VOLUME 7 ISSUE 26
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Splish splash for summer fun… Page A5
June 26 - July 2 2026
Budget season beckons Marion County’s proposed 2026-27 budget hints at a massive deficit as commissioners prepare for tough summer workshops. By Jennifer Hunt jennifer@ocalagazette.com
Memorializing Mio Artist Maggie Weakley, on June 19, 2026, shows the photo on her phone of her beloved Chihuahua Mio, which in part inspired “The Rainbow Bridge” mural she painted at the Humane Society of Marion County in Ocala, from which Mio was adopted 16 years ago. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
“The Rainbow Bridge” mural by artist Maggie Weakley is the centerpiece of a special room at the Humane Society of Marion County veterinary clinic. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
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or many of us, our pets are members of the family. They are cherished, cared for and truly loved. And when they pass away, our pets take a piece of our heart and we deeply mourn the loss. Saying goodbye to loved ones is hard; humans as well as animal companions. It’s emotional. It’s gut-wrenching. Sometimes you just want a quiet place in which to grieve. For pets, it is often said that when they die, they cross the Rainbow Bridge. Many feel this is a place where a dog can once again romp and jump happily or a cat can snooze in a sunny spot, all while waiting to be reunited with their beloved human. Now, there is a special place in the Humane Society of Marion County’s veterinary clinic where people can say goodbye in a private and supportive environment. The Rainbow Room offers a dedicated entry/exit door and is a quiet place in which to sit with one’s pet as the
inevitable happens. The room features a vivid—and poignant—mural painted by local artist Maggie Weakley, a longtime supporter of the humane society. The acrylic painting includes a portrait of Weakley’s beloved Mio, a Chihuahua she and her husband Kent adopted from the nonprofit 16 years ago. Weakley recalled how she had been doing some painting at the campus all those years ago and was in the process of packing up her paints when then-president Bruce Fishalow came over with “these little tiny heads” and said, ‘They’re all accounted for except this one.’ I said, ‘Bruce, you’re killing me,’ because I always wanted a little dog. We had big dogs; German shepherd, Australian shepherd.” Long story short, the Weakley’s welcomed Mio into the family and, later on, Coco, another small breed. Early in the year, Weakley said she was approached about painting a mural in the Rainbow Room in the clinic. “I’ve done so many murals, and I’ve done so much artwork for this organization.
I love them. They do such good work here and I said, yes, of course I will, but we have some trips planned so I’m going to have to wait. When we came back, at the beginning of February, Mio started not doing well so we brought him to Dr. Zimmerman. He was suffering and it was heartbreaking to see him walking,” she offered. On Feb. 23, the Weakley’s said goodbye to Mio in the Rainbow Room. In May, she returned to the clinic to paint “The Rainbow Bridge” mural. It took a total of 26 hours, spread over a couple of weekends as she painted while the clinic was closed. She noted that she “worked back to front.” “I the sky went in first and then there are multiple layers just to get the colors to be that rich,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing. And then the sun, I didn’t quite know how to make that, so I took a little bit longer to figure out how I was going to make it like glow, and towards the end all the detail goes into the animals,” she explained.
County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes speaks during a capital improvement project workshop in Ocala on March 21, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
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he proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 Marion County budget has been published and county commissioners are bracing for a difficult series of summer workshops to close a massive looming deficit. The budget was formally presented to the Board of County Commissioners on June 16, kicking off the summer review process. County leaders are heading into this budget cycle facing significant financial hurdles that were first identified during their initial April 7 budget workshop. During that preliminary meeting, County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes warned that practical belttightening alone would not be enough to balance the budget. Budget Director Audrey Fowler revealed to the board that maintaining the current property tax millage rate of 3.09 while fully funding all department requests would leave the county with an estimated $27 million deficit. See Budget, page A4
See The Rainbow Bridge, page A3
Policy vs. practice Records show ‘suicide precaution’ rules were ignored for two Marion County jail inmates. By Jennifer Hunt jennifer@ocalagazette.com
Zachary Altom being wheeled out of the changing room in booking at the Marion County Jail after an altercation involving eight detention deputies on Jan. 2, 2025. Altom is slumped in the wheelchair, hands and ankles shackled, with a spit guard over his head. He was immediately wheeled to a nearby nursing station after. [Screenshot from Marion County jail footage]
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wo men. Two violent encounters inside the same booking room at the Marion County Jail. Both were placed on “suicide precaution” after the use of force, a designation intended to trigger heightened medical monitoring and
protection. Instead, records and jail video reviewed by the “Ocala Gazette” show both men were housed in the same cell, denied key safeguards required by policy and left vulnerable to serious harm. Under state standards and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s internal policies, the protocol for handling an inmate on “suicide precaution” is designed to be a
rigorous medical and security safety net. According to the Florida Model Jail Standards (FMJS), any inmate identified as a suicide risk must be monitored under “close supervision or direct observation,” which requires documented physical checks by correctional or medical staff at intervals not exceeding 15 minutes. See Policy vs. practice, page A9
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Managing maestro........................ A7 Francis Marion dedication......... A8 Juneteenth Celebration............... B1 Honoring Bob Haight.................. B3 Calendar......................................... B6
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