EUSTIS BLANKS LAKE MINNEOLA, SPORTS B1 LEESBURG, FLORIDA Saturday, March 22, 2014 www.dailycommercial.com HEALTH CARE: People find freedom to 50 YEARS: Disney marks start business and still get coverage, C3 ‘small world’ anniversary, A4 TAVARES State will not fine Lake over class-size violations LIVI STANFORD | Staff Writer ducted a self-audit and cor- ed data,” said Cheryl Etters, in February, Superintendent This follows the determi- [email protected] rected its data within the spokeswoman for the FL- Susan Moxley called for an nation that six school prin- The Florida Department appeal window, according DOE, in an email. “They did independent review of all cipals broke the law by inac- of Education will not fine to FLDOE officials. so within the appeal win- schools in the district to de- curately reporting their class Lake County schools for “The district determined, dow. They were never out of termine whether any class- sizes to the state. class-size violations report- based on the audit, that they compliance.” size violations were know- Because the district ed because the district con- needed to submit updat- During a press conference ingly made. SEE SCHOOLS | A2 TAVARES LEESBURG Leesburg weighs county fire merger LIVI STANFORD | Staff Writer [email protected] The city of Leesburg is exploring the op- tion of consolidating its fire and emergency services with Lake County, City Manager Al Minner confirmed on Friday. “There is not enough money to support quality fire services,” he said, explaining the PHOTOS BY BRETT LE BLANC / DAILY COMMERCIAL city spends $285 per capita on fire services Paul Mezyk drives his Jersey Skiff Last Blast during Friday testing for the Spring Thunder Classic Race Boat Regatta on Lake compared with $150 per capita spent by fire Dora in Tavares on Friday. departments regionally. “We think the fire services we provide to the community are excellent, but we also think we are spending too much.” Thunder on the water Minner sent a letter to “If the city of County Manager David Leesburg does Heath concerning the is- More than 50 classic race boats on display in Wooton Park sue, where he stated he not merge with wanted to have an open the county, we AUSTIN FULLER | Staff Writer dialogue with the coun- [email protected] need to reduce ty about the potential expenses and s a child, Larry Lauterbach merger. recalled, he would crawl “This is still prelim- increase taxes.” underneath and help var- inary,” Minner said. “I Al Minner A Leesburg City Manager nish the unlimited hydroplane think it would be ex- “Miss U.S.” that his father was tremely misleading for building the community to think that the city is con- “Miss U.S.” is just one of more solidating its fire services with county ser- than 230 boats Henry Lauter- vices. We are investigating all avenues out of bach and his son have built, our fiduciary responsibility to provide qual- and it will be the featured boat ity service to the community.” demonstrating this weekend at Even if the city decides not to merge its the Classic Race Boat Associa- fire services, Minner said it would have to tion’s 8th annual Tavares Spring implement an annual fire assessment fee Thunder Regatta. that could range from $75-$175 per proper- While he does not own any of ty. the boats at the regatta, of those “If the city of Leesburg does not merge Larry Lauterbach, a boat builder who made several of the boats that will be running with the county, we need to reduce expens- he and his dad have built, 75 to during the regatta, looks around the pits. 80 of them are still on vintage es and increase taxes,” he said. boat circuits, Larry said Friday the fact he has been to all eight minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to- Minner said the city’s fire and emergency afternoon as he spotted five or of the Tavares spring events. day and Sunday. There will be a services budget has a shortfall of $3 million. six of them at Wooton Park. The boats arrived Friday af- break from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. “My knee jerk reaction is that we probably Larry has a fondness for classic ternoon and demonstration each day, when attendees who need to have $1.5 million in cuts if we can race boat regattas, as evident by heats will take place every 30 SEE REGATTA | A2 SEE LEESBURG | A2 People watch Crimea goes east, Ukraine goes west fireworks at the central RAF CASERT deepened the divide In this “new post- leave, join the Russian Nakhimov and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV between East and West, Cold War order,” as the military or demobilize. square in Associated Press Sevastopol, as Russia formally an- Ukrainian prime min- Ukraine was working on BRUSSELS — Two al- nexed Crimea and the ister called it, besieged Crimea on evacuating its outnum- Friday. most simultaneous sig- European Union pulled Ukrainian troops on bered troops in Crimea, natures Friday on op- Ukraine closer into its the Crimean Peninsula AP PHOTO posite sides of Europe orbit. faced a critical choice: SEE UKRAINE | A2 INDEX DIVERSIONS E5 OBITUARIES A4 Vol. 138 LEGALS D1 SPORTS B1 TODAY’S WEATHER CLASSIFIED D1 No. 81 50¢ BUSINESS C3 VOICES A7 Detailed forecast 82˚/60˚ COMICS E4 5 sections CROSSWORDS D3 NATION A6 WORLD A6 on page A8. 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COPS AND KIDS DAY March 29th MARCH 22, 9am - 3pm (check our website for more information) 10am - 3pm Sponsored by Fran Haasch Law Group - lawfran.com A2 DAILY COMMERCIAL Saturday, March 22, 2014 better position to stay in required to provide an tary in Clermont, Sor- SCHOOLS compliance moving for- accurate count of stu- rento Elementary, Lake FLORIDA FROM PAGE A1 ward,” he said. dent enrollment to the Minneola High School Moxley said in an state. and Grassy Lake Ele- corrected the data with- email the school had an By Florida law, pub- mentary in Minneola, LOTTERY in the appeal window, increase of 401.42 full- lic schools are not per- reported to the FLDOE MARCH 21 that brought them into time equivalent (FTE) mitted to exceed certain that their average class CASH 3 ...............................................6-4-2 compliance, Etters said. over what the state pro- class-size limits: 18 stu- sizes were smaller than Afternoon ..........................................4-8-5 “During the appeals jected. dents per class in grades they actually are. process, the district sub- At a recent school prekindergarten through Moxley wrote she be- PLAY 4 .............................................9-9-8-0 mitted data revisions board meeting, school grade 3, 22 per class in lieves the “indepen- Afternoon .......................................2-9-3-8 that resulted in 64.45 board members voted grades 4 through 8 and dent review will assist MARCH 20 full-time equivalent stu- 3-1 to approve a $20,000 25 in grades 9 through the district in strength- FANTASY 5 ............................. 4-7-16-28-29 dents out of compli- contract with Carr, Riggs 12. Schools that violate ening procedures and ance and a reduction of and Ingram LLC to per- the class-size limits are work processes relating $191,174 in the class size form a review of the subject to fines. to class-size reporting.” operating categorical al- school district’s class- Simone Maduro-Fer- The FLDOE fined the location,” wrote Linda size compliance policies guson, a teacher at Lake school district $1.13 mil- THE NEWSPAPER OF CHOICE FOR LAKE AND SUMTER COUNTIES SINCE 1875 Champion, deputy com- and procedures. lion last year because of The Daily Commercial (ISSN 0896-1042) is published daily for Minneola High School, $90.74 per year (plus Florida sales tax) by Halifax Media Group missioner for the FDOE, Board members Deb- recently tipped off the inconsistent attendance at 212 East Main Street, Leesburg, Florida. Periodicals postage is in a letter to the super- paid at the USPO, Leesburg, FL. POSTMASTER: Send all address bie Stivender, Rosanne FLDOE about the class- and enrollment re- changes to The Daily Commercial, P.O. Box 490007, Leesburg, FL intendent. “Subsequent Brandeburg and Tod cords during the 2011-12 34749-0007. All material contained in this edition is property of size violations. The Daily Commercial and is protected under the copyright laws of to the data revisions, the Howard voted to ap- school year at two char- the United States of America. Reproduction is forbidden without In her complaint, she written consent from the publisher. unexpected growth ad- prove the contract, states she was asked to ter schools, Alee Acade- justments resulted in no Kyleen Fischer dissented remove kids from her my and Milestone Com- MISSED YOUR NEWSPAPER? HOW TO REACH US financial adjustment to REDELIVERY NOT AVAILABLE IN and Mathias was absent. class roster during FTE munity School. A state ALTOONA OR SUMTER the district’s class size Several school board counting week. audit found administra- 365-8200 categorical operating al- members previously tors keeping attendance Call 352-787-0600 in Lake In Sumter County: School district officials County or 877-702-0600 in 877-702-0600 location.” said while the costs of subsequently launched records at Alee didn’t fol- Sumter County 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. ADVERTISING Lake County School the independent review an investigation and low regulations and fined Call 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Satur- day and 7 to 10 a.m.