Beyond the Coloring Book: Colored Pencils for Grown-ups See more info Pg B1 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 32
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AUGUST 11 - AUGUST 17, 2023
THE PRICE OF BUC-EE’S How the future world’s largest Buc-ee’s and the Interstate 75 interchange impact farmland
Marion Senior Services debuts new dining site By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
T Land on the east side of I-75, shown on the right, is the area were the new Buc-ee’s will be built along with the 49th Street off ramp in Ocala shown on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. [Alan Youngblood/ Special to the Ocala Gazette]
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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hen a longtime cattle-ranching family heard about a potential new interchange at Interstate 75 and Northwest 49th Street in Marion County over a decade ago, they feared the coming construction would involve land that had been in their family for nearly 70 years. Now, as plans for the new interchange are taking shape, those fears are becoming reality. Joy Baldwin Papy of Baldwin Angus Ranch said
the family quickly realized the proposed location of the project would lop a large portion of their ranchland off from the rest, rendering it inaccessible after decades of the family raising prized angus beef cattle on their northwest Marion County property. “It’ll be landlocked away from us with all the roads that they’re putting in,’’ said Papy’s niece Christine Damron. “So, we wouldn’t be able to run cattle over there, we wouldn’t be able to get tractors over there to lease the property for peanut farming or anything like that.” That corner of the
Baldwins’ property happened to be an ideal location for a travel center as part of the new I-75 interchange. So, when the popular travel center chain Buc-ee’s took interest in their land back in 2020, the family decided they would make the best out of a difficult situation and in April of this year sold about 35 acres of the land they cherished. The $8.6 million that Bucee’s paid for the land allowed the family to buy more land that connects to the northeast side of their property, Papy said. At the ranch’s largest, it spanned about 640 acres. These days, the members of
the Baldwin family own less than 600. Now, the Baldwins might have to part with upward of 100 additional acres as part of the project. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has proposed building a retention pond north of the interchange and east of I-75, on top of even more of the Baldwins’ land, Papy said. This time, they likely won’t be able to replace that land because there isn’t much farmland left to buy, she said. None of the Baldwins’ land has been bought yet for the interchange, roads or potential See Threat page A5
he ribbon has been cut for Marion Senior Services’ brand-new dining location at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place. The dining site, which had its grand opening on Aug. 1, offers a once-daily nutritional meal to the agency’s clients—elderly, disabled and disadvantaged residents of Marion County who seek to maintain a lifestyle of independent living. The new location offers more than just a hearty, nutritional meal, it offers many components that can help with overall wellness and prosperity for the elderly and disadvantaged population, said Marion Senior Services (MSS) spokesperson Natasha Dobkowski. “It just gives us that opportunity to really hit all of those key points: nutrition, mobility and recreational activity, socialization and then also intergenerational (interaction),” Dobkowski said. The new location was moved from where it was previously located at the MSS main office. It is one of four sites where seniors can participate in the agency’s congregate dining plan, according to the agency’s website. The dining site will serve a hot, nutritional meal at lunchtime Monday through Friday, said Nutrition Coordinator Glenda Thomas. Meals are offered at no cost and are available to anyone over See Senior page A6
DeSantis suspends Central Florida prosecutor By Ryan Dailey and Jim Turner Florida News Service
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ov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, accusing the prosecutor of “neglecting her duty” and being lax on criminal enforcement. DeSantis’ suspension of Worrell, elected in 2020 as state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit in Orange and Osceola counties, marks the second time in a year the Republican governor has acted to strip an elected Democratic prosecutor from office. Speaking to reporters shortly after DeSantis announced her suspension Wednesday, Worrell decried what she called the “loss of democracy” through DeSantis’ action. “I am your duly elected state
attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that,” Worrell said. Worrell’s suspension came after she drew criticism from police union leaders who said her office should have done more to keep behind bars a man accused of shooting two Orlando police officers on Friday. “We had a duty to act to protect the public from this dereliction of duty,” DeSantis said during a press conference Wednesday morning announcing the suspension. Worrell said that she has spoken with her legal team and plans to challenge her suspension. She defended her record as state attorney, and said that two high-ranking employees in her office also were fired as part of the governor’s actions. “I was elected by the people
of the 9th Judicial Circuit to lead this circuit. And yes, to do things unconventionally, to do things differently. But I didn’t hide. … I did exactly what I said I would do, and that is what you want from an elected official,” Worrell said. The Florida Constitution gives the governor the authority to suspend elected officials. The ultimate decision about removal from office rests with the Florida Senate. In an executive order issued Wednesday, DeSantis maintained that Worrell’s policies prevent or discourage assistant state attorneys from seeking mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses. Worrell’s practices and policies constitute “abuse of prosecutorial discretion” and See Worrell, page A3
Monique Worrell, the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, speaks during the NAACP 5114 Marion County Branch 41st Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet at the Klein Conference Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Friday, April 28, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
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