A newborn was surrendered to Florida’s first Safe Haven Baby Box in Ocala, marking the first time the box has been used.

The city of Ocala will shut down several streets on Saturday, March 26 to hold a parade for three hometown athletes who medaled in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Kent Guinn will remain the mayor of Ocala after winning Tuesday’s election.

Dr. Manal Fakhoury is challenging Ocala mayor Kent Guinn for his spot in Tuesday’s election.

The Ocala city council is trying to figure out how to move forward after the firing of Ocala’s fire chief nearly two weeks ago.

OCALA, Fla. – Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 and while he recovers, he’s asking his constituents to leave politics aside when it comes to the virus. Guinn took to Facebook on Monday to share an update on his diagnosis and ask for peace among his followers. [TRENDING: How to get a vaccine in Fla. | Wanted: Man accused of shooting at detective | Cops: Fla. man decapitated hamster]“I’m doing well, I’ll be back. It cares not if your (sic) a D or an R. Ordinance or no ordinance,” Guinn wrote. Political views just don’t matter.

Ron DeSantis revealed some Publix grocery store pharmacies will offer the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible groups during an impromptu news conference last week. According to the website, 11 Marion county locations, eight Hernando County stores and three Citrus County locations will offer the shots. “Tomorrow morning when customers wake up they can go online, and they can start scheduling appointments,” Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous said Wednesday. DeSantis said if the pilot program goes well Publix could offer vaccines at more of its locations around the state. The county health department opened up reservations on Dec. 28 but after receiving more than 50,000 requests, closed its application portal.

OCALA, Fla. – A funeral was held Friday for Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham, who died Sunday in a plane crash. Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn said he expected a large turnout for the fallen police chief. “One of the best decisions that I’ve ever made was picking up the phone and called Greg to come back to Ocala to be our chief. ”He loved Ocala and Ocala loved him," Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. [RELATED: ‘He’s done such a great job for our community:’ Ocala mayor reacts to death of police chief]Full honors were presented in front of the church following the service.

OCALA, Fla. – Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham died Sunday morning in a plane crash, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office said the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the 9700 block of Southwest 140th Avenue near Dunnellon. The crash happened near the Marion County Airport. Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials said the plane was Graham’s personal aircraft and he was the only person onboard the single-engine plane. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/5gDuQVpMlv — Ezzy Castro (@EzzyCastro) October 26, 2020Right now, as federal investigators work to find out how the crash happened, Graham’s colleagues and friends are trying to recall the happy times.

OCALA, Fla. The Mayor of Ocala told News 6 he doesnt think police resources should be used to enforce the citys mask ordinance. Mayor Kent Guinn vetoed the ordinance but was overwritten by the city council on Wednesday. "Third time is suppose to be a $25 fine. We will never give a $25 fine. The Ocala City Council is set to meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

OCALA, Fla. – Following a tug of war over a mask mandate for businesses in Ocala, the city council overrode the mayor’s veto of a mask order on Wednesday, pushing the ordinance through. Last week, four out of five Ocala city council members voted in favor of requiring mask use inside indoor businesses and fining a violator $25 upon their third offense in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Then on Wednesday, during a special meeting over Zoom the city council voted to override the mayor’s veto putting the mask mandate for indoor businesses in action. A mask mandate is not a matter of pride, but a matter of safety,” one citizen said. Some residents voiced concerns to the city council on Wednesday over the sheriff’s ban on masks for his deputies.

Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn said the local police department wont enforce that rule because he says the states job. "The mayor of Ocala is not telling bars to open. It is not the responsibility of the Ocala Police Department to check if bars are open or closed," Guinn said. Guinn said he wants bar and restaurant owners to follow the law but he is not making the police department enforce it. The bar owners Ive talked to (have said), Im not going to open and risk losing my license. They follow the law, Guinn said.

OCALA, Fla. – The mayor of Ocala held a news conference Friday to “speak from the heart” about the city’s position on enforcing the state’s rules concerning the coronavirus. Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn said that he will not be following Gov. “I have instructed the chief of police not to enforce gov order,” the mayor said, claiming that it violates certain rights. “We’re not going to shut down any churches, we’re not going to do that.”While Ocala police won’t enforce the rules, state authorities with agencies like the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, OSHA and other state-run entities can enforce the rules. According to the mayor, Ocala will not report orders being broken to DBPR, however, if DBPR steps in, their authority supersedes the mayor’s orders.