Ocala Gazette | July 15 - July 21, 2022

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 28

Artists in city spaces JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022

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Marion County students win highest awards at international competition

Legislation that anticipates interlocal government disagreements

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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Castañeda said he didn’t just learn science lessons but learned invaluable life lessons from both his classmates and the West Port HOSA sponsor, Cecily Gleason. “[Gleason] knows how to handle children and is really direct with it. At the end of it all she says, ‘love you, mean it,’ and so that’s something I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life,” he said. “Getting to be able to experience that one last time, achieving that feat, getting that far and feeling all those emotions that last time was really amazing.”

In addition to winning first place for best PSA, another group from the same school took home first place in the competitive and prestigious HOSA Bowl category. WPHS students Vivek Sandrapaty, Mauricio Gonzalez, Avneesh Saravanpavan and Sujay Jollu-Franco were victorious in the ‘buzzer style’ competition that quizzed the students on health-related, parliamentary, current

s more people discover Marion County, the rising population includes not just retirees but young families, with plenty of children in tow. The people moving into the houses and apartment complexes that are sprouting up present multiple challenges for local governments tasked with providing infrastructure, not least of which is the need for more classroom space.

In Ocala, that means the continuation of a decade-old tug of war between the city and the Marion County Board of Public Schools over who is responsible for paying for new schools.

Currently, schools are not deemed overcrowded in Marion County as space is available in some areas of the school district. But in the southwest corner, Ocala and its environs, some schools are over capacity already.

And with much of the development slated for this area, the situation is only expected to get worse.

Historically, developers used to be required to pay to offset the impacts their developments put on local infrastructure through appropriately named impact fees.

Those have gone away, as has state funding largely, leaving local governments to find creative ways to make ends meet.

As a new school year beckons, Marion County, Ocala and school district officials have been meeting to revise a 2008 interlocal agreement that addresses these concerns. But there appears to be plenty of uncertainty about not only what is in the new version but when the public will see it. A city spokesperson recently said the new agreement should be finished within a few weeks, whole a school district representative said the sides were at least six months from

See Local, page A3

See Will?, page A4

From left to right: Recent WPHS graduates Luis Castañeda, Tyler Pinkowsky and Kayla Anthony stand with HOSA Sponsor Cecily Gleason. The students hold their awards for 1st Public Service Announcement at the International Leadership Competition. [Photo courtesy of Luis Castañeda]

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

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everal future health professionals from Marion County schools took to the stage of an international competition—and came home with several accolades to show for it.

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), an organization to foster the study of health sciences for students, hosted its International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Students from Belleview, Vanguard and West Port High Schools placed in the top three for a variety of health-related competitions.

West Port High School teammates Luis Castaneda, Kayla Anthony and Tyler Pinkowski won first place in the category of Best Public Service Announcement video.

The team’s winning video focused on the importance of bone marrow donation and how it may save the lives of those afflicted by diseases that may benefit from bone

marrow transplants.

“It’s more than just the competition.

This is a really, really important topic of discussion,” Castañeda, now a graduate of West Port, said. “We got to see a first-hand account of a story between a woman with children who was dying from a disease that bone marrow cured, and she was able to meet her donor for the first time, so it was really beautiful.”

Castañeda had been involved in HOSA since he was in the eighth grade at Liberty Middle School. He said that even though he does not plan to go into the medical field, he has a personal connection with health sciences that fueled his passion for studying it.

“My father had a stroke when I was in fifth grade, where I would go to the hospitals in the rehab centers and things like that, so it was really important for me to learn about,” he said. “Learning about health, learning about the body, learning about diseases—that’s important for everyone because we all get sick.”

City’s still looking for in-house city attorney

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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he clock is ticking for Ocala to find someone to launch its new in-house legal department.

Last March, the Ocala City Council departed from its 30year history of retaining the same private law firm to provide legal services and instructed city management to start the process of building an in-house legal department.

The contract for the current

city attorneys--Robert Batsel, Jr., Jimmy Gooding, and Patrick Gilligan—ends on Oct. 1. Batsel and Gooding had announced last year that they would be splitting off from the firm, now called Gilligan, Anderson & Phelan, P.A., and focusing primarily on representing their developer clients. They would continue, however, to share office space with their former firm and finish their contract with the city.

The current contract paid the law firm approximately $1 million per year. The city expects

to spend $1 million annually on the new in-house team, including a salary of $190,000 to $210,000 for the lead attorney.

On May 2, the council hired the firm Colin Baenziger & Associates to find several choices for lead in-house city attorney.

The lead attorney hired by the council would then be responsible for building the rest of the city’s legal department. The recruiter were to meet with city council and the city manager to determine the knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes

they would be looking for in any candidate for the position.

The firm, which is being paid $42,000 for its efforts, proposed recruiting efforts that would yield “six to 10 outstanding semi-finalists.”

The recruiter’s outreach approaches were networking primarily through its own database. The firm felt that this resulted in the best results because “often excellent candidates are reluctant to respond to advertisements because doing so may alienate

their current employers. When we approach them, their credentials are enhanced rather than diminished. We also use LinkedIn as a source of candidates.”

The recruiter said it would advertise through professional organizations including the Florida Bar Association, Florida Municipal Attorneys Association, Florida League of Cities, the Florida City and County Management Association and its website, www.cb-asso.com, and See Recruitment, page A2

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Noted athlete and horseman dies at 75 Freddie Hyatt was known for his prowess on the athletic field and as an equine breeder and trainer.

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

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reddie Hyatt’s career as a National Football League wide receiver ended roughly 50 years ago, but, even so, the former All-American standout at Auburn University still received fan mail and requests for his autograph each week at the Morriston horse farm he shared with his wife, Dori.

He gladly answered every single request, whether it was from an Auburn Tiger alumnus, or a St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints or Washington Redskins fan, the teams he played for during his six seasons with the NFL beginning in 1968.

Sadly, Hyatt passed away unexpectedly following open heart surgery June 27 in Ocala.

The day before what would have been his 76th birthday.

“The surgery went well, but the doctor couldn’t get his heart to start back up or respond,” said Dori Morgan Hyatt, Freddie’s wife of 25 years. “I’m still in shock. My world just fell out under me when the doctor came and told me he wasn’t going to make it.”

A perennial jokester and lifelong storyteller, Hyatt, who became a widely respected thoroughbred breeder and trainer following his NFL career, was all happy-go-lucky as he was being whisked away to surgery, she said.

“He was always larger than life. He was joking with the nurses as they were taking him down the hall,” said Morgan Hyatt. “The last thing he told me was that he wanted cake on his birthday, and I said, ‘Okay.’”

“I’m heartbroken and torn.

I feel like half my soul has been ripped out of my gut,” she said.

Freddie Phillip Hyatt was born June 28, 1946, in Roanoke, Alabama, and tragically lost his mother when he was just 8 years old. Following her death, he was sometimes shuffled between family members.

“He grew up dirt poor. His house didn’t have electricity and the family didn’t even have a car,” said Morgan Hyatt. “The family plowed with a mule.”

“But he was never ashamed of his upbringing – he never needed fancy cars or fancy things,” she added. “He was proud of his country roots and was always a country boy at heart.”

As a kid, Freddie earned money breaking in mules and horses for neighbors and showcasing their abilities to prospective buyers, which fanned his passion for all animals, especially horses.

As a teen, Freddie’s athletic prowess, especially his running ability, sealed his future as a college and professional football player, said Morgan Hyatt.

“They found out he could run and that’s when he started playing football,” she said.

At Auburn, Freddie quickly established himself as an AllAmerican player, breaking receiving and rushing yards, some of which still have him in the Top Ten players of all time.

When he was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 1968 NFL draft, Hyatt used his earnings to purchase a horse farm in Alabama. When his career ended with the Washington Redskins in 1973, Hyatt began raising quarter horses for show.

“Horses were always his passion. He was a horse trainer since he was 10 years old,” said Morgan Hyatt. “In the off-season, he was always training and breaking in horses.”

In 1987, a friend asked him to help her buy a thoroughbred horse. Hyatt had $15,000 to

spend, he told the “Ocala StarBanner” in 2008.

“I was just using my quarter horse knowledge and applying it to thoroughbreds,” Hyatt said in the story. “The horse I bought was 3 years old, raced five times, and never did any good. But I didn’t know that at the time.”

That first foray into thoroughbred horses catapulted Hyatt into the thoroughbred breeding, training, and racing industry for more than 30 years.

He often raced his horses at a track in Birmingham.

In the early 1990s, Hyatt sold his Alabama farm and moved to Morriston, west of Ocala, where he purchased a 110-acre farm that happened to be adjacent to his future wife’s property, said Morgan Hyatt.

“I had a bigger barn, but he had the bigger house, so we ended up at his farm,” she said.

In Morriston, Hyatt, with his wife at his side, continued raising and training thoroughbreds, often traveling to South Florida tracks to race them.

“He’d sell them at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale, at the racetrack, or through other ways,” said Morgan Hyatt. “He always kept track of their careers and followed them.”

One horse, Jabalski Princess, had several memorable wins.

“The thing about Freddie was that he always allowed the horses to be horses. He let them run and kick and play – he never pushed them,” she said. “He was very passionate about animals and taking care of them the right way.”

When he wasn’t busy with the horse industry, Hyatt enjoyed hunting and spending time in nature, she said, and when he was around his friends and loved ones, which was often, he loved regaling them with stories from his days at Auburn and the NFL. One tale that Freddie frequently repeated was from his sophomore year at Auburn.

It was Oct. 29, 1966, and the Auburn Tigers were playing the Florida Gators in Gainesville. It was Florida’s Homecoming and Hyatt kept begging coach Ralph Jordan to put him in the game.

The coach finally relented so that Hyatt would shut up,” said Morgan Hyatt.

“So, Freddie caught a pass

and as he started pulling away from the safety, he said, ‘See you later alligator,’” she said.

The story with Hyatt’s witty quip ran in “The Auburn Plainsman,” the university’s newspaper. (The Gators went on to win the game, with quarterback Steve Spurrier, winner of the Heisman Trophy a few weeks later, kicking a field goal to break a 27-27 tie to take the lead for good.)

Over the past several years, the Hyatts, who were childless by choice, had slowed down and were looking forward to traveling and enjoying their retirement years. Freddie Hyatt stopped racing horses a couple of years ago and stayed closer to home, said Morgan Hyatt.

Hyatt Farm and Training Center once had as many as 75 horses on the property, but the number had dwindled significantly in recent years.

“We were retiring. We used to run between 65 and 75 horses; we were down to just 15,” said Morgan Hyatt, who is now selling the farm because it’s too much for her to take care of on her own. “We had plans for the fall and the future.”

The day after his death, Hyatt’s cell phone, which his widow is keeping on for the time being, started ringing. Loved ones, friends, and former football buddies he kept in touch with over the years were calling to wish him a happy birthday, unaware of his sudden passing.

The calls have kept coming too.

“I have to tell them Freddie died, that he’s gone,” she said. “The calls have been so unbelievable; I didn’t realize how many lives he touched.”

“I’ve never talked to so many crying men in my life,” said Morgan Hyatt.

A few days before he went to the hospital for surgery, another fan letter from a young boy arrived, asking for Hyatt’s autograph and picture. He put it aside, intending to take care of the request when he returned home.

“I’ll write him a letter and

explain what happened,” she said.

“I just wish I had an autographed picture to send him, I don’t even have one for myself.”

In addition to his wife, Dori, Freddie Hyatt is survived by a niece and two nephews.

Hyatt was a member of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, The NFL Players Association, and the Auburn Letterman Association.

A celebration of life for Hyatt is tentatively scheduled for November, but no date or location has been set.

Freddie and Dori Hyatt

Recruitment efforts, criteria, explained Continued from page A1 through its email database.

The firm indicated it would not advertise in “local, newspapers, national newspapers or generic websites because while they produce large numbers of applications, they generally do not produce the caliber of candidates we are seeking.”

According to website postings with the Florida Bar and Florida City and County Management Association on or around June 23, the job had been posted with a deadline to apply by July 15. A recruitment brochure for the position could also be found on Florida League of Cities website.

Other than possibly word of mouth, there seems to be little promotion of the position locally.

As of July 7, neither the city nor the recruiter had reached out to the local Marion County Bar Association for help getting the word out. Following an inquiry by the Gazette, the local bar association sent out an email to local attorneys on July 8.

As of July 7, the position had not been posted on the city’s website. Watt said it would be posted when the Gazette asked about it. Also, as of July 7, the job was not posted to indeed.com or jobs.com or any of the other mainstream job platforms that the Gazette could find.

The Gazette confirmed that the recruiter had also not reached out to the City, County and Local Government Law Section of the Florida Bar to post the job on their website. The recruiter said they

didn’t because they had greater success working with the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association in the past.

On July 11, the recruiter, Colin Baenziger wrote by email updating the city council that there had only been two applications, but that he hoped that there would be a few last minute before the deadline.

“As you know, we do not expect a huge number of applicants. Unlike City Manager searches, the candidate pool for City Attorneys is small. A candidate needs to be licensed to practice in Florida and need experience in local government law.

There simply are not a large number of people who meet those criteria,” Baenziger wrote in the email.

What happens if there are no candidates at the end of the search period? Will the deadline be extended? Will the current firm continue serving at least until its contract expires Oct. 1, and possibly longer?

Christopher J. Watt, Esq., Interim Chief of Staff, told the Gazette that if there were not enough candidates after July 15 that his advice would be expand the search and extend the recruiting timeline.

The recruitment brochure that has been created for the job can be read at https://bit.ly/3uLWoqE. The brochure aims to provide information about what candidates could expect moving to the area and describes city council as “fiscally conservative” yet “progressive” and congenial with each other.

The position calls for a candidate who can “work diligently to protect the legal

interests and assets of the City while seeking the most effective solution to a problem, even if it involves some risk.”

According to the brochure, the ideal candidate is someone who will be wellliked by city staff, city council and the public. Someone who “understands politics” but will not participate in them.

Someone who will provide solutions rather than just tell staff or council something cannot be done. Someone who will be “responsive and knowledgeable, generally already knowing the answer to questions before they are posed,” and if the answer is not known be prompt to do research and provide an answer.

“The emphasis will consist of being a facilitative attorney–rather than a prescriptive attorney–and someone who will work with people to accomplish their ends within the law and on finding solutions,’’ the brochure reads. “In other words, the individual will tell people how to get things done, rather than saying something cannot be accomplished. For example, if a staff member wants to do something, the answer will not be, “Sorry, but that won’t work.” Rather, the response should be, “Well, we really can’t do X. But if we do Y, we can get you to where you want to go.” Simply stated, it will be important for the candidate to aggressively seek solutions. If one wants to practice preventive law and operate solely within the confines of past practice and precedent, it would be best to seek a position other than being Ocala’s City Attorney.”

The recruitment brochure alerts

potential candidates to two challenges.

The first would be defining office structure, budget, hiring staff and “establish credibility.” The “good news,” according to the recruitment brochure is that “outside counsel … plans to continue with the City until the City Attorney can establish the new office.”

The second challenge would be to establish policies and “standard operating procedures, with the anticipation that the new City Attorney will review current practices before replacing or modifying as he/she deems appropriate.”

Watt confirmed that the recruitment brochure was approved by city management and city council. Attorneys Batsel and Gooding indicated they have not talked to any potential candidates and were not consulted in the recruitment brochure. Gilligan did not respond to the Gazette’s inquiry.

The recruitment brochure requires the candidate have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and be licensed to practice law in Florida with “ten years of increasingly responsible experience in management and the practice of law (preferably municipal) is desired. Experience in zoning and land use is necessary while trial experience is highly desirable.”

Any candidates interested in applying should reach out to Stephen Sorrell project manager for the recruitment contract at Colin Baenziger & Associates via phone (561) 707-3537 or (513) 317-9678, or by email to sorrellsorrell989@gmail.com or Recruit33@cb-asso.com by July 15.

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local students win international competition Continued from page A1 health and HOSA-related topics.

“All of our efforts paid off. Knowing that this was one of the main competitions there—it felt pretty good,” said Sandrapaty, a rising senior. “I learned a lot about teamwork and leadership, and minor difficulties that come along the way.”

One big difficulty—the COVID-19 pandemic— caused the competition to be hosted remotely for the past two years.

Sandrapaty said that the students all expressed immense gratitude not only for competing at the international level, but for the ability to travel to Nashville and experience the event in person.

“We had some trouble initially trying to find members, but we were able to organize tryouts.

After organizing the material and contacting some friends who could be somewhat of a competition, we were able to make a study plan and meet daily,” he said.

West Port is not the only school in which its HOSA members had a taste for victory— both Belleview and Vanguard High Schools competed and placed at the international level. Rushi Patel, now a graduate of VHS, placed second in the medical math competition.

While many portions of the International Leadership Competition were team based, Patel’s role in the medical math section required him to show off his knowledge in a solo examination.

He completed a written test of 50 questions based on many numerical aspects of health science, including dosages, statistics and

body surface area amongst others.

Patel was the president of the Vanguard chapter of HOSA for the past two years until his graduation.

He said that being a part of the organization gave him the foundation of knowledge and interpersonal connections he needed to continue in the medical field after high school.

“While I did learn a lot about the medical field and the process of becoming a doctor, I think I learned more about what actually drives everyone around me to work in different medical professions,” Patel said.

Patel said that now that he has graduated from Vanguard and said goodbye to HOSA, he plans to study biology in college and eventually go to medical school.

Emilie Holmes, a rising BHS sophomore, placed first for best health career display along with her partner, Hannah Deen. The theme of the duo’s display board was cardiothoracic surgery.

It featured a model of an open chest cavity covered by a blue draping fabric surrounding the surgical

field. The display board was inspired by Holmes’ aspirations to become a cardiothoracic surgeon one day.

“When we were completing our project, we were conversing with one of our classmates and she disclosed to us the story of her younger sister, who was born with a congenital heart defect,” Holmes said. “Hearing that story of how a cardiothoracic surgeon impacted her, her family and the patient and just having those experiences really inspired me and drew me to that profession.”

Holmes said that while much of the praise for these excellent accomplishments is owed to the hard work and dedication put in by her and her fellow HOSA members, some of the credit must go to the school district that educated them.

“We definitely have some very great prospects and so many people that are going to do great things in Marion County, and I feel like to have these opportunities to have Marion County represented like this at the international level is just great,” Holmes said.

After days, weeks and months of preparation put in by teams from all over the world, teams from three high schools right here in Marion County took home some of the highest awards these future health professionals could earn.

“I think it’s very inspiring to show them that even though we may come from more of a rural area, we can still compete at these levels and do just as good,” she said.

“I think it’s very inspiring to show them that even though we may come from more of a rural area, we can still compete at these levels and do just as good,” Emilie Holmes BHS sophomore

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Ocala Gazette staff campaign commentary Incumbent County Commissioner Carl Zalak grabs opportunity as the voice of the county leading up to election

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ome would argue it’s not fair, and we agree.

Does this photo of County Commissioner, Carl Zalak look like a campaign moment to you?

Source: Marion County Facebook page

It does to us. The photo was taken by county staff while the commissioner was giving the State of the County address to the Chamber of Economic Partnership (CEP) morning breakfast on July 8.

The chairman of the Marion County Board of Commissioners have been giving some version of this address consistently over at the last four years, but this year they are ramping it up and county staff planned for the chairman to give the address in the four corners of the county.

County staff has also promoted the programing on the county’s Facebook page of approximately 63,000 followers. In fact, the photo above was one of the multiple photos posted to the county’s Facebook page following the initial address.

Since Zalak is running for reelection this year with four opponents, this seems a very sweet opportunity for facetime with a key constituency, mere weeks before the vote.

According to the county’s press release about the programing, Zalak will share all the county’s recent successes and plans. The county says it will post a video of the address after all of the in-person appearances by Zalak scheduled for July 27, Tuesday, Aug. 9 and Thursday, Aug. 18.

But we can’t help but point out how county staff has arranged for these appearances in the weeks leading up to the primary. Early voting for the primary is Aug. 13, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2022 and election day is: Aug. 23, 2022.

The timing gives us pause.

Why not hold this in January, or after the election to avoid the appearance of impropriety?

We’ve reviewed a copy of the speech Zalak gave to the CEP. It sounds like a speech of an incumbent who wants everyone to focus on his 12 twelve years of success.

Referencing Fla. Stat 106.15(3), Candidate & Campaign Treasurer Handbook states gives the following prohibition: “A candidate may not, in the furtherance of their candidacy for nomination or election to public office in any election, use the services of any state, county, municipal, or district officer or employee of the state during working hours.”

We reached out to Zalak to talk to us about how the timing of the state of the county address would impact his campaign for reelection. He would not agree to a telephone call but responded by text that the state of the county had nothing to do with his campaign.

Marion County even bought convention style balloons for the occasion.

arion Source: M

County Fa

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Election disclosure rules are in place for a reason

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isclaimers about who is paying for campaign advertising is an important part of helping the public decipher whether the messages they are getting are from the candidate’s or some third party.

It helps the public weigh the possible motivations behind the messaging.

Our memories are still fresh with the vicious digital attack ads from last year’s city election in the mayoral race by a PAC who received money from locals.

We’ve asked the community to alert us to campaign messaging that comes from parties other than the candidates. The first example we’ve seen thus far is a website supporting William Harris for county judge created by local attorney William Ferro at https://bit.ly/ferrowebsite.

Harris is running for County Judge seat 2 against Lori Cotton, who was appointed as a county judge last year to fill the immediate vacancy left behind by the unexpected retirement of Judge Sarah Ritterhoff. Cotton is now running for election for the first time to keep the seat.

When the Gazette first came across the Ferro’s site, we thought it belonged to the candidate Harris, but Harris has disavowed any involvement with the website. That’s good because that would be a campaign violation. The website wades into partisan politics and this is a nonpartisan race.

Marion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox confirmed that websites created by third parties as political advertisements must have disclosures pursuant to Fla. Stat. 106.143(1)(c). The Candidate & Campaign Treasurer Handbook explains the disclosures this way: Any political advertisement not paid for by a candidate that is published, displayed, or circulated prior to, or on the day of, any election must prominently: • Be marked “paid political advertisement” or “pd. pol. adv.”

• State the name and address of the persons paying for the advertisement.

• State whether the advertisement and cost of production is paid for or provided in-kind by or at the expense of the entity publishing, displaying, broadcasting, or circulating the political advertisement.

When Ferro, the creator of the site, was asked about compliance with the disclosure requirements he responded, “I don’t need a disclosure to execute my right to freedom of speech.”

He also pointed out that he put his name and contact on the site so that there would be no confusion about who was behind the site. “It’s not like I was hiding anything,” Ferro said.

When Ferro was asked if Harris had anything to do with the site, he replied “absolutely not.” In fact, Ferro acknowledged that Harris would probably not say the things Ferro put on his site about Cotton.

An attorney publicly speaking ill of a sitting judge is highly unusual. A few years ago, Marion County experienced that firsthand why it’s so detrimental when Assistant State Attorney Bryon Aven ran an unethical campaign against Judge Robert Landt that he was eventually admonished by the Florida Bar for.

But Ferro says all of his research is backed up with facts- so it’s not a violation. “I was a circuit judge before- I know the rules.”

Cotton’s official campaign site is: https://www.keepjudgeloricotton.com/ Harris’ official campaign site is: https://www.williamharrisforjudge.com/ _______________ Editor’s note: If you notice any questionable campaign messaging from candidates or third parties, please forward it to us at tips@ocalagazette.com.

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Will county, city agree to school concurrency?

File photo reflecting road conditions on Southwest 43rd Court leading up to Saddlewood Elementary on June 22, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Continued from page A1 reaching a consensus.

A new state law took effect July 1 modifying the process of entering into agreements with developers who the district requires payment of their share of the costs offsetting the cost of absorbing more students.

The district’s ability to require those agreements from developers, however, is contingent on the city and county agreeing to give them that authority.

Capacity conundrum

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

These site reviews led school board and district officials to conclude portable classrooms will continue to be the most viable way to handle overcrowding in the short term as efforts to fund new construction continue.

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

The school is at 111% enrollment capacity, with 1,339 students enrolled while the school only has a capacity of 1,203 seats.

The maintenance needs of the schools surpass the capital outlay funding available by millions of dollars, according to Dobbins.

She said because of this, there is no available funding for building new schools anytime soon.

“We know that we have to replace Lake Weir Middle School, but we have no capital outlay funds available for new construction,” Dobbins said.

“Based on city and county land development, we think we need a K-8 school in the southwest area, and we know we have needs for multiple wings at numerous schools.’’

The first steps for the district to take to begin long-term facility planning are a long-term needs assessment and an impact fee analysis.

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

“We must conduct an in-depth study to validate the need for such fees,” Dobbins said. “We are planning for these two analyses and anticipate that these in-depth

assessments will take a minimum of six months once the board approves.”

At an April Ocala City Council meeting, the city’s chief planner explained in part how things have gotten to this point.

“We had school concurrency back in the 2008 to 2010 period, but it went away,” said Tye Chighizola, director of Planning and Development for the City of Ocala. “The state did not require the cities or the counties to have school concurrency, so we don’t really have it.”

Chighizola explained that city staff cannot say there’s no capacity at any given school without looking at capacity for the entire district.

“And there is plenty of capacity districtwide,” he said. “Many schools may be overcrowded, but our hands are tied from our standpoint. We have to look at capacity for the entire district. But we are having a conversation with the school board about that.”

Currently, the school board looks at the Marion County birth rate data, as well as other data and trends, to determine school district capacity, said Chighizola, adding that those numbers “really show what the growth is.”

“You may think there’s a lot of movement and everything but theoretically even during the times in the boom there was only a slight movement,” he continued.

A history of conflict

The Gazette has interviewed multiple Marion County, Ocala and school district employees and elected officials over the past six weeks to determine where they stand on the issue.

Generally, the answer generally has been, not so close.

The problem, as usual, is funding. Specifically, whose money.

The key mechanism for helping local governments pay for the impacts on local services from roads to schools to hospitals brough on by newcomers is called, appropriately, impact fees. These are typically paid by developers, who often factor these costs into their customers’ bills.

However, the Marion County School Board suspended collecting the Education Impact Fees in 2013, saying at the time that the fees were not generating much revenue due to little construction activity.

According to the district, the only mechanism to fund expansion or building new schools has to come from either sales tax, impact fees, or concurrency agreements with developers.

In 2014, and again in 2018, Marion County voters approved and renewed a one-

mill property tax increase via a referendum. Unfortunately, the money collected through this referendum can only be used for operations.

Adding to the challenge are changes in state funding.

Florida no longer provides Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funding to maintain schools. The last time Marion County received those funds was more than a decade ago.

As a result, the Marion County School Board allocates more of its budget to maintenance. The current budget allocation for maintaining over 7 million square feet of space is $11.4 million.

According to a school district spokesperson, state laws also prevent the school board from building “empty seats for students to eventually fill – students must physically exist before new schools are built.”

The second challenge is some exasperation associated with who is responsible for fixing the problem.

City and county officials seem to put the burden of solving the school capacity problem squarely on the school district, while the district presents the concern as a countywide problem partially the doing of city and county growth management decisions.

Bad blood

A 2008 interlocal agreement aimed to get the entities on the same page. It created a policy establishing school capacity levels to be considered by local government when making development decisions. But in 2011, the parties decided to stop enforcing the policy.

Two notable things were happening at that time. The nation was deep in a recession and building permits for the county and city were nowhere near today’s levels. Concerns about development impacts on local school capacity were a low priority.

Also, relations between Ocala and the school district had sunk to an all-time low.

The city had filed suit against the district over the district’s refusal to pay fire fees, which the courts would rule 10 years later was an unconstitutional tax. Also, the school district was refusing to pay stormwater fees to the city.

At one point, the district had to obtain a temporary injunction against the city to keep it from turning off its electric and water service at schools while they negotiated the disputes over fire and stormwater fees.

A review by the Gazette of minutes of a meeting between city attorney Patrick Gilligan, city council members and city management under a temporary exception to the state’s Sunshine Law because the subject was

pending litigation reflects a toxic relationship.

Gilligan told the council, “I made a command decision, without your permission, to file suit. I didn’t serve them with it. It just got filed with the court so that we could have a private mediation conference. … We’re only in suit because of the logistical process to do it privately. We never wanted to be in suit. We just did what we had to, but now that we’re in suit … we should probably push it down the road.”

The conversation went as far to contemplate where the city could stop up the stormwater drains at schools in retaliation of the district’s refusal to pay or how the city would go about turning off electric at schools or quit picking up their garbage. They all admitted such measures would have political ramifications due to the anticipated reaction of the public to such actions.

The dispute eventually was resolved, but the bad feelings and distrust between the boards lingered.

School board member Nancy Thrower told the Gazette last month she hopes the interlocal agreement workshops being held now will help mend these relationships. She is joined by County Commissioner Michelle Stone, City Councilmember Kristin Dreyer, and staff from the three entities.

Finding solutions

Even if the parties agree on a new policy related to development and school capacity, it could be a long time until the community sees any effects. Key questions must be resolved, such as how local governments should determine a fair contribution from developers toward mitigating their impacts?

Take for instance, a development’s impact on roads. If the road was already overcrowded, the developer can’t be held responsible for fixing the entire problem in order to have the development approved. The developer would only be assessed their pro-rated share of the costs for road improvements based on anticipated traffic increases. The government would need to make up the difference.

One would reason that similar equitable principals would be applied to seeking contributions from developers when the projects are impacting schools already over capacity.

Another aspect holding some schools from being able to expand is the lack of road infrastructure around them. Schools in Belleview and Ocala with twolane roads are already backed up twice a day dropping students off and picking them up. Even if they could raise the money to expand the school to accommodate more students, the roads under the purview of the county or city aid another layer of complication.

New wrinkle

The new law mentioned earlier that took effect July 1 was initiated by State Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, whose district includes a large swath of northern Marion County. Perry says he raised the issue with legislators to protect developers when there is conflict between local governments making development decisions and their respective school districts.

Perry explained that having two elected boards with sometimes varying stances on development was ripe for conflict and those caught in the middle, in this case developers, are impacted through no fault of their own.

The issue was brought to Perry’s attention from an incident

that arose out of Hillsborough County. A developer had an agreement with the school district and the county, but then got stuck in between the government bodies fighting about the details.

The changes to Fla. 163.3180 are explained this way: “The bill … provides school concurrency is deemed satisfied when the developer tenders a written legally binding, rather than executes, a commitment to provide mitigation proportionate to the demand created by the development. The district school board must notify the local government that capacity is available for the development within 30 days after receipt of the developer’s commitment to provide school capacity. The bill also provides that proportionateshare mitigation paid by a developer, rather than being immediately directed toward a school capacity improvement, may be set aside and not spent until an appropriate improvement is identified.”

The statute grants every local government the choice whether to enter into agreements with their local school districts to apply a standard for development decisions factoring in their impact on schools. And if the local governments and their respective school districts don’t agree to a set policy, the state won’t force them. In those cases, the statutes only require that they share development information with the district so that the district can plan accordingly.

Without a school concurrency agreement in effect, the Marion school district has no way of forcing developers into mitigation. Therefore, the change to the statute would have no impact on Marion County.

Concerns about transparency

To date, there has been no public discussion about reinstituting the school concurrency element of the 2008 agreement, which may be the quickest way to give the district options for making developers pay their fair mitigation share to offset their impacts.

Two draft minutes from the workshop meetings that the Gazette has reviewed don’t address it. In fact, there seems to be a disagreement about who is responsible for keeping those minutes.

Even the timing of when a new proposed agreement will be ready for review is even in dispute.

Last month Ocala spokesperson Ashley Dobb said the new agreement should be finished this month and will not include a school concurrency element. Thrower told the school board last month that she felt they were at least six months away from working out a consensus.

Ocala city attorney Rob Batsel, Jr., who has cautioned the city council from denying development decisions based on school concurrency because it could result in a lawsuit and puts the lack of school capacity squarely on the district for failing to plan appropriately. In addition to representing the city, Batsel and law partner Jimmy Gooding in private practice represent some of the highest-profile developers in Marion County.

Meanwhile, Marion County parents and children are counting down the days to the new school year, where once again, district officials will struggle to find space for students at several area schools.

A5

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Elections Q & A with the candidates Editor’s Note: Leading up to the 2022 primary and general elections, we’ll be asking candidates to weigh in regularly on a question related to the office they seek. The

candidates are given almost a week to respond to the questions in writing. We ask that the candidates keep their answers under 250 words, and we do not edit them at all.

County Commission Candidates What are the largest challenges facing Marion County and how do you think residents want those challenges addressed?

District 4

Keith Poole In my opinion, the main challenges facing Marion County are infrastructure and affordable housing. The county has lagged behind and kicked the can down the road for many years in regards to these two issues.

In regards to infrastructure, we have made some serious mistakes with land purchases and decision making when it comes to our roads and future expansion.

It is time for the commission to take responsibility for these failures and correct their short comings. The main project that has set our county back several years, not to mention $30 million dollars in the red is the I-75 interchange just north of Hwy 27 at the North Commerce Park. The county commission, in which only two current commissioners voted for, approved a land a purchase that was not a good decision.

Many residents and business owners advised the commission that the property and proposed route of the road was not the best suited and would cost the citizens of Marion County a lot of money. The commission rather took the advice from a consultant, chastised the citizens that spoke against it, and purchased a defunct mine to try and connect the commerce park to the interstate. That decision cost the tax payers of Marion County millions of dollars and set the county back several years of having a completed interchange.

That consultant was fired by the City of Ocala but our commission did not heed the warning signs and followed his advice any ways. Now, we the tax payers, will have to pay the bill for this mistake. The money wasted on this project could have funded five other desperately needed road projects in Marion County and completed the interchange with a different route.

The next issue is affordable housing.

The commission dropped the ball several years ago, when they were presented a plan from the Marion County Affordable Housing Committee in how to address these issues before the housing boom hit Marion County. This committee is/was appointed by the county commission and

represents the citizens of Marion County.

This committee volunteered many hours of in-depth analysis to offer many solutions to this crisis. Again, the commission did not implement these recommendations, but rather shelved the study and kicked the can down the road for someone else to deal with these issues. It seems rather strange that no one is talking about these failures as the truth is always in the details. If you ask our most seasoned commissioners on the campaign trail, they are proud to profess all their successes but rarely, will they speak about these boondoggles. They like to paint the illusion that their decision making is always best for the tax payers, in reality they cost us a lot money. We need informed business minded people making the decision for this county. This is the reason we need term limits, complacency and stagnate behavior will lead to an increase in these kinds of mistakes.

I pledge to ask the tough questions and provide the oversight that is needed to move our county into the future. I am not saying that I am perfect, mistakes can and will be made, but by being prideful and not admitting to failure will only hurt the citizens of Marion County. It is time for a change, lets #pooletogether for Marion County, our future depends on it.

Rachel Sams

The largest challenges facing Marion County is the growth: Growth of citizens, businesses, and the traffic/ infrastructure issues. The growth of the county at approximately 190 people a week is astounding. It’s no secret that we have a gem and the realm of possibilities to live and work in a safe area, along with having a prosperous future is at our fingertips.

Citizens need to know that when they choose to live or work in an area, they will have safety and security through our Public Safety Services, and also to be able to travel in a safe manner. The issues with congestion did not happen overnight.

Although the County appears to have some sort of plan in place, many of these

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Carl Zalak The largest challenge facing our community is inflation, which is caused by the broken supply chains and bad policies of the Biden Administration.

Residents want someone who will fight for our way of life. They want us to be guided by faith, passionate about freedom, and able to provide opportunity today as well as for future generations. What they don’t want is rookie mistakes and excuses.

It is important to elect leaders who are smart enough to make the right choices in procurement. It takes experience to navigate inflation and supply chain obstacles. Being Flexible in how we purchase our materials and holding our vendors accountable for delivery are the key components of this strategy. Because I have run my own company for nearly two decades, I know how to make value-driven business decisions. For instance, if we need to expand a building we could choose a metal, block, or tilt wall construction.

That decision should be made based on market pricing and availability. We need to place our priorities on sourcing the best values from within the shifting markets.

Teamwork, elbow grease, and knowhow are what matters in tough competitive markets. You can count on Carl Zalak to be proactive with our staff in tracking down the supplies we need to keep Marion County Strong and taxes low.

Seth Posner did not respond to the Gazette’s inquiry.

District 2

Gina Capone Urban Sprawl is the greatest challenge Marion County must attempt to solve if the county is to stay true to its residents.

Residents from Marion County are inundated with the development of horse farms and large tracts of land causing unsightly construction sites, neighborhoods with concrete homes six feet apart, and an influx of traffic. The decisions being made from our current representatives do not correspond with our comprehensive plan or the desires of our community.

The goal of my campaign platform is to follow the guidelines of our comprehensive plan by protecting the unique assets, character, and quality of life in the county through implementation and maintenance of land use policies and a land development code. I want to implement the responsibility commissioners have by filing legislation that will provide public participation in the plan amendment process by giving the people a referendum when development is up for a vote.

The goal of my campaign is to stop the County Commissioners from having the rule of law and power to make decisions for the public without their input.

In 2018, the Comprehensive Plan ordinance no. 19-11 was adopted. Section 125.01 empowers the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County “to prepare and enforce comprehensive plans to plan for and manage the development of Marion County.” (Ordinance of the Board of Marion County Commissioners 121/1) I wish to overturn this comprehensive plan ordinance 19-11 by reverting this power back to the people of the county.

The citizens of Marion County deserve to have a say in the development of their county. With this ordinance overturned and a referendum in place, citizens, our farming and agricultural land, our natural resources and wildlife may be protected.

Kathy Bryant who is also running for District 2 declined to participate in interview questions until after the primary election.

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problems seem “knee-jerk” reactions to an issue that’s been festering for years.

Projects such as the commerce park will eventually have a cyclical positive impact on our community, but right now it appears as if the cart was put before the horse.

Marion County has the resources to be a very successful county, even with economic uncertainty. The people want to know that they can move safely, to and from work, school, etc. without having an hour-long commute—after all, time is money. Marion County needs a leader who is proactive not reactive to the issues at hand.

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A6

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

STATE TARGETS PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS

By Florida News Service

C

alling for more “transparency” in prescription-drug costs, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday issued an executive order

designed to increase scrutiny of pharmacy benefit managers.

The executive order, in part, will require audits of pharmacy benefit managers that provide services in the state’s Medicaid managed-care program and

the state-employee health insurance program.

Pharmacy benefit managers act as sort of middlemen and play roles such as representing insurers in negotiations with drug companies and pharmacies.

“This is an incredibly opaque process,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Cape Coral to announce the executive order. The audits, for example, will include “a detailed review of potential inflation of dispensing fees and payments from drug manufacturers, insurers and pharmacies, as such pertain to a Medicaid managed care plan,” the executive order said. “The purpose of this audit is to ensure that all costs incurred by the state of Florida are justified.”

The executive order also

requires state agencies to put certain stipulations in new, renewed or extended contracts that involve pharmacy benefit managers.

For instance, one of those stipulations would prevent “clawbacks,” which the executive order said involve situations when pharmacy benefit managers retain money that is recouped from overpayments to pharmacies.

DeSantis last month signed a bill (HB 357) that also seeks to increase oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. The bill included giving the Office of Insurance Regulation more authority over pharmacy benefit managers. Small pharmacies, which have long complained about pharmacy benefit managers, lobbied for the bill.

COMMENTARY

Horse Farms Forever attempts to silence disagreement over Farmland Preservation Area

By Ocala Gazette Editorial Board

O

n July 12, Horse Farms Forever (HFF) , a local nonprofit group that touts itself as a “watchdog” for farmland preservation issued a statement about why they supported the massive WEC Ocala Jockey Club (OJC) development approved by the Board of County Commissioners June 21 in a 3-2 vote despite significant public opposition and county staff ’s recommendation of denial.

The gist of the HFF statement was this: there is already commercial development in the area due to decisions by county government at least 10 years ago, so why not approve OJC plans? Plus, HFF indicated they felt the development proposed was compatible with the surrounding area because it was equestrian in nature.

HFF also pointed to the property’s location near the Interstate 75 interchange as another reason why it was appropriate for this project. From the entrance of WEC Jockey Club to the interstate, it’s a little more than 2.5 miles.

The Gazette previously posted a video of the drive between the entrance and the interchange. You can view it by going to https://bit.ly/3ccnmRT. In their statement, HFF downplayed WEC Jockey Club plans for 9,000 stadium seats saying they wouldn’t all be in one stadium but rather broken up over a few different arena areas.

In HFF’s argument that there was a precedent for these types of large equestrian facilities they pointed to the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP). This is not a legitimate analogy because the KHP doesn’t have residential development and is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which operates it as a state park.

How a state operates a property for public benefit and how a private entity operates a facility, especially long term, are two very different things.

HFF’s position differs significantly from that of the surrounding property owners, all located in the FPA, who spoke against the development at the June 21 hearing. It also stands in contrast with the objections raised by the county’s professional planners, who gave three reasons why they recommended the commissioners deny the WEC Jockey Club plans: •The plans were not consistent with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

•The project would adversely affect the public interest.

•The project would not be compatible with the surrounding land uses.

As previously reported, HFF traded their approval and advocacy for the OJC development plans in exchange for restrictions to certain development on other farms, without talking to any of the farm owners in the FPA surrounding the OJC, who are directly impacted by the trade.

Over the past couple of months when HFF’s “trade” came to light and residents in the FPA started to oppose the plans for OJC, HFF did not support them. Instead, HFF doubled down on their support of the plans and decided to hide comments from the prior owner of OJC and surrounding farm owners from HFF social media accounts.

One local farm owner, Damian Guthrie, whose property is adjacent to the OJC, posted a comment on the HFF statement issued through Facebook Tuesday. The comment was quickly hidden from public view by HFF. The Gazette is presenting Guthrie’s comment below so readers may understand why some surrounding farm owners are alarmed by HFF’s breach of trust and dereliction of their mission: Guthrie: Last time I commented on this page I was deleted along with others including the previous owner of the Ocala Jockey Club Pavla Nygard. So let’s discuss some issues! I will provide information based on Horse Farms Forever item numbers from their post and some other points.

1. The Ocala Jockey Club was previously provided a special use permit to host a 1 week event per year. We all remember the event Ocala Jockey Club 3&4* eventing that took place in November. As an example, the same permit is provided to Live Oak International for its 1 week event per year. Not year-round events. The new zoning allows for unlimited events per year.

“A very big difference” with huge impacts to local roads and infrastructure that simply doesn’t exist.

2. The original Jockey Club was bordered by 2 sides of existing commercial use not 3. The Veterinary college and the mine. NOT the RV park and still does not border the existing RV park. To ensure you have the facts, the Ocala Jockey Club

was purchased for 10.5 million in July of 2021. Other land that was never a part of the Ocala Jockey Club was purchased in October 2021, (87 acres) and January 2022. (22 acres) are now and have been included as 3 acre lots for residential subdivision.

This is located on HWY 225.

3. Adjoining PUD land on the other side of I-75, as stated in the (June 21 )BOCC meeting was a bad decision. The decision was made at a time during a recession and therefore decisions were made. This land sat for many years without an interest from developers but now we have interest.

Horse Farms Forever has failed to mention that many existing land owners will be forced to accept land takeover subject to Eminent Domain on Hwy 318. Both sides of the road need to be widened for increased traffic. It is suggested that $61 million are required to upgrade the I-75 intersection, and other roads. It was a contentious issue of who will pay. I would like everyone to realize that it’s us tax paying gas consuming folks in Marion County that are paying additional gas taxes to upgrade Hwy27 and 225A. For us locals this has been a disaster intersection for some time now and see no end in sight.

The contention with the development for local residents is real. What is Farmland Preservation? The Community understands that Horse Farms Forever Board members did not want a residential subdivision near their land and said publicly they thought it was a good idea to send it up the road to the Jockey Club.

Sending it up the road to a location that has no relevant infrastructure such as upgrades in electricity, water, sewer, roads and so on is quite a mistake.

People living on 225A and Hwy 225 in a few years will see huge increases in traffic. They have no idea what is coming!

The green light has been given from the BOCC’s decision to large land owners in Farmland Preservation area to submit 3acre subdivisions and keep some proportion of their farms for cattle of horse related activities.

The current plan can be improved so much in my opinion.

Sometimes the best plans go back to the drawing board several times before breaking ground.

The current plan is not compatible with adjoining land owners.

Just as a side not I didn’t see any Horse Farms Forever members at the BOCC meeting making public statements in support of the proposal. And to that end no Combined Drivers, Eventers, Dressage, Hunters or Jumping participation in support of this development. If I was the developer I would take a look at this lack of enthusiasm before investing a few hundred million into their respective sports.

I believe they can make something fantastic hear but it’s not this plan.

The Gazette reached out to HFF’s Executive Director and Chairman of the Board to discuss their communications/social media policy, but they did not respond to the Gazette’s inquiry.

It’s a little hard to understand why HFF in their “watch dog” role chose only to sit down with the developer and not the local farm owners surrounding OJC before doing their trade—then justify snubbing those same local farm owners as they attempt their own farmland preservation efforts.

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A7

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Abortion law to remain in effect amid court battle

People hold signs as they protest against the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade with about 100 demonstrators during a pro-choice rally on the Ocala Downtown Square in Ocala on Friday, July 1, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

A

new Florida law preventing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy will remain in effect while a legal battle plays out.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper last week issued a temporary injunction to block the law, finding that it violated the

Florida Constitution. But the state appealed, which, under court rules, triggered an automatic stay of the injunction.

Cooper on Tuesday denied a request from abortion clinics and a physician to vacate the stay. That effectively means the injunction remains on hold and that the 15-week restriction will remain in effect at least until the 1st District Court of Appeal — or possibly the Florida

Supreme Court — rules on the state’s appeal.

Cooper pointed to a “very high burden” that the 1st District Court of Appeal has set for vacating stays while appeals are pending. He wrote that “courts are obliged to follow binding precedent even if they might wish to decide the case differently” and pointed to direction from the appeals court that automatic stays may only be vacated “under the most compelling circumstances.”

In addition, Cooper’s order listed a series of cases in recent years, including a high-profile decision in May by a circuit judge to vacate an automatic stay in a congressional redistricting lawsuit. The Tallahassee-based appeals court quickly overturned that decision, putting the stay back into effect.

“The above cases regarding the automatic stay are included in this order to demonstrate the basis for this court’s conclusion that the First District has established a high barrier, based on the ‘most compelling circumstances’ doctrine, to a trial court issuing an order vacating an automatic stay,” he wrote.

The abortion clinics and physician filed the lawsuit June 1, arguing that the 15week limit violated a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution that has long played a key role in bolstering abortion rights in the

state. Cooper agreed with that argument in issuing the temporary injunction July 5.

After the state quickly appealed, triggering the automatic stay, the plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to vacate the stay.

“Every day that HB 5 (the law) remains in effect, Florida patients in desperate need of post-15-week abortion services are being turned away and forced to attempt to seek abortions out of state, if they are able to do so; to attempt abortions outside the medical system; or to continue pregnancies against their will,” the emergency motion said.

But Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office objected to vacating the stay, in part saying in a court filing that the plaintiffs had not “shown a likelihood of success on the merits” of their arguments in the case.

Also, the filing cited the Florida Supreme Court’s “preference for preserving legislative enactments pending appeal even when a trial court has found them invalid.”

The plaintiffs could ask the appeals court to vacate the stay. It is not clear how long it could take for the appeals court to rule on the temporary injunction — or whether it will.

The state has asked that the case be fast-tracked to the Florida Supreme Court, bypassing a decision by the appeals court. The plaintiffs have objected to such a move.

Citrus season marked by production drop

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

F

lorida citrus growers recorded a very slight bump in orange production in the final count of the growing season, but the industry still experienced one of its most devastating seasons in eight decades.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, in a final report for the 2021-2022 season, said growers produced 40.95 million boxes of oranges, the lowest amount since the 19421943 season. That was up slightly from a June forecast of 40.7 million boxes — but was a 22.7 percent decline from the 20202021 season.

Similarly, grapefruit production ended the season 19.5 percent below the 2020-2021 total, and specialty fruits — tangerines and tangelos — were down 15.7 percent.

The industry has faced troubles for years because of issues such as a bacterial disease known as citrus greening. But the COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for orange juice from people seeking healthier drink options, driving some optimism.

“This is not an industry that we’re ready to give up on,” Matt

Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, said Tuesday.

Shelley Rossetter, the Florida Department of Citrus’ assistant director of global marketing, said growers are focused on moving forward.

“While challenges remain, one thing is clear: the Florida citrus industry is committed to continuing to grow great tasting Florida citrus for years to come,” Rossetter said.

Along with citrus greening, the industry has struggled with issues such as development pressures, increasing labor costs and lingering impacts from 2017 hurricanes, including Hurricane Irma, which tore through major citrus areas. The industry and state have taken a variety of steps to try to deal with citrus greening, which is more formally known as huanglongbing, or HLB. “We are fortunate to have the tools, funding, and people in place to move us forward on the path toward a solution to HLB,” Rossetter said. “With support from the governor and state Legislature, the industry is now working on a program to expedite the propagation of plant materials that may be tolerant or resistant to HLB.” Also during this season,

growers suffered through a winter freeze that significantly affected groves in Highlands and DeSoto counties and could impact the 2022-2023 harvest.

“Along with fruit that we had to salvage, (growers) also lost a fair amount of that bloom for next year’s crop, which was already starting to come out,” Joyner said. “They’ll put new bloom on and new fruit on, but we’re just not sure yet what the impacts of losing that early bloom are going to be.”

The state budget that went into effect July 1 included $37 million for the industry, with the biggest chunks of money being $17 million for Department of Citrus marketing programs, $8 million for research programs, and $6.2 million for what is known as the Citrus Health Response Program, which includes cultivating new trees resistant to greening.

The state, which more than two decades ago produced about 200 million boxes of oranges a season, produced 52.95 million boxes of oranges in the 20202021 season and 67.4 million boxes in 2019-2020.

Joyner said that since the 2017 hurricane damage, the industry has put in 68,000 new acres of citrus trees. Officials

File photo: Orange Grove

hope that will gradually add 8 million to 13 million boxes a year in production.

“We’re getting new trees in the ground. We see growers trying to invest in the future through those new plantings. We know that that research is starting to yield some horticultural practices that we hope will maintain and possibly even increase the productivity of our current inventory of trees,” Joyner said. “That’s critical. We can’t completely start over. New plantings take four or five years to come online. So, there’s sort of a suite of things that we hope are going to start to swing that

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pendulum back to the greater levels of productivity.”

The state ended the season producing 3.3 million boxes of grapefruit, the lowest total for a single season since 1917-2018.

The grapefruit numbers were down from 4.1 million boxes in 2020-2021 and 4.85 million in 2019-2020. In the 1990s, the state averaged around 50 million boxes of grapefruit a season.

The state produced 750,000 boxes of specialty fruits, the lowest for a single season since 1925-1926. That amount was off from 890,000 a season ago and 1.02 million boxes in 2019-2020.

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Fried takes aim at law on guns, medical marijuana

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is challenging the federal government over restrictions on medical marijuana patients buying guns. [Tom Urban]

By Dara Kam Florida News Service

F

lorida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is relying on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to support arguments in a challenge to federal regulations that make it illegal for medical marijuana patients to buy guns.

Fried, a Democrat who is running for governor, has long championed medical marijuana, which Florida voters broadly legalized in 2016. Her office also issues concealed weapons licenses.

In April, Fried filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice that challenges a federal law and regulations she alleged “forbid Floridians from possessing or purchasing a firearm on the sole basis that they are state-law-abiding medical marijuana patients.”

Fried’s lawyers on Friday filed an amended complaint focusing heavily on a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a New York law that placed strict limits on carrying concealed weapons in public. Gun control advocates have expressed concerns the decision could severely restrict states’ ability to regulate guns.

The court’s June 23 ruling said, in part,

that state gun laws have to be in keeping with the country’s “historical tradition” of firearm regulations.

“Only if a firearm regulation is consistent with this nation’s historical tradition may a court conclude that the individual’s conduct falls outside the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command,’” the opinion authored by Justice Clarence Thomas said.

Fried’s lawsuit includes plaintiffs who are medical marijuana patients and want to have guns, as well as a plaintiff who is a gun owner and wants to participate in the state’s medical cannabis program. It contends that the restrictions are unconstitutional.

“The defendants can offer no rational explanation for why federal law would expressly protect programs that essentially turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals with no self-control,” the lawsuit said. “Such a contradictory position would fall far outside of any comparable, historical regulation in this area.”

The lawsuit centers, in part, on a federal form that must be completed by people seeking to purchase guns.

“Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other

controlled substance? Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside,” the form says.

Fried’s attorneys argued that prohibiting people who use medical marijuana from buying or having guns is a relatively recent development in the U.S. “Quite simply, there is no historical tradition of denying individuals their Second Amendment rights based solely (or even partially) on the use of marijuana,” the lawsuit said. “In fact, historical evidence shows that marijuana was considered a legitimate and legal form of medicine in England, America, and other western countries through the mid-Nineteenth and early-Twentieth Centuries.”

According to the complaint, evidence shows that medical marijuana was used “as early as 5,000 years ago, and it reached its “medical ‘heyday’ in the west between 1840 and 1900.”

Doctors began prescribing marijuana around 1842, but it was outlawed in 1941.

“None of the federal case law relating to whether marijuana users may be stripped of their Second Amendment rights applies to the historical analysis that Bruen (the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the New York case) requires,” the plaintiffs argued.

Fried’s lawsuit also pointed to a federal law, known as the RohrbacherFarr Amendment, that bars Justice Department officials from using any of the agency’s funds to prevent states with medical marijuana programs “from implementing state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

Previous court decisions have found that the law prohibits federal officials from spending money to prosecute people who engage in conduct permitted by state medical marijuana laws, Fried’s lawyers wrote.

The lawsuit accuses the Biden administration of defying the law.

“The defendants’ enforcement of the challenged sections and challenged

regulations against medical marijuana patients who comply with state law punishes them for what is legally permitted and protected conduct,” the complaint argued.

In a motion filed the day the New York gun ruling was issued, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s lawyers said the Biden administration intended to file a motion to have the Florida lawsuit dismissed. The June 23 motion also asked for more time to respond to the legal challenge “so that defendants can review Bruen, analyze its relevance to this case, and apply Bruen in its forthcoming motion to dismiss.”

Will Hall, an attorney with the Dean, Mead & Dunbar firm who represents the plaintiffs, told The News Service of Florida that the Supreme Court ruling puts the onus on Garland’s office to justify the gun restriction.

“Our reading of the case is the federal government has to show that this regulation, which is basically treating medical marijuana patients as if they are just, per se, too violent to possess guns, has some kind of historical tradition, and we just don’t see it,” Hall said Tuesday.

Hall said Fried’s legal team scoured the issue to see if there was “any equivalent regulation” in the distant past.

“We just can’t find it,” he said. “There’s really no equivalent for what we have in medical marijuana now, which is that the states have made it legal and the federal government has, not just through a letter or some promise but through law, said we will protect those programs from interference.”

Fried, a lawyer who is Florida’s lone statewide elected Democrat, is a “huge advocate” for “reasonable gun laws that make people safer,” Hall noted.

“Her view is that this regulation just doesn’t make anyone more safe. If anything, it makes people less safe because it pushes them towards, if you’re a medical marijuana patient who wants to buy a gun, pushes you to a private sale versus a gun store where you actually follow the ATF protocols,” he said, referring to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Open House Wednesday, July 27

11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | Ocala Campus Ewers Century Center 3001 S.W. College Road Fill out the CF admissions application ($30 fee waived) Apply for financial aid Meet with an academic advisor All applicants will be entered for a chance to win a free 3-credit-hour class at CF’s standard tuition rate! Guided tours also will be available.

Can’t make it? Drop in our online Zoom meeting between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 3!

Ŋ

CF.edu/OpenHouse

Æ

352-873-5800 –an equal opportunity college–

MARION • CITRUS • LEVY • ONLINE

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE STATE BRIEFS

CALLING MR. FIX IT

F

lorida lawmakers earlier this year fulfilled Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wish for an “Office of Election Crimes and Security,” and the governor this week picked a veteran lawyer with a deep resume and a reputation for even-handedness to lead it.

Pete Antonacci, appointed by DeSantis to head the newly created “elections police” office, is a known quantity as a Florida fix-it man. State leaders have called on him numerous times for a variety of high-profile roles.

A former prosecutor, Antonacci was appointed as chief judge of the state Division of Administrative Hearings by DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet last year.

The 73-year-old’s career includes stints as executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, president of the state business-recruitment agency Enterprise Florida and state attorney in Palm Beach County.

Former Gov. Rick Scott tapped Antonacci, a longtime ally, to take over as Broward County supervisor of elections after suspending Brenda Snipes from the post in 2018, shortly before Scott left office.

DeSantis touted his choice in a news release announcing Antonacci’s appointment Wednesday.

“I am confident he will lead the Office of Election Crimes and Security with integrity and ensure that Florida’s elections are the most secure in the nation,” DeSantis said.

The office was created as part of a broader elections bill (SB 524) during the 2022 legislative session, and will

have authority to independently launch investigations into purported misconduct.

The measure stirred a partisan debate about whether such an office was necessary after the 2020 elections went off without a hitch, with Republicans arguing the added oversight would ensure that future elections are fraud-free and Democrats slamming the idea as an authoritarian move on DeSantis’ part.

But widespread praise for Antonacci rolled in after his appointment, with some critics of the new election crimes office describing the pick as a best-case scenario.

“This elections police thing is terrible. However, Antonacci is a pretty no-nonsense administrator.

Even us Dems praised his work in Broward. He is by far the best that could be hoped for. So much so I could see DeSantis growing to hate him if he doesn’t go on witch hunts,” Matt Isbell, a Tallahassee-based consultant for Democrats, tweeted Wednesday.

Antonacci will helm the office under a newly minted secretary of state who also was hand-selected by DeSantis: former state lawmaker Cord Byrd, a conservative Republican from Neptune Beach. The Office of Election Crimes and Security is housed in Byrd’s department.

“Judge Antonacci’s formidable knowledge of Florida election law and his experience as a supervisor of elections will ensure that our laws are enforced and that voters have confidence in our elections,” Byrd said in a statement Wednesday.

‘MARSY’S LAW’ ARGUMENTS TO BE RESCHEDULED

File photo: Sheriff Billy Woods

A

fter announcing last week that it would hear arguments Aug. 31 in a closely watched case about a 2018 constitutional amendment known as “Marsy’s Law,” the Florida Supreme Court said Tuesday it will reschedule the hearing.

The decision came after Philip Padovano, one of the attorneys in the case, said in a filing that he would be unavailable Aug. 31 because he will be “leaving the state for a longstanding,

prepaid, preplanned, non-refundable vacation” from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8.

The Supreme Court order Tuesday did not set a new date for the arguments, saying only that the hearing would “be rescheduled for a later date.”

The case involves whether Marsy’s Law, which included a series of protections for crime victims, can shield the identities of police officers.

The 1st District Court of Appeal last year sided with two Tallahassee police officers who invoked the law to prevent their identities from being released after use-of-force shooting incidents in which they were threatened. The officers argued they were victims in the incidents.

The city of Tallahassee appealed to the Supreme Court and has been joined by news organizations that say the officers’ names should be released.

Padovano represents the city.

Locally, the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office has also claimed Marsy’s Law protections for its officers involved in deadly shootingspreventing disclosure of the officers name to the media.

CITIZENS INSURANCE TOPS 937,000 POLICIES

T

he state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. continues to move closer to having 1 million policies amid widespread problems in the private insurance market.

Chief Operating Officer Kelly Booten said Tuesday that Citizens had 937,835 policies as of Friday, up from 883,333 at the end of May. Booten also said during a

committee meeting of the Citizens Board of Governors that, based on past trends, Citizens could receive at least 30,000 policies because of the insolvency of Southern Fidelity Insurance Co. A judge last month appointed a receiver for Southern Fidelity, with policies canceled effective July 15. Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last

resort, has seen massive growth during the past two years as private insurers have dropped customers and sought large rate increases because of financial problems.

As illustrations of the growth, Citizens had 638,263 policies on June 30, 2021, and 474,630 policies on June 30, 2020, according to its website.

CONVICTION UPHELD IN IMMIGRANT SMUGGLING

A

federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the conviction and sentence of a man who smuggled immigrants into South Florida from the Bahamas in 2012 and 2013. Michael Stapleton was convicted on 47 counts involving the smuggling operation and sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison.

He raised a series of issues in an appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, including that his constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated.

An indictment was filed in September 2014, but Stapleton was not arrested until May 2018 after he traveled from Jamaica to Germany. The appeals court said authorities had looked at extraditing Stapleton from the Bahamas or Jamaica, but those countries

would have required affidavits from 33 immigrants involved in the case — a requirement that would have been difficult to meet. Authorities ultimately extradited him from Germany, where the requirements were easier. A three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld a district judge’s rejection of Stapleton’s arguments about his right to a speedy trial.

“The district court didn’t clearly err in finding that the government acted ‘reasonably and diligently’ in attempting to secure Stapleton’s extradition to the United States; the reason for the delay wasn’t bad faith or negligence,” said Tuesday’s 22-page ruling, written by Judge Kevin Newsom and joined by Judges Stanley Marcus and Virginia Covington.

COLLEGE CAMPUS NAMED FOR SIMPSON

T

he Citrus County campus of the College of Central Florida has been renamed for Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, the school announced.

The college’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved renaming the campus, which is in Lecanto, as the CF Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus.

Simpson, who is running for state agriculture commissioner, represents a district made up of Citrus, Hernando and part of Pasco counties. College of Central Florida President Jim Henningsen called Simpson “a steadfast champion” of the school and higher education.

“He has worked to ensure that CF

receives the recognition and financial support needed to grow high-demand academic programs, employ the highest quality faculty and staff, expand our facilities and invest in needed maintenance,” Henningsen said in a prepared statement.

A state budget that took effect July 1 included $13.65 million for a Health Science Technology Education Center at the college’s Ocala campus and $375,000 for a program involving agribusiness technology.

That was in addition to regular money for operation and maintenance expenses.

The school also has campuses in Marion and Levy counties.

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Ronda Richley branches out in Ocala The artist affectionately known as the “Tree Lady” has quite a few more tricks up her sleeve.

Ronda Richley with mixed-media/bas relief painting, “Can’t See the Figures for the Trees.”

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

R

onda Richley calls herself a tree-hugger. Literally. She has embraced the trees in her yard before incoming storms, wishing them safety.

“I used to live in the woods,” she reminisced. “I’d name my trees, go out there and I’d hug them and make sure they wouldn’t fall on the house, and they never did. I warned them about the wind, and everybody thought it was crazy.”

Though she’s been dubbed the “Tree Lady,” the Ohio-born master of mixed media also explores other subjects. Richley is an experimental artist foremost and delights in navigating the twists and turns of the creative process, as well as uplifting anyone who engages with her work.

She earned a master’s degree in studio art from California State University-Northridge, but, before that, she refined her illustration skills at an advertising agency she used to own. While living in Los Angeles, she became skilled at Victorian art reproduction.

Now based in Ocala, she mixes 2D illustration and painting with textures using glass, painting, printmaking and ceramics. Her detailed, comprehensive website reveals an organized artist with business acumen. Raised by an artist mother and accountant father, heredity reinforces Richley’s balanced nature.

She has also gained what she calls “a second life.” The notion goes back to Dec. 2, 2019, when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. She endured surgery and chemotherapy, followed by radiation therapy.

After her recovery, in 2020, Richley shifted her focus back to art, creating “Sunny Daze,” a Van Gogh-inspired, sunflower-painted mare in the “Horse Fever” public art project. The experience led to her making new friends and connections in Ocala, so much so that she and her husband, a retired equine veterinarian and animal attorney, relocated from Ormond Beach to Marion County five months ago.

“I want to give back,” Richley said, sharing that she will be volunteering for the David and Lisa Midgett Foundation’s Arts in Health Ocala Metro (AIHOM) to help patients receiving chemotherapy cope by creating art with them.

“I am going to UF Health in Gainesville for a day next week and tag along with one of their artists in the cancer infusion center to see how they work,” Richley explained.” It is part of my training. … Each of the artists selected by AIHOM is going to do that independently as part of our training.”

Richley’s website details her past and current projects, and her blog reveals how she tests her limits by taking on projects she might otherwise find too daunting.

For example, she decided to take on creating mosaic mirrors

for the bathroom in her new Ocala residence.

“I decided about two days into it, that I just LOVE doing mosaics,” Richley writes in her blog. “It was very relaxing, extremely creative and offered me another means of expression. Because of the project I did not want to do, I found something I am excited to begin, and am redoing my studio to accommodate this new form of art for me. And, I guess that is yet another moral for this story. To use an old cliche, ‘Don’t knock it till you try it.’ You just might find that thing that you have been avoiding is very different, and most enjoyable.”

Last November, Richley and a friend visited the Leesburg Center for the Arts. She admired a floor loom that happened to be for sale and now it’s in her studio. So, expect some textile art from her in the coming months.

On July 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the intrepid artist will paint hearts and personalize them for patrons attending the “Christmas in July” event at the Ocean Art Gallery, 197 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach.

For more information about Richley and her art, visit rondarichley.com.

“Only the Spirits Remain”

36”x24” mixed media painting with collage in a black floater frame

“Sunny Daze”

at the College of Central Florida Vintage Farm

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Running With Purpose Ocala business owner and ultrarunner Craig Bachrodt recently completed a 50-mile run and soon will take on the Leadville Trail 100 run in the Colorado Rockies in honor of his late mother Sarah and the mothers of others, and to raise funds for charities.

Runner Craig Bachrodt at the Land Bridge Trailhead in Ocala on Sunday May 1, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to Ocala Gazette]

By JoAnn Guidry Correspondent

C

raig Bachrodt remembers his first run with a specific sentimental clarity.

“My earliest and fondest memory of running was with my mom when I was 14. It was a snowy night in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois,” said Bachrodt, 54. “The night was nearly silent other than our feet making gently crunching sounds over the three inches of snow as we ran straight down the middle of Inverness Drive. Just my mom and me.

I still remember it like it was yesterday.”

Already an all-around athlete, that snowy-night run led Bachrodt to add running to the long list of sports he competed in as a youth.

“My mom, who ran and was always a fit woman, believed children needed to get outside to run, play and be active.

She drove me to baseball, swimming, golf, tennis, football, soccer, snow and waterskiing practices and competitions.

Soccer was my favorite,” said Bachrodt, whose mother, Sarah Bachrodt, was an internationally known abstract artist.

“But I added a love of running, both track and cross-country. I would take the bus from my middle school and be dropped off at the high school to practice with the varsity track team. I enjoyed a successful freshman track season before we moved to Boca Raton in 1981. I continued to run on the cross-country team through high school and did well.”

Bachrodt’s running became recreational when he attended the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a bachelor’s in communication. He kept running as he began his professional business management career, adding road and mountain biking to his workouts.

“My mother was very successful in molding me into someone who believed in lifelong fitness,” he said. “I just can’t imagine not being a physically active person, no matter how busy my life gets. It is part of who I am.”

In addition to an active lifestyle, the other constant in Bachrodt’s life has been the family business of owning car dealerships.

“My grandfather owned car dealerships and my father Lou Bachrodt III continued on in that business. My father currently owns car dealerships in Pompano Beach and Coconut Creek here in Florida,” said Bachrodt, who is involved in the management of his father’s dealerships. “I guess it was only a matter of time before I owned a car dealership. In 2001, I bought Palm Chevrolet and moved to Ocala.”

Finding the Greenway and Love

Shortly after he moved to Ocala, Bachrodt was introduced to the Cross Florida Greenway trails system by local mountain bikers.

“I was absolutely amazed by the Greenway and what a gift it is to have it right here in Ocala,” he said. “While I was still running, I began to spend more and more time on the mountain bike trails.”

Not only did Bachrodt fall in love with the Greenway, he also fell in love with Anna Redgate, an art teacher at The Cornerstone School. Redgate, whose 9-month-old daughter Grace was killed by a drunk driver in 2000, was also the founder and CEO of YouImpact, an online program that supports the court and probation systems by offering an alternative to traditional victim impact

panels for convicted drunk drivers.

“Anna quickly became the love of my life,” said Bachrodt, his eyes brightening. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

In fact, Redgate played a large role in Bachrodt’s first participation in a Leadville Trail Series race. In 2015, he took on the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, which is the mountain bike race of the series.

“Anna and my trainer Beau Chavez, from the Institute of Athletic Performance in Ocala, were the best support crew for that mountain bike race that anyone could ask for,” said Bachrodt, who finished the event in 10:13.54; the 10 being 10 hours.

“It was a great experience and I started thinking then about coming back for the Leadville Trail 100 Run.” With that in mind, and having accomplished the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Bachrodt refocused his attention on running. His increasingly long runs were with his friend Chester Weber around the Weber family’s expansive Live Oak Stud property and on the Greenway trails.

“The great thing about trail running is that you can run on the same trail every day and it’s always different,” Bachrodt pointed out. “Nature is never stagnant and surprises you on every run with a different experience.”

Seeking Solace

On April 15, 2017, Bachrodt lost the love of his life when Redgate died at 48.

“After Anna passed away, my runs on the Greenway trails gave me time to be with my thoughts and memories,” he shared.

Over time, he dealt with his grief through running.

“People would always tell me that I looked like a marathon runner,’’ said Bachrodt, who has been a vegetarian since 1997. “But I hadn’t run any marathons, so I started thinking maybe that I was something I should do.”

In 2019, Bachrodt ran two marathons three weeks apart. First came the Lake Tahoe Marathon, where he finished the 26.2 mile-distance in 4:01.35. That was followed by the New York City Marathon, which he finished in 3:49.21.

“I loved running those marathons and decided I definitely wanted to do more,” he said. “And then COVID-19 shut down everything, including marathons, in 2020.”

Not to be deterred, Bachrodt ran solo marathons, 16 of them in 12 months, on his own, because he loved the training process and the experience of completing the goal. He also began extending his miles beyond the marathon distance. For his 53rd birthday in 2020, Bachrodt did a 53mile run in the Greenway.

“I found that I really liked longdistance running. Road runners run in miles while trail runners run in hours,” said Bachrodt, who kept challenging himself. “In the summer of 2021, my friend Rami Ghandour and I ran across Yosemite National Park with Aspire Adventure Running. We ran 99 miles in four days, and it was fantastic.”

Throughout his running evolution, Bachrodt said his mother had been his biggest fan.

“My mother was always excited to hear about my adventures,” he said. “After she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, she moved in with me. And she ended up being the reason that I finally decided to do the Leadville Trail 100 Run.” While Bachrodt had been considering returning to Leadville, this time for the 100-mile run, he said, “I never had a big enough ‘Why?’—the reason one needs to get through those long miles.”

On Oct. 26, 2021, Bachrodt had a phone call with his running coach Jason Koop, a well-known accomplished ultrarunner, coach and author. The subject of Leadville again came up during the conversation.

“As soon as I got off the phone with Jason, I asked my mom if she thought it was a good idea for me to run the Leadville 100,” said Bachrodt, who used his cellphone to video tape the moment.

“She replied ‘Yes.’ Then I asked her again and, with a big smile and a giggle, she enthusiastically replied, ‘Absolutely!’ So I had my answer.”

Three days later, sometime after going to sleep, Sarah Bachrodt suffered a massive stroke. She passed away in the early morning of Nov. 5, 2021, at 78.

“During my mom’s last few days, and with that video for inspiration, I knew I would run the Leadville Trail 100 in her honor,” said Bachrodt. “I finally had my ‘Why.’”

Craig’s mother, Sarah Bachrodt [Supplied by Craig Bachrodt]

Expanding the Why

While running on the Greenway trails shortly after his mother passed away, Bachrodt was thinking of her and of the major role she played in shaping his life.

And he thought about how many people felt the same way about their mothers as he did about his. In but a few strides, he had an epiphany.

“I decided to run Leadville not just for my mom, but for other moms and for charity. So, I created run100formom. com,” he explained. “Through that website, anyone can donate any amount in the name of their mom, or their grandmother or aunt, any woman who nurtured them and encouraged them to get outside and be active. People can designate a charity if they want to and I want them to post their stories on the website to share with others.”

Bachrodt, who has long donated to charities such as PACE Center for Girls Marion, Save The Children, Smile Train and GO Campaign, is hoping to raise $100,000 and will match that with another $100,000 for several charities.

“We should hold in reverence our mothers and the other women in our lives who play such a big role in making us who we turn out to be,” Bachrodt said.

With the Leadville Trail 100 Run on Aug. 20 in his sights, Bachrodt has been steadily increasing his weekly running time from an average of seven to nine hours a week and will progress to 20 hours. The record time for the Leadville Trail 100 Run is 15:42:59, set by Matt Carpenter in 2005.

In addition to the distance, the race in the Colorado Rockies features elevations of 9,200 feet to 12,000 feet.

As part of his preparations, Bachrodt did a self-supported training camp in Leadville the first weekend of June and ran the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Run on July 9. That run started at 10,000 feet and reached12,000 feet on four occasions. He finished in 10:42:35, placing 16th out of 52 males ages 50 to 59.

Bachrodt said he savors the training process and anticipates the experience of the Leadville Trail 100 Run. “I’m a very coachable, goal-oriented person and I love to run,” he said, “but running for run100formom.com is going to make it even more of a great experience.”

To learn more and support Bachrodt’s run for charities, go to run100formom.com

Craig with Anna Redgate [Supplied by Craig Bachrodt]

Both above photos: Craig Bachrodt runs at the Land Bridge Trailhead in Ocala on May 1, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to Ocala Gazette]

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Hello, Ocala!

CF WEBBER GALLERY INVITES ARTIST SUBMISSIONS FOR ‘BEST OF THE SEASON’ EXHIBITION

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Webber Gallery, College of Central Florida (CF), will accept open applications from Central Florida artists for the 2022 “Best of the Season” exhibition from July 8-Sept. 8, according to a CF press release.

Artists are invited to submit their work for consideration using the application link at www.CF.edu/Webber.

The “Best of the Season” exhibition will take place Nov. 7-Dec. 8. Judge Ginger Sheridan will jury submissions. Awards and prizes will be presented at the opening reception on Nov. 8, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

The exhibition is one of two annual exhibitions sponsored by the Visual

Alan Cotney [Supplied]

Meet your neighbor—Alan Cotney

By Eadie Sickler Correspondent

W

hen Dr. Alan Cotney and his family drove into Ocala from Zebulon, North Carolina to move here, his two little girls were disappointed they were not moving into Cinderella’s castle. That is what they thought Florida was all about when their parents told them they were relocating.

Cotney was born in Anniston, Alabama, and grew up in Ashland, Alabama. He and his wife, Beth, were high school sweethearts. Alan played center on the high school football team and assumed he would go on to play the tight end position on a college team. During his senior year in high school, he “messed up” his knee, which ended his football aspirations.

After high school, he attended the University of Alabama at Huntsville and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Samford University in Birmingham. Beth attended Samford as well. They married on March 23, 2002, while both were students there.

“I knew God was calling me to ministry when I was 15, but I was not interested in that life, so I ran from my calling for about three-and-a-half years,” Cotney said. “I finally realized that I was miserable living my life my way and, in January 1998, surrendered to God for ministry. God used ministry opportunities and mentors to affirm His calling in my life to preach.”

During his college years at Samford, Alan pastored a church in Sylacauga, Alabama. After graduation, the couple moved to Wake Forest, Alabama, so he could attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, from which he earned a Master of Divinity degree and Doctor of Ministry degree. While there, he began pastoring the Rocky Creek Baptist Church in Zebulon. It was common for the small, rural church, to have a new pastor every year or two while the pastors were seminary students.

During his pastorate at Rocky Creek, the church saw significant growth and, after four years of his ministry, the Cotne Cotneys had an opportunity to stay and help the church go forward or move to another church. The family chose to stay and remained there for seven years. They loved the church and its members had become like family to them.

All five of the Cotney children were born in Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. The children include William, 17; Emma, 15; Drew, 13; Kate, 11; and Bela, 9.

College Road Baptist Church (CRBC) in Ocala had begun advertising at various seminaries for a pastor to replace the retiring Rev. John Downing, who had pastored there for 30 years. A professor friend told Cotney he should apply for the position. He quickly said no, he was not interested, and wanted to stay at Rocky Creek. The whole family had become grounded there and did not want to move.

Unbeknownst to Cotney, his professor friend, who was in the ministry referral office at the college, sent Cotney’s resume to the CRBC search committee, because “he thought it would be a good fit.” The committee called Cotney and asked him to come to Ocala for an interview for the lead pastor position. He had phone and video conferences with the committee and told them no—four times.

The CRBC search committee persisted and asked him to just come to visit the church and the Ocala community, and have a conversation with them. Finally, they

convinced him to visit for a couple of days with his family. They visited the church, met the committee members and others, toured the city and some neighborhoods, and learned about the amenities here.

On the return trip to North Carolina, the family drove in silence for about 30 minutes before Beth finally quietly said, “It’s going to be hard to tell them we’re leaving,” speaking of the Rocky Creek congregation.

“It was one of the more difficult things we’ve done,” Cotney said, “Ocala felt more like home than we expected. In Zebulon, there were lots of farms—tobacco, soybeans, cotton—a bit more rural.”

The family moved to Ocala in June 2013, and Cotney became the lead pastor at CRBC. The family likes the proximity to the beaches and “about everything you need is close by,” Cotney said. “We are impressed with what a ‘melting pot’ Ocala is for people from all over the country and world.

The growth here is phenomenal and new people are coming to every service. We can reach people with the Gospel in our own back yard. The ‘Great Commission’ is at our doorstep. The demographics here is a big deal. Growth brings logistical issues, but we are excited about the growth here.”

CRBC offers services in both English and Spanish. Beth is a virtual executive assistant for Wayne Stiles, who has a Doctor of Ministry degree and whose “Walking the Bible Lands” is a ministry for virtual tours of the Holy Land as well as podcasts and Bible studies.

The Cotney family lives in southwest Ocala, near Liberty Middle School and Freedom Library. They are big sports fans and both sons play football. “Wil” is going to be a junior in high school this year and is currently checking out various colleges where he may be able to play football.

Although the family roots more for individual players than teams, they are Tampa Bay football fans and enjoy watching the Tampa Bay Lightnings hockey team. They are Atlanta Braves baseball fans.

“I’m not fond of the summer heat,” Cotney candidly admitted of life in Ocala, then added, “but here you get several days’ warning of hurricanes, whereas in Zebulon tornadoes can pop up at any time, without any notice.”

Asked about the affect the pandemic has had on CRBC, the pastor sees a positive outcome.

“The biggest long-term affect that COVID has had would have to be more emphasis and focus on our online presence.

We were forced into that world when the church was unable to meet and it has opened a completely new mission field that we would have never been able to reach without having an online service. Our in-person attendance is probably around 80% to 85% of where it was before the pandemic, but if you include our online attendance, we are at about 100% to 115% of our pre-pandemic numbers,” he explained.

CRBC has “adopted” the Baptist Church in the Rainbow Lakes area of Dunnellon as part of its campus. Services have not been held there since January, but the church has been remodeled and will reopen to the community on Aug. 14.

It also will feature services in Spanish. The new pastor in Dunnellon is Rik Cramer. He and his wife, Bethany, have three children.

“Rik’s strengths are lots of energy and meeting new people, evangelism and leadership,” Cotney said.

Artists’ Society (VAS). The VAS has more than 85 members from across Marion County and Central Florida, including professional and amateur artists and many of CF’s talented students.

Because VAS has a varied membership, VAS exhibits showcase a variety of styles and mediums, including more traditional paintings and photographs as well as jewelry, sculpture and digital media.

The Webber Gallery is located at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Admission is free. Fore more information, call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1664.

SAVE NONEMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

By Ocala Gazette Staff

O

cala Police Department issued a reminder this week for residents to save the non-emergency assistance phone numbers of both their department and the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office.

If you’re inside Ocala city limits and need non-emergency assistance, call

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

the Ocala Police Department.

If you’re outside the Ocala city limits and need non-emergency assistance call Marion County Sheriff ’s Office.

The department encourages citizens to save both numbers regardless of where they are residents so that they can contact the appropriate agency depending on where they are when the need arises.

“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.

Cradle Song

By William Blake

Sleep, sleep, beauty bright, Dreaming in the joys of night; Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep Little sorrows sit and weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face Soft desires I can trace, Secret joys and secret smiles, Little pretty infant wiles.

As thy softest limbs I feel Smiles as of the morning steal O’er thy cheek, and o’er thy breast Where thy little heart doth rest.

O the cunning wiles that creep In thy little heart asleep!

When thy little heart doth wake, Then the dreadful night shall break.

William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757. His first printed work, “Poetical Sketches” (1783), is a collection of apprentice verse, mostly imitating classical models. He published his most popular collection, “Songs of

Innocence,” in 1789, following it with “Songs of Experience” in 1794. Called a “man of genius” by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Blake was also an accomplished painter and engraver during his lifetime. He died in 1827.

B4

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

New hawk moth species are among the smallest ever discovered

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.

Above: The three new hawk moth species appear virtually identical, and it’s only by closely examining their genitalia and analyzing their DNA that researchers were able to accurately distinguish them from one another. [Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace] Left: The best way to catch a moth is to let it come to you, which researchers accomplish by setting up white sheets illuminated by an irresistible beam of light. [Photo Courtesy of Deborah Matthews]

By Brian Smith Florida Museum of National History

H

awk moths are known for being some of the largest night fliers in the insect world. With wingspans of more than four inches, many species are big enough to comfortably fill the palm of your hand. Thanks to the work of a small team of researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History, three new species from The Bahamas are breaking records at the opposite end of the size spectrum. At about the length of a vitamin pill, they are among the smallest discovered.

“By comparison, we have a few other small hawk moths like the hummingbird moth, but of all of them these new species are the smallest,” said Deborah Matthews, a biological scientist at the museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. Matthews recently coauthored a study on the new species published in the journal Insecta Mundi.

How do new species get discovered?

Hawk moths are a diverse group of insects, with some 1,700 species worldwide. In addition to their remarkable wingspans, they also have incredibly long proboscises, the straw-like tongues they use to siphon nectar.

The title for the world’s longest proboscis is held by a hawk moth endemic to Madagascar, which comes in at just under 12 inches when fully unfurled.

The variation in the length of their tongues comes in handy for researchers, who often use it to predict what local flowers they feed on and vice versa. This method was first used

by Charles Darwin, who correctly predicted the existence of a hawk moth with a long proboscis in Madagascar upon observing an orchid with unusually long nectar spurs.

The study that led to the discovery of the new Caribbean species began when Matthews and Florida Museum lepidoptera curator Jacqueline Miller were going through the museum’s hawk moth collection to identify Bahamas specimens and sort survey material island by island.

But identifying new moth and butterfly species is not always as simple as measuring a proboscis. Sometimes there can be a telltale wing pattern that gives a species away, like the observable yet subtle differences between monarch and viceroy butterflies, for example.

For closely related moths, however, these differences are often not as cut and dry. To make certain, researchers must study their anatomy. For Matthews and Miller, that meant making a detailed examination of the moths’ genitalia.

“You just can’t always make out distinctive wing patterns, whereas with genitalia you can cross-compare structures,” Matthews said.

The genitalia from the specimens in question were dissected and observed under a microscope, and the differences were striking.

Matthews and Miller suspected that they had three new species on their hands. To be sure, they worked with Florida Museum technical research assistant Riley Gott to sequence DNA from specimens. The analysis of DNA sequences confirmed their suspicions.

“In terms of moths, the giant silk moths and hawk moths are very popular and wellstudied, kind of like the butterflies of the moth world. So, for us to find three new hawk moth species, that’s a really big deal,”

Matthews said of their discovery.

The life histories of the three new species are unknown, but the caterpillars are suspected to feed on plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, based on the food preferences of related species.

Why are they so small?

Working with species like these in The Bahamas is an interesting task, with the biodiversity of the islands making them very alluring. Remote locations tend to create highly unique species. Islands like Madagascar and those in the Galapagos have some of the strangest animals on Earth when compared to mainland species. The islands of The Bahamas are similar, with their proximity to diversity hotspots like Cuba and mainland areas of Mexico and the U.S. making it easier for plants and animals to spread there, where they can evolve into new species on the islands due to their isolation.

At first glance, it might seem surprising that the new moth species are so small, given they are endemic to The Bahamas. Island ecosystems are famous for organisms that far outsize their mainland relatives, like the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands and the Komodo dragons on several Indonesian islands.

Many species of insects in The Bahamas, however, tend to be smaller than their mainland counterparts, contradicting that gigantism trend. This has been observed in butterflies, with some specimens of the zebra longwing being smaller than their mainland relatives.

Researchers suspect that harsh weather could be the cause, as islands in the Bahamas archipelago are often among the first areas affected by Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms at the peak of their power. Heavy rain and windfall can threaten entire populations on the islands, and it is possible that butterflies and moths with smaller wings are better equipped to survive the intense winds. Outside of rainy seasons, islands in The Bahamas have a tendency to get very dry for the rest of the year, with drought-like conditions that likely reduce the amount of food available for caterpillars.

The identification of these three new species will likely lead to more going forward. Before their identification as a new species, these specimens were lumped together as morphospecies, a group of organisms that all look similar. Individuals in a morphospecies may have slight differences that distinguish them, however, such as the genitalia in these moths. These groups are set aside in museums until they can be examined more closely.

According to Miller and Matthews, there are approximately 1,000 morphospecies of moths identified in The Bahamas. About 71% of those have been previously named, meaning the identity of the remaining 29% is still ambiguous. Studying all of them to identify which are separate species is a lot of work, often requiring the help of specialists with a trained eye, but according to Matthews, “Sometimes it just takes diving in yourself and learning the terminology for a certain group.”

The authors published their study in the journal Insecta Mundi.

Funding for the study was partially provided by the National Geographic Society.

Across 1 5 9 13

14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 29 30 31 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 44 47 48 49 50 51 52 56 57 58 59 60 61

Flash Hustle and bustle Just Lake near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame __ rug Bean sprout?

West Coast footballer on an RV vacation?

“As Good as It Gets” Oscar winner Deer madam Considerable “Sex Education” actor Butterfield Mischief maker Used crayons San Fernando counterfeiter?

Mystery writer’s middle name Emotional shock Show stoppers Times Square gas Parking unit Property attachment Minnesota senator Klobuchar Unctuous Tailor’s dummy, e.g.

Fisher who won’t take advice?

Goal of regular exercise Omaha Beach craft: Abbr.

Boiling blood Disney princess with red hair and a green tail Prefix with center Colony members Indecisive European?

Opposite of exoSpanish rivers Big name in razors Pond plant Shortfin shark More than half

Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17 18 19 23 24 25 27 28 31 32

33 35 36 37 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 50 51 53 54 55

City near the Mount of Olives Steel, e.g.

Italian automaker since 1899 Like the yin side: Abbr.

Xeroxed Exhort Flash “So there!”

Funhouse fixture Mystery writer’s first name Superman player Like some jugs Without thinking Shoelace end Caribbean metropolis Dark time for poets Nile threat Eye rudely Office PC nexus “Love Train” group, with “The” O’Hare arrivals Former name of an arid-region Afro-Asian rodent Sleeps soundly?

Poses Furthermore Captain’s journal Marks in ancient manuscripts Dynamite stuff Basis of monotheism Westernmost Texas county “Yeah, right!” __-Castell: office supply brand Ryan of “The Beverly Hillbillies” Piña colada garnish?

Furry Endor critter Choir member Equip Actress Vardalos Relatives, slangily

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B7

B5

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

community JULY 15-17 (ALSO 20-24)

Ocala Summer Series Weeks 6 and 7- Hunter/Jumper Show

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-4pm Enjoy more weeks of horse shows sanctioned by the United States Equestrian Federation and see a variety of horses and riders work the courses.

Shows will run through August, many in the indoor arenas. Grand Prix events take place Saturday nights in the Grand Arena. Spectators welcome.

WEC has restaurants onsite and shopping options.

For more info, worldequestriancenter.com

JULY 15-23

American Ranch Horse Association World Championship Show

World Equestrian Center, Arena 5, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-5pm A variety of Western equestrian events are combined in the show. Classes and competitions in herd work, cow horse, reining and ranch riding, along with amateur and novice classes. Free to spectators. WEC has onsite food options. See worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

JULY 15 & 22

Marion County Friday Market

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

JULY 16 & 23

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.

JULY 16 & 23

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, jewelry, baked goodies, 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.

JULY 16 & 23

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

JULY 21

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.

JULY 17

Joe Knetsch, History Presentation

JULY 16 & 23

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 handcrafted items. Booth types vary with occasional meat vendors, food trucks and other goods.

Saturdays, weather permitting.

Marion County Museum of History & Archaeology, 307 SE 26th Terrace, Ocala 2pm Historian and writer Joe Knetsch will give a presentation about his new book, “Cousin Bob.” Focusing on the story of Robert Warren, a JewishAmerican World War II hero, it was written based on Warren’s personal letters, Fort Benning reports and other historical accounts. Reception and book signing afterward; Knetsch will also have copies of several other of his Florida-based history books. Free to members, $5 nonmembers. For more info, marioncountyarchaeology.com/ mcmha/mcmha.htm

government JULY 18

JULY 19

Marion County Development Review Committee

City of Ocala City Council Meeting

JULY 19

JULY 19

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala 9am Meets weekly on Mondays.

Marion County Board of County Commissioners Meeting

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

arts

JULY 12-13 (ALSO 19-20)

Ocala Summer Movie Express

Regal 16 Theaters, 2801 SW 27th Ave., Ocala Times vary, check website The movie fest continues with family and kidfriendly movies at the Regal 16 Theaters in Ocala.

Tickets are $2; check the theater website for show times. Movies the whole family will enjoy include “Sing 2,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “Despicable Me 3,” “Tom & Jerry” and more. For more info, www.ocalamarion.com/events/regal-16-ocalasummer-movie-express/

JULY 15

Art in the Attic 2022

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala 5-7pm Join the Marion Cultural Alliance and sponsor Neighborhood Storage for this unique artists’ market, VIP reception and “sip & shop” experience on July 15. Artworks include paintings, photos, drawings and prints. Tickets are $20 for members; $25 for non-members. The event includes live music, champagne and the chance to buy part of the MCA collection. Sale dates are July 16-23 during gallery hours. See mcaocala.org for more info.

JULY 16

Carnival of Crue

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm This band pays tribute to rock’s bad boys, Motley Crue with hits like “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room,”

JULY 20

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 4pm

Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 2pm Final hearing meetings are on the first and third Tuesday.

“Girls Girls Girls,” “Shout at the Devil” and “Home Sweet Home.” Part of the Wind-FM music series, tickets are $15-$35. See reillyartscenter.com/events for more info.

JULY 22

Dueling Pianos

Reilly Arts Center, NOMA Black Box Theatre, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 6pm & 8:30pm Enjoy this unique show with dual keyboard artists in this intimate setting. Tables seat four and tickets are $27. See reillyartscenter.com/events for more info.

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/arts-and-culture/webber-gallery

Rex’s Birthday Bash

Tuscawilla Park, 800 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala 11am-1pm The Ocala Recreation and Parks Department celebrates the debut of its new Parks mascot, Rex the squirrel. This is a family event with kids’ activities, face painting, free cupcakes and ice cream, and Rex will be available for photo opportunities. For more info, see ocalafl.org/recpark

JULY 23

Olde-Fashioned Day Picnic, Cruisein and Car Show

Joy Lutheran Church, 7045 SW 83rd Place, Ocala 9:30am-2pm Hosted by multiple churches, including Joy Lutheran and The Way, this family-friendly event will feature a cruise-in and car show, free burgers, hot dogs and ice cream, and indoor entertainment.

Old-fashioned games, face painting and kids’ activities. Free parking and golf carts will be available to transport people to the main event area. For more info, joylcocala.org

JULY 19

City of Dunnellon Planning Commission Meeting City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm

JULY 19

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

THROUGH JULY 31

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13

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

Journey to My Soul: Landscape of My Mind by Kelley Batson-Howard

THROUGH AUGUST 5

Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala Times vary, check website The Summer Kids Film Series runs through August 5 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Kids can enjoy movies for $3 (includes a snack pack);$5 for adults. Upcoming family favorites include “Sing 2,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “PAW Patrol,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “The Lorax” and “Gnomeo and Juliet.” Visit reillyartscenter.com/ mariontickets for more info.

A Floral Retrospective by Gregory Dirr

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.

Summer Kid’s Film Series

City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration Building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm This free art exhibit showcases the work of artist Batson-Howard who creates abstract works to bring beauty to the world. Her work is variable, often colorful and full of whimsy. For more info, Kbatsonart.com

THROUGH NOVEMBER 6

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm The works of professor, educator and artist Benson represent the human search for meaning. For more info, appletonmuseum.org for details.

THROUGH DECEMBER 9

Ocala City Hall, Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Boca Raton artist Gregory Dirr emphasizes environmental conservation in his interdisciplinary artworks. Using paint, multimedia resources, fabric and glass, Dirr’s works is a response to the world around us. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE OCALAGAZETTE.COM/EVENTS

B6

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

&

music nig ghtlife nightlife

WORKS OF TWO ARTISTS GO ON DISPLAY IN CITY SPACES

By Ocala Gazette Staff

Christine Dozier

JULY 15

Rick Melvern Band

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm

Free and open to the public. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JULY 15

JR Lewis

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

JULY 15

One Flite Up

“Angel,” acrylic, 48”x36”

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

JULY 16

Fast Lane

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JULY 16

Mark Z

“In a Galaxy Far, Far Away,” acrylic, 36”x36”

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

JULY 16

Rebel Soul

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

JULY 20

Cliff Dorsey

“Round and Round,” acrylic, 36”x36”

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

JULY 21

Scott Davidson

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

JULY 22

Peaches & Karim

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

JULY 22

Second Slice

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

JULY 22

Caribe Groove

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JULY 23

Delta Rose Band

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala 7-10pm Visit circlesquarecommons.com for details.

JULY 23

Fire Creek

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

JULY 23

Big Bad Duo

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

T

he works of two area artists may be seen at the Ocala City Hall through Sept. 30 and the Ocala International Airport through Jan. 17, 2023.

The exhibit of works by Christine Dozier, called “Colorful Pleasures,” opened earlier this week at the Ocala International Airport at 1770 S.W. 60th Ave., Suite 600.

Dozier, who is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, now lives in Ocala. She studied art at the Memphis College of Art, University of Memphis. She worked as a behavioral health nurse for more than 20 years.

In the 1980s, she worked in watercolors before moving into oils and acrylics a decade later. She enjoys painting landscapes, abstracts, still life, animals and pet portraits.

Many of her paintings are to private collections and hang in corporate offices throughout the United States.

A collection of Dozier’s paintings also can be seen at the Gallery B Art Gallery in downtown Ocala.

To learn more about the artist and to view her portfolio, visit christinedozier.com The “Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape” exhibit by Julijana Donovska Prest, will open Thursday, July 21, and be on display Sept. 30, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ocala’s City Hall, 110 S.E. Watula Ave. Prest is a Florida-based visual artist. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has previously exhibited her works in New York, Missouri, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

To learn more about Prest, find her at fb.com/julijana.prest Both art exhibits open to the public at no cost.

For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts and Sciences Division at (352) 629-8447 or artinfo@ ocalafl.org, or visit ocalafl. org/artincityspaces

Julijana Donovska Prest

“Clearing #1,” oil, 24”x24”

“Country View #1,” oil, 14”x36”

“Storm #3,” oil, 14”x24”

“Garden #1,” oil, 14”x14”

How to manage symptoms of liver disease

By Elizabeth Carey, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

D

EAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband is 45 and has lived with irritable bowel syndrome for many years. He was recently diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis. Are these two conditions related? We were told a liver transplant was likely in the future. Do all people require a transplant? Are other treatments available to manage this liver disease?

ANSWER: Primary sclerosing cholangitis is not associated with irritable bowel syndrome, but it can be related to another condition broadly termed inflammatory bowel disease, or more specifically ulcerative colitis. Your husband should be tested for ulcerative colitis if this testing has not already occurred.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a rare disease that affects the ducts that carry the digestive liquid bile from your liver to your small intestine. In people who have primary sclerosing cholangitis, inflammation causes scars within the bile ducts. The scars make the ducts hard and narrow. Over time, this can cause serious liver damage.

While many people who have primary sclerosing cholangitis eventually need a liver transplant, that is not the case for everyone. Regular monitoring and follow-up care can manage symptoms and identify complications of primary sclerosing cholangitis early.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis often progresses slowly. As it advances, the disease may result in repeated infections, and can lead to bile duct tumors or liver tumors. Eventually, primary sclerosing cholangitis may cause the liver to fail.

On average, it takes about 10 years until most people with primary sclerosing cholangitis need a liver transplant.

However, the rate at which primary sclerosing cholangitis progresses varies widely. Some people with this disease live a normal life span without ever progressing to liver failure or needing a transplant.

To manage care going forward, your husband should work with a hepatologist, which is a physician who specializes in liver disorders. Based on a number of laboratory and clinical factors, the hepatologist can help your husband calculate the risk for liver failure and coordinate the ongoing monitoring needed.

It also would be valuable to talk with the hepatologist about scheduling a colonoscopy, especially if your husband has not had one. This examination would help determine if underlying ulcerative colitis is an issue. Random biopsies of tissue in the colon are recommended, even if the mucosa appears normal, since ulcerative colitis in people with primary sclerosing cholangitis may be mild at first and may not be apparent without tissue specimens.

In addition to monitoring your husband’s condition, a hepatologist also can manage symptoms and complications of primary sclerosing cholangitis, such as fatigue, itching and infections.

If possible, consider consulting with a hepatologist at an academic medical center with a strong hepatology division. Specialists at these centers can offer your family the most up-to-date care. In addition, these centers often have access to research trials that focus on new treatment options.

Although no specific medical therapy is approved for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a number of research trials studying primary sclerosing cholangitis treatment are underway and more are coming soon. These trials can be an excellent way for people who have primary sclerosing cholangitis to get treatment they may benefit from years before those agents are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

At this time, a liver transplant is the only treatment known to cure primary sclerosing cholangitis. Liver transplant generally is reserved for people with liver failure or other severe primary sclerosing cholangitis complications. While uncommon, it is possible for primary sclerosing cholangitis to return, even after a liver transplant. -- Elizabeth Carey, M.D., Transplant Hepatology, 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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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

YOUR FAMILY WILL BE VERY PLEASED WITH THIS GOOEY BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Appleton Museum of Art announces plans for August’s first Saturday fun

Peas add an extra bite to the dish. [Ashley Moore]

By America’s Test Kitchen

M

acaroni and cheese was born in Italy. Since Italy is the land of pasta, that’s not very surprising. But did you know that an American president was the first to bring mac and cheese here? In the 1800s Thomas Jefferson tried macaroni and cheese on a trip to Europe and brought a hand-written recipe back to the White House.

Recipe tip: Make sure to use thinly sliced American cheese from the deli section of your grocery store in this recipe, not individually wrapped cheese “singles”--they are made from different ingredients.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Serves 4 to 6

2 cups elbow macaroni (8 ounces) 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese (4 ounces) 8 to 10 thin slices deli American cheese, torn into small pieces (4 ounces) 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups water 1 cup milk 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional) 1. HEAT AND MIX: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. In an 8-inch square glass baking dish, toss together macaroni, cheddar, American cheese, cornstarch, mustard and salt.

2. ADD LIQUID: Pour water and milk over macaroni mixture.

3. BAKE: Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake until macaroni is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven and place on a cooling rack.

4. STIR: Uncover and carefully stir mixture together until it looks creamy (dish will be hot!), about 1 minute. Stir in peas (if using). Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir again 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.)

By Ocala Gazette Staff

T

he Appleton Museum of Art is offering free admission to the public all day on Aug. 6.

“The Appleton’s Free First Saturday tradition centers on welcoming all our community members,” said Jason Steuber, museum director. “It allows everyone opportunities to be inspired by selections from the museum’s 24,000 world-class artworks.”

Attendees can enjoy the museum’s permanent collection or special festivities the museum has planned.

From 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., you can take a photo with Princess Belle from Once Upon a Party. Costumes are encouraged and there is no fee to pose with Belle. This photo op is inspired by the “Finding Beauty” exhibition, on view in the secondfloor galleries through Jan. 15.

“Finding Beauty” merged costumes, drawings and more from Ocala Civic Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” with the

objects from the Appleton collection that inspired them.

At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., free tours of the “Invented Observations” exhibition with renowned photographer Steven Benson are offered. On view in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists through Nov. 6, “Invented Observations” features 35 black-and-white photographs taken from 19702005. Benson is a professor of photography and video at the Daytona State College School of Photography and Media Studies. He has been an educator, fine art and commercial freelance photographer for more than 25 years.

Big Lee’s BBQ food truck will also be on-site from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. The Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Lessons from a schoolmaster on the Rhine

Herr Jung leads a group through Bacharach, Germany. [Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli/Rick Steves’ Europe]

By Rick Steves

I

’m thinking back on my favorite European memories, and my favorite Europeans, including Herr Jung, the German schoolteacher who passed away not long ago. When I close my eyes, I can still imagine Herr Jung walking me around his hometown ... and I still hear his caring teacher’s voice.

When cruising down the romantic Rhine River in Germany, I always stop in my favorite town along that fabled river: Bacharach. This pleasant half-timbered village with vine-covered hillsides was once prosperous from its wine and wood trade, and now works hard to keep tourists happy.

The riverfront scene is laid back.

Retired German couples, thick after a lifetime of beer and potatoes, set the

tempo at an easy stroll. I gaze across the Rhine. Lost in thoughts of Bacchus and Roman Bacharach, I’m in another age... until two castle clipping fighter jets from a nearby American military base drill through the silence.

The Rhine Valley is stained by war.

While church bells in Holland play cheery ditties, here on the Rhine they sound more like hammers on anvils. As the last of the World War II survivors pass on, memories fade. The war that ripped our grandparents’ Europe in two will become like a black and white photo of a long gone and never known relative on the mantle.

I pause at Bacharach’s old riverside war memorial. A big stone urn with a Maltese cross framed by two helmets, it seems pointedly ignored by both the town and its visitors. Even when it was erected to honor

the dead of Bismarck’s first war in 1864, its designer sadly knew it would need to accommodate the wars that followed: Blank slabs became rolls of honor for the dead of 1866, 1870, and 1914-18.

Bacharach is probably my favorite Rhine Valley town because of my friendship with Herr Jung, the town’s retired schoolmaster, who takes me on a thought-provoking walk with each visit.

He joins me at the memorial and I ask him to translate the words carved on the stone.

“To remember the hard but great time...” he starts, then mutters, “Ahh, but this is not important now.”

Herr Jung explains, “We Germans turn our backs on the monuments of old wars. We have one day in the year when we remember those who have died in the wars. Because of our complicated history, we call these lost souls not war heroes but ‚victims of war and tyranny.’ Those who lost sons, fathers, and husbands have a monument in their heart. They don’t need this old stone.”

As I ponder the memorial, he quotes Bismarck: “Nobody wants war, but everyone wants things they can’t have without war.”

Herr Jung looks past the town’s castle, where the ridge of the gorge meets the sky and says, “I remember the sky. It was a moving carpet of American bombers coming over that ridge. Mothers would run with their children. There were no men left. In my class, 49 of the 55 boys lost their fathers. My generation grew up with only mothers.”

“I remember the bombings,” he continues. “Lying in our cellar, praying with my mother. I was a furious dealmaker with God. I can still hear the guns. Day after day we watched American and Nazi

airplanes fighting. We were boys. We’d jump on our bikes to see the wreckage of downed planes. I was the neighborhood specialist on warplanes. I could identify them by the sound.”

“One day a very big plane was shot down. It had four engines. I biked to the wreckage, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this a plane designed with a huge upright wing in the center? Then I realized this was only the tail section. The American tail section was as big as an entire German plane. I knew then that we would lose this war.”

The years after the war were hungry years. “I would wake in the middle of the night and search the cupboards,” he says.

“There was no fat, no bread, no nothing. I licked spilled grain from the cupboard. We had friends from New York and they sent coffee that we could trade with farmers for grain. For this I have always been thankful.” He then gently had me look into his eyes and finished his story: “When I think of what the Nazis did to Germany, I remember that a fine soup cooked by 30 people can be spoiled by one man with a handful of salt.”

Standing there with military jets soaring overhead and Herr Jung dedicating his life to sharing Germany’s hard history so other nations (like mine) can learn from it, I recommit myself to sharing the lessons travel can teach us as widely as I can.

(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.)

B9

JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Clay in motion

“D

ig Into Clay”: Intro to Wheel Throwing is a one-week intensive class for adults focused on the art of wheel throwing at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala. The course includes 25 pounds of clay to glaze and fire in a kiln. It also includes hands on instruction from teachers such as Cheyenne Rudolph. If interested, another class starts at the Appleton Museum, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd. on Aug. 6. For more information, call (352) 291-4455.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Kim Harac-Heruth works on creating a Lotus flower.

Clay artwork.

Marilee McGinnis, P.J. Commerford, Ilsamar Cortes and Laurie Reeder, left to right, work on shaping their clay artwork.

Amanda Nguyen, right, gets some advice on shaping her clay on the wheel from instructor Cheyenne Rudolph, left.

Ilsamar Cortes works on shaping her clay on the wheel.

Laurie Reeder, right, gets clay ready to work on the wheel as Ilsamar Cortes, left, works on shaping her clay on the wheel.

Kim Harac-Heruth, left, and Amanda Nguyen, right, work on their clay artwork.

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JULY 15 - JULY 21, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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