Sandra Wilson, Interim City Manager for the City of Ocala, presented information on City Council’s eleven strategic initiatives ranging from addressing the impacts of drug abuse and the homeless issue to being proactive on infrastructure, to name a few. She also shared how the City has used the penny sales tax to fund public safety needs and roadway improvements throughout the City.
Connie Ann Pendleton of Ocala Business Brokers is the outgoing President of the Ocala Business Leaders 2019. She is an accomplished business person in selling businesses to investors / entrepreneurs. She knows her way around the business world and is well liked. She brought humor and structure to the Ocala Business Leaders. Although she will still be part of the club her leadership will be missed. Following her is the new President, Patrick Dolder of Pals Ocala Auto Repair. You will hear more about him when the new year starts. In January, Patrick will be sworn in.
Gerry Dietrich with Mobile Directory was speaker for Ocala Business Directory. Gerry has a unique product in that his app when loaded into your smart phone and activated will broadcast your ad when you get near different other smart phones. Gerry is constantly making improvement to his system. Many of the Ocala Business Leaders are using the App… Another way to get the word out!
(NAPSI)—If you would like to help a veteran, if you are a veteran who needs extra help, or know of one in your community, here’s good news. There’s a new, nationwide resource that makes it easy to match civic-minded individuals with those who need a little assistance. The database, called VolunteerforVeterans.org, was created by DAV (Disabled American Veterans), a nonprofit charity that helps veterans get their benefits and services.
Here’s how it works. Veterans, as well as their caregivers, can use the site to seek assistance by entering the type of help they need, from basic tasks such as yardwork, help with errands or other services. Neighbors or friends who know of a veteran in need of help can step in to coordinate requests on their behalf. On the flip side, volunteers who are interested in giving their time can use the site to look for and respond to requests for help.
Using the site is easy, and at no cost to veterans or volunteers. Go to www.VolunteerforVeterans.org, click on the “sign up” icon and indicate whether you are a veteran or caregiver who needs help, a friend or neighbor making a request on someone’s behalf, or a volunteer willing to give support. Choose your state and the screen will populate with requests. Continue reading
By Blanca Taylor
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
Each year, we announce the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). By law, federal benefits increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Usually, there is an increase in the benefit amount people will receive each month, starting the following January.
Nearly 69 million Americans will see a 1.6 percent increase in their Social Security benefits and SSI payments in 2020. Continue reading
There’s nothing like an emotive quote to make you think, pause, or smile. Teddy Roosevelt once mused, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Ross Perot attested, “Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers.”
These two trailblazers may have had opposing political views, but they certainly share a similar ideology when it comes to human connections and the crux of what we all have in common: the desire for interactions with others who are kind in spirit and speak with sincerity.
Look no further because eight of these benevolent smile makers comprise the team at Columbia Bank. A staff that has been unchanged since the Ocala branch opened in 2017. Continue reading
Ocala’s downtown square that it is!!
Visit with Santa & Mrs. Claus at the downtown square on select evenings during the month of December. There will be holiday music and snacks, too!
This is a chance for all of Ocala’s good little boys and girls to talk to Santa and share their holiday wishes with him.
Come downtown and create some lasting holiday memories.
Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Florida’s Senior Protection Team, an intra-agency group of experts working together to fight fraud and abuse. The team is comprised of leading members from the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Consumer Protection Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Seniors v. Crime and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will also actively assist the team with investigations and outreach efforts.
The goal is to bring attorneys and investigators specialized in fighting civil, criminal and health care fraud together to develop strategies to protect Floridians 60 and older. The team is already meeting with experts and stakeholders across the state to develop aggressive ways to combat fraud against seniors. Continue reading
On November 20, 2019, in News Releases, by Staff
Nearly $3 million in funding dedicated to career and technical education remains available
Tallahassee, Fla.– Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced the school districts, universities, colleges and private institutions who have been awarded with the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant.
During the 2019 Legislative Session, Governor DeSantis worked with the Florida Legislature to secure historic funding for Florida’s students and families, including $10 million dedicated to career and technical education for the newly created Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program. The program provides competitive grants to eligible institutions to create or expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Of the $10 million in state funding, nearly $3 million still remains. Continue reading
Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced and applauded the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to remove more than 3,600 invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida’s Everglades System.
This month, FWC’s Python Action Team reached a major milestone of removing 1,000 Burmese pythons from the wild in Florida. The removal of these 1,000 snakes compliments the more than 2,600 pythons removed by the SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program.
“I’m proud that our recent efforts to expedite the removal of invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades are yielding results,” said Governor DeSantis. “The removal of more than 3,600 pythons by FWC and the South Florida Water Management District is an important milestone in this fight and demonstrates that our policies are working. Together, we will continue to build on this success and do all we can to preserve and restore our environment.”
On August 7, Governor DeSantis joined FWC and the SFWMD to announce new efforts to remove pythons from the greater Everglades. The Governor directed FWC and the District to increase collaboration on a number of initiatives, including training programs, research, education campaigns and incentives for veterans to remove pythons.
The SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program and FWC’s Python Action Team were created in March and April of 2017, respectively. Both programs were designed to further engage qualified individuals with python control efforts. In recent months, FWC has doubled their number of Action Team contractors, significantly increasing the number of pythons that have been removed.
The FWC Python Action Team’s 1000th python was captured by Tom Rahill and the Swamp Apes Team in the Chekika region of Everglades National Park. It measured in at 9 feet, 5 inches long and weighed 23 pounds. The Swamp Apes Team is a group dedicated to serving U.S. veterans through serving the wilderness.
