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CKWC helps women in business

(from left) Cedar Key Woman's Club 2nd Vice President Susan Rosenthal presents Heidi Simpson, Haley Simpson and Hannah Healey with checks for $1,000 each to help their businesses.

Information and Photo Provided
By Vicki Crumpley of the CKWC
Published Nov. 28, 2024 at 7:45 a.m.
     CEDAR KEY -- Cedar Key Woman's Club 2nd Vice President Susan Rosenthal presented $1,000 checks to several Cedar Key businesses owned by women to help with their recovery from Hurricane Helene, as well as start-up efforts for new enterprises. 
     The recipients were Haley Simpson for Hair by Haley; Heidi Simpson for Fishbonz; Hannah Healey for The Prickly Palm; Glenda Richburg for Annie’s Café; Diana Bible, Licensed Massage Therapist, for Massage by Diana; and for Rachel Harris, Licensed Massage Therapist, for Massage by Rachel.

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(from left) Cedar Key Woman's Club 2nd Vice President Susan Rosenthal presents Diana Bible, and Rachel Harris, both licensed massage therapists, with checks for $1,000 each to help their businesses.


Cedar Key Woman's Club 2nd Vice President Susan Rosenthal (left) presents Glenda Richburg with a check for $1,000 to help Annie’s Café.

     The Cedar Key Woman's Club remains dedicated, since its founding in 1960, to enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.
     Proceeds from CKWC fundraisers are returned back to the community in many of the projects the club members support such as, the Cedar Key School Scholarship, the Cedar Key Public Library, the Community Relief Fund, Coastal Cleanup, the Cedar Key Food Pantry, hurricane preparedness, The Cedar Key Arts Center, The Fisher House in Gainesville and other projects.
     The next scheduled event will be the 18th Annual CKWC Fall Festival on Saturday (Nov. 30) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the CKWC Clubhouse in the Sumner area on State Road 24.

Florida State Park Manager Kevin Patton
earns the 2023 Jim Stevenson
Resource Manager of the Year title

Kevin Patton: 2023 Recipient of the Jim Stevenson Resource Manager of the Year Award

Information And Photo Provided
By DEP Press Office
Published Nov. 27, 2024 at 6:30 a.m.
     TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is proud to announce Kevin Patton, park manager of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, as a recipient of the 2023 Jim Stevenson Resource Manager of the Year Award.
     Patton, who has served with the Florida Park Service for 39 years, is being honored for his exceptional stewardship of state lands and his ongoing commitment to land management and conservation. 
      “Conserving Florida for future generations requires the dedication of talented leaders who inspire others to care about our natural resources and work to protect it,” said Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher. “Kevin Patton is an accomplished professional who sets the standard for what can be achieved in land management.”  
     Throughout his distinguished career with the Florida Park Service, Patton has worked at several state parks, focusing on the preservation and restoration of the state’s invaluable natural resources. His fire management accomplishments are particularly notable, with 292 prescribed burns and wildfire responses that have covered more than 35,700 acres.  
     During his time as the manager of Ochlockonee River State Park and Bald Point State Park, Patton revitalized the prescribed fire programs in areas with significant wildland/urban interfaces and highly complex fire needs. At Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, Kevin initiated a grassroots restoration project to restore the upland pine natural community. Most recently, as park manager at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Kevin oversaw the installation of 1,770 feet of low-water crossings to improve wetlands across 60 acres at the park.
     In addition to his land management accomplishments, Kevin has been instrumental in mentoring the next generation of resource managers. Under his leadership, six of his employees at his last three parks have become burn bosses, while many others have advanced into key management roles.  
     The Resource Manager of the Year award is named in honor of James A. Stevenson, who led the state's ecosystem management, prescribed burning, non-native plant control and springs protection efforts during his tenure with DEP’s Florida Park Service and Division of State Lands. Each year, this prestigious award recognizes land managers from DEP, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Florida Forest Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to the protection and management of Florida’s natural resources.

Florida SBDC Network encourages
everyone to participate in
Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30
Information Provided
By Florida SBDC Network State Office
Published Nov. 25, 2024 at 10:15 a.m.
     PENSACOLA -- The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, encourages small businesses to participate in Small Business Saturday, which is scheduled to be Saturday, Nov. 30.     The SBDC Network, and urges consumers to support small businesses during this day and throughout the holiday season. 
     Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses and strengthening communities across the country.
     In 2023, reported projected spending in the United States from among customers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17 billion, according to the 2023 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express.
     Additionally, of those surveyed, 61 percent strongly agree that they found a small business or independently owned restaurant on Small Business Saturday where they are likely to return and become a regular customer. 
      “When you shop small, you’re doing more than making a purchase—you’re investing in your neighbors and strengthening your community,” said Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network. “The Florida SBDC Network invites everyone to support local businesses by shopping small this Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season.”
     The Florida SBDC encourages consumers to consider shopping small this holiday season. Some reasons to shop small include:
     ● More money stays in your community when you shop small;
     ● It can offer a better shopping experience; and
     ● You can find more unique gifts.
     The network encourages small businesses to consider participating in Small Business Saturday. Some ways to participate include:
     ● Visiting ShopSmall.com to download customizable marketing materials, including storefront signage, website banners, and social posts;
     ● Partnering with other small businesses in your community
Considering offering a special discount or promotion; and
     ● Encouraging customers to participate through social media and email marketing.
     Small businesses and consumers may learn more about Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com. 

Consider Tax-Smart Charitable Gifts
Published Nov. 25, 2024 at 9:15 a.m.
     NEWBERRY -- As we enter the annual season of giving, you might be thinking of charities you wish to support. But you also might be wondering how to gain some tax benefits from your gifts.
     It used to be pretty straightforward: You wrote a check to a charity and then deducted the amount of the gift, within limits, from your taxes. But a few years ago, as part of tax law changes, the standard deduction was raised significantly, so fewer people were able to itemize deductions. Consequently, there was less financial incentive to make charitable gifts. 
     Of course, this didn't entirely stop people from making them. And it's still possible to gain some tax advantages, too. 
     Here are a few tax-smart charitable giving strategies:
     • Bunch your charitable gifts into one year. If you combine a few years' worth of charitable gifts in a single year, you could surpass the standard deduction amount and then itemize deductions for that year. In the years following, you could revert to taking the standard deduction. 
     • Make qualified charitable distributions. Once you turn 73 years old (or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later), you must start taking withdrawals from your traditional or inherited IRA. These withdrawals — technically called required minimum distributions, or RMDs — are taxable at your personal income tax rate, so, if the amounts are large enough, they could push you into a higher tax bracket or cause you to pay larger Medicare premiums. 
     But if you donate these RMDs directly to a qualified charity, you can avoid the taxes.  And because these donations, known as qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), will reduce the balance on your IRA, you may have lower RMDs in the future. 
     Of course, if you need some or all your RMDs to help sustain yourself in retirement, the use of QCDs may not be of interest to you. Keep in mind, though, that you can start making QCDs at 70½, even before you must start taking RMDs. QCDs up to $105,000 can be taken in 2024.
     • Consider a donor-advised fund. If you’re interested in a long-term charitable giving arrangement, you might want to consider establishing a donor-advised fund. You can put many types of assets into this fund, and then direct it to make grants periodically to the charities you’ve chosen. You get an immediate tax deduction for your contribution, and, if you donate appreciated assets, such as stocks, you'll avoid the capital gains taxes you would have incurred if you simply sold the stocks and then gave the money to the charities. One note of caution, though — your contributions to a donor-advised fund are irrevocable, and once the assets are in the fund, you can’t use them for anything except charitable giving.
     These strategies — QCDs and donor-advised funds in particular — can be complex and involve several issues of which you should be aware. So, you should consult your tax advisor before taking action. But if any of these techniques are appropriate for your situation, give them some thought — because helping a charitable group and getting tax benefits for doing so is a “win” for everyone.
     Publisher’s Note: This article was written by Edward Jones for use by Edward Jones Financial Advisor - Sheila K. Smith and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Ashlyn Burtle, 25349 W. Newberry Road, in Newberry. Phone 352-472-2776.

Final step taken to end
possible sidewalk project
It is a dream deferred – for now

Levy County Road Department Administrative Coordinator Alice LaLonde speaks to the Levy County Commission about a sidewalk project in the Inglis-Yankeetown area that is terminated after no one bid to start it.

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 20, 2024 at 4:15 p.m.
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     BRONSON – Building a dream sidewalk in Inglis and Yankeetown, home of Levy County Road 40 (also known as Follow That Dream Parkway through part of that area), has become to a dream deferred, according to information released and action taken at the Nov. 19 regular meeting of the Levy County Board of County Commissioners.
     Hopefully, unlike the poem Harlem (also known as A Dream Deferred), the road will not be like a raisin in the sun. Instead, as Levy County Road Department Administrative Coordinator Alice LaLonde told Levy County Commissioner Johnny Hiers, the county can again apply with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to fund the sidewalk construction project.
     A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem Harlem, which was written by Langston Hughes (James Mercer Langston Hughes {Feb. 1, 1901-May 22, 1967}).  
     Meanwhile back in Yankeetown and Bronson on Tuesday morning (Nov. 19), the final step to terminate the hope for this project – at least for the time being – resulted after a 5-0 vote of approval to LaLonde’s request for a resolution approving the termination of the local agency program with the FDOT regarding the sidewalks on CR 40 and 56th Street.
     The county did not have enough money for this project to fund it, LaLonde said. The FDOT originally awarded Levy County $482,06 for the project, she said. 
     After engineering and bids were sought, the project showed a price of just over $1 million $1,066,435, LaLonde said. No one bid on the project.
     The County Commission agree to shelve the project earlier, she said. The action required on Nov. 19 is the final step, she added.
     Even with the two new county commissioners taking their seats on Nov. 19, there was a 5-0 vote to terminate that local agency program with FDOT.
     More specifically, the work showed sidewalk construction along the CR 40 corridor. The project includes approximately 0.8 miles of new sidewalk along CR 40 from U.S Highway 19 to Sapp Street and 0.2 miles of new sidewalk from Riverside Drive to CR 40. Construction also includes maintenance of traffic, erosion control, earthwork, asphalt pavement, drainage, curb and gutter, signalization, signing and pavement marking, sodding and other associated work. There were 210 days allowed for construction.
     As noted, no one bid on it and the project is terminated, although Commissioner Hiers heard the county can try again to have FDOT fund the project.

Elder Options seeks
two requests for proposals
Information Provided By Elder Options
Published Nov. 20, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
     GAINESVILLE – Elder Options is seeking requests for two proposals.     Competitive proposals for the designation of the Community Care for the Elderly Lead Agency for Putnam County will be received by the Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging dba Elder Options until 4 p.m. on Feb. 10, 2025.
     The Community Care for the Elderly Lead Agency designation requires the provision of an array of home and community based services to frail older persons. The Community Care for the Elderly program is administered pursuant to provisions of Chapter 430, F.S.
     Contracts are awarded contingent upon the availability of funds.
     Details for the 2025 CCE RFP will be available by 5 p.m. today (Nov. 20), on the Elder Options website https://agingresources.org/ under the “NEWS” section. Elder Options reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
     Bidders/Pre-Proposal Conference will be conducted concerning both this CCE and an Older Americans Act proposal process at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13, at the following location and via Zoom:
Elder Options
100 SW 75 Street, Suite 301
Gainesville, Florida 32607
    A Notice of Intent must be submitted, per instructions in the RFP, by 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2025, by each entity that intends to submit an RFP. In the event that fewer than two Notices of Intent are received per county, per Ch. 287, F.S., the Area Agency on Aging will institute the Exceptional Purchase provisions for a single source contract.

Another Request For Proposals
     Competitive proposals for the designation of the Community Care for the Elderly Lead Agency for Putnam County will be received by the Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging dba Elder Options until 4 p.m. on Feb. 10, 2025.
     The Community Care for the Elderly Lead Agency designation requires the provision of an array of home and community based services to frail older persons. The Community Care for the Elderly program is administered pursuant to provisions of Chapter 430, F.S. Contracts are awarded contingent upon the availability of funds.
     Details for the 2025 CCE RFP will be available by 5 p.m. today (Nov. 20) on the Elder Options website https://agingresources.org/ under the “NEWS” section. Elder Options reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
     A Bidders/Pre-Proposal Conference will be conducted concerning both this CCE and an Older Americans Act proposal process at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the following location and via Zoom:
Elder Options
100 SW 75 Street, Suite 301
Gainesville, Florida 32607
    A Notice of Intent must be submitted, per instructions in the RFP, by 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2025, by each entity that intends to submit an RFP. In the event that fewer than two Notices of Intent are received per county, per Ch. 287, F.S., the Area Agency on Aging will institute the Exceptional Purchase provisions for a single source contract.
     Correspondence concerning either of these Requests for Proposals should be addressed to:
Janet Kreischer, Director of Program Operations
Elder Options
100 SW 75 Street, Suite 301
Gainesville, Florida 32607
kreischerj@agingresources.org

Capital City Bank named
among ‘Best Banks to Work For’
Information Provided By Capital City Bank
Published Nov. 20, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.
     TALLAHASSEE – For the 12th consecutive year, Capital City Bank has been named one of American Banker’s “Best Banks to Work For” in its 2024 rankings, placing #56 out of 90 banks nationwide and #15 in the category of banks with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion.
     Leaders at the bank, which has proudly served Florida, Georgia, and Alabama for 129 years, is honored to continue this tradition of excellence.
     “Being named one of the 'Best Banks to Work For' for 12 years in a row is a true reflection of the extraordinary people at Capital City Bank,” said Bill Smith, Capital City Bank Group chairman, president and CEO. “Caring for people is a core element of our business philosophy—it’s at the heart of what we do, both with our clients and our associates. We are committed to providing a workplace culture of respect, growth, and collaboration, where everyone can thrive.”
     Capital City Bank believes its associates are the lifeblood of the company, and as such, encourages their continual professional development and advancement. The Bank offers an excellent benefits package with comprehensive insurance, an associate stock purchase plan and 401(k), paid time off and a tuition assistance plan. The company also places great value on continuous learning programs, providing incentives to associates learning new skills and getting results using technology to streamline processes.
     Maintaining a strong culture and extraordinary associate experience is an ongoing focus for Capital City Bank, and several new programs were introduced over the last year with a goal of enhancing associates’ sense of engagement, connection and belonging. Among them, a new social recognition program was introduced alongside a revamped intranet, enabling associates to recognize each other’s achievements, celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries, and align their actions with the company’s core values. To further engage associates, Capital City launched Culture Camp, a program designed to reconnect associates around their two-year work anniversary through team-building activities that promote belonging and company culture. These initiatives reflect the Bank’s continued investment in its associates’ professional and personal well-being.
     “The Best Banks to Work For represent institutions helping employees achieve their goals,” said Chana Schoenberger, editor-in-chief of American Banker. “These banks recognize how important it is for their staffers to be happy about the work they do and the environment in which they spend their days.”
     Determining the “Best Banks to Work For” involved a two-step process. The first consisted of evaluating each participating bank’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25 percent of the total evaluation. The second consisted of employee surveys aimed at assessing the experiences and attitudes of individual employees with respect to their workplace. This part of the process was worth approximately 75 percent of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the final ranking.
     To be considered for participation, banks had to have at least 50 employees working in the United States and been in business for a minimum of one year. Best Companies Group managed the registration and survey process and also analyzed the data to determine the final ranking.
     Results of this year’s program are in the November issue of American Banker magazine.
 

Hurricane Helene hit Florida
with agricultural production
losses in excess of $40 million
Information Provided 
By The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Published Nov. 20, 2024 at 8 a.m.
     GAINESVILLE – A report released Tuesday afternoon shows Florida’s agricultural interests suffered significant financial losses as a result of Hurricane Helene.
     Key points of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program reflect that:
     • The UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program rapidly assesses the impacts to Florida agriculture following extreme weather events. The preliminary report for Hurricane Helene is newly released.
     • The report estimates a credible range of losses between $40.3 million and $162.2 million. This range will be narrowed in a final report released in the coming months.
     • The estimate includes the value of shellfish and finfish aquaculture, but it does not include the value of damage to agriculture-related infrastructure or production losses associated with timber and commercial fishing.
     The agricultural production losses Florida experienced due to Hurricane Helene have an estimated value between $40.3 million and $162.2 million, according to a preliminary report by the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP). 
     The report is based on a diverse set of baseline data and surveys UF/IFAS economists distributed to producers.  
     Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, made landfall Sept. 26 near Perry (Taylor County) and brought tropical storm-force winds to 55 of the state’s 67 counties, as well as hurricane conditions to eight others: Dixie, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Tayor and Wakulla.
     Helene affected more than 6 million acres of agricultural land in Florida, property that collectively produces an estimated $8.7 billion in agricultural products over multiple growing seasons each year. Sixty-eight percent of the affected land is used for animal grazing.
     By comparison, Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm that impacted 2.2 million acres of agricultural land in early August, resulted in production losses of about $170 million, according to a soon-to-be released final report from the EIAP.
     “Debby, despite being a weaker storm in terms of wind, resulted in greater agricultural losses than Helene due to heavier rainfall and more extensive flooding, some of which affected areas that grow or raise higher-value products,” said Xiaohui Qiao, EIAP research assistant professor.
     A vast majority of lands affected by Helene – 99.6 percent – experienced low-intensity weather conditions. 
     Agricultural operations in the Big Bend region – particularly in Franklin, Gulf and Liberty counties – experienced the most intense rainfall, 12 inches between Sept. 23 and 29.
     Helene caused widespread storm surge on the Gulf Coast, with barrier islands and part of the coastline recording as much as 15 feet of flooding. Inland, estimated flood depth generally reached between 1 foot and 2 feet. 
     Powerful winds are responsible for a large percentage of agricultural losses caused by Helene. The storm flattened and stripped crops, damaged irrigation systems and fences and caused power outages.
     The estimated range of annual production losses for the current growing or marketing season for select commodity groups include:
     • Field and row crops: $12.8 million to $48.2 million
     • Animals and animal products: $11.8 million to $44.4 million
     • Vegetables, melons and potatoes: $10.5 million and $38.2 million
     The EIAP economists attribute the significant difference between the low and high estimates in each range to uncertainty as well as to large swaths of agricultural lands where producers experienced weak hurricane conditions and reported minimal or no losses.
     UF/IFAS EIAP reports rely heavily on agricultural producers’ survey responses. In addition to improving public understanding of the economic importance of agriculture, the information collected is used to improve the industry’s resilience by informing disaster response and recovery, emergency planning exercises and policy discussions.
     Although the EIAP team is committed to providing timely and reliable estimates of production losses, this year’s overly active hurricane season has prolonged the assessment process, said Christa Court, UF/IFAS EIAP director.
      “Helene made landfall only eight weeks after Hurricane Debby, in the same region of the state, and we had to modify our methods to ensure that we were not double counting and overestimating production losses,” Court said. “Hurricane Milton, which made landfall just under two weeks after Helene and was associated with an outbreak of tornadic activity, has resulted in additional complications that we are now managing in our assessment of that event.”
     Milton made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key. The EIAP’s preliminary report detailing impacts from the Category 5 storm is forthcoming.
     Economists will continue to collect data related to Hurricane Helene through 2025. The information supplied will be used in the program’s final report on the storm, which is expected within the first quarter of 2025. It will also support broader studies of extreme weather events’ effect on agriculture and inform assessments of future events.
 

College of Central Florida earns
top rankings for online programs
Information Provided
By CF Manager of Marketing and Public Relations Lisa McGinnes 
Published Nov. 18, 2024 at 10:45 p.m.
     OCALA — The College of Central Florida’s online programs and degrees recently received national recognition in Newsweek’s America’s Top Online Colleges 2025 list.
     At No. 35, CF ranked highest among the Florida College System’s 28 institutions, and placed above larger universities including University of Central Florida, University of Florida and University of Miami. CF students can complete the following programs fully online: Associate in Arts, Associate in Science in Business Administration, Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education, and nine college credit certificates in areas such as business and education. Unique in Florida, CF offers Equine Studies students the opportunity to start their education journey with an Equine Technician college credit certificate offered completely online. 
     The college’s fully online Bachelor Science in Nursing program was nationally recognized this year on the U.S. News & World Report Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs list, where CF placed the highest among Florida College System schools. The BSN program is ranked No. 3 for the Best Online Nursing Programs in Florida by Research.com.
     The CF Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education and college credit certificate programs in Early Childhood Development and Child Care Center Management, which offer fully online credentials for future preschool educators, were ranked No. 24 on the Intelligent.com nationwide list of Best Online Early Childhood Education Degree Programs of 2025.
      “The College of Central Florida has proved, once again, that we can meet our students where they are with flexible scheduling that does not sacrifice quality,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, CF president. “By offering courses virtually, we can help learners access instruction by our highly ranked faculty, whether they are pursuing a degree that will prepare them to transfer to a university or a credential that will help them achieve their career goals.”
     For more information about CF’s fully online degree and certificate programs, visit CF.edu/Online.
 

Improved Internet service
starts soon in Jemlands
HardisonInk.com set for fiber service


This picture from a couple of week ago shows new equipment that was put on a pole on the western border of the unrecorded subdivision of Jemlands. 

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 17, 2024 at 9:45 a.m.
Updated Nov. 18, 2024 at 9:15 a.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     JEMLANDS – People who reside in Jemlands, an unrecorded subdivision of Levy County, learned via email last week that they can schedule for a person to install fiberoptic Internet service.
     “This is great news for me,” Jeff M. Hardison said. “HardisonInk.com is set to have this service installed before 2025 begins.”
     Hardison, the sole proprietor of the multiple award-winning daily news website named HardisonInk.com, said that after this improved Internet service is installed at The Ink Pad, he will enjoy the ability to upload videos more quickly.
     The potential future customer of Fiber By Central Florida has been using a Verizon Jetpack MiFi wireless modem for almost all 14 years of publishing the daily news website. Before that, he depended on dial-up telephone modem service in Levy County, and there was a year or so, back in the beginning, when he would sit at the old Burger King location and order food and drinks to upload and download via a very small laptop computer as he used that public WiFi Internet service there.
     “I spoke with a Fiber By Central Florida customer service representative on Friday (Nov. 15),” Hardison said. “I spoke with her after the automated version of signing up for an appointment failed. I spoke to her again on Monday (Nov. 18) and now I am slated to see an installer here at the end of December.”
     Equipment connecting to the Internet at The Ink Pad through Verizon from that location is relatively “slow” and even nonexistent on occasion.
     “I’m going to have to keep my Verizon Jetpack MiFi service, too,” Hardison said, “because that is what I use when I pack my evacuation gear to continue publishing during hurricanes. So far, Sharon, Inky the cat, the now late Goldy the cat, and I have returned to The Ink Pad to see our residence still exists after we lived in a motel for a week or more, or fewer days and nights at a time after more than four evacuations.”
     Hardison said he and his family have evacuated more times than he cares to count.
     As for the Direct TV satellite television service, which is by far better than Dish, the Fiber By Central Florida fiberoptic Internet service will add another potential avenue for watching TV via streaming, Hardison said as he added that the cost to subscribe to streaming services will require some consideration for that alternative.
     “I am extremely thankful for Central Florida Electric Cooperative and the other rural electric cooperatives in Florida taking up the challenge of providing fiberoptic Internet services to people in rural Florida,” Hardison said. “This shows the compassion for other Americans as a 21st Century version of rural electrification from the 1940s. From my perspective as a CFEC member, I’m glad it went with the for-profit concept of wholly owning that for-profit business.”
     Hardison said the speed with which this mission by Fiber By Central Florida is being met exceeds his best hope by several hundreds of percentage points.
     “I was seeing 2027 or so, at being the earliest for service out here in the woods when this first was announced,” he said. “I really wondered if it was even possible. Now, there is great hope for me being able to have this improved service, probably at least by 2025 – even with three or four hurricanes that caused extensive damage to Florida’s electric transmission and fiberoptic Internet infrastructure.”
     The publisher who has covered Fiber By Central Florida’s success story since it was announced said he hopes to share more insight with readers after the system is installed at The Ink Pad, including actual costs of Verizon and Direct TV services and Fiber By Central Florida services.

Ferrell selected to lead
UF/IFAS agronomy department
Information and Photo Provided
By UF/IFAS Communications
Published Nov. 14, 2024 at 8 p.m.
     GAINESVILLE -- University Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) leadership has named Jay Ferrell as the new chair of UF’s department of agronomy.
     Ferrell’s appointment, effective Nov. 18, comes nearly nine months after he began serving as the interim chair of the department.

Jay Ferrell

     “Having made my career in this department, it is a real honor to be given the opportunity to lead this group that has been so supportive of me over the years,” Ferrell said.
     During a national search, Ferrell quickly emerged as a leading candidate, said Rob Gilbert, UF/IFAS dean for research and executive director for academic affairs.
     “He impressed us all during the interview process with his commitment to supporting people and his systems thinking,” Gilbert said.
     Ferrell first joined the agronomy department in 2004 as an assistant professor and became the department’s associate chair in 2014. In 2017, he transitioned to a new role as director of the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP) in Gainesville.
     There, he leads a multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff developing and disseminating strategies for addressing the impact of invasive plants.
     Gilbert praised Ferrell for demonstrating leadership at CAIP by elevating early-career faculty members and for building partnerships, particularly with the United States Army Corps of
Engineers; one of Ferrell’s faculty members is a Corps' scientist with a courtesy appointment at the center.
     “That collaborative ethos and his record of successful hiring and mentoring of faculty will help him lift a high-performing department to even greater impact,” Gilbert said.
     In 2019, Ferrell became director of the Pesticide Information Office (PIO). Located in the same facility as CAIP, PIO facilitates training and testing for pesticide license certification. Ferrell will continue to lead CAIP but will bring in an associate director for support.
     Reflecting on his service as agronomy department interim chair, Ferrell thanked his fellow IFAS department chairs for welcoming and supporting him. And he shared a vision for the department’s future.
     “The agronomy department is a collection of some of the most talented and hardworking people anywhere in the country,” he said. “They have a people-first mentality, whether it is with teaching, research or Extension, and my primary goal is to continue to foster this sense of service and community.”

Capital City Bank Group Foundation
awards $23,000 to nonprofits
in Dixie, Gilchrist, Suwannee and Levy
Information Provided By Brooke Hallock
Chief Brand Officer Capital City Bank Group Foundation
Published Nov. 13, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
     GILCHRIST COUNTY – During the 2024 grant cycle, the Capital City Bank Group (CCBG) Foundation reinvested $23,000 into the communities of Dixie, Gilchrist, Suwannee and Levy counties, awarding grants to organizations like Unity Family Community Center, Education Foundation of Gilchrist County, Another Way, Bell Library Volunteers, Levy County Schools Foundation and Tri-County Outreach.
 

     “Enriching the quality of life in the communities we serve is the primary mission of the Capital City Bank Group Foundation and a calling our bankers are proud to share,”
-- Stewart Wasson, Capital City Bank president of Dixie, Gilchrist, Suwannee and Levy counties

     The donations provided by the CCBG Foundation help nonprofits carry on the mission of the Foundation to enhance the quality of life for countless local citizens in the areas where we do business.
      “Enriching the quality of life in the communities we serve is the primary mission of the Capital City Bank Group Foundation and a calling our bankers are proud to share,” said Stewart Wasson, Capital City Bank president of Dixie, Gilchrist, Suwannee and Levy counties. “Whether by way of dollars pledged annually by the Capital City Bank Group Foundation or through the individual efforts of our associates to donate their time and talents, Capital City Bankers are deeply invested in making a meaningful difference in the places we call home.”
     The CCBG Foundation – a nonprofit organization created in 1983 by Capital City Bank Group, Inc. – is designed to build strong communities by enhancing the quality of life in communities where Capital City does business. The Foundation provides grants to nonprofits, charitable organizations and institutions exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The mission of the CCBG Foundation is to invest in initiatives that benefit local communities. Most of the funds are distributed to specific areas of focus, including: arts/culture, children/youth services, economic/community development, education, health/sciences and human services.

Dixie County appoints
new county manager
By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
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     DIXIE COUNTY – Dixie County Manager Paul Gainey resigned relatively recently, and the County Commission appointed Assistant County Manager John Jenkins to fill the vacancy.     Jenkins’ appointment came after the county advertised for applicants to seek to fill the opening.
     The motion to advertise for the position was a slap in the face for Gainey who had served as the acting county manager for more than a year.
     Dixie County Manager Duane Cannon resigned, which led to then-Assistant County Manager Gainey accepting the job. Cannon became Dixie County manager after being assistant county manager, too, back when Tim Alexander resigned as Dixie County manager.
     In regard to the latest appointment, Commissioners first considered a motion to appoint another man, whom Dixie County Clerk Barbie Higginbotham said was the only applicant qualified to be a county manager. A 3-2 “No” vote on that motion was followed by a majority vote for Jenkins.
     As he voted for Jenkins, Commission Chairman Jamie Storey said he voted that way because he had said previously that he would go with the majority on a vote to select the next county manager.
     Dixie County commissioners appear to be managing more now, rather than serving in their role as commissioners who can depend on a person to be the county manager.
     Gainey, Cannon and Alexander are among the great men who served as Dixie County manager in years gone by, and that list includes the late Leon Arthur Bellot Jr. (June 11, 1951 – Feb. 23, 2019).
     Click HERE to see the photos and story “Commission declares Dixie County as Second Amendment Sanctuary,” published Dec. 6, 2019, when County Manager Alexander was among the leaders.
 

Confirmed hero and alleged villain
of Dixie County Solid Waste

Daniel Philmon tells the County Commission about allegedly being threatened by a county worker at a solid waste transfer site.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 8, 2024 at 8 p.m.
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     CROSS CITY – Dixie County Commissioner Mark Hatch essentially solved a problem and recognized work by an honorable county department director within the first 90 minutes of a regular twice-monthly commission meeting on Thursday morning (Nov. 7). 
     That meeting lasted about three and a half hours, ending with some opinions stated by a man from Escambia County, which triggered reaction by a Dixie County resident -- leading to an abrupt adjournment of the meeting.
     While “Larry Downs Jr. of Pensacola” helped end the meeting with a diatribe about too much government and not enough freedom, Daniel Philmon was listed on the agenda near the start of the meeting as wanting to speak with the county leaders about an “issue with county roll-off site employee.”
     Philmon reported that an employee at a roll-off dump site demanded that the man have a sticker on his vehicle to show he was a Dixie County resident. The employee reportedly threatened to have Philmon issued a trespass warning if the next time he did not have the sticker on the windshield rather than on a placard, which Philmon had shown to the employee.
     Hatch and the other commissioners assured the man that the matter would be resolved, and that he had no reason to fear being issued a trespass warning from the dump site as a result of that exchange of words.


Dixie County Solid Waste Department Director Tim Johnson stands at the lectern as Dixie County Commissioner Mark Hatch tells about the employee going beyond the normal call of duty in service to the public.

     A little later that morning, when Dixie County Solid Waste Department Director Tim Johnson was on the agenda, Johnson said he had nothing to report.
     Hatch asked him if he had heard what the commissioners said about helping the employee understand more about how to treat people using county facilities, including that some people don’t want to put stickers on their vehicles. And that this issue has been broached and resolved before.
     Johnson acknowledged that he would confer with the worker to help him understand his role in public service.
     Then, Hatch talked about this family that had thrown away a box with $3,500 in cash in it.
     Johnson went through the garbage and found it under a discarded bouquet of flowers, Hatch said, adding that the bouquet must have looked better before it was disposed of as solid waste.
     Director Johnson returned the money to the family that had accidently sent it to the dump site.
 

Levy County Commission
announces new website

This Nov. 6 screen capture of the Levy County website reflects the ugly, cumbersome and aggravating website that exists for Levy County government, as provided by the Levy County Board of County Commissioners. The extremely near future shows great hope for significant improvements, according to what was said at the twice-monthly regular County Commission meeting held on Tuesday (Nov. 5).

Story and Photos
By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 6, 2024 at 11 a.m.
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     BRONSON – Levy County Mary-Ellen Harper said on Tuesday morning (Nov. 5) that the Levy County Board of County Commissioners will see their new website – effective at 10.m. on Nov. 7.
     This yearlong project is coming to fruition thanks to work by Levy County staff, Harper said, through the work of CivicPlus, a company that provides technology solutions for government agencies.
     “With more than 25 years of local government experience, CivicPlus provides public sector technology that automates processes, digitizes services, and enhances civic experiences,” that company’s website notes. “Our wide range of government software solutions are designed to be flexible, scalable, and customizable, ensuring a frictionless experience for residents and staff.”


Before the start of the Oct. 5 meeting in the Levy County Government Complex, Levy County Manager Mary-Ellen Harper is seen with an ‘I Voted’ sticker. Harper said she was the second voter to have her vote counted at her polling place – Pine Grove Baptist Church, one of 13 precinct locations in Levy County. She said her husband was the third voter whose choices were counted there.


This display was shown during the meeting, where Levy County Manager Mary-Ellen Harper spoke about the many improvements to the new Levy County Commission’s website.

     Harper said the website will provide an area for visitors to register to receive email alerts to updates on job openings, news releases and more.
     The new website will be more attractive and more user-friendly than the site that exists, Harper said. Levy County departments will have the ability to update information from their departments, she said.
     Harper said this project coming online is thanks to the Levy County staff members who worked and succeeded in getting the job done on time.
Other Actions
     Among the many other actions of the morning, the County Commission:
     ● Approved a letter of support for the Florida Institute of Government in Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Area. This letter would add a site for the institute to be in Orlando, as well as in the other cities of Florida where it is located.
     ● Approved the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder -- McLauchlin & Co. -- for the Levy County Courthouse renovations and addition in the amount of $956,700. The interior and second floor of the courthouse are the areas where most of the renovations are to occur, according to what was said at the meeting.
     ● Approved a resolution for the Solid Waste Department to approve the Small County Solid Waste Grant Agreement Form from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and amended final budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 in the amount of $93,750 -- due to additional grant revenue for the purchase of solid waste equipment, and approved the purchase of a mac trailer utilizing grant funds and deductions for trade-ins.
     ● Approved the Scope of Work Agreement form from the FDEP for the FY 24/25 Waste Tire Amnesty Day and, adopted a resolution amending the final budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 in the amount of $25,000 for Waste Tire Amnesty Day. Also, the commissioners learned Tire Amnesty Day in Levy County this year (2024) is going to be Dec. 7.

Levy County
Development Department progresses

Levy County Provisional Building Official Bernard ‘Bo’ Cox speaks with the Levy County Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 5, which led to an amendment to the final budget for the fiscal year that started last month.

Story and Photo
By Jeff M. Hardison © Nov. 6, 2024 at 11 a.m.
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     BRONSON – Levy County Provisional Building Official Bernard “Bo” Cox asked on Tuesday morning (Nov. 5 ) for the Levy County Board of County Commissioners to amend the final budget for the fiscal year that started last month.
     The current fiscal year for the Levy County Commission is Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025.
     Cox requested an amendment to add $120,344 to the Levy County Development Department for this fiscal year.
     A motion to approve the request was made by County Commission Rock Meeks, and that motion was seconded by Commissioner Tim Hodge. The Meeks-Hodge motion received a vote of “Yes” from Meeks, Hodge, Commission Chair Desiree Mills and Commissioner Matt Brooks. Vice Chairman John Meeks was absent.
     As a result of the motion’s passage, the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Levy County Commission Budget is amended to show $120,344 appropriated from the Building Inspections and Safety Fund to increase the specified expenditures in that fund for the purpose of Development Department Office renovations.
     The department is located in an old building that needs renovations, and the furniture to be provided must be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to what was said at the meeting in the Levy County Government Complex Auditorium on Tuesday.