VOLUME 6 ISSUE 12
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Murder on the Orient Express Pg A9
MARCH 21 - 27, 2025
Details of deaths in MCSO custody remain elusive By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
T
he Florida Department of Law Enforcement has provided, unprompted, records of three cases of deaths in custody at the Marion County Jail that are under active investigation. However, within each of the three Death in Custody
Questionnaires, every piece of information is redacted. This includes the decedent’s name, gender, race, ethnicity, birth year, date and time of death, location of death, type of facility where the death occurred, department or agency detaining the deceased, and the manner and circumstances of death. All three deaths are
being investigated by the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office, which oversees the jail’s operation. In the reports, discrepancies between records provided by the MCSO and the state have been noted. The “Gazette” has made the same records requests to the MCSO and the FDLE, records provided by the two agencies has differed.
In January, the “Gazette” received seven Death in Custody Reporting Act records from FDLE, in response to a request for all DCRA reports the state received from MCSO over the past five years. When the “Gazette” requested from MCSO all the DCRA reports it See FDLE page A2
Sen. McClain advocates for bill that would weaken local control of rural lands
Mayra Ramirez needed urgent hospitalization before her death in custody
Mayra Ramirez, 58, died in the custody of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 7, 2023. [Supplied]
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
O that are moving here.” McClain and State Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Pasco, have each filed identical bills that would wrest local control of development from cities and counties across the state. If passed, the new laws would supersede any local overlay zones of protection, including Marion County’s revered Farmland Preservation Area. SB 1118 and House Bill 1209 summary sections state, in part, the measures authorize property owners “…to instead apply for administrative approval of a development regardless of future land use designations or comprehensive plan conf licts under certain circumstances;” require “that an authorized development be treated as a conforming use…;” and prohibit “local government from enacting or enforcing certain regulations or laws.” The bills would also require “administrative approval of such development if it complies with certain
n the day she was sent to jail, Mayra Ramirez told the judge she would not survive if incarcerated. Her premonition turned out to be true. After battling severe medical issues and near-constant pain, Ramirez died two years later while she was still held at the Marion County Jail. During her incarceration, Ramirez made at least 33 urgent requests for medical care, often filing multiple requests in one day. Her requests include pleas of “Help me,” “I am in so much pain,” and “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.” Ramirez, a 58-year-old woman from Ocala, was hospitalized four times while in custody, mostly for complications from pancreatitis and heart disease. The fourth time she arrived at AdventHealth Ocala Hospital was to pronounce her deceased. Ramirez died on Sept. 7, 2023, after jail staff said she “turned blue and fell to the floor” at about 6:46 p.m. Marion County Fire Rescue was called in response to Ramirez exhibiting symptoms of “heart failure.” CPR began at 6:50 p.m., and she was then transported to the hospital and pronounced dead. Ramirez’ death in custody is one of a series of similar incidents that raise concerns about the quality of
See McClain's bill, page A3
See Mayra Ramirez, page A7
Land on the east side of I-75, shown at the top, is the area were the new Buc-ee’s will be built along with the 49th Street off ramp. It is shown Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Ocala, [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
S
tate Sen. Stan McClain this week explained his rationale for proposing a bill that, if approved, would take much of the control over land-use decisions from local governments while opening hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres to developers without any local review or oversight. McClain, a residential builder and owner of McClain Construction LLC, spoke to the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Monday about the controversial measure Senate Bill 1118, which has generated significant concern and opposition since it was introduced earlier this month. A longtime politician who served on the Marion County Board of County Commissioners for 12 years and then termed out as a State Representative for District 27, McClain is now Marion County’s sole State Senator (District 9.). His son, Matthew McClain, is a Marion
County Commissioner. McClain has not responded to numerous “Gazette” requests to discuss his controversial bill, but his comments during the committee meeting provide some insight into his intentions. “Members, you know the challenges with growth management is that people haven’t stopped moving to Florida and it doesn't look like they're going to do that anytime soon. Certainly, for those of you that maybe follow development or the housing market, it actually it has slowed down some,” said McClain citing “headwinds created through tariffs and that kind of stuff.” “But you know one of the things that we have to always grapple with is how do we supply enough homes for the people that are moving here and certainly then we get into a back-and-forth between the communities that we live in and how much growth is taking place,” he continued. “But it doesn't change the fact that we have to find ways to make sure that housing is available for those people
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INSIDE:
SRO contracts................................ A4 Noted documentarian.................. B2 Hope Chest opens......................... B3 “Embedded” exhibit..................... B5 Calendar......................................... B6
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