Marion County
by TomL
School bus driver resigns after being accused of Child Abuse. I am sure it is very humiliating and embarrassing for the school bus driver of 30 years to be charged with such a crime and of course the media got them another headline and plays it up.
As I understand what happened, the child has the problem. The day this incident happens a school teacher / (employee) struggled to escort the student from the containment unit to the bus. The law states all students must be seat belted in. This is a bus for challenged students. The student would not let the aide seatbelt him in. The student punched the aide in the face and struck her in the head with the buckle of the seat belt. The bus driver went to assist the aide, they struggled with him for a few seconds and the bus driver was charged with child abuse.
This child should not be in the school system if he is violent. He was certainly out of control that day. I ask, how much abuse does a school bus driver and their aide have to take before the school system will acknowledge there is a problem and support them. Continue reading
First let’s talk a little bit about the Sheriff
Billy Woods was born and raised in Marion County. Sheriff Woods has devoted his life to serving his community. Prior to being Sheriff he was with the Ocala Police Department for 26 years. During that time he held various positions. Billy Woods years of service he received multiple commendations, including the Medal of Valor and Medal of Distinction.
At the breakfast Sheriff Woods explained the changes he has made and some of their successes busting the bad guys. The Ocala Business Leaders audience had a lot of questions and Sheriff Woods answered every one of them. The morning was a success.
Thank You Billy Woods for being the speaker.
The Ocala Metro is Moving Forward. That means we are working steadily toward creating 4,500 new jobs in the next five years. Those jobs on average will pay 15 percent more than the county’s average wage and result in a capital investment of $400 million. We are accomplishing these goals through the strength of our partnerships. The College of Central Florida plays a vital role in helping meet our business attraction and retention goals by providing a competent, high-skilled workforce ready to meet the needs of current and future employers in high-demand jobs.
From certificates to associates and bachelor’s degrees in agribusiness, engineering technology, health information, computer information technology, equine studies, and logistics and supply chain management, CF has heard the demand of our targeted sectors. The college remains relevant and responsive, connecting workforce development to economic development by matching its programs to the needs of businesses and delivering educational opportunities to train new workers and up-skill current employees. CF looks to the future to develop programs that embrace technology as labor markets transition to a technology-driven economy. CF also looks to the future to nurture a college-going culture that encourages individuals to reach beyond a high school diploma and invest in attaining a higher level education that yields positive returns. Continue reading
Christy Jergens, APR
There has been an outbreak of hepatitis A in our state, and Marion County has now seen 54 cases of the virus just this year. This makes us fifth in the state for the number of hepatitis A cases that we have seen.
Vaccination is the best form of prevention for this virus, so to help fight the spread of hepatitis A, we are encouraging people who are at risk and anyone who would want to be protected from hepatitis A to get the hepatitis A vaccination. Attached please find several promotional materials for the free hepatitis A vaccination event we are holding on Saturday, April 27, along with a general social media graphic promoting hepatitis A vaccination. I’ve also included a press release we sent out on April 1 for reference/background.
We are asking our community and media partners to share some of this content if possible in hopes to increase the overall vaccination rate of people in our community to ultimately help turn the tide in the local number of hepatitis A cases. Please let me know if you are able to share any of this content with your staff, clients/audiences, or social media followers. You can find additional information about hepatitis A in Florida by visiting FloridaHealth.gov/HepA.
Christy Jergens, APR
Public Information Officer
Florida Department of Health in Marion County
MARION COUNTY, Florida (April 9, 2019)- Detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the Ocala Police Department (OPD) conducted a two-day operation on April 4th and 5th targeting suspects involved in retail theft crimes. With the cooperation of Walmart and their loss prevention personnel, MCSO and OPD all worked together to help reduce retail theft in Marion County. After being observed committing retail theft crimes by loss prevention personnel and undercover detectives, 39 people were arrested with a combined total of 39 felony charges and 46 misdemeanor charges.
During the operation, as individuals were apprehended for theft, detectives conducted interviews with the suspects to determine if they were involved with any additional crime in Marion County. Numerous individuals that were arrested also received charges for drug possession or had warrants for other crimes previously committed. Continue reading
Recently, I was asked how the CEP communicates with our partners and with the public. This led to an interesting discussion and I want to share it with you.
The goal of CEP communications is to effectively communicate the initiatives, positions, programs and accomplishments of the CEP to its partners, stakeholders, the media, and the community. Staff works to ensure consistent branding and messaging. The messaging is focused on the partners and is evaluated through surveys to ensure partner needs are met.
The following is a description of some of our communication tools: Continue reading
It’s hard to believe another CEP Annual Luncheon has come and gone. We put a tremendous amount of time and energy into this event to provide our partners with an incredibly experience that leaves them excited about our community, the CEP, and how their business is investing in “Doorways to Opportunity.” Thanks to everyone who attended this year and a special thanks to our sponsors: CareerSource CLM, Chase Bank, Duke Energy, On Top of the World Communities, and Zone Health & Fitness.
Once again, we sold out our 600 seats in just 10 days. We added a second presentation to provide an additional opportunity for more partners to attend and participate. Encore presented by CenterState Bank was a cocktail reception and presentation held on the following evening at the Marion Theater. I am so glad we were able to add this second presentation and hope that we can grow this event in the future. Continue reading
As part of the CEP’s mission to be the catalyst for a prosperous community, the organization partners closely with local governments (as well as state and Federal) to ensure that we are creating and maintaining a business climate which encourages growth and prosperity. A recent example of this can be found in the issue of revisions to the County’s Comprehensive Plan.
Over the last several months, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners held workshops and public hearings on potential revisions to the Comp Plan. Among the groups who were active in participating in this process were supporters of our area’s equine industry as well as builders, developers, environmentalists, and others. Two of the clear desires of both the participants and the Commission was to strengthen our Farmland Preservation Area (FPA) and to incorporate language into the plan regarding the development of future transportation corridors especially in the FPA.
The FPA encompasses an area in northwest Marion County which is home to many of our iconic horse farms. While the FPA has existed for a number of years, it really did not have the structure to do as its name suggests—preserve farms. The CEP has been a proponent for quite a while of strengthening the FPA. Supporting the basics of the finalized language was an easy step. Continue reading
MARION COUNTY, Florida (December 10, 2018) – Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes detectives have positively identified the remains of husband and wife, Robert Lee Cooper (DOB: 01/22/1981) and Ariel Vanessa Prim (DOB: 04/16/1989), whose remains were found inside their home after it had caught fire on July 28, 2018. Detectives are now asking for the public’s help in revealing any information that may bring some clarity to the suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths.
On Saturday, July 28, Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters responded to 4030 SE 84th Lane
Road in Ocala in reference to a structure fire. When they arrived on scene, firefighters discovered the burnt remains of a mobile home. While searching the remnants of the residence, they discovered human remains inside the house and immediately requested the assistance of the MCSO. In the months following the incident, MCSO Major Crimes detectives conducted a thorough investigation into the deaths and finally received the DNA results confirming the remains to be Cooper’s and Prim’s on Wednesday, December 5, 2018. Continue reading
During this holiday season, I am often asked at parties “Where do you work?” While many people are aware of the CEP, I find a number of people are confused by our initials and who we are. It is easy to assume everyone knows who we are and what we do, but that is not always the case. The CEP is an acronym for the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (now you know why we use CEP!). We are the community’s chamber of commerce as well as its official economic development organization. The CEP was formed just over six years ago with the merger of the former Chamber and Economic Development Council. While this version is only six years old, our roots go back 130 years to the founding of the Ocala Board of Trade in 1887.
The driving factor behind the merger of the two organizations was to create a unified, single voice for the business community. One entity that could assist businesses locating to our community, growing in our community, starting in our community, and thriving in our community. In fact, the basic structure of the CEP is with teams dedicated to Business Attraction, Business Retention, Business Creation, Business Advocacy, and Business Services. It was this approach in part which lead to the CEP being named Florida’s Chamber of the Year 2018 and a finalist last year for National Chamber of the Year. Continue reading
