VOLUME 4 ISSUE 10
Master Gardeners Spring Festival MARCH 10 - MARCH 16, 2023
$2
This weekend
A clear directive
Chamberlin wins special primary election for House Seat 24 By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
M
arion County Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox’s unofficial results for the special primary election held March 7 to fill House Seat 24 show Ryan Chamberlin the winner. There are 61,421 registered voters in that district, but only 11,095 ballots were cast. Five Republican candidates entered the race for the House seat: Charlie Stone, Stephen Pyles, Jose Juarez, Ryan Chamberlin and Justin Albright. When registered Republican Robert “Foxy” Fox filed as a write-in candidate, it triggered a general election for May 16 and closed the primary to only Republican voters. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order dated Dec. 19, 2022, declaring a special election to fill the Florida House District 24 seat vacated by Ocala Republican Joe Harding, who resigned his seat Dec. 8, 2022, after See Chamberlin, page A2
‘Agent Orange’ plaque dedicated A ceremony took place March 5 to honor and remember veterans who were exposed to tactical herbicides during the Vietnam War.
Members of the Silver Springs Professional Dive Team gently fan weeds and algae from the historic wrecks in the Silver River at Silver Springs State Park in Silver Springs, Florida on Saturday August 10, 2019. Algae and weeds grow fast, covering the wrecks in a thick coating during the long summer days. [Alan Youngblood]
FDEP to rewrite water quality restoration plans for the state’s endangered springs and waterways. By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com
A
throng of springs advocates and conservationists are hailing a recent major court decision that will force the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to immediately rewrite its water quality restoration plans for the state’s endangered springs and waterways. The 1st District Court of Appeals on
R
udy Lyons wanted to be a bush pilot in Alaska after he served with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War in 1966 and 1967, but he said his dream was See Veteran, page A7
rivers, as well as Rainbow, Silver, and Volusia springs. The FDEP will also have to comply with the ruling when updating the remaining OFS BMAPs. “It’s a big win, but it is frustrating; we’d rather have the DEP as a partner rather than an adversary,” said Ryan Smart, executive director of the nonprofit Florida Springs Council, which was joined in the lawsuit by Sierra Club See Pollutant, page A3
CF debuts Allied Health Sciences Building The former gymnasium has been transformed into a state-of-the-art training facility.
Members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1085 of Ocala pose at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park for the recently placed memorial. [Andy Fillmore]
By Andy Fillmore Correspondent
Feb. 15 ruled the FDEP violated Florida law by not allocating the pollutant load to categories of nonpoint sources when drafting Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), which are frameworks for restoration focusing on reducing pollution. The victory was the culmination of a four-year legal brawl to hold the FDEP and polluters accountable for inadequately protecting 13 impaired Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS) of the Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee
Dr. Jim Henningsen, the CF President, center left, and Rusty Branson, the CF District Board of Trustees Chair, center right, cut the ribbon as other dignitaries, CF associates and members of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership look on during the ribbon cutting for the new Allied Health Sciences Building at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Friday, March 3, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
By Andy Fillmore Correspondent
C
ollege of Central Florida staff and faculty joined local and state dignitaries March 3 for a ribbon-cutting at the revamped campus gymnasium, now redefined and outfitted
as the Allied Health Sciences Building. The 24,000-square-foot former gymnasium was revamped in a $7.8 million project in less than 12 months and will serve as a state-of-the-art training facility for up to 200 students annually who are seeking an Associate in Science degree in the fields of Cardiovascular
Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography Technology, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology. Student Rebecca Roe, a former certified nursing assistant, will complete her Surgical Technology studies in July. See New, page A8
READ DAILY NEWS AT OCALAGAZETTE.COM
INSIDE:
Inspire Gala................................... A4 Ocala Electric................................. A5 Emerging Artists........................... B1 Calendar......................................... B5 Coaches Profiles............................ B8
Subscribers will receive their paper through USPS on the USPS schedule. Subscription orders must be received by 5 pm on Tuesday in order to be included in the following week’s delivery. Starting at $10/month ocalagazette.com/subscribe