VOLUME 6 ISSUE 16
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Home Show April 25-27 Pg B2 APRIL 18 - 24, 2025
Home rule, open spaces and community planning hang in the balance this legislative session By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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fter a host of bills were filed during this session of the Florida Legislature that would erode local control of development across the state and open hundreds of thousands of
agricultural acres to developers without local approval, advocates for preserving communities’ rights to choose how they grow are pushing back against legislators, citing a host of reasons these changes would have negative results, ranging from quality of life concerns to potential impacts on national
defense. One bill that has generated a storm of criticism is Senate Bill 1118, filed by State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Marion, with a companion House Bill 1209, filed by Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Pasco. McLain’s office has not responded to repeated requests from the “Gazette” for comment on the
bill; however, during a March 17 Senate Community Affairs Committee meeting and bill analysis, the senator pointed to property owners’ rights to use land as they see fit and the need for Florida to build more houses. “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 said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that we have to find ways to make sure See Home rule page A6
Fighting for higher education Community, school board rally against state cuts to funding for advanced courses. By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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knowing exactly what has happened to Sara. I spend the majority of my days advocating for her and keeping her humanized to the public, defending her tooth and nail. We only want to know where (the person of interest) drove Sara so she can be located,” she wrote in a text message following the demonstration. The sheriff ’s office has released information about the case through Facebook posts, including a timeline of events leading up to Ebersole’s disappearance. According to one post, Ebersole accepted a ride around 10 p.m. on March 2, 2023, from two men in a pickup truck while at the Circle K convenience store at U.S. Highway 441 and County Road 318 in Reddick. She was dropped off, along with James Robinson, at a residence in the 18000 block of U.S. Highway 441 in Reddick. Robinson lived in one section of the residence, while James Schaller and Teesha McDermitt lived in another, the post states.
he future of advanced courses for Florida students is in danger as two proposed bills in the Florida Legislature threaten cuts to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and college-level testing for public schools. The Marion County School Board created a resolution opposing Florida House Bill 5101 and Senate Bill 2510, which, if signed into law, would reduce career and professional education funding by 50%. Although the two bills differ in language, both passed chambers and are now known as CS/SB 7030. The differences between the two bills are expected to be worked out. Locally, the legislation would cut Marion County Public Schools’ budget by over $2.5 million, which officials say would pose a significant detriment to advanced programs. The resolution was sent to the Florida Legislature on April 9. Currently, schools can receive additional funding for each full-time equivalent student who participates in dual enrollment, IB, AP, AICE, CAPE and early high school graduation programs. This funding is added to the base student allocation. “The additional FTE generated from these programs is added to the district’s weighted FTE when calculating the district’s flexible base funding,” according to the bill. Both bills propose that districts and schools with students in advanced programs such as these will no longer be eligible for additional FTE membership. It would also cut the bonuses given to teachers for each student who meets those course requirements.
See Sara Gail Ebersole, page A3
See Higher education, page A5
Demonstrators hold signage about missing person Sara Ebersole, then 26, who disappeared from the Reddick area on March 3, 2025. The demonstration to maintain awareness about the case was held Saturday, April 12, 2025, on U.S. Highway 441 in Micanopy, Florida. [Photo By Andy Fillmore/Special To The Ocala Gazette].
Where is Sara Gail Ebersole?
By Andy Filmore
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hat’s the question that drew a small group of demonstrators to the median of U.S. Highway 441 in Micanopy on Saturday. They held placards and stood beside a large message board displaying Ebersole’s last known photo and other identifying details. Michele Tullis, Ebersole’s sister, organized the demonstration to keep the March 3, 2023, disappearance of then-26year-old Ebersole in the public eye. She continues to call for a person of interest— who, according to case documents, lived near the demonstration site—to cooperate with law enforcement. Tyrone Morman, 27, a Micanopy resident at the time, has been named a person of interest, according to a post from the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office. Tullis said she would like to pose the same question to Morman that the sheriff ’s office shared on Facebook: “Where did Morman take Sara?”
A sheriff ’s office document states deputies were called on March 5, 2023, in reference to the disappearance. Detective R. Stith was assigned the case 10 days later. The report also states that, by Dec. 20, 2023, there had been no contact from Ebersole with friends or family, no financial activity on her accounts and no social media activity. “Ebersole’s normal pattern of life ceased as of March 3, 2023,” the document reads. Tullis said she has been counting the days since her sister vanished. She has maintained a social media presence about the case, posting updates and appeals for help. She also created a GoFundMe account titled “Bring Sara Home: Billboard Campaign Fund and Awareness” to raise money for a billboard seeking information. As of April 14, the fund had raised $1,983 toward a $5,000 goal. “It’s been 771 days,” Tullis said, holding a placard that read, “Sara Ebersole Matters.” “This is a living nightmare—not
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