PARKLAND, Fla. – Following the tragic shooting at Marjory Douglas High School in Parkland yesterday, Governor Scott has continued to be briefed by law enforcement and emergency management officials and has remained in communication with state leaders to ensure all state resources are made available. The Governor has also spoken with President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security and local school officials. Governor Scott remains in Broward County and additional details regarding the Governor’s schedule will be made available throughout the day. Governor Scott also announced that he will be organizing meetings with state and local leaders in Tallahassee next week to discuss ways to keep Florida students safe, including school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness.
Information on the State of Florida’s response:
Florida Department of Education
The Department of Education has offered to send crisis management teams to Broward County. These individuals have extensive experience in crisis situations and stand ready to coordinate with Broward County’s crisis management teams to provide any additional community support.
Grief counseling is available today, Thursday, February 15, 2018, at a number of locations in Broward County for anyone needing support following the tragic events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: http://bit.ly/2o7sIkw Continue reading
Now that many of our seasonal residents and guests are back with us, a quick refresher message about golf carts cannot hurt. This is especially true in light of the fact that serious consequences, including death, are a very real possibility for not following the law.
Just look around our local neighborhoods and you’ll see the boxy, open-air-vehicles morphing into mini cars that are as common as the full size vehicles zipping around.
Some people are even putting a new spin on the rides, customizing them like hot rods, airplanes, and fire engines to cruise on and off the golf course. But it is important to remember that this fun mode of transportation has legal and safety limitations.
Laws relating to golf cart operation are sometimes confusing especially when dealing with driver license requirements. The following information is being provided to assist with the understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of operating a golf cart on a public road or street. While the following is not a completely comprehensive legal examination, it does provide a snapshot of important highlights contained in the law. Continue reading
MARION COUNTY, Florida (February 13, 2018) – Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes detectives arrested Dunnellon resident David Romig (DOB: 10/07/1965) for reporting an alleged home invasion on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, in an effort to cover up the murder of his live-in girlfriend, Sally Kaufmann-Ruff (DOB 10/06/1953).
Romig told detectives at the time of the incident that an unknown armed subject entered his home located at 10499 SW 122nd Court in Dunnellon in the early morning hours on Tuesday, and that Kaufmann-Ruff had been shot during an altercation between Romig and the subject. During the investigation, evidence proved that David’s initial testimony was false and that he had staged the scene to support the presence of an intruder after he had shot Kaufmann-Ruff during an “out-of-body” experience. Continue reading
LifeSouth is in critical need of type O blood donors. Trauma patients and patients in surgery have sharply increased the usage of type O blood, and supplies have hit a critically low level.
Type O blood can be received by all blood types, so having it available for emergencies is critical. If you are type O, LifeSouth asks you to donate today. If you do not know your blood type, now is a great time to donate and find out. Donating with LifeSouth directly impacts the community and those treated at area hospitals.
Anyone 17 or older, or 16 with parental permission, weighing a minimum of 110 pounds and in good health can donate blood. A photo ID is also required. Go to www.lifesouth.org to find a blood drive near you, or call toll-free 888-795-2707 for additional information.
The City of Ocala will host the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St.
OCALA, Fla. (March 1, 2018) – The City of Ocala will host the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St.
This free event will include live entertainment, food vendors, family-friendly art activities, a sculpture scavenger hunt and more.
A ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ puppet show will take place at the Art Park stage from 10:15 to 10:50 a.m. Marionettes, big and small, perform together on stage in this traditional Celtic music puppet play by Bits ‘N Pieces. Continue reading
It is hard to believe 2017 has come to an end and we are already in the second month of 2018. The CEP recently hosted its Annual Luncheon with a sold out crowd of more than 600. With a theme of Delivering on Success, we shared with our partners many of the successes of the past year and goals reached through the first year of our 5-year Action, Moving Forward-Phase II.
Talent
The major new initiative of this plan is actually a two-prong approach to grow and attraction talent. The CEP took several steps for this effort in 2017 with the hiring of a Director of Talent Development, Dean Blinkhorn, and the creation of two programs to focus on these efforts.
Our Talent Development Initiative is presented by Townley Manufacturing who has made a significant commitment to this effort. The CEP will be partnering with our schools systems and higher education partners to ensure that teachers have the tools they need to provide relevancy to their lessons. This does not mean that we are going to tell teachers how to teach. Instead, we are going to provide them with resourced to help them prepare students for the realities of the workforce they will be entering. Continue reading
Here we are in March and it feels like there is a full time election campaign going on. Democrats and Republicans are lying to each other, doing strategy to make a deal so they can get re-elected. Throwing everything in but the kitchen sink. After taking a shower at night and watch an hour of Fox News I feel dirty again, and the unfortunate thing is most of what I have been hearing is what I suspected to be true.
Someone needs to go back to the Judge that gave the FBI the right to spy on the other party and ask the Judge to squash the warrant based on the fact that the information furnished was not true. Continue reading
By TomL
A little history first: Villages creator & founder was Harold Swartz. Mr. Swartz had several ventures in the Marion County area. One was a development called Lake Tropicana near Dunnellon Florida. It was a large unincorporated area that Swartz subdivided into 1.25 acre plots and 2.5 acre plots, all dirt roads. You could buy land $49 down and $49 per month. Many people took advantage of that easy to purchase deal, especially since they did not have a high down payment. It helped many people fulfill their dream of owning land. Today they have built there won roads and maintain them.
The Villages: We will get to the sinkholes in a minute. The development started As Orange Blossom Garden which was a trailer park/prefab homes on the east side of US Hwy 441 some 30 years ago. Swartz bought the prefab home factory that he was buying from and kept evolving over years until it was over 50,000 modern built homes. They are a huge voting block and very powerful politically. Let’s go back some 30 years ago… The Villages had water rights for Cattle Ranching and Farming which allowed them the use of over 60 million gallons of water a year. Seems like a lot doesn’t it! That’s a drop in the bucket now. Continue reading
Tim Flynn guest speaker at Ocala Business Leaders. Tim has worked with Raymond James for over 18 years. Tim carefully analyzes their personal financial needs and goals. Tim feels It’s important to have appropriate balance in your portfolio. He has offices in Ocala and The Villages, Tim says he is ready to help with your plan.
A guest speaker from Downtown Chiropractic Dr Laurence H. Churchill spent some time explaining some of the procedures. Dr. Churchill has set hours on certain days in two different locations: Downtown Ocala and HWY 200. The office number 732-2745.
