Ferrentino & Sons presenting their Business at OBL Ocala Business Leaders Breakfast meeting. They are a local builder that has a very large following. They support OBL and many other organizations. Congratulations Ferrentino and Sons!
Horses 4 Warriors focus on equine therapy for veterans with PTSD in the Ocala area. Ocala, has the community spirit, all while making a meaningful difference in the lives of our beloved Veterans and Equine Residents in Central Florida. They are a non-profit group that’s purpose is helping Veterans with PTSD and to raise awareness about mental health.
The event started with the Color Guard and Judith Larrence singing the National Anthem. What a great voice singing a great song! Thank You Judith. The event was held at the Ocala Downtown Market. Rick Stevens started the nonprofit just a few months ago, to focus on equine therapy for veterans with PTSD. He said this was the organization’s first major event in Ocala. Rick dedicated the event to Billy Rowe. Rick said they may try to have the next event at Veteran park. Veteran form a bond with the horses and it’s a traumatic experience. I would say in some cases life saving connection they may not have ever felt in their life,”. Rick says the issue is close to his heart because he said he deals with it himself. Rick sats “I’ve got PTSD and had some stuff happen in my life and a horse saved my life,” said Stevens. “I bonded with the horse, the horse bonded with me and he kept me alive.”
At the event people were split up into teams and played corn hole. The winners were given a custom set of boards, hand-painted by artist.
One team drove from Dunnellon to help the cause. “I never put an amount on it, if we make a dollar I’m okay with that, it’s about getting the awareness out and a lot of people have really stepped up,” Stevens thank all that came and showed support. Watch for the next event in this newspaper.
Photos by CKJ-13 Kay Johnson
50 YEARS! Wow! Thank you to those who celebrated 50 years with us. The outpour of love and support that was in the room that night is such a testament to the community that we are so fortunate to be a part of. The work of our mission is only made possible by the generosity and compassion of those who support us, and for that, we cannot thank you enough!
Thank you CKJphotos13 for capturing these beautiful moments! Thank you Tom James, Commissioner Craig Curry, Dr. Hank Harrell, AARP Florida’s Jeff Johnson, Florida Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Michelle Branham, United Way of Marion County’s Bob Haight, our Staff, Volunteers, and everyone who made this night so incredibly special.
We look forward to the next 50 years!
Photos by CKJ-13 Kay Johnson
This week, I teamed up with renowned crime fighter and victims’ advocate John Walsh and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers for a new statewide public-safety initiative. We are encouraging Floridians to be proactive in helping law enforcement solve cases by reporting crime using **TIPS.
**TIPS is our state’s anonymous tipline. Before launching this line, Floridians needed to look up the specific region’s Crime Stoppers number to report a crime—there are 27 different offices each with separate phone numbers.
But now, by simply dialing **TIPS on a cellphone, citizens are automatically rerouted to the nearest regional Crime Stoppers office. Crime Stoppers USA has also adopted the phone number for nationwide use!
Now, anyone in the United States can report crime anonymously with this easy-to-remember number and possibly collect a reward for tips that lead to an arrest. Continue reading
Each Wednesday | 5 – 6 PM
June | Fort King National Historic Landmark |3925 E. Fort King St.
July | Scott Springs Park | 2825 SW 24th Ave.
August | Heritage Nature Conservancy | 2005 NE Third St.
September | Fort King National Historic Landmark |3925 E. Fort King St.
October | Heritage Nature Conservancy | 2005 NE Third St.
November | Scott Springs Park | 2825 SW 24th Ave.
December | Wetland Recharge Park | 2105 NW 21st. St.
Join the Ocala Park Rangers every week for Wildlife Wednesdays. Each week discover different native animals and explore their unique Florida habitats.
Saturday, Sept. 30 | 6 – 9 PM | Ages 5+ | $10 per person
How does an entire command go missing on their way to Fort King? Who was really to blame for the attack in 1835? Hear from the legends who witnessed the event at Legends of the Fort.
This guided lantern tour takes you back in time at Ocala’s Seminole War historic site. Meet the legends and hear the tales of a time gone by during this unique event.
Tours last approximately one hour with groups starting every 30 minutes. Each group is limited to a maximum of 20 people per group.
Tickets MUST be purchased in advance so reserve your time slot today!
For additional information, please visit our website or call 352.368.5533.
Dear Neighbor,
The last two weeks have been trying in North Central Florida—first with the expected hurricane and then with the aftermath. After visiting all of our communities and hearing from emergency management officials, small business owners, residents, and leaders, one thing is clear: our district is strong and resilient.
In Cedar Key and Horseshoe Beach, homes and businesses were washed away in just a couple of hours. Further inland, extreme wind and water damage ripped buildings from their foundations and flooded homes. Our agricultural producers—some of the hardest-hit after Idalia—saw fields flooded, crops demolished, and equipment damaged. Despite all of these challenges, we’re so proud of how our neighbors worked to support each other. We have a long way to go, but we are stronger when we work together. Continue reading
ear Neighbor,
Tomorrow, members of Team Kat will be in Cedar Key and Horseshoe Beach to assist residents with disaster claims following Hurricane Idalia.
In Cedar Key, visit us at 450 2nd Street from 9am-3pm. In Horseshoe Beach, visit us at the Horseshoe Beach Fire Department at 83 5th Avenue E from 9am-3pm.
We’ll be there in-person to assist residents with filing federal claims with FEMA, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the USDA, and others. If you need help filing a claim or sorting through paperwork, we’re standing by to help. Please continue reading for information about documents needed to expedite the process. Continue reading
FARMS is an agricultural cost-share reimbursement program that reduces groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer through conservation and alternative water supply best management practices (BMPs). In conjunction with water conservation BMPs, water quality and natural systems improvement BMPs also may be cost-shared in priority areas.
The program is designed to serve as an incentive to the agricultural community to promote water quantity, water quality and natural systems BMPs to conserve groundwater use and promote resource sustainability.
Examples of commonly used BMPs include:
- Weather stations and soil moisture sensors with telemetry
- Riser culverts and water-controlled structures
- Surface water or tailwater irrigation pumps and filters
- Remote irrigation zone controls and soil moisture and climate sensor telemetry
- Fertigation systems
- Cold protection measures
FARMS is a public/private partnership developed by the District and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Program Goals
The FARMS Program focuses on Upper Floridan aquifer withdrawal savings throughout the District as well as water quality and natural systems improvements in targeted Water Use Caution Areas and priority watersheds.
- Improve water quality within the Shell, Prairie and Joshua Creek (SPJC) Watersheds
As of July 2023, the 87 Board-approved projects located within the SPJC watershed are projected to offset approximately 11.9 million gallons per day (mgd) of groundwater through BMP implementation. An additional water resource benefit is reductions in the potential for groundwater mineralization of surface waters while improving water quality in the City of Punta Gorda’s drinking water reservoir. Prairie Creek has been removed from the list of impaired waterbodies by the Department of Environmental Protection, indicating the success of the program. - Improve natural systems in the Upper Myakka River Watershed (UMRW)
As of July 2023, nine projects have been approved and are operational offsetting 2.8 mgd through conservation and the reuse of tailwater. These projects are reducing the contribution of groundwater to this volume-sensitive basin. - Reduce groundwater use by 40 mgd within the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)
As of July 2023, 195 projects have been approved with 174 operational projects having offset 22.4 mgd. These projects are reducing the amount of groundwater pumped from the Upper Floridan Aquifer. - Reduce groundwater use within the Most Impacted Area (MIA)
The MIA is an area specifically affected by groundwater withdrawals within the SWUCA. It’s about 700 square miles and located along the southern Hillsborough, Manatee and northwestern Sarasota counties. As of July 2023, 18 projects have been approved with 18 operational projects having offset 3.4 mgd. - Reduce groundwater use within the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) region
Although not fully incorporated within the SWUCA, the CFWI has been identified as a priority area in which the implementation of agricultural BMPs to reduce Upper Floridan groundwater use will help to ensure future water needs are met. As of July 2023, 27 projects have been approved with 24 operational projects having offset 1.5 mgd. - Reduce cold protection groundwater use within the Dover/Plant City Water Use Caution Area (DPCWUCA)
The DPCWUCA was established in 2011 as a result of an extended freeze event in 2010 that resulted in numerous dry well complaints and sinkholes due to agricultural-related groundwater pumping for cold protection. As of March 2023, 24 projects have been approved with 21 operational projects having offset 72.4 million gallons per freeze event. - Implement agricultural BMPs to reduce groundwater use and reduce nutrient loading
As of July 2023, 15 operational projects having offset 0.7 mgd and reducing nutrient loading by approximately 5,182 pounds per year.
The approved projects support the District’s Regional Water Supply Plan, SWUCA Recovery Strategy, Strategic Plan and the Springs Management Plans.
Program Funding Qualifications
To qualify for funding, projects must be located in the District and include one or more of the following BMP strategies:
- Utilize an alternative water supply or technology to reduce groundwater use.
- Improve irrigation water quality and watershed ecology by reducing reliance on poorer quality groundwater.
Project Guidelines
- Growers manage their projects and are reimbursed for approved expenses.
- Reimbursement can amount to as much as 75 percent of total project costs with water quality and groundwater quantity savings / conservation BMPs; and as much as 50 percent with water quality or groundwater quantity savings / conservation BMPs.
- District and grower(s) enter into a signed and executed contractual agreement for the FARMS project with a contract duration generally 5–10 years.
- Growers are responsible for obtaining all project-related permits and must have District authorization prior to incurring approved reimbursable expenses.
- Permitted water use allocations are not reduced. Southwest Florida Water Management
Find out more at https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/
This week, Floridians endured the wrath of Hurricane Idalia. The storm made landfall as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane Wednesday morning in the Big Bend region.
The wreckage left by Idalia is truly devastating, leaving many communities in ruins that will take months to recover fully. But Floridians are resilient; and while visiting Dixie, Levy and Taylor counties, I heard many inspiring stories of Floridians coming together and rebuilding immediately after the storm.
Unfortunately, we still need to remain alert, as scammers may try to exploit this tragedy to rip off Floridians through contractor fraud, debris removal scams, price gouging or even looting. I have already been in touch with local law enforcement and state attorneys in the hardest hit areas of our state. We will not allow criminals to exploit this crisis to target Floridians trying to rebuild their lives. Continue reading
