OCALA, Florida – On Saturday, March 4, 2023, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Habitat for Humanity of Marion County will host its annual fundraising event, the “Habitat Ocala Strawberry Festival” which will be at the McPherson Complex, 601 SE 25th Avenue Ocala.
This event attracts thousands of fans from all over to enjoy a family fun day and to bring awareness about Habitat for Humanity of Marion County.
The festival will have bands, entertainment, a pie eating contest, over 200 vendors (to include arts & crafts, business, non-profit, farmers market, and food vendors throughout the event), sponsor booths, a kids’ area, a food court, a car show, a petting zoo, and lots of strawberries. Admission is FREE, parking is $5 which will benefit Habitat for Humanity and the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association.
Habitat for Humanity host this event each year so our community and guests can enjoy a day filled with joy and happiness for the entire family. All proceeds benefit the Habitat Home Ownership program to build another Habitat home which will be called the Strawberry House. This program gives low-income families the opportunity of homeownership with affordable mortgage payments.
If you would like to be a vendor or a sponsor for this event, visit our webpage at www.habitatocala.org/strawberry or contact Joanne Black at jblack@habitatocala.org
After two years of working and planning, the owners of Brick City Flowers, Julie Bennett and Brenda Carroll, have recently moved into their new location, 1820 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, FL. We are located directly across the street in the old Jim Jernigan Photography building. We can supply all your floral, designs and event needs. Check out our weekly displays in the hotel lobby of the World Equestrian Center.
Visiting Marion Cultural Alliance, pictured left is Jaye Baillie Executive Director and Nick Navetta Financial advisor from Edward Jones. Nick is on the Board of Directors of the Marion Cultural Alliance. The Marion Cultural Center A great place to visit and experience the arts.
Fort king 1800’s re-enactment was the conflict between the United States and the Seminole Indians over land dispute. Visitors can see the Fort and learn the history of the Fort and the battle. Historians are at the Fort to answer questions as well. The Seminole Indians and the United States wage war from 1816 to 1858. Photo by C Kay Johnson / CKJphotos13
What I say about “Build back better”. The hell with that “put it back like it was!”
Look what happens when you order a president by mail!
Remember this fight now is for our freedom…There is no one else left to resupply us when we are fighting. Who will make food and supply drops to us like we do for other country’s. We are it,,,, there is no place to escape to by going across a border! Americans are not suppose to do that!
Our Governments job is to protect the people of this country not others country’s. Remember “AMERICA FIRST!”
The real enemy today is not from other country’s but the fat cat’s on the left in Washington!!! They are so disconnected from what life is like in the rest of the country, someone needs to wake them up! All these facts out are eye opener, OPEN THEM AND DO SOMETHING!. The election was stolen by the left from Trump by our own country. What happens when that is proven. Is the election null and void? Should it be done over? The Twitter releases and the Hunter Biden information release should be enough for Trump to reclaim the office. LAWSUIT? SUPREME COURT? Continue reading
Last month marked the CEP’s tenth anniversary. It is a milestone worth celebrating and we will be celebrating this anniversary throughout the next year. The celebration will be about the CEP’s impact on businesses and impact on our community. The CEP is nothing without the involvement and engagement of our 1,200 business partners. It is that engagement when businesses are positively impacted that the magic happens. It is nearly impossible for businesses to be positively impacted and it not positively impact our community. We have seen that play out time again over the last decade and hearing those stories over the next year will be incredibly inspiring.
But how did all of this happen? What sparked this effort? The catalyst for the CEP is no different than the catalyst for any other – it is leadership. In particular, leaders within the business community stepped up and decided they wanted more for their community. Leaders stepped up and committed to an out-of-the-box approach. Leaders stepped up and committed their time, talent, and treasure to bringing this vision to reality. In other words, leaders lead. Continue reading
Dear Friends,
Thankful for a wonderful time spent with family and friends over the holiday season and for new opportunities that arise as we start 2023.
In the Florida Senate, we are already hard at work on behalf of Florida’s citizens. This month and the month of February, the legislature will hold six weeks of committee meetings, in advance of the 2023 Legislative Session, which will begin March 7. Just before Christmas, the legislature convened a special session to address the property insurance crisis, tax relief, and toll fees. Three bills were passed and have made their way to the Governor’s desk. SB 2A, SB 4A, and SB 6A.
SB 2A increases insurer transparency to improve the marketplace for consumers, will reduce frivolous litigation that drives up costs, expedites the claim review process to verify that insurers maintain consistent communication with policyholders, stabilizes state-run Citizens Property Insurance to reduce taxpayer liability, and increases access to reinsurance to stabilize the insurance marketplace. Specifically, this bill eliminated assignment of benefits (AOB) for property insurance, the reinstatement of the offer of judgement process, and eliminated one-way attorney fees for property insurance claims. These key legal reforms will reduce the amount of cost inflating frivolous lawsuits that plague our state. Continue reading
Happy New Year!
Changes to Social Security in 2023
Good or bad?
-Well, there is a higher-than-ever positive cost-of-living increase. (COLA)
Next year’s COLA will be a whopping 8.7%. Obviously, starting in January 2023, you’ll receive an 8.7% increase in benefits.
Of course, that might result in a higher deduction for medicare.
The typical retiree will receive approximately $150 more per month, which is huge help for seniors in these days of soaring inflation and the collapse of the stock market.
For many it’s a much needed lifeline during these tough times. Continue reading
