OG Digital Edition 10-10-2025

Centennial celebration

Osceola Middle School, formerly Ocala High School,

has been a key part of the community for 100 years.

By Scott Mitchell Special to the Gazette

Osceola Middle School celebrated its 100th year on Oct. 2. The event saw a large turnout, with current and former staff and students, families, local dignitaries and members of the community in attendance. It was gathering that surely would make the original 1925 staff and students very proud.

The evening was full of activities and old friends reminiscing. Former students spanning several generations mingled and reminisced. There were retired teachers like Elaine Tucci and Marianne Marcoux, who both taught gifted classes at the school, two former Marion County School District superintendents (Jim Yancey and George Tomyn) and longtime former school principal John McCollum. Prominent schools in a community the size of Ocala don’t turn 100 often. When they do, it is a significant event.

Current students took the lead for much of the evening. Osceola Middle School and

Forest High School band members joined together to play 1925-style music in the courtyard. Other Osceola students served food from the same era, greeted guests and handed out programs.

One room was converted into an original classroom with antique school desks from the Silver River Museum. Historical interpreter Dee Collier portrayed a teacher from the 1920s and “taught” student actors with help from the Ocala Civic Theatre. Guests could take part in the lessons, and the room saw a steady flow of visitors.

Another classroom became a museum for the evening, with exhibits of school memorabilia. The display was organized by Adam Sines, who volunteers with Mainstreet Ocala, with assistance from the Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology. Old yearbooks, photographs, a 1950s physical education uniform and the original gymnasium scoreboard and clock were just a few of the objects on display. A vintage hand-crank phonograph even played a 1920s record with exercise instructions.

School principal Renee Johnson, who did an outstanding job planning and hosting the celebration, officiated a presentation in the newly renovated auditorium. This included several guest speakers and a special video created by students documenting why the school is special. Matthew Grow, president of the Historic Ocala Preservation Society, also presented a centennial recognition plaque noting the significance of the school.

Comments by Interim Superintendent of Schools Danielle Brewer and Johnson highlighted the history of the school, its strong connection to the community and recent upgrades to the buildings. Renovations include work on the roofing system, HVAC improvements, a new 12,000 square foot cafeteria and a modern gymnasium, which is set to open soon.

Brewer also pointed out that, “Though the physical campus has undergone renovations and new construction through the years, Osceola’s traditions and pursuit of excellence has remained intact.”

See Centennial celebration, page A10

Ticket revenue doesn’t cover the rising costs of school sports

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Last week, the Marion County School District hosted four home football games, and the cost of security alone totaled roughly $5,700.

Interim Superintendent Danielle Brewer described that as “a light week.” The district paid the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for 22 deputies — four each at Belleview, Dunnellon and Lake Weir high schools, and 10 at North Marion High School for its rivalry matchup against Vanguard. These after-hour security costs are in addition to the $4.9 million the district pays Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Belleview and Ocala Police departments for school resource officerswhose duty ends when the school day ends.

Two years ago, prices were raised for admission events athletic tickets to cover the increasing costs of officials who govern the game, but rising security expenses, as well as transportation costs to games

See Ticket revenue page A7

Sheriff installs grievance drop boxes at the jail

The move came after Disability Rights Florida requested the remedy.

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has begun installing secure grievance drop boxes in the jail following an order from Disability Rights Florida, which raised concerns that inmates—particularly those with disabilities—were being blocked from filing medical and other complaints.

According to jail policy, formal grievances must now be placed into “a secured grievance box located in each housing unit,” with zone sergeants required to check the boxes each shift.

Records show the sheriff’s office purchased the boxes this summer from Amazon. A June 2025 requisition lists two “Architectural Mailboxes Aspen Locking, Vertical Wall-Mounted Mailboxes” at a total cost of $43.60.

In emails exchanged with Disability Rights Florida, jail officials confirmed the drop boxes were delivered and installed by August.

“The drop boxes were delivered and installed! Our jail captains are just working on finalizing the policy, then they’ll begin using them,” wrote Marissa Duquette, general counsel for the sheriff’s office, on Aug. 19.

While the installation of drop boxes addresses the access part of filing grievances, the “Gazette’s” review of the grievance policy shows several areas where inmate complaints could still be lost, delayed or rerouted:

• Staff gatekeeping: Inmates must request forms from deputies or sergeants, and sergeants decide whether an inmate has tried “informal resolution” before allowing a formal grievance. That creates a risk of blocking complaints at the outset.

Multiple handoffs: A grievance passes through several levels of staff before reaching the

Bill Cotterell: Ending property taxes sounds too good

Slashing property taxes is politically tempting, but it poses practical problems, our Capitol Columnist writes.

By Bill Cotterell

The News Service of Florida

There is probably nothing any officeholder likes more in an election year than a chance to cut taxes, a treat that will tempt Florida lawmakers in their 2026 legislative session.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans have been promoting the idea of doing away with property taxes for homeowners, or at least severely lowering them. It’s still in the talking and costingout stage and anything they come up with would have to go on next year’s ballot, but what politician wouldn’t want to share that ballot beside a major tax cut?

Nobody likes taxes, and a levy on your house is especially distasteful. Millage caps and added exemptions come up from time to time, always framed as longoverdue relief for poor widows and worthy veterans.

Republicans going back to Marco Rubio, when he was House speaker from 2006 to 2008, have persuasively argued that you never really own your home if you have to pay the local government every year. Rubio proposed reducing property taxes to their 2001 levels—a five-year rollback at the time—but all he wound up with was an increase in the homestead exemption. Instead of just exempting the first $25,000 in value of a home, the portion valued between $50,000 and $75,000 also was made exempt.

Not bad. But Florida is not a high-tax state, regardless of what legislative candidates will tell you. Strategically tempting though it may be, abolishing property taxes poses a pair of practical problems.

First, local governments need to provide public schools, police and fire services and roads, just to name some big-ticket stuff. Another source of money— probably the sales tax—would have

properties.

“You have wealthy people who stay here three months a year. I’d rather Floridians pay less, and they pay the taxes—why would we not want to look out for our own?” he said.

Best of all, those snowbirds don’t vote in Florida—so tax ‘em. But it’s doubtful there are enough wealthy Yankees wintering down here to offset our property taxes, or a major chunk of it.

The Florida Policy Institute, an Orlando-based organization, delved into preliminary data from the Department of Revenue and estimated that untaxing homesteaded properties would lead to counties and school districts losing about $7.8 billion each and cities having to replace some $3 billion.

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

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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to be raised to replace the revenue.

Second, that’s regressive. The more luxurious your home, the higher your property taxes— generally speaking—and the more humble your abode, the less you pay. There are exceptions and anomalies, but the working family is normally going to pay less than the retiree with a Mercedes in the driveway.

The trouble is, the sales tax bears no relation to your ability to pay.

There’s also a logical flaw in the professed GOP belief that you never truly own your home if you have to pay taxes on it. It’s not a penalty. You’re paying to maintain cops on the beat, libraries for everybody, to fix potholes. You don’t want to support schools because you have no children in them? Well, don’t you want to live in an educated community?

The governor says Florida has one unique advantage in junking the levy.

“When you talk about the property tax, we’re probably the only state in the country that could pull it off,” DeSantis recently said, pointing to snowbirds who pay taxes on non-homesteaded

Grievance drop boxes

Continued from page A1

Administrative Lieutenant, creating opportunities for paperwork to be misplaced or delayed.

Paper-only tracking: Inmates get a “yellow copy” as proof of filing, but without digital timestamps or independent logging, there is no transparent way to verify when or if a grievance was filed.

• Returns for formatting: Grievances can be returned for issues like containing more than one complaint or not following the proper format. While the policy says grievances cannot be “denied,” a returned form effectively delays or discourages inmates from pursuing their concerns

Short deadlines: Inmates have 30 days to file and just three business days to appeal, which may be difficult for those with disabilities or literacy barriers.

Box collection oversight: Zone sergeants, who may themselves be named in grievances, are tasked with collecting forms from the locked boxes, leaving questions about independent oversight.

Disability Rights Florida said it plans to review the jail’s data in six months.

The Tallahassee-based Florida TaxWatch made a similar projection based on last year’s local taxes.

Meanwhile, state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia has been spotlighting what he considers waste and reckless spending by local governments— sort of a state-level Department Of Government Efficiency operation like the one Elon Musk ran in Washington. Ingoglia, who happens to be up for election next year, and DeSantis, who appointed him to the Cabinet job, have dubbed this effort the “Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight” or FAFO—an acronym with a coy meaning in social media.

It’s all so tempting, so much fun, this waging war on taxes. Offer me a tax cut and you’ve got my attention and, once you’ve got my attention, my vote follows.

In an election year, that’s a can’t-miss proposition.

Bill Cotterell is a retired Capitol reporter for United Press International and the Tallahassee Democrat. He can be reached at wrcott43@aol.com

“We plan to follow up with the Marion County Jail in six (6) months to review the grievance data and assess the effectiveness of the drop boxes,” wrote staff attorney Annette Scott-Smith on Aug. 25 to Duquette.

When asked why the sheriff’s office opted for paper drop boxes instead of electronic kiosks for grievance filing, the sheriff’s legal counsel wrote back, “Our agency is not required to answer your questions.”

One week under the new policy, Duquette said there was

no grievance data to provide in response to a records request. The grievance overhaul comes as the jail faces increased scrutiny over the unusually high number of in-custody deaths at the Marion County jail, lack of accountability under the $14 million contract for inmate care with the Heart of Florida Health Center, and a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former medical liaison Mary Coy, who alleged inmates’ complaints of inadequate care were routinely ignored.

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CHILDREN’S CHARITY CLASSIC RETURNS IN 2026

The Inaugural United Way of Marion County’s Children’s Charity Classic at the HITS Post Time Farm raised $100,000 for local organizations. Building on this success, the second annual Children’s Charity Classic will take place at the HITS complex west of Ocala on Feb. 20, 2026.

United Way is accepting applications from organizations serving children in Marion County. Applications are due by Nov. 5.

To learn more, local agencies that serve children in Marion County can visit uwmc.org/childrens-charityclassic

CF HONORED WITH FARM BUREAU AWARD

The College of Central Florida Vintage Farm Campus is the 2025 Marion County recipient of the Florida Farm Bureau CARES (County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship) award.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

The award was presented at the bureau’s annual meeting in September in recognition of the farm’s best management practices, which include being an efficient producer and good steward of its 103 acres.

“This award recognizes our ongoing commitment to protecting agricultural land and reflects the very morals and ethics that our programs not only instill in future agriculture and equine professionals but also embody in our daily work,” said John D. Ash, dean of Business, Technology and Agricultural Sciences, in the news release.

LEADERSHIP CHANGES FOR VOCAL

The Voices of Change Animal League (VOCAL) has announced that co-founder Kate Rengel has been appointed executive director.

Rengel has more than 12 years of experience in animal welfare, including the past decade spent building VOCAL alongside fellow founders Lauren Carpenter and Linda Norman. She graduated cum laude from Florida State University with a degree in finance, the news release stated.

Carpenter has been named board president. She succeeds Norman, who has served in that position for

the past 10 years. Norman will remain an active board member and has taken on the role of development director while the organization searches for a permanent hire.

SOUTH MARION HIGH RECEIVES FDOE GRANT

South Marion High School, the newest public high school in Marion County, will offer an artificial intelligence program when it opens next August. Florida Department of Education officials recently announced that the school is among 49 projects statewide that will receive $40 million through the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program. These dollars expand workforce education programs focusing on in-demand industries, noted the Marion County Public Schools news release.

The grant for $259,635 will help build a highly skilled workforce by equipping students with skills needed to excel in Florida’s priority industries including hands-on training in high-demand industries, according to FDOE.

South Marion is under construction near Marion Oaks in Southwest Marion County. When it opens, the school also will offer other specialized programs such as avionics, digital cinema productions, entrepreneurship, agribusiness and more.

70th annual bull sale set for Oct. 14

The Marion County Cattlemen’s Association event is the oldest continuous graded bull sale in the nation.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

he 70th annual Ocala

TGraded Bull Sale is coming up on Oct. 14 at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion. The event is hosted by the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association and brings in buyers and sellers from around the country. The sale has the distinction of being the oldest continuous graded bull sale in the nation.

Local businessman and cattleman Hugh Dailey, who has been involved in the sale for more than 40 years, said this year’s event has more than 70 bulls registered already.

“And, for the first time in our 70 years, the sale will take place in the outside arena because the indoor arena is being renovated. I think that will be a good thing,”

he said.

The bulls that go on the auction block will be pre-graded on Oct. 13. There will be several breeds of bulls, typically ranging from Angus, Charolais and Hereford, to Brangus, Brahman and Simmental, which are offered by consignors locally and nationally from areas including Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri.

The bulls up for auction have been deemed sound by a veterinarian through an exam, sifted through the grading process, and many of them have EPD, or expected progeny differences, data available in the sale catalog. This data allows buyers to assess the genetic merit of the bull.

The cattlemen’s association Facebook page notes that “Longtime consigner MO Brangus has a trailer full of Brangus bulls coming to our sale”

and offers a “sneak peak of some Barnett Angus bulls headed to our sale soon.” One entry says, “Check out these handsome fellas consigned by Little W Farm,” which is a purveyor of Charolais cattle.

Average sale prices have been trending up for the Ocala Bull Sale the past few years. This is due to the cattle market doing well overall, which indicates bull prices will also be higher, as well as quality bulls being sold each year. Better bulls tend to bring

better money. This sale is multibreed and there is an opportunity for any buyer to find a bull to meet their needs, according to Caitlin Justesen, a livestock agent with UF/IFAS Extension, Marion County.

The event also will include a cake auction by the Marion County Cattlewomen’s Association. Last year’s auction raised more than $2,800 for scholarships.

The livestock pavilion is located at 2232 Jacksonville

for $350 during the 69th-annual Ocala Graded Bull Sale on Oct. 29, 2024.

Road, Ocala. Bulls will be available for viewing on Oct. 13 during and after the grading. The sale will begin at 1 p.m. Oct. 14. To learn more, go to ocalabullsale.com and fb.com/ marioncountycattlemens

PTSD summit planned in Ocala

The event, set for Oct. 28, is geared toward veterans and their families.

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Veterans Helping Veterans USA

of Marion County will host A Call to Action: Veteran PTSD Summit for veterans, first responders who are military veterans and their families on Oct. 28 in Ocala.

VHV wants to give local veterans a chance to voice their concerns about posttraumatic stress disorder related issues and discuss if their concerns are being “effectively addressed” by veteran help agencies, according to a statement released by VHV.

The summit will take place at the Elliot Center at 3231 SW 34th Ave.

Todd Belknap, executive director of VHV, has spearheaded the effort to launch a “grassroots based listening tour” to be sure each of Marion County’s 32,968 veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, va.gov, can have their opinion heard.

“At Veterans Helping Veterans USA, we welcome hundreds of veterans and their families through our doors every month. In August we served 368 veterans,” Belknap stated.

“Some veterans are satisfied with services provided by the VA but many other veterans, along with their spouses and families, have shared with me that there is a growing disconnect between the respective issues they seek help with, and the actual care provided,” stated Belknap.

“We’re going to anonymously track their complaints and take a hard look at trends and patterns. Then, the findings are going to the Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs for review and action,” he added.   Belknap indicated the comments and concerns would be delivered to VA Secretary Douglas Collins by a representative of U.S. Representative Kat Cammack.

“We’re not just sending the complaints

go into a “tailspin” from which families and nonprofits have to “pull them out of—over and over again.”

VHV is a private nonprofit not connected to the federal government’s Department of Veterans Affairs. According to vhvusa.org, the organization, established here in 2002, provides case management with financial assistance for rent and utilities, a fully stocked pantry and clothing, and information and access to a host of veteran help and support agencies, which can include housing assistance.

The VA’s National Center for PTSD provides a history of PTSD at ptsd.va.gov

“VA’s National Center for PTSD was created in 1989 by an act of Congress. We continue to be at the forefront of progress in the scientific understanding and treatment of PTSD,” the website states.

The VA offers specialty PTSD care, including inpatient, and Vet Centers that are “often staffed by veterans, for support,” the website states. “These community-based centers focus on counseling and services to help with the transition from military to civilian life or after military trauma.”

The VA Performance Dashboard website states that in September, VA Health Care had 641,878 signed-in users online, an increase of 39% since September of 2024. The material indicates that in September, 17,255 activities were completed related to applying for health care benefits online, with 89.2% of survey responders satisfied. In 69,099 activities related to scheduling and viewing appointments online, 69.3% of users were satisfied.

and suggested remedies up and chain and washing our hands. We’ll be following up to ensure our veterans are not being ignored,” Belknap stated.

Belknap stressed the importance of the summit and roundtable in light of two recent mass shootings reportedly allegedly carried out by military veterans.

“Since the summit announcement my phone has been ringing away with RSVP calls from veterans and their spouses alike. This is proof positive that a summit on PTSD is direly needed,” he said.

Belknap recently had a Vietnam War veteran in his office who was referred to VHV and accompanied by a fellow church member. The 70-plus year-old veteran had likely been isolated in his residence as he lacked reliable transportation. Belknap put him at ease with conversation and introduced him to a VHV staff member veteran who has “been there” and could share experiences with the client.

Belknap claimed if proper care is not sought, or is interrupted or delayed, the “already hurting psychologically” veteran can

Local attorney enters race for District 2 County Commission seat

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Erica Hay, a Republican who has lived in Marion County since 1994, has filed to run for the District 2 seat on the Marion County Commission.

The seat is currently held by Commissioner Kathy Bryant, who announced last month that she will not seek a fifth term in office. So far, Hay is the only candidate to file for the position.

Hay was licensed to practice law in 2020 after a first career in law enforcement, serving with both the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department.

She has been married for 20 years to Roy Hay, a lieutenant with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The couple raised two children, Roy Jr., now attending the University of Florida, and their oldest, Brittany, who also practices law locally. Hay also has two grandchildren.

dollar contract negotiations to responding in the moment, on-scene in crisis situations when individual law enforcement officers or agencies need representation.”

MOTIVATION TO RUN

Hay said her experiences in both law enforcement and law have prepared her for public service.

“There are plenty of people who will remember me for being on the scene during one of the worst days of their lives, and I’m proud I was able to do that work,” she said. “But the other part of being a cop is that you get a frontrow seat to societal needs that aren’t being addressed and are left for cops to deal with, often unfairly.”

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

When asked about her legal career, Hay said she has been able to focus primarily on two areas that closely align with her values—family services and law enforcement representation.

“I’ve been lucky, because I’ve been able to follow my heart and focus on two main areas: providing legal support for the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Police Benevolent Association,” Hay said.

“For DCF, I’ve learned where our children and families are most vulnerable and where we need to shore up our system to strengthen families—and where policy sometimes fails. As for the PBA, they send me to ‘back the blue’ regularly, which I’m very passionate about doing. The public rarely gets to see the strain law enforcement work entails. It’s not just the tough calls that weigh on officers long after shift’s end, but also from the consequences of an agency’s poor policy. I do everything from representing law enforcement agencies in multimillion-

Hay said she wants “a seat at the table” to help shape local policy.

“I want to be part of finding solutions and creating policies that help more Marion County residents,” she said. “For young families, I want them to have the same opportunities I did. I particularly want to be part of the hard conversations about how we care for our most vulnerable—our children, the elderly and veterans.

“As a longtime cop and now a lawyer, I’ve had decades of hard conversations. I won’t shy away from them, and I think that’s a unique skillset I can bring to the commission as it makes decisions about how to fund our growing list of critical public safety and community needs.”

BEYOND HER CAREER

Outside of work, Hay said her passions center on family, animals and the arts.

“My family is everything to me,” she said. “We’re very close-knit, and I’m extremely proud of my grown children and love being a grandmother. I’m also a big animal lover. I oversaw the K-9 unit for part of my career at Ocala Police Department, so I know the special bond between dogs and people.

“I love the arts, and I don’t get to partake as much as I’d like. I also love travel—I’ve had the chance to see a lot of great places and there are still plenty more on my list.”

“Exposure to traumatic experiences has always been a part of the human condition,” the website states and “research about veterans returning from combat was a critical piece to the creation of the diagnosis. So, the history of what is now known as PTSD often references combat history.”

The website reviews the history of veterans and PTSD from “soldier’s heart” symptoms including anxiety and breathing difficulties of the Civil War era to panic and sleeplessness related to “shell shock” of World War I and the weariness and exhaustion of “battle fatigue” or combat.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association has studied PTSD, according to the website. Edition five, DSM-5 of 2013, indicates “that PTSD is no longer an anxiety disorder,” the website states. “PTSD is sometimes associated with other mood states (for example, depression) and with angry or reckless behavior rather than anxiety. So, PTSD is now in a new category, trauma-and stressor-related disorders.”

James Hilty Sr., a member of the Ocala City Council and VHV chair, and a combat veteran U.S. Marine of the Vietnam War, said he supports and will attend the summit. Hilty said the VHV summit could help reach veterans who feel isolated and gather local leaders to discuss the PTSD issue in the wake of mass shootings in Michigan and North Carolina allegedly involving veterans.

“If we reach just one veteran perhaps one who didn’t seek help or who has had difficulty getting treatment, the summit will be worthwhile,” he said.

For information on the Oct. 28 PTSD Summit, call Veterans Helping Veterans USA of Marion County at (352) 433-2320 and visit vhvusa.org

To learn more about PTSD and help for veterans, call the Department of Veterans Affairs info line at (800) 698-2411 and the VA benefits line at 800-827-1000. Access the crisis line by dialing 988 and pressing 1, or texting to 838255.

To reach the Ocala Vet Center, call (352) 237-1947; for the Marion County Veterans Service Office, dial (352) 671-8422.

Marion County, Ocala officials outline funding priorities at annual legislative delegation meeting

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

When Marion County government and community leaders met recently with the local Florida legislative delegation to present their funding and policy priorities for the 2026 legislative session, one question hung over the discussions: How will eliminating property taxes, a topic gaining traction in Tallahassee, impact local rule, levels of service, and future funding of local government decisions?

Ocala City Council President Kristen Dreyer was the only local official to address the concern directly to the legislators, who included State Reps. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, J.J. Grow, Ryan Chamberlin, Judson Sapp and Richard Gentry. State Sen. Stan McClain, whose district encompasses all of Marion County, was unable to attend but was represented by his staff.

“Top of mind for all Florida municipalities this year are the conversations surrounding the elimination of the real estate property tax,” Dreyer said during the Oct. 1 at the College of Central Florida.

“The city of Ocala supports thoughtful reform of the Florida residential property tax system, provided that any proposal includes a sustainable alternative revenue source allowing us to maintain current service levels and ensure capacity for future growth. Fiscal decisions made at the local level provides us flexibility to address the unique needs of our community- while ensuring our residents continue to receive the high-quality services that they expect,” she said.

The legislators did not address the issue directly during the meeting.

County Commission Chair Kathy Bryant, who opened last year’s session’s delegation meeting address with, “I want to throw two things at you to remember as to this legislative [session]: home rule and no preemptions,” against laughter and hooting from the audience, quickly brushed past the topic of home rule during this year’s meeting.

Last session, Florida legislators filed a host of bills that would erode local control of development across the state and open hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres to developers without local approval. Those measures received significant pushback from local elected officials and advocates across multiple industry sectors.

For example, during the last session, local bipartisan opposition came against Senate Bill 1118 filed by local McClain, R-Marion, because opponents said it would wrest local control of development of cities and counties

of Health Marion County is shown on SE 110th Street Road in Belleview, Fla. on Sept. 30, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

across the state. Some called it an “attack” on home rule.

With the possibility of local purse strings coming under the state’s authority if locals can’t control real estate taxes, it’s expected to be a hot topic this session as well.

COUNTY SEEKS FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, CLEAN WATER, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Bryant presented Marion County’s 2026 Legislative Priorities, emphasizing how rapid growth has strained infrastructure, natural resources, and public services. The county’s top appropriation requests total $8 million, including projects to expand clean drinking water, improve roads, and protect local history.

Among the requests:

Lowell municipal drinking water project – $2.5 million to extend potable water to the Lowell area and state facilities including the Florida State Fire College.

• Marion Oaks Manor extension project

– $2 million for design and right-of-way work for a new Interstate 75 flyover bridge.

• Silver Springs swimming restoration $2.5 million to restore public swimming at Silver Springs State Park.

Belleview Health Clinic replacement –$250,000 to cover the cost of designing a permanent Florida Department of Health facility in Belleview that is currently housed in a modular building more than 25 years old.

• Ma Barker House Museum improvements – $750,000 for accessibility and infrastructure upgrades at the historic home relocated to Carney Island.

Bryant also urged lawmakers to support a statutory change allowing local governments to use sales tax revenue for operational expenses, flexibility counties currently lack under state law.

“We are asking for changes in the language

regarding sales tax to allow communities to use some of that sales tax for operational purposes, therefore being able to lower millage rates,” Bryant told the delegation. “Should property taxes still be here, we’d like the flexibility to use a small portion for operations.”

Bryant said the proposal would give counties “the tools and flexibilities needed to meet growing responsibilities” without overreliance on property tax hikes.

CITY OF OCALA EMPHASIZES HOME RULE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Dreyer thanked lawmakers for recent infrastructure funding and described the city’s 2026 legislative priorities centered on preserving home rule and maintaining flexibility to address the unique needs of the community.

“Included in our 2026 legislative priorities, our support for Home Rule, continued, property insurance reform, funding for transportation, water infrastructure, mental health services and enhancements for public safety personnel, protecting our springs and providing safe and efficient roadways remain top priorities for both Ocala leadership and our citizens,” Dreyer said.

Dreyer outlined three city appropriation requests:

1. Sewer exfiltration project – $1 million to reduce nutrient pollution entering the Silver and Rainbow Springs;

2. Force main construction – $1 million to expand wastewater capacity;

3. SW 42nd Street and SW Seventh Avenue intersection improvements – $750,000 to enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety.

The city also asked for full funding of the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund, expansion of the Hometown Heroes program to assist first responders become homeowners, and continued support for property insurance reform and transportation projects.

SCHOOL BOARD PRIORITIZES ATTENDANCE REFORM AND WORKFORCE TRAINING

Marion County Public Schools leaders thanked legislators for the $5.6 million allocated last year for new aviation and diesel mechanic facilities at Marion Technical College (MTC), with programs launching this winter. Interim superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer said the district is now requesting $3 million to expand trade and technical programs, including a new plumbing program and an expanded commercial driving and electrical apprenticeship facility.

The school board’s legislative priorities also call for:

Amending state attendance laws to allow districts to intervene after five unexcused absences instead of 15;

• Raising the compulsory school attendance age to begin at 5;

• Increasing Safe Schools allocations to keep pace with security mandates and aging campuses;

• Creating a separate statute for gifted education to standardize identification and funding statewide; and

• Adjusting transportation funding formulas to support large, rural districts like Marion County, where 40,000 students are bused daily across 1,300 square miles.

School Board Member Nancy Thrower said improving attendance and early intervention “helps break the cycle that leads some young people to crime,” adding, “Our priorities are foundational. When kids get a good, solid education, they’re much less likely to turn to crime.”

LEGISLATORS PLEDGE FOLLOW-UP MEETINGS

Delegation Chair Sapp thanked presenters, noting that while the meeting’s three-minute limit kept testimony brief, legislators will “follow up individually with agencies and local governments as we move into the appropriations process.”

Hayes Hinson announced she will not seek re-election. “It has been my greatest honor to serve you,” she said. “I’ve tried to stand on my values as well as honor and respect yours.”

Reps. Grow, Chamberlin, and Gentry echoed appreciation for local officials, with Chamberlin adding that Marion County “continues to model a remarkable level of collaboration between state and local government.”

State Attorney Gladson: Circuit growth outpaces prosecutor’s office staffing

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

State Attorney William Gladson warned state legislators during a recent meeting that population growth and case filings in the Fifth Circuit have far exceeded his office’s ability to hire prosecutors and staff, even as the level of crimes against the elderly has soared.

“Since the year 2000, the circuit [population] has grown 79.65%,” Gladson told Marion County’s state legislative delegation during its annual meeting held Oct. 1 at the College of Central Florida. “In the past 10 years, the population of the circuit has grown by 29%. The number of full-time equivalents, FTEs — those are employees that I have — has grown 2.9%. We have a massive increase in population and not a corresponding increase in funding for prosecutor positions.”

Gladson said the shortage extends beyond attorneys.

“It’s not just prosecutors, it’s victim advocates, support staff, it’s investigators, it’s all of those things,” he said.

The state attorney, who oversees roughly 104 prosecutors and 242 employees across Marion, Sumter, Lake, Citrus and Hernando counties, added that his office’s funding lags other judicial circuits.

“If you were to take our total budget — total GR budget — divided by population, we are the lowest funded of all the circuits in the whole state, at around $15 and something change per person. The average is around $22,” he said.

As previously reported, during a budget workshop on July 23, Gladson told commissioners the budget request for the

Fifth Circuit was “4.6% less than our request from last year.”

Gladson said he made the cut by doing away with the early intervention program and by spreading that work among all of the attorneys who work in his office.

Gladson acknowledged then the county was getting a couple more judges but that his request to the state to fund an additional 28 positions was not granted.

“I don’t know if [the new judges] are going to be assigned a criminal [docket] or not, but if they are, that’s an issue for us. We don’t have the staffing to add to the [new] dockets. If you create a whole new docket, you’ve created a secretary, investigator, victim advocate and three or four lawyers,” he said during the workshop.

ELDER EXPLOITATION ON THE RISE

Gladson told legislators that the region’s aging population is changing the nature of crime in Marion County.

“The amount of theft for our elderly population from exploitation and things like that that is reported in Marion County is around $1 million a month, if not more, just from exploitation-type cases,” he said. “If you go back 10 years, the total theft — you know, talking everything, all losses — were around $11 million for the whole year. So we have … the growth has had an impact.”

Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, R–District 24, followed up on Gladson’s figures.

Chamberlin asked.

“Just so I’m clear, you said circuit growth has been 79% and staff growth has been 2.9%?” he asked.

“Since 2000, it was 79%. Since 2010 it’s a 29% increase in population, but our FTEs have only grown by 2.9%,” Gladson confirmed.

“Has that created a backlog for Marion County … and would the funding help?”

“To be completely candid, it’s helped us be a lot more efficient. I think I wouldn’t use the word backlog. … We moved through cases quickly here in this circuit and in this county,” Gladson replied.

He said Marion County prosecutors handled roughly 39,000 complaints last year with about 35 lawyers, but that the volume limits specialization.

“I don’t have a specialized unit to prosecute crimes against the elderly. All I have is elderly people between The Villages and On Top of the World … That’s what I’ve got.”

Rep. J.J. Grow, R–District 23, praised Gladson’s collaboration with law enforcement.

“Bill and I have gotten to know each other really well, and the one thing I appreciate is how close you work with law enforcement. Crime is a terrible thing, justice is a beautiful thing, but without your office working closely with law enforcement to prosecute and get these things done, it doesn’t happen.”

Rep. Richard Gentry, R–District 27, asked about workload per attorney.

Gladson answered, “The average felony caseload was around 200 per person. It could be much higher … much lower … but on average around 200. That’s a rotating, too. It’s not just 200 for the year — it’s every day they have 200 cases.”

“As an attorney myself, I think that’s overwhelming,” Gentry responded.

Gladson closed by underscoring his commitment to local safety.

“I just want to keep this community safe. It’s where my children were born, it’s where I live. It’s important to me.”

DATA SHOWS HOW CASELOAD HAS INCREASED

State Attorney’s Office records show that despite fluctuations, felony and misdemeanor filings across the Fifth Judicial Circuit have grown.

Fiscal Year Circuit Criminal County Criminal

Ticket revenue

Continued from page A1

have to be paid from the district’s general athletic fund account.

For the small sporting events, Brewer says ticket sales doesn’t even cover the cost of officials.

“It had been several years since MCPS has made any adjustments to their athletic ticket prices,” Brewer wrote in an email. “Since the last increase, the cost of one security detail has gone up a total of $25 per hour with a three-hour minimum per officer. In addition, the cost of officials has gone up an average of $30 per official per contest over the past several years.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association has also raised ticket prices by $2 for all state series events, beginning with regional playoffs and continuing through the state championships, adding to the overall expense of hosting games.

Compared to other school districts, Brewer said Marion County’s prices fall in the middle — slightly higher than those with district athletic budgets and slightly lower than those without any district funding for sports.

Last year’s increase raised tickets for varsity football tickets by $2 to $10, while junior varsity football and all other sports would increased by $1 per ticket to $7.

For now, Brewer says, the growing cost of ensuring student safety at after-hour events remains a top priority.

County Transportation Planning Organization releases 2050 plans

Marion County’s road system has big changes in store based on survey results and concepts presented to the public.

By Belea T. Keeney

belea@magnoliamediaco.com

Big changes are coming to the highways, streets and roads in Marion County as state and local transportation officials fine-tune plans to fix major trouble spots and to allow for future growth in the area.

“Over the next five years (2025 to 2030), residents will see a number of impactful projects,” said Robert Balmes, director of the Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization. The projects will be “constructed with federal, state and local sources of funding. These projects will improve mobility and safety.”

In a meeting held Sept. 29 at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place in Ocala, about 25 members of the public looked over project plans, talked with TPO staffers and were able to offer comments on the proposals.

The 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) public hearing is set for 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Board of County Commissioners auditorium.

“There will be a public comment period for citizens to speak to the TPO Governing Board,” so area residents can voice their opinions, Balmes said.

PROJECTS FOR I-75, INTERCHANGES AND AVENUES

Balmes highlighted the traffic-enhancing projects slated for the next five years. He stated that auxiliary lanes will be added on “I-75 from State 44 in Sumter County to State Road 326 in Marion County with the addition of a travel lane in each direction between the interchanges. The project also includes interchange improvements at State Road 40 and State Road 326.”

These lanes will help with overall regional transportation as drivers moving through the area and locals who use I-75 will also see positive changes, Balmes said.

That stretch of the interstate highway often has issues. The Florida Department of Transportation reports that on one out of nine days, all lanes on I-75 are closed due to an incident. Every 13 hours, at least one lane of the crucial interstate highway is closed, and that duration is typically about three hours, the department stated.

The cost for the additional lanes is estimated at $447 million.

Most of the scheduled improvements are on the west and south side of the county.

The addition of a new interchange at Northwest 49th Street and I-75 will help support the future Buc-ee’s complex slated

for the Northwest 35th Street area and help with the logistics parks in that area. The new interchange will allow the semi-trailers coming out of Auto Zone, Amazon, Fed Ex and Chewy to head directly northbound instead of driving south down to US 27 to get onto I-75. The total cost for the project is estimated at $161 million. Additionally, interchange improvements are slated for US Highway 27 and State Road 326. Check our prior reporting at Improvements to I-75 coming in 2025 | Ocala Gazette

Also on the west side of the county, Southwest70th/Northwest 80th Avenue will expand to four lanes up to Northwest 49th Street to hook into that new interchange at I-75. This will improve traffic to and from On Top of the World, Calesa Township and Stone Creek going past West Port High School and all the way to the World Equestrian Center.

NORTH-SOUTH

TRAFFIC WILL SEE IMPROVEMENTS

Another four-lane expansion will be for Southwest 49th Avenue, moving traffic

south from the Marion Oaks area through to the Heath Brook Market shopping center area and eventually, connecting to Southwest/Northwest 44th Avenue.

“These will offer significant mobility improvements for north-south travel,” Balmes said.

He added that other projects include the US 41 at State Road 40 intersection, State Road 40 at Southwest 27th Avenue and US Highway 441/Pine at Southwest 17th Street/State Road 464 intersection improvements.

Further into the future, Balmes said, “The LRTP outlines improvements from 2031 to 2050 based on current projected amounts of federal, state and local funding to projects in Marion County.”

Some key projects include: the Marion Oaks Manor Road extension and flyover I-75; the widening of County Road 484; intersection and widening improvements on State Road/County Road 464/Maricamp and Baseline Road intersection; widening of State Road 40 widening from the end of four lanes to County Road 314; and widening

Southwest 20th Street from State Road 200 to I-75. These projects will assist with east-west traffic flow.

Balmes said many traffic issues and problems will be solved with the proposed changes.

“Over the next five years, the funded improvements will support better northsouth mobility in Marion County. More localized mobility options will also be available with the SunTran service enhancements. The intersection/interchange projects planned will also help support safer and improved traffic flow,” he said.

In addition to the public meeting on Oct. 28, the public is encouraged to comment directly to the TPO via email to ocalamariontpo@marionfl. org or by phone at (352) 438-2630. More information is available at ocalamariontpo.org

Images courtesy Ocala Marion County Transportation Planning Organization

Inmates’ pleas went unheard, whistleblower states Discovery materials include written statements as required by law.

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

In newly exchanged discovery materials obtained in the case of Coy vs. Billy Woods, former Marion County Jail medical liaison Mary Tolbert Coy expounds on allegations that jail leadership and its medical contractor, the Heart of Florida Health Center, repeatedly ignored warnings of substandard inmate care—even as taxpayers’ costs surged under a multimillion-dollar medical contract.

Coy’s verified answers to interrogatories—which are written questions posed to the opposing party, for which a response is required— portray a system in which her internal reports, monitoring and requests for outside scrutiny were discounted or blocked. Among her claims: “Discovery of falsified mental health inmate medical records, including documented assessments for inmates who were not seen or had been released.”

She also stated that “disabled inmates were denied access to the grievance computer system through security, preventing them from filing medical complaints.”

Coy wrote that the jail went without a dentist for months and that response times for sick calls expanded from 72 hours to seven days—even then failing to

meet the standard in many cases.

“Medical had no Dentist for several months,” she said, adding her ongoing complaints that the provider “deliberately refused to provide care on countless occasions.”

In one poignant example, Coy said a detoxing inmate endured hours of pain, alleging “the nurse refused to treat the inmate” and later asserting “the inmate later died.” She claimed she raised these issues with internal investigators and lodged them in monthly audits.

Coy further describes being shut out of oversight efforts with external entities.

“I had been kept out of the meetings with The Disability Rights employees and lawyers that were visiting the jail,” she stated, despite her role as medical liaison.

According to her filings, Coy attempted to prompt investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Disability Rights Florida, but MCSO leadership ignored or rebuffed her outreach.

BACKGROUND: CONTRACT, OVERSIGHT AND WHISTLEBLOWER SUIT

Coy’s case ties into the “Ocala Gazette’s” investigation into the high number of incustody deaths linked to the $14 million annual contract between Marion County and Heart of Florida Health Centers to

provide inmate health care at the jail.

According to IRS filings, Heart of Florida’s revenue from that and related contracts grew from $28.5 million in 2021 to $45.8 million in 2023—even as questions remain whether increased spending produced better care.

The “Gazette” has documented multiple in-custody deaths tied to medical neglect, including cases in which delays, inadequate staffing and questionable medical records raised red flags.

Coy was employed at the Marion County Jail from February 2018 until August 2024. In her whistleblower complaint, she argues she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for raising concerns about medical care. The lawsuit invokes Florida’s Whistleblower Act.

According to public records exchanged in discovery, Coy’s job duties were changed mid-employment. She initially had authority to investigate and resolve inmate medical complaints, but after she filed alarm letters to MCSO administration, her responsibilities were narrowed to purely monitoring.

Coy claims that as her warnings grew sharper, she was marginalized by jail leadership.

“I am seen as the ‘bad’ guy for trying to help human beings receive basic humane treatment,” she wrote in a letter to MCSO administration.

Heart of Florida and the Sheriff’s Office

declined to answer many of the “Gazette’s” questions about cost breakdowns, staffing and contract compliance.

The sheriff recently told Marion County Board of Commissioners during a budget workshop that the Heart of Florida provided good care for the inmates, “regardless of what these articles are being written out here, I don’t give a crap what the media is saying. Heart of Florida does a damn good job of providing the services for the inmates.”

Court records show that a judge has ordered the parties into mediation, which is tentatively scheduled for June 2026. If mediation fails to resolve the dispute, a trial period is expected to be set for a time afterward. Currently, Coy’s case is assigned to Marion County Judge Lisa Herndon.

Shade for bus stops

Ocala approves $227,065 purchase for SunTran bus shelter upgrades.

By Jamie Berube jamie@ocalagazette.com

The Ocala City Council

greenlit a $227,065 contract with Tolar Manufacturing Co. for 15 new Sunset Series bus shelters at its Oct. 7 meeting, marking a significant step in enhancing the SunTran public transit system.

The procurement, funded entirely through the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5307 Capital Program with no local match required, aims to improve rider comfort and accessibility at high-traffic stops across the city.

According to price analysis documents regarding the bus shelters, the 10-foot Signature Sunset shelters cost $176,700 for the units, $31,425 for solar lighting, $10,440 for benches and $8,500 for freight. They feature durable aluminum construction with a powdercoated finish for corrosion resistance and are designed to last an estimated 20-25 years.

“The Sunset Series shelters are designed to withstand Florida’s climate while providing comfort and safety for riders,” said Greg Davis, public information officer for the city of Ocala.

Each shelter includes perforated wall panels, barrel vault roofs with glazing, solar-

powered LED lighting with battery storage and 5-footlong perforated metal benches with accessibility features for mobility devices.

The procurement leverages a Jacksonville Transportation Authority contract from 2019, ensuring compliance with federal Buy America regulations. A price analysis, approved on Aug. 12, confirmed Tolar’s pricing as fair compared to competitors including Brasco International ($16,150 per unit) and DuoGard Industries ($18,679 per unit). Tolar, a Corona, California-based manufacturer, has supplied over 35% of U.S. transit shelters since 1991, including 150 shelters for Los Angeles’ Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program in June.

According to Davis, SunTran operates 11 routes with a $1.50 regular fare and discounts for youth, students, seniors and individuals with disabilities.

The system has seen steady ridership growth: 204,747 in 2022, 231,180 in 2023, and 237,167 in 2024, with 2025 data pending submission to the National Transit Database.

“This ridership growth underscores the need for infrastructure improvements like these shelters,” Davis said.

The shelters align with the Ocala 2035 Vision plan’s mobility goals, targeting high-

traffic areas identified in a Kimley-Horn master site plan. Proposed locations include Six Gun Plaza, Magnolia Walk Apartments, the Ocala Public Library and the Marion County Health Department, among others, with some requiring easements or adjustments such as relocating an existing shelter at the Health Department to Southeast 32nd Avenue.

“Staff is currently reviewing 24 potential locations based on proximity to shopping centers, healthcare facilities, social service providers and ridership data,” Davis said. “Final shelter locations will be determined once all the data have been evaluated.”

Some sites are within public right-of-way, while others involve permits applied for in June 2024, each with a job value of $20,000. A sidewalk connection at Winter Woods is also planned.

If approved, installation could begin in spring 2026, following a 24-week manufacturing lead time. All permitting and design work is complete and bids for construction and site improvements will be issued post-approval.

“Maintenance and repairs will be funded through the city’s regular FTA Section 5307 Capital and Operations Grant,” Davis said.

TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS, BENEFICIERIES, DEVISEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHERS WHO MAY CLAIM INTEREST IN THE ESTATE OF EDWARD J. DESMAREST, DECEASED NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to foreclose a lien on the following property in MARION County, Florida: LOT 41, BLOCK 161, RAINBOW SPRINGS COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF, AS SAME IS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK "T", PAGE 46, OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA. A lawsuit has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any to it on FLORIDA COMMUNITY LAW GROUP, P.L., Attorney for RAINBOW SPRINGS PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., whose address is P.O. Box 292965, Davie, FL 33329-2965 and file the original with the clerk of the above styled court on or before (or 30 days from the first date of publication, whichever is later); otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief prayed for in the complaint or petition. This notice shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks in The Ocala Gazette (Newspaper) 2ND

Have a legal ad you need to publish? ocalagazette.column.us/place

Lecture Series

Modern recycling systems are failing because they are costly, complex, and disconnected from market realities. This presentation explores the root causes of those failures and introduces a bold, market-driven alternative: Regenerative Robust Gasification (RRG). RRG simplifies waste collection and sorting, reduces dependence on landfilling and incineration, and transforms municipal solid waste into valuable chemical feedstocks. By addressing both technical and economic barriers, this approach offers a pathway to lower emissions, stronger supply chains, and a truly circular economy.

Dr. Bruce Welt is a professor at the University of Florida in the agricultural and biological engineering department. Welt helped establish UF’s Packaging Engineering program and has been the program coordinator since its inception in 2001. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clarkson University, a master’s degree in food science from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering from the University of Florida. Welt has made significant contributions to food traceability, package permeation testing, and modified atmosphere packaging, and robust advanced recycling. His recent work in robust advanced recycling led to the establishment of the Consortium for Waste Circularity, a plastics and packaging industry consortium committed to eliminating waste and achieving a circular economy for plastics.

Centennial celebration

Continued from page A1

A sample of notable alumni included Rose Thomas, a former 45-year educator in Marion County Public Schools and past dean of students at the school. Others include schoolboard chair Lori Conrad, vice chair Rev. Eric Cummings, city of Ocala councilman Jay Musleh and the late Kenneth “Buddy” MacKay, who served as a state representative, senator, lieutenant governor and the 42nd Governor of Florida.

Another theme of the evening was how much life has changed in the last 100 years. While the outward appearance of the main building has changed very little, the facility as a whole has grown over the decades.

Originally, a large front lawn extended east from the front of the main building to Southeast Tuscawilla Avenue. The original gymnasium was added in 1937, and classroom wings were built onto the north and south ends of the main school building in 1951 to accommodate a growing student body. Building 2, which now houses classrooms and the media center, was constructed in 1969 in front of the school (on the original front lawn) and is still in use. A cafeteria building was completed in 2021 and the new gymnasium is nearing completion.

Ocala High School (now Osceola) opened on Oct. 2, 1925. Steeped in history, the words Ocala High School remain carved in marble above the main entrance to this day. In 1956 Ocala High relocated to a new complex and the building became Ocala Junior High School. The name was officially changed again to Osceola Middle School in 1964 when public schools in Florida began the process of integration.

In the South, education and, in fact, society in general, was segregated well into the 1960s. When Osceola opened there were only two secondary schools in town, Ocala High (now Osceola) for white students and Howard Academy for black students. It is worth noting that students were not bused long distances in those days and most rural communities across the county had smaller, often one-room schoolhouses, to serve their students.

In order to appreciate this centennial milestone, it is helpful to consider what life in Ocala was like in 1925. Things have changed dramatically since the school first opened its doors. First of all, for our younger readers, there were no cell phones, computers, home television, internet or air conditioning. The country was in a lull between World Wars, and we were only 25 years past the 1800s.

The 1920s were a time of social and technological changes. Prohibition was in full effect across the United States and popular musicians included Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith. It was illegal to teach about evolution in many states and women had just recently won the right to vote in 1920. Harsh discriminatory Jim Crow laws existed across the South and Ocala was no exception.

In 1925 the creation of the Mount Rushmore monument had just been authorized, the first television image was transmitted in London and President Calvin Coolidge was the first president to have an inauguration broadcast to the nation by radio. Here in Florida, the decade saw a land investment boom and bust, rapid population growth and the arrival of “Tin Can Tourists” with automobiles and early travel trailers (also called tin cans).

One of the most important differences between then and now is the dramatic population increase in Florida. In 1925 there were approximately 6,500 people living in Ocala. Now 71,500 people are estimated to live within city limits and we are still growing. When Osceola opened Ocala was still a relatively small town and many people knew each other.

Although our community has grown significantly, the dedicated staff of our schools help to maintain an environment where traditions matter and people still care. As Marion County continues to change, many things will no doubt evolve. However, the fact that a school like Osceola Middle School just hosted a centennial celebration and that so many community members took part with such fond memories, is reassurance that Ocala and Marion County will remain a great place to live.

Scott Mitchell is the director of the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center, which is a program of Marion County Public Schools.

RENOWNED THOROUGHBRED TRAINER DIES AT 80

Melvin James worked with many noted equines, including Triple Crown winner Affirmed.

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Melvin James, hailed as a pioneer and trendsetter in the thoroughbred industry, and who trained the future

Triple Crown winner Affirmed at Ocala’s Harbor View Farm, passed away on Oct. 6 at the age of 80.

James was remembered as a quiet and patient man, a husband and father of two daughters, and someone who liked to tinker with his car and truck.

“My father didn’t speak much but he meant what he said,” his daughter Carol James said, adding that he was “a man of faith in God” and “he was always helping somebody.”

Melvin died from cardiac health complications at the UF Health Shands Cardiology-Heart and Vascular Hospital, Carol said, and noted that she and her sister, Meltonia James-King, were by his side.

Steve Wolfson Sr., whose family acquired the property to open Harbor View Farm in 1959, wrote in an email that his

recollections of Melvin date back to the 1970s.

“As Harbor View Farm’s local trainer, he did an outstanding job preparing new racing stock for the racetrack,” Wolfson wrote.

“Trainers receiving a ‘Melvin James trainee’ complimented how well schooled and finely conditioned their new charges were. A classic example was 1977 two-year-old Affirmed and so many others he prepared ready to run AND win first time out.”

“Such a quiet, gentle and especially classy man will be greatly missed,” Wolfson added.

During an event held Sept. 18 at the Marion County Black History Museum inside the Howard Academy Community Center, Melvin was honored in the program as “the first Black person in Marion County to obtain a license as a thoroughbred trainer.” The event celebrated a number of area Black leaders from the horse and agricultural industries as the museum hosted the traveling Keeneland Association exhibit “The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers.”

Tammy Gantt, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association vice president of member services, events and sales, and Cynthia

Wilson Graham, a local author, owner of Helping Hands photography and museum volunteer, were two of the primary organizers of the event.

Gantt knew Melvin for about 14 years and said he was responsible for “much more” than training Affirmed, including work with horse anatomy and mixing feeds.

A locally made permanent display highlighting pioneering area Black leaders in the horse and agricultural industry, which includes Melvin, will remain in the museum.

Melvin’s brother, Bobby James, served two terms as chairman of the Marion County School Board. He and his wife, Veronica, recalled in a phone interview that Melvin, who was born in Fairfield in northwest Marion County, grew up in southwest Ocala and went to Howard High School.

Carol said her father graduated from HHS in 1964. A biography at the museum states that he was captain of the school’s football championship team that year.

Melvin went to work as a groom at Harbor View Farm in 1965 and in 1975 began working with Affirmed as a yearling and found the horse to

Growth law draws another challenge

By Jim Saunders The News Service of Florida

The growth management group

1000 Friends of Florida and an Orange County resident filed a lawsuit Oct. 7 challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that blocks cities and counties from approving “more restrictive or burdensome” changes to growth plans.

The lawsuit, filed in Leon County circuit court, came after 25 cities and counties filed a similar legal challenge last week. Also, Ocoee last month filed a case at the state Division of Administrative Hearings after the Florida Department of Commerce rejected the city’s revised comprehensive plan because of the law.

The prohibition on growth plan changes was included in a wide-ranging bill (SB 180) that lawmakers said would help the state recover from the 2024 hurricanes. The law, signed in June by Gov. Ron DeSantis, effectively freezes local land development regulations and comprehensive plans through Oct. 1, 2027, and was made retroactive to Aug. 1, 2024.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday raises a series of issues, including arguing that the prohibition violates due-process rights because it is “arbitrary and capricious” and that the overall bill violates part of the Florida Constitution limiting legislation to single subjects.

“SB 180 contains various matters that are not connected to and are unrelated to emergencies, including the total ban … on any ‘more restrictive or burdensome’ land use and zoning regulations, and (one section’s) prohibition on moratoria on construction, reconstruction, and redevelopment of property, even if the property is intact and was not damaged by a hurricane or other emergency,” the lawsuit said. “This is particularly arbitrary as applied to counties with a large geographic area, and as it applies to the ability of all cities and counties to plan for and regulate all future growth and development — as opposed to the repair and rebuilding of existing development.”

The lawsuit also said SB 180 purports to be an “act relating to emergencies” but that it is not limited to emergencies.

“It invalidates both past and future comprehensive plan and land development code measures that have no logical connection to the main purpose of the act (the overall bill), emergency management,”

the lawsuit said. “It changes the law regarding post-storm rebuilding and emergency management but also changes the substantive law concerning every single issue that is addressed in a local government comprehensive plan and land-development regulation, including dozens of issues wholly unrelated in any way to emergency management and poststorm rebuilding of structures damaged by storms.”

During recent county delegation meetings, local officials have urged lawmakers to revisit the law during the 2026 legislative session, which will start in January. But it remains unclear whether that will happen.

The lawsuit said, for instance, that 1000 Friends of Florida members in Brevard, Manatee, St. Johns and Orange counties had been affected by the law because the Department of Commerce had rejected comprehensive-plan amendments because of the prohibition. The department has authority over comprehensive plans, which local governments have long used as growth blueprints.

The lawsuit names as defendants Department of Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly, Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Department of Revenue Executive Director Jim Zingale and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. Those are the same defendants named in the lawsuit filed last week by cities and counties.

Both lawsuits say those state officials have roles in carrying out the law or in local government money.

The named plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Rachel Hildebrand, lives in a rural area of Orange County. The lawsuit said the Department of Commerce on July 28 rejected a comprehensive-plan amendment that affected the area.

“The character and quality of life of Hildebrand’s land, home and rural community are directly harmed by the invalidation of these comprehensive plan protections as a result of the department’s action,” the lawsuit said. “SB 180 undermines the protections afforded her by the Orange County Comprehensive Plan against mounting development pressures in the region, including more crowded and dangerous roads, increased flooding and wildlife deaths and loss of rural character.”

be “placid” and “almost bored” with the breaking and training procedures. He “proved the doubters wrong” when Affirmed went on to garner the Triple Crown in 1978, the biography indicates.

Melvin worked at Mockingbird Farm from 1996 to 2093 and Marablue Farm from 2002 to 2008. He retired on a 22-acre parcel where he raised horses and cattle. Melvin “for decades collaborated with University of Florida researchers on projects including horse weights…activity levels and optimum breeding times. He blended his own feeds in the 1970s and was involved in the development of feed mixed at the OBS Feed Company near downtown Ocala, the biography states.

During Affirmed’s reign as Triple Crown champion from 1978 to 2015, according to twinspires.com, Melvin would “recount to reporters the importance of Marion County to the breeding industry,” according to the biography.

Melvin is survived by his wife, Renee Parks James; brother Bobby James and wife, Veronica.; daughters Carol James and Meltonia James-King; stepdaughter Tasha L. West

and stepson, Terrell A. Akins; according to an obituary by Hadley-Brown Funeral Home which is handling arrangements. The obituary lists Sierra N. Holmes, Andrea R. Laster, Cam’ron D. King, Levi N. West III, Aaron A. Akins, Elijah T. West, Andrew K. Akins as grandchildren. Carol said her father was a military veteran and the obituary notice states he will be buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 13, at Hadley-Brown Funeral Home, 127 NW 20th St., Ocala. A celebration of life is planned for 10 a.m. Oct. 14 at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 728 NW 6th Ave., Ocala.

STATE NEWS BRIEFS

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

CURSIVE WRITING PROPOSAL DRAWN UP

Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, has refiled legislation aimed at requiring public elementary-school students to learn cursive writing.

The measure (HB 127), filed for consideration during the 2026 legislative session, would require cursive instruction in second through fifth grades and require students to demonstrate proficiency by the end of fifth grade.

The House unanimously backed a similar proposal during the 2025 session but the Senate did not vote on the issue.

Concerns were raised during the 2025 session that cursive writing is already taught at public schools and the proposal would add to over-testing of students.

The 2026 session will begin Jan. 13.

KELLAM BACKED FOR WILDLIFE COMMISSION

ASenate committee on Oct. 7 backed the confirmation of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission member Joshua Kellam, president of The Garcia Companies, a development and investment firm.

The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 5-2 to support Kellam, who also will be considered by the Ethics and Elections Committee before his nomination could go before the full Senate during the 2026 legislative session.

Kellam was appointed to the commission in August by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Sen. Carlos Guillero Smith, D-Orlando, voted against the confirmation and pointed, in part, to developers on the commission.

“Five of the seven (members) I would consider to be either developers or those that have the development perspective that they are advocating for and representing rather than conservation, which of course is the mission of FWC (Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission),” Smith said.

The other dissenter, Sen. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, said the commission needs to have more representation from outside of South Florida, where more than half the appointees live. Kellam, who previously served on

the commission from 2018 to 2022, described the real-estate side of The Garcia Companies as “a small part of our business” that focuses on “attainable housing.”

Tax collections top projection Florida’s general-revenue tax collections in August topped expectations by 3.4 percent. The Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research in a report on Oct. 6 said Florida collected about $3.874 billion in net general revenue in August, $127.1 million more than economists had projected.

General revenue is closely watched because it plays a major role in funding education, health and prison programs.

A panel of economists known as the Revenue Estimating Conference meets periodically during the year to update general-revenue projections.

The August revenue numbers were driven by sales-tax collections, which at $3.012 billion were $61.4 million over the expectation for the month.

Earnings on state investments came in at $146 million, $27 million more than forecast. Insurance taxes, at $223.5 million for the month, were $12.8 million more than forecast. Documentary stamp taxes, which are collected primarily on real estate transactions, brought in $114.2 million for the month, $15.6 million over the forecast.

AI IN EDUCATION, LAKE HEALTH EYED

The Florida Senate will hold a series of committee meetings next week as it prepares for the 2026 legislative session, including holding a panel discussion about artificial intelligence in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to a calendar published Oct. 6.

The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee will hold the AI discussion Oct. 15, with representatives of the University of Florida College of Education and the school systems in Hillsborough, Pinellas and MiamiDade counties.

Other meetings will include the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 15 receiving presentations about the ecological health of Lake Okeechobee. Senate committees will meet Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.

The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, made up of House and Senate members, will meet Oct. 13.

Neck and spine care is about more than procedures and treatments. It’s about having the expertise to help you come back stronger — recovered and ready. At AdventHealth, we believe in the strength of the human spirit, and we are here for the next step in your comeback story.

AdventHealth Ocala is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s best hospitals for spinal fusion surgery.

People, Places and Things

The concertmaster

Meet Stewart Kitts, the gifted master violinist who serves as a conduit between the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and its maestro.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Just before the lights go down and the Ocala Symphony Orchestra launches into the opening performances of its 50th season, concertmaster Stewart Kitts will subtly cue the string section and then take his seat at the front of the AdventHealth Mainstage at the Reilly Arts Center, just to the left of maestro Matthew Wardell.

Kitts has honed his craft for more than six decades. He was born in Indiana and is a third-generation professional violinist who began playing at the age of 5 on a quartersize violin built by his teacher and grandfather Otto “Opa” Frey. At the age of 6, Kitts performed as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

“My parents met at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. My mom was a German violinist in the orchestra, and my dad was an American Army officer who was a conducting student. They fell in love in a very brief amount of time and got married and joined the Indianapolis Symphony, my mom in the violin section and my dad a bassoonist,” Kitts said.

“My greatest mentor was my mom’s dad, my Opa (grandpa in German). I had a lesson every day from him from the age of 5 until he passed three days after my 12th birthday. After he passed, I studied with several other teachers, including summer studies with Ivan Galamian at the Meadowmount School of Music in New York. This was a summer program for eight weeks where you had to practice five hours every day. I went there after eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th grades. During the school year, I practiced three hours on school days and five on the weekends. I had to practice every day except Christmas and my birthday,” Kitts recalled.

When Kitts was 7, his father got a teaching job at the University of Florida and the family moved to Gainesville.

At 10, he soloed with the University of Florida Symphony Orchestra and became concertmaster of the Alachua County Youth Orchestra. At 14, he became the youngest member ever of the Jacksonville Symphony. At 18, he soloed with the Jacksonville Symphony more than 30 times.

Kitts studied with former Gainesville Orchestra concertmaster Carol Cohen and Jacksonville Symphony concertmaster Aaron Krosnick. He also studied with soloist James Buswell as a violin performance major at Indiana University.

“I attended Jacksonville University my freshman year, where I was awarded the Outstanding String Player Award. Being the biggest fish in that pond, I transferred to Indiana University, the number one-rated music school, with 3,000 music majors and five orchestras,” Kitts shared.

After college, Kitts spent a year as principal second violinist of the Savannah Symphony. The following summer, he was the concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina and in Spoleto, Italy. He then won the position of associate concertmaster of The Florida Orchestra, a position he held for 23 years. During those years, he also served

for nine summers as associate concertmaster of the Colorado Music Festival.

Following the Florida Orchestra, Kitts has been concertmaster of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra and the Punta Gorda Symphony. He also has served as concertmaster for Disney recording sessions and touring shows and artists including Mannheim Steamroller, Johnny Mathis, Ann Murray, Styx, Little River Band, Young Frankenstein, The Alan Parsons Project, Sting, Adam Levine and many others.

In addition to serving as concertmaster of the OSO since 2018, Kitts also is concertmaster of the Gainesville Orchestra and The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra. He resides in Gainesville, where he has a teaching studio and is co-director with his sister Jennifer Guzman of the Gainesville Suzuki Players, and is conductor of the Celebration String Orchestra. He is the father of fourth-generation violinists Elizabeth Kitts McBryde and Natalie Kitts.

WHAT IS A CONCERTMASTER?

“A concertmaster sets the bowings for the strings. This is important as it affects the interpretation of the music. A concertmaster also plays any solos that are in the music and is the conduit between the conductor and the strings,” Kitts explained.

He said the conductor may ask for a certain style or effect, and it is the concertmaster’s job to fulfil that and explain to the section or sections how to achieve that.

“For example, what part of the bow to play in, is it off the string or on the string,” he noted. “I also use body language to lead the section, for example when I raise my violin after a rest. Or move with the music to impart energy to the section. I also sometimes tell the section

which string to play on as it affects the timbre or tone color of the music. A concertmaster also has to play every note. It requires more preparation.”

As for serving as a concertmaster for touring shows, he said, “You usually only have one rehearsal and sometimes it is very loud!”

“Sometimes I have to have an earpiece with a click track in it so the music can be perfectly timed. For example, sometimes I have played a live movie soundtrack where we have to be in perfect sync with the film. Also, I usually have a microphone attached to my violin in these cases,” he shared.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS?

“Find a good teacher. Listen to a lot of music. When I was young, I had a record player that I listened to every night in bed. Now YouTube is a wonderful tool. I have a YouTube channel, Fiddlesttik (fiddle, then my last name spelled backwards), where I post practice videos for my students to play along with, at different tempos,” Kitts offered.

“Have the discipline to practice every day. I tell my students, ‘You don’t have to practice every day, only on the days that you eat.’ That is a quote from Dr. Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki Method,” he added.

“Practice scales and arpeggios. Learn those patterns. Music is made up of variations of those patterns. If you have all of those patterns under your fingers, sight reading becomes easy,” he said.

Kitts also noted that he has this set of teaching mantras:

• You must think about it until you don’t. Whatever you are working on requires a lot of thought and concentration until you get to

the point of playing without conscious thought.)

• Practice it until it is easy. Don’t just practice to the point of competency, practice to the point of expertise.

Strive for beauty. Try to play beautifully, not just in general, but EVERY note.

The octave is the fundamental interval for intonation in all positions. The physics of strings is that the notes get closer together the higher you go up the strings, for example if you divide a string in half, you get one octave higher, but the second octave is only a quarter of the string. So, if you train your fingers to play octaves in tune, your hand automatically contracts and expands as you go up and down the strings.

Efficiency equals speed and accuracy. The more efficient you are with posture, hand position, finger placement etc., the faster and more accurately you can play.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF MUSIC

As Kitts prepares for the OSO’s 50th season opener, with concerts on Oct. 18 and 19 at the Reilly Arts Center, with the theme “Nights in the Gardens of Spain,” he said, “It’s very exciting. A nice commitment of the community.”

“There is nothing like being at a live concert,” Kitts continued. “The sounds envelope you; you can watch the performers. The conductor, Matt Wardell, is very funny besides being a great conductor.”

“A good concertmaster is someone a conductor and orchestra can rely on as a partner and leader in rehearsals and concerts. Stewart isn’t just a good concertmaster, he is a great one,” Wardell offered.

“We trust each other, we enjoy working together and we are both

incredibly committed to authentic performances. I feel incredibly fortunate to have him with us in Ocala,” Wardell added.

Natalie McComb, executive director of the Reilly Arts Center and the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, said, “What makes Stewart extraordinary is not only his mastery of the violin, but the way he guides the orchestra from the concertmaster’s chair. His leadership and precision elevate the entire ensemble.”

“It is a privilege to hear Stewart perform, and also a deeply moving experience. Our community is fortunate to experience that kind of artistry in our own symphony,” she added.

As for the upcoming concert, Wardell said it will include the dazzling brilliance of RimskyKorsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol,” the shimmering poetry of de Falla’s “Nights in the Gardens of Spain,” performed by Spanish pianist José María Inglés, and selections from Bizet’s “Carmen.”

“Your orchestra will absolutely captivate you. We’ll also give the United States premiere of “Castilla” by María de Pablos—a piece she wrote at just 23 before tragically spending the next 50 years in a sanitarium, her gifts largely unrecognized by the world. Bringing her music to American audiences for the first time is profoundly moving and is exactly why we do what we do,” Wardell noted.

The Reilly Arts Center is at 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala. The first performance of “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18, with the second at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19.

Tickets may be purchased at the box office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and online at reillyartscenter.com

SOCIAL SCENE Brunch with a legend

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

The Florida Thorobred Fillies, a social friendship club for women in the horse industry locally, hosted its Florida Thoroughbred Brunch With A Legend event on Oct. 3 at the Stone Creek Golf Club.

The guest of honor, Kathleen O’Connell, is the winningest female horse trainer of all time, with 18,274 wins as of late December, according to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.

Since first getting her start as a trainer, O’Connell has trained several millionaires and has been honored by the FTBOA for several titles, including leading trainer of Floridabred races, leading trainer of Floridabred stakes-winners and leading trainer by Florida-bred earnings. The organization presented her with the Bruce Campbell Award in 2022 and a Special Award of Merit in 1999, FTBOA materials state.

Other special event guests were authors Janet Del Castillo and Tisa Armstrong Smith.

With Lois Schwartz, Del Castillo authored “Backyard Race Horse: The Training Manual: A Comprehensive Off-Track Program for Owners and Trainers.” According to her profile on Linkedin, Castillo became successful as a trainer with a “throw away” horse donated to a children’s home. In her hands, the filly, First Prediction, became a major stakes winner.

Smith’s book, “Capricorn Sky,” is described as a children and familyoriented horse story about a little filly and the various animals she considers her farm family’ Her greatest desire is to become a respected racehorse. Throughout Cappy’s story there are many life lessons, much laughter and a whole lot of loving bonds.

To learn more about the Florida Thorobred Fillies and their yearround activities, go to fb.com/ Filliesclub

Vanguard rolls past North Marion Knights dominate Colts in rivalry victory.

By Mark Pinson Special to the Ocala Gazette

Vanguard junior quarterback

Terrance Lewis passed for one touchdown and ran for 136 yards and two scores to lead the Knights to a resounding 48-7 win over North Marion on Oct. 3.

The rivalry win was the sixth in a row for Vanguard, whose special teams forced two turnovers, and improved the Class 4A Knights to 6-1 on the season. The loss dropped Class 3A North Marion to 2-5 overall.

“We played well, and this was a good win in a rivalry game against North Marion,” said Vanguard coach Edwin Farmer. “Terrance is our leader and is a special kid and when he has the ball in his hands you never know what’s going to happen. Even with a bad snap, he can turn a bad play into a good one. We’ve been working really hard on special teams, and they played well tonight except for a couple of extra points. We’ve got plenty of things to work on and get better at.”

North Marion attempted an onside kick to begin the game, but Vanguard recovered the ball at the Colts’ 45-yard line. Junior running back Sergarion Gunsby picked up a first down and Lewis scored on a 19-yard quarterback draw. The point after was wide right to leave the Knights leading 6-0.

North Marion went three and out and was forced to punt. Vanguard drove 82 yards in just five plays as Lewis scrambled for a 29-yard gain and Gunsby found the end zone from 10 yards out. The extra point by senior Lazaro Abuin was good to make it 13-0.

North Marion answered with an eightplay, 80-yard drive that junior quarterback Matthew Dial capped off with a 34-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Damir Williams. Dial completed 12 of 21 passes for 121 yards and was under constant duress from an aggressive Vanguard pass rush. The extra point by junior Jorge Ranirez was true to pull the Colts within 13-7 late in the first quarter.

The teams traded punts until Vanguard marched 78 yards with senior running back James Pullings picking up a pair of first downs. Lewis broke off a 12-yard run and then glided his way through the North Marion defense for a 48-yard touchdown. The point after made it 20-7 midway through the second period.

That’s when things went from bad to worse for North Marion. The Colts went nowhere on offense and were forced to punt. Vanguard broke through the line and blocked the punt which Travis Smith picked up and returned 30 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, North Marion fumbled and the Knights recovered the ball at the Colts’ 19-yard line.

On first down, Lewis connected with James Bethea for a scoring strike to give the Knights a commanding 34-7 lead at the half. Lewis finished 4 of 8 passing for 42 yards.

After a scoreless third quarter, Vanguard put together a 94-yard drive that was finished off by Gunsby’s short scoring run to stretch the lead to 40-7 early in the fourth period. Gunsby rushed 11 times for 53 yards.

North Marion struggled to move the ball

with any consistency against an aggressive and swarming Vanguard defense. The Knights put an exclamation point on the game when Smith rambled 29 yards for a score with six minutes left to play. The large deficit enacted a running clock for the rest of the contest.

Saturday, October 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday, October 12, noon–5 p.m.

Enjoy a weekend of free admission in celebration of the life and legacy of museum founder Arthur I. Appleton (1915-2008).

On Saturday, October 11, 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., there will be pop-up performances in the café throughout the day by ‘Heartstrings & Harmonies.’ These short sets will celebrate Arthur I. Appleton’s era and his love of the arts with jazz standards and swing classics from the 1920s–40s.

Transform your home into a haunted house

Staff report

Many transformations occur during the month of October.

Leaves begin to turn various shades of orange and red, while the weather gets decidedly cooler. In the meantime, neighborhoods across the country begin to look quite different, with many homes decked out in the garish garb of Halloween.

The National Retail Federation, together with Prosper Insights & Analytics, reports that decorating one’s home for Halloween is the second most popular way to celebrate the holiday. Only purchasing and sharing candy beats out home decor.

Individuals spend billions collectively on Halloween each year, and one of the ways they can have some frightening fun is by transforming a regular, unassuming home into a haunted house. There are certain necessities to turn an otherwise typical home into a suddenly spooky abode.

• Scene setter: Start with a scene setter if you would like to decorate both inside and out. Scene setters are plastic or paper backdrops that can be tacked up on walls to make a house look completely different, particularly under low light. A scene

setter is an investment of time and money, but it can be reused each year and really make a room take on a new look quickly.

• Lawn graveyard: Visitors to the home who have to step through a graveyard will know there are more scares ahead. It’s relatively easy to make

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA IN RE: ESTATE OF PROBATE DIVISION ROBERT SHINTON, File Number: 25CP002002AX Deceased. Division:

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the Estate of Robert Shinton , Deceased, whose date of death was April 11, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW 1st Ave, Ocala, FL 34475 . The names and addresses of the Personal Representative for said Estate and the Attorney for said Personal Representative are respectively set forth below.

All creditors of the Decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the Decedent's Estate upon whom a copy of this Notice is required to be served must file their claims with this Court ON OR BEFORE 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 the Decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the Decedent's Estate must file their claims with this Court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 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 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 as described in Florida Statutes Sections 732.216732.228 applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under Florida Statutes Section 732.2211.

The date of first publication of this Notice is October 3, 2025.

Attorney for Personal Representative: BARRY A. DIAMOND, #471770 LAW OFFICES OF BARRY A. DIAMOND, P.A. Coral Springs Professional Campus 5541 N. University Drive, Suite 103 Coral Springs, Florida 33067 Telephone: (954) 752-5000

Personal Representative: Mary A. Shinton 18380 SE 58th Street Ocklawaha, FL 32179

IN THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

COURT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: 25CP002422AX DIVISION: PROBATE IN RE: ESTATE OF KEVIN ANTHONY DEMARIA, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Kevin Anthony DeMaria, deceased, whose date of death was July 13, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW 1st Ave., Ocala, FL 34475. The names and addresses 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 ON OR BEFORE 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. 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 ss. 732.216-732.228, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes.

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 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 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 first publication of this notice is October 10, 2025.

/s/ Carrie Leanna DeMaria Carrie Leanna DeMaria, Personal Representative 2321 Northeast 39th Street Ocala, FL 34479

/s/ Sherrille D. Akin Sherrille D. Akin (Fla. Bar No. 826812)

600 W. New York Ave. DeLand, Florida 32720 Tel: (386) 738-5599

Primary Email: sakin@akin-law.com Attorney for Personal Representative

your own grave markers from wood or foam. If you’re not handy, you can purchase them from a Halloween supply store. Disturb the earth around the markers to make visitors believe each grave is fresh. A bony hand sticking out of the dirt or some wilted flowers placed by the graves

also can set the scene.

Floating candles: Simulate the look of levitating candles with an easy craft. Take toilet paper or paper towel cardboard tubes and use hot glue on the top to make it look like beads of dripping wax. Paint the tubes with white chalk paint, as this type of paint is thick and covers easily. Glue a battery-powered tea light to the top for the wick. Poke a hole through both sides of the tube and thread some fishing line through. Use your mounting device of choice to attach the fishing line to the ceiling indoors or outside to hang each candle. When the lights are dim, it’s very difficult to see the fishing line and the candles will appear to be floating.

Haunted archway: Make an arch using PVC pipes, and thread jack-olanterns or papier mâché heads or masks through to create an ominous arch that greets visitors.

Handprints: Use window-safe paint to create bloody handprints on the inside of windows. This is a design touch that will enhance both the interior and exterior of the windows.

• Fog machine: Use a fog machine to spread a creepy mist where you need it, whether on a front porch or indoors.

Decorating homes for the season

Carved pumpkins, skeletons and witch cauldrons top the list of preferred Halloween decorations in America.

Staff report

Drive through a suburban neighborhood in October and it’s likely you will find yards filled with inflatable witches, animatronic grim reapers, makeshift graveyards bearing witty sayings on tombstones and bony hands reaching out from the soil, and lots of “skellies.”

Decorating for Halloween has become big business, with consumers spending a collective $10.6 billion in this category in the United States in 2022, according to a survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics and the National Retail Federation. In fact, decorations, particularly outdoor decorations, were the second most popular way to celebrate Halloween (candy still reigns supreme).

According to research by LombardoHome. com, which looked at Google searches across the country, Las Vegas, Denver, Baltimore, Portland, Oregon and Seattle were the top five states that searched the most for Halloween decorations on average per capita. Carved pumpkins, skeletons and witch cauldrons topped the list of preferred Halloween decorations in America.

Halloween is an opportunity to pull out all the stops for this fun fall celebration. The following tips can help to turn any home into a Halloween haunt to remember.

* Decide on a theme. Most people fall into one of two camps when decorating for Halloween. There are those who want their homes to be frightening and full of horrific details and others who prefer more of a fall harvest look. Identify your preferences and then gather decorative items accordingly.

* Shop early/late. Ideally, the best time to buy Halloween decorations is the day after the holiday when prices get slashed (pun intended). This is the time to stock up on items for next year. You can save anywhere from 50 to 70 percent when buying late in the season. For those who need new items for

this year’s Halloween, close-out retailers like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx start putting out Halloween products in the middle of summer. Stock up as soon as you see items, as they’re not likely to remain on shelves for long.

* Subtle touches can work. Though some people just love covering every square foot of a property with all things Halloween, it’s also possible to make a big impact with minimal effort. Lighting, or lack thereof, can create a spooky atmosphere. Swap porch lights with yellow or even black lights so everything glows. Candles flickering can add mystery. Place some battery-powered or electric candles in windows for an eerie feel. Swap out your typical curtains with purple or black ones to drape the house in even more spooky appeal.

* Wait on the carved pumpkins. Halloween seldom is complete without jack-o’-lanterns. But pumpkins often begin to degrade shortly after they’re first carved. Use artificial pumpkins if you plan to decorate early; otherwise, wait until a day or two before Halloween to add freshly carved pumpkins to the Halloween scape. Children can come up with the design but for safety, ensure that only adults carve the pumpkins.

Uppsala: Where a fun-loving vibe complements big history

Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth-largest city, is the best day-trip from Stockholm – it’s just under an hour away by train.

This happy town is Sweden's answer to Oxford, offering stately university facilities and museums, the home and garden of botanist Carl Linnaeus, as well as a grand cathedral and the enigmatic burial mounds of Gamla Uppsala on the town's outskirts.

Almost all the sights are in the compact city center, dominated by one of Scandinavia’s largest, most historic churches – Uppsala Cathedral. While the gothic building was completed in 1435, the spires and interior decorations are neo-gothic, from the late 19th century. The cathedral – with a fine interior, relics of St. Erik, memories of countless Swedish coronations, and the tomb of King Gustav Vasa – is well worth a visit.

Inside, you’ll find a different take on the Virgin Mary. An eerily lifelike statue from 2005, called "Mary (The Return)," captures Jesus’ mother wearing a scarf and timeless garb. In keeping with the Protestant spirit, this version of Mary is

shown not as an exalted queen, but as an everywoman, saddened by the loss of her child and seeking solace – or answers – in the church.

This cathedral likely sees more tourists than worshipers. Before the year 2000, Sweden was a Lutheran state, with the Church of Sweden as its official religion. Until 1996, Swedes with one Lutheran parent automatically became members of the church at birth. Now you need to choose to join the church, and although the culture is nominally Lutheran, few people attend services regularly. While church is handy for Christmas, Easter, marriages, and burials, Swedes are more likely to find religion in nature, hiking in the vast forests or fishing in one of the thousands of lakes or rivers.

Facing the cathedral is the university’s oldest surviving building, the Gustavianum, with a bulbous dome that doubles as a sundial. Today it houses a well-presented museum that features an anatomical theater, a cabinet filled with miniature curiosities, and Anders Celsius’ thermometer. The collection is curiously engaging for the

glimpse it gives into the mindset of 17th-century Europe.

Uppsala was also home to the father of modern botany, Carl Linnaeus, whose house and garden – now a museum–provide a vivid look at this influential scientist's work. Linnaeus lived here from 1743 until 1778, while he was a professor at the University of Uppsala. It was here that he developed a way to classify the plant kingdom.

Strolling Sweden's first botanical garden, I felt like a child: filled with wonder. Linnaeus ran this garden, living on-site to study plants--day and night, year-round--tracking about 3,000 different species. The museum fills his home (which he shared with his wife and seven children) with the family’s personal possessions and his professional gear. You’ll see his insect cabinet, herb collection, desk, botany tools, and notes –and can pop into the orangery, built so temperate plants could

Hometown honor

Bernadette Castro will be the grand marshal of the Ocala Christmas parade.

Staff report

The Friends of the Ocala Christmas Parade have announced that Bernadette Castro has been named grand marshal of the 70th annual Ocala Christmas Parade. She will be representing her parents Bernard and Theresa Castro, the news release noted.

The Castro family, best known for their iconic Castro Convertibles brand, has been a cornerstone of the Ocala community for more than six decades. Founded by Italian immigrant and American patriot Bernard Castro, the family’s vision and philanthropy have helped shape Ocala’s cultural, civic and equestrian life, the Friends release stated.

In the late 1950s, Bernard Castro and his wife, Theresa, fell in love with Ocala’s rolling hills and oak trees and purchased more than 5,000 acres here. Their children, Bernard Jr. and Bernadette, embraced the area, with the son inspiring the family’s early investments in equestrian and agricultural ventures.

The family established the Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club (1964), Golden Hills Academy (1964) and the Golden Hills Theatre (1980).

They opened their land to the Florida National Guard and were honored

as Honorary Green Berets for their support. In 1987, Theresa founded the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research. The family also sponsored community traditions such as the Ocala Christmas Parade Santa Claus float and Light Up Ocala, the release noted.

Bernadette, who earned degrees from the University of Florida, has carried on her parents’ legacy through leadership and philanthropy. She remains active with the Ocala Royal Dames, Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, the Voices of Change Animal League (VOCAL) and other organizations.

The third Castro generation is led by Bernadette’s daughter, Terri Austin Keogh, CEO of Castro Properties, with her brothers Bernard Austin, Jonathan Austin and David Austin. The fourth generation of Castro grandchildren also share

this passion, ensuring the family’s legacy of innovation, generosity and community spirit endures, according to the release.

The parade, set for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13, remains the largest nighttime Christmas parade in the state of Florida. With thousands of students from Marion County Public Schools involved, the parade is livestreamed on the school district’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/ marioncountyk12, noted a news release from MCPS.

The parade travels along East Silver Springs Boulevard (State Road 40), starting at Southeast 25th Avenue and heading west to Northeast 8th Avenue and into the Tuscawilla Park area.

The parade attracts more than 60,000 spectators lining both sides of East Silver Springs Boulevard and is made possible by the cooperation of donors, community organizations and the Ocala Police Department, the MCPS release stated.

The theme for this year’s parade is Christmas Through the Decades. The application window for floats, motorized units, marching units, bands and animal units is open through Oct. 30, according to the Friends website.

For more information, go to ocalachristmasparade.org

survive the Nordic winters.

Just outside of town stands Gamla ("Old") Uppsala, a series of mounds where the nation of Sweden was born back in the Iron Age. This site gives historians goose bumps even on a sunny day. It includes nine large royal burial mounds circled by a walking path, all with English descriptions.

Fifteen hundred years ago, when the Baltic Sea was higher and it was easy to sail all the way to Uppsala, the pagan Swedish kings had their capital here. Old Uppsala is where the disparate little Swedish kingdoms came together and a nation coalesced. It was also here where Sweden became Christianized, a thousand years ago.

Climbing the burial mounds is a highlight to visiting Uppsala. From here, you can imagine the scene over a thousand years ago, when the democratic tradition of this country helped bring those many small Swedish kingdoms together. Entire communities

would gather at the rock that marked their place. Then the leader of all the clans, standing atop the flat mound, would address the crowd as if in a natural amphitheater, and issues of the day would be dealt with.

While no one gathers on these mounds for debates today, Sweden still honors its many traditions – and you'll find some wild ones in Uppsala. Every April 30 (Walpurgis Eve –"Valborg" or "Sista April" in Swedish), champagne-soaked students put on their black-rimmed white caps and run down a hill toward town while balloons are released and thousands of alumni, families, and friends cheer. (The partying then goes on until dawn, illuminated by bonfires.)

This lively college vibe gives Uppsala a fun-loving buzz to go along with its big history, making a day-trip here both enjoyable and memorable. If you have five days in Stockholm and wonder what to do on that last day, go to Uppsala.

Original play will be performed online

“Almost All About Eva” is a historically accurate representation set just after the Civil War.

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Unboxed Productions, a mostly live online only theater company, founded in 2020 by Marion County resident Kim Sandstrom and Jan Thomas of Indianapolis, Indiana, has announced their next live online only, original theater production, “Almost All About Eva.”

Eva is a true to life, historically accurate play about a real woman who carved a unique life for herself despite hardship and false vilification. Set just after the Civil War and continuing up to World War l, Eva’s life begins in an Underground Railroad town, Adrian, Michigan, and follows her as she leaves to go to Chicago for the adventure of her life, according to Sandstrom.

families from Tompkins, New York. He raised his children in the apple orchards and farms of Lenawee, Michigan, Sandstrom noted.

Two actors will take turns portraying Halsey. Judge John Knowles from Portland, Oregon, will take two nights and is also featured singing “Wayfaring Stranger.” Brian Wayman, a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, as was Sandstrom, will play Halsey on the opposite nights.

Eva’s sister, Carrie, will be played by Sandstrom’s sister, Kristine Handgen of Mexico.

“Almost All About Eva” is suitable for ages 10 and up. There is adult subject matter, but it is handled delicately and thoughtfully, Sandstrom offered. Keeping true to their format of performing mostly in the live online space, “Almost All About Eva,” follows Unboxed Productions’ summer success of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

“And we are proud to announce that ‘Almost All About Eva’ has been named a finalist in the Fertile Ground Play Festival in Portland, Oregon. Selected plays will be announced by Oct. 31 and, if selected, Unboxed Productions will take our play live onstage to the Hillsboro Artists Regional Theater,” Sandstrom said.

The online performance dates for “Almost All About Eva” are 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and 24 and 4 p.m. Oct. 25 and 26. Those wishing to view the play online around the country should be sure to adjust for Eastern Standard Time, Sandstrom cautions.

“Almost All About Eva” portrays the life of Eva Lewis, a bullied sickly child who grew to be an independent woman. The play is inspired by author Sandstrom’s own great-great-grandmother, with Eva’s other great greatgranddaughter, Sabrina Johnson, in the role of Eva.

Local actress Teri Schwartz will play the real-life role of Jemima Shippey, a great-great-aunt of Sabrina, Kristine and Kim. Jan Thomas will play Agatha Crosby.

Johnson, who looks remarkably like Eva, hails from Indiana. Eva’s father, Halsey Lewis, a servant boy of 7, was “taken away” with other pioneer

A cast of 12 will round out the show, with actors coming from all parts of the country. Several teen actors from Portland, Oregon, will be featured. Simone Armstrong will play Eva as a child.

To view the play online, a donation of $15 will secure a link through Unboxed Productions ongoing gofundme platform and a portion of all link donations will go to Disarming Love, a nonprofit for children of the incarcerated, founded by Denise Miller.

To register to view the play, go to unboxedproductions.org

Getting in the spirit for a good cause

The

“Ghouls

for Good”

By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com

The “Ghouls for Good” fundraiser will support the Marion Cultural Alliance as it closes out its seventh juried art exhibition, “Nocturne: A Show of Good Spirits,” on display at the Brick City Center for the Arts through Oct. 31.

“As the season shifts and the nights grow longer, ‘Nocturne’ invites artists to explore the quiet power of darkness, transformation and inner reflection. This exhibition embraces mood over menace— focusing on the mysterious, the introspective and the beautifully strange,” notes the MCA website.

The “Nocturne” exhibit is sponsored by the LILAC Foundation, which also is hosting the “Ghouls for Good” event, which will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Brick, located at 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala.

event is described as an otherworldly masquerade where dreams and nightmares collide.

“Step into an otherworldly realm where your sweetest dreams shimmer—and your darkest nightmares awaken. Join the LILAC Foundation for an evening of enchantment, fantasy and eerie elegance. Costumes inspired by bedtime stories, dreamscapes or classic night terrors are highly encouraged. Whether you come dressed as a blissful sleeper or something that keeps others awake at night… you’ll be right at home,” notes the promotional materials.

The organizers offer costume inspirations such as otherworldly creatures, twisted fairytales, haunted carnival performers, sleepwalkers and shadow selves and soft-focus beauty with an unsettling edge. There will be a costume contest and the winner will walk away with “a killer prize.”

The evening will include art and music, with haunting decor and light projections by Oniram

Productions and DJ Karim. Signature cocktails will include the Tequila Nightmare and Moonlight Muse. Guests can also nosh on light bites and visit a cash bar.

The LILAC (Lisa Irwin Legacy for Arts & Culture) Foundation has three pillars: Arts in Health Ocala Metro, Elevating Futures and Opportunity for All.

Lisa Irwin, founder of the foundation and a longtime supporter of the arts locally, said that she and her colleague Geraldo Rodriguez came up with the “Ghouls for Good” theme, partially inspired by the stunning visuals of the movie “What Dreams May Come” where Robin Williams walks through his deceased wife’s paintings.

“To him, it seemed like a dream until it turned into a nightmare. And the theme also suits both mine and Geraldo’s personalities—he loves spooky stuff and practical

jokes whereas I prefer to be in cotton candy filled dreams. And Geraldo came up with the drinks—he is the mixologist of the team. Mojos mobile bar will be serving the drinks for the evening.”

As for the costumes she might expect to see, Irwin said, “I hope they will come as happy dreams or scary nightmares, but most importantly, I hope they come dressed in a fun costume and have a good time but don’t try to scare me too much!”

Leading up to “Ghouls for Good” are two other events sponsored by the LILAC Foundation, in partnership with MCA, which will benefit Arts in Health Ocala Metro. Painting with a Purpose, “a Halloween paint party with Chris Hershberger,” is from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Brick. On Oct. 16, from 5-7 p.m., Natasha Jean-Pierre will lead a “Dreams and Nightmares” creative writing experience at the venue.

“We bring programs into hospitals, schools, senior centers and community spaces, reaching people right where they are. Every art interaction is tracked, so we can show real data that the arts improve health. And it’s important because health isn’t only about medicine—it’s also about hope, creativity and connection, especially when people are navigating illness, loss or stress,” Irwin said about the AIHOM mission.

The Marion Cultural Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 that was established in 2001 with the Horse Fever public art project. MCA’s mission is to champion, convene and create opportunities for artists and arts organizations.

For tickets to Ghouls for Good, go to zeffy.com/es-US/ticketing/ ghouls-for-good-dreamscapesand-nightmares For tickets to the painting and writing events, go to ocalametroartscene.com

Calls for artists for two city of Ocala events

Staff report

EMERGING ARTIST COMPETITION

The city of Ocala, in partnership with Fine Arts For Ocala, invites Marion County artists with up to six years of experience to submit entries for the 2025 Student and Emerging Artist Competition “Techne.” The exhibition will be on display Dec. 3, through March 9, 2026, at City Hall.

Artist may enter one original piece completed within the past two years. Participants will compete in three divisions: High school students, one to three years of active experience, four to six years of active experience.

A jury will select winners in each division, along with a Best of Show. Awards will be presented at a reception Jan. 13, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Awards include: Scholarships to the College of Central Florida (High School Division)

• $1,000 Best of Show prize from FAFO

• Best of Show feature in the “Ocala Gazette”

• Best of Show free class at Picasso’s Palette $150 gift certificate for Chelsea Arts Center (First Place, One to Three Years Division)

Professional art framing from Cartigliano Arts (First Place, Four to Six Years Division) Free class at Painting with a Twist (All first-place winners)

• Annual memberships to the Appleton Museum of Art and Marion Cultural Alliance (All winners)

• Waived registration free for the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027

First Friday Art Walk season (All winners)

Each entry must include an exhibit agreement form, artist statement and a highresolution photograph of the artwork (.jpg file, at least 1900 pixels wide). Submissions are due Nov. 10. Applications are available at ocalafl.gov/ seaexhibit. Completed entries may be submitted online, emailed to artinfo@ocalafl.gov, or mailed to: City of Ocala Cultural Arts, 201 SE Third St., Second Floor, Ocala.

For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Division at (352) 629-8447 or visit ocalafl.gov/seaexhibit ART PARK SERIES AND SCULPTURE STROLL

The city of Ocala also is now accepting applications for the 2026 Tuscawilla Art Park Series, which will feature the OTrak

Chalk Walk and the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration. Artists, artisans, local vendors, art organizations, nonprofits and food trucks are invited participate.

The OTrak Chalk Walk will be held Jan. 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park, 213 NE 5th St. The free community event will include a juried chalk art competition, live music, artisan booths, familyfriendly activities, food trucks and opportunities for the public to create chalk art.

The 2026 theme is “Hidden Gem of Florida,” celebrating the state’s small towns, landmarks, stories and natural beauty. Florida-based chalk artists are invited to apply for a chance to compete for cash prizes.

The competition is open to professional artists who live and work in Florida and to student artists in Marion

County. Applications are free and available at ocalafl.gov/chalkwalk

The Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration will take place Feb 21, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tuscawilla Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave., and Tuscawilla Art Park, 213 NE 5th St. The event will unveil 10 new works from the 8th Biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition and feature guided tours, live performances and community vendors.

Vendor applications for one or both events are available at ocalafl.gov/artpark. Completed entries may be submitted by email to artinfo@ocalafl.gov or mailed to City of Ocala Cultural Arts, 201 SE 3rd St., Second Floor, Ocala, FL 34471.

For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts at (352) 629-8447 or artinfo@ ocalafl.gov.

Whip up a classic fall treat

Halloween treats take center stage in October. What can be better this time of year than a fresh autumn apple coated in a sweet candy shell? This quintessential fall treat can make Halloween celebrations even more special.

This recipe for “Old-Fashioned Caramel Apples,” courtesy of “300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes (Robert Rose) by Jane Sharrock, benefits from the fall harvest while also paying homage to a classic Halloween treat.

Old-Fashioned Caramel Apples Serves 12

12 medium apples

2 cups granulates sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2⁄3 cup light corn syrup

1⁄2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup half-and-half (10%) cream or evaporated milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chopped pecans, 11⁄2 cups sweetened flaked coconut or 2 cups crisp rice cereal (optional)

1. Wash and dry the apples. Remove the stems. Insert a popsicle stick into the stem end of each apple, using a twist-like motion so that the

apple will not split.

2. Cover a large countertop area or a large baking sheet with waxed paper.

3. In a large heavy kettle over medium-low heat, bring the granulated and brown sugars, corn syrup, butter, half-and-half and salt to a boil, stirring until the sugars dissolve and the mixture begins to boil. Cook, gently stirring to prevent scorching, to the firm ball stage (246 F). Stir in the vanilla.

4. Remove from the heat. Cool until the mixture thickens slightly. Hold each apple by the wooden skewer and quickly twirl into the caramel, tilting the pan to cover the apple with

SERIOUSLY SIMPLE

caramel. Remove the apple from the caramel, allow the excess caramel to drip into the pan and then twirl the apple again to spread the caramel smoothly over the apple. Use a spoon to coat any part of the apple not covered with caramel. If desired, roll the coated apples in the toppings before the caramel sets. Place on the waxed paper until the coating is firm. Store in a cool place.

Have a recipe you would like to share? Email us at recipe@ocalagazette.com

Vegetable pearl couscous is an adaptable side dish

When you need a side dish that works with simple or spicy entrees, try this one. This recipe is a keeper and so Seriously Simple to make, you’ll probably find it in your weekly rotation of trusted recipes. Pearl couscous, sometimes called Israeli couscous or “ptitim” in Israel is baked semolina or wheat pasta. It is larger than regular tiny couscous and tastes great sauteed and lightly browned. The couscous is mild with a delightfully nutty texture on its own, so it’s best to add some vegetables, nuts or other flavorings to spice up the little pearls. They resemble barley, but have a decidedly different flavor. This simple side pasta is very adaptable. If you are in a big hurry, go for frozen petit pois instead of the carrots and zucchini, since the peas are a quick and tasty last-minute addition. You can also make this into a salad with the addition of diced

TCA).

MAYO CLINIC

tomatoes, tiny mozzarella balls and finely chopped basil. A mustard citrus vinaigrette dressing would bring all the flavors together. Whether you serve this as a hot side dish to grilled or braised entrees or create your own chilled couscous salad, I know you and your guests will enjoy it.

Vegetable Pearl Couscous Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, white and light green part only, cleaned and finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 small zucchini, finely diced

2 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups hot water or chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.

Add the leek, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned and caramelized. Add the carrot and zucchini, and continue to stir for 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Turn up the heat to high and add the couscous. Brown the couscous for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

2 Add the hot water or broth to the couscous, stir with a fork, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to mediumlow. Let the couscous simmer for about 10 minutes, cooking until all the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is tender.

3Add the parsley, and optional Parmesan; blend them in with a large fork. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Recipe note: This dish can be prepared up to two hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Reheat carefully in the top part of a double boiler over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am thrilled to say I am a breast cancer survivor. It has been almost six months since I finished treatment. But I can’t shake the fatigue. I was never a napper, but I find myself feeling desperate to close my eyes in the middle of the workday. I don’t feel sharp in my thinking, and I fall asleep in front of the TV at night. I’m worried. How can I get past this stage? I want my life back.

ANSWER: Cancer-related fatigue can be distressing. It is a persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional and cognitive tiredness and/ or exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment that is not proportional to recent activity. It interferes with daily function

and quality of life. Cancer-related fatigue is different from the usual tiredness we all experience. It’s more intense, it’s not temporary and it’s not relieved by rest alone.

Several factors can contribute to cancer-related fatigue. The cancer itself can lead to fatigue.

Some cancers weaken muscles, damage organs or alter hormones, which can cause fatigue.

Sometimes treatment damages healthy cells in addition to cancer cells. Treatments such as chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, hormonal therapies and radiation all may cause fatigue.

Side effects of treatment may result in a blood problem called anemia, pain or stress, all of

which can add to your fatigue.

If you’re not feeling well, your activity level may lower, which causes the body to decondition, causing fatigue. Preexisting conditions, such as anxiety and depression, also may worsen with cancer and play a role in fatigue.

Cancer-related fatigue can happen at any stage. It might start before treatment, become more pronounced during treatment, and sometimes linger even after treatment has ended. Everyone experiences this differently.

The duration of cancer-related fatigue can be variable. For some people, it might improve a few weeks after finishing treatment. For others, it can last for months or even longer. It affects a lot

of cancer patients but doesn’t always get proper attention from healthcare professionals. It’s important to communicate with your healthcare team about any ongoing fatigue.

Treatments can include physical therapy and exercise guidance to help increase activity levels, medications, complementary and integrative medicine approaches such as yoga and tai chi, and psychological and mindfulnessbased strategies to manage emotional stress and monitor fatigue levels. As every patient is different, a combination of these approaches typically works best.

While there’s no way to prevent cancer-related fatigue, several self-care strategies

can help boost energy levels, including:

Staying as active as possible, even if it’s just light exercise. Start slow and find a routine.

Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated. When you have cancer, you may need more protein and nutrients than ever. Drink plenty of fluids, and limit caffeine.

Setting a regular sleep schedule, taking short naps if needed, and finding time to relax and reduce stress.

If you need guidance or you are experiencing fatigue that is not responding to these modalities, ask your primary care team for help. You may need help from family and friends to help with household tasks too.

Government

OCT.

13, 20 AND 27

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.

OCT. 21

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 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

MULTIPLE DATES

MCPS town hall meetings

Locations below

5:45pm

Marion County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer will host town hall gatherings, which are open to all. Oct. 16 – Osceola Middle School, 526 SE Tuscawilla Ave., Ocala Nov. 13 – North Marion Middle School, 2085 W. CR 329, Citra Dec. 18 – Dunnellon Middle School, 21005 Chestnut St., Dunnellon

Anyone with questions can call (352) 671-7555.

OCT. 14 AND 28

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 NOV. 12

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

Community Arts

OCT. 11

Craig Pittman: The State You’re

In Headquarters-Ocala Public Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

11am Pittman is a native Floridian, “New York Times” best-selling author and award-winning reporter. He now writes a weekly column on environmental issues and is co-host of the podcast “Welcome to Florida.” Call (352) 6718551 for more information. Get In Formation Fitness DanceA-Thon Paddock Mall, 3100 SW College Road, Ocala

9am-3pm The breast cancer awareness fundraiser will include 3D mobile mammography screenings. There are eligibility guidelines for women who are uninsured or who have insurance. Find the details at thebeautifulgateinc.com/events/ mammogram-screening-ocala-dance-a-thon/ Bunco Tournament Fundraiser Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 Jacksonville Road, Ocala

5pm The Bunco Babes of Ocala host their 13th annual tournament, with proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Michelle-O-Gram, which provides breast cancer diagnostics and more. The event will include dinner, prizes, auction items and a drawing. Call or text Candy Homan at (352) 812-3585 or Angela VanRyn at (352) 235-1148.

OCT. 10-12

Jeeptoberfest

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S Hwy 475, Ocala Various times Obstacles and courses weave through densely forested trails, including a mud pit and bleachers line the trails so spectators can enjoy the action in this annual fundraiser for local charities. Vendors, food trucks and a “duck drop” via helicopter Oct. 11. Get the details at ocalajeepclub.com

OCT. 18

Charity Golf Outing

Silver Springs Shores Country Club, 633 Silver Road, Ocala

7am registration

The event, presented by the Marine Corp League Marion Detachment #0601, will benefit Veterans Helping Veterans USA, Marine Corp League Marion Detachment Mission of Young Marines and the Interfaith Emergency Services foodbank. For more information, call Earl Allison at (269) 625-5314 or Randy Weber at (352) 239-1069 or visit vhvusa.org/mcl-golf

OCT. 19

Trivia Night

Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

6-8pm Sponsored by Ovation! for Ocala Civic Theatre and led by emcee Philip Leppert, in partnership with Imagine Entertainment. Single players will be assigned to teams. Cash bar, hot dogs for sale, prizes, silent auction and raffles. Get tickets at ocalacivictheatre.com

OCT. 22

Howl-O-Ween Paw-ty

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 Jacksonville Road, Ocala

The Humane Society of Marion County event will include trunk-or-treating, food, games, costume contests and more. To register, go to app.giveffect.com/campaigns/38436-7thannual-howl-o-ween

OCT. 23

Women Empowering Women: Retire Smart Country Club of Ocala, 6823 SE 12th Circle, Ocala

6:30-7:45pm

The event will include light bites, meaningful conversation and empowering insights designed to help women build a secure, confident retirement. Whether you’re pre-retirement or already retired, learn smart strategies for saving on taxes, creating lifelong income and protecting your legacy through estate planning. Get tickets at eventbrite.com/e/green-teaand-conversations-lets-talk-about-selfcompassion-tickets-430231462887

College of Central Florida Frontier Expo

Ewers Century Center, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala

5:30pm Guest speaker Rachel Ludwig, vice president of talent development for the future of work at the Florida Chamber of Commerce, will talk about workforce trends and high-demand careers. Attendees can participate in handson breakout sessions that will allow them to assemble a personal computer, get started with coding and safeguard their digital life. Attendees can network with employers in tech, government and business sectors and connect with CF admissions staff and advisors. To register, go to cf.edu/frontierexpo

OCT. 24

Tales from Six Gun Territory

Headquarters-Ocala Public Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

3pm Saddle up for a Wild West ride with librarian Taylor Benson. Explore the history of the famous attraction and meet the cowpokes who made it happen. To learn more, call (352) 671-8551.

OCT. 25

Books, Balls and Blocks

Developmental Screening

Early Learning Coalition of Marion County, 2300 SW 17th Road, Ocala

10am-noon

The free event is for families with children from birth to 5 years old. While children play, parents/guardians can complete an Ages and Stages Questionnaire to screen children for developmental delays and get information on community resources, events and programs to support children’s healthy development. For more information, call (352) 369-2315 or visit elc-marion.org.

OCT. 11

Broken Hearts: Tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30pm All-star lineup led by Petty’s former bandmate Charlie Souza and vocalist Shawn Scheller. Experience an unforgettable tribute honoring one of rock’s greatest icons. Get details at reillyartscenter.com

OCT. 15

Zora Listened! Storyteller Diane

Johnson

Sankofa Public Library 1821 NW 21st Ave. Ocala 11am

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), African American author, playwright, poet, anthropologist and folklorist, collected the stories, songs and poems of African Americans in northeast Florida. Storyteller Diane Johnson will bring Hurston to life through stories and music in this free event. Call (352) 6718551 for more information.

OCT. 16

“Pictures at an Exhibition” with Jose Maria Ingles

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30pm Award-winning Spanish pianist will perform a solo recital ahead of his featured appearance with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra during its 50th Season Opening Weekend, Oct. 18–19. Learn more at reillyartscenter.com

THROUGH OCT. 16

“The Gap Between Art and Life”

College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala 10am-4 pm, Monday-Thursday

This innovative, immersive biennial is a competitive exhibition of installation art. Eight artworks by seven artists offer something unexpected, breaking from tradition and challenge the typical gallery experience. Admission is free. To learn more, go to cf.edu/webber

OCT. 18-19

Ocala Symphony Orchestra ‘Nights in the Garden of Spain’ Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala

7:30pm Saturday; 3pm Sunday

The OSO’s 50th anniversary season opens with a concert inspired by the spirit of Spain, with acclaimed pianist José María Inglés. Enjoy the U.S. premiere of María de Pablos’ “Castilla” and selections from Bizet’s “Carmen” and more. Get details at reillyartscenter.com

OCT. 23-26

“Almost All About Eva” Online performances Unboxed Productions will present the historically accurate play about a woman who carved a unique life for herself despite hardship. The cast includes actors from around the county and Eva Lewis’ great-great-granddaughter has the lead role. The play airs online at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and 24 and 4 p.m. Oct. 25 and 26. To register to view the play, go to unboxedproductions.org

THROUGH OCT. 31

“Nocturne: A Show of Good Spirits exhibit opens

The Brick Gallery, 23 SW Broadway St. Ocala The Marion Cultural Alliance invites the community to view its newest exhibit. Admission is free. “Nocturne” will be on display through Oct. 31. For gallery hours, visit mcaocala.org

THROUGH OCT. 31

“The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers”

Florida Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’, 801 SW 60th Ave., Ocala

8:30am-4:30pm weekdays

The Keeneland Library launched the exhibit, which follows the lives and contributions of Black horsemen and women and includes interpretive panels, photographs, artwork, artifacts and video interviews. To learn more, go to keeneland.com/keeneland-library/heart-turfracings-black-pioneers and ftboa.com

NOV. 8-9

Ocali Country Days

Silver River Museum, 1445 NE 58th Ave., Ocala 9am-4 pm Visitors experience Florida of yesteryear with living history exhibits highlighting life during the 1800s. Pioneer cabins, old-time skills demonstrations, sugar cane syrup making, a blacksmith shop, woodfired pottery kiln, live music vendors, food, crafts and more. This project is supported in part by the Marion Cultural Alliance. Admission $10 per person (children 5 and under free). The museum is inside Silver Springs State Park. To learn more, call (352) 236-5401 and go to silverrivermuseum.com

THROUGH DEC. 12

“Elements in Abstract” exhibition SouthState Bank Second Floor Gallery, 1632 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Bank hours

Curated by Kayla Moffatt, resident artist at The MAX Ocala, the exhibition brings together 10 Florida artists—photographers, painters, fabric artists and illustrators— each interpreting the elemental forces of earth, water, air and fire through abstraction. To learn more, call (352) 4800725.

THROUGH JAN. 18

“The Human Pulse: Photographs by John Elliott” Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala The exhibit features 42 black-and-white prints from the Ocala-based photographer’s ongoing series, “The Human Pulse,” shaped by his life and travels across 32 countries. Learn more at appletonmuseum.org

THROUGH FEB. 22

“Under the Cover of Knowledge: Betty Ford-Smith’s Pinecone Quilts” Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Ford-Smith’s quilts are striking, contemporary interpretations of the traditional pinecone quilt, a form rooted in African American quilting practices dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To learn more, go to appletonmuseum.org

Interfaith Emergency Services

Fashion Show

Midtown Station, 235 NE Watula Ave., Ocala

1-3pm

See celebrity models wearing fashions from the IES thrift store, along with pop-up shopping, door prizes and more. Get details at iesmarion.org

Día de los Muertos 5K

Baseline Trailhead Park, 4255 SE 58th St., Ocala

8am

The third annual event is organized by the Marion County Gator Club in partnership with Milestone Race Authority to raise scholarship funds for Marion County students headed to the University of Florida. Event participants are encouraged to wear costumes. To register, go to diadelosmuertos5kocala.itsyourrace.com

UniverseAbility Pageant and Miss Worldwide International 1985 Laurel Manor Drive, The Villages

5-9pm

Organized by the nonprofit Champions for Champions, the event is a fundraiser for local programming. Get tickets at zeffy.com/en-US/

ticketing/champions-for-champions-universeabilitypageant-and-miss-worldwide-international-fashionfor-a-cause

OCT. 30

Legends Strike Back at Bowl2Build

Bowlero Lanes, 1818 SW 17th St., Ocala

5:30-8:30pm Cosplayers are invited to bowl to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Marion County. Those who sign up early may be entered to win a prize. Go to ognitoforms.com/ HabitatForHumanityOfMarionCounty2/_ Bowl2BuildCosplay

OCT. 31

Trunk or Treat Rainbow Springs Art in Dunnellon, 20826 Walnut St, Dunnellon

6-7pm

The gallery joins with the city of Dunnellon to present the event, including a costume parade for kids and pets. Pets should be leashed. To hand out treats, sign up in advance by contacting the gallery at (352) 7634048 or emailing rsacoop2016@gmail.com.

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.