I want to highlight several areas describing the economic growth our community has experienced throughout the last year.
Healthcare
An item which can no longer be denied is the growth of Ocala as a regional healthcare hub. Continued investments and expansions by AdventHealth Ocala, HCA Ocala, and HCA West Marion have added beds, new service lines, and increased access to care throughout the community, all while continuing to provide amazing care through the pandemic. We recently cut the ribbon on a new 26,000 sq. ft. cath lab at HCA Ocala wrapping up their revamped tower while at HCA West Marion a third tower was started with the ribbon cutting on an inpatient rehab and more beds. AdventHealth continues to expand services especially with its refurbished and expanded NICU and its new, free-standing ER in Belleview. Finally, UF Health began work this past year on a new Ocala Neighborhood hospital at US 27 and I-75. Continue reading
Dear Friends,
We are now at about the halfway point of the 60-day Legislative Session in Tallahassee. We are reminded of how blessed we are to be living in this great state and it is an honor to be able to serve you in the Florida Senate. Thanks to you, Florida continues to thrive economically and we are seeing hundreds of people moving here every day. While we are excited that they have chosen Florida to work and raise a family, it does present us with many challenges as we address the explosion of growth. Our leadership team in the Senate, along with Governor DeSantis and the Speaker of the House, is working tirelessly to address these needs and continue to make Florida’s future secure.
Senator Travis Hutson recently presented SB 240 in the Pre-K – 12 Education Committee. This bill revises current high school graduation requirements to place a specific emphasis on educational curriculum that is focused on technical education and career training. Additionally, this legislation establishes a program that allows local businesses to assess the job market for their specified region and collaborate with local schools to ensure that roles found to be of a greater need are greater emphasized in our educational system. As the entire nation attempts to address labor shortages in key fields such as nursing and logistics, Florida will lead through innovative educational policies that benefit individual students and the economy as a whole. Continue reading
Guest Columnist: Leslie DiCesare, Executive Director
Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
We enjoyed a busy March at the Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce full of events and more! The Chamber hosted several networking events including breakfast at Keke’s in Lady Lake. Businesses had a chance to network and take home door prizes.
The Chamber also hosted our monthly networking lunch at Texas Roadhouse in Lady Lake. Attendees leave with quality leads & referrals. Non-Chamber members are invited to attend an event as a guest before joining.
The 2nd Annual Mac N Cheese Festival/Business Showcase was well attended, and local businesses & clubs were able to compete for the chance to take home a 6ft trophy. The winner for Judges Choice was Kiwanis Club of Lady Lake, Mayor’s Choice was Watercrest at Spanish Springs, Peoples Choice was Watercrest at Spanish Springs, Best Mac N Cheese Theme Decorated Booth was Visiting Angels, and Best Overall Decorated Booth was United Southern Bank. Donations were collected for our community outreach programs. We are looking forward to bringing this event back next year even bigger and cheesier! Continue reading
CEP – Click to learn more
