VOLUME 6 ISSUE 15
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Basket weaving class Pg B1
APRIL 11 - 17, 2025
Grassroots group unites like-minded citizens
21 equines perish in barn fire The blaze happened at the Roberts Quarter Horse Farm in Reddick, which is owned by the family behind the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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barn in Reddick, on property owned by the Roberts family, owners of the World Equestrian Center, caught fire in the early morning hours of April 8 and 21 horses perished. Marion County Fire Rescue was dispatched to the fire at the Roberts Quarter Horse Farm property at 3:58 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a barn on fire with horses trapped inside. The 10,000 square foot, single story barn, at Northwest 118th Street Road, Reddick, was already fully ablaze by the time of MCFR’s arrival at 4:13 a.m. The roof of the structure had collapsed, which contributed to the deaths of the horses inside. The fire was called under control at 5:13am. No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters at the scene, MCFR noted. Units from MCFR Lowell Station #11 were the first on the scene of the fire. Located at 12250 NW Gainesville Road, Reddick, the station is 3.1 miles away from the Roberts Quarter Horse Farm. The next-closest station is MCFR’s Golden Ocala Station #20, which is 7.4 miles away. The Marion County Fire Marshal, the State of Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are conducting investigations into the origin and cause of the fire. “We are aware of a tragic incident that occurred on private property personally owned by the individuals who also own World See Barn fire, page A6
Marci Carson, Mari O’Donnell and Tami Johnson are members of the Ocala Blue Dots grassroots group. [Submitted photo]
The Ocala Blue Dots hope to bond the region’s smaller groups into a cohesive force, all working toward the purpose of influencing policy. By Jamie Berube
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rika De La Cruz did not plan to spearhead a movement, but a scroll through TikTok before the app was nearly banned in January lit a spark. Under the hashtag #winterboots, a code designed to skirt the app’s algorithm, she saw Floridians asking, “‘Okay, what’s going on in Ocala for organizing protests?” related to President Donald Trump’s second term. Frustrated by the lack of local organizing resources, she felt it was time to step up.
“If I didn’t act, no one else would,” De La Cruz said. Out of this, Ocala Blue Dots, a Redditbased group targeting Trump and Elon Musk, was born. Blue has come to symbolize Democratic voters and their interests, while red is associated with the Republican Party. De La Cruz chose Reddit as the platform to rally a group because, in her view, platforms such as Musk-owned X— formerly Twitter--were not an option. “Blue Sky didn’t work for communitybuilding, and so Reddit made sense,” De La Cruz said.
With this, a new chapter of local grassroots activism began. The group currently has 565 members. On April 5, members of Ocala Blue Dots joined an estimated 1,000 other protesters in downtown Ocala for 50501 demonstrations, a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration’s actions. The name 50501 originally stood for 50 protests, 50 states, one day, reflecting the initial goal of coordinating simultaneous protests in every state on a single day. It has See Blue Dots, page A2
Family of killed inmate sues Marion County sheriff and deputies By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
Dennis DiGenova [Submitted photo]
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he children of Dennis DiGenova, a 73-year-old veteran who was killed in custody, are suing the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office for their father’s wrongful death.
Dennis DiGenova Jr. and Ashley Whitehead have filed suit in federal court against Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods and three deputies, claiming that their father’s death was preventable and that his civil rights were violated while incarcerated in the Marion County Jail, according
to court records in the Middle District of Florida. DiGenova’s death is one of 31 known fatalities occurring in the custody of MCSO since January 2021. The “Gazette’’ has reported extensively on conditions within the jail and allegations of inappropriate use of force and medical neglect by
workers at the facility. MCSO said it will not comment on pending litigation. DiGenova was brought to the Marion County Jail on July 18, 2023. He was being held at the Marion County Jail on a charge See Family of killed inmate , page A9
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INSIDE:
911 questions................................. A3 Culinary changes.......................... A6 Volunteers help vet....................... A8 Firefighters honored.................... B2 Calendar......................................... B6
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