VOLUME 5 ISSUE 22
Check out our calendar Pg B5
MAY 31 - JUNE 6, 2024
Driver in fatal bus crash faces 11 new charges New details have emerged on the victims’ injuries and a witness describes seeing the suspect driving erratically before the crash.
High school project hangs Investigation finds violations of district policy, threats from local contractor, in bids for new high school
Ken Ausley and others watch the beam being signed from the lift during the Ina A. Colen topping out ceremony as the new public charter school continues construction by Ausley Construction. The school opened in August 2022 with 214 students in grades Kindergarten through 6th. Eventually it will educate 660 students grades Kindergarten through 8th. [Alan Youngblood/Special to Ocala Gazette]
A collision between a pickup truck and a bus left eight people dead and 38 people hospitalized on May 14. [Florida Highway Patrol]
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
T
he driver of the pickup truck involved in the May 14 bus crash that left eight people dead and sent 38 others to area hospitals has been charged with 11 additional counts of causing bodily injury while driving under the influence. Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, has been held in the Marion County Jail on eight counts of DUI manslaughter after the collision between his pickup truck and a bus carrying 53 farmworkers on State Road 40. He now faces the additional charges, according to Marion County Clerk of Court records. At 6:35 a.m. on May 14 while driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck, Howard veered into the lane of oncoming traffic on S.R. 40 and struck an International bus carrying farmworkers on their way to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The bus veered off the roadway, ran through two fences, hit a tree and overturned. Eight people were killed and 38 people were hospitalized, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Eleven victims sustained serious injuries resulting in additional charges for Howard. The injuries include: the amputation of an arm, brain bleeds, pulmonary bruising, a hematoma on a kidney, pulmonary contusions, a collapsed lung, liver lacerations, a kidney laceration, a broken sternum, a broken back, broken pelvis, a broken shoulder, a broken arm, a broken hand, broken wrists, broken ribs, broken jaws, facial fractures, avulsed facial skin, and a broken nose, according to Howard’s arrest affidavit. Howard was also injured in the crash and transported to a hospital, See Additional, page A2
$2
A scale model of the new school is shown during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school that will be built at Winding Oaks Farm off Southwest 49th Avenue Road in southwest Ocala on Thursday, March 21, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
A
n independent investigation has provided new details of behindthe-scenes maneuvering by a local construction firm, including veiled threats of political retribution against
Clockwise from above: Nancy Thrower of the Marion County Public School Board speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school that will be built at Winding Oaks Farm off Southwest 49th Avenue Road in southwest Ocala on Thursday, March 21, 2024. School Board member Sarah James listens during a meeting of the Marion County School Board in Ocala on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Superintendent Diane Gullett speaks during a meeting of the Marion County School Board in Ocala on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. [Photos by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
school district leaders, in the jockeying for hundreds of millions of dollars in new school construction contracts. During a May 14 school board meeting, Marion County School Superintendent Diane Gullet explained that due to threats and other irregularities related to the recent awarding to the Wharton-Smith
Inc. Construction Group of a $120 millionplus contract to build a high school, she called for an outside investigation into whether the district’s procurement policies had been violated in the selection process. Her decision followed allegations by School Board member Sarah James, who See Investigation, page A2
An overtime crisis Mandatory overtime, sleep deprivation and staffing issues at MCFR put strain on personnel By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
I
magine finishing a grueling, 24-hour shift only to find out you’ve been assigned to work another 24 hours. This is the grim reality for many Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters who, because of staffing shortages, are required to work mandatory overtime. MCFR personnel can volunteer to work extra shifts, for extra pay. But many are not given the option and are being called in when they least expect it. This not only takes time away from their personal lives, it cuts the amount of recovery time they have between shifts. Lt. Victoria Barreras and Lt. Brad Goode at Friendship
Station 21, the busiest fire station in Marion County, recently gave the “Gazette” insights into the difficulties the department has with being short staffed, working overtime and retaining good employees. MCFR’s current schedule is for employees to work 24 hours and then have 48 hours off. But often, when someone is called for mandatory overtime, they must work for two shifts in a row. On May 6, for example, 30 MCFR employees were working overtime, both mandated and voluntarily. Overtime is calculated as an excess of 106 hours during a 14-day pay cycle. While working overtime, employees are paid 1.5 times their usual hourly rate. Mandatory overtime is
triggered when there is no one left to voluntarily work overtime but an opening in the
schedule must be filled to meet the department’s operational See MCFR, page A5
Lt. Brad Goode carries a recoiled fire hose back to Station 32’s engine after extinguishing a structure fire that engulfed a detached garage in a residential neighborhood in flames. [Caroline Brauchler/Ocala Gazette]
READ DAILY NEWS AT OCALAGAZETTE.COM
INSIDE:
Memorial Day................................ A4 Marion County Lawsuit.............. A5 School Safety Dashboard............ A7 State................................................. A8 Puzzles............................................. B4
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