VOLUME 6 ISSUE 50
70th annual Ocala Christmas Parade
$3
Pg B1 December 19 - 25, 2025
A ‘Home for the Holidays’
Sheriff’s pressure for expanded school K-9 searches yields scant results By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@OcalaGazette.com
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Bentley Flieger, 2, gets excited as Santa Claus enters the courtroom as he sits with his mother, Andrea Flieger and the rest of his adoptive family during the Home for the Holidays adoption event at the Marion County Judicial Center on Dec. 12, 2025. [ Photos Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
Eighteen children were adopted during the annual event at the Marion County courthouse.
Robert Shaw, 7, gives Santa Claus a hug and kiss.
Staff report
E
ighteen children found permanent homes Friday during the annual Home for the Holidays adoption event at the Marion County Judicial Center.
Theo Roman, 2, gets a kiss from his adoptive mother, Yashira Roman.
Sophia Zayas, 11 months, sits with her adoptive mother, Rosie Zayas.
Circuit Judge Stacy Youmans presided over the adoptions on Dec. 12, finalizing each case in a courtroom decorated for the holidays. The event included a group adoption ceremony in which adoptive parents made vows and promises, and each child’s adoption was legally completed.
As part of the ceremony, Youmans read “Little Red Sleigh,” a children’s book about having the courage to reach for your dreams, with a little help from your friends, to the families and children gathered in the See Home, page A3
hen Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods publicly accused school district leaders in September of blocking his office from using gun-detection dogs in elementary schools, the claim set off a political firestorm and prompted district officials to revisit their search policies. Less than two months later, Woods got the policy he sought. Interim Schools Superintendent Danielle Brewer implemented a new administrative search policy authorizing random firearm- and drugdetection dog searches in elementary schools serving grades 3–5, expanding a program that had previously applied only to middle and high schools. But administrative search logs obtained by the “Gazette” show that even before the expansion — and after it — the sheriff ’s office has conducted relatively few K-9 searches, with little to show for them.
A POLICY EXPANSION WITHOUT A PUBLIC WORKSHOP
The new policy took effect without the public work session that school board leaders said would occur. On Sept. 18, days after Woods’ emotional video, School Board Chair Lori Conrad said the district would convene a public workshop so all stakeholders could discuss whether elementary searches were appropriate. Brewer told board members she would reconvene the district’s safety group to evaluate the issue. That workshop was never scheduled. Instead, Brewer exercised her authority as superintendent and implemented Administrative Search Procedures ap5771.01, which explicitly allow random administrative searches at elementary schools for grades 3–5 and authorize the use of firearmand drug-detection dogs. See Sheriff ’s pressure page A4
Santas vs. Elves double-header
Ocala Roller Derby event delivers holiday cheer and support for local food insecurity. By Jamie Berube jamie@ocalagazette.com
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kate Mania echoed with jingle bells and hardhitting blocks on Dec. 14 as Ocala Roller Derby hosted its beloved Santas vs. Elves double-header scrimmage, uniting Florida skaters for festive fun and a heartfelt cause. The holiday event mixed
skaters from across Florida for thrilling action and to support local food insecurity efforts. The league continued its longstanding holiday tradition by inviting skaters statewide for mixed-team scrimmages themed Santas vs. Elves, primarily to collect food donations and door proceeds. The donations and proceeds will go to Veterans Helping Veterans, a local nonprofit that provides
emergency assistance to anyone facing hunger or hardship. More than a typical bout, the event mixed players from Ocala, Gainesville, Jacksonville, DeLand, Lakeland and other leagues onto two themed rosters: Team Santa and Team Elves. According to the league’s Director of Training, Jackie See Roller Derby, page A10
Skaters from the Santas team and the Elves team battle for position on the floor. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
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INSIDE:
Legacies of Love............................ A5 Wreaths for vets............................ A7 Book launch................................... B2 Holiday traditions......................... B3 Calendar......................................... B8
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