this, too, is a

personal favorite, he said.

The Phillips’ have been members of the “Ice Screamers” group since its inception. This year’s 40th convention will be in July in Morgantown, PA. “They are a great group of folks,” he said.

Phillips is a retired Marion County prosecutor. Since his retirement, he has been instrumental in the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office Cold Case Unit. He formerly was a prosecutor in Broward County and also was an instructor at the College of Central Florida police academy for 27 years.

The Phillips’ are very active in the community.

“We just love it here!” he said.

Some of the items in Jim Phillips’ ice cream memorablia collection.

Some of the items in Jim Phillips’ ice cream memorablia collection.

B2

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony celebrates those who gave all

T

he Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony, held at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park in Ocala on Monday, May 30, featured a War Birds flyover in formation, the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band and members of the North Marion High School U.S. Air Force JROTC, who presented the American colors. County Commissioner Kathy Bryant sang the National Anthem. Many family members brought wreaths in memory of veterans who have since passed on or have died in combat; these wreaths were subsequently put on display during the ceremony.

War birds flyover in formation.

Logan Catalonotto of Boy Scout Troop 72, right, receives an award for his Eagle Scout Project to improve the flag area of the Veterans Memorial Park from Beverly Lafferty, the director of Volunteer and Veteran Support at Hospice of Marion County, left.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

David Fritz conducts the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band.

Sgt Ronald Shaffer of the United States Marine Corps, center, carries a memorial wreath for family members who lost loved ones who were veterans, from left: Joanne Crowder, Sigrid Paddock, Joel Harrison, Kayden Sims, 9, and Shakeli Sims.

Members of the Marion County Honor Guard sit together in remembrance.

Last Day of School in Ocala

O

n the last day of school at Eighth Street Elementary School in Ocala on Thursday, May 26, teachers held farewell signs in the car line, and School Resource Officer Amy Walker and Principal Ryan Bennett said goodbye to the students for the summer.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman

Makenzie Tidwell, 11, right, gets a hug from her mother, Jessica, on her last day of fifth grade after fifth graders marched through the halls and walked out of the school for the last time.

Ocala Gazette

School crossing guard William Vernon works.

School Resource Officer, Officer Amy Walker of the Ocala Police Department, says goodbye for the summer to students and parents.

Suzie Stickley, who retired from being a teacher after 40 years, rings a bell as she leads fifth graders through the school.

Teachers Samantha Trevino, left, and Morgan Browne, hold farewell signs in the car line.

B3

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

A Woman of Influence

Modeling headshot of Candice Christian [Supplied]

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

C

andice Christian is turning 27 this month and is making every second count. She’s a publisher, influencer, plus-size model, online business owner, talent manager and motivational speaker. She was even invited to speak at a women’s empowerment event hosted by Mary J. Blige.

Recently, she’s added “visual artist” to her menagerie of vocational titles.

Her abstract watercolor “Eyes of Content” is currently on display in Ocala City Hall’s “Content of Character” emerging artists exhibition.

What inspired the work? “It’s kind of symbolic of my fun, crazy personality but also like a reminder of the consciousness that you do have to kind of rein in and home in on all of the crazy artisticness.”

Born in Brookhaven, New York, she grew up in Central Florida and attended Lecanto High School. A graduate of the school’s Lecanto School of Arts magnet program, she credits her mom for encouraging her and her brothers to follow their dreams: “She instilled in me to do what you want and do what makes you happy, do what you love.”

Dance lessons, pageants

A conversation with Candice Christian, Ocala-based entrepreneur and plussize model.

and modeling filled Christian’s upbringing. She posed for her first modeling gig at age 5, a Hungry Howie’s calendar girl campaign.

As she emerged into womanhood, Christian began modeling plus-size fashions and later started blogging and posting photos on Instagram (@ candicechristianfanpage). Companies nationwide took notice and helped take her page to the next level as an income-earning outlet.

The page’s first guest brand approached her at a networking event called CurvyCon. He was a marketing rep for Big Fig, a mattress company for plus-size adults, and yes, she got a free bed out of the deal.

But the road wasn’t always easy.

Christian has endured ridicule growing up, online trolls and domestic abuse. She shares her experiences with other women to provide hope and inspiration, reminding them that feeling broken doesn’t have to be a permanent state of mind.

“I’ve unfortunately been through way too much in 26 years,” Christian shared, “but it’s given me that experience to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’ve been through this. I know how you feel.’”

Nowadays, Christian has a life and business partner, Dre Ben Frank, who’s also been a loving and present

parent to her 4-year-old son, Phoenix.

Frank, a recording artist, runs their talent management agency as CEO and co-owner of CD-CD Productions and Talent Management, and they’ve begun a new magazine called Luxe Style (luxestylemagazine.com), which encourages millennials to aspire to the finer pleasures from life, with features on travel, fashion and upscale goods.

“He focuses more on the artist development side and I do the modeling and acting development side,” Christian explained about their roles as talent managers.

“We were kind of trying to sit down and think, what can we do that can tie into everything that we’re already doing? … The magazine was really a way for us to bring other people into the platform and then be able to express ourselves through it, too. We’re able to write a whole magazine about all of the things we do while doing something good.”

When Christian spoke at the Ocala Style Women’s Expo in 2019, she impressed upon attendees the importance of self-love and body acceptance.

She shared that she was not always the confident woman standing before them, that through tragic experiences in her life, she lost herself but eventually found her path and destiny.

“Eyes of Content”

By Candice Christian Currently on display in the “Content of Character” emerging artists exhibition in Ocala City Hall, on the second floor.

Building confidence in others also helped change her outlook.

“I tell women to own who you are,” she added. “Just accepting who you are, loving who you are, doing self-care things like going to get your hair done or going to get your nails painted or just staying at home and doing a facial. … Just really taking time to appreciate you and focus on yourself for a while.”

Candice Christian with partner Dre Ben Frank and son Phoenix. [Supplied]

“We were kind of trying to sit down and think, what can we do that can tie into everything that we’re already doing? ... The magazine was really a way for us to bring other people into the platform and then be able to express ourselves through it, too. We’re able to write a whole magazine about all of the things we do while doing something good.”

Candice Christian

B4

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

&

music nig ghtlife nightlife

JUNE 3

Food Truck Friday with Clark Barrios Band

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Food and fun; OTOW does their monthly party with Big Lee’s Barbecue. Free admission and open to the public. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JUNE 3

Conrad Marcum

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

JUNE 3

REL

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

JUNE 9

Austin Stanley

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

JUNE 9

John Johnson

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

JUNE 10

Latin Ambition

WORD FIND

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and whe pleted the puzzle, there will be 13 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

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

Heavens above Solution: 13 Letters

JUNE 10

Trackside

Ecliff Farrar

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

JUNE 4

Get the Funk

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

JUNE 4

Good 2 Go

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

JUNE 5

Doug Adams

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

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

JUNE 10

Justin Lee Partin

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

JUNE 11

Sidepiece

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

JUNE 11

Rocky and the Rollers

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

JUNE 11

Sandra & Alex Lekid

JUNE 8

Dave & Vicky

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

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

JUNE 12

JUNE 8

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

JUNE 4

Alpha Centauri Astrology Atom Beam Brave Comet Crash Data Dust Explore

Haumea Heat Heliosphere In awe Inner Lagrange points Landing Lens Lunar Maps

Mars Mass Mercury Milky Way Moon Nova Orbit Outer Pluto Poles Quasar

Resonance Risks Scans Shuttle Solar Station Step Suns Time Walk X-rays

Doug Adams

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

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

: Clear night sky

Tim McCaig

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.

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

WOMEN’S EXPO SAVE THE DATE

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

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7

Date: 6/3/

B5

JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

community JUNE 3-5

Mounted Drill Team Competition

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala Drill teams are a group choreographed event where horses and riders run specific patterns.

Every step counts! Check out the vendors and food trucks and enjoy a great day outdoors. For more info, flhorsepark.com

JUNE 4 & 11

Summer Sunset Polo

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala 6pm Once the sun goes down, the breeze kicks in. Free to the public, tailgate right next to the polo field and enjoy a unique evening out. Saturday evenings through September. For more info, ocalapolo.com

JUNE 4-6

Florida Summer Horse Trials

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

JUNE 5

JUNE 3 & 10

Ocala Cars & Coffee

Marion County Friday Market

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

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

JUNE 4 & 11

Yoga in the Park

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

JUNE 4 & 11

Ocala Farmers Market

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

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

JUNE 4 & 11

File photo

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

JUNE 4

Farmers Swap Meet

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

Jumpin’ June Swing Dance Social

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

government JUNE 7

Marion County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am Takes place every first and third Tuesday.

JUNE 7

Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 2pm Takes place every first and third Tuesday.

Farmers Market

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

Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

JUNE 11

Belmont Stakes Watch Party

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6pm-7:30pm You can catch the last race of the Triple Crown on the Jumbotron outside the Yellow Pony and enjoy themed cocktails to celebrate the race. Try a BlackEyed Susan, a Preakness Cocktail or a Belmont Jewel. Parking and party is free; WEC also offers fast casual dining options and retail shops. See worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

JUNE 11

JUNE 4

Recovery on the Square- Break the Stigma

JUNE 9

College of Central Florida Express Enrollment Event

JUNE 8 & 10

Plant Appreciation Class

The Peacock Cottage, 3243 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 6-7pm Learn about interesting plant books, get care tips and have a Q&A with a plant expert. This onehour class features local plant store owner Frank Perdomo. $15; includes a free African violet. For more info, see Facebook.com/thePeacockCottage

JUNE 7-9

CF Campus center lawn, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala 10am-1pm Fast track your way into college with this all-inone process to get you into fall classes. Apply, get academic advising and even get financial aid started. The regular $30 application fee is waived, plus get a free lunch. Pre-register at CF.edu/event/ express-enrollment-day/

THROUGH JUNE 18

Horsin’ Around at the Discovery Center

OBS, 1701 SW 60th Ave., Ocala 10am This is the classic, indoor horse sale where millions of dollars’ worth of equines can change hands.

Locals and big name horse players come to Ocala to buy and sell their next winner. See obssales.com for more info.

701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm The Discovery Center, Ocala’s hands-on children’s museum, hands it over to the horsey set with an opportunity to explore the world of horses. Kids can figure how tall they are in horse hands, visit with an equine vet, see a day in the life of a jockey and try out a hobby horse dressage and jump course.

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

JUNE 7

JUNE 7

Ocala Breeders Sales Horse Auction

Belleview City Commission Meeting City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6-8pm

City of Ocala City Council Meeting City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 4pm

JUNE 9

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

arts JUNE 3

Queen Flash: The Premiere Tribute to Queen

Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., Ocala 7pm Freddie Mercury comes to life again in this captivating tribute band playing Queen’s best music— anthems that made them rock royalty in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Tickets start at $28. See csculturalcenter.com for additional info.

JUNE 3 & 10

Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series Webb Field at Martin Luther King Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th St, Ocala 7-9pm Free music concerts sponsored by the City of Ocala and the Marion Cultural Alliance. A variety of music genres will get your toes tapping, your

feet dancing and your heart pumping along with the rhythm. The June 3 band will be Reggae Force; June 10 band will be Bette Smith. For more info, ocalafl.org or Facebook.com/levittampocala

JUNE 4

Ty Herndon

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

JUNE 4

Free First Saturday at the Appleton Museum of Art

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

THROUGH JULY 28

Summer Spotlight XXV: Town and Country

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

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

THROUGH JULY 31

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

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

VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE OCALAGAZETTE.COM/EVENTS

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

CF softball season ends in loss to Seminole State 5-1 in junior college national tournament

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

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he College of Central Florida Lady Patriots’ softball team ended its 2021-2022 season with a 5-1 loss to Seminole State College (Oklahoma) during the second round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament held in Yuma, Arizona, on Wednesday, May 25.

CF opened the tournament on Tuesday, May 24, with a win over Butler Community College (Kansas) 7-3, but lost to Paris Junior College the next day, 5-4 in extra innings, which forced an elimination game against Seminole State immediately following the loss against the Dragons that same Wednesday.

Over seven innings, Seminole State pitcher Britney Lewinski shutdown the potent Patriots offense from the mound, allowing only one run on three hits throughout the game.

Mckenna Johnson scored two

runs in the third inning for the Trojans on a two-run homerun off CF starter Savannah Barnett.

Seminole College added another run in the fourth with an RBI single by Laney Anderson to take a 3-0 lead.

The Patriots fought back, scoring a run in the sixth inning when Brooke Roberts singled to center to score Emily Konz after an error by the Trojan left fielder, pulling the Patriots within two runs.

But in the end, CF couldn’t find any more offense after that one fortuitous burst of bats, nor could they fully stop the Trojans’ offense, dropping the game 5-1 in seven innings.

Largely, CF (46-18 overall record) had one of its best seasons in school history, according to the Lady Patriots’ website, winning the 2022 Florida College System Activities Association South Atlantic District state title for the second time on May 8, as well as placing five players on the all-state team.

The CF Patriots capped a dominating weekend by defeating Mid-Florida Conference rival Seminole State College, 10-2, to the win the FCSAA Softball Championship. [Photo By Simone Amaduzzi/ProSports Visuals]

Patriots eliminated from JUCO Baseball World Series in second round

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

(NJCAA) Division I National Baseball World Series on Tuesday, May 31, held in Grand Junction, he College of Central Florida Colorado, losing in the second (CF) Patriots’ baseball round to the Cowley County team was eliminated from Community College Tigers the 2022 National Junior (Kansas) 10-7.

College Athletic Association CF opened the tournament

T

on Saturday, May 28, with a win over Cowley County, 8-2, but followed that win with a loss on Monday, May 30, against Walter State Community College, 16-8 over eight innings, forcing an elimination game on Tuesday.

Through the first two innings,

it appeared that the Patriots were going to run away with the game, going up 4-0 after Kevin Kilpatrick, Edrick Felix and John Marant all homered early on in the first inning. In the second inning, Victor Castillo batted in Jay Taylor, who scored on the

CF wins first FCSAA Baseball Championship since 1998. The College of Central Florida erased a 3-0 deficit to defeat Miami Dade College, 4-3, and capture the FCSAA/NJCAA South Atlantic District Championship. [Photo By Simone Amaduzzi/ProSports Visuals].

throw to home plate.

But the Tigers would quickly draw within a run in the bottom of third, and then take the lead outright in the fourth inning, 6-4. With the score 7-4 at the top of the seventh, CF would score two more runs (David Pereira and Taylor), making it a one-run game, but at the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers would answer with two runs of their own, pulling further away, 9-6.

It would be the closest the Patriots would get in the game to another lead. Ultimately, Cowley County pulled away for the 10-7 win. Landon Ginn batted in Nicholas Calero for the Patriots’ final scoring run of the 2021-2022 season in the top of the eighth.

This was the first time that CF’s baseball team had competed in the JUCO (Junior College) World Series since 1998, according to the team’s website.

Prior to traveling to Colorado, the Patriots (47-17 overall record) defeated defending state champion Miami-Dade College in comeback fashion 4-3 to win the Florida College System Activities Association South Atlantic District state tournament on May 15.

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

Boots

After the death of her owner, ten-year-old Boots found herself in a shelter. Without the ability to see her surroundings, she is doing her best to adapt to her temporary residence. Shelter staff would feel so relieved to see her find a home filled with love, patience, and understanding.

This week, we are focused on shelter pets who are visually impaired.

Love is blind, but a broken heart sees everything.

June is Adopt a Cat Month-Please visit MarionFL.org/Animal for more information on adoptions

Glory

She was born without eyes, but has a very sweet soul. This cuddly, two-monthold kitten is ready to show her heart to someone special, who will protect and cherish all there is to love about her.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Winning name drawn in Arnette House fundraiser

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

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Beverly Lafferty of Hospice of Marion County, left, pulls the winning raffle ticket out of the drum as Cindy Moore of The Arnette House, right, looks on during the drawing for the $10,000 winner of The Arnette House Red, White and $10,000 Cash Giveaway fundraiser that was held at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park in Ocala on Monday, May 31, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Red, White & $10,000 Cash Giveaway proceeds will support children and families.

ike many social service agencies, the Arnette House, Inc., has had to adapt in many areas since the advent of the pandemic. That includes getting creative with fundraising endeavors.

This year, rather than host its traditional public auction event, the agency came up with the Red, White & $10,000 Cash Giveaway.

Three-hundred tickets were available for purchase, at $100 each, with proceeds targeted to help youth and families in the community.

Arnette House, Inc., provides an emergency youth shelter, family counseling services and foster care group homes in Marion, Lake, Sumter, Citrus and Hernando counties.

The winning ticket was drawn live on Facebook at noon on Tuesday, May 31, during a ceremony at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park.

Following an a cappella rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” by Randy Zoller, brief remarks were given by Arnette House CEO Cheri Pettitt and Jeffery Askew, director of veterans’ services for Marion County. Beverly Lafferty, director of volunteer and veteran support with Hospice of Marion County, was given the honor of drawing the winner.

The winning ticket holder was Jim Rogers.

Rogers, a diesel mechanic in Ocala, said he bought three tickets and a colleague bought two to support a “good cause.”

“My sister Kelly is on the board and she texted me the event flier,” he said.

Kelly Scott is the president of the Arnette House board of directors.

Juneteenth in Ocala

Rogers said he had forgotten about the drawing taking place on Tuesday and was surprised when he got a call that he had won. When asked what he plans to do with his winnings, he said, “Just sit on it and not go crazy.”

Pettitt said they came very close to selling all 300 tickets and that people were still participating early Tuesday.

“It’s exciting,” she said to the sounds of balloons popping in celebration of the announcement. “We think we sold about 285. We didn’t actually count them at the last minute because people were buying them this morning.”

“Like everyone else right now, we’re hurting for funding,” Pettitt added. “We have a big grant that we’re writing for this year, that we have to write for every three years, and we’re not even sure Florida has the money for it right now. So, any amount of money helps us with our operations and with taking care of the kids. We have to clothe them and feed them, and our food costs are up tremendously. Just for the first two quarters, we’re up like $5,000-something over our typical budget. There’s a variety of things that we’re looking at financially that we need to be very careful with in the next year.”

She said the community embraced the fundraiser and they will consider doing it again in the future.

“It’s been really exciting, and people liked it,” she said. “This community has been very good to us.”

To learn more about the organization and the services it provides, visit arnettehouse.org or call (352) 622-6135.

COMMUNITY MUSIC CONSERVATORY LAUNCHES SUMMER CLASSES

By Ocala Gazette Staff

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he Ocala Symphony Orchestra Community Music Conservatory launches its summer group classes and private lessons this June, according to a May 28 press release.

Summer programming is available Saturday, June 4-July 31. Dates and times vary for each class. Class listings are below:

Group Classes

Tanesha Mills, Latoya Rush, Wanda Fulton, Dr. Nicole Thornton at the dinner/dance fundraiser on June 19, 2021. [Becky Collazo]

Events include a gathering at Webb Field and a fundraising dinner.

J

uneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Two Juneteenth celebrations will take place in Ocala on Saturday, June 18: * The Ocala Juneteenth Celebration Commission and the City of Ocala will host an event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 Northwest 4th St., Ocala. It will include entertainment, vendors, nonprofits, businesses and mentor groups. Funds from sponsorships will provide scholarships for local high school seniors for acceptance into a university, college or vocational program. The event is free to attend.

* R.A.M.A.L. (Reach, Aim, Motivate and Lead Educational and Social Services, Inc.) will present a dinner/ dance fundraiser at 7 p.m. at One Health Center, 1714 SW 17th St., Ocala, with entertainment, a silent auction and raffles. The cost is $50 per person and tickets are available at Eventbrite.com. Proceeds will benefit community projects, scholarships for at-risk and nontraditional students, tutoring and mentoring.

Juneteenth is a time for reflection of African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievements.

To learn more, go to fb.com/ OcalaJuneteenthCelebration/ and ramalservices.org

VISIT US DAILY ON THE WEB 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.

OCALAGAZETTE.COM

“Buckets and Boomwhackers”— Grades 3-8, June 6-July 31, meets Mondays from 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

“This class is an introduction to basic rhythm and percussion that is affordable, portable and accessible to all. It is a fun and engaging activity for musicians of various ages and abilities, and a great ensemble to use to advertise and engage new students,” according to the press release.

“Songs and Stories”—Grades K-5, June 4-July 31, meets Saturdays 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

“This weekly offering is a fun and interactive combination of music, play, and literacy for younger children. Children will experience movement through music, stories presented through song, and interactive musical tales!”

“Music with the Maestro” series— Classes begin in June, dates and times vary “Come take a deep dive into all things music with Ocala Symphony’s Maestro Matthew Wardell, in our Music with the Maestro series! This series is open to students of all ages.

Class dates and times vary. Visit the website to learn more about the courses.”

Topics include: • Development of the symphony • Musical storytelling • Beginnings of film music • John Williams • Hector Berlioz

Private Lessons

Unlike group classes, private lessons are highly focused, more intense and cater to each student individually, according to the press release. In these one-on-one sessions, instructors assess each student’s unique abilities and develop a personalized plan to progress his or her musicianship to the next level.

All classes begin the week of June 6.

Open to all students of all ages.

Current instruments include: • Cello • Piano • Violin/viola • Drum/percussion • Low brass • Guitar/bass Course offerings aim to provide more than the traditionally taught instrumental and musical techniques by creating opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to experience music education in an inclusive environment.

The Community Music Conservatory, located at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 N.E. 9th St. in Ocala, is a professionally run music school that provides scholarship opportunities to students wishing to participate in group classes or private lessons. Scholarships are limited and awarded based on financial need and merit.

For specific schedules, pricing and classes, visit www.reillyartscenter.com/ community-conservatory/

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4 Sudoku

Newsday Crossword

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Houseplants: Nature’s Air Purifiers

By Digges Loheide Pioneer Garden Club, Morning Glory Circle

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ost of us have seen a magazine photo or walked into a home that featured the display of beautiful, thriving houseplants. These plants have become increasingly popular lately because they liven up our indoor spaces, have positive psychological effects—such as reducing stress—and are fun to grow. But did you know that houseplants are also nature’s air purifiers?

Air quality is affected by pollutants, and houseplants reduce this pollution in our homes by absorbing organic compounds like formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and many others. These pollutants are absorbed by the plant, without harming it, instead of entering our bodies.

Through the process of photosynthesis, plants convert the carbon dioxide we exhale and remove gases from the air through a process called absorption. The EPA reports that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors where pollutants can be five times higher than the outside air.

Therefore, it’s essential that the air we breathe be as healthy as possible.

In 1989, NASA produced the Clean Air Study that claimed some household plants could “provide a promising economical solution to indoor air pollution.”

NASA investigated the effects of plants to reduce airborne pathogens and to increase humidity in small spaces.

The study found that bacterial counts correlated with increased chemical removal. Another finding determined when the same plants were consistently exposed to chemicals, such as benzene, their capacity to clean the air increased over time.

The NASA study determined that these houseplants were among the best at reducing pollutants in the home: Aloe Vera—a succulent and healing balm for burns, it also purifies the air from formaldehyde found in varnishes and detergents.

Dracaena—easy care, colorful, strap-like foliage that needs moist but not soggy soil.

Areca Palm—graceful leaves and good for removing carbon dioxide and other chemicals.

Snake Plant—stiff, upright, sword-like leaves that likes moist areas such as bathrooms.

Bamboo Plant—attractive, popular plant that is a Chinese symbol of good fortune and prosperity. Likes slightly damp soil but not overwatering.

Rubber Plant—good for reducing pollens that cause allergies. It benefits from dry soil and bright, indirect light

and thrives on neglect.

Peace Lily—a beautiful, blooming statement plant that grows in dim light.

Spider Plant—an air plant that grows quickly and needs little care. This plant is easy to propagate.

Boston Fern—a beautiful popular plant with long, feather-like branches that likes moist but not soggy soil.

ZZ plant—features striking color on new growth and is a no-fail, low maintenance plant that only requires watering monthly.

English Ivy—a low maintenance, beautiful, versatile plant with a variety and range of hues with fascinating shapes.

Now that you’ve chosen your favorite houseplants to improve the air quality in your home, how do you keep them alive? If you have a “black thumb”, how can you turn your graveyard of houseplants into thriving beautiful specimens?

“There’s no such thing as green thumb or black thumb, it’s more about how much you pay attention to your plants,” says Christopher Satch, plant scientist and instructor at the New York Botanical Garden. He says we all have the ability to grow indoor plants, it’s just about understanding the basics of plant care and listening to your plant when they tell you or show you what they need.

Before you buy your heart’s desire and bring it home, be sure your plant can live in your space and has access three important growth factors: light, food and water.

The most important factor is light. Many indoor plants fail because we don’t realize how dark it is indoors or how dependent on light our plants are.

Satch says, “Light is food for plants. Plants literally eat the sunlight.” Just like if we eat less, we lose weight, plants need as much sunlight as possible. If they don’t get enough light, it’s like putting them on a diet. They drop their leaves and die. If you don’t Supplied know where to put a plant, put it near a window.

Fertilizer is additional food for plants. It’s a must smells, it’s too wet and the plant’s roots are rotting. When for plants that live in pots, because over time the plant you do water, use warm water, aim the stream towards the exhausts its potted nutrients. The plant no longer lives in base of the plant and over the soil, not all over the leaves nature and relies on you for its food. Read the nutrient to avoid the risk of fungus or infection. Water a little, let it label on fertilizer. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium soak in, then add a little more. are all elements the plant needs to thrive.

Now that you know the value of air-purifying Water is also vital for indoor plants. Don’t count the houseplants, and know the basics of their care, why not days between waterings. Feel the soil an inch or two below try your hand (or your thumb) today? You too can enjoy the plant. The soil will tell you what the plant needs. If it’s beautiful houseplants that offer air cleaning qualities and dry, then water because it’s thirsty. If it’s too moist and the green joy of sharing their life with yours.

Ready to earn a degree or certificate?

Express Enrollment Event June 11 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Visit the Ocala Campus Bell Tower for everything you need to get enrolled – from start to finish in a single day.

Fill out the admissions application Meet with an academic advisor Complete your FAFSA Take a placement test Explore the campus Register for classes

Enjoy a free lunch and a chance to win free tuition for a 3-credit class at the in-state rate this fall!

MARION • CITRUS • LEVY • ONLINE

352-873-5800 -an equal opportunity college-

Visit CF.edu/Express to learn more.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

London: Beach-combing through history

Beachcombing on London’s riverbank. [Rick Steves, Rick Steves’ Europe]

By Rick Steves

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’ve spent more time in London than in any other European city. Its people, its traditions, and its history keep drawing me back.

In England, history means museums, churches, and castles. But my favorite ways to learn history don’t always require entry through a turnstile.

Strolling with a good local guide is like beach-combing. I pick up obscure shards of a neighborhood’s distant past, unlocking unexpected stories. On a bright, brisk January morning, I join David Tucker, who runs a tour company called London Walks. Walking through London with him epitomizes the metaphor of urban beachcombing ... followed by literal beachcombing as well.

From London Bridge, David points downriver past the Tower of London and says, “During the Second World War, Nazi bombers used the Thames as a guide on their nightly raids. When moonlit, they called it a ‘silver ribbon of tin foil.’ It led from the English Channel right to our mighty dockyards. Even with all the city lights carefully blacked out, those bombers easily found their targets. Neighborhoods on both banks of the river went up in flames. After the war, the business district on the North Bank was rebuilt, but the South Bank...it was long neglected.”

Turning his back to St. Paul’s Cathedral, David points to a vast complex of new buildings showing off the restored, trendy South Bank, and continues, “Only recently has the bombed-out South Bank been properly rebuilt. There’s a real buzz

in London about our South Bank.”

Then, saying, “The tide is low only for a couple hours a day ... and this is perfect,” he surprises me by climbing down the embankment’s slippery-withseaweed steps to a pebbly beach.

Exploring the pebbly beach takes you away from the urban bustle and into a calm and peaceful environment.

Most don’t realize that the Thames is a tidal river. With each tide going out and coming back, the Thames replenishes beaches like these with historic wonders.

In Victorian times (and even before), poor scavengers would “mudlark,” as this muddy treasure hunt was called, for anything they could sell. Today, mudlarking is a pastime for English beachcombers who see the Thames as an ever-changing archaeological site, with little treasures dating as far back as ancient Roman times awaiting discovery.

It’s low tide, and the beach is literally littered with history. Picking up a chunky piece of 500-year-old roof tile worn oval by the centuries, with its telltale peg hole still clearly visible, David explains that these red clay tiles were heavy, requiring large timbers for support. In the 16th century, when large timbers were required for shipbuilding for the Royal Navy, lighter slate tiles became the preferred

Fish license-free in Florida two weekends in June

By Ocala Gazette Staff

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he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced on Wednesday that residents and visitors of Florida could now fish license-free during two weekends in June this year, according to a FWC press release.

Those two respective weekends are: June 4-5 for saltwater fishing and June 11-12 for freshwater. The fishing licensing requirements are waived for all recreational anglers during these dates but all other rules, including seasons, bag and size limits, still apply.

The saltwater waiver applies to any recreational activity requiring a saltwater fishing license (for example: crabbing, lobstering, scalloping, etc.), whether fishing from shore or a boat. Additionally, a snook or spiny lobster permit are not required on these days; however, the FWC recommended anglers to always make sure to check recreational regulations.

License-free fishing days, according to the FWC, provide a fun opportunity for new anglers to try fishing for the first time or an opportunity for experienced anglers to introduce a friend or family member to a new hobby.

For more information on fishing in Florida, visit www.MyFWC.com/Fishing.

File photo [Dave Miller]

roofing material. Over time, the heavy, red-clay tiles migrated from the rooftops to the riverbank...and into the pockets of beachcombers like us.

Like kids on a scavenger hunt, we study the pebbles. David picks up a chalky white tube. It’s the fragile stem of an 18thcentury clay pipe. Back then, tobacco was sold with disposable one-use pipes, so used pipes were routinely tossed into the river.

David lets it fall from his fingers. Thinking, “King George may have sucked on this,” I pick it up.

Climbing back to street level, David continues our walk as if our beachcombing were just a warm-up, and we prowl through the fascinating relics of the South Bank neighborhood that survived both German bombs and urban renewal.

Scaling steep stairs into the attic of St. Thomas’ Church, we visit the Operating Theatre Museum, a crude surgical theater where amputations were performed in the early 1800s as medical students watched and learned. Down the street, we wander through the still-bustling Borough Market to see farmers doing business with city shopkeepers.

Walking through this area puts us in a time warp. David leads us into a quiet courtyard, where we look up at three sets of balconies climbing the front of an inn.

He explains, “Coaching-inn courtyards like this provided struggling theater troupes -like young William Shakespeare’s -- with a captive audience.”

A typical day in London can be spent at the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, or the British Museum. But it can also be spent sifting through the tides of history both on and just beyond London’s South Bank.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his new book, For the Love of Europe.

You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Laura Dern says 20-year age gap with THIS DRINK IS JUST THE THING TO COOL Sam Neill felt ‘completely appropriate’ YOU OFF IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER 30 years ago

From left to right, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Laura Dern and Sam Neill in ‘Jurassic Park.’ [Universal Pictures/IMDb/TNS]

By Zack Sharf Variety

By America’s Test Kitchen Agua fresca means “fresh water.” It is the name for a variety of drinks that are made by combining fruits, grains, seeds or flowers with sugar and water. Some of the most common agua fresca varieties are horchata (made with rice and nuts), agua de Jamaica (made with hibiscus tea), and any variety of melon. We chose watermelon for our recipe and added lime juice, honey, and just a little salt to bring out the sweet and tart flavors. Serve it in a clear glass to show off that color!

Garnishes can also add pizzazz to your beverage. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Add fresh fruit on top, such as slices of lemon or lime or watermelon shapes.

Wrap a strip of citrus peel around a chopstick and place the corkscrew peel in the glass for flair.

Boost flavor with the addition of fresh herbs, such as a sprig of mint or rosemary.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 6 cups) 8 cups (1-inch pieces) seedless watermelon (2 1/2 pounds) 2 cups water 1/4 cup lime juice, squeezed from 2 limes, plus lime wedges for serving 2 tablespoons honey 1/8 teaspoon salt Ice Fresh mint leaves (optional) 1. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher; set aside.

2. Add half of the chopped watermelon and half of the water to a blender jar. Place lid on top of blender and hold firmly in place with a folded dish towel. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour mixture into a fine-mesh strainer set over a pitcher. Use a rubber spatula to stir and press on watermelon bits to get out as much juice as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer.

4. Repeat blending and straining in Steps 2 and 3 with the second half of the watermelon and water.

5. Add lime juice, honey and salt to the pitcher. Use a rubber spatula to stir until well combined.

6. To serve, place ice in glasses and pour agua fresca over ice. Add a lime wedge and mint (if using) to each glass.

Note: Agua fresca can be refrigerated for up to five days; stir to recombine before serving.

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

L

aura Dern and Sam Niell headlined Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park” as paleobotanist Ellie Sattler and paleontologist Alan Grant, respectively. The two characters fall in love during the film despite the 20-year age gap that existed between Dern and Niell during the making of the film. Dern was 23 years old when filming started and 26 when the movie opened in 1993.

Niell, on the other hand, was 43 years old during the shoot. Neither actor was too concerned with their age gap and their characters’ romance.

“I am 20 years older than Laura!” Neill recently told The Sunday Times. “Which at the time was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady.

[The age gap being inappropriate] never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called ‘Old Geezers and Gals.’ People like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people. And there I was, on the

list. I thought, ‘Come on. It can’t be true.’”

“Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill,” Dern added about the age gap. “And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’”

While making “Jurassic World,” Dern was less focused on her age and more focused on ensuring her character, Ellie Sattler, pushed forward female representation on the big screen. Dern cites Ellie in the same category as Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley from the “Alien” franchise as movie characters that changed Hollywood’s view on female action heroes.

“It’s really moving,” Dern said. “A lot of women in tech and science point to a similarity between Ellie’s heroism and women in their field.”

Both Dern and Neill are reprising their “Jurassic World” characters in the upcoming Universal tentpole “Jurassic World Dominion,” opening in U.S. theaters on June 10.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

What are fibroids?

By Michelle Louie, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

D

EAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 27 and have heavy menstrual cycles. In the past year, I have begun to have more pelvic pain, especially during my period. A friend said I should get checked for fibroids. What are fibroids, and how do you treat them?

ANSWER: Uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas or myomas, are benign masses that come from the muscle portion of the uterus.

Fibroids are common. Approximately 80% of people born with a uterus will develop fibroids, but not everyone has symptoms. Fibroids are most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

The cause of fibroids is unknown, although estrogen and progesterone appear to promote the growth of fibroids. Scientists are looking into other possible risk factors, such as family history, early onset of menstruation and lifestyle factors. People of African descent have a greater risk of fibroids, which can occur at an earlier age and produce more severe symptoms.

The main types of symptoms caused by fibroids are: Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding. This can include changing a tampon or pad every hour, having bleeding for more than seven days or bleeding that prevents you from doing normal activities like going to work.

Pain. Most commonly, fibroids cause pain during your period, but if they are large, they can cause a constant feeling of pressure or fullness -- similar to being pregnant.

Bulk symptoms. This can include seeing a bulge in your abdomen, like looking pregnant when you are not; urinary frequency; difficulty passing bowel movements; or feeling full constantly.

In some women, reproductive issues, including difficulty getting pregnant or miscarriage, may be a sign of fibroids.

Given that excessive menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain may be signs of any number of issues, I always recommend that any person experiencing pain or heavy periods should visit their gynecologist.

Fibroids often can be felt on physical exam. Usually when the uterus is enlarged or irregular, an ultrasound is ordered as the first test to diagnose fibroids.

Both medical and surgical treatment options are available to treat fibroids.

Treatment is individualized to each patient, depending on which symptoms are most bothersome, as well as the size, number and location of the fibroids, and whether pregnancy is desired in the future.

Most medications aim to reduce the heavy bleeding common in people with fibroids. Hormonal medications -- both birth control and therapies unrelated to birth control, as well as nonhormonal medications can help suppress period bleeding. While medications can help shrink fibroids, these medications are not meant to be taken long term.

Multiple surgical options are available, including minimally invasive surgical approaches that are safer and have a shorter recovery time. Surgical treatments include: Hysterectomy. With a hysterectomy, the uterus is removed. Removing the uterus and the fibroids is a great option for people who are concerned about fibroids coming back in the future and have no desire for pregnancy. After a hysterectomy, there will be no menstrual bleeding ever again, but a person will no longer be able to carry a pregnancy. A hysterectomy does not cause menopause. This type of procedure may be performed laparoscopically, with incisions no bigger than 1 centimeter, or the size of your fingertip.

Myomectomy. A myomectomy is a surgery that aims to remove only the symptomcausing fibroids through the vagina or through small laparoscopic incisions.

Uterine fibroid embolization. Also known as uterine artery embolization, uterine fibroid embolization is a procedure that blocks the blood supply to fibroids, causing them to shrink within several weeks or months. Most doctors agree that pregnancy is not recommended after this procedure.

Radiofrequency fibroid ablation. Radiofrequency fibroid ablation is a technique that uses a device inserted into the fibroid and destroys the tissue with heat. Because this is a newer technique, few providers are trained in this technology, and you may need to ask your health care provider for a referral to a fibroid clinic or specialist.

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound is performed in an MRI machine. This treatment uses energy through the abdominal wall to destroy the fibroid. The downside of this procedure is that it is only offered in certain specialty centers, such as Mayo Clinic, and it may not be covered by insurance.

Endometrial ablation. Endometrial ablation destroys the lining of the uterus using a device inserted through the vagina. This treatment does not shrink the fibroids, but it can decrease heavy periods caused by fibroids.

If you are diagnosed with fibroids, it’s important to know that you have many treatment options and you can return to having a good quality of life. -- Michelle Louie, M.D., Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix (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.)

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Hospice of Marion County makes final wishes come true

By Ocala Gazette Staff

H

ospice of Marion County (HMC) is known for its exceptional compassionate care and upholding the highest quality of healthcare standards, said a May 25 press release.

“I have never been more proud

to lead such a passionate team of professionals here at Hospice of Marion County,” said CEO Rick Bourne. “But the staff is also known for making final wishes come true, if it’s within our ability to make it happen.”

Below are two recent examples of HMC making final wishes come true that were included in the release:

Nine-Year-Old ‘joins’ the Army

Dominik, 9, a patient at HMC in the E.W. and Lucille Cates House, has a rare genetic disorder that typically claims its victims by the age of 10. He wanted to be in the Army since he was old enough to recognize what they do.

This example came to fruition recently as Desiree Kelley, a medical social worker, who worked with HMC’s director of volunteers support, Beverly Lafferty, contacted some Dominik with soldier at Cates House. [Supplied] Army recruiter friends. There was a celebration in Dominik’s room with soldiers presenting him with a cap, shirt, patches, dog tags, toys and multiple pins.

Additionally, HMC conducted an official veteran’s recognition ceremony, which was performed by Tom Howard, an HMC volunteer and this year’s national We Honor Veterans Service Award winner.

“He smiled so big when he saw them,” said Kelley. “It was really amazing for everyone in attendance to see and be a part of this touching event.”

Wedding Bells Ring

Susan and her partner Bryce have been together for 14 years and had discussed getting married before she passed away. She told Kelley and HMC Medical Social Worker Hannah Stuckey that she wished she had done the deed years ago.

Kelley and Stuckey immediately started planning a wedding at the E.W. and Lucille Cates House with HMC staff.

Susan and Bryce’s wedding at Cates House. [Supplied] Chef Jose Cortez picked out a cake. The Jasmine Thrift Store steam and nurses helped pick out an outfit. Chaplain Herb Agree performed the bedside ceremony.

“The wedding may not have been official with the State of Florida,” said Kelley, “but it was more than enough for our patient and her partner, and that’s all that matters.”

E

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

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

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

Joy

By Clarissa Scott Delaney

Joy shakes me like the wind that lifts a sail, Like the roistering wind That laughs through stalwart pines.

It floods me like the sun On rain-drenched trees That flash with silver and green.

I abandon myself to joy— I laugh—I sing.

Too long have I walked a desolate way, Too long stumbled down a maze Bewildered.

Clarissa Scott Delaney was a poet, essayist and social worker associated

with the Harlem Renaissance movement. She died in 1927.

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JUNE 3 - JUNE 9, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE