VOLUME 7 ISSUE 23
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To remember and honor Page B1
May 29- June 4 2026
Leaving a legacy
Lourdes “Lori” Manresa is retiring from Hillcrest School with, among other accolades, the first ever “Triple Crown” for Marion County Public Schools. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
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n a county in which the public school system has more than 60 institutions, over 45,000 students and more than 2,000 teachers, there is one special place in Southeast Ocala that transcends expectations when it comes to education. The Hillcrest School provides educational and training programs for students with significant disabilities from ages 11 to 22. It is a unique day school the Marion County School Board operates. The programs are primarily designed to serve students with moderate to profound cognitive disabilities or who exhibit autism spectrum disorders. At the helm of the school for the past 15 years as principal is Lourdes “Lori” Manresa. She served as interim principal in 2008-09 and assistant principal from 2000 to 2008. Manresa, who has a total of 36 years in education, is retiring from Hillcrest School in July, with plans to spend more time with family members, including a 2-year-old grandchild. And talk about leaving on a high note. Last December, Manresa was named Principal of the Year and Hillcrest’s Stephanie Stephens was named Rookie Teacher of the Year. On Jan. 30, Zanita Hendry, the art teacher at Hillcrest, was named Marion County’s 2026 Teacher of the Year during the 36th annual Golden Apple Gala at the Reilly Arts Center. School officials said the “Triple Crown” is believed to be the first time in the 157-year history Marion County Public Schools that three people at one school earned the top honors. “What a year. You’d think there’s something in the water here,” Manresa said with a laugh during a recent interview in her office. “In 2016, I was Principal of the Year and then in my final year in Marion County Principal of the Year again. And to have the Teacher of the Year and the Rookie Teacher of the Year … when we were at the gala and they called out the Teacher of the Year, the explosion in the audience was just unbelievable; it was beautiful. What a celebration and what a way to go out,” Manresa said. Fighting back tears, she continued, “My career has meant something. It has meant something to the people at the school, to the families we’ve served.”
DeSantis unveils property tax cut plan, calls special session By Jim Turner The News Service of Florida
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Principal Lori Manresa gets a hug from Jack Cotton in one of the classrooms at Hillcrest School in Ocala on May 21, 2026. Manresa, who will be retiring at the end of this school year, has worked at Hillcrest for 26 years. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
“So many people in the community have sent me emails, cards and gifts, and it’s just been a beautiful outpouring of love,” she shared. “You know you work every day to do your best and then when this moment comes, I mean, I just read an email this morning from a parent whose son passed away this year, still
thanking me. It touches your heart. A 9-to-5 job in the public sector doesn’t look the same as it does here, where it’s just so different and so heartwarming.”
any Florida homeowners would see their property tax bills eliminated or severely cut under a plan released May 27 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is calling for the Legislature to convene June 1 to consider his proposal, which, if they approve it. would appear on the November ballot. At least 60 percent of voters would need to support the measure for it to take effect. Under the plan, the current exemption for homestead properties would rise from $50,000 to $250,000 immediately, with a further expansion to be scheduled by the Legislature after the measure is passed that would eventually eliminate taxes completely for those properties. “I want to get something done. I want to make sure people can go and vote for something, and then see something that’s going to be very, very meaningful in their lives,” DeSantis said while at Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Airport Westshore. Lawmakers have already completed one special session this year to pass new congressional districts and are in the middle of another to complete the budget they failed to finish during the regular session. The formal proclamation for the special session and the details of his legislation were not immediately posted. Under current law, homeowners can qualify for homestead exemptions from the first $25,000 of assessed value, and from the $50,000 to $75,000 portion of their assessed value for non-school taxes. See Property tax, page A9
See Leaving a legacy, page A8
CSX pays county’s $42K Dunnellon fire bill Investigation into rail tie blaze origin closes; legal battles ramp up. By Jennifer Hunt jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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SX Transportation has paid the nearly $42,000 invoice issued by Marion County for the massive emergency response to the Feb. 1 Dunnellon rail tie fire, while state investigators have formally
closed their inquiry into the blaze without determining a cause. The developments come as the legal fallout from the fire continues to expand, with an amended class-action lawsuit now targeting the railroad companies on behalf of local businesses and a ticking clock on Marion County’s own stalled lawsuit.
FIRE RESPONSE, BILLING AND FIREFIGHTER EXPOSURE Marion County billed CSX $41,870.67 to recover the costs of the extensive, multi-agency effort required to safely suppress the fire. According to a May 26 email from Marion County Fire
Rescue official James Lucas, CSX has paid the invoice in full. The finalized billing and newly released post-incident reports shed light on the extreme conditions first responders faced. According to MCFR’s After-Action Report, the massive stockpile of creosote-treated timbers created an incredibly
challenging environment with heavy fuel loads, limited access and high winds pushing the fire toward heavily wooded areas. It took 54 firefighters, seven fire engines, eight grass trucks and three tankers to get the blaze under control. See CSX, page A2
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