VOLUME 5 ISSUE 52
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DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2025
Update on city emergency response times for fire & medical By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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fter posing questions about response times in the city to fire/medical calls earlier this year, the “Gazette” can report some progress. We’ve ascertained the city hiccups can be attributed primarily to three things: fire/ medical dispatch that could be more efficient, slower than expected en route times from Ocala Fire Rescue, and dysfunctional communication between city and county. The “Gazette” noticed holes in emergency communications between the city and county and, in a series of reports this year, encouraged city leadership to visit the county’s 911 center, where there was better organizational structure and better technology tailored explicitly for fire/medical calls that the city did not have. Earlier this year, the “Gazette” reported that the Marion County Fire Rescue dispatchers wait until the city dispatchers—who are in a different location—share details from an emergency call for help. This delay negatively impacted response times and invited human error. Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano and Councilmembers James Hilty and Barry Mansfield heard our concerns and went to both call centers to observe, just as the “Gazette” reporters had done. Mansfield and Hilty spoke highly of the professionalism they observed from 911 call takers and dispatchers at both centers. Over the past few months, the city implemented a new interface between its CAD system and the county’s so that the county’s dispatchers could see the city’s calls automatically without having to share them one by one. Both Mansfield and Hilty expressed hope that the interface would make things work more smoothly between the city and county’s fire departments. We have noticed some improvement from this measure. However, there is still more to fix for the city to meet the county’s superior fire/medical dispatch level.
A LITTLE HISTORY ON HOW WE GOT IN THIS PREDICAMENT
In 2020, the Ocala City Council broke away from its arrangement with Marion County to share the dispatching of fire and medical emergency units. This decision went against not only the recommendations of a consultant they hired to explore the local emergency communication infrastructure but also against national recommendations that emergency communications should be consolidated regionally and work from a common computer-aided dispatch (CAD) See Response times, page A4
Fast-growing Florida tops 23.3M people By Jim Saunders Florida News Service
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rowing faster than almost any other state, Florida’s estimated population topped 23.3 million people this year, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau estimated that Florida had 23,372,215 people as of July 1, up from 22,904,868 a year earlier. Florida’s increase of 467,347 people was second only to Texas, which gained 562,941. Also, Florida’s 2 percent
growth rate trailed only the District of Columbia, which had a 2.2 percent rate, according to the Census Bureau. Texas and Utah each had 1.8 percent growth rates. The estimated national population increased 1 percent to 340.11 million. Florida’s growth reflected two key issues in the Census Bureau data: international migration and population increases in the South. A news release accompanying the data said net international migration “was the critical demographic component of change driving
growth in the (U.S.) resident population. With a net increase of 2.8 million people, it accounted for 84% of the nation’s 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024.” The Census Bureau said Florida, California and Texas had the largest gains from net international migration, with Florida showing a 411,322-person increase. The news release also said the South added more people from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, than all other regions combined. It said the
overall population in the South increased by nearly 1.8 million people. See Growing Florida, page A6
Help on the way for local homeless population
Dignitaries and officials shovel dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony Photos by Andy Fillmore held Dec. 18, 2024, for Mercy Village, a 79-unit affordable and Ocala Gazette supportive housing complex to be built in northwest Ocala.
Rev. Patrick Sheedy of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, at right, was on hand during the groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 18, 2024, for Mercy Village in northwest Ocala.
Officials recently broke ground for Mercy Village, a 79-unit complex in NW Ocala. By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
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n affordable housing project aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness took a major step forward on Dec. 18 when local officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for Mercy Village, a two-phase, 79-unit complex in northwest Ocala. The project, expected to be fully completed in about a year, will include a 59unit apartment building backed by Miami-
based nonprofit Carrfour Supportive Housing. There also will be 10 duplexes funded by a grant requested by Marion County Community Services homelessness prevention services or case management to help with the total of 79 units provided by Ocala nonprofit Saving Mercy Corporation. “Mercy Village will offer a mix of supportive services and affordable housing, aiming to address the critical shortage of permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness or facing housing insecurity,” Penny Beehler, executive director of Saving Mercy, stated in a press release.
Ocala City Councilmember Jim Hilty Sr., on hand for the groundbreaking, called the project “a huge step” in addressing homelessness here. Karla Greenway, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, an Ocala provider of essential services for those in need, will partner with the housing outreach. “This project is what we’ve been hoping for and praying for. It’s a game changer and will provide appropriate housing for those in need,” Greenway said at the groundbreaking. See Mercy Village, page A2
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