News Happening Around Town
February 2023 Newsletter

Message from the Mayor

“As an Ocala native, I deeply care about what happens in our city.  The people and places that make up this town are an important part of our community.  Serving as your mayor for 10 years is both an honor and a privilege and I remain committed to staying connected to our citizens. My hope is that through this monthly newsletter, you will see the continuous progress of our city as we work together to make this city a great place to live, play and prosper.”

Updates from the Police Department
Celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is observed annually across the United States in February and serves as a celebration honoring the many accomplishments and contributions made by generations of Black Americans and other people of African descent. Throughout the month, OPD has been honoring some of the Black men and women who have served in law enforcement careers throughout the years.

Marshall Burrell Dawkins was first elected as Town Marshal in 1869, at the age of 26. Among other things, the town marshal's duties were to arrest anyone drunk in public, arrest those who use profane or obscene language in a boisterous manner, and maintain the street lamps. In 1873, a report explains that a man rode his horse into the lobby of the Ocala Hotel and when Marshal Dawkins tried to remove him, he shot the Marshal. Dawkins survived the shot and continued to serve as town marshal until he was fatally shot while on duty on March 1, 1881. The 38-year-old African American was the first known law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in the history of Ocala.

Dawkins' badge is currently on loan from OPD to the Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology. It's believed that Marshal Burrell Dawkins was wearing this badge during the aforementioned encounter in 1873. This badge is one of a kind and has immense historical significance for both the police department and the Ocala community.

100 years later, Alice Faison became the first African-American woman to be sworn in as an Ocala police officer in 1969. In honor of her achievements and the legacy she created, the department invited Ms. Faison back to the OPD headquarters on Feb. 1 to commemorate her pioneering accomplishments.

Let us always continue to recognize the contributions of African Americans in history as a reminder for meaningful dialogue and a collective commitment towards the advancement of uniform policies and practices that create opportunities for all citizens. We are thankful for the countless contributions of African Americans in Ocala, Florida and throughout this nation during this month and throughout the year.

Excelsior Recognition: 15 Years in the Making
On Feb. 23, OPD was awarded Excelsior Recognition by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. Accreditation is a certification process where a criminal justice agency demonstrates compliance with law enforcement standards to show the highest levels of professionalism. A law enforcement agency is awarded 'accredited' status by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, an independent reviewing authority that assesses an agency's policies and procedures, including use of force, property and evidence management, training, and more. By demonstrating compliance with the standards, an agency can show that it is committed to excellence in all aspects of its operations.

It's important to note that being 'accredited' is not mandatory, however, OPD believes it's a critical component of our agency. Not only does accreditation provide agencies with a sense of pride and accomplishment, as well as recognition from their peers, but it also builds trust with the community and helps agencies in obtaining federal funding and other resources.

For OPD to become an 'accredited' agency, representatives from other Florida criminal justice agencies visit the department every three years to review policies and get a first-hand look at how the department operates daily. After making a full inspection of the department, the assessors then bring their findings to the commission to recommend accreditation or not.

Since starting our accreditation commitment in 2008, this year's results are more prestigious as we were up for Excelsior Recognition, which means we've had five consecutive and successful accreditation assessments. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication, as well as documentation to reach Excelsior Recognition. This achievement is a genuine testament to OPD's overall commitment to law enforcement excellence and particularly to OPD’s Accreditation Manager, Lafayetta Hodges.

From Around the Community

The Black Stallion Challenge Cup
On January 30, myself and several other local elected officials had the opportunity to participate in the Black Stallion Challenge Cup in support of the Black Stallion Reading Project. This program is a five-year partnership of the Ocala Horse Alliance and the Public Schools of Marion County. Each student receives a copy of the Black Stallion book and an approved curriculum uses the magic and power of horses to promote reading. Schools are also partnered with an area horse farm.*

This was a great event. I was partnered with Aaron Vale as my coach, one of the best riders in the country.
Although I didn't win, I shared a light-hearted moment with School Board Member, Reverend Cummings. Upon beating me in an event, he proceeded to celebrate his victory at my expense, but ended up falling off of his horse. I told him, I may not have won, but at least I didn't fall off my horse!

https://worldequestriancenter.com/events/the-black-stallion-challenge-cup-a-salute-to-literacy/

Yale Mayors College
In March, I will have the opportunity to attend the Yale Mayors College in our nation’s capital. This invitation only program traditionally takes place in New York City, however, will be hosted in Washington, D.C. closer to our country’s policy makers. The curriculum will focus on current issues within our cities, leadership challenges, and networking opportunities with scholars from Yale. The goal is to bring together mayors from mid-sized to large cities from across the country and place them in an intensive one-day, peer driven roundtable*.  I look forward to reporting back what I’ve gained from this program and how we can incorporate some of these ideas into our city.

Yale Mayors College

Booster Stadium Field House
Recently, I've found my passion reignited to see the field house at Booster Stadium restored. The house is 53 years old and has never been updated. I recall back in the 1970s, whichever team won the Forest vs. Vanguard game would have the opportunity to paint the trim in their school's colors. Years ago, while dining at The Lunchbox downtown, Rusty and Larry Fuqua and I would discuss ideas for the house and even sketch them out on napkins.

Renovating the field house reminds me of the new terminal project at the Ocala International Airport. We had a building from the 1960s, in need of updates that would make it more welcoming to guests and give them a great introduction to all Ocala has to offer. Through funding from grants and Sheltair Aviation, the City was able to build a beautiful new 17,500 square foot General Aviation Terminal. I think it would be great if we could restore the field house to represent Ocala well to visiting football teams and meet the growing needs of our community.

In talking with folks around the community, I've found many of them share this passion. We've begun having talks with the Marion County School Board, but, if the community could rally around this idea, I think we could get this project off the ground and running.

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