Back in the 1960s, Ben Hamar scored a hit record with “Sugar and Spice,” a cover of a Searchers song recorded with his group The Grasshoppers. But now Hamar sings only for the Lord and at the side of his wife Phoebe at the Brookridge Gospel Jubilee; a musical show performed on the third Monday of each month at the Brookridge Clubhouse, in the Brooksville community of Brookridge. Brookridge community is located at 7300 Brookridge Central Boulevard in Brooksville. The next Gospel Jubilee will be celebrated at 6 pm on May 16 and it is free and open to the public.

“This is a two-hour concert of all gospel music. It may be jazzy, country, pop or messianic. But it’s all gospel,” said Phoebe Hamar, a vocalist who has co-staged these performances with her singer/guitarist husband for five years. She identifies her husband Ben, a native of the Netherlands, as a lifelong music enthusiast. He was a lead guitarist and a featured vocalist for The Grasshoppers. The Grasshoppers’ version of “Sugar and Spice” charted a no. #1 place in 1968 on Minnesota radio stations KDWB and WDGY. The group was named “Best New Band Of The Year” at the Connie Awards, broadcast on WCCO TV on May 27,1968. “Now God has led him to sing only the gospel. We sing his original songs at the Gospel Jubilee,” shared Phoebe. Phoebe said that she discovered her own musical talent during her courtship with Ben. “He asked me if I could sing while we were dating. At the time, I said no,” she said. Adding with a chuckle, “I rely on the Lord to make my voice sound good.”

Aside from their live performances, which also feature stints from special guest performers who share their own vocal and instrumental talents, the Hamars can be seen and heard on their YouTube channel. Ben Hamar’s creativity also extends from the stage to the easel, as he is a painter of oil and acrylic portraits mostly depicting beach scenes from throughout central Florida. His award-winning paintings, completed in a photorealistic style, can be seen in the YouTube video titled “Benno Hamar Photo Realist Artist” and on the Harmar’s business card, where he presents his portrait of their dog Sir Winston. And while Phoebe Hamar encourages all in the community to “take a break” and enjoy the tunes at the Gospel Jubilee, she stresses that this presentation is about more than just music. “We don’t think of the Jubilee as a concert, as much as it is a musical ministry,” said Phoebe, who notes that she and Ben are also pastors at the Brooks and Springs church services in Brookridge, and have appeared at other churches across the area. Phoebe stated, “Gospel music brings His people together in one accord.”

The Florida state flag is visually distinctive, a white flag with a large red x and the state seal in the middle. The flag that flies over the St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos Fort also is a white flag with a red x. The red x has a sawtooth pattern and is known as the Cross of Burgundy.

The origin of that Cross of Burgundy can be traced back to Philip the Handsome or Philip the Fair (Philip el Hermoso). He was the Duke of Burgundy.

Philip married the second daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain. Philip was the son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Mary of Burgundy. Phillip’s marriage to Joanna was intended to strengthen the relationship between the rulers. In addition to Philip’s marriage, his sister Margaret was married to Joanna’s brother John, Prince of Asturia, further strengthening the alliance.

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are the monarchs that funded Columbus’ expedition in search of the new world which brought Spain immense wealth. They also were the monarchs that oversaw the Spanish Inquisition.

After Queen Isabella’s death in 1504, her daughter Joanna was set to be passed the Crown of Castile. Joanna’s sister Margaret and brother John passed away at a young age so the crown of Castile was passed to Joanna. Her father King Ferdinand contested Joanna receiving the crown. It took until 1506 when Philip traveled to Spain and raised an army before King Ferdinand recognized Joanna’s right to the throne.

Philip became king consort of Castille for one month in 1506 before his death. Joanna was considered insane and King Ferdinand regained the crown of Castille. He ruled for an additional decade before his death.

Philip’s son Charles became king after Ferdinand’s death. He managed to consolidate power and used his father’s Cross of Burgundy as one of Spain’s banners starting in 1516. This was the flag that was flown at St. Augustine.

Florida was under Spanish control starting in 1513. Florida was given to the British in exchange for the return of Havana in 1763. In 1784, the British returned Florida to the Spanish. In 1821, the Spanish exchanged Florida to the US for the forgiveness of debts mostly related to raids across the Florida border.

According to the Florida Department of State, the Cross of Burgundy also known as the Burgundian saltire represented Spanish rule in Florida from 1565 to 1763. The flag represented the connections between Spain and Burgundy.

The flag’s red sawtooth cross with a white background represents the branches of the trees used to crucify Andrew the Apostle. Andrew was the brother of Peter and one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus.

The flag that flies over St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos Fort is a lasting symbol of Philip the handsome. Its elements made it into Florida’s flag, but few know about the connection to Philip the Handsome.

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously to approve establishing the Lake Hideaway Community Development District (CDD) on OCt. 26, 2021. The 229.43-acre development, located near Woodland Waters is the first of a 3-phase plan, which has been approved for 2,400 single-family homesites, 1,300 multi-family units, 50,000 square feet of commercial retail space, and 150,000 square feet of office space. The next two phases will be addressed in the future.

Michael Lawson, Director of Operations of Metro Development Group reported that home sales are expected to begin in 2023 and the development populated by 2035, with roughly 300 closings per year. The petitioner on the record is Hawk Land Investors New, LLC of Delaware.

Dana Collier with the attorney group Straley, Robin, and Vericker introduced the finer points of the CDD.

A CDD is a local unit of special-purpose government established under Florida law to finance and manage the infrastructure required to support the development of a community. It allows the developer to obtain low-cost financing by issuing tax-exempt bonds. The bonds are paid via special assessment in the form of a non-ad-valorem property tax.

There is no financial obligation to the county.

A CDD’s main powers are to plan, finance, construct, operate and maintain community-wide infrastructure and services specifically for the benefit of its residents. In the case of Lake Hideaway, this will include recreational facilities, stormwater management, landscape and hardscape, and street lighting through an agreement with the power company that services the area.

The CDD will also establish parks, provide security and enact community rules.

CDDs complement the responsibilities of Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs). Many of the functions handled by HOAs in one community may be handled by the CDD in another.

County Attorney Jon Jouben addressed a recent complication that arose in Southern Hills, which has both a CDD and an HOA. Through a legal process called escheatment, the county ended up responsible for selling foreclosed homes in Southern Hills, however, was not responsible for the taxes owed. It still resulted in difficulty in selling the properties due to the “perceived cloud on the titles.”

Commissioner John Allocco requested of Lawson and Collier that language be added to the CDD documentation explicitly stating that the county has no responsibility for property taxes in the event of a default.

A CDD is governed by a Board of Supervisors which is elected initially by property owners, then begins transitioning to residents of the CDD after six years of operation. In common with other municipal, county, state, and national elections, the Office of the Supervisor of Elections oversees the vote, and CDD Supervisors are subject to state ethics and financial disclosure laws. The CDD’s business is conducted in the “Sunshine,” which means all meetings and records are open to the public. Public hearings are held on CDD assessments. The CDD’s budget is subject to an annual independent audit.

According to the exhibits included with the ordinance, the initial Board of Supervisors is Michael Lawson, Doug Draper, Lori Price, Sonia Valentin, and Christie Ray. All of the initial board members are from the Metro Development Group, LLC, 2502 N. Rocky Point Drive Suite 1050, Tampa, FL 33607.

It is not uncommon for the initial Board of Supervisors to be colleagues or even families of land developers, which are usually the owners of record. One of the criticisms of CDDs is that until residents own property greater than 33% of total votes, they may not have a single representative on the board. Only when the residents own property greater than 50% of total votes will they have an opportunity to outvote the supervisors chosen by the developer.

'It's going to take time, logistically,' said Florida Atlantic University political science professor says

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gas prices have been rising dramatically the last few weeks, frustrating drivers every time they fuel up.

So, when can drivers expect to see some relief from the record prices? Experts said our fuel frustration could be with us for months.

When gas prices hit $4 per gallon in 2008, they fell to $2.17 just three months later.

However, the world is a very different place now.

With an unpredictable war occurring in Ukraine, that means it's hard to predict when gas prices will return to some kind of normalcy.

WATCH: University of Miami Herbert Business School dean shares thoughts on gas prices

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"As long as there's uncertainty with respect to peace in the Ukraine, then there is going to be a continuation of tough measures against Russia," said John Quelch, dean of the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

In recent days, Quelch feared the war and the worldwide gas shortage could drive our prices up to $5 a gallon or more.

But he said a commitment to step up oil production here in the U.S. might ease fuel frustration.

"We have the option of higher price points of reactivating oil wells and oil fields that are not necessarily profitable at $3 a gallon, but can be profitable at $4 or$5 a gallon at the pump," Quelch said.

Experts said it takes three to four months for the oil production increase could begin the process of driving down prices below the $4 a gallon mark.

Oil industry experts said it takes about three to four months for oil-rich nations in the Middle East to get extra gas to local pumps. And those nations have not committed to increasing enough output to lower the price we pay.

"It's going to take time, logistically," said Florida Atlantic University political science professor Robert Rabil. "If OPEC increases more, it really can stabilize oil markets."

According to Rabil, gas prices could start falling close to pre-surge levels when the extra oil that the U.S. and allies hope to start producing can make it to the pumps.

Rabil, who specializes in international relations, said the world needs more than extra oil to drive prices down. It needs some semblance of peace.

"It's sometimes not only from where we get the oil here and there. It's mainly the disruption that could happen from a war," Rabil said.

In addition to avoiding disruptions from war, a price drop would depend on getting more gas to the world markets.

"They depend heavily on what the attitudes are of the principal oil-producing countries, other than the U.S. and Canada, when it comes to additional production," said John Quelch, dean of the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

"I hope by Labor Day, things will be fine," Rabil said. "Still Russia could disrupt the flow of energy in the world, and this might increase oil prices."

The U.S. and Europe will try to keep the flow of energy open in an effort to lower prices and even hold off the possibility of an economic recession.

So, will $4 a gallon be a reality through the summer and fall?

"Let me just say, as long as you see Ukraine at the top of the news every day on your television, it's likely that [high gas prices] will continue," Quelch said.

Yardeni Research finds that if gas prices stay above $4 a gallon for the rest of 2022, it will cost the average family $2,000.

Calling Florida an economic powerhouse and “the freest state in these United States” Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered his State of the State remarks at the opening of the Florida legislative session for 2022 on Jan. 11. He also laid out his legislative goals for the new session.

According to DeSantis, in December 2021 the state’s revenues came in at $500 million over the latest monthly estimate. In addition, Florida’s labor force increased six times faster than the nation’s, and new business starts grew by 14,000.

“This is all being done with no income tax and the lowest tax burden in the United States, ” DeSantis said.

He told lawmakers that his 2022 recommended $99.7 billion budget seeks to capitalize on the state’s economic health by asking for the revenue to continue bonuses for teachers and first responders and for sign-on bonuses for law enforcement personnel who either relocate to Florida or begin their careers here. He also wants revenue to respond to federal border policies.

“I am also requesting funds so that when the feds dump illegal aliens in Florida, the state can reroute them to states that have sanctuary policies,” DeSantis said.

In fact, DeSantis called out the Biden Administration’s border policy as well as its COVID-19-related mandates including masking and vaccination requirements as strategies that diminish American’s individual rights.

“Our constitutional rights have been under assault on a number of fronts and Florida has stood tall in defending the rights of its people,” DeSantis said. “In Florida, we have protected the right of our citizens to earn a living, provided our businesses with the ability to prosper, fought back against unconstitutional federal mandates, and ensured our kids have the opportunity to thrive – Freedom works.”

Meanwhile, in his address to the legislature, Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) advised lawmakers to be mindful of their responsibilities to their constituents.

“It’s been said that ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’” Simpson said. “I look forward to the work ahead this session, and if we work together, we can keep Florida a beacon of hope, opportunity, and freedom for generations to come.”

Florida’s regular 2022 legislative session continues through March 11.