It’s official
Brewer appointed superintendent of MCPS
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
During their regular meeting on Feb. 24, members of the Marion County School Board unanimously voted 5-0 to appoint Danielle Brewer as the district’s superintendent. The decision formally drops the “interim” title Brewer has held since she abruptly stepped into the leadership role last April.
As the newly appointed head of Marion County Public Schools, the largest employer in Marion County, Brewer officially begins her contracted tenure on Feb. 25, 2026.
The board approved an amended employment contract that secures her position through June 30, 2028. According to school board attorney Jeremy Powers, this specific end date was requested by Brewer to align her contract with the district’s fiscal year and school calendar, ensuring that future contract discussions avoid the busy state assessment window. Initially, her interim contract was set to run until late April, but the board agreed to the immediate Feb. 25 start date following contract negotiations.
Following the vote, Brewer expressed her gratitude, stating, “I truly appreciate the school board’s confidence in my leadership and look forward to continuing our work.”
See MCPS page A3
Newt Perry honored on Walk of Fame in Ocala
The renowned swimmer also was known for his work with motion pictures and for creating the Weeki Wachee attraction.
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
After a frigid morning warmed up nicely under blue skies and a bright sun, the dedication for Newton A. “Newt” Perry’s bronze plaque on the Walk of Fame in front of the historic Marion Theatre went off swimmingly.
And front and center for the ceremony, slide show, film screening and plaque, or “star” unveiling, was Delee Perry, Newt’s daughter, and other family members, including her daughter Tasha Perry Singleton and granddaughter Gracee Singleton, who traveled to Ocala from Kentucky for the occasion.
The event was organized under the auspices of the nonprofit Ocala Main Street organization.
Executive Director Jessica Fieldhouse and volunteer Adam Sines played a key role in helping organize the drive to fund the bronze plaque and to put the ceremony together.
Many local luminaries were in attendance, including renowned cinematographer Mark Emery, who has been honored with a plaque on the Walk of Fame, and a few of his fellow
members of the Silver Springs Professional Dive Team, which is led by Joe Wallace.
Several members of the Marion County Historical Commission were on hand, including educator and journalist Cynthia Wilson Graham, local historian Judy Hill Delk and Courtland Richards, who also is a board member of Ocala Main Street.
Newt was a graduate of Ocala High School, as was his daughter as well as Richards, who recalled taking scuba diving lessons from Newt in the early 1960s. Richards, who has a lengthy career as a professional videographer and photographer, has been doing a living history video project and has done extensive interviews with Delee.
“I started the living history video project in 2024 and the first person I contacted was Delee Perry because I knew her from high school and I knew both of her parents. She mentioned to me, ‘Did you know my Dad won an Academy Award? In fact, two Academy Awards,’” Richards noted.
“He worked with some Hollywood producers, and they named him technical director for two of their short films. They
were Grantland Rice pictures. When they needed underwater stuff, they would come to Newt. When she told me about the awards, I immediately started trying to figure out how to get him a plaque on the Walk of Fame. I ran into a dead end and then Adam Sines was able to get in touch with Delee and move forward with it,” Richards explained.
Delee was the driving force behind raising the more than $4,000 to purchase the plaque, according to Sines.
Newt is renowned for his swimming and other aquatic activities, working on motion pictures and for creating the Weeki Wachee mermaid attraction, which remains one of Florida’s most beloved tourist destinations. He was born in 1908 in southern Georgia. After his family moved to the Tampa area, lifeguards taught him to be an even better swimmer than he already was. When he and his family moved to Ocala in 1922, he was enthralled with Silver Springs and would walk six miles nearly every day to swim there.
See Newt Perry, page A8
Ocala prepares for population growth with Vision 2050 plan
The community-driven blueprint aims to shape growth, connectivity and vibrant neighborhoods through mid-century.
By Jamie Berube jamie@ocalagazette.com
The Ocala City Council reviewed the draft Vision 2050 document during a recent session, outlining strategies to guide the city’s growth, development and quality of life over the next quarter century as its population increases.
Ocala’s Planning Director
Aubrey Hale led the Feb. 10 presentation, highlighting the scale of expected change.
“One of the things that you can also look at is our population. For our population projections for 2050, it indicates that our population will grow by nearly 31% by the year 2050. That’s based on our current 2024 population estimates, which means our city residents within our city limits would be almost
about 92,000,” she said.
The draft plan serves as an update and refinement to the community-driven Ocala 2035 Vision, which was launched in April 2010 amid the economic downturn and produced the statement: “Ocala is a great place to live, play and prosper.”
The council took no formal action at the work session. The draft Vision 2050 document and related materials are available on
the city’s website. Residents can review the full plan and provide feedback as the city moves toward formal adoption.
Hale emphasized the strong foundation from the earlier effort.
“Another key element of the 2035 was its communitydriven process. A lot of outreach happened, and there was even one that happened on the square.
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Danielle Brewer has been named superintendent of Marion County Public Schools.
[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
Ocala Planning Dynamic QR code. [Courtesy city of Ocala]
Delee Perry, right, helps unveil the Walk of Fame plaque for her father, Newt Perry, as Jessica Fieldhouse, left, and Adam Sines, second from left, of Ocala Main Street, look on with other people during a ceremony in front of the Marion Theatre in Ocala on Feb. 24, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
Population growth
We got a lot of information from the public during that process, and this became our basis on how we approached 2050 as well... we reached, ultimately, over 1,000 people during this process,” Hale said.
Vision 2050 was shaped through four community-wide summits, 23 staff-led outreach sessions with strategic groups and city departments, online surveys and focus groups, reaching more than 1,000 residents. Primary consultant Kimley-Horn led the project, with support from Urban3, which provided land-value economics and evidence-based community design analysis.
According to the Vision 2050 draft document, Urban3’s findings showed that about 11% of properties within city limits are vacant or undeveloped. The analysis also demonstrated that mixed-use developments generate significantly higher tax revenue per acre than traditional commercial properties (up to $9.4 million per acre in some downtown examples compared to roughly $400,000 for a typical large-format retail site). Taxable properties make up 77% citywide, though the downtown Community Redevelopment Area has a higher share of exempt properties at 53%.
The plan organizes priorities around four building blocks: Land Use and Housing, Mobility and Connectivity, Public and Open Spaces, and Gateways. These inform citywide initiatives such
as updating the Unified Land Development Code (last major revision in the mid-1980s), incentivizing infill redevelopment, expanding transit and complete streets with pedestrian safety features, updating the Recreation and Parks Master Plan (including identifying regional sportsplex locations) and creating a citywide gateway plan with wayfinding and design guidelines.
Four focus areas receive targeted strategies:
• East Ocala: Strengthening State Road 40 as a key corridor connecting downtown to natural and cultural assets (Silver Springs, Ocala National Forest, Appleton Museum of Art), promoting mixed-use nodes, accessory dwelling units and a potential Northeast Regional Park.
High-Intensity Central Core: Recalibrating Vision 2035 successes with new catalytic sites, expanded connections to the hospital district and efforts to reduce SR 40 as a barrier through collaboration with the Florida Department of Transportation.
• West Ocala: Centered on Dr. Martin Luther King Ave. and including sites such as the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place; priorities include expanding the Heritage Trail, addressing grocery access as a high-priority need within five years and leveraging West Ocala
CRA tools.
• Airport: Industrial-focused with emphasis on activating the Airport Industrial Park, enhancing connectivity to SR 40 and extending fixed-route SunTran service to support tourism and economic activity.
During the work session, Hale presented a QR code through a PowerPoint presentation that aims to make the Vision 2050 draft document easily accessible and updatable.
“This is a dynamic QR code, so it’ll always be up to date. If somebody prints this off and they want to hand it off to somebody else, they can always take a snap... and it will take you to a website that has all the information pertaining to the vision,” Hale said.
Key action items discussed include collecting council feedback for quick adoption of the Vision 2050 document, beginning amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, launching the Unified Land Development Code update project, revising the Tuscawilla Park master plan and other aging study-area plans and providing detailed data on existing green and open space (public parks, conservation areas and designated recreation areas) to address public concerns about development and vacant land.
To learn more, go to ocalafl.gov/ government/city-departments-a-h/ growth-management/planning/ vision-2050
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Downtown Ocala. [Alan Youngblood/Ocala Gazette file photo]
Black history in Marion County Ocala native recalls father and son pioneers in the
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
Aformer Ocala resident and 1960s Civil Rights activist recalled during a recent phone conversation that a pastor, the Rev. Dr. Oliver Van Pinkston, was an unsung hero in Ocala’s fledgling equal rights movement and that his son, the Rev. Frank Pinkston, became a noted local leader.
Dorsey Miller, 83, an Ocala native now living in Fort Lauderdale, said O. Van, at the time the pastor of New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church at 606 SW Broadway St., welcomed him and other area youth who were interested in planning demonstrations in the summer of 1963. The church’s website states that Pinkston served as pastor from 1949 until 1999.
Miller said he helped organize a lunch counter sit-in demonstration at a Pine Avenue drug store for Black patrons in July of 1963 and that Frank became a leader of the local anti-segregation initiative seeking equal treatment for all people in public places.
Frank led mass meetings that attracted scores of youth and extra loudspeakers were used for overflow crowds, according to Miller.
Miller said that while he considers Frank to be “Ocala’s own Martin Luther King Jr.” he feels that O. Van is often not properly credited for his role.
“Rev. O. V. Pinkston is the real unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement in Marion County,” Miller said in a Feb. 22 phone interview.
“During the 1960’s, Covenant was a ‘beacon of light’ and headquarters in the fight against racism and injustice shown against our people. These efforts produced many leaders who blazed the way and the people responded in mass numbers,” according to the church’s website. “Covenant became active in all related organizations: District, state and national congresses and conventions and we still continue as active participants.”
Miller graduated from then segregated Howard High School in 1961 and left the area to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta. He returned to Ocala on a school break during the summer of 1963. He said the Ocala sit-ins came about after he met with Charles Washington, a youth leader from Haines City, who was going to Hampton Junior College in Ocala. He said they sought a base of support for local youth and students.
Miller said the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was
active in Dunnellon and it was unclear why the Civil Rights Movement was not active in Ocala.
“We went to the (Marion County) NAACP,” Miller said. He said the president explained that the group “only had seven members” and there appeared to be no prospect of starting a youth group.
Miller said when he and Washington left the NAACP president’s office they were on Broadway Street across from New Covenant MBC and thought they’d ask the pastor, Rev. O. Van Pinkston, if they could use church rooms for their meetings.
“He didn’t hesitate,” Miller said.
An initial mass meeting drew about 200 youth, Miller indicated.
“We needed an adult leader to get the NAACP fired up and lead the fight, someone respected and with the power to lead,” Miller said.
He called Frank Pinkston, who was 27 years old in 1963, “dynamic” and “charismatic.”
Miller estimated that it was around June of 1963 when Frank became president of the Marion County NAACP. He said a youth council was formed and Washington was elected president. Miller was vice president and David Rackard was named secretary.
Miller, Washington and Rackard arranged three lunch counter sit ins to be held on a Saturday in late June of 1963 at Liggett’s Drugs in the Pine Avenue Shopping Center, McCrory’s at Magnolia Avenue and Broadway Street and the Marion Hotel.
McCrory’s and the Marion Hotel closed to avoid a confrontation, but at Liggett’s Drugs, where Miller led about 25 students
local Civil Rights Movement.
to be served at the lunch counter, he said the manager asked him aside to speak privately with the president of Liggett’s Drugs via phone.
“The president of Liggett’s said if we left peacefully he would see to it that the counters were desegregated by Monday. We left and they were desegregated,” Miller said.
A Sept. 4, 2024, “Gazette” article described the opening of the Heritage Trail Park in West Ocala, which features plaques honoring figures from the African American community, including Frank Pinkston.
The plaque hails him as the “Black Liberator of Marion County,” who, along with Sonny and Charles Washington, “started the local Civil Rights Movement” with “secret meetings” to gather NAACP members.” The plaque states that he was “not deterred” by threats “to himself or his family.” Frank was born in 1936 and passed away in 1973, according to the article.
Fred Pinkston, 91, of Atlanta, is Frank’s brother. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959 and later moved to south Florida. Fred said the family of seven siblings lived near the current Silver Springs State Park.
Fred said his brother Frank graduated from segregated Howard Academy in 1953 and then attended Virginia Union University and attained a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in theology from the school’s seminary. He also said his brother was a student leader in the Richmond 34 protest while in Virginia.
According to the Virginia Commonwealth University website, “on Monday, Feb. 22, 1960, 34 Virginia Union University students were arrested at Thalhimers department store on Broad Street for refusing to leave its Richmond Room restaurant. The sit-in was just one of many that hundreds of students were taking part in that day in a stream of protests aimed at challenging the discriminatory practices that barred African Americans from certain Richmond businesses. The arrests and the impact of the student sit-ins helped to change those discriminatory practices. (The protest)…was a very peaceful protest and before some of these others. However, it became overshadowed because of some of the more violent arrests and protests that happened deeper in the South,” the article states.
Fred said the mass meetings held
MCPS
Continued from page A1
by his brother gave a “boost” and were motivational for those attending. He said famed Civil Rights figure Ralph Abernathy spoke at one of the meetings here. He also said his brother was “threatened by the (Ku Klux) Klan.”
Published articles give details of a group of Black men with weapons, known as the Ocala Hunting and Fishing Club, who served as security guards for Frank and his family. In an April 39, 2014, University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History interview, Lucious Connell Stevenson said the group of five or six would “watch over” the youth council after marches from outside the church, escort the Pinkston family at night and remain at the family’s property in Silver Springs until the next morning.
“Narrators who were part of the youth movement in the 1960s spoke about how they felt protected. They also discussed the training they received on how to protest and learn how to not retaliate if provoked,” the opening of the oral history project states.
Meanwhile, Miller said a “lot of change” came out of the movement here.
“There was some pushback, but people began to work well together. There was not a whole lot of violence (in racial protests here in the 1960s) and that’s a tribute to the Black and white communities,” Miller said.
Miller said he has concerns about the political climate on national and state levels, but he hopes people will continue to work together and build on what was accomplished 60 years ago.
AREA RESOURCES
Black pioneers who helped shape Marion County are honored in the Heritage Trail Park in West Ocala. The park, which stretches along the north side of State Road 40 from Northwest 9th Avenue to Northwest 11th Avenue, has a sidewalk lined by eight, 48-inch by 96-inch weather resistant art panels with portraits of honorees by local artist Charles Eady. There also are 16, 12-inch by 18-inch plaques that describe the accomplishments and contributions of additional local honorees.
The Black History Museum of Marion County is located inside the Howard Academy Community Center at 306 NW 7th Ave., Ocala. It contains a wide array of information about local and national people and events.
To learn more about the museum, call (352) 671-4175.
She also thanked her administrative team, noting that the district’s hard work and successes could not be achieved without them.
The board members offered enthusiastic congratulations, with board chair Sarah James commending Brewer for taking the reins and making difficult decisions during a challenging budget year.
Vice chair Lori Conrad expressed her excitement about formally introducing her as “Superintendent Dr. Brewer” at a community event the next day.
The appointment also received strong backing from the student body, with student board member Luke Lombardo noting that nearly every student in district focus groups had named Brewer as their first choice to lead the school system.
Rev. Dr. O. V. Pinkston [Photo courtesy secondbethlehem.org]
An honorary plaque for the Rev. Frank Pinkston is shown at the Heritage Trail Park on West Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
Items are shown on display, including some mentioning the Pinkston family, during the grand reopening of the Black History Museum of Marion County at the Howard Academy Community Center in Ocala on Nov. 16, 2021.
[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
History brought to life
The Silver River Knap-In and Prehistoric Arts Festival took visitors back in time.
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.
On Feb. 21 and 22, the campus of the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center inside Silver Springs State Park became a living history demonstration area.
Two of the participants at the Silver River KnapIn and Prehistoric Arts Festival were flint knapper Roger Hostetler and Seminole canoe carver Pedro Zepeda, both of whom demonstrated time-honored skills and traditions.
In 2025, Zepeda received the 2025 Florida Folk Heritage Award. According to the Florida Department of State, Zepeda is a master folk artist and teacher who specializes in traditional Seminole arts. He makes presentations at conferences and events across the country and his work has been featured in several museums.
“I want the public to come away from my demonstrations and talks a little more informed about the Seminole people. Not only about our past but also who we are today and we’re still here practicing our culture. It’s important to maintain our traditional arts because they are not simply objects, but carriers of cultural knowledge,” he said in a previous“Gazette” article.
Visitors to the festival were able to view artifacts in the museum and talk with archaeologists, shell carvers, potters, hide tanners, bow makers and other specialists. A number of museum and park volunteers were on hand to demonstrate pioneer skills and share their knowledge with visitors.
The Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center are programs of Marion County Public Schools. For more information, call (352) 236-5401 or visit silverrivermuseum.com
Marion County Braver Angels Alliance
We envision an America where courageous citizenship is the honored norm, renewing civic culture and building trust across political differences. We’re taking a stand against toxic politics.
Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.
For more information go to BraverAngels.org or email us at boswald@braverangels.org or gharrell@braverangels.org
Photos by Michael Warren Special to the Ocala Gazette
Roger Hostetler handles a piece of flint during the Silver River Knap-In and Prehistoric Arts Festival on Feb. 21, 2026, at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala.
Silver River Museum volunteer Judy Kohler speaks with visitors.
Jim Nicols and Jim Carty talk on a porch.
Fresh oranges, celery and cabbage, along with pickles, are shown with canning jars and castiron cookware at one of the buildings in the pioneer village
Marthalynne Allen, a volunteer with the Silver River Museum and a Marion County Public Schools teacher, demonstrates an ironing technique.
Historical re-enactor Robert Wilson prepares food.
Silver River Museum volunteer Nancy Gwinn talks with guests.
Kathy Septer, a volunteer with the Silver River Museum, sits and knits.
Handcrafted arrows were on display.
Seminole canoe carver Pedro Zepeda talks with visitors.
Initial water tests after Dunnellon rail tie fire
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
Preliminary results of water tested after the massive fire that burned thousands of creosote-soaked railroad ties earlier this month in Dunnellon indicate that contamination levels have not breached state safety limits, records show.
A closer look at the testing protocols, however, reveals gaps.
While public wells were tested for Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, the surface water testing only looked for heavier Semivolatile Organic Compounds, or SVOCs. Highly soluble and mobile chemicals found in creosote, such as benzene and toluene, were not analyzed by the CSX contractors.
Despite public pleas at a Feb. 9 Dunnellon City Council meeting to test for highly toxic dioxins, which can form when treated wood burns, a representative of CSX Transportation confirmed they were sticking to the approved plan and were not testing for dioxins “at this time.”
The ties, owned by Track Line Rail, were stored on a rail line leased to Florida Northern Railroad on land owned by CSX Transportation.
Early on Feb. 1, a fire ignited a stockpile of approximately 100,000 railroad ties. The blaze burned intensely, blanketing nearby neighborhoods in heavy smoke and raising immediate environmental concerns. Those worries soon spread to include the groundwater, after firefighters sprayed water on the blaze for hours before extinguishing it.
Authorities and contractors waited several days after the fire before testing the local water supply and surface waters to determine if contamination had spread.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WELL TESTING
The first water testing occurred on Feb. 5. The Florida Governmental
Utility Authority (FGUA) contracted Advanced Environmental Laboratories (AEL) to collect samples from four public drinking water wells located within a mile of the incident: Dunnellon Wells #1 and #3, and Rio Vista Wells #5 and #6.
The lab analyzed these samples for metals, VOCs, and SVOCs. On Feb. 19, FGUA issued a press release confirming that none of the results exceeded the maximum contaminant levels.
The detailed lab reports showed no detections of creosote indicators like benzene, toluene, or naphthalene. The lab did detect trace, estimated amounts of arsenic (0.49 µg/L) in Dunnellon Well #1, well below safety limits, which FGUA attributed to natural deposit erosion rather than the fire. Trace chloroform was also detected, but considered a standard by-product of drinking water disinfection.
When it comes to private well testing,
residents like Michael Pierce, who lives along the Rainbow River and who estimates his well to be a half mile from the fire, said he believes the health department tested his well, but he’s yet to receive the results.
Pierce said a health department official told him that they would monitor his well for a year.
According to a Feb. 25 email from DOH-Marion spokesperson Nina Mattei, the agency sampled a total of seven private wells within a halfmile radius of the fire between Feb. 11 and Feb. 18. These water samples are currently being analyzed for heavy metals—specifically copper, chromium, and arsenic—along with volatile and semi-volatile organic contaminants (VOCs and SVOCs). The health department is still awaiting the final laboratory analysis, with results anticipated to arrive by late February or early March Mattei wrote.
SURFACE WATER TESTING BY CSX CONTRACTORS
Surface water testing was delayed even further, taking place on Feb. 7, six days after the fire began. CSX’s environmental contractor, Arcadis, collected five surface water samples from Blue Cove Lake, Blue Cove, the Rainbow River downstream of the boat ramp, Blue Run Park, and a background sample at KP Hole Park. These samples were sent to Eurofins Environment Testing in Orlando and analyzed exclusively for SVOCs) using EPA Method 8270E. According to a statement from CSX, “All SVOCs reported in the five samples were detected at concentrations less than their respective [FDEP] surface water cleanup target levels.”
The lab data did reveal trace, estimated detections of specific chemicals, including naphthalene at 0.036 µg/L in the river sample downstream of the boat ramp, and 2,4-Dichlorophenol at 0.22 µg/L in Blue Cove.
CSX’S FUTURE PLAN FOR WATER MONITORING
Currently, there is no mandate for immediate, active groundwater monitoring at the burn site. According to the “Source Removal and Surface Water Sampling Work Plan” prepared by Arcadis and approved by the FDEP, groundwater evaluation is entirely conditional.
The plan dictates that crews will excavate the burn area up to two feet deep and collect confirmation soil samples from the bottom and sides of the excavation. CSX will only install downgradient groundwater monitoring wells (one shallow and one intermediate) if the analytical results from those soil samples exceed the FDEP Soil Cleanup Target Levels (SCTLs) for leachability. If the soil passes the leachability test, no deep groundwater wells are slated to be installed at the site.
From Marion County to Italy Observations from the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
By Brian Creekbaum Ocala
Ilove the Olympics. As far back as I can remember, I’ve watched the Olympics on television. I remember watching the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. As a student at Fort King Middle School, I took naps so I could wake up at 1 a.m. for the 1972 Winter Games held in Sapporo, Japan. My late father and I attended the track and field in the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. We were in Centennial Olympic stadium when it exploded with camera flashes and cheers as Michael Johnson crossed the finish line in world record time in the 200-meter dash. I’ve been on the lookout for a Winter Games to attend ever since. It finally happened with the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Northern Italy.
After watching from my Ocala home Ocala speed skater Erin Jackson carry our national flag in the opening ceremony, I left the next morning for an appointment with Delta to whisk me off on my first transatlantic flight on my first trip to the European continent for two weeks of figure skating and speed skating (mostly long track and some short track). These are spectator-friendly sports I would see in person for the first time. A competition could all be seen from one seat location.
The first time I walked into the figure skating venue was during warmups. I thought the rotation in jumps looked even faster than on television, where we often see skaters framed pretty tightly. Something about seeing them surrounded by a giant unmoving arena made for a bigger contrast. But the biggest difference being there is the people. Since I was solo, meals in my hotel and restaurants, admittance lines at venues and watching from my seat became opportunities to meet people as charged up about the Olympics as I am.
I conversed with other fans from 14 countries. My first night at figure skating, I sat next to an Italian family. He managed a nearby ice rink and was involved in drug testing Olympic hockey players. His young daughter,
a figure skater, cheered wildly for the Italian figure skaters because, her father said, she knew them from skating on the same ice with them. His 9-year-old son was in the group of children picking up plush toys thrown on the ice after performances. The boy excitedly fist-bumped his fellow skaters when the group left the ice. At a later figure skating session, I chatted about the Olympics with a young Italian volunteer when I arrived early and she had no one else to seat. Camilla (pronounced by the Italians as Ca-mee’-lah) said she would be honored to represent the 18,000 Olympic volunteers in the selfie we took.
I met a former Olympic speed skater for Canada (1984 and 1988) whose daughter was competing, a USA certified figure skating judge who has figure skated for decades and trained on the same ice with world champion Ilia Malikin, and the sports columnist for the “Wall Street Journal.”
I also met a ton of Dutch speed skating fans. The Dutch are crazy about speed skating. As shown by their signature orange, they were about two thirds of spectators at long track. They wear orange funky hats and wigs and entire suits of orange. They have a lot of fun and make a lot of noise, but they are serious about the sport. American Jordan Stolz, who won
two gold medals and one silver, is the best long track speed skating sprinter today. I like that when he passes in warmups, the Dutch applaud for him. It shows the integrity they have and their respect for the sport. They cheer for their athletes to beat Stolz, but they have great respect for his abilities and how he comports himself.
While Ocalans Erin Jackson, 33, and Brittany Bowe, 37, did not medal in these Olympics, they performed quite well. Racing two events each, they generally finished in the top half dozen of nearly 30 competitors. Brittany, who is retiring, barely missed the podium. It’s telling that, as good as the Dutch are, Brittany’s 1000m world record set in 2019 still stands.
In between my 13 Olympic sports sessions, I managed to take a scenic train ride across the Swiss and Italian Alps, visit inside the Duomo (the massive cathedral that took 700 years to build), lap swim in two of Milan’s public pools, make a nighttime visit to the Olympic flame light and sound show, and lunch twice at the restaurant Ratana featured in Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy” television series.
I still want to see Olympic ski jumping, which would have been a six-hour rail and bus trip from Milan. Perhaps I’ll catch it at the Winter Olympics in the French Alps in the 2030 or outside Salt Lake City in 2034. See you there?
A raging inferno is shown as railroad ties burn behind the Comfort Suites in Dunnellon on Febr. 1, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
Brian Creekbaum with Camilla, a Winter Olympic Games volunteer. [Submitted photo]
Marion County Fire Rescue negotiations
Staffing data highlights costly recruitment challenges amid contract talks.
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
As Marion County Fire Rescue and the Professional Firefighters of Marion County continue contract negotiations, staffing data presented during bargaining sessions shows the department has struggled to recruit experienced firefighters and paramedics, leading to an increasing reliance on noncertified trainees.
Union representatives said low non-competitive starting wages and work schedules have made it difficult for the department to compete with neighboring agencies that offer higher pay and alternative staffing models. Those agencies, union officials said, have been drawing experienced personnel away from Marion County.
STAFFING LOSSES AND HIRING TRENDS
During a Feb. 9 negotiation session, union officials said the department lost 528 employees over the past five years, averaging more than 100 departures per year. According to data shared during negotiations, experienced dual-certified firefighter/ paramedics have largely stopped applying.
In the past two years, the department hired only one dual-certified firefighter/ paramedic. Instead, hiring has shifted toward noncertified “trainees” or “cadets” who must complete required training before becoming operational.
Internal hiring figures show that of the 129 employees hired in 2023, 66 were trainees. In 2024, 77 of 134 new hires were trainees. So far in 2025, 57 of the department’s 93 new hires fall into that category.
Trainees receive salary and benefits for 32 weeks— approximately eight months— while attending the fire academy and EMT school. During that period, they cannot staff ambulances or fire apparatus.
Union officials estimated during negotiations that replacing experienced personnel with noncertified hires has cost taxpayers approximately $4.5 million over the past three years.
According to figures presented, the estimated cost of a single trainee includes:
• 32 weeks of pay and benefits: approximately $36,111
• Academy tuition: approximately $7,480
• Uniforms and gear: approximately $4,738
Orientation costs: thousands of dollars in instructor hours
Employment records show that some trainees don’t stay with the department. In 2025, 44 of the 69 who left the department did not stay for even two years. In 2024, approximately 52 of the 92; and in 2023, 57 of 100 who left the department also worked for less than two years.
Union President Rolin Boyd addressed the issue during bargaining sessions, telling county officials, “We’re not going to be able to keep staffing our department with noncertified individuals… and be the ALS department that our community deserves.”
WORK SCHEDULES AND PAY COMPARISONS
Recruitment challenges were also discussed in comparison to nearby departments in the way of schedules and salaries.
“We’re not going to be able to recruit people with $15 to $15.25 [an hour],” Boyd told county negotiators. “That’s the reality of the situation.”
Boyd also pointed to neighboring Citrus County, which he said starts EMTs and paramedics at $6 more per hour.
Marion County firefighters currently work a 24-hour-on, 48-hour-off schedule, averaging a 56-hour workweek. Gainesville Fire Rescue operates under a “Safer Staffing Model” that provides 24 hours on followed by 72 hours off, reducing the average workweek to 42 hours.
Starting pay also differs between the departments. In Marion County, a starting Firefighter/EMT earns $15 per hour, or $43,680 annually based on 2,912 hours worked. Under Gainesville’s recently ratified contract, a starting Firefighter/ EMT earns approximately $51,540 annually while working 2,184 hours.
Additional certification pay also varies. Gainesville provides a base salary increase and 10% supplemental pay for paramedics, while Marion County offers a flat hourly add-on.
Gainesville union president David Shuford told the “Gazette” the 24/72 schedule has helped their department recruit experienced personnel from other
departments so they were less reliant on the more expensive pipeline of cadets.
PROPOSALS AND BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
The county has proposed transitioning paramedics to a 24-hour-on, 72-hour-off schedule, while maintaining a 24/48 schedule for other personnel using a “Kelly Day” system that provides one additional day off every few weeks.
Union leaders said the proposal does not adequately address pay disparities and complicates payroll. They have proposed a $3-per-hour raise for dual-certified staff and a $2-perhour raise for single-certified staff.
Assistant County Administrator Amanda Tart said the county faces budget limitations.
“We have the budget that we have,” Tart said. “We need to figure out a way to make that budget work.”
Florida’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $15 by September, which would place Marion County’s current starting wage at the statewide minimum.
STAFFING EXPANSION AND RECRUITMENT INCENTIVES
Last June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 929, which called for firefighter gear free of harmful chemicals, enhanced mental-health monitoring and suicide-risk tracking, and — critically — encourages limiting standard shifts to 42 hours per week to reduce burnout.
However, the state provided no funding for the measure, leaving the counties to figure it out and generating a competitive market for people to switch to departments that could offer more.
MCFR Chief James Banta told county negotiators that implementing a new schedule would require additional staffing. Banta said the department would need to hire 114 new personnel at a cost of $12 million by Oct. 1, 2027, to support 48-hour and 42hour weekly averages.
Banta and union representatives have previously stated that recruiting experienced personnel from other departments would be necessary to maintain supervisory balance during expansion.
Marion County’s collective bargaining agreement includes provisions that allow recruitment incentives not available in some neighboring departments union contracts reviewed by the “Gazette.” Under the agreement, the fire chief may offer signon incentives of up to $5,000 for paramedic or paramedic/ firefighter positions, however, Banta indicated the “incentive was used sparingly as it did not yield significant results. It became problematic because half of the payment must be given at six months and the other half once the probation period is completed. Unfortunately, it did not attract additional candidates.”
The current three-year contract expires in June. Once negotiations conclude, any agreement will require approval by union members.
Ocala breaks ground for new fire station
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
Ocala Fire Rescue hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 19 for the agency’s eighth fire station.
OFR, city officials and guests gathered at the construction site for Fire Station 8, which will be located at 2300 NW 44th Terrace, within sight of Interstate 75 and just off U.S. Highway 27.
The new facility, expected to be completed by late 2026, is
“designed to enhance emergency response in Ocala’s growing northwest corridor,” according to an OFR press release.
OFR Chief Clint Welborn said the new station is an investment in the growth of the city.
“We’re not just building a fire station; we’re building a stronger, safer Ocala for generations to come,” Welborn said in the release.
The new station will have three apparatus bays, an engine and rescue unit and involve 15 personnel.
The strategic location was
OPINION
chosen “for its accessibility to I-75 via US 27 and SR 40 via Northwest 44th Avenue, ensuring faster response times for residents and businesses in the area,” the release noted.
The next closest OFR station is Fire Station 1 and First Responder Campus on Northwest Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue at Northwest 5th Street, which opened in 2020, according to OFR Public Information Officer Ashley Lopez.
Fire Station 8 is immediately adjacent to Foxwoods Farms
Cholera and homelessness
By Ryan Dowd Cholera
In 1854, London had a bad cholera outbreak. Doctors worked around the clock. They treated patient after patient — fever, cramps, dehydration. Some survived. Many didn’t. And every morning, there were new patients at the door.
Nobody stopped to ask why. They just worked tirelessly to treat the patients.
Then a doctor named John Snow (not the character from “Game of Thrones”) did something simple. He drew a map. He marked every death in the neighborhood and looked for a pattern. Every single one pointed back to the same water pump on Broad Street.
The water was contaminated. Everyone who drank from it got sick. Dr. Snow walked over to Broad Street and removed the handle on the pump. The outbreak stopped almost immediately.
HOMELESSNESS
In 2024, Veteran’s Administration (US) housed nearly 48,000 homeless veterans. That’s fantastic, right? Not so fast. The total number of homeless vets in the United States only dropped by 2,700 people.
Why is that? In the same year, about 45,300 veterans became homeless.
The math is simple:
48,000 vets left homelessness
45,300 vets entered homelessness
A total reduction of only 2,700 vets.
It is called the “inflow problem.”
About 10 years ago, I ran the numbers at the shelter where I worked. In a typical week, 16 people became homeless and arrived at our door. That meant just to keep our numbers the same, we had to get 16 people out of homelessness every
single week.
HOMELESSNESS IS LIKE CHOLERA
Our world’s approach to homelessness right now is like the doctors running around London in 1854. We are working really hard to get people out of homelessness back into homes. And we are doing a great job! So, why isn’t homelessness going down?
Because for every person we get out of homelessness, one (or more) people become homeless. How do we remove the “pump handle” on homelessness?
The research is clear: lack of affordable housing is the contaminated well.
The good news is that affordable housing is fixable, therefore, so is homelessness. The bad news is, it won’t be cheap or politically popular.
There are two realities that we cannot avoid:
Until we get serious about affordable housing, homelessness is here to stay.
If housing continues its current trend away from affordability, homelessness is going to get worse.
Thank you to everyone working on creating more affordable housing and thank you to everyone working on the frontline of the homeless crisis (shelters, street outreach, etc.).
Source: “What Would It Take to End Homelessness in the United States?” — Colburn et al., Housing Policy Debate, 2025
Ryan Dowd was executive director of a homeless shelter for 20+ years outside of Chicago, Illinois. He now trains organizations around the world on how to de-escalate challenging situations involving homelessness, mental illness, trauma, substance abuse and more. To find out more, visit homelesstraining.com.
and near the Ocala Palms community, although both are outside the new station’s service area.
“Foxwood Farms and Ocala Palms are both outside of our jurisdiction. However, they are part of our response area under mutual aid with Marion County Fire Rescue. Given the proximity of Station #8’s site to these communities, response times are expected to be significantly reduced,” Lopez wrote in an email.
On the north side of U.S. Highway 27 across from Fire
Station 8 is a large shopping complex.
City Council records indicate $4,635,282 was approved on March 18, 2025, for local contractor Dinkins Construction to design and build the structure.
City Council President Ire Bethea said the new fire station provides protection and response, which is a “responsibility” with thriving growth in the community.
“As Ocala expands, emergency services must grow with it,” City Manager Pete Lee said in the press release. “Seconds matter.”
Epidemics and pandemics due to infectious agents, be viruses or bacteria, are still a major threat for public health. Following up on the HIV epidemics, we have experienced Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, and of course SARS CoV1 and SARS Cov2 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is not completely over, and we know that there will be other epidemics and pandemics (the USA as an example, is experiencing a severe burst of measles). Resistance to antibiotics has also emerged as a major concern.
Microbiomes, these huge populations of bacteria which are present in all of us in the gut, the skin and many tissues have been now well recognized to be major drivers of human health and there is plenty of evidence showing its role in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as in cancer and other medical conditions. In addition, the composition of the microbiomes has a very significant impact on the sensitivity to infectious diseases as well as vaccine efficacy. Importantly, it is possible to intervene on these microbiomes through pro-pre-postbiotics as well as transplantation of intestinal microbiota. Some of these molecules not only act on the gut microbiota but show systemic effects (tissue repair, anti-inflammatory) which can offer novel treatments to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
This lecture will describe how viral infections and microbiomes are entangled and what can be the impact for treating both infectious diseases and chronic diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases
Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, is Professor in the Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Research in Global Affairs, and Associate Vice President for International Partnerships and Innovation in the USF Morsani College of Medicine. He is the former President of the Institut Pasteur and French NIH, as well as Vice-President of the Institut Merieux (a holding of several companies). Since 2017, Dr. Bréchot has also served as President and now vice-chair of the Global Virus Network, a network of 98 research centers worldwide, headquartered at USF. Dr Brechot has entrepreneurial activities, being the founder and chairman of The Healthy Aging Company and the Chief Medical Officer of Theravectys. He is part of 12 patents and members of several boards, including the French American Business Council of West Florida (FRAMCO)
City officials and Ocala Fire Department officials at the groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 19. [Submitted photo]
Signage at the site. [Photo by Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]
Newt Perry
Continued from page A1
He soon was teaching others to swim and came to the attention of short movie producer Grantland Rice, who made features about Newt, whom he dubbed “The Human Fish,” and enlisted him in producing his films.
At 16, Newt was Ocala High School’s swim coach and star swimmer. He achieved All-America status in football, swimming and diving. In 1931, he received the University of Florida’s first ever swimming scholarship.
When movie producers began making “Tarzan” movies at Silver Springs, from about 1932 to 1942, Newt’s aquatic prowess made him an integral part of the process. In 1939, when he was managing Wakulla Springs just south of Tallahassee, he promoted it as a filming location and several films were shot there, including “Tarzan’s Secret Treasure.”
“Another thing that happened while Daddy was at Wakulla was that the United States got into World War II,” Delee reminisced in a 2023 feature article in the “Gazette’s” sister publication, “Ocala Style” magazine. “Omar Bradley, who was a general, came to my dad and said they were developing a very secretive group of men and ‘We want you to be one of the instructors.’ That was the frogmen, later known as Navy SEALS, and Daddy is in the SEALS
hall of fame in Fort Pierce.”
After Newt opened Weeki Wachee Springs and became a member of the Florida Attractions Association, he was at a convention in Miami when he saw a striking high diver named Dorothy “Dot” Roederer, who was training for the 1948 Olympics. She became his second wife and is Delee’s mother.
When Dot barely missed the cut for the Olympic team, Newt had a medallion inscribed with “To Dot from Newt” on one side and “Champ” on the other.
On Tuesday, as Delee fingered that medallion, which was hanging from a chain around her neck, she said softly, “I feel like they are right here with me.”
“This is just great. It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said just minutes before the ceremony began.
“When Mark Emery got his star, I started thinking, my Dad needs a star down there. And my Mother had a saying, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ And I never could figure out who to contact. And then when I was working with Adam on the new historical museum in Tuscawilla Park, I said to him, ‘I wish knew someone who could help me get my Dad’s plaque in front of the Marion Theatre,” she recalled.
“He said, ‘I can do that,’” she
said. “And the next thing I knew, he said, ‘We have to get signatures,’ and I got about 200 signatures within about four days. It was approved immediately. We started a fundraising campaign, and I had over $4,000 raised in just about six weeks. Adam was just shocked and so they ordered the star.”
Initial plans were to unveil the plaque on Jan. 6, which was Newt’s birthday, but the artwork cracked and had to be recast, which delayed delivery to Ocala by a few weeks.
Ocala Ben Marciano, did however, present Delee with a proclamation on Jan. 6, proclaiming it Newt Perry Day in Ocala. On Tuesday, Delee was holding the framed document in her lap during part of the ceremony.
“I’ve just been so excited,” she said. “I think I only got three or four hours of sleep last night because I kept waking up thinking about it.”
Delee, who recalls having a Coke and some cookies in Esther William’s trailer on a movie set at the age of 10, continues to run Perry’s Swim School in Ocala, teaching young and old alike, as her father did back in 1923.
Tasha Perry Singleton is a swimming and diving coach at Centre College in Kentucky. She was 7 when her grandfather passed away but said she has many cherished memories through her mother and some gained
IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE FIFTH
JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA SILVER DOWNS CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., Plaintiff, V. CLEVELAND LINDNER, CLINTON VINSON, ESTATE OF DEBORAH LINDNER
a/k/a DEBORAH VINSON, DECEASED, ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS, BENEFICIARIES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, SPOUSES, AND ALL OTHERS WHO MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST IN THE ESTATE OF DEBORAH LINDNER a/k/a DEBORAH VINSON, UNKNOWN TENANT #1, and UNKNOWN TENANT #2, Defendants. CASE NO.: 2025-CC-3587
by attending events such as the 75th anniversary of Weeki Wachee.
“And Gracie got to attend, and it was great meeting people whose lives he touched, the former mermaids, and hearing about his legacy,” she said.
And, Singleton continued, Gracee is now also teaching swimming lessons, which means the Perry aquatic “gene” is alive and well.
“It turned out better than I could ever imagine,” Sines said after the plaque was unveiled and before a program and movie screening took place inside the theatre. “With the weather, I was afraid it would be too cold, but with the sun out, it’s a beautiful day and I felt like Newt was here. It was just that special.”
He said when Delee introduced the plaque idea to him, he didn’t know where to turn as the Ocala Film Foundation, which launched the Walk of Fame, was no longer involved in the endeavor.
“I talked with some people at the city of Ocala and they let the process be up to us. So now we have an application process for the plaques. It’s more structured. It’s reviewed by us with Ocala Main Street and some folks from the Reilly Arts Center, which manages the theater,” he shared.
Before the screening of the
film “Distance Drums,” in which Newt played at least three parts, Fieldhouse presented a framed document to Delee.
“This certificate of distinction is presented with honor to Delee Perry in recognition of her father being the inaugural recipient of the Ocala Main Street Outstanding Citizen Award, acknowledging his remarkable contributions to our community and for continuing his legacy of selfless service in keeping us safe,” Fieldhouse read.
In addition to the plaque honoring Emery, the Walk of Fame also contains plaques dedicated to Bruce Mozert, the photographer whose creative underwater images put a major spotlight on Silver Springs; noted musical producer Bruce Swedien; underwater cinematographer Jordan Klein Sr.; and James Melton, one of America’s most famous tenors, who was a movie, radio, TV, concert and opera star, and pioneer in car collecting.
To learn more, go to ocalamainstreet.org
THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA CASEY DICKERSON f/k/a Casey Piker and TRAVIS DICKERSON, Plaintiff, V. ESTATE ROBERT K. OLIVER; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST ROBERT K. OLIVER, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ROBERT K. OLIVER, JR., MICHAEL OLIVER; and CHRISTOPHER OLIVER, Defendants. NOTICE OF ACTION Case No.: 2025-CA-2176
NOTICE OF ACTION To the following Defendants: Estate of Deborah Lindner a/k/a Deborah Vinson Last known mailing address: 572 Fairways Lane, #N102, Ocala, FL 34472 Current address: Unknown. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action has been commenced to foreclose a mortgage lien on the following real property, lying and being situated in Marion County, Florida, more particularly described as follows: Parcel ID # 9049814-102, with a Property Description of: UNIT 102, BUILDING N, OF SILVER DOWNS, A CONDOMINIUM ACCORDING TO THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM FILED 6/25/84 IN O.R. BOOK 1226, PAGE 1389 AND AMENDED 11/9/84 IN O.R. BOOK 1249, AT PAGE 1760 AND AMENDED 12/6/84 IN O.R. BOOK 1253, PAGES 1753-1767 OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF MARION COUNTY FLORIDA, TOGETHER WITH ALL APPURTENANCES THERETO INCLUDING AN UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS AS SET FORTH IN THE DECLARATION. Street Address: 572 Fairways Lane #N102, Ocala, FL 34472 This action has been has been filed against you. You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses to this action, if any, on Caleb V. Smith, counsel for Plaintiff, whose address is 445 NE 8th Ave. Ocala, Florida 34470 WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM 1ST DATE OF PUBLICATION. The original must be filed with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff's attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 24th day of FEB, 2026.
To the following Defendant: Estate of Robert K. Oliver Last known address: 2520 State Route 8, Lot 2, West Winfield, NY 13491 Current address: Unknown YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a lawsuit has been filed against you regarding the following described Real Property: The West 80 feet of the East 3730 feet of the South 115 feet of the North 1610 feet of the East 3/4 of Section 33, Township 11 South, Range 24 East, Marion County, Florida; the North 15 feet to be used for utilities and road right of way; such prop-
counsel for Plaintiffs, whose address is 445 NE 8th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470 on/or before MARCH 23rd, 2026. The original must be filed with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff's attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 4TH day of FEBRUARY, 2026. And Any and All Unknown Parties claiming by, through, under, and against Robert K. Oliver, whether said Unknown Parties may claim an interest as spouses, heirs, devisees, grantees, or claimants IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA IN RE: ESTATE OF MIRIAM ZORAIDA TRACY a/k/a MIRIAM Z. TRACY, DECEASED. CASE NO.: 2026-CP-0315 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Miriam Zoraida Tracy a/k/a Miriam Z. Tracy, deceased, whose date of death was December 21, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is, 110 NW 1st Ave., Ocala, Florida 34475. The name and address of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. The personal representative or curator has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA HAROLD CORNWELL, JR., individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Evelyn A. Cornwell, Plaintiff, V. PAUL CORNWELL, JASON CORNWELL, EVERETT J. CORNWELL, ESTATE OF PHILIP CORNWELL, STACEY CORNWELL, O&M INVESTMENTS, LLC and ISMAIL OSMAN, Defendants. Case No.: 2024-CA-2437 NOTICE OF ACTION To the following Defendant: Estate of Philip Cornwell. Last known address: 383 Orchard Avenue, Old Bridge Township, NJ 08879 Current address: Unknown YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a lawsuit has been filed against you regarding the following described Real Property: The South 314.09 feet of West 130 feet of the SW 14 of SE ½ of SW 1/4, EXCEPT the South 30 feet for road right of way, and West 15 feet for ingress and egress, and EXCEPT North 12 feet, Section 29, Township 16 South, Range 23 East, Marion County, Florida. Parcel Identification No.: 37905-000-01
You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses to this action, if any, on Daniel J. Raymer, counsel for Plaintiffs, whose address is 445 NE 8th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470 on/or before MARCH 23rd, 2026
The original must be filed with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff's attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 4th day of FEBRUARY, 2026.
NOTICE UNDER FICTITIOUS NAME LAW PURSUANT TO SECTION 865.09, FLORIDA STATUTES NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that CHLOE MICHAEL SANTILLO will engage in business under the fictitious name C.SANTILLO ENTERPRISES, with a physical address 11354 SE 40th Ave Belleview, Fl 34420, with a mailing address 11354 SE 40th Ave Belleview, Fl 34420, and already registered the name mentioned above with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations.
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Photos and information about Newt Perry.
A portrait of Newt Perry.
Delee Perry receives a gift from Jill Stephens as Rhyanna Suggs looks on.
Newt Perry underwater photo.
An early photo of Newt Perry.
Delee Perry with her daughter, Tasha Singleton, and granddaughter, Gracee, 10, who traveled from Danville, KY for the event.
The Newt Perry Walk of Fame plaque.
Courtland Richards takes pictures.
Government advisory board vacancies
By serving on a local board, your experience and knowledge can influence governmental decisions and help you, fellow citizens and local government. Staff report
Here are the vacancies for various boards in the cities of Marion County and the county itself.
CITY OF BELLEVIEW:
The city link is: belleviewfl. org/151/Boards-Committees
The application document is here: belleviewfl.org/ DocumentCenter/View/39/CityBoard-Application-PDF?bidId=
Planning & Zoning Board
Description: The board acts as an advisory panel to the commission for planning and zoning issues. They also hear and decide variance and special exception requests. The board is subject to the Sunshine Regulations and must file financial disclosure forms upon appointment and annually thereafter. Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm. One vacancy. For more information, visit belleviewfl. org/175/planning-zoning-board
CITY OF DUNNELLON:
The city link is: dunnellon.org/ government/boards-commissions
Historic Preservation Board
Description: The purpose of the board is to promote and preserve educational, cultural and economic welfare of the public. The board has established uniform procedures to preserve the city’s historic resources by enhancing public participation and involvement in the preservation and protection of such resources, including buildings, structures, monuments and other historic resources. In keeping with its purpose, the board has developed the Application for Historic Preservation Grant Facade Renovations. Interested person(s) should complete the application and submit to the Community Development Department for submission to the board. Meetings are the third Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. One vacancy. For more information, visit dunnellon.org/government/ boards-commissions/historicpreservation-board
Planning Commission
Description: The commission has an administrative review function whereby it reviews all changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, by amendment, evaluation, addition and appraisal for consistency with the existing plan and reviews all land-related/ zoning ordinances to determine consistency to the plan. The commission holds quasijudicial hearings with regards to land planning/zoning cases, site plan reviews, variances, special exceptions, and review/ appeal of administrative orders, and forwards its findings/ recommendations to the City Council. Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. Four vacancies. To learn more, go to dunnellon.org/government/ boards-commissions/planningcommission
CITY OF OCALA:
The link is: ocalafl.gov/ government/city-departmentsa-h/city-clerk/boards-andcommissions
The City Council appoints individuals to serve on more than 20 boards, advisory committees and commissions. These volunteers are from all over Ocala and their experience, knowledge and expertise help
influence decisions affecting the city by providing advice and feedback to leaders and council. Each board has its own page and application link. Many boards have specific requirements, such as living within the city limits, being a qualified city voter or owning real property within city limits. The requirements, if any, are detailed for each board on its page. To learn more, email clerk@ocalafl.gov or call (352) 629-8266.
Airport Advisory Board
Description: The board assists and makes recommendations to City Council on subjects such as construction projects, leases, land sales, state and federal grants, and all other matters relating to the Ocala International Airport. Assists City Council with all issues affecting the Ocala International Airport.
Membership qualifications: Must be legal residents of Marion County and possess one or more of the following qualifications: 1) own real property within the city; 2) reside within the city; 3) own real property within the City; or 4) have a vested interest within the city.
Vacancies: 1
Board of Adjustment
Description: The board considers applications for zoning variances and special exception considerations for business and residential construction projects within the Ocala City Limits. Hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is error in any order, requirement, decision or determination made by the building official in the enforcement of the zoning code (chapter 122), authorize special exceptions as provided in the zoning code authorize variances as provided in the zoning code.
Vacancies: 1
Brownfields Advisory Committee
Description: The purpose of the committee is to promote and receive public comment on the identification, rehabilitation and redevelopment of identified Brownfield sites. The committee shall provide guidance in areas such as land use, employment opportunities, development proposals, community safety and environmental justice. The committee consists of 11 members appointed by the Ocala City Council from boards, committees and organizations primarily representing West Ocala.
Vacancies: 4
Downtown Redevelopment
Advisory Committee
Description: The committee is an advisory board to the CRA Agency and City Council for the area defined as the Downtown Ocala Redevelopment Subarea. The committee shall advise the Community Redevelopment Agency and City Council on redevelopment efforts of the established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Membership qualifications: The committee shall consist of seven members appointed from property owners and organizations representing downtown Ocala.
Vacancies: 1
East Ocala Redevelopment Subarea Advisory Committee
Description: The committee is an advisory board to the CRA Agency and City Council for the area defined as the East Ocala Redevelopment Subarea.
The committee shall advise the CRA Agency and City Council on redevelopment efforts of the
established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Vacancies: 1
Historic Preservation Advisory Board
Description: The board oversees the historic resources of the city and advises City Council and departments on matters relating to these resources, as well as manages Certificates of Appropriateness for properties within the Tuscawilla Park and Ocala Historic Districts. Attend informational or educational meetings, workshops and conferences; advise on development of goals, objectives and policies for historic preservation; advise city departments on matters relating to historic resources in the City; advise individuals on preservation of historic structures; educate public on economic benefits of same; and submit annual report to SHPO covering annual activities.
Vacancies: 1, for an architect
Housing Authority Board
Description: The Ocala Housing Authority is committed to providing and expanding safe, decent and sanitary housing in the most cost-efficient manner to residents of Marion County, to provide economic opportunities and housing free from illegal discrimination and to build better neighborhoods by providing comprehensive opportunities for residents through partnerships and networking. Provides subsidized housing units and rental assistance payments to income eligible residents.
Membership qualifications: May not be an officer or an employee of the City of Ocala. At Least one commissioner shall be a resident who is current in rent in a housing project or a person of low or very low income who resides with the housing authority’s jurisdiction.
Vacancies: 2
Municipal Arts Commission
Description: The commission acts in an advisory capacity to the city government in connection with the artistic and cultural development of the city and aesthetic aspects of city activities. The purpose of the Ocala Municipal Arts Commission Grant Program is to provide nonprofit organizations and individual artists financial support to pursue artistic endeavors that will benefit the community by fostering the awareness and development of the cultural climate in Marion County.
Membership qualifications : Appointments shall be made by City Council on the basis of experience and interest in the cultural arts. Whenever possible, the membership of the commission shall include a representative from the College of Central Florida’s Visual and Performing Arts Department, Fine Arts of Ocala, Marion County School Board, Marion Cultural Alliance, Ocala Civic Theater and The Ocala Symphony Orchestra.
Vacancies: 1
Municipal Code Enforcement Board
Description: The Code Enforcement Division enforces codes that pertain to zoning laws, nuisance abatement, contracting and permitting requirements of the city and state, occupational licenses, sign codes, alcohol location permits and many other local ordinances and state statutes. The board hears cases relating to code
violations. Empowered to levy fines and place liens on property if violation not corrected.
Vacancies: 2
North Magnolia Redevelopment Advisory Committee
Description: The committee shall advise the Community Redevelopment Agency on redevelopment efforts of the established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Membership qualifications: The committee shall consist of seven members appointed by the CRA Agency and City Council from property owners and organizations representing the North Magnolia CRA area.
Vacancies: 1
Planning & Zoning Commission
Description: The commission is responsible for advising City Council on current and long-range planning, review and permitting of land development within the City. Make recommendations to City Council relating to zoning and land use and ensure changes proposed are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
Membership qualifications: Must be qualified voters of the city. Form 1 Financial Disclosures are required to be submitted annually to the Florida State Ethics Commission.
Vacancies: 3
Tree Commission
Description: The commission is responsible for the development and administration of a plan care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting and removal of trees on governmental properties within city limits.
Membership qualifications: Must be licensed tree surgeons, licensed landscape architects, licensed landscaping contractors or other interested citizens chosen for their knowledge of, concern about and participation in issues affecting the city’s urban tree population.
Vacancies: 1
West Ocala Redevelopment Advisory Committee
Description: The committee is appointed as an advisory board to the Community Redevelopment Agency for the area defined as the West Ocala Redevelopment Subarea. The committee shall advise the CRA on redevelopment efforts of the established subarea pursuant to Chapter 163, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Vacancies: 2
MARION COUNTY
An application can be downloaded at marionfl.org/mycommissioners/advisory-boards and can be printed or saved as a PDF. Email completed forms to commissionadmin@marionfl.org. Applications can also be obtained at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners’ Office at 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala, or by calling (352) 438-2323.
Board of Adjustment
Responsibilities: Review and make decisions under the Marion County Land Development Code regarding citizen requests for variances or special exceptions. Hear and decide appeals concerning interpretations of the Land Development Code by the Zoning Department Manager. No member of the board shall hold any other public position or office in any municipality or county government in Marion County.
Qualifications/restrictions: Shall be residents of the county and registered voters.
Vacancies: 1
Code Enforcement
Responsibilities: Must be Marion County residents with experience in zoning and building control, preferably in fields such as architecture, engineering, general contracting or subcontracting. They have the authority to adopt hearing rules; subpoena violators, witnesses and documents; take testimony under oath; and issue legally binding orders to resolve violations and impose fines per county ordinance. Members are required to e-file Form 1 (Statement of Financial Interests) with the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Vacancies: 2
Hills of Ocala MSTU Advisory Council
Responsibilities: Members must reside within the district boundaries. They participate in preparing the annual budget request and provide input on the district’s programs, activities, operations, goals and objectives. Upon request by the Board of County Commissioners, members review and comment on district expenditures.
Vacancies: 1
Land Development Regulation Commission
Responsibilities : Members should have knowledge in planning, environmental science, agriculture and the development industry and be capable of evaluating and recommending specific regulatory standards and criteria, reviewing and advising the County Commission on the adoption and amendment of the Land Development Code and Zoning Code, and preparing an annual report with recommended amendments to these codes. Alternate members attend meetings when regular members are unavailable and may serve in their absence.
Qualifications/restrictions: Shall be residents of Marion County.
Vacancies: 2 alternates
Marion County Historical Commission
Responsibilities: Must have interest or background in the history, cultural heritage, development and institutions of Marion County, as well as a commitment to preserving and commemorating that legacy. Members are responsible for collecting, organizing, recording and preserving historical materials and data, including books, maps, manuscripts, family histories, census records and other relevant documents and artifacts.
Vacancies: 1
Tourist Development Council
Responsibilities: Must be registered Marion County voters with an interest in tourism development and must be owners or operators of lodging subject to the tourist development tax. Members make recommendations to the County Commission on the effective use of tourist development tax revenues. Non-collector responsibilities: Make recommendations to the County Commission on the effective use of tourist development tax revenues. Applicants must be registered Marion County voters with an interest in tourism development and/or be owners or operators of lodging subject to the tourist development tax. Vacancies: 3
Marion County’s Heart Experts
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People, Places and Things
From vision to legacy
The Children’s Charity Classic pairs equine sports with philanthropy and local nonprofits are the winners.
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
The second annual United Way of Marion County
Children’s Charity Classic once again merged a fun evening of equine show jumping with sponsors and supporters and ended with 10 area nonprofits receiving grants to further their programs.
The event took place Feb. 20 at the HITS Post Time Farm 13710 US Highway 27, west of Ocala. The inaugural event in 2025 featured riders and nonprofits paired under a theme of children’s books. This year’s classic showcased a theme of board games.
The idea of hosting the classic in Ocala came from United Way of Marion County Vice President of Resource Development Niki Tripodi.
According to a post-event news release, “the riders and horses competed fervently, adorned in costume. The event started with an idea from Niki and the creation of a vision for a community signature event based on our culture. There is pride among the staff and volunteers who created an identity for our United Way. In some ways, we returned to our roots. Bonnie Heath, whose horse Needles won the Kentucky Derby, was one of the founders in 1961. Hopefully, the United Way’s Children’s Classic will be a community legacy event.”
In its two years, the event has raised more than $225,000.
“Our vision for the Children’s Charity Classic will continue to grow. This year, three new charities were selected to be among the 10 beneficiaries.
Local celebrities enjoyed the evening, including professional golfer Louis Oosthuizen, from South Africa, winner of the Open Championship and many other global events. He was one of several international guests and competitors from the world circuit,” the release noted.
“The United Way of Marion County’s Children’s Charity Classic was once again inspired philanthropy from the equine community, businesses and children’s charities, providing service to our ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) residents. The second annual Children’s Charity Classic was wildly successful, filling the hearts of so many who attended. This vision for extraordinary change ensures that support from its donors, along with the Grand Prix Sponsor, HCA Florida Healthcare, which returned this year, will directly impact local children’s causes, making a tangible difference where it’s needed most,” according to United Way.
The benefiting agencies, the proceeds they earned and the games they represented this year were:
Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, $30,000,
Battleship
• Episcopal Children’s Services, $15,000, Twister
• The Pearl Project, $10,000, Scrabble
• Community Partnership Schools, $8,000, Candyland
• Strong Families, $7,500, Uno
• Grateful Hearts Educational Resource Center, $7,000, Operation CASA Marion, $6,000, Clue Cornerstone School, $5,500, Monopoly Reading Pals, $5,500, Chess SMA Healthcare, $5,500, Hungry Hungry Hippo
Total = $100,000
Kimberly’s Center also received a $15,700 bonus from fundraising during the evening, as their team finished in first place. They will receive a total of $ 45,700 thanks to Team Battleship and generous donors. E-ONE was the sponsor of Team Battleship.
“In just two short years, United Way’s Children Charity Classic has moved from a vision to a community legacy event benefiting children in Marion County. Niki Tripodi and her volunteer chair, Kourtney Corcoran, have created the classic with the motto HFP— Horses, Fun and Philanthropy,” said Robert Haight, president and CEO.
To learn more, go to uwmc.org
Photos
by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Hannah Matts, who was riding for the Battleship team, clears a jump with Larson during the Children’s Charity Classic at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala on Feb. 20, 2026.
Tracy Fenney spends some time with MTM Giovanni.
Brooke Cole, Jalisa Magoteaux, Peyton Schafer, Stephen Zedler and Susan Hall at The Pearl Project Scrabble booth.
Heidi Paulsen and her father, John Paulsen, get Eiffel ready to ride for the Scrabble team.
Riders and team members pose in the Candy Land and Twister barn area.
Nicole Jennings, riding for the Monopoly team, is thrown from her horse, Gryffyn.
Celia Mangum, 7, right, and her sister, McKenna, 4, play the Operation Grateful Hearts game.
Dorothy Douglas, riding for the Twister team, clears a jump with MTM Caepten 2.
Bob Haight, president and CEO of United Way of Marion County, with Mike Virnig of E-ONE, an event sponsor.
Shane Powell, riding for the Operation team, clears a jump with Chronograph.
Chrissy Vickers, Pebbles Vance and Mayra Usme, at their United Way UNO booth.
Mary Roth, riding for the Battleship team, clears a jump with Camporados.
SOCIAL SCENE
Outdoor Valor Warrior’s Gala
By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
The ballroom at Jumbolair was the perfect setting on Feb. 21 for the fifth annual Outdoor Valor Warrior’s Gala, which had a Great Gatsby Speakeasy theme.
The faith-based nonprofit was established in 2016 and provides help for veterans who are experiencing PTSD and depression.
According to its website, founder and executive director Matt Schwanke is a US Army combat veteran who was deployed to Iraq. He also is a boat captain.
“When PTSD and depression made the transition home heavier than expected, Matt found something real in the outdoors. Fishing and hunting became more than hobbies, they became a reset, a way to breathe again, reconnect, and build strength alongside others who understood. In 2016, he founded Outdoor Valor to bring that same lifeline to fellow veterans, combining outdoor experiences with peer connection and holistic support to help warriors reclaim hope, purpose and momentum,” the site notes.
The leadership team also includes Maj. Michael Carrasquilla, USMC retired,
president; Dr. Larry Schwanke, vice-president and founder; Terry Puckett, US Army, secretary; Matthew Flint, US Army, chaplain; and Kelly White, director.
Among the attendees at the event were former county commissioner and US Army veteran Earl Arnett, who was a combat medic in the Vietnam War era, from 1966-68, and his wife Shelia.
“It was an amazing event. Outdoor Valor’s mission is to help veterans form a community with other local veterans. Part of that mission is the Wednesday night Rally Point group. A safe place for veterans to share struggles they may be having. It’s a place where veterans can be ‘real’ with one another. A place where everyone in the room knows the fact that serving their country comes at a cost they pay for the rest of their lives. I am thankful and honored to be part of the Outdoor Valor community,” he said via a text message after the event.
To learn about all of the programs offered by the nonprofit, go to outdoorvalor.org
Sky Sadler, left, and Angela Ning, pose with Sadler’s artwork, an acrylic on canvas, that was to be auctioned off during the gala.
Shelia and Earl Arnett.
Lara and Philip Standley.
Tyler and Chrissy Kelly.
Robert and Sabrina Bull.
Roger and Tammera Hudspeth.
Dan and Deanna Eckhard.
Members of the Outdoor Valor leadership team and some of their spouses were dressed to the nines for the Great Gatsby Speakeasy themed Warrior’s Gala Jumbolair in Anthony on Feb. 21, 2026.
Earl Arnett and Mike McDonough with the Outdoor Valor offshore fishing boat.
Thomas Oldenborg, Jessica Oldenborg, Erin Kilburn and Larry Kilburn.
Matt Schwanke and CSM Lawrence Ogle.
Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
How to make the most of your local library
These venues can be valuable resources for people of all ages.
Staff report
The value of libraries has been recognized for far longer than many may realize. The Franklin Public Library, opened in 1778 in Franklin, Massachusetts, is considered the first lending library in the United States. Since then, libraries have become integral components of communities across the nation and even the globe. Residents and visitors who resolve to make the most of these venerable institutions can do so in the following ways:
• Get or renew your library card. The first step to making the most of a local library is to sign up for or renew your library card. Each member of the family, including children, can get their own card, which affords access to books on site and often additional texts and offerings the library can request from other branches.
• Acquaint yourself with all the offerings. Books may be the first thing people think of when pondering local libraries and modern branches still maintain extensive catalogs of books spanning the genres. But libraries also offer more than books. Film fans may be surprised to learn libraries typically have extensive catalogs of films that can be borrowed on DVD and some even allow movies to be streamed through library-affiliated streaming services. Libraries also offer services to adults, including seniors, and children, which can range from tax preparation tips to passport application assistance to
craft projects for youngsters.
• Utilize the research capabilities Card members have access to a wealth of resources at their local libraries, and that includes research databases like JSTOR that might require paid subscriptions if users try to access them on their own. These databases can help individuals grow their knowledge about the world they live in and prove invaluable to students young and old who are conducting research for school projects. Open doors to new career opportunities. Many libraries offer career counseling services free of charge. These can be particularly useful to prospective small business owners, recent graduates looking to
get a foot in the door in their chosen field and even mid- and late-career professionals who want a change but aren’t sure where to begin.
• Grow your social network. Not all social networks are grown online. Community-based events and programs sponsored by and hosted at local libraries can be great places to meet neighbors with similar interests.
Local libraries are more than just places to borrow a book. Residents can utilize an array of services to make the most of their local libraries.
The Marion County Public Library System has nine branches and offers a wide variety of programming.
To learn more, go to library.marionfl.org
Evaluating your screen time
There are a number of negative effects, even for adults.
Staff report
The effects of screen time are a point of frequent conversation. However, such discussions often focus on the impact of screen time on the health and well-being of children. But children are not the only age group that has to consider how much time they spend with their devices.
Many professionals spend hours on end in front of computers and those same people may spend a lot of their free time watching shows and/or scrolling social media and news stories online.
There are quite a number of negative effects of too much screen time, even for adults. The point in time when device usage is considered detrimental to adults’ health, however, is not clearly defined. Some health experts say that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day leads to a “significant improvement in well-being.” If that isn’t enough to convince adults to put down their devices, perhaps an examination of the various harmful side effects of screens might do the job.
Depression: A 2017 study published in the journal “Preventative Medicine Reports” found a significant association between television watching and computer use with moderate or severe levels of depression. Several
‘OBOE’ TAKES WIN IN MARION COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Staff report
Fifteen students battled it out the evening of Feb. 18 to become the champion of the 25th annual Marion County Spelling Bee. After nine rounds, the winning word was “oboe,” correctly spelled by Howard Middle School eighth grader Elias Javelona, who already qualified online to compete in the regional spelling bee next month. He also competed in Washington, D.C., last year at the Scripps National Spelling Bee and hopes to do the same this May, the news release from Marion County Public Schools noted.
This year’s runner up is Sophia Gonzalez, an eighth grader from Blessed Trinity Catholic School.
Allyson Werkheiser, an eighth grader at Fort McCoy School, also qualified online and can compete at the regional level.
For 25 years, MCPS has partnered with the Women’s Club of Ocala to make the Marion County Spelling Bee possible, the release stated. This year’s competition was recorded live and will be available on the MCPS YouTube Channel (@MarionCountyK12) starting April 1. The delayed showing maintains the integrity of the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s word list, according to the release.
studies also have found a positive association between screen time and depression in adolescents.
Eye strain: Looking at screens can impact eye health. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the 20-20-20 rule for adults who work on a computer. This rule says that individuals look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes of the day.
Neck and back pain: Time spent sitting at a desk or on a phone and looking down adversely affects the body. This places strain on the neck, shoulders and back. In fact, many health care providers refer to the condition as “tech neck.” Pain can occur and the risk for severe musculoskeletal issues can increase when these positions are held for too long, according to Reid Health.
Cognitive changes: A 2020 study in Science Direct found that adults who have been diagnosed with smartphone addiction had problems with the part of their brains responsible for transmitting messages. Such adults also exhibited reduced cognitive performance. In addition, Stanford Lifestyle Medicine reports adults who watched television for five hours or more per day had an increased risk of developing brain-related diseases like dementia, stroke or Parkinson’s.
Reduced physical activity: People who spend too much time on screens may be less likely to engage in
PORTRAITS IN PASSING
physical activity, such as going on walks, working in the garden, playing sports or engaging in active hobby projects. A sedentary lifestyle is linked to various health implications, such as increased risk for obesity and the health problems that come with being overweight.
Impact sleep: The JAMA Network reports that among a cross-sectional analysis of 122,058 participants in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-3, screen use was associated with decreased sleep duration and worse self-reported sleep quality. Electronic screen use before bed can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to poorer sleep.
Screen time is not just a concern for children. Adults should moderate screen usage to safeguard themselves from an assortment of negative, device-related outcomes.
(pictured) “Abandoned,” 2021, Ann E. Kozeliski (American, b. 1954), Chinese brush painting on Double Xuan using eastern watercolors and Japanese “Sumi” ink, On loan from the artist.
2026 Marion County Spelling Bee champion Elias Javelona, Interim Superintendent of Schools Danielle Brewer and runner up Sophia Gonzalez. [Photo courtesy MCPS]
The Marion County Public Library Headquarters is at 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette file photo]
[Stock image]
Mastering the medium
Noted model ship builder from Ocala will speak in Dunnellon on March 7.
By Margo Wilson Special to the Gazette
Like some novelists, historians, filmmakers and composers, Vic Lehner, 83, of Ocala can take three to four years to create his art.
His to-scale models of such historic ships as the HMS Bounty, Le Gros Ventre and Cutty Sark are considered museum quality because of their detail, historical accuracy, materials and success in staying true to scale. When for sale, they can command prices in the five-figure range.
Lehner will bring some of his model ships to the Rainbow Springs Art in Dunnellon gallery on March 7, when he speaks at noon on “Model Shipbuilding: Art for Those Who Love a Challenge.”
At the same time, the gallery is sponsoring a “Wonders of Wood” exhibit that also opens March 7 and runs through April 3. Area wood artists are invited to participate in the show by dropping off wood pieces at the gallery from March 4-6. Applications are at the gallery and on its website. The entry fee is $20 for one piece or $30 for two. A $150 People’s Choice Award will be given.
Lehner is an old salt at building model ships, although he’s not a sailor but a former MP in the U.S. Army. He grew up in Chicago and had experience with model trains and planes. Then, one day, he visited the Chicago Maritime Museum, saw some model ships and told himself, “I can do that.”
He was hooked. He started out with a simple kit model and his skills and interests evolved from there. Today, he says his specialty is 18th century ship models and he builds ships from scratch with some modifications. For example, he doesn’t build the rigging’s pulley system, nor does he turn brass. He buys the rigging, although he blackens it himself.
He explained that a ship’s standing rigging supports such things as the mast and is tarred to protect it from the weather. Other rigging, the running rigging, raises and lowers the yardarm and sails and is left natural so the rope can move smoothly.
To get started building a model from scratch, Lehner researches the original ship, trying to locate blueprints. For the ship he’s building now, the
Royal Yacht Caroline from 1749, he couldn’t find a cutaway image, showing the interior of the ship. So, he’s free to use his imagination, as well as his research, to design the ship’s innards. He’s building the ship from boxwood, pear, ebony and probably ash wood. It will be about 55-to-56 inches long when finished. It will include cannons, water barrels and its own service boats.
Lehner has built model ships
since his youth, but as an adult, he also started crafting wooden jewelry and other boxes. He uses a technique in which the inset wood that makes patterns is not just inlaid but extends the full depth of the surrounding wood.
Before he retired, Lehner oversaw the Southeast food service territory for the W.K. Kellogg Co., a region that included Georgia, Florida and as far west as Texas. Lehner’s team sold Kellogg’s products
to everything from submarines to prisons to school districts. And during this time, he started creating his intricate boxes.
One year, an acquaintance bought many of Lehner’s boxes as Christmas gifts for customers and Lehner decided that when he retired, he’d sell the boxes at art shows.
He said Florida hosts many of the nation’s art shows, so he and his late wife, Mary, decided to move here and join the art show circuit. From 2000 to 2005, they exhibited their work until one dark morning, as the Lehners set up their tent in Jupiter while it drizzled, Vic said to Mary, “This isn’t fun anymore.” And she agreed.
Today, Lehner exhibits his boxes at the Raiford Gallery in Roswell, Ga. He said he’s built more than 500 boxes.
And he continues working on his ships. He also is a hospice volunteer
For those who might be interested in pursuing model shipbuilding, he recommends starting with a small and easy
project from a kit.
“Start with something simple, and that you really like,” he said.
It’s important to like the project because, even though it’s built from a kit, it may take up to a year to complete, he said. If a model ship is built from scratch, the project can take three-tofour years, with an additional six months or more for research.
Why does Lehner find it worthwhile to put in all this time?
“It’s the most challenging thing I can think of doing,” he said. “It keeps off Alzheimer’s. It gives me a purpose. It’s a reason to get up in the morning. And I get exercise doing it.”
Rainbow Springs Art in Dunnellon gallery is at 20826 Walnut St. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays and Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To learn more, visit rainbowspringsart.com or call (352) 763-4048.
Ocala sculpture competition winners announced
Staff report
Asculptor from Louisiana took the top honor in the 2026-27 Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition.
The biennial exhibition showcases works of art in Tuscawilla Park at 800 NE Sanchez Ave. and the Tuscawilla Art Park at 213 NE Fifth St., Ocala.
The competition is presented in partnership with the Appleton Museum of Art. Ten artists from around the nation were competing this year.
This year’s award recipients and prize amounts, which were announced publicly on Feb. 21 during the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll event, are:
• Best of Show ($2,000): “Red Queen” by Russell Whiting, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
• Second Place
($1,000): “Riverbank IV” by Kyle Van Lusk, Brevard, North Carolina
Honorable Mention
($500) and People’s Choice
($1,000): “Fully Realized” by Jack Howard-Potter, New York, New York
To enhance the exhibition experience, the city of Ocala has released a free educational scavenger hunt brochure.
“Designed as a fun, familyfriendly activity, the scavenger hunt encourages participants of all ages to explore the artwork more closely while learning about the featured artists and sculptures,” the news release noted.
The public is invited to participate during daylight hours at both parks. Completed brochures may be redeemed for free one-day family admission to the Appleton Museum of Art for up to two adults and three children.
Scavenger hunt brochures are available at: • Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez
Vic Lehner of Ocala shows a blueprint of part of the French Navy ship, Le Gros Ventre.
The Confederacy is a model of an American Revolutionary War ship, built in 1778-’79 and captured by the British in 1782. Vic Lehner of Ocala built this model.
Vic Lehner built this model of Le Gros Ventre, a French Navy ship that was ordered in 1766.
Model shipbuilder Vic Lehner of Ocala uses everything from large woodworking equipment to cut and plane wood, to tweezers to position small items and curling irons to bend wood.
Vic Lehner of Ocala has built more than 500 finely crafted wooden boxes.
“Red Queen” by Russell Whiting “Riverbank IV” by Kyle Van Lusk
“Fully Realized” by Jack Howard-Potter
Photos by Margo Wilson
OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF RAY A. CATES, JR.; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, JR., WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; RAY A. CATES, III; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, III, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; HOLLY STEVENS; HEATHER BARRY; JONATHAN BUFFINGTON; and REBECCA BECKLER, Defendants.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 2026-399-CP IN RE: THE ESTATE OF DOROTHEA R. MASCOW, Deceased./ NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of DOROTHEA R. MASCOW, deceased, whose date of death was December 21 , 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 Northwest First Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent or the decedent’s surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in sections 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under section 732.2211, Florida Statutes. All creditors of the decedent, and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS AND DEMANDS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of the first publication of this Notice is February 27, 2026
Personal Representative: CAROLYN J. MASCOW 3316 NW 46 th Court Ocala, FL 34482
the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 3RD day of FEBRUARY, 2026.
Attorney for Personal Representative: JANET W. BEHNKE Florida Bar No. 135969 Janet W. Behnke, P.A. 500 NE 8 th Avenue Ocala, FL 34470 Phone: (352) 732-6464 janet@behnkelaw.net
THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA ARLENE SUE LEDFORD, Plaintiff, V. CATES ENTERPRISES, INC., a Florida for-profit Corporation; ESTATE OF RAY A. CATES, SR.; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, ANDAGAINST
RAY A. CATES, SR., WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF ELLEN EARTHMAN CATES; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST ELLEN EARTHMAN CATES, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF RAY A. CATES, JR.; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, JR., WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; RAY A. CATES, III; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, III, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES
MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; HOLLY STEVENS; HEATHER BARRY; JONATHAN BUFFINGTON; and REBECCA BECKLER, Defendants. Case No.: 2024-CA-1277
NOTICE OF ACTION To the following Defendant: Ray A Cates, III. Last known address: 2024 SE 8th Street, Ocala, Florida 34471 Current address: Unknown. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a lawsuit has been filed against you regarding the following described Real Property: Lot 24, MAGNOLIA PLACE, according to the Plat thereof recorded in the Public Records of Marion County, Florida. Parcel ID: 2825-000-024
You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses to this action, if any, on Daniel J. Raymer, counsel for Plaintiffs, whose address is 445 NE 8th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470 on/or before MARCH 20TH, 2026
The original must be filed with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff's attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 3rd day of FEBRUARY, 2026.
THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA ARLENE SUE LEDFORD, Plaintiff, V. CATES ENTERPRISES, INC., a Florida for-profit Corporation; ESTATE OF RAY A. CATES, SR.; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, ANDAGAINST RAY A. CATES, SR., WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF ELLEN EARTHMAN CATES; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST ELLEN EARTHMAN CATES, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF RAY A. CATES, JR.; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, JR., WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; RAY A. CATES, III; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST RAY A. CATES, III, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; ESTATE OF MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON; ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER, AND AGAINST MARTHA LOUISE CATES BUFFINGTON, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, OR CLAIMANTS; HOLLY STEVENS; HEATHER BARRY; JONATHAN BUFFINGTON; and REBECCA BECKLER, Defendants. Case No.: 2024-CA-1277
NOTICE OF ACTION
To the following Defendant: Estate of Ray A. Cates, Jr.. Last known address: 2024 SE 8th Street, Ocala, Florida 34471. Current address: Unknown YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a lawsuit has been filed against you regarding the following described Real Property: Lot 24, MAGNOLIA PLACE, according to the Plat thereof recorded in the Public Records of Marion County, Florida. Parcel ID: 2825-000-024
You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses to this action, if any, on Daniel J. Raymer, counsel for Plaintiffs, whose address is 445 NE 8th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34470 on/or before MARCH 20TH, 2026. The original must be filed with the clerk of this court either before service on Plaintiff's attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint filed herein. Dated this 3rd day of FEBRUARY, 2026.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. IN RE: THE ESTATE OF MARY L. NEALY, Deceased. CASE NO: 2026-CP-326 NOTICE TO CREDITORS The name of the decedent, the designation of the court in which the administration of this estate is pending, and the file number are indicated above. The address of the court is 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are indicated below.
If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with the court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. EVEN IF A CLAIM IS NOT BARRED BY THE LIMITATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALL CLAIMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN FILED WILL BE BARRED TWO YEARS AFTER DECEDENT’S DEATH.
The date of death of the decedent is: January 8, 2026. The date of first publication of this Notice is February 20, 2026. The personal representative or curator has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent’s death by the decedent, or the decedent’s surviving spouse, is property to which
Government
MARCH 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Marion County Development Review Office of County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala
9am
The committee meets each Monday to review and vote on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans and subdivision plans. See marion.fl.legistar.com/ calendar.aspx for agenda and minutes.
MARCH 3 AND 17
Marion County Board of County Commissioners
McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala
9am
The commission meets the first and third Tuesday of the month. Agendas, minutes and video are available at marionfl.legistar.com/ calendar.aspx
Ocala City Council
Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala
4pm
The council meets each first and third Tuesday of the month. Agendas and minutes are
Arts
FEB. 28
Sister Hazel and Keller Williams Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala
available at ocala.legistar.com/calendar.aspx
Belleview City Commission Belleview City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview
6pm
The commission meets the first and third Tuesday of the month. Agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/ agendas-minutes
MARCH 10 AND 24
Marion County School Board 1614 E Fort King St., Ocala
5:30pm The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Agendas and minutes are available at go.boarddocs.com/fl/marion/ board.nsf/public
MARCH 11
Dunnellon City Council
Dunnellon City Hall, 20750 River Dr., Dunnellon
5:30pm The council generally meets the second Wednesday of the month. Agendas, minutes and video are available at dunnellon.granicus. com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1
7:30pm Celebrate the Reilly’s 10th birthday with music featuring platinum-selling favorites Sister Hazel and genre-bending singer-songwriter Keller Williams. Learn more at reillyartscenter.com
MARCH 1
Music Box 3: Kristen Stone and the Flutes of the Ocala Symphony NOMA Black Box at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala
3pm This is an intimate evening of chamber music featuring principal flute Kristen Stoner and OSO flutists Dylan King, Emily Theobald and Karissa McKinney. Learn more at reillyartscenter.com
THROUGH MARCH 5
“Manifest” exhibition
CF Webber Gallery, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala
Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm
The collaborative exhibition features works by Georgia-based artists Craig Hawkins and Matt Armstrong. For more information, call (352) 854-2322, ext. 1664.
MARCH 6
An Evening with Jake Shimabukuro
Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala
7:30pm The ukulele virtuoso takes the stage with his dynamic style that has captivated audiences worldwide, from viral fame to performances at some of the world’s most renowned venues. Get details at reillyartscenter.com
MARCH 7
Opening Reception of “Sideshow” exhibit by Esta Mann Shapot Art Gallery, 2318 NE 8th Road, Ocala
6-9pm Opening of a circus-themed art exhibit, which includes 23 paintings by Mann, art installations, performances, food and beverages. Get more details at jordanshapot.com
Free First Saturday Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala
10am-5pm
Admission is free to view special and permanent exhibits, create in the Art Space and more, including a 2pm talk by David Morton, “Silver Springs on the Silver Screen,” discussing Florida’s springs and their unique role in shaping the American motion picture industry. Learn more at appletonmuseum.org
MARCH 7 (AND MORE)
Spring art classes for teens
Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Times below
For teens ages 13-17, beginning March 7, is the six-week Wheel Throwing and Hand Building class. The class meets from 2-4 p.m. March 7, 14, 28 and April 4, 11, and 18. A three-hour session with artist-instructor Lisa Russo to explore portraiture is set for 1-4pm May 2. To learn more or register, visit appletonmuseum.org
Community
MARCH 1
Ocala Polo Winter Season 2026 Florida Horse Park, 11008 County Road 475 Ocala Times may vary Tailgating at polo is the perfect venue to enjoy our amazing equine athletes with your family and friends. Pack a picnic and bring your favorite beverages or visit a food truck on site. The winter season runs from December to March, with matches most Sundays at 1 p.m. For details, go to ocalapolo.com
MARCH 3, 12 AND 20
America 250 programming
Master the Possibilities, 8415 SW 80th St., Ocala Times vary Master the Possibilities invites the community to explore history, culture, innovation and the arts through visiting speakers and special events. For more information or to register, visit masterthepossibilities. org.
FEB. 29
Arts in Health Ocala Metro Savor the Arts Dinner Historic Roger’s Family Farm, 16251 SE 27th Place Road, Ocklawaha
4pm The culinary and artistic experience is set against the backdrop of the fifth generation citrus and cattle farm. The menu is anchored by grass fed Fort McCoy beef. Each course will be complemented by wines from Stella’s Modern Pantry. AIHOM music practitioners will offer melodic vocals and instrumental pieces. An artist practitioner will paint live. Proceeds support Arts in Health Ocala Metro programs. Get tickets at aihocala.org/savor-the-arts-fundraiser or call (352) 723-5444.
MARCH 3
King of the Wing
Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2228 NE Jacksonville Road. Ocala
5-8pm
Join the Marion County Building Industry Association for its annual fundraiser. The cooking competition brings together businesses and organizations for flavorful fun, music and more, all supporting The Arc of Marion. Get tickets at mcbia.org/king-of-the-wing
MARCH 4
Burnyzz & Gatornationals Fanfest Car Show
Burnyzz Speed Shop 1 Aspen Road, Ocala
6-9pm
This fan-focused celebration is a chance to get up close with the excitement of NHRA Gatornationals and includes autographs from drivers, car show with trophies, music, kids zone and more. To learn more, call (352) 307-1968.
MARCH 5-7
Santos Fat Tire Festival 2026
3080 SE 80th St., Ocala Times vary The event is hosted by Ocala Mountain Bike Association in partnership with Florida State Parks and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It features rides, camping, vendor village, food trucks and skills clinics. Visit santosfattire.com for details.
MARCH 6
First Friday Art Walk Downtown Ocala
6-9pm
Take a musical trip through time O-Town Motown. The night will a dance performance by Dance by Sheila,
followed by a dance lesson. There will be more than 40 visual art displays, restaurants will offer extended hours and there will be a vintage car show by the Ocala Street Cruisers. Learn more at ocalafl.gov
MARCH 7
Habitat Ocala Strawberry Festival McPherson Government Complex, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala
9am-5pm
The festival will include more than 235 vendors, a kid’s zone with a petting zoo, strawberry food items, a vehicle show, a pie-eating contest, a BMX show and live entertainment. Many nonprofits will have vendor booths. Proceeds will be used to build a new home for low-income families. Learn more at habitatocala.org/ strawberry
Orange-A-Fair
Citra Community Center 2351 E. Highway 318 Citra 10am-4pm
The 15th annual event celebrates Citra’s agricultural heritage while raising funds for the Citra Historic Museum. Antique and collectible vendors, natural crafts, livestock and agricultural shows, Citra’s own “Old Time Agriculture Reminiscers”, bluegrass music, a car show, a fish fry contest and citrus cook off. For more information visit citraimprovementsociety.org
Night at the Farm
CF Vintage Barn, 4020 S.E. Third Ave., Ocala. 6pm
The College of Central Florida Foundation will host its annual fundraising gala and proceeds will help create scholarship opportunities for CF students. Farm freshinspired menu of heavy hors d’oeuvres and signature drinks, with live instrumental music. To learn more, go to nightatthefarm.org or call (352) 873-5808.
MARCH 7-8
Florida Springs Fest
Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd. Ocala 10am-4pm
Meet an expert, go for a garden stroll or take a hike, ride your bike, paddle the Silver River, glass-bottom boat tours (additional fee, reservations recommended ), food and drinks, exhibitors, fun activities, ranger programs, vendors and local artists. $2 park admission. Learn more at thefriendsofsilversprings.org
MARCH 12-15
Live Oak International Live Oak Plantation, 2215 SW 110th Ave, Ocala Times vary The three-day event includes numerous equine competitions, including driving and show jumping. Learn more at liveoakinternational.com
MARCH 14-15
Marion County Master Gardeners Spring Festival Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala Saturday, 8am-4pm; Sunday, 9am-4pm One of the largest plant sales and educational expos in the region. Vendors, seminars, kids zone and more. $3 per person entry fee, children 12 and under free. Free parking. Learn more at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/events
MARCH 19
Better Together job fair
Shiloh SDA Church, 500 SW 17th Ave., Ocala 11am-2pm Better Together is a nonprofit on a mission to build strong families and communities. Registration is now open for job seekers and employers to participate in the event. Free one-on-one job coaching sessions available to participants to review resumes and additional services available onsite. Register by texing “JOBS” to 844-987-3949.
MARCH 8
Rat Pack Together Again
Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St. Ocala 3pm Step back in time with a high-energy tribute celebrating the music and swagger of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Timeless songs, big band swing and classic comedy. Learn more at reillyartscenter.com
MARCH 10
CF International Film Series: “Across the Universe”
Appleton Museum and CF campus
As part of the CF Ira Holmes International Film Series, this jukebox musical stars Evan Rachel Wood as a 1960s activist and features 33 Beatles songs with performances by rock icons Joe Cocker and Bono. 2pm at the Appleton Museum (fee required). 7pm at Bld. 8 Ira Holmes Classroom, CF Ocala Campus (free). Get details at appletonmuseum.org/event/cf-internationalfilm-series-across-the-universe
MARCH 12-29
Steel Magnolias
Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd. Ocala Times vary In 1980s Louisiana, Truvy’s beauty salon is a second
home to half a dozen women with a bond stronger than Aqua Net. When these ladies get together, the hair and humor are always high. And when blushing bride Shelby needs them most, the circle comes together through seasons of abiding friendship, love and support. This dramatic comedy is a beloved classic. Get tickets at ocalacivictheatre.com
MARCH 14
Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Band Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St. Ocala 7:30pm
This high energy performance delivers all the iconic hits you know and love and will have you on your feet clapping, singing and dancing. Get tickets at reillyartscenter.com
THROUGH JUNE 21
‘Portraits in Passing: Contemporary Chinese Brush Painting by A.E. Kozeliski’ Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Times vary Rooted in the ancient traditions of Chinese brush painting, Kozeliski’s process draws on the discipline’s four foundational strokes, techniques that require mastery of brush pressure, water-ink balance and handmade paper selection. For more information, visit appletonmuseum.org.
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 Robert Harling
Gasoline Alley
Broom Hilda
Middletons
Animal Crackers
