OCALA, Fla. (March 24, 2017) – Consistent with employment trends going back at least five years, the February jobless rate dropped over the month in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties.

According to today’s employment summary by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), the unemployment rate for the CareerSource CLM region was 5.9 percent, down 0.7 percentage point since January and the same rate as one year ago.

Out of an expanded labor force of 200,814, there were 11,802 unemployed residents in the region, a drop of 1,396 over the month. While that’s 247 more than in February 2016, there were 189,012 people with jobs throughout the three counties, an increase of 2,676 since January and 6,045 more than a year ago.

Additionally, the DEO reports that the Ocala metropolitan statistical area (MSA) continued to hold the fastest annual job growth rate compared to all metros in Florida in professional and business services, at 11.1 percent. The Ocala MSA had the second fastest job growth rate in trade, transportation and utilities at 5.8 percent. Continue reading →

Marion County, Florida (March 24, 2017) – On Thursday, March 23, 2017, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Deputy at Forest High School was made aware of several individuals that had entered the campus without signing in. Kasey Kohlmaier (DOB: 06/17/1997), Thomas Arthur Smith (DOB: 01/7/1998) and a 14-year old juvenile are not students at Forest High School and they were confronted by school administrators when they were seen in the school courtyard. The three subjects then fled to their car that was parked in the student parking lot. School Resource Deputy James Long pulled his agency assigned vehicle in front of the suspects’ vehicle to prevent them from leaving the campus. Kohlmaier, a passenger of the vehicle, then fled on foot but was quickly apprehended by Deputy Long and two school administrators. During the apprehension, Kohlmaier punched Deputy Long in the face, causing his nose to bleed. Deputy Long eventually was able to secure Kohlmaier in handcuffs and detain him for responding deputies who were enroute to assist. Kohlmaier and Smith are on felony probation for six counts of burglary and are not supposed to have contact with one another as a condition of their probation. The juvenile was arrested on two misdemeanor counts.

The Marion County School Board and Marion County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind our citizens that it is not only Marion County School District Policy, but it is state law that you must sign in with school administrators before you enter a school campus. Any trespassers will be apprehended and arrested. We will continue to strictly enforce this statute in order to keep our students safe.