Ocala Gazette | December 31, 2021 - January 6, 2022

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 27

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022

OPD new recruits aim to serve

The whirlwind of VOTE FOR ME

VO FO TE R M E

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Officer Sean Price, left, and Officer Cheyenne Bower, right TE VO ME R FO

By: Katrina Cabansay Special to the Gazette

as the 2022 legislative session begins. It will allow constituents to understand what their elected leaders are focusing on, help them to hold their officials accountable when they do not deliver, and help when commendations are due as the elected leaders fulfill their promises.

In addition to the state legislators who will head to the capitol building in Tallahassee, locally, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) will begin their 2022 with a regular meeting on Jan. 4.

Marion County was one of the entities present at the October legislative delegation meeting, and commissioner Kathy Bryant presented the county’s legislative priorities, which include a state veteran’s home, a land conservation project, and drinking water issues as a result of PFAS contamination, amongst others.

More recently, Amanda Tart, the executive director for Administrative Services and the director of Human See Goin’, page A2

See New, page A2

AMY HARBERT/Ocala Gazette

Top 10 stories in 2021 that shaped Ocala

By Ocala Gazette Staff

A

s it did last year, COVID-19 tops our list of 10 stories that shaped Ocala in 2021.

Goin’ back to Tally

continued prevalence of opioids and the homeless in the streets.

To see what else made our list, read on.

See page A4

A start to understanding this year’s local legislative priorities

A 3-part series

PART ONE

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com Editors note: This series, leading up to the start of the 2022 legislative session, will explore how local legislative priorities are identified and how our respective representatives set to navigate moving them forward.

T

The city also had a divisive election cycle, including two runoffs; an outburst of youth violence; a fired fire chief; development on steroids; and the

he Marion County Legislative Delegation, along with other state congressional members, will soon leave their districts and head to Tallahassee as the regular session of the Florida legislature

convenes at noon on Jan. 11, 2022.

Not only does the 11th mark the beginning of the legislative session, but it is also the deadline for state congressional members to file bills for introduction as well.

The Marion County Legislative Delegation is made up of members of the Florida Legislature whose districts include portions of Marion County. In October, the delegation heard from a variety of sources including constituents, municipalities, advocacy organizations, and educational institutions as to which issues the groups considered priorities.

The delegates then used the information to craft and prioritize their own agendas in advance of the January session.

What are on their bills and agendas, and how did they get there? How do legislative members deal with conflicting priorities in their districts?

How do constituents get involved in the process?

This series is designed to highlight the priorities of legislators who represent all or parts of Marion County

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or Cheyenne Bower, becoming a police officer was a no-brainer.

Watching CSI: Crime Scene Investigation with her grandmother during her childhood sparked a love for law enforcement that has carried her through to this day, and though she’s grown past investigating her own fictional crime scenes and throwing CSI-themed birthday parties, Bower said that her passion for the profession hasn’t faltered even during police training.

“Every moment was like, ‘I’m getting through this and I’m doing this,’” Bower said.

“Everything interested me, even the most boring topics interested me.”

As one of the newest officers in the Ocala Police Department, Bower has spent the past four months navigating what it’s like to be an officer. While the job can be nerve-wracking at times, Bower said that her plethora of resources make her confident in her ability to handle any situation.

“As long as I can lean on my senior officers, my statute book, and all my policies and procedures, I know I can get through it,” Bower said.

Aside from keeping law and order, Bower said she considers helping the community and setting a good example for others as the most important parts of her job.

“I feel like I can be a positive role model for somebody,” Bower said. “That is the most rewarding for me is being that positive role model in somebody’s life.”

Officer Sean Price, who was sworn in with Bower, shares her sentiment of putting service to others as a priority. Price, a former college athlete, participated in multiple community service opportunities over the course of his football career, leading him to continue assisting others as a police officer following his retirement from the sport.

“I grew up knowing that giving is better than receiving, so there’s always been fulfillment there,” Price said. “When I retired from football, it just felt right. In a sense, I’m doing the same thing I was doing as an athlete, but I touch people’s lives on a more personal level now.”

Both Bower and Price’s few months of experience have already shown them the wealth of service that being an officer provides. Opportunities like Shop With A Cop and Secret Santa allowed OPD officers to bring holiday cheer to their community by shopping with children and giving drivers $100 during traffic stops. Through events like these and other interactions with citizens,

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

New OPD officers

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Officer Cheyenne Bower of the Ocala Police Department operates a handheld radar gun on South Pine Avenue in Ocala on Dec. 20.

Continued from page A1 Police Chief Mike Balken said that officers get front-row seats to the “greatest show on earth.”

“It’s a challenging job, and it absolutely will expose you to the worst that mankind has to offer, but you’ll also bear witness to the absolute best that it has to

offer,” Balken said.

Recruiting officers like Bower and Price remains a difficulty for many departments, however.

Despite a recent Police Executive Research Forum survey finding only a 5 percent decrease in the hiring rate for officers, Balken said that departments nowadays are receiving a lower amount of quality applicants while losing some of their officers to higher-paying private sector opportunities.

“Every chief or sheriff that I talk to across Florida is really hurting for law enforcement officers,” Balken said. “We’re competing with each other for the best and the brightest to come to our agencies.”

Balken remains confident that the issue will pass by soon though. With the highest starting salary for officers in the county and a lack of COVID-19 vaccination mandates for its officers, Balken said that the OPD draws in officers from

across the nation.

Bower said she hopes that those with reservations about joining law enforcement end up becoming officers, stating that

the rewards outweigh the costs.

“It is the best, most fun, and rewarding job that you can have,” Bower said. “It is everything I’ve dreamed of and more.”

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Officer Sean Price of the Ocala Police Department works on a laptop in his patrol car in Ocala on Dec. 20.

Goin’ back to Tally part one Continued from page A1 Resources for Marion County briefed the Marion County Board of County Commissioners on the county’s legislative priorities at the Dec. 21 MCBOCC meeting.

While non-governmental entities such as the College of Central Florida must rely on the legislative decisions of local and state governments for guidance, entities like Marion County and the municipalities within exist in a position where they too must rely on state and federal guidance, but also have a level of autonomy and agency to legislate on issues as well.

Tart detailed how this dynamic factors in to the approach the county takes to problem solving.

“The majority of the things that we do here, well, everything that we do, is either by local ordinance that tells us how to do something, a state statute that says, ‘This is how you‘re going to do it,’ or a federal regulation. So, whenever we see these problems, we identify, ‘Hey, is this is this an issue for us because of a local

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Dr. James Henningsen, the president of the College of Central Florida, speaks to Florida legislators.

ordinance? Yes. OK, great. Let‘s go talk to the board and see what we can have done.

If not, is it an issue at the state level?’ And so, the majority, or all of the ones that you‘ll see as our legislative priorities, are issues that have to be addressed at the state level,” Tart pointed out.

She said all attempts are made to resolve any possible issues within the county first, and they only move on once nothing more can be done.

“Before we take anything and make it a legislative priority and ask our representatives to handle it at the state level, we‘re going to research and try and identify anything that we can do at the local level that‘s obviously not in opposition of a state statute or anything like that. But if there‘s things that we can change at the local level, we‘re going to do that first,” Tart said.

Tart also relayed that, although county staff is charged with executing the decisions made by commissioners, “The board sets the priorities. We staff work to assist the board in getting the information that they need.”

The county often works with local stakeholders to both create and assess priorities and how they can be addressed locally without having to involve statelevel lawmakers. Tart described how this process plays out.

“So, as we go through, whether it‘s CF [The College of Central Florida], the school board, any of the municipalities within the county, the CEP [Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership], whoever, anybody who has their legislative priorities, we all look at each other and say, ‘Hey, how can we support one another? How can the CEP support us in getting this?’ And you know, we have a great community, and we work together very well. And we support each other.

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And that‘s a good thing, because getting a letter from someone that says, ‘Hey, we support Marion County,‘ […] that certainly just strengthens our case,” Tart mentioned.

In the case of the new health science building CF has planned, action at the county level can have a positive impact at the state level. The college was able to locate two different community partners in both the Marion County BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette Hospital District (MCHD) Rep. Stan McLain, center, speaks as Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, left, and Rep. Joe and the MCBOCC that Harding, right, listen during the Marion County Delegation in Ocala on Oct. 7. agreed to provide matching funding–something that CF responses,” Tart explained.

President Jim Henningsen While Marion County or its legislative noted at the time was attractive to state delegation are both tasked with creating politicians. and prioritizing agenda items, both should Legislative priorities can often involve be doing so with their constituents in mind. multiple stakeholders at different levels, Tart described how county residents can get and in some cases, the stakeholders might involved with the legislative process. not see eye-to-eye on what a successful “They can always email their outcome looks like. commissioners,” she said.

Tart said they are privileged to have “They can reach out to staff, and we local connections in the legislative will relay those messages. Many of our delegation, and those connections help commissioners go out, they do townhall when it comes time to discuss priorities meetings and things like that. So, they‘re and setting an agenda.

“We have great legislators that represent [Marion County residents] able to voice their concerns or ideas in those ways. And throughout Marion County, and we have then, there are public comments during good relationships with them. Some of them were commissioners here at one point MCBOCC meetings. Those are probably the best ways to let commissioners know in time, and they‘re very accessible. Their what they‘d like to see change or what staff is very easy to work with. We go meet they’d like they‘d like to see happen,” Tart with them usually at their local offices pointed out. and let them know this is the priority and Next, the series will detail the legislative this is why this is what we need it…I feel priorities of state lawmakers whose we‘re very fortunate because even at the districts include Marion County. federal level, for the most part, we get good

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com James Blevins, Reporter james@ocalagazette.com Matthew Cretul, Senior Reporter matthew@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com Amy Harbert, Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com Lisa Maliff, Graphic Designer lisa.maliff@magnoliamediaco.com Joel Bronson, Reporter joel@ocalagazette.com Kristine Nolan, Editor kristine@magnoliamediaco.com

Resolving to change Editor’s Note:

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

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onfession: I love making New Year’s resolutions.

Though past the point of sequined revelry at fancy gatherings until the wee hours of the morning, I relish the list making and optimism that comes with the New Year.

A new year provides the possibility of a clean slate, of hope that this year will be better than the last. It allows us to reflect on the past year, determining what worked and what didn’t. This reflection evolves into resolution, deciding to enhance or change our actions based on the last year.

If individuals can have New Year’s resolutions, cities and counties should have them, too. The New Year is about hope, change and becoming a better version of oneself, so it’s perfectly reasonable to expect our city and county to do the same.

In the spirit of list making, I’ve developed a few resolutions for the city of Ocala and Marion County. While

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Sadie Fitzpatrick Columnist

definitely not exhaustive, it is my hope that this list will both celebrate what we as a city/county have done well this year, and illustrate what we can improve upon.

1. Inclusiveness. Ocala/Marion County both succeeded and failed at this this year.

We have two women who currently serve on the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) and the race for the District 4 seat for City Council had three women vying for the position with Kristen Dreyer ultimately winning.

This inclusivity only went so far, however. Ocala failed to accept that a Muslim woman of Palestinian descent could serve as mayor. Her faith and nationality were cited as evidence that she was unfit for office. If Ocala/Marion County is to continue becoming a major player on the world’s stage, it must support and embrace those that don’t fit the “good ol’ boy” mold—people of color, LGBTQ+ and those of different faiths.

Also, some words of advice to our current leaders, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

2. Work together. We live in the city of Ocala, which is located in the county of Marion, right? You would think that the city is Mars and the county is Neptune. Though we all reside in the same place, there is little collaboration between the governmental bodies at the city and the county.

Ocala/Marion County is experiencing explosive growth and expansion. This leads to important questions like: Where are we going to put all the waste generated by the new residents and businesses the county and city are incentivizing to come here? How are we going to protect our environment through this building boom? We need the city and the county to form a united front to move us forward into 2022 and provide solutions to these vital questions.

3. Tackling the “Not In My Backyard” Mentality. Like many cities, Ocala has a homelessness challenge. The city’s most recent (failed) approaches to combating this homelessness issue include nixing an ordinance that would have allowed an open-air emergency shelter at Interfaith Emergency Services to continue operating, saying the shelter violated city

zoning rules against sheltering in the open. Prior to that, the city was aiming to control where the homeless slept with the creation of the “open lodging ordinance,” which allowed police to arrest individuals found sleeping in public who admitted they were homeless. Mercifully, a federal judge ruled this unconstitutional.

The city must stop regarding these homeless individuals as “other” and instead find ways to help them get off the streets. Moving shelters and policing homeless camps are only short-term solutions to a long-term problem.

Marion County, however, has done a slightly better job at providing solutions for the homelessness problem. In December, the MCBOCC approved Interfaith’s planned purchase of a 14unit building to be used for Permanent Support Housing (PSH). Along with on-site management, the program will tailor their services to help people who are intellectually disabled or suffer from mental health issues.

Though the county approved this building purchase, it is still in danger of not moving forward due to red tape and semantics at the city level: Is the building an apartment or a shelter? Should the city continuously think of homeless people as homeless after they’re given an apartment to live in? Not to mention the brakes the mayor continues to apply to efforts like these by pointing to the illegal activity associated with a segment of this community in need.

The approval of this housing unit by both the city and the county would serve as a small but necessary step in providing vital care for only a handful of our homeless population that is often demonized: the mentally ill and intellectually disabled.

This is another example of the need for the city and the county to work together to make Ocala/Marion County a great place to live, work and play for all.

The “experts” say that more than 70% of people discard their resolutions by early February. It is my hope that the city and county are among the success stories of following through on their resolutions, making 2022 their year.

Happy New Year, to you and yours!

End of year letter Jennifer Hunt Murty Publisher

I

cannot close this year without expressing gratitude to all of you.

Ocala, thank you for giving us so many interesting people and topics to report on. It is our love for you that drives what we do.

We aim to serve the community’s best interests by providing reliable information from an independent source. We believe this is important because there can be no freedom of choice without knowledge.

The open and free exchange of knowledge supports free and informed choices and provides opportunity for more Ocalans.

I want to express sincere thanks for the financial support from advertisers, subscribers, and all those who make taxdeductible donations to us through the Florida Press Foundation. Without your support, the Ocala Gazette would never have started, let alone made it this far.

As everyone knows, the business of local journalism has become progressively more difficult with each passing decade.

The trend continues and the Ocala Gazette doesn’t profess to hold the key to making journalism profitable or sustainable long term. But we work hard every day to maintain a balance of providing the public service of reporting local news and supporting our staff and their families.

The ‘secret sauce’ to our business plan involves proving to you — the readers — that we are indispensable to keeping your community transparent and healthy, so you support us in return.

Since the weight is on us to prove our value to the community, I ask you–how are we doing?

In the coming weeks, we are going to ask our readers to participate in a survey to help us understand where we stand with you. And we want you to be as straight with us, as we are with you

all. You can also provide feedback directly to me by email at jennifer@ ocalagazette.com.

Finally, to every one of my team members who work so hard and enthusiastically, thank you. We may be small, but our collective heart for our mission and our community makes us mighty. It’s my honor to serve alongside you.

Ocala, let‘s make 2022 our best year yet!

Ways you can support local journalism: Subscribe: ocalagazette.com/subscribe Donate: ocalagazette.com/donate Advertise: email info@gazette.com

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/Special to the Ocala Gazette

Little ones got better views of the lights atop shoulders during Light Up Ocala on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.

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Top 10 Stories of 2021

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

(in no specific order)

COVID

1

For a brief moment during late spring and early summer 2021, Ocalans thought they might be on the other side of the pandemic— then the Delta variant emerged.

During the summer surge only local hospital and healthcare workers were vocalizing to the community their beds and ICUs were full, and many more people were dying compared to the prior variant—and dying younger.

The Delta variant filled hospitals with new cases, and, as schools began to reopen in early August, it brought the issue of masks in schools up for debate..

With no state or local government alerts sounding the alarm on the number of rising cases, the majority of Marion County residents went about their business, focused on debating vaccinations and masks- instead of the unusually high death count.

The State of Florida and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) failed to coordinate on reporting COVID-19 statistics over the summer, preventing the public from understanding how many people were dying. Marion County ranked 6 out of the 67 Florida counties for most COVID deaths per 100,000 since June, with 186.3 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Locally, as well as nationally, numerous businesses felt the effects of the new variant. This was especially true of funeral homes, as they were forced to contend with

the growing number of deaths—in some cases, ordering refrigeration trucks to keep up with the rapidly growing demand.

Throughout all the turmoil, vaccines became readily available to most who could and wanted to take them, helping to make many people feel comfortable socializing once again. But on the other hand, it also created a new line to divide friends and families—those who were “vaxed” and those that refused to be.

Recently, over the Thanksgiving holiday, another new variant began to make headlines—Omnicron—just as booster shots became readily available to 12-years-olds and above. So, as it stands right now, the pandemic appears to be far from over.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Benjamin Wilson holds up his COVID-19 vaccination record card.

Teen violence

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The community realized this year that it had a gang problem amongst its local youth, particularly young black men, who were being pulled into a lethal game of retribution.

This story “started” in the summer of 2020 but worsened by 2021, causing local law enforcement to become more forthcoming about what was happening in the community when a rash of shootings left teens dead or injured at the hand of other, rival teens.

Daytime shootouts. Residential complexes under fire. Violence at the mall. A 15-year-old middle school student arrested for bringing a loaded gun on campus. All sound like stories that belonged to other communities—not Ocala. Yet all are descriptions of incidents that happened right here, in our own city.

One of largest hurdles to solving

the crimes was the lack of victims and family members willing to speak to police. The second challenge seemed to be the community’s unwillingness to acknowledge it had any youth violence issue at all.

2

Elections

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox, second from left, prepares to watch election night results come in with election worker Jeremiah Osborne, Ocala City Attorney Rob Batsel, election worker Starley Ard, Angel Jacobs of the City of Ocala and election worker Cristi Cerra.

City election campaigns raised record amounts in contributions and experienced increased voter turnout.

Kent Guinn won re-election to a sixth term as Ocala mayor after being challenged by Dr. Manal Fakhoury, an Ocala resident of at least thirty years.

Fakhoury’s Palestinian descent, Muslim faith, and work with the national civil rights advocacy organization Council on American– Islamic Relations (CAIR) was the subject of more political vitriol and

“fake news” reports than maybe ever experienced in Ocala’s history.

Three-fifths of the city council was replaced. With James Hilty returning to the council after a term off, and Barry Mansfield and Kristin Dreyer joining.

Local wealthy business folks did their best to influence the city elections through PACs, some of which ran some pretty ugly political campaigns to support their candidates.

Shane Alexander

3

When Assistant City Manager Ken Whitehead terminated Shane Alexander, chief of Ocala Fire Rescue, at the end of June, no one could have guessed how divisive the city personnel matter would become in the BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette 2021 city elections.

Shane Alexander, the former Ocala Fire Chief, center, sits with Alexander, who was hired his wife and his attorney, Paul Donnelly, during the Ocala City as fire chief in Oct. 2018, Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on July 6, 2021. also threw his hat in the ring for consideration of the city manager’s job that became city manager. open early in the year 2020. The Since the council does not have council ultimately chose to give the job the power to rehire Alexander under to Sandra Wilson, another long-term the city’s charter, there was an employee who had served as the No. 2 unsuccessful move by councilmen to the prior city manager.

Justin Grabelle and Matthew Alexander was fired for Wardell to fire City Manager Sandra mismanagement of city grant with the Wilson for authorizing Alexander’s health department, failure to abide by city policy as it relates to vehicle idling termination on July 6.

Alexander remains active in the and use of personal phones to do city community but has refused to give his business, and insubordination to the side of the story to any media outlet City Manager, Sandra Wilson, and or respond to public records requests. certain other city council members who did not support his bid to become

Federal Relief

5

Millions in federal relief and debt still experiencing significant loses because of deferment or forgiveness continued the pandemic had a second opportunity to have to benefit our community in 2021, help with payroll expenses through the Payroll with the goal of reducing the impact Protection Program. of COVID-19 on communities.

Federal student loan payments continued For the bulk of the relief, money abatement, giving relief to some. was funneled through the state and then trickled out to the county and its municipalities with broad discretion to use it where they needed it most.

The stories that resulted examined primarily how our local government chose to spend, or in some cases not spend, the money.

Some of the federal aid helped our local cultural and arts venues stay open.

Many families benefited from the help of rental assistance to catch up on late rent.

Coronavirus relief funds were also used by the county to buy larger vehicles that allowed for social distancing.

Businesses who were

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Many fire stations like Marion County Fire Rescue Station 33, received extensive remodeling including new flooring and touchless faucets and toilets using Coronavirus relief funds.

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Development on steroids

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If continued angst about the state exploring the possibility of building a new toll road through Marion County reminded us of anything, it was this: Ocalans want to protect what’s left of their wide-open spaces and valuable natural resources.

Proponents of the growth point to increase in jobs, a move towards addressing a housing shortage, and economic activity.

While organizations like Horse Farms Forever have brought likeminded people together to be advocates for Marion County’s Farmland Preservation Area (FPA), outside the FPA was fair game for development, and met little resistance from the Marion County Board of County Commission or

the City Council, despite remedial efforts to address the public’s concerns.

During the last fiscal year (2020/2021), the city alone, issued 6,946 permits.

With new businesses, distribution centers, and families all calling Marion County home, the effects of such rapid growth to certain geographical areas are taking their toll.

For example, some schools in those quickly-developing areas are operating near or at their total capacity, even as future enrollment forecasts show limited growth.

Additionally, the county and city is still working through how it will meet both the increase in demand for and cost of waste disposal going forward.

Fire Fees

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD

The County Commission approved a 980-unit residential community and neighborhood on approximately 221.45 acres near SW 20th Avenue Road, south of County Road 484.

WEC

7

The World Equestrian Center (WEC) continued to grow and lure more and more people to the sprawling horse and entertainment complex in 2021.

The facility, which opened last December, includes an 8,000-seat stadium, four climate-controlled indoor arenas, and 22 outdoor rings designed for equine events. It also features five expo centers capable of hosting sporting events, conventions, trade shows, car shows, dog and other animal shows, as well as party rentals.

This year WEC opened Marion County’s most luxurious hotel, appropriately named The Equestrian Hotel.

The center is positioned to become the largest horse show complex in the country, bringing even more tourism to Marion County as it extends the season for equestrians to compete.

The impact of this center has created greater demand for real estate surrounding it catering to equestrians.

It has also created the need for more hospitality workers.

The sprawling development gave

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

The sun sets behind the new hotel with the main ring at WEC.

Marion County Board of County Commission a reason to invest in its water and waste services so as to meet the anticipated growth expected in the area around WEC.

8

It all started in 2006, when the city council started exploring creative ways to fund fire services so that nonprofits were not exempt from paying their fair share, and people who did not own property were required to contribute as well.

The council decided to flex their “constitutional grant of home rule powers” and agreed to fund fire services by adding user fees to every City of Ocala utility statement.

In 2014, the owner of a mattress store and lifetime resident of Ocala challenged the city, saying that the fees collected were unconstitutional. After eight years of litigation and more than $80 million dollars in collected fees, the courts found the user fee was an “unconstitutional tax” and told the city they had to pay the money back.

Along with facing the issue of how to pay back such a huge judgment, the city also had to scramble to find a new, lawful way to collect money in order to help fund fire services from February 2021 through the fiscal year ending seven months later in September.

To get that done, they conducted a new study and decided to pass a one-time assessment of $190.77 for residential property owners through a non-ad valorem tax. Commercial property owners would be charged by square footage with a charge in the range of $106 to $31,973.

The combination of residents receiving special assessment bills and news the city had been taxing them illegally left many residents frustrated and confused.

The city has not officially explained in any public meeting or official statements how it intends to pay back the $80 million, but it did recently motion for an extension of time, stating that it had identified $20 million in unrestricted funds, adding that the city needed to explore options in obtaining the $60 million difference in loans.

In addition to the events hosted by WEC organizers, the venue has become the go-to for hosting conferences, local high school graduations, and fundraisers for nonprofits and politicians.

Homelessness

9

The City of Ocala first introduced its open lodging ordinance in 2002. Part of the original ordinance’s language stated that a person was subject to arrest in the city if they were sleeping in public and admitted to being homeless.

In February, U.S. District Judge James Moody ruled that arresting homeless people who don’t have access to shelters is cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution.

The court also found issuing trespass warnings without a process for appeal violated the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.

After the court ruling, the Ocala City Council unanimously voted to amend the ordinance on March 2, eliminating the homeless reference. Since then, the Ocala Police Department indicates it has not been arresting for open lodging.

Besides the decline of arrests, the lawsuit also brought to the forefront the need for more shelter space, and shelters with low barriers.

Interfaith made an attempt to get permission for a temporary lawful open air lodging space within its gates but met with opposition from neighbors and the majority of the city council.

It is hopeful that combined efforts of the city, county and area nonprofits will make strides on the issue in 2022.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken gives opioid update at every Ocala City Council meeting.

Opioid Deaths

10

One of the more publicly recognized deaths due to overdose was 33 year old Rob DelFino on June 10. DelFino was a former West Port High School quarterback, whoat that time of death, was the quarterbacks coach for North Marion High School. It was reported that DelFino likely overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl. He was survived by his wife, Skylar; son, Madon; and daughter, Mia. DelFino’s passing came as an BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Karla Grimsley, the CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, speaks to the Ocala City Council about a proposed ordinance that would have allowed an Outside Emergency Shelter for homeless people at Interfaith during the Ocala City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on May 18, 2021. Numerous homeless people and members of Interfaith Emergency Services crowded the chamber to support the ordinance, in addition to many Ocala west side residents who came in opposition to the ordinance. The Ocala City Council voted against the ordinance.

added shock to a community already witnessing a dramatic increase in opioid deaths since the start of the pandemic, with fentanyl as a leading drug used.

To help combat the epidemic within the pandemic, many local hospitals participated in “Crush the Crisis” Opioid Take Back Days, starting late in 2020 but continuing through 2021.

Local paramedics and law enforcement spent significant resources trying to save lives with the use of Narcan.

A6

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Local Briefs

A B R I E F LO O K AT N E W S F R O M A R O U N D

OCALA

HONORABLE MENTIONS

ASHLEY DOBBS/City of Ocala

ASHLEY DOBBS/City of Ocala

James Peal’s Biography - 15 years of service award

Jesse Blaire’s Biography - 20 years of service award

J

J

ames Peal joined Ocala Fire Rescue in 2006, as a Firefighter/ EMT. Throughout his career James has focused on expanding his skillset through continuing education. His dedication to professional development was clearly noted when he pursued his Paramedic Certification shortly after his employment. By February 2008, James was a Paramedic.

Earlier this year, James was promoted

to Fire Equipment Operator. He is now focused on advancing to the next step in his career – becoming a Fire Captain.

James has been married for 20 years.

On his time off he enjoys spending time with his three children, golfing, and target shooting.

Today, James is celebrating 15 years of service, and although he feels blessed to work with us, we are the ones that are lucky to have him.

esse Blaire began his career with the city of Ocala in 2001. That year, Ocala Fire Rescue found itself in a precarious position – for the first time in the department‘s history, they had a shortage of paramedics. Given this predicament, the department offered to pay paramedics without fire certifications to complete fire standards.

Jesse was one of those medics. Within three months, he obtained his firefighting certification. The proud father of six hasn‘t looked back since.

Given his affinity toward emergency medicine, Jesse moved through the ranks, always focusing on medical functions.

In 2018, Jesse was promoted to Captain. Jesse developed and

implemented Ocala‘s first Community Paramedicine program with his newfound title and desire to extend OFR‘s reach into the community. Through CP, Jesse devised ways to assist another at-risk population – opioid users. Using knowledge from the processes for successful paramedicine relationships, Jesse developed a plan to offer recovery services to people struggling with addiction.

In 2020, with COVID-19 in full swing, Jesse worked with partner agencies to stand up public Covid testing stations around Ocala and a program to test City Employees on demand.

His latest achievement is setting up a monoclonal antibody administration site for City employees and their families.

CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CRYSTAL PARK

From House Hunting to Moving Day

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

also associated with and intends to assist employees by offering housing options.

“A fantastic project in an area of n Dec. 21, the Ocala City Council tremendous need,” said Fred Rogers, voted to approve a 130-unit attorney for the developer, to the Council apartment complex called “Crystal on Dec. 21, adding the complex would P&Zthat Meeting October 11, 2021 AERIAL MAP Park Apartments,” located on 13.1 acres help “provide workforceLocation hiringMap in that PD20-0008 onCase theNumber: west side of N.W. 27th Ave at the area.”

Parcel Number: 21756-000-00, 21753-000-00; 21752-000-00; 21755-000-00; 1400 block.

According 21755-001-00; 21755-001-01; 21889-005-00; 21889-004-00;to traffic estimations offered 21889-000-00.

This development plan covers a portion by city staff, the development will generate Property Size: Approximately 13.10 acres Use Designation: Neighborhood of Land undeveloped property across from less than 100 PM peak hour trips (82) and Zoning: PUD-10 Capris Furniture, which the is therefore not require a traffic study.

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A7

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Development in pipeline off Maricamp Road, traffic issues a major concern

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

T

he Ocala City Council had its first of two public hearings on Dec. 21 in anticipation of approving a development agreement for 23.51 acres located near the 2400 block of Southeast Maricamp Road.

Owned by the Albright Family Trust, the property is accessed via an 8-foot-wide road that connects to the western end of Southeast 24th Street. The property was annexed into the city in 2006, but the zoning was never established.

Currently, one existing single-family residential home is located on the property.

“In September 2021, City Council approved a policy amendment for this property,” said Tye Chighizola, director of growth management for the city. “On Jan. 4, [the council] will consider the Concurrency Development Agreement and a rezoning to R-3.”

In anticipation of entering this agreement with the city, a traffic study was performed on Oct. 13 and projected that, based on the adopted level of service standards of the city and county, the intersection of SE Maricamp Road/ SR 464 and Southeast 24th Street will have inadequate capacity at peak hour to accommodate projected new traffic generated by development of property.

The agreement stipulates that the density of the planned property shall not exceed a maximum of 180 single-family residential dwelling units or a maximum of 320 multi-family residential dwelling units—or any combination of residential types—so long as the traffic impact of whichever combination is chosen does not exceed the number of PM peak hour trips that would be generated by those assessed for 180 single-family units.

“PM peak hour trips” are the highest volume of traffic for a continuous hour

between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. during a typical weekday.

All other new developments impacting the same roadways, according to Chighizola, would be required to factor in the Albright trips as well.

“There are multiple projects within the vicinity but do not affect Southeast 24th Street directly,” said Aubrey Hale, a chief development official for the city.

However, Hale explained, the Maricamp Road project is located near a development of approximately 4.5 acres, consisting of five commercial lots. Other projects in the area include Maricamp Multi-Family and Maricamp & 25th Avenue subdivision. These projects are located north of the Albright parcel and adjacent to Maricamp Road and Southeast 25th Avenue. These projects are all still under review.

Under the development agreement, the city established a $37,500 payment from the developer for its proportionate share towards accommodations the city will have to make for increased traffic such as signal-timing adjustments that will allow for additional green lights to the eastbound, left-turn lane; an extension of the eastbound left-turning lane to allow for additional cars to queue; and installation of a “Right Turn on Red Must Yield to U-Turn” sign for the southbound right-turning lane from Southeast 24th Street to Maricamp.

Overall, city staff has recommended to the council that the Chapter 163 Concurrency Development Agreement addresses the concerns identified by the traffic study as well as provided additional requirements for buffers and architectural design while placing limitations on use, access, building height, lighting, and signage.

The city is not obligated to assume maintenance and control of the road that leads to the property from SE 24th Street

until such time as the road is constructed to city standards.

Michael Lea expressed the concern for increased traffic on Maricamp Road that he and his neighbors in the adjacent development of Woodland Villages had during the Dec. 21 council meeting “Traffic is a complete disaster at this time,” he said. “Solving this issue is going to be an extremely hard job. I’m not a traffic or civil engineer, but as my father once said, ‘Pants first. Then shoes.’ We need to get the traffic situation corrected before we start developing these parcels.”

“It’s a very challenging area,” agreed Councilman Jim Hilty. “And I think we need to make sure we visit that traffic pattern before we go forward.”

In addition to traffic, city staff, while approving of the project, identified that development of this property using either the current or proposed policy would likely contribute to localized overcrowding of nearby elementary and middle schools.

Specifically, South Ocala Elementary, Osceola Middle, and Forest High could be directly

affected.

At the time of the staff-drafted June 14 report for the Planning & Zoning Commission, South Ocala Elementary was at 99.3 percent capacity; Osceola Middle was at 111.8 percent; and Forest High was 89.9 percent.

That same staff report also mentioned that potable water service was available within a quarter of a mile from the development, while sanitary sewer service was available within 1/8 of a mile.

The second and final public hearing will be held at the council’s next scheduled meeting on January 4, 2022.

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A8

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Remodel of City of Ocala’s Employee Health Center approved Dreyer, Mansfield dissent on choice of contractor

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

O

n Dec. 21, the Ocala City Council gave the green light to MIE, Inc., a licensed and bonded general construction company out of Orlando, to remodel and expand the City of Ocala Employee Health Center.

The goal of the expansion and remodel, as presented by John King, director of Fleet & Facilities Management, is to provide access to affordable, high-quality health care services for its approximate 1,950 eligible employees, retirees and dependents currently enrolled in the city’s health insurance plan.

At this time, King said that the health center regularly operates at or near full capacity, which limits how many providers can be scheduled at any one time. The project will provide additional exam rooms, a redesigned reception lobby, medical workstations and additional restrooms.

The vote passed 3-2 last Tuesday, with Councilwoman Kristen Dreyer and Councilman Barry Mansfield dissenting due to misgivings on the choice of contractor.

“The red flag for me was the significantly lower bid price that this contractor had,” said Dreyer. “The scope is so detailed that I think our bids should

have been a little closer in price.”

On Sept. 7, the city issued an invitation to bid on the expansion and remodel project. A total of five bids were received.

After a cost-benefit analysis, MIE, Inc., based out of Apopka, was found to be the most competitive bid at $264,482.

Other bids included Advanced Commercial Contractors, Inc., based out of Eustis ($299,644); Baker Construction and Management, LLC ($309,000); Blackwater Construction Services, LLC ($345,978); and Foundation Services of Central Florida, Inc. ($364,500). The latter three bids were all companies based out of Ocala.

“I have some concerns with this contractor being an Orlando metrobased contractor, who we’ve never done business with before, coming in incredibly low,” Dreyer said. “We had three Ocalabased contractors bid on this who lost out.

I’ve researched the resume of [MIE, Inc.].

I’ve pulled up some of the permits that they’ve had and read the inspections— and I’m still not convinced.

“I’m in complete favor of this project,” she added. “It’s a no-brainer. But I’m a no on this contractor.”

City Attorney Robert Batsel Jr. mentioned that a city ordinance existed requiring the threshold for local vendor bids to be narrow. So, according to Batsel, the city doesn’t overpay for services to benefit a local vendor.

“I understand that there is both sides [to this issue] and there’s a balance,” said Batsel, “but that threshold is very low.

It’s within 5% I believe. And if our local vendor comes in within 5% and the nonlocal vendor is the low bidder, we can’t award it to a local vendor.”

Contracting Officer Tiffany Kimball

took the podium next to clarify some points that Councilman Mansfield brought up regarding scope and the responsibility each bidder has to meet the requirements of the job it’s bidding for and not overcharge the city after bidding so low to win a contract.

“In all cases,” Kimball said, “even if it’s not a bonded job, my buyers go through all the requirements of the bid and ensure that they’re qualified per the bid. If not, they’re rejected and we do not accept the bid. But if there are unbalanced bids, that’s my decision. I discuss it with the bidder. And, it’s also my decision to reject them.”

Dreyer then asked Kimball, “So you single-handedly have the power to accept or reject the bids?”

“Well, it is my job to make sure that a bid is responsible and responsive,” she answered. “And, if they’re unbalanced, it is my job to pick up the phone and talk to the bidder and tell them, ‘Per this bid, I feel that there is no way you can do this bid for this price.’

“If there are some reasons that they can give me that I hadn’t considered,” Kimball continued, “then that’s fine. But I’m not going to accept a bid that clearly the bidder didn’t know what the scope was.”

Kimball further explained that she felt comfortable with MIE, Inc., after reviewing its resume, especially with it being a fully bonded company.

“I feel comfortable they’ll get the job to the finish line,” she said. “They have to.

We will ensure that.”

Open Dialogue

The City of Ocala’s local vendor preference, by ordinance was last updated in 2017, said Kimball to the Gazette on

Dec. 28. The ordinance provides if a local vendor’s bid price is within 5% of the low bid. The local vendor will be awarded the bid over the non-local if the local vendor agrees to contract with the city for 1% less than the low bid.

“In that way,” explained Kimball via email, “the citizens do not overpay for services or goods, and the local vendor still can win the bid.”

A recent analysis of bids, said Kimball, over the last four years, indicates that the City of Ocala awards a vast majority of bids to local vendors, even without the need to apply a preference.

“A better tool to support local vendors would be to set aside particular contracts designated only for local vendors,” suggested Kimball. “These are called set-aside contracts. During my work with the federal government as a contract specialist, my workload included set-aside contracts to support local machine shops.”

Kimball said she saw firsthand how these contracts rejuvenated an industry while still providing competition among a set of qualified vendors.

“Our City Council could direct the use of set aside contracts to support local vendors for certain procurements where local participation is robust and when these vendors are preferred for projects where our vested partners are desired for a successful outcome,” she said, adding that per Florida Statute 255.0992, “for public work projects valued at more than $1,000,000, local vendors preferences and set-aside contracts cannot be applied.

“I have always been an advocate for local vendors,” Kimball concluded, “and I welcome open dialogue with these businesses in the shared interest of our community’s economic health.”

Possible revisit of a city mounted police unit

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

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uring the Dec. 21 Ocala City Council meeting, Councilman Barry Mansfield asked Ocala Police Department (OPD) Chief of Police Mike Balkan, who was presenting the police report to the council at that time, why Ocala, as the Horse Capital of the World, no longer had mounted police.

“The police force had a mounted horse unit until late 2003, early 2004,” explained Balkan. “I know that because I supervised it. And I won’t speak for Chief Williams, but he met with me shortly after his appointment and asked for that team to be disbanded.”

Balkan said he agreed with Mansfield that if any law enforcement agency should have a mounted unit, it would be the City of Ocala. But, he admitted, it’s an extremely expensive

unit to maintain, listing vet, feed, and housing bills as potential barriers towards bringing the unit back.

“It’s something we’d need to find financial support to make happen,” Balkan added. “It’s something I’ve been toying with as it relates to our strategic plan. I think it’s important.”

For Mansfield, a potential mounted unit would have a positive effect on public outreach in the city.

“I would think in the community, especially in the horse community, we’d have to be able to raise some kind of funds for this,” said Mansfield.

Historically, Balkan explained to the council, other agencies have based their success with a mounted unit on the number of arrests produced, much like regular patrol units. When in reality, he stressed, mounted units should be seen more as a series of deterrents.

“It’s kind of hard to miss a cop, sitting 10 to 15 feet in the air,” stated Balkan. “I think it’s a great idea and we’re going to move forward towards obtaining that idea down the road. But it is costly. I think that’s one of the reasons we did away with it a number of years ago.”

Balkan also mentioned plans for housing any potential mounted unit in the expansion area located behind the current police headquarters, after rezoning, along the railroad tracks.

“In the end,” said Balkan, “you’ll see a presentation from me in our upcoming budget for a mounted unit.”

A9

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Briefs

A B R I E F LO O K AT N E W S F R O M A R O U N D

FLORIDA

MILITARY PROPOSED AS ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL TIME

By Florida News Service

C

ertain criminal offenders could opt for a hitch in the military over jail time, under a proposal filed for the upcoming legislative session.

The Senate version of the measure (SB 1356), filed Tuesday by Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, would allow people who are 25 years old or younger and face less than four years behind bars for misdemeanors to enlist in branches of the U.S. armed forces.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Linda Maldonado finishes making a bed at the Springhill Suites Marriott on Oct. 5.

FORECAST: FLORIDA JOB GROWTH WILL OUTPACE NATION NEXT YEAR

By The Associated Press

J

ob growth in Florida will outpace the national economy, and unemployment will continue to decline in 2022, according to a new economic forecast for the Sunshine State.

Florida‘s unemployment rate, which stood at 4.5% in November, is expected to continue falling in 2022, and housing starts will pickup, but not quickly enough to satisfy robust demand in the short run, according to the forecast released earlier this month by the Institute for Economic Forecasting at the University of Central Florida.

Inventory for single-family homes is so scarce in Florida that it would take only 1.3 months to use up the current supply of homes at the current rate of demand. Nationally, the supply was at 7.1 months in October. Typically, a sixmonth supply is considered a healthy and balanced market.

“Florida‘s realtors are desperate for homes to buy and sell,” the UCF report said. “The paucity of inventory and supply chain problems for builders have led to cold calling/texting to try and drum up inventory.”

In contrasts to the Great Recession more than a dozen years ago, the housing market won‘t be an “albatross” around Florida‘s economy during the continued recovery from the pandemic, the report said.

“On the contrary, housing will continue to be an important economic driver as the recovery from the COVID-19 recession continues, and builders work to replenish severely depleted inventories,” the report said.

The sector with the biggest expected job growth in Florida over the next three years is hospitality, which was battered during the past two years by the pandemic, with a predicted jump of 8.1%. That is followed by professional and business services, which is expected to grow by 3.8%. Professional and business services are white-collar jobs like lawyers, architects and accountants.

Florida‘s population over the next three years will continue to grow as Baby Boomers retire and move to the Sunshine State, and more job-seekers will migrate to Florida as the travel and hospitality industry recovers from the pandemic-caused downturn of the past two years, the forecast said.

The option wouldn’t be available to people who, for example, are considered habitual felony offenders or violent career criminals. The people could still face sentencing if they don’t meet requirements such as completing the first term of enlistment.

An identical proposal (HB 187) was filed in September by Rep. Patricia Williams, D-Pompano Beach.

The 2022 legislative session will start Jan. 11.

MARCH ARGUMENTS SLATED ON GUN SALES LAW

By Florida News Service

T

he 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments during the week of March 21 in a challenge to a 2018 Florida law that prevents people under age 21 from buying guns.

The court issued a notice Wednesday that said the arguments will be held in Miami, though it did not specify an exact date.

The National Rifle Association filed the challenge after the Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott approved the law in response to the February 2018 mass

shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students and faculty members.

Former student Nikolas Cruz, then 19, used a semi-automatic weapon in the attack. The law prevents the sale of rifles, shotguns and other long guns to people ages 18 to 20. Federal law already barred sales of handguns to people under 21.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker upheld the law in June, prompting the NRA to take the case to the Atlanta-based appeals court. The NRA contends the law violates Second Amendment and equalprotection rights.

REBECCA BLACKWELL/The Associated Press

Former CIA officer Felix Rodriguez

‘MEDAL OF FREEDOM’ AWARDS COULD BE EXTENDED

By Florida News Service

G

ov. Ron DeSantis would be able to continue distributing “Medal of Freedom” awards beyond July under a proposal filed Wednesday in the Florida Senate.

Sen. Tom Wright, a New Smyrna Beach Republican who chairs the Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee, filed the measure (SB 1360), which would remove an expiration date from state law for awarding the medals.

The awards can go to “any person

who has made an especially meritorious contribution to the interests and citizens of the state, its culture, or other significant public or private endeavor.”

DeSantis awarded the medal in September to Felix Rodríguez, a CubanAmerican former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operations officer, and in April to the late Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden.

The medal was put into state law in 2020 as part of a bill that accompanies the budget. It included a July 1, 2021 expiration date. A similar bill approved this year extended the expiration date to July 1, 2022.

Join the BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Dr. Diane Gullett, the Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools, left, talks with Nancy Thrower, then board chair, right, during a meeting at the Marion County Public School Board in Ocala on Sept. 7.

PROPOSAL TARGETS SCHOOL STAFF SHORTAGES

By Florida News Service

A

mid an ongoing scarcity of school employees such as bus drivers and food service workers, a House democrat has filed a proposal that seeks to require school districts to identify “critical employment shortages” of educational support staff.

Rep. Andrew Learned, D-Brandon, filed the bill (HB 1017) for consideration during the 2022 legislative session that begins Jan. 11.

Under the measure, school superintendents would be tasked with

identifying positions within the district that have at least 20 percent of jobs vacant. The proposal would require districts, once shortages are identified, to “fund incentives to help recruit and retain educational support employees” in those positions, subject to funding from the Legislature.

School superintendents would be given until April of 2023 to compile an initial list of employee shortage areas, and would be required to renew the list each year. The information also would have to be provided to the Senate president and House speaker.

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A10

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State 10 things DeSantis wants in 2022 session

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

G

The Associated Press

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past to process Cuban refugees. Legislative proposals have already been filed for the work on the nearly 100-year-old building.

—HIRING AND KEEPING COPS: DeSantis wants increase pay for officers at the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, provide a second round of $1,000 bonuses for first responders and provide $5,000 bonuses to help recruit law-enforcement officers to Florida.

—IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN: DeSantis has requested $8 million to transport undocumented immigrants out of state, while calling on legislators

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would replace the statewide standardized to expand a 2019 law targeting so-called tests known as the Florida Standards “sanctuary cities” and a 2020 law that Assessments with a progress-monitoring requires all government employers and system. some contractors to use a federal electronic system known as E-Verify to check the immigration status of new workers.

— SNAKE HUNT: DeSantis wants $3 million as part of the state’s efforts to remove invasive Burmese pythons, which threaten wildlife and ecosystems in the Everglades.

—TEACHER BONUSES: DeSantis wants to use $238 million in federal stimulus money to give a second round of $1,000 bonuses to teachers and principals in an effort to retain educators amid an ongoing teacher shortage.

—TESTING OVERHAUL: BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette DeSantis wants to spend $15.5 Principal Christine Sandy, left, teaches students fourth grade million to carry out a plan that students.

For even more

ov. Ron DeSantis recently released a $99.7 billion budget blueprint for the 2022 legislative session and has touted a series of other proposals. Here are 10 of DeSantis’ priorities — big and small — for the session, which will start Jan. 11: —CRYPTOCURRENCY: DeSantis has requested $700,000 for cryptocurrency projects at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Financial Services. For example, a pilot program would allow people to pay for motor-vehicle title certificates through Blockchain technology at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

—ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT: DeSantis is seeking $5.7 million for a 52-person Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State to investigate and prosecute electionrelated crimes.

—FLORIDA STATE GUARD: DeSantis has requested $5.4 million to re-establish a 200-member Florida State Guard, which was a defense force set up during World War II to replace Florida National Guard members who were deployed abroad. It would be used to assist the National Guard during emergencies.

—GAS TAX CUT: DeSantis wants to suspend the state’s 25-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline for five months, starting July 1. The state would use $1 billion in federal stimulus money to make up for the lost money, as gas taxes go toward transportation projects.

—FREEDOM TOWER: DeSantis has requested $25 million to restore Miami’s Freedom Tower, which was used in the

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

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Improved jobless rate leads to scaled-back benefits

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

F

loridians laid off in the new year will get seven fewer weeks of unemployment benefits because the state’s jobless rate improved in

2021.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on Tuesday announced that a formula used to determine the maximum number of weeks of benefits will revert from a pandemic-boosted 19 weeks to 12 weeks.

State law puts the number of weeks at 12 when unemployment is at or below 5 percent, with an additional week added for each 0.5 percentage point above 5 percent in the third quarter of a calendar year. The number of weeks was pushed up in 2021 because of the surge in jobless claims after

the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state. The third-quarter 2020 unemployment rate was 8.6 percent.

But with people returning to work as the economy recovered in 2021, the formula will push down the maximum number of weeks starting in January.

“Based on the average 2021 third quarter statewide unemployment rate of 5 percent, beginning January 1, 2022, any new state Reemployment Assistance claim filed is eligible for up to 12 weeks of benefits,” the agency said Tuesday, using the state’s term for unemployment assistance.

The formula doesn’t affect the maximum of $275 in weekly payments the state provides, among the lowest amounts in the nation.

Florida’s jobless rate stood at 5.1 percent in July, 5.0 percent in August and 4.8

percent in September. Since then, the rate has fallen to 4.5 percent, reflecting 483,000 out-of-work Floridians in November from a labor force of 10.63 million.

The start of the pandemic is marked as March 15, 2020, by state and federal labor agencies because that is when massive job losses began. Since then, Florida has paid $31.88 billion to 2.44 million unemployment claimants, with more than three-fourths of the money coming from the federal government.

Of the total, just over $12 billion in benefits have been provided in 2021, in part because the state began efforts in May to push people back into the workforce.

The state withdrew Florida early from two federal assistance programs and reinstated a “work search” requirement for people seeking unemployment benefits.

In April, House Republicans rejected

efforts to raise maximum unemployment payments by $100 a week and to increase the number of weeks benefits are offered.

The votes came days after Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed boosting benefits.

Meanwhile, lawmakers approved a wide-ranging plan that included upgrading the state’s online unemployment system, which largely crashed in spring 2020 after becoming inundated with claims. The plan includes moving the troubled CONNECT system to a cloud-based service.

DeSantis also signed a measure intended to divert about $1 billion a year to replenish an unemployment compensation trust fund that is ordinarily funded through a tax on businesses.

The money is being raised through a requirement that out-of-state online retailers collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians.

U.S. Supreme Court to Weigh Florida Medicaid Fight

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

T

he U.S. Supreme Court is poised to take up a dispute about how much money Florida’s Medicaid program should be able to recoup after a legal settlement involving a Lee County girl who suffered catastrophic injuries when she was struck by a truck after getting off a school bus in 2008.

The case, which justices will hear Jan. 10, has drawn attention from officials across the country.

The U.S. Department of Justice has lined up with the parents of Gianinna Gallardo, who was left in what attorneys described as a “persistent vegetative state” after the accident. Meanwhile, 14 states and groups such as the

National Conference of State Legislatures are backing the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which runs the state’s Medicaid program.

The case centers on how much money the Medicaid program should be able to recover after it paid $862,688 for Gallardo’s medical care after the accident, which happened when she was 13. Gallardo’s parents filed a lawsuit against the truck’s owner and driver and the Lee County School Board and ultimately reached an $800,000 settlement.

Under a formula in state law, the Agency for Health Care Administration said it was entitled to recoup $300,000 from the settlement.

That included money in the settlement allocated for past and future medical costs.

But the Gallardo attorneys

contend that the Medicaid program should only be able to recover money for past medical costs that it paid — not from the portion of the settlement for future medical expenses.

A U.S. district judge agreed with the parents, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision and ruled for the state.

In a September brief, the parents’ attorneys wrote that “third-party” provisions in federal law “give a state no right to payments for medical expenses Medicaid has not paid.”

“In this case, Florida paid for petitioner’s past medical expenses, but not for her future medical expenses,” Justice Department attorneys wrote in another September brief. “The third-party-liability provisions thus entitle Florida only to the portion of petitioner’s tort

settlement that represents past medical expenses. Yet Florida has imposed a lien even against the portion that represents future medical expenses.”

But attorneys for the state wrote in a brief last month that only $35,367 in the settlement was allocated for past medical care. The state argued that federal law allows recouping part of the settlement designated for future medical expenses.

“Because health care is expensive, when a person suffers a sudden and acute injury, Medicaid often steps up to cover the medical costs,” the state’s brief said. “At the same time, Congress has made Medicaid the payer of last resort, meaning that other sources available to pay medical expenses must be exhausted before Medicaid pays for care.

Consistent with that structure, state Medicaid programs must recover their costs from third parties who owe payments for medical care to the beneficiary.”

Other briefs supporting Florida also pointed to potential implications of a ruling against the state.

“In sum, petitioner is requesting that the (Supreme) Court further limit the available payments that the state is entitled to reach,” said a brief filed last month by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Government Finance Officers Association. “Petitioner’s reading is contrary to both the statutory text and the intent of Congress, and would severely limit the state’s ability to recover its Medicaid expenditures.”

Two Laws, Lower Workers’ Comp Rates to Take Effect

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

A

pair of bills signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, involving vehicle rentals and notaries public, will become law Saturday.

Meanwhile, also starting Saturday, Florida employers will see an average 4.9 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates.

The vehicle-rental measure (SB 566) sets insurance and other requirements for people who take part in peer-to-peer carsharing programs.

In part, the bill requires that during car-sharing periods, the vehicle owners and rental drivers are insured to at least minimum requirements in state law. It also requires car-sharing programs to oversee the collection and remittance of taxes.

“We are mirroring what is required by Enterprise or Alamo and the other ones,” said Senate bill sponsor Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, during an April meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

But Sen. Gary Farmer, a Lighthouse Point Democrat who was among 12 senators and 15 House members who voted against the proposal, questioned at the Appropriations Committee if the measure would provide “appropriate safeguards.”

“I‘m not a rental car company. I‘m not going to know, to check the validity of a driver‘s license,” Farmer, a trial lawyer, said. “Maybe you‘ve got a whole history of DUIs out there and I don‘t know about it. And now I‘m entrusting you with my car. Cars are deemed dangerous instrumentalities under the law of the state of Florida. So, we do a lot of things to protect our residents in general. That‘s why we have the rule that a car owner is generally responsible for anybody they let use their car.”

Lawmakers passed the bills dealing with vehicle rentals and notaries (HB 121) during the legislative session that ended in April. Most bills passed during the session took effect July 1, which also was the start of the state’s fiscal year.

The notaries bill expands on a 2019 law that authorized remote online notarizations in the state.

Rep. Sam Garrison, a Fleming Island Republican who sponsored the measure, said during a March Judiciary Committee meeting the changes are designed to address issues that arose as the coronavirus pandemic increased use of remote notary platforms.

Among the changes, the law requires platforms to store video of notary sessions, directs the Department of State to include on its website a list of platform providers and allows court reporters to remotely swear in witnesses and newly admitted attorneys via audio-video technology. The law also prohibits platform users’ personal information to be sold.

A third bill (HB 54) that legislators sent to DeSantis with a Jan. 1 implementation date would have eliminated the state’s no-fault insurance system — and its requirement that motorists carry personalinjury protection, or PIP, coverage. But that was among five bills that DeSantis vetoed from the 2021 session.

In vetoing the measure, DeSantis said the no-fault system has flaws and state law involving bad-faith litigation --- an issue that can lead to costly lawsuits over how insurers handle claims --- is “deficient.” However, DeSantis said the proposal didn’t “adequately address the current issues facing Florida drivers and may have unintended consequences that would negatively impact both the market and consumers.”

On Dec. 2, Senate President Wilton

Simpson, R-Trilby, suggested the no-fault repeal issue could return in the 2022 session, which begins Jan. 11.

While it was not a result of the legislative session, employers will continue to see decreasing workers’ compensation insurance rates in 2022. Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier issued an order in November that set an average 4.9 percent decrease, with it starting to take

effect Saturday.

That came after an average 6.6 percent decrease that took effect in 2021.

“Safer workplaces, innovative techniques, and improved risk management practices have resulted in the continued decline in workers’ compensation claims, ultimately benefiting Florida businesses,” Altmaier said in a prepared statement in November.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Sen. Keith Perry speaks during the Marion County Delegation at the Klein Conference Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Oct. 7.

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Marion COVID numbers double STATE SEES FOUR-FOLD INCREASE IN MOST RECENT REPORT

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

MARION COUNTY UPDATE Marion County’s COVID numbers more than doubled from two weeks ago, as the county registered 363 new cases during the week of Dec. 17-23 according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health Friday evening, the highest in more than almost three months. The county reported recording 179 cases two weeks ago and 427 cases for the first week in October.

Along with the overall number of cases, the county’s positivity rate and cases per 100,000 also rose. The positivity rate climbed from 3.3% to 5.0%, and much like the total number of cases, the cases per 100,000 more than doubled as well, from 48.1 to 97.5.

In Health and Human Services hospitalization numbers last updated Dec. 24, county hospitals reported 82% of inpatient beds filled, with 2% of those

being COVID patients. Additionally, 89% of ICU beds were filled, with 4% being COVID patients.

COVID Test FL is offering testing in Ocala at the Ocala First Baptist Church located at 2801 S.E. Maricamp Road.

COVID Test Express is offering testing in the Villages at 11714 N.E. 62nd Terrace.

Both locations are open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

STATE UPDATE Not only did new COVID cases double in Marion County, but they also rose drastically across the state as a whole, with Florida seeing more than four times the number of new cases as it reported two weeks ago.

The state recorded 125,201 new cases of COVID during the week of Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, up almost 100,000 new cases from the 29,568 reported during the week of Dec. 10 to Dec. 16.

That number is the highest number of cases reported statewide since the week of

MCPS UPDATE

Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, when the state recorded 129,240 new cases.

Statewide, vaccines numbers have risen Marion County Public Schools are closed in children ages 5-11 every week since for winter break until January 3, 2022. No vaccines became available, as the state COVID updates have been posted to their reported 234,501 doses of the vaccine website since the beginning of winter break. were administered last week compared to the 211,320 doses given two weeks ago.

The total population of children ages 5-11 in 3,500 Aug. 26: the state is just under 3,228 1.7 million, and figures 3,000 showed 14% of them are now vaccinated against 2,500 COVID-19.

Dec. 17 - 23 The state’s overall 2,000 vaccination rates held Dec. 23: Source: steady from the previous 1,500 Marion County report, as the state Health Department recorded administering 1,000 506,608 doses during the week of Dec. 17 to 500 Dec. 23, bringing the population of the state 0 19 26 2 9 16 23 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 vaccinated to 71% of DECEMBER NOVEMBER AUG. SEPTEMBER OCTOBER those ages 5 and up.

AMY HARBERT/Ocala Gazette

New reported Covid-19 cases per week

363

US officials recommend shorter COVID quarantine

By Mike Stobbe Associated Press U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.

Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine — threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases.

“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic,” she told The Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”

Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don‘t have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general

public to be even less stringent.

The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.

The CDC‘s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert.

Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.

ISOLATION The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted.

They say: • The clock starts the day you test positive.

• An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10.

• At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere - even at home around others for at least five more days.

• If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.

QUARANTINE The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but not infected themselves.

For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may have been exposed to the virus.

Previously, the CDC said people who

were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.

Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.

That‘s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated — which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — could be exempt from quarantine.

Now, people who got their initial shots but not boosters are in the same situation as those who are partly vaccinated or are not vaccinated at all: They can stop quarantine after five days if they wear masks in all settings for five days afterward.

FIVE DAYS Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not without risk.

A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can visit family or for work. That means a positive test result may not reveal exactly when a person was infected or give a clear picture of when they are most contagious, experts say.

When people get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“If you decrease it to five days, you‘re still going to have a small but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.

That‘s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance, Walensky said.

VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it‘s a recommendation to employers and

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Josue Centeno, 24, of Ocala, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination from a licensed professional nurse on April 7.

state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC‘s guidance for health care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

It‘s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky said.

Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the change for months, because shorter isolation and quarantine periods appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said.

The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19.

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute‘s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

More cruise ships under CDC investigation due to COVID cases

By Adriana Gomez Licon The Associated Press The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more cruise ships due to new cases of COVID-19 as the omicron variant drives extremely high infection levels in the industry hub of Florida.

The CDC said 88 vessels are now either under investigation or observation, but it did not specify how many COVID-19 cases have been reported. Four other vessels are also being monitored by the CDC as well.

Florida hit a new record for daily cases on Tuesday with 46,900 new cases in a day.

Since Christmas, the state‘s 7-day average of daily cases has

surpassed previous records set during last summer‘s surge, rising to 29,400 infections.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state have also risen from about 1,200 patients two weeks ago to about 3,400 on Wednesday.

But that is still less than one-fifth the number of hospitalizations reported in late August due to the delta wave.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for the CDC and cruise lines to again halt cruise travel, six months after the industry mounted its comeback.

“Our warnings have proved sadly prescient and continuously compelling. Time for CDC and cruise lines to protect consumers, again pause — docking their ships,” the

Connecticut senator posted on Twitter.

Cruise lines have not announced any plans to halt cruising. And the CDC did not say it would adopt any changes, adding it still had plans to allow for the expiration of a set of rules that cruises must follow to sail during the pandemic. The regulation, called a conditional sailing order, is scheduled to expire on Jan. 15 to become a voluntary program.

“CDC acknowledges that it is not possible for cruising to be a zero-risk activity,” CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed said in an emailed statement.

Most lines require adult passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Cruise ships are allowed to relax measures such as mask use if at least 95% of passengers and 95% of crew are fully vaccinated.

The federal agency recommends that people avoid cruise travel if they are at increased risk of severe illness, regardless of vaccination status.

None of the ships so far appear to have so many cases that they would overwhelm medical resources on board and require a return to port. But some have been denied entry at some foreign ports.

Several Florida-based ships have reported outbreaks. The Carnival Freedom was denied entry to Aruba and Bonaire after an undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard

caught the virus.

Some cruise ships have not been allowed to disembark in Mexican ports due to cases reported, bringing to memory the early days of the pandemic when cruise lines negotiated docking plans as ships were being turned away by officials worried about the virus‘s spread.

The Mexican government said Tuesday it would allow cruise ships with reported coronavirus cases to dock. The country‘s Health Department said passengers or crew who show no symptoms will be allowed to come ashore normally, while those with symptoms or a positive virus test will be quarantined or given medical care.

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Comic Relief His sense of humor has helped Chris Miller endure 11 surgeries in 19 months, 9 of them on his skull.

By Susan Smiley-Height Ocala Gazette

I

f he had not chosen a career in education, Chris Miller could have been a stand-up comedian.

His schtick has been honed through decades as a teacher at Howard Middle and Lake Weir High Schools, dean of students at Ward-Highlands Elementary, in his role with Career and Technical Education in Marion County Public Schools and as a tutor with the Department of Juvenile Justice. Not to mention being the only guy in a household that includes four feisty females; his wife Debra and their daughters Jessica, Elise and Audrey.

Miller is known for his one-liners, snappy comebacks, puns and affinity for wearing T-shirts adorned with quirky statements.

His former University of Florida roommate and best friend, Colby Theisen, said that when he first met Miller, “We warily eye-balled each other until I got to know his sense of humor. Sometimes he likes to kind of poke people just to find out how far he can go with them and he

has a gauge on what kind of humor he can have with them. He wants to see where that line is and not go past it but go right up to it. He does have a unique sense of humor.”

After Miller had a near-fatal motorcycle accident on May 4, 2020, his good friend, family members and neurosurgeon, Dr. John T. Main, all said his sense of humor was a key element as he faced 11 surgeries in 19 months, nine of them on his skull, and battled the hardto-treat staph infection known as MRSA. Miller, who had traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractures in his face and a broken arm and ankle, still has no recollection of the accident. He has endured a subdural hematoma, intense pain, excess leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, having a brain “flap” replaced and the insertion of two shunts in his head. He has had titanium parts placed in his wrist and ankle and had to go to rehab to relearn how to walk.

All along that journey, even as he returned to work as much as he could, his sense of humor has sustained him and entertained those around him.

“Chris came into the hospital in very bad shape. I just happened to be at the hospital and took him immediately to the operating room. If he would have had to wait for me to arrive, he would have not made it. I did not expect him to make it, let alone be functional,” said Main. “Chris is a fighter and an extremely positive person. He and his wife are amazing people. He has been through multiple surgeries and he never gives up. His humor, I think, gets him through things.

He is very funny.”

“As a daughter’s point of view, my biggest concern, as terrible as it sounds,”

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

The Miller family, from left, Debra, Audrey, Chris and Jessica, pose for a photo at their home in Belleview on Dec. 21.

said Jessica Miller of the early days after her father’s accident, “I don’t care if he’s alive or not, I care about having my Dad. If he doesn’t come back as my Dad, that’s going to be almost worse for me, like I want my Dad! Then he came back full force, making jokes and everything, and I’m like ‘Thank God!’ He’s still here.”

The Crash

Miller and Theisen, who lives in Sanford, have shared many things in life. On that fateful Monday in 2020, with pandemic restrictions easing and businesses

welcoming back customers, the two rode their motorcycles—for the first time ever together—from Miller’s home near Belleview to Mojo’s on Silver Springs Boulevard. As they rode back into Miller’s neighborhood, Miller, who had worn his helmet to the eatery but not on the journey home, crashed just inside the entrance to the subdivision.

“Chris and I, within a year of the date in May, had gotten our motorcycle permits. One of his favorite chicken wing See Miracle, page B2

Clearly Spectacular Winter is a great time to take a kayak tour of Silver Springs.

By Susan Smiley-Height Ocala Gazette

T

he area’s current sunny days and mild temperatures offer amazing opportunities to get outside and enjoy our natural Florida in all its winter splendor. One of those ways is by climbing into a kayak for a tour of Silver Springs.

Now that there is less foliage and leaf cover, you might have a better chance of spotting wildlife, including our state’s beloved manatees — and what better way to do that than in a clear kayak that offers an incredible glimpse into the watery world below.

Get Up And Go Kayaking offers clear kayak tours at several locations around the state, including Silver Springs, Rainbow Springs, Crystal River and Weeki Wachee.

On a recent excursion at Silver Springs, guide Bryce Neal led a group of eight eager adventurers on this ride on the wild side. As soon as the see-through kayaks were in the water, there were audible murmurs of “Ooh, look at that,” chorusing from the paddlers.

Because the waters of the Silver River and headspring are so clear, it was easy to see such aquatic plants as eel grass, coontail, Southern naiad, sagittaria and hydrilla through the bottom of the kayak.

After navigating a narrow canal into the massive headspring, the view below

Gator on Silver River.

changed to brilliant blue hues that darkened with the depths of the main spring, which is classified as first magnitude because it discharges more than 64 million gallons of water per day. Those waters form the Silver River, which flows 4.5 miles east until it merges into the Ocklawaha River.

In the main spring, from which the world-famous glass-bottom boats launch and return on multiple trips each day, Neal pointed out three Greek statues underwater that remain from the filming of the “I Spy” television show. As the gentle current pushed the kayaks eastward, he pointed out several smaller springs, some of which were used in filming such motion pictures as “Moonraker,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Distant Drums,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and six Tarzan films, as well as the “Sea Hunt” TV series.

“This is definitely one of the easiest places to paddle in Florida,” Neal said.

“There is a no wake zone the whole way through and it’s not that bad of a current.

I’ve had a lot of new kayakers come through here and they love it; it’s an easy paddle for them.”

Neal pointed out birds such as anhinga poised on tree limbs with their wings spread wide to dry, tall and elegant herons and egrets, feisty hawks and darting kingfishers.

Over the course of the tour, the members of the group called out to each other to point out sights like the years-old iconic twisted “photo op” palm tree on the bank, a massive cypress tree with a ring of polished “knees” and a fat bellied alligator lazing in the sun on the river bank.

Beneath the kayaks were numerous turtles and such fish as long-nosed gar, mudfish and bass.

And then there were the monkeys!

As the tour made a right turn from the river channel into a side canal, a rhesus macaque monkey sitting on a fence post went about its business with no apparent interest in the human being who was shouting, “There, over there! I see one!”

In the heyday of the Silver Springs attraction, before it became a state park, Colonel Tooey ran the jungle boat cruise.

DAVE MILLER He brought six monkeys to the park and let them loose on

DAVE MILLER

Kayaking the Silver River.

an island, thinking they couldn’t swim away. But they did. And they multiplied.

Now, wild monkey sightings are highly sought after by those who navigate the waters of the park. While the monkeys are intelligent and highly adaptable, they are completely feral and the Centers for Disease Control warn that they carry disease, so visitors should not try to feed or coax them into closer contact.

In fact, care is taken on all excursions to not disturb any of the wildlife or the natural surroundings. And if you are lucky enough to spy manatees in the water, it is expressly forbidden to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy or molest them in any way under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978.

“Our natural springs in Florida are incredibly special to us and we love that we have the chance to introduce others to the natural beauty of the Sunshine State every day,” said Justin Buzzi, owner of Get Up And Go Kayaking. “I always feel rejuvenated after kayaking out here. It puts me into a super relaxed, almost meditative mode instantly. There are studies showing that people who spent two hours a week in natural settings were much more likely to report good health and psychological wellbeing than those who did not spend any

time outdoors.”

So while you are on vacation from school or work, or perhaps visiting our lovely region from cold northern climes, treat yourself to a couple of hours of soaking up some sunshine and getting an up-close look at one of our area’s most beloved and unique natural attractions.

Get Up And Go Kayaking tours at Silver Springs are by reservation only, with the website currently indicating there are openings available beginning Saturday, Jan. 1. To learn more, visit getupandgokayaking.com

Wild monkeys are sighted on the river

DAVE MILLER

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Miracle man

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Debra Miller describes the skull flap on her husband, Chris’ head, as they talk at their home about the serious accident he had in May 2020.

Continued from page B1

the hydrocephalus and then emergency surgery when his brain began to bleed from the shunt surgery.

He said he was in a “good place for recovery” for several months “but resorption began to affect the bone flap, causing a divot of bone to develop.”

“To restore protection for my brain as well as symmetry and aesthetics, my natural bone flap was removed and replaced with synthetic bone on June 28, 2021. I asked if I could have my bone flap, maybe for my rearview mirror or a Christmas ornament,” he said mischievously. “Dr. Main was very nice but said no.”

As evidence that the Chris Miller humor DNA runs in his family, the ladies of the house took the plastic mockup of his skull, which includes a “liftup” section of the bone flap, and turned it into an M&M dispenser that sits on a counter in their 1950’s-themed kitchen.

On Friday, July 30, 2021, Chris woke up with extreme swelling on one side of his skull.

“It felt like my head was a water balloon, with an inch or more of fluid on top of my skull.

There was also a very large bump on my left temple. And then I awakened in bed to CSF having leaked out of my head through my incision. Dr. Main took apart my skull again and added adhesive to portions of the flap and removed a large cyst from my temple,” he said.

After three months of trying to control the leakage, CSF and blood cultures revealed two infections, one of which was MRSA. Chris was put on IV antibiotics. As the leaks continued, Dr. Main recommended that a second shunt be connected to the first one with a T-tube to drain the fluid. Chris was hospitalized from mid-October to early November. In late December, he was still having some issues with swelling and leakage and working with his medical team to find solutions.

He said that, looking back, his “proudest survival thing” was his Glasgow Coma Scale rating, which is used to measure someone’s level of consciousness after a brain injury.

“It was a 9 at the scene of the accident but it was a 3 when I got to the hospital. Three is the lowest. If you were dead, you’d get a 3 on the Glasgow, no reaction to anything. I did some research and, as published in the “Journal of American Medicine,” research shows that of people who come in with a 3 from a traumatic brain injury, 89% die in the first 30 days. Of the remaining 11%, 7% end up vegetative, 4% have what they consider a positive outcome and,” he said, posing like a fashion model and breaking into a beaming smile, “less than 1% retain their sexiness,”

sending his wife and daughters into a loud wave of laughter.

The Takeaways

As for his choice to not wear his helmet on the ride home, Chris offered, “Although I realize it’s a fool’s errand in terms of logic, what I liked the most about riding a motorcycle was the smell of what’s around me. I could smell somebody cutting their grass, I could smell Chinese food. It’s like you’re one with the universe; the environment. I didn’t get the motorcycle until a couple of years ago, so this was a new thing for me. I’m done with it now… but while I obviously wish I had been wearing a helmet, I understand why I didn’t.”

“Colby tried to apologize for not making me put on the helmet,” he added, “and I said, ‘It’s not your fault, it’s my fault.’

But what I would say to people now is, ‘Wear your helmet!’”

Theisen said it was traumatic to see his friend so badly injured.

“There was no other car involved. He was probably going 25 mph maybe, not that significant. He could have landed on the concrete but he landed on the grass and dirt and still suffered those kinds of injuries,” he noted. “It was a reminder that we are pretty fragile.”

“He’s had a lot of setbacks,” Theisen added, “but he’s kept his sense of humor and that’s kept him going, that and his family, all his friends that are behind him and love him and encourage him. It’s really good to see. I love him like a brother.

I’m happy he’s almost through this.”

Chris said humor and fellowship are “my life rafts— and you need both.”

“Having people to talk to and listen to and people in your corner, that’s the blessing of all this,” he said. “You know crises always are uncomfortable.

It’s kind of like growth spurts when you’re young but they often lead to growth and progression. And, I’ve found that some of my friends are in fact family. You learn that.

But you wouldn’t know unless a trauma or crisis like this happened. That demonstrates for you in a very palpable sense who cares and who loves you, and that’s very powerful.”

Chris said his mother has a sign that reads: “When you find the humor in difficult situations, you win.”

“And I find that to be very true because if you’re still laughing about anything, then you’re probably winning,” he said. “The person at Burger King who doesn’t get sauce on his burger and is yelling, that person is losing. Humor is kind of part of the DNA of ‘Are you handling adjustment in a helpful manner?’”

restaurants, Mojo’s, had opened again, so he asked if I wanted to come up and go for a ride,” Theisen recalled. “I brought my motorcycle in the truck because I didn’t feel comfortable driving that far yet. It was early afternoon, late lunch kind of time. We both had our helmets on and rode over and had some wings and chatted for a while. He ran into a couple of friends there. In early evening we headed home. Chris enjoyed the feeling of riding without a helmet. Like when you’re in a car versus a convertible, it’s a completely different feeling. It’s kind of a freedom, and he enjoyed that sensation. And it had gotten dark so, for BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette visibility I think, he Chris Miller talks about his serious motorcycle accident while one of the custom helmet he was designing decided not to wear his helmet on the way back.” and trying to sell at the time is shown at his home in Belleview on Dec. 21, 2021.

Theisen said Chris was maybe 20 asked her to go there. strangest thing is that he never yards ahead of him when they “I beat everybody there,” remembered the night of the pulled into the entrance of the Jessica said. “I beat him,” she accident and he could not ever subdivision. said, pointing at her dad. say why he was in the hospital.

“It has a rather small A friend saw online that One nurse asked why and he entrance with a concrete Jessica was the hospital and said, ‘medical procedure.’ He median and a small “S” curve. reached out. was very entertaining.”

He overcorrected in that turn “I said my dad was in a On May 17, 2020, Chris was and went off the left side of the motorcycle accident and she transferred to the Encompass road into a shallow ditch and said, ‘My mom’s there now.

Health Rehabilitation Hospital I saw headlights and taillights She’s a trauma nurse.’ So, my of Ocala, where he remained flipping in the air. I pulled off friend connected us to her until June 3. and he was lying face down in mom,” Jessica shared.

On June 9, he had surgery the ditch,” Theisen said. “He As family members gathered, to place titanium plates and looked unconscious and was they learned Chris had a screws in his forearm and groaning. I tried to get him to subdural hematoma, which is ankle. In early July, while stay still and keep his face out when blood builds up between recovering at of the grass and dirt so he could the protective layers that home, he developed breathe. I called 911.” surround the brain inside the hydrocephalus, After Chris was in an skull. which is an excess of ambulance headed to Ocala “At that point, they didn’t cerebrospinal fluid Regional Medical Center, which know if they could save him or (CSF) in the brain has the only Level II trauma not,” Debra said. that causes confusion center in the trauma service “They drilled me open and problems with area that includes Marion, that night and took part of coordination.

Citrus and Hernando counties, my skull off and let my brain “I called my mom and Theisen had given his swell, because if the skull had and then dad because account of the accident to a remained on it would not have I did not believe police officer, he had to go had room to swell and I would my wife of 28 years tell Debra Miller what had have died,” Chris said. was my wife,” Chris happened. recalled.

“He said, ‘Chris was in an The Journey Between July 15 accident,’” she recalled. “I said, Debra was allowed in the and 19, 2020, Chris ‘You’re kidding,’ and I was hospital room with Chris had three brain waiting for Chris to pull up. on Tuesday, but he was surgeries, including And he said, ‘No, we need to go nonresponsive. a cranioplasty, which to the hospital.’ I know I froze “On Wednesday, he was is a procedure to because then he said, ‘We need intubated so he couldn’t talk repair a skull defect to go now.’” but he could respond. He didn’t by inserting bone She said Theisen could not know who he was, who I was, or materials such tell her if her husband was that he had daughters, where as metal or plastic alive. he was,” she said. “Then he plates, insertion of Debra called Jessica, who BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette did start remembering and the a shunt to address lived near the hospital, and A 3-dimensional model of a skull showing the skull flap that has been surgically implanted into Chris’ head.

B3

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Our 10 favorite photos of the year All Photos By BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Susie Debose voices her disagreement with the fire assessment fee as her husband, Ozell, looks on at the city council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.

North Marion’s Chris Foster (1) pulls in a pass over West Florida’s Adrian Swanson (21) during a football game at North Marion High School in Citra on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021.

LEFT: Corey Taylor‘s son, Kaiden, 9, holds the Bible for his father as Taylor shakes hands with Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn. Taylor was sworn in as a Major during a ceremony for the Ocala Police Department at the First Baptist Church in Ocala on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.

St. John’s River State College’s J.J. Sousa (9) scores as the College of Central Florida’s catcher Miguel Useche (13) tries for the out during a baseball game at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Monday, April 19, 2021.

An unidentified homeless man sleeps on sidewalk at the Chevron station on West Silver Spring Boulevard near I-75 in Ocala on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

LEFT: Third graders Echo Gracie Harris, 9, Kailynn Berg, 9, and Braelin McCandless, 9, left to right, cry with their teacher, Rachel Burrage, second from right, as they say goodbye to her on the last day of school at Eighth Street Elementary School in Ocala on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

Hayven Ostanik, 14, grimaces as she receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination from Laura Moffatt, RN, at the Florida Department of Health in Marion County in Ocala on Tuesday, August 31, 2021.

Bleachers can be seen in the gymnasium as Tommy Amodeo of A&A Trucking and Excavating - The Art of Destruction, demolishes the gymnasium at the old Reddick High School on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.

North Marion players dog-pile on top of each other after they defeated Baker County 6-0 in the FHSAA Class 4A Region 1 final at North Marion High School in Sparr on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

“Ten years ago, who ever thought I’d be getting a hug from the Chief of Police!” said Mojo’s owner Rondo Fernandez, right, as he gets a hug from Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken on Sept. 10, 2021.

B4

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Process underway to rehab and rehome 37 dogs seized by county

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.

By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

E

arlier this month Marion County Animal Services confiscated 37 dogs from the home of a repeat offender.

According to a press release on the incident put out by the department at the time, Animal Services was attempting to gain legal custody of the dogs in order to begin the process of rehabilitating and ultimately rehoming them.

Stacie Causey, a spokesperson for Marion County indicated BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette the intended course of action Wendy Crowley, an animal care technician, spends some time with is underway, and a court case Mendes, one of the numerous adoptable dogs at the Marion County to transfer legal custody to the Animal Center off Southeast Baseline Road in Ocala on Friday, Dec. county has been scheduled for 17. The no-kill shelter is currently over its capacity with over 200 dogs early January. She said the and numerous cats and is asking people to come in and adopt a pet and give it a good home for the holidays. Part of the reason that the process will be slightly different Animal Center is so full is because of the 37 dogs that were seized in an for each animal. animal cruelty case on Thursday afternoon.

“The court case is the first step This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may run in any direction in several for the county to gain always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have c prevention, licensed, and microchipped. custody of the dogs, who are in pleted the puzzle, there will be 16 letters left over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle. various stages of health. Some will be able to We also offer heartworm tests and feline leukemia testing. We hope that the savings be adopted quicker, while others will require on the typical adoption fee may be used more of the county's resources,” Causey said. for the pet in other ways, such as animal The dogs in poorer health will need to be supplies, food, and enrichment.” treated and monitored by county staff until Solution: 16 Letters Causey noted that while the shelter they reach a state where adoption is possible. provides a temporary home and, in most The addition of the nearly three dozen cases, better conditions than the animal dogs to their shelters took any remaining came from, it’s not an ideal long-term space Animal Services had available. solution for them.

This began to lead to overcrowding, “We try to make the shelter as and as a result, Animal Services waived temporary as possible. We know it’s not any adoption fees for the remainder of the best situation for the animals, it’s much December. better for them to be in a home. But we In a separate press release issued after also need the space for when things like the incident, Jim Sweet, Marion County [the county taking in 37 dogs at once] Animal Services director indicated his happen,” she relayed. department was waiving the fees to help Causey also pointed out that not only encourage adoptions. does Animal Services have dogs and cats “Our adoption package is a great value, even at our regular cost of $50,” said Sweet for adoption, other animals such as pigs, ducks, horses, and the occasional exotic pet in the press release. like a bearded dragon have been available “Our adoptable pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, given flea for adoption as well.

WORD FIND

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ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B6

Date: 01/07/22

B5

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

community DEC. 31

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Government Campus Field, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am-2:30pm Shop locally. Fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils, and seafood; recurs every Friday.

DEC. 31-JAN.1

The Ultimate Team Challenge – Bull Riding Competition World Equestrian Center—Arena 5, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 7-10pm Watch some of the world’s best cowboys compete for a $100,000 cash prize at WEC in Arena 5 on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Preorder tickets online at ticketleap.com.

JAN. 1

Annual First Day Hike

2360 SE 80th St., Ocala Join the annual First Day Hike on The Island, sandwiched in-between 441, for a short, interpretive hike on the history of the Cross Florida Greenway along with a self-guided hike on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. After, pick up a set of maps at the Santos Campground to enjoy more trails through the New Year. Email Bre.Ximenes@FloridaDEP.gov for more information.

JAN. 1

Yoga in the Park

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

JAN. 1

Ocala Downtown Market

310 SE Third St., Ocala 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, and arts and crafts. Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

JAN. 2

Ocala Polo Club Winter Games

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Highway 475, Ocala 1pm Matches start at 1pm. Chairs are suggested, food and drink are welcome. Tailgating at polo is the perfect venue to enjoy amazing equine athletes with your family and friends! For more information, visit ocalapolo.com.

JAN. 3

Monday Books and Coffee

JAN. 4

Basic Computing: E-books and Mobile Devices

Farmers Market

Reddick Public Library, 15150 NW Gainesville Road, Reddick 1pm Learn about computers, e-books and mobile devices, and what the library has to offer.

Space is limited. For more information, visit library.marionfl.org.

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 8th St., Ocala 9am-1pm Join us for a wonderful selection of fresh seasonal produce from local growers as well as baked goods, plants, handmade soaps, and much more; recurs every Thursday! Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

JAN. 4

JAN. 7

As the Page Turns Book Club

Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala 2:30pm Join the club and turn the page! Make new friends and talk about books! Join in-person or call to join via Zoom. Call the listed library for more information. You are welcome to attend one or all!

For more information, visit library.marionfl.org.

JAN. 4

Fort McCoy Public Library, 14660 NW County Road 315, Fort McCoy 10:30am Make new friends and talk about books! Join in-person or call to join via Zoom. Call the listed library for more information. You are welcome to attend one or all! For more information, visit library.marionfl.org.

The Shores Market

JAN. 4

JAN. 5

LMS Network Breakfast Networking Meeting

Equus Inn, 3434 SW College Road, Ocala 8:30-10:30am Connect with other local business owners and professionals, share ideas, exchange referrals, and help each other’s businesses grow! Complimentary breakfast. RSVP at eventbrite.com.

Silver Springs Shores Community Center, 590 Silver Road, Ocala 5-7pm The indoor farmers market includes farm fresh goods, artisan food products, and arts and crafts vendors; recurs every Tuesday.

Visit fb.com/theshoresmarket for more information.

Wednesday Midday Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala 1-6pm Browse organic produce, microgreens, fresh-baked breads, and more. Food trucks such as Tom’s Taste of Chicago, Jimmy’s Philly Cheesesteaks, and Kona Ice Ocala join the fun; recurs every Wednesday. Visit facebook.com/OcalaDowntownMarket for details.

government

DEC. 31

The Opry Band’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale 8pm The Opry Band’s New Year’s Eve Celebration: enjoy an evening of incredible music as we ring in the new year! Purchase tickets at obopry.com or call (352) 821-1201 for more information.

JAN. 1-2

Gene Watson

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale 7pm Masterful country stylist Gene Watson has accumulated 75 charted titles and 23 Top 10 hits, thrilling audiences for more than 50 years.

Purchase tickets at the box office, obopry.com, or call (352) 821-1201.

THROUGH JAN. 2

Alison Saar: Works from the Permanent Collection

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Curated from the Appleton’s collection, Alison Saar’s prints incorporate spiritual and political themes. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

JAN. 7-9

G500 FL Nitro Explosion: Monster Truck Nitro Tour Bubba Raceway Park, 9050 NW Gainesville Road, Ocala 11am-5pm Monster Truck Nitro Tour brings the largest Monster Nitro monster truck event ever to Ocala. See custom-built monster trucks and four shows over three days.

Pre-registration is required. For details, visit gamber500florida.com.

JAN. 5

Tourism Development Meeting

Board of County Commissioners

arts

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 6pm Enjoy an outdoor movie experience under the stars at Sholom Park with “Tesla,” rated PG-13.

Bring your lawn chairs and pack some snacks.

Advanced registration includes one freshlypopped popcorn from the snack stand; other snacks will be available for an in-kind donation.

Visit sholompark.org for details.

meeting, call (352) 629-8404 two days in advance so arrangements can be made.

City Hall Council Chamber – Second Floor, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 5pm If accommodations are needed for you to participate in this meeting, call (352) 629-8401 two days in advance so arrangements can be made.

For assistance accessing this meeting via Zoom, call (352) 629-8226.

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am The Marion County Board of County Commissioners welcomes all to its regularly scheduled meeting held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. unless otherwise noted. The zoning portion

Sunset Cinema: Tesla

of the meeting is also held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. All commission and zoning meetings are open to the public. Visit marionfl.legistar.com for details.

Ocala City Council Meetings

JAN. 4

JAN. 6

Planning & Zoning Meeting

City Hall Council Chamber – Second Floor, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 5:30pm If accommodations are needed for you to participate in this

Crafternoons

Marion County Public Library Headquarters, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 4:30pm Get in touch with the right side of your brain while creating New Year lucky red envelopes with fellow crafters. For more information, visit library.marionfl.org.

JAN. 7

Cara Van Leuven: Horses With Long Legs

The Brick Gallery, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala 5-6:30pm Brick City Center for the Arts is hosting its monthly Opening Reception Friday, Jan. 7, from 5-6:30 pm. Artist Cara Van Leuven will greet guests as she celebrates her first solo exhibit.

Van Leuven’s lifelong obsession with horses inspires her one-woman art exhibit, “Horses With Long Legs,” on view through Jan. 29.

JAN. 7

First Friday Art Walk

Ocala’s Historic Downtown 6-9pm Art Walk is scheduled on the first Friday of each month, Sept. through May. Stop by for hands-on art activities and demonstrations for all ages provided by local nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, local artists selling their works throughout downtown, participating businesses with extended hours, musicians stationed throughout downtown, and a live musical performance on the Downtown Square. For

Tourist Development Conference Room, 109 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 10am The Tourist Development Council makes recommendations to the county commissioners for the effective use of tourist development tax revenue to enhance, promote, advertise, and develop tourism in Ocala/Marion County. For more information, call (352) 438-2800.

JAN. 14

JAN. 11

JAN. 5

JAN. 13

Municipal Code Enforcement Board Meeting

City Hall Council Chamber – Second Floor, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 5:30pm If accommodations are needed for you to participate in this meeting, call (352) 629-8404 two days in advance so arrangements can be made.

more information, call the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Department at (352) 629-8447, email artinfo@ocalafl.org, or visit ocalafl.org/artwalk.

JAN. 7

Elvis On Tour!

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale 7pm A 50th anniversary recreation of Elvis On Tour!

Purchase tickets at the box office, obopry.com, or call (352) 821-1201.

JAN. 7

An Evening with Judy Collins

Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, 1051 Main St., The Villages 7pm Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins brings her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her poetically poignant compositions to The Sharon. Tickets start at $35. For more information, visit thesharon.com.

THROUGH JAN. 10 Art Remembers

Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12 Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Hospice of Marion County partners with the Appleton Museum of Art to display works highlighting healing modalities of art in bereavement programs; details at hospiceofmarion.com.

THROUGH JAN. 22

Lisa Russo | European Elegance

Ocala Parks and Recreation Administration Bldg., 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala Lisa Russo studied under a traditional oil painter to learn the techniques and methods from the 1600s. Fun fact: She also holds a U.S. patent for a convertible canvas that creates 3D effects. ocalafl.org.

THROUGH APRIL 24 Heart of the Horse

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm The beauty and complexity of horses is revealed through 40 black-and-white photographs by Juliet van Otteren. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

THROUGH APRIL 24

Garden Party: Botanical Paintings

by Susan Martin

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Florida artist Susan Martin’s photorealistic canvasses explore the botanical world by concentrating on small portions of plant life. Her detailed explorations, influenced by the photographs of Russell Lee, can be observed in her sharp, clean examination of the subject, her preference for strong contrast that reveals surface quality and detail, and an emphasis on composition that comes from years of work in black-and-white. Visit appletonmuseum.org for details.

B6

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

&

music nightlife nig ghtlife

DEC. 31

New Year’s Eve Pre-Party Buffet The Club at Candler Hills, 8139 SW 90th Terrace Road, Ocala 4:30pm and 6:30pm Enjoy dinner before the ball drops! Seating will be determined at time of ticket purchase. To purchase tickets, call (352) 861-9720 or visit theclubatcandlerhills.com for more info.

DEC. 31

All That Glitters: A New Year’s Eve Party The Juniper General Store, 6998 US-27— Suite 112, Ocala 8pm Break out the shimmer, glitter, sequins, and rhinestones: ring in the New Year dressed in your bedazzled best!

Whether you’re celebrating this past year or looking forward to a new start, raise a glass and toast at The Juniper General Store this New Year’s Eve. For details, visit facebook.com/thejunipergeneralstore or call (352) 509-4006.

DEC. 31

Rock Bottom @ Silver Moon Tavern Silver Moon Tavern, 3025 US-41, Dunnellon 9pm-1am Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Silver Moon Tavern and the Rock Bottom band!

DEC. 31

New Year’s Eve with Elvis Turnpike Mike’s at SummerGlen Golf Club 9:30pm Ring in 2022 with music by the King, performed by tribute artist Cote Deonath, dinner, and a champagne toast at midnight. Doors open at 6 pm. Visit facebook.com/tpmsummerglen for details.

JAN. 4

Trivia Night @ The Lodge The Lodge, 36 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala 7-10pm Enjoy trivia night and delicious AYCE wings at The Lodge. For more information, visit thelodgeocala.com.

JAN. 5

Cousins Maine Lobster @ The Juniper General Store The Juniper General Store, 6998 US-27—Suite 112, Ocala 4:30-8pm Locally owned and nationally known, Cousins Maine Lobster brings authentic Maine lobster to neighborhoods across the US by way of food truck, as seen on Shark Tank. Visit facebook.com/ thejunipergeneralstore for more info.

JAN. 7

Vince Taylor The Lodge, 36 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala 8pm Bonkerz Comedy Productions presents comedian Vince Taylor, as seen on BET and Funny Not Famous, with David Noboa. For details, visit bonkerzcomedyproductions.com.

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4 Sudoku

Newsday Crossword

Pickle company draws inspiration from love of funk music

By Joel Bronson joel@ocalagazette.com

A

dam Volpe, owner of Adam’s Funky Pickles, is a man of many talents.

In addition to his line of pickles, Volpe is also a certified drone pilot and a musician.

“When COVID hit, I worked to get certification to fly drones in order to do real estate videography and photography,” Volpe said.

Volpe is also the director of operations at the Marion Theater and periodically plays with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra.

“I will be playing in the Symphony’s David Bowie tribute in March,” Volpe added.

A passion for food led Volpe to train as a chef. He was also a part owner of the Ocala restaurant Pi for a time.

Volpe ran a canning program out of his kitchen for around seven years. The popularity for his pickles sprung the idea to create Adam’s Funky Pickles.

Finalizing packaging and labeling, as well as completing the procedure to become a wholesaler to retail stores, took about a year to complete.

The current issues with delays in the supply chain have provided challenges for Volpe to maintain a steady product supply.

“I am currently six weeks between batches due to the lack of containers getting off the cargo ships,” Volpe said. “I have driven two hours to track down cucumbers, as well.”

Even with the delays in production Volpe would eventually

like to expand to the Tampa and Gainesville areas, but would like to cater to smaller, home-grown retail shops.

“I have a particular idea about retail locations that I want to carry our pickles,” Volpe said. “Juniper General Store and Stella’s Modern Pantry are wonderful retail partners.”

The names of Volpe’s pickles draw from his love of funk music.

Product names such as ‘Earth, Bread and Butter’ and “Funk-ADill-Ics’ pay homage to Volpe’s musical background.

“I wanted the pickles to reflect my love of funk music,” Volpe said.

You can find out more about Adam’s Funky Pickles at their Facebook page, https://www. facebook.com/AdamsFunkyPickles

Supplied

Adam Volpe

Supplied

'Spider-Man' surpasses $1B globally in second weekend

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

P

eter Parker's good fortune continued over the holiday weekend as Hollywood prepares to close the books on a turbulent 2021. Even with some mighty competition from new Matrix and Sing movies, and rising concerns over the omicron variant, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" stayed in the No. 1 spot and netted a few more milestones too including crossing the $1 billion mark globally.

According to studio estimates Sunday "Spider-Man" added $81.5 million over the three-day weekend, down 69% from its first weekend.

The Sony and Marvel film has now grossed $467 million from North American theaters, more than doubling the domestic grosses of 2021's previous No. 1 film, “ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

With $587.1 million from 61 overseas markets, in just 12 days of release, “Spider-Man” has grossed $1.05 billion globally. It's the first film of the pandemic to cross $1 billion and is tied with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for being the third-fastest film ever to do so — and this without the benefit of its release in China.

Universal's “Sing 2” came in second place with an estimated $23.8 million, while Warner Bros.'

“The Matrix Resurrections” grossed $12 million to take third place.

The animated musical "Sing 2” features high-profile celebrity talent including Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Bono, as well as a jukebox soundtrack full of well-known hits. Since its release Wednesday, it's made $41 million ($1.6 million of that came from Thanksgiving weekend showings)

from North America and $65 million worldwide.

“We're extraordinarily pleased," said Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution.

Orr said the stellar CinemaScore (A+) and audience scores suggest that the film will continue to perform well in the next few weeks, when many kids are still out of school for the holidays.

The fourth Matrix also opened on Wednesday and has earned an estimated $22.5 million in its first five days in North America. The film, directed by Lana Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, is currently streaming on HBO Max as well.

Globally, it's grossed $69.8 million to date.

While the studio was hoping for a stronger box office, Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' head of domestic distribution, said the movie achieved what they were looking for as an overall strategy including HBO Max. “The Matrix Resurrections" is the last of the 18 Warner Bros. films released in 2021 to debut both in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. Starting in 2022, the studio will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical window on their films.

In fourth place was Disney and 20th Century's "The King's Man," a prequel to the action-comedy Kingsman series starring Ralph Fiennes. It came in slightly under expectations with $6.4 million from the weekend and $10 million from its first five days. The audience skewed heavily male (65%).

The Kurt Warner biopic “American Underdog”opened on Christmas Day and has made an estimated $6.2 million in its two days in release to round out the top five. Zachary Levi stars as Warner, the quarterback who went

from undrafted free agent to Hall of Famer.

Paul Thomas Anderson's “Licorice Pizza” expanded nationwide on Christmas, after playing in limited release for a month, and added $2.3 million bringing its total to $3.7 million.

And right behind it was the Denzel Washington-directed drama “A Journal For Jordan,” which to $2.2 million.

With just a few days left in 2021, the North American box office is currently sitting at $4.3 billion and is likely to net out around $4.4 billion. Pre-pandemic, it was normal for a year's box office to surpass $11 billion.

"To say was a roller-coaster year is an understatement," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, Inc. "The marketplace is still facing challenges from the pandemic, but what an amazing capper to one of the most incredible years ever at the box office."

He added: "The future of the movie theater a year ago was a big question mark, and a year later it's here to stay."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” $81.5 million.

2. “Sing 2," $23.8 million.

3. “The Matrix Resurrections,” $12 million.

4. “The King's Man,” $6.4 million.

5. "American Underdog," $6.2 million.

6. “West Side Story," $2.8 million.

7. “Licorice Pizza," $2.3 million.

8. “A Journal For Jordan,” $2.2 million.

9. “Encanto," $2 million.

10. “83," $1.8 million.

B7

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

SPONSORED CONTENT

Waste Warriors

Nikki Acosta, Chris Loughrey, Tammy Venezia, Deitrich Miller, Sebastian Lombardo and Ben Moose.

Make it a new year’s resolution to help Ocala Water Resources battle dastardly forces daily to keep our water safe and pure.

By The City of Ocala

T

he water that so many Ocalans take for granted day in and day out doesn’t happen by magic. It just seems that way thanks to Mother Nature and some hardworking, highly skilled fellow citizens.

Behind that “magic” is one of the world’s most abundant sources of fresh water—the Upper Floridan Aquifer—as well as the city’s award-winning water services, which ensures a constant supply of pure, clean drinking water to more than 50,000 residences and businesses 24 hours a day seven days a week every day of the year.

But making sure that water flows uninterrupted into Ocala’s homes and businesses is only part of the story. It is important to make sure that the water we spray, wash and flush away gets captured, treated and returned to nature as clean and as environmentally safe as possible.

Ocala Water Resources does all that—the pumping, treatment, storage and transfer of drinking water and the collection, treatment and disposal of sanitary sewage—with incredible efficiency.

The tale of how that happens, like any great Halloween story, pits some pretty nasty villains and monsters against some true superheroes.

The treat: The water you drink and use

The water that comes out of your faucets for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning and keeping your plants hydrated starts deep underground in the Floridan Aquifer—100,000 square miles of water-saturated porous rock that runs deep in the earth from southern Alabama and Georgia and all the way through Florida. The Floridan Aquifer also supplies major cities like Savannah, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando and St. Petersburg, as well as hundreds of smaller communities and rural areas throughout the region.

In Ocala, five powerful wells continuously pump water from the aquifer at a rate that can yield 12 million or more gallons each day. But before all that can be distributed to Ocala communities as awardwinning, high-quality drinking water, highly trained, licensed operators monitor its treatment 24 hours a day and test it at least every two hours to ensure that it meets or beats all drinking water standards.

The tricky part: The water you want to go away

If you think of the high-quality water we use in our daily lives as a treat, the tricky part comes after we’ve used it and emptied it down our sinks or flushed it down our toilets. For most people, from then on, it’s a matter of out of sight, out of mind.

But for the Water Resources team members, that certainly isn’t the case. They work day and night to make sure every drop of water that leaves Ocala’s homes and businesses—with all kinds of other stuff swirling around in it—moves swiftly underground to one of two water reclamation facilities. Once there, it’s treated, sanitized and put to other uses in environmentally safe and sound ways.

That journey to reclamation isn’t always easy or pretty, according to Rachel Slocumb, Conservation Coordinator. “Gravity is the most efficient way to move wastewater,” she explains, “but Ocala is on a fairly level plane, so our pipes are installed at a slight downward angle. But you can only go down so far before you have to go back up again.”

That’s when the Water Resources gives gravity a helping hand by regularly raising the water from a lower elevation to higher one at the 135 lift stations located throughout the city.

Heavy lifting

It’s at the lift stations that things can, and often do, can get a little scary, hairy and worse. There, the wastewater goes through bar filters that separate out anything solid that would obstruct the flow of water

upward through the pipes—generally things people shouldn’t have flushed down their toilets in the first place.

Shane Bailey, System Maintenance Supervisor, who oversees the lift station crews, says, “I don't even know how some of the things we find ever make it down people's toilets.”

Workers have found socks, shoes, shirts, towels, beer bottles, hypodermic needles, money, jewelry and the list goes on.

“We’ve even found bicycle parts and once I pulled out 100 feet of rope,” Bailey adds.

Other flushed items that can cause major clogs or even completely shut down a lift station include disposable diapers, hygiene products, paper towels and even facial tissues. During the pandemic, the crews have also seen an uptick in so-called disposable wipes for sanitizing hands and surfaces. “They may say flushable on the label,” Slocumb adds, “but they’re not.”

One of the more memorable finds happened when maintenance workers discovered a series of plastic McDonald's Happy Meal figures trapped in a filter.

The workers collected, sanitized and then displayed the toys along a ledge in their office, sort of like trophies for the team.

Cute as the toys might be, there’s nothing amusing about a blocked or malfunctioning lift station. Bailey and his crew have to do the hard labor required to clean up the mess or repair damage caused by others’ carelessness or lack of good information “Our job is to keep all of our pipe systems, lift stations, fire hydrants and treatment plants operating at maximum efficiency and to comply with all the regulations,” Bailey says. “The citizens of Ocala may not know who we are or what we do, but they would notice if we didn’t do it.”

Scary stuff. FOG alert. Fatberg ahead

FOG—fats, oils and grease—can cause major mayhem not just in water reclamation but also in people’s private homes and business. When these substances go down the drain, they collect along the walls of pipes and eventually restrict or completely choke the flow, which results in a backup that at best just causes a stinky mess, at worst costly repairs.

Pretty much the same thing happens when FOG stockpiles in the water collection system and lift stations, causing odors, overflows and extra work for the maintenance crews.

When FOG encounters those troublesome unflushable items, they can create a fatberg, a congealed mass that aggressively clogs everything from household pipes to lift stations to water reclamation facilities. Water Resource crews are called on multiple times each week to pump out or manually unclog Ocala’s multiple lift stations.

So what can you do to prevent FOG from putting a pinch on your pocketbook and a damper on your party? For starters, remember that FOG isn’t limited to bacon grease or the oil from a fried chicken dinner. It can also include high-fat culprits such as butter, cheese, peanut butter, sour cream, gravy, mayonnaise, salad dressings or the liquids from the bottom of your crockpot.

None of those should go into the kitchen sink. It’s also a good idea to wipe off plates and utensils with a paper towel before washing, collect your FOG in disposable containers and think twice about what you put down your garbage disposal. Slocumb calls the disposal units a “gateway to bad decisions” about what goes down.

Helping local businesses do their part

Although residential wastewater presents the bulk of Water Resources’ challenges, Compliance Monitoring team members also make sure local businesses meet federal and state water standards.

Bill Crigar, Compliance Monitoring Supervisor and

a department veteran, says, “We monitor compliance to make sure businesses are doing what they're supposed to, but a lot of what we do is to educate them about the requirements.” He says the vast majority of Ocala’s industrial and manufacturing operations take protecting the City’s water seriously.

FOG and fatbergs are a particular issue in local restaurants according to the compliance department’s Leslie Cook, Compliance Monitoring Technician III. “Basically we monitor grease trap maintenance, making sure the grease interceptors are well maintained and functioning properly to prevent fats, oils and grease getting into wastewater and clogging up the system.”

It can be devastating when they do. Crigar recalls an incident when a local restaurant’s grease trap backed up, spilling out into the parking lot on Mother’s Day and creating a gooey, slippery mess for patrons.

Reclaiming wastewater

So where does all that wastewater finally come to rest? In reality, it doesn’t. Eventually, it becomes part of a continuous cycle focused on protecting the environment and ensuring a plentiful supply of fresh water for generations to come.

Once all the wastewater from Ocala’s homes and businesses is collected and transported to one of the two water reclamation facilities, it goes through some interesting biological and chemical processes to make it safe to reuse for other purposes.

Bill Davis, Lead Operator, at one of the reclamation sites, says, “We pay particular attention to the levels of nitrates and phosphates in wastewater to keep our levels below the acceptable standard set by Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.”

To remove those substances, which can threaten the local environment, including Silver Springs, Davis and his colleague Jeff Greve, Lead Operator, employ a vast army of helpful microbes to break down the organic material, remove the nitrates and help prepare the remaining water for reuse.

“We’re like zoologists,” says Greve, “creating and maintaining an environment where the microbes can thrive and do their job.”

At the end of the treatment process, the water is filtered to remove any residual solids, which can be used as fertilizer. The resulting water is eventually restored to the same level of purity as drinking water, making it ideal for irrigating farms, city parks, golf courses, residential and commercial properties, as well as the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park.

A great place to start a career

“I didn't graduate from high school thinking, ‘Hey I want to be a wastewater facility operator,’” Greve shares. “But my mother, who worked in the Water Resources payroll department, asked if I’d be interested. I went on a couple of tours and could see myself working here. I took a short correspondence course, worked a set number of hours in a facility, took a 100-question exam and was on my way. I’ve advanced continually from there and now I’m licensed as Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Class A.” Greve says one of the best things about working at Water Resources is there is something for almost anyone, whatever your interests, whether that be computers, biology, chemistry or working with your hands on machines and equipment.

“You can start your career here just out of high school, get some training and experience, earn a license and get set for a great career that can take you virtually anywhere in the state and beyond,” Slocumb offers.

If you’re interested in learning more about Water Resources, taking a tour, or applying for an internship or job, call (352) 351-6772 or visit www.ocalafl.org and click on the Water Resources link under the Government tab.

B8

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Pope's 3 key words for a marriage: 'Please, thanks, sorry'

JOHN RAOUX/AP Photo

Visitors arrive at Universal Studios, on June 3, 2020, in Orlando. The theme park is reinstating its mask requirements beginning Christmas Eve as COVID-19 cases are surging as a result of the omicron variant.

GREGORIO BORGIA/AP Photo

Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for 'to the city and to the world' ) Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021.

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

love, trust and strength.

“The breakdown of a marriage causes immense suffering, since many hopes are dashed, and misunderstandings can lead to arguments and hurts not easily healed," he said. "Children end up having to suffer the pain of seeing their parents no longer together.”

He urged parents to keep seeking help to try to overcome conflicts, including through prayer. "Remember also that forgiveness heals every wound," he said.

He repeated a refrain he has often used when meeting with families and married couples, listing the three most important words in a marriage: "Please, thanks and sorry."

Picking up the theme in his remarks to tourists and passers-by in St. Peter‘s Square, Francis said a failure to make peace before going to bed at night can lead to a “cold war” the next morning.

“How many times, unfortunately, conflicts originate within the domestic walls due to prolonged periods of silence and from unchecked selfishness!" he said. "Sometimes it even ends up in physical and moral violence. This lacerates harmony and kills the family.”

He urged families to put down their cellphones at the dinner table and talk.

“It's sad to see a family at lunch, each one with his or her own cell phone not speaking to one another, everyone talking to the mobile phone," he said.

Then when an argument breaks out, each one repeats their refrains “staging a comedy they've already seen where everyone wants to be right and in the end a cold silence falls. That sharp, cold silence, after a family discussion, is ugly, so very ugly!” he said.

He urged parents to think not of themselves but others, and to pray “for the gift of peace.”

P

ope Francis sought Sunday to encourage married couples, acknowledging that the pandemic has aggravated some family problems but urging couples to seek help and always remember three key words in a marriage: “Please, thanks and sorry.”

Francis penned a letter to married couples that was released Sunday, a Catholic feast day commemorating Jesus' family. It came halfway through a yearlong celebration of the family announced by Francis that is due to conclude in June with a big family rally in Rome.

Speaking at his studio window Sunday, Francis said he intended the letter to be his “Christmas present to married couples.” He urged them to keep having children to fight the "demographic winter" which, in Italy, has led to one of the lowest birthrates in the world.

“Maybe we aren't born into an exceptional, problem-free family, but our family is our story — everyone has to think: It's my story," he said. “They are our roots: If we cut them, life dries up!”

In the letter, Francis said lockdowns and quarantines had forced families to spend more time together. But he noted that such enforced togetherness at times tested the patience of parents and siblings alike and in some cases led to real difficulties.

“Pre-existing problems were aggravated, creating conflicts that in some cases became almost unbearable.

Many even experienced the breakup of a relationship,” Francis wrote.

He offered his closeness to those families and reminded parents that the breakup of a marriage is particularly hard on children, who look to their parents as a constant source of stability,

Universal Orlando reinstates mask rule as COVID cases rise

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press

U

niversal Orlando is reinstating its mask requirements beginning Christmas Eve as COVID-19 cases are surging as a result of the omicron variant.

Daily cases of coronavirus have quadrupled in the past week in the state of Florida, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitalizations have increased by 12%, the CDC says.

But one of the largest hospital networks in Miami, Jackson Health, has reported twice as many COVID-19 patients on Thursday than it had a week ago.

Universal Orlando says masks will be required at all public indoor locations and at all attractions from the moment guests enter the lines to when they leave. A lot of lines for rides and shows in the resort theme parks start in outdoor areas.

The resort has seen a busy holiday season with popular rides this week reporting waits of up to three hours.

The requirements will be for guests and employees regardless of vaccination status and will cover restaurants, shops, and indoor hotel public areas.

Walt Disney World earlier this year relaxed its face covering rules to require them only indoors, and has not announced any decision to revise their policy.

Follow AP's coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/ coronavirus-pandemic.

After almost 2 years, water park reopens at Disney World Associated Press

T

he big waves are returning to Walt Disney World.

The theme park resort said Tuesday that it will reopen its Typhoon Lagoon water park after an almost two-year hiatus.

The water park closed in March 2020 as the coronavirus started spreading throughout the U.S. While Disney World's other theme parks reopened in summer 2020 with virus safety protocols in place, the water park stayed closed.

Visitors to Typhoon Lagoon will be able to swim in its massive wave pool, slide down its water coaster and meander down its lazy river starting on Sunday.

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports Florida’s Stricklin gets extension, nearly doubles salary

By Mark Long The Associated Press Sports Writer

F

lorida athletic director Scott Stricklin received a three-year contract extension that nearly doubled his salary and made him one of the highest-paid administrators in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.

Stricklin agreed to the new deal in April and signed it in July, according to a public records request the school returned on Monday.

Stricklin is now under contract through October 2027. His total compensation jumped from $1.151 million to $1.725 million annually. His base salary increased from $545,900 to $1 million. He also received a $120,000 annual bump for media obligations.

Stricklin‘s compensation package also includes a $250,000 retention bonus paid annually, a $110,000 longevity incentive paid annually and an annual expense

account totaling $95,000. He gets another $62,000 every year in fringe benefits.

The contract puts Stricklin near the top of the AD pay scale in the SEC. Tennessee‘s Danny White heads the list at $1.8 million annually.

Stricklin has been Florida‘s AD since November 2016 and spearheaded sweeping changes. Most notably, he lured longtime SEC play caller Dan Mullen from Mississippi State to rejuvenate a stale football program and then moved quickly to replace Mullen when it clearly plateaued. Stricklin hired Billy Napier last month in hopes of taking the Gators to new heights.

Florida also has spent nearly $280 million over the last six years on capital improvements affecting academics, football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, many of which Stricklin played a key role in getting from concept to completion.

The coronavirus pandemic delayed

progress on Florida‘s $85 million football facility, which is now scheduled to be completed next spring.

Florida‘s athletic department had a $54.5 million shortfall during the 202021 fiscal year because of the pandemic, significant financial losses the Gators were able to weather with a supplement from the SEC and a sizeable reserve.

Stricklin avoided layoffs, furloughs and salary cutbacks. The Gators did stop pension payments for a year and eliminated bonuses for everyone on their payroll, including coaches.

Stricklin‘s tenure hasn‘t been totally smooth. He gave Mullen a contract extension in June following a tumultuous season that included several public missteps and an NCAA recruiting violation that landed the Gators on probation for the first time in 30 years.

He also gave women‘s basketball coach Cam Newbauer a contract extension in March despite years of complaints and at

BRAD MCCLENNY/The Gainesville Sun via AP

New Florida head football coach Billy Napier, right, and athletic director Scott Stricklin pose for a photo as Napier is introduced during a news conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Sunday, Dec. 5.

least some level of concern about a toxic culture that included verbal abuse toward players, assistants and staff members.

North Marion coasts

by Wildwood 64-36

By Joel Bronson joel@ocalagazette.com

T

he first day of play at the Kingdom of the Sun, hosted by Vanguard High School, got off to a hot start for one of Marion County’s top boys’ basketball teams.

North Marion cruised past Wildwood 6436 in the team’s first round game on Monday evening.

After a nip and tuck first quarter, North Marion went on a 11-3 run to extend the lead to 29-22 at halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Colts took command of the game with am 18-3 run that essentially ended the contest.

North Marion head coach Tim Yarn was pleased with the effort from his squad, especially with some key injuries hampering some players.

“This was a great team win,” Yarn said. “In the third quarter we settled in and played better.”

“A great atmosphere for the Kingdom of the Sun,” he added.

Sophomore forward Sammie Yeanay put up huge numbers on the night for North Marion, scoring a game high 21 points and grabbing a whopping 17 rebounds in the win. Yeanay also dished five assists and blocked five shots for North Marion.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

North Marion's coach, Tim Yarn, works with his players on the bench as they play Wildwood during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27.

Yarn complimented Yeanay for getting his teammates involved.

“Sammie really did a great job of scoring and setting guys up,” Yarn said.

Senior forward Jeriahmiah Mack added 10 points for North Marion in the victory.

Wildwood junior guard Titus Williams scored 12 points, and junior D’Marion Cooper added five points in the loss.

With the loss, Wildwood will move into the consolation bracket and play the Vanguard/ West Port loser Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m.

North Marion moves on to the winners’ bracket and will play the Vanguard/West Port winner on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

North Marion's Sammie Yeamay (23) looks for a shot on the basket as he is defended by Wildwood's Jamari Dickens (25) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

North Marion's Caleb Rollerson (0) drives to the hoop past Wildwood's Jah Munn (24) and Hoyn Corbin (1) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Dec. 27.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

North Marion's Elija Walton (2) looks for a shot on the basket as he is defended by Wildwood's Jah Munn (24) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

North Marion's D'marion Cooper (1) drives to the hoop as he is defended by Wildwood's Shane Solomon (23) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala, on Monday, Dec. 27.

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

VANGUARD HANDLES WEST PORT, 63-41

By Joel Bronson joel@ocalagazette.com

V

anguard came out strong in its opening game of the Kingdom of the Sun tournament against West Port on Monday night with a convincing 63-41 win.

Sophomore D’Mareon Manning

scored 10 points and dished four assists while senior Demetrius Watts contributed 10 points of his own for the Knights in the victory.

West Port junior Lillious Floyd scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds while senior Curtez Casey scored seven points and tallied 11 rebounds in the loss.

With the victory, Vanguard

moves into the winners’ bracket and will play North Marion on Tuesday night, while the loss sends West Port to the consolation bracket to take on Wildwood on Tuesday morning.

The Kingdom of the Sun continues through Thursday night, where the champion will be crowned after the title game at 7:00 p.m.

PHOTOS BY BRUCE ACKERMAN Ocala Gazette Vanguard's Cam Powell (0) looks for a shot on the basket as he is defended by West Port's Tae Floyd (0) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.

West Port's Juan Santana (2) drives to the basket as he is defended by Vanguard's Austin Cornell (3) and D'Mareon Manning (1) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27.

West Port's Jovan Brooks (4) battles for a loose ball with Vanguard's Lionel Manning (4) and Rickey Harrell (25) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Monday, Dec. 27.

Vanguard's Lionel Manning (4) drives to the hoop as he is defended by West Port's Cartez Casey (3) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.

Forest boys’ basketball spends break in Panama City Beach

By Joel Bronson joel@ocalagazette.com

T

he Forest boys’ basketball team is spending quality time together this week, on and off the court.

Head coach Mike Hoffmann was looking for a way to team-build as well as expose his players to different talent and styles of play, so he began researching holiday tournaments close enough for him and his players to travel to.

Hoffmann settled on the Mosley High School Holiday Hoopfest in Panama City Beach, Florida.

“I wanted to get the kids out of town for a few days to team build and experience different competition than what they see in Marion County,” Hoffmann said. “We spend the week together playing basketball and going on team outings.”

One such outing was a day at Dave and Busters, where the players were able to find fellowship together outside of a basketball gym. The team played games, ate together and spent time forging relationships.

Forest won their first game of the tournament beating Ezell Harding from Tennessee, 69-43.

Senior Calvin Davison scored 15 points while Brandon Baxley chipped in 14. Zay McCoy had 10 assists in the win.

Their second game was a close loss to Rutherford Panama 47-45.

Hoffmann is excited to see his team grow together and learn how to overcome adversity.

“We are still learning to finish close games,” he said. “In all of our losses we have had a chance to win near the end of the game. Our losses are by an average of 4.8 points,” adding, “We will continue to improve, and this valuable experience will help us close the gap.”

Forest will play their final game of the tournament against North Bay Haven tonight before making the trip home.

Hoffmann says the holiday getaway tradition will continue going forward.

“I want to provide an awesome experience for our kids as a reward for all the hard work they do all year,” Hoffmann said. “Spending a week together is important for our program and culture.”

Forest will continue their regular season schedule at home against Gainesville High School on Jan. 5th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Submitted by MIKE HOFFMANN

Submitted by MIKE HOFFMANN

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DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

West Port survives close contest with Wildwood, 70-68

By Joel Bronson joel@ocalagazette.com

game at 28 going into the half.

Freshman guard Adyn Corbin fueled the Wildcats in the third quarter, hitting two clutch threepointers, while junior forward Zechariah Poyser nailed a threepointer from 40 feet at the buzzer to give Wildwood a 51-47 lead going into the fourth.

Poyser scored 17 points and grab six rebounds for the Wildcats.

West Port would come out strong to begin the fourth, led by the ball handling of senior guard Juan Santana, who contributed 14 points and a team high 6 assists.

Junior forward Lillious Floyd

C

oming off a tough loss to Vanguard in the opening round of the Kingdom of the Sun holiday tournament, the West Port Wolf Pack outlasted the Wildwood Wildcats 70-68 on Tuesday morning.

Both teams came out sluggish after playing the night before, hence the low scoring 13-8 first quarter in favor of West Port.

Wildwood came out hot in the second quarter with tenacious defense and clutch baskets to tie the

scored a team high 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the win.

West Port head coach Bernard Smith was excited to get the win against a scrappy Wildwood squad.

“I am proud of our guys for coming back against a tough Wildwood team,” Smith said. “After a tough loss to Vanguard it was good to fight back and get a win.”

Wildwood will exit the tournament with its second loss of the event.

West Port will move on to play in the next round of the consolation bracket on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

West Port's Lenard Hill (11) looks for a shot on the hoop as he is defended by Wildwood's Jah Munn (24) and Terriyon Bryant (21) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

West Port's Tae Floyd (0) looks for a way to the basket as he is defended by Wildwood's Malcolm Nieves (10) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

“I am proud of our guys for coming back against a tough Wildwood team.

After a tough loss to Vanguard it was good to fight back and get a win.”

Bernard Smith West Port head coach

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

West Port's Juan Santana (2) looks for a way to the hoop as he is double-teamed by Wildwood's Sharef Jackson (14) and Terriyon Bryant (21) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

West Port's Curtez Casey (3) goes up for 2 as he is surrounded by Wildwood defenders during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

UY TO YS E B

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SATURDAY

JAN 8th 2022 MEET & GREET 11am - 2pm 6136 SW HWY 200 OCALA, FL 34476

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West Port's Curtez Casey (3) drives past Wildwood's Adyn Corbin (1) and Zechariah Poyser (4) during a game in the Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard High School in Ocala on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

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BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

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C4

DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

SCORE BOARD SELECTED MARION COUNTY

HIGH SCHOOL

SPORTS

RESULTS DEC. 20 - DEC. 25 Results were gathered from FHSAA.com and compiled by Joel Bronson

CYNDI CHAMBERS/Correspondent

North Marion’s Brook McConell (3) is guarded by Buchholz’ HannahMack.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

City of Life Christian Academy‘s Angel Chamblin (5) drives to the hoop as he is defended by Forest‘s Zay McCoy (0) during a game on Dec. 10.

BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES

Forest Gainesville

Dec. 20

Leesburg North Marion

58 25

Trinity Catholic Columbia

66 50

Jones North Marion

43 34

Trinity Catholic Bronson

74 54

Dec. 21

55 51

Dec. 22

Dec. 23 Trinity Catholic Providence School

Melbourne North Marion

61 41

Wildwood Vanguard

70 54

Trenton West Port

44 41

Dec. 21

Apopka Trinity Catholic

57 53

West Port Vanguard

47 44

GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES 41 28

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Belleview‘s Zakiya Scruggs (30) shoots over McKeel Academy defenders during a game on Dec. 17.

BRUCE ACKERMAN/Ocala Gazette

Gainesville‘s Jocelyn Wallace (21) drives to the basket as she is defended by West Port‘s Mileyka Mercado (0) during a game on Dec. 14.

CYNDI CHAMBERS/Correspondent

North Marion’s Savannah Stetler (23) tries to find a way inside against the Buchholz Bobcats on December 13 at North Marion High School in Citra.

CYNDI CHAMBERS/Correspondent

North Marion’s E’niah Tensley (1) sinks her free throw against the Buchholz Bobcats.