City of Ocala Customer Service Center to Undergo Renovations

Efforts to renovate the City of Ocala Customer Service Center, 201 SE Third St., will begin Monday, April 9.

Post Date:04/04/2018 4:11 PM

OCALA, Fla. (April 4, 2018) – Efforts to renovate the City of Ocala Customer Service Center, 201 SE Third St., will begin Monday, April 9. These renovations are expected to be completed by Friday, June 22.

These renovations will be limited to the first floor of the Customer Service Center. In the lobby area, renovations will include: the addition of security glass at all teller stations, removal of the pneumatic tube system, the addition of two new teller stations, and installation of new countertops, flooring and paint. Additionally, a storage room on the first floor will be converted into a conference room to be utilized by City staff. [Read more…]

Road Closure: NE Third Street Resurfacing Project – Phase One

Due to a resurfacing project, NE Third Street will experience intermittent lane closures from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Eighth Street beginning Monday, April 9.

Post Date:04/04/2018 8:01 AM

OCALA, Fla. (April 3, 2018) – Due to a resurfacing project, NE Third Street will experience intermittent lane closures from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Eighth Street beginning Monday, April 9. Partial lane closures are expected from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Tuscawilla Avenue; full lane closures will take place from NE Tuscawilla Avenue to NE Eighth Avenue. Construction for this phase of resurfacing NE Third Street is expected to conclude on Tuesday, May 15.

All necessary devices will be in place to re-direct traffic. Construction will take place Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. During construction times, travelers may experience noise, dust and heavy equipment within the project area.

Detour routes: [Read more…]

Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Winners Announced

As part of the 2018-2019 Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition, the City of Ocala hosted the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 at the Tuscawilla Art Park.

OCALA, Fla. (March 23, 2018) – As part of the 2018-2019 Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition, the City of Ocala hosted the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 at the Tuscawilla Art Park, 223 NE Fifth St. During this event, awards were presented in the following categories:

  • Best in ShowRobustae by John Gamache, Ocala, FL
  • Second PlaceJob by Claudia Lauster, Naples, FL
  • Honorable MentionNavigator by Mike Hansel, Middletown, RI
  • People’s ChoiceMetal Elephant by James Futral, Fort Myers, FL

[Read more…]

Greenwood Cemetery Volunteer Cleanup – Saturday, April 7

Volunteers will assist with cleaning headstones, raking leaves, picking up fallen tree limbs and cleaning up debris.

OCALA, Fla. (March 28, 2018) – The Friends of the Historical Evergreen Cemetery, Sons of Confederate Veterans Pvt. William R. Milton Camp 741 and the United Daughters of the Confederacy Marion Dragoons Chapter 2311, in partnership with the City of Ocala Public Works Department, are sponsoring a Greenwood Cemetery volunteer cleanup day Saturday, April 7 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers will meet at Greenwood Cemetery located at 1393 NE Third St. at 8 a.m. Volunteers will assist with cleaning headstones, raking leaves, picking up fallen tree limbs and cleaning up debris.   [Read more…]

Marion Target practice Law at your residents

Question:

I have been reading about the new Florida gun law which prohibits local governments from enacting laws regulating firearms. This makes gun regulations equal throughout the state. My county prohibits the discharge of of any firearm except at a range. Does this new law mean that I can now do some target shooting on my own property so long as I shoot safely?

Answer:

Depends on county rules. In Marion County, you need a minimum of 10 acres and one really good backstop – then there are the distances to certain institutions like churches and schools, etc. The laws you are talking about were local gov’t can’t enact stiffer regs on buying and owning guns than what the state has.

 

Parade of Senior Services

 

School Shootings, Gun Safety and Bullying

By TomL

Let me start from the beginning. I believe the school shootings are because of something that happened at school to set it off but it started at home! Most school shootings are about bullying and belittling a child or teenager in front of others. I am an eye witness to the bullying that goes on at school. I went to school in Broward County School system 100 years ago, time frame slightly off, but it has not changed.

In the school shooting incident in Broward County the officials were sufficiently warned: Law Enforcement was warned, FBI was warned, School Officials were warned, School Officials warned others, everyone was warned. In this case they simply needed to enforce the law. They did not! There are many suggestions on why they did not stop this young man. They are excuses. One reason given was local law enforcement stop making a lot of arrests so it would look like crime went down. Now isn’t that interesting? Someone wanted to get re-elected, instead they should be put in jail. [Read more…]

The 2018 Legislative Session

The 2018 Legislative Session has come to an end! We have worked hard to secure good policy for our constituents and the people of Florida. During our time in Tallahassee this year, some big issues were addressed: protecting our schools and seniors, more clarity on our freedom of speech, permanent increase for bright futures funding, and increased focus on mental health and the opioid crisis.

As a result of the terrible tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th, the legislature was forced to take a very serious look at how our schools and students are protected. After weeks of talking with those on the front lines in education, law enforcement, our court system, and mental health experts, the Florida Legislature passed and Governor Rick Scott signed into law the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act, a comprehensive plan to address mental health issues and implement safety measures to protect our students. This bill, SB 726, creates the Office of School Safety within in the Department of Education, permits a sheriff to establish a Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, and creates the mental health assistance allocation to assist school districts in establishing or expanding school-based mental health care, among several other provisions. [Read more…]

CEP’s Business Creation Efforts

The Power Plant Business Incubator is Ground Zero in the CEP’s Business Creation efforts. The incubator, in existence since 2012, is a facility in downtown Ocala where entrepreneurs can temporarily locate their new businesses and receive a host of resources and connections. Resident companies must meet entrance criteria including being innovative, scalable, and open to coaching/mentorship.

The incubator currently has 14 companies in industries including software, mobile application development, biotech, virtual/ augmented reality, media, 3D printing, medical device and more.

Some of our new Residents:

Elistars – Bharat Patel, Founder
Convenience store business management and back office software that sets business on cruise control and makes managing a store a breeze. www.elistars.com [Read more…]

Publishers Notes April 2018

“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. [Read more…]