HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's soccer team starts Gulf South Conference play for the 2022 campaign with matches at Charger Park against West Florida on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Spring Hill on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Admission for this weekend's matches – and to all regular season events at Charger Park – is free courtesy of Alabama Credit Union.

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UAH is 0-3-1 so far in the 2022 season following a 1-1 tie at Eckerd this past Sunday, as Xavier Martin scored the Chargers lone goal in the game for his first career marker.

The Chargers offense is led by four players with one goal on the season, including Aaron Chavez, Charlie Garrison, Shalev Keter and Martin.

Jose Bannwart has seen the most action on the pitch with a team-high 358 minutes played this season, as he's also chipped in one assist on offense through four contests.

Giancarlo Martinez has made all four starts in goal for the Chargers this season, posting a 2.57 goals against average and .550 save percentage over 315 minutes of action.

UAH holds all-time series records of 16-22-5 against UWF and 9-4-0 against SHC entering this weekend's matchups.

West Florida starts out the weekend with a 2-2-0 overall record in 2022 after topping Pensacola Christian 4-0 on Tuesday at home. The Argonauts offense is led by a trio of two-goal scorers including Keegan Ancelin, Kendrick Hernandez and Kainan Dos Santos, while AJ Evans has played the majority of time in goal with a 1.00 goals against average and .727 save percentage.

Spring Hill enters the week with a 1-2-0 overall record following a 5-1 loss to Rollins at home on Sunday. The Badgers offense is highlighted by Jo hanken Tjostheim with a team-high three goals, while the goalkeeping has been split between three players for a combined 3.33 goals against average and .474 save percentage.

UAH is back action on the road next week with one match at West Alabama on Friday at 6 p.m.

Hernando County Sheriff's Office reported how they had taken an alligator "into custody" on Wednesday after the animal was found in the parking lot of a Wendy's in Spring Hill, Florida.

The Sheriff's office said: "After receiving a call of an alligator loitering in the parking lot, deputies were quickly dispatched to assess the situation."

Enlisting the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the team was able to capture the alligator and remove it from the parking lot.

A spokesperson for the FWC told Newsweek: "On Aug. 31, an alligator in the parking lot at 4710 Commercial Way in Spring Hill, FL, Hernando County, was reported to the FWC. The 7' 8" alligator was removed by an FWC contracted nuisance alligator trapper."

Florida has a large alligator population, with the FWC reporting around 1.3 million gators across the state. Found in all 67 counties, the large reptiles live in fresh water and can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

The lifespan of the American alligator is between 30 and 50 years, and they have been recorded to reach speeds of almost 20 mph in water.

The last fatal and unprovoked alligator attack in Florida was recorded in 2019 but a total of nine alligator bites were recorded in 2021 and 12 were reported in 2020.

Since records began in 1948, the FWC has recorded a total of 442 alligator bites, some superficial and requiring no treatment and others that required medical care beyond first aid or even resulting in death.

After the story of the parking lot visitor was shared on the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, followers were quick to react and leave comments.

"Our Sheriff's Dept is the best of the best," said one commenter, while another joked, "All he wanted was a $5 Biggie Bag."

"Wait when did they start arresting gators," said another commenter.

To ensure the safety of alligators and the public, the FWC run the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to proactively address gator threats in developed areas and conserve the animals in their habitats.

Generally, an alligator is deemed a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length and a resident believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.

Florida residents concerned about an alligator can call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR and the SNAP team will be dispatched to resolve the situation.

The FWC confirm that they do not relocate alligators that are captured as part of the SNAP program. Partially as a result of the state's healthy population and also because relocated alligators will often try to return to their capture site, resulting in further issues.

"Removing alligators believed to pose a public safety risk is a service the FWC provides at no cost," said the FWC spokesperson.

"When a contracted nuisance alligator trapper removes an alligator, it becomes the property of the trapper. In most cases, including this one, the alligator is processed for its hide and meat, which is the primary source of compensation for their services.

"Occasionally, a nuisance alligator is sold alive to an alligator farm, animal exhibit or zoo. Nuisance alligator trappers receive a $30 stipend for each alligator captured. They work under contract with the FWC and are not state employees."

To avoid issues at the release site, alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas which often already have healthy alligator populations where resident gators will have already established social structures.

Introducing a newly relocated alligator can cause fighting and harm to resident or new animals introduced.

UPDATE 09/01/22 07.10 a.m.: This article was updated to include extra images.

UPDATE 09/01/22 10.40 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information from the FWC.

The Nature Coast Art League returns for a new season of creating and accomplishing at 10 am on Sept. 19, when the league will conduct its first meeting of the 2022-2023 season at People Helping People, 1396 Kass Circle in Spring Hill. Yet while the league took a break from their weekly group meetings for the summer, group leaders have kept busy preparing the canvas for an exciting fall.

The mission of the Nature Coast Art League is to increase public awareness of and to promote the visual arts in Hernando County. The league meets on the third Monday of each month at 10 am and a short business meeting is followed by an art demo/informational talk. “A lot has been going on behind the scenes during the summer months,” said Linda Graves, President, Nature Coast Art League. “All of our board members are volunteers who are committed to making NCAL a place where artists want to gather and have creative ideas to ensure that this will happen.”

Throughout the summer, members kept their creative juices flowing by joining together for Create Alongs, 9 am to 1-2 pm each Monday at People Helping People, and Graves and her group organizers have laid the foundations for a productive arts season. “Jana Withers, Chair of our Art in the Park committee, has been hard at work making plans for NCAL’s participation in next year’s event,” she said. “Our membership chair Joan Annicchiarico is geared up to remind members that they need to renew their membership and welcome newcomers into the group. Committees are in the process of being formed to address the requirements needed to ensure our league runs smoothly and others are planning events for the remainder of this year and through May of 2023.”

Graves seeks to include all members in the planning, activities, and inner workings of the league. “We encourage our members to participate in the inner workings of our league by joining a committee where their expertise makes a difference and as a benefit new friendships are formed,” she said. Plans are underway for the fall 2022 season of the Nature Coast Art League. “Our program scheduler, Diane Becker has planned our first meeting with the opportunity for members to get to know one another better. She has asked members to bring in a work of art that they have completed during the summer months and she will be asking each participant leading questions about the piece, which in turn gives us a chance to get to know the artist better,” said Graves.

Withers also looks forward to a creative and successful season in the Nature Coast Art League. “Everyone at NCAL is excited about our new season and we are all extremely grateful to our President, Linda Graves, for her leadership,” she said. “In life, we all get caught up in our personal lives and forget to say thank you to those who make our lives better. Linda makes everyone feel important because she genuinely cares about the success of NCAL and all of its members. She inspires members to work together, to support each other, and to share with one another. NCAL is very blessed to have Linda as its leader and our 2022-2023 season will be one of our best thanks to Linda.”

NCAL Membership runs September through May. A single membership is $30. A couples or family membership is $40. Mail your check to: Nature Coast Art League PO Box 6284 Spring Hill, FL 34611

Overall, the Nature Coast Art League plans a well-balanced palette of creativity, artistic expression and exhibition, and fun. “We encourage all members to bring a friend along with them to our first meeting and join us for the fun!” she said. “We are a great team of members who are enthusiastic artists and we are looking forward to a fantastic season.”

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The UNC Pembroke volleyball team hit .231 at the net against nationally-ranked West Florida, but fell 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-20) to the hosts in the opening match of the UWF Walk On’s Invitational on Friday at the UWF Field House. UNCP battled with Spring Hill in the afternoon portion of the invitational, but lost 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 33-31) in a close match to wrap up the first day of action.

It was the third meeting between UNCP and UWF, but the first since 2019. West Florida has been victorious in all three meetings with the Black & Gold. It was the first meeting between Spring Hill and the Braves.

The Braves will close out weekend competition in Florida on Saturday when they face #17 Lewis at 9 a.m. inside the UWF Field House. UNCP will then face Oklahoma Baptist at 4:30 p.m. for the final match of the UWF Walk On’s Invitational.

vs. West Florida

West Florida jumped out to a quick start in the first scoring the first 12 out of 14 points to take a 12-2 lead. The Argonauts hit better than better than .500 from the net and used four service aces to capture the opening set 25-13.

The Braves took their first lead of the afternoon with a kill from Precious Daley that sparked the offense to a 3-0 scoring run. West Florida scored five-straight points to go out in front, 14-9, with a service ace from Meg Brackhan, and never relinquished the lead, winning 25-18.

The Black & Gold knotted the third-set score at 13 apiece with a kill from Vanja Przulj to cap off a 5-0 scoring run. An ill-timed attack error from the hosts kept the score tied, but the Argonauts scored six of the last seven points to secure the final set, 25-20.

Przulj had 11 kills and two blocks for the Braves, Daley had eight kills with two aces, and Brianna Warren had five kills. Katie Pressley had 15 assists and Elise Martin had six digs.

vs. Spring Hill

Spring Hill started quick with back-to-back aces that gave it an 8-4 lead. UNCP was able to get within one point with blocks from Brianna Warren and Taylor Osborne, but the Badgers hit .216 at the net to grab the opening set 25-21.

The Black & Gold used a kill from Brianna Warren and a service ace from Vanja Przulj to take an early 13-9 lead. The Badgers rattled off nine points to take a 17-13 lead and hit .233 at the net for the set, winning 27-25.

UNC Pembroke was able to take a slight 25-24 lead with a kill from Katie Pressley. The Braves forced Spring Hill into five attack errors with blocks at the net, but the Badgers won the last three points of the match for the victory, taking the set 33-31.

Warren had 13 kills, Daley had 11 kills and Przulj had 10 kills with 12 digs in the Braves’ nightcap. Morgan Gibbs had 23 assists and Pressley had 17 assists and 11 digs; Elise Martin had 13 digs. Erin O’Donnell had five blocks.

Amid rising costs, some seniors are reconsidering their retirement plans in the Sunshine State.

On Wednesdays, Alfred and Charlene Ortwein sit down to read the paper — but instead of news or the crosswords, the couple is looking for deals.

They’ll hit at least three grocery stores to complete their shopping. Other than commutes to church, it’s the only time they drive their car these days.

It’s a new retirement tradition. But it isn’t the only thing that’s changed over the last year.

First the cost of car insurance went up.

Then their electric bill went up.

The value of their Spring Hill home doubled — Whoop-de-do, Alfred Ortwein thought, I don’t want to move — and the price of property insurance followed.

Cheaper than Miami or Naples, with destination beaches and a city once nicknamed “God’s Waiting Room,” Tampa Bay has long been hailed as an affordable place to retire in The Sunshine State.

But it’s becoming untenable for many seniors to survive in the area.

While costs are climbing everywhere, Tampa Bay’s prices have outpaced the national average. Area prices rose by roughly 11% in the last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to just 9% nationally.

Retirees, who depend largely on fixed incomes, are feeling it.

Some seniors are embracing a more vegetarian diet, rarely eating chicken or fish and forgoing beef entirely. Many have begun biking or carpooling to save on gas. Others have taken on jobs as housecleaners or rideshare drivers to make ends meet.

As the state’s historically more affordable cities become inaccessible for many, older adults have begun to wonder: Is Florida still an affordable place to retire?

“My friends back in Delaware are considering Alabama and Tennessee — they aren’t looking at Florida,” said Ortwein, 79. “If I were looking to retire now, I couldn’t move here. I’m sure there are places that are still more livable — but they’re not in the Tampa area.”

Rethinking retirement

For years, Alfred Ortwein, a longtime call center employee, and his wife Charlene Ortwein, 73, a former nurse, were comfortable in their retirement.

These days, Ortwein dreads opening his mail.

“Because I’m concerned, what’s the next increase I’m going to get?” he asked. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s just $10, $20, $30 more.’ But my retirement income is fixed — it is what it is.”

Florida’s governor has made putting “seniors first” a key part of his messaging since the early days of the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has prioritized money for programs benefitting seniors in this year’s budget, increasing aid to help them receive home health care and approving record-high provisions for Alzheimer’s research.

Follow trends affecting the local economy

But it’s the rising daily costs of living facing all residents — from gasoline to housing — that have made some retirees feel like Florida’s doors have closed on them.

LuAnn and her husband Anthony DiLernia, both 70, bought their home in Tampa in 2015. Her sister and brother-in-law planned to join them when they retired.

But today, profits from her sister’s Long Island home won’t cover the cost of a house in Tampa, LuAnn DiLernia said. They’ve switched their retirement plans to across the border in Georgia.

“People say to me, ‘Well, you should be happy because your house is going up so much in value,’” Anthony DiLernia said. “But my friends and relatives can’t afford to live close to me.”

“And that puts more pressure on me to travel,” his wife said.

Lifelong residents of Tampa Bay said they aren’t faring any better.

Each workday morning, Carol Ransom wakes up at 5 a.m. and leaves Centro Place Apartments, a low-income apartment for seniors in Ybor City, for a full-time job in construction at a nearby school.

At 3:30 p.m., she’ll head out and pick up her two grandchildren, whom she recently began babysitting for $100 a week. After they go to bed around 9 p.m., she’ll begin job number three — providing academic coaching to college students.

“I’m always sleepy,” Ransom said. “But when the bill collectors call, I can answer the phone.”

Ransom grew up in the area. At 64, she hasn’t retired yet. But when she does, it won’t be in Tampa.

“My family owns land in some rural area in Louisiana — I see myself going there,” she said. “Here, either you’re the Joneses or you don’t have any place.”

Will migration slow?

In the early days of the pandemic, people moved to Florida in numbers not paralleled since 2005. The state had 221,000 more residents arrive from other U.S. states than leave between July 2020 and July of last year, according to U.S. Census estimates, and net migration was slightly higher than the previous two years.

Age-specific data for this time is not available, according to Stefan Rayer, director of the population program at the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Overall migration numbers for the past year, when costs of living began to skyrocket, have yet to be released.

Historically, times of economic downturn have predicted plummeting migration to the state, said Rayer, including among older adults, who tend to account for the largest number of new arrivals every year.

“I would imagine that if prices keep going up, and mortgages and interest rates keep going up, that likely is going to put a damper on migration,” Rayer said. “But are prices going to keep going up? If you ask 10 people, you’ll get 10 different answers.”

Rising inflation could trigger an increase in Social Security payments in early 2023. Known as a cost-of-living adjustment, some groups estimate Social Security checks may receive around a 10% bump next year, which may help alleviate some of the burden seniors are experiencing nationwide.

That wouldn’t help Ortwein much, he said.

“If everything else has increased 13%, I’ll still be 3% behind what’s required,” Ortwein said. “I never had a big cushion. But I don’t have a cushion at all anymore.”

Ortwein and his wife eke by with the help of their daughter, a minimum wage employee in Delaware, who sends $100 for food when she can.

“It’s not what I thought my retirement would be,” he said. “I’m not able to help my daughter or grandkids if they need it — I’m getting help from them.”

The Tampa Bay Times has a team of reporters focusing on rising costs in our region. If you have an idea, question or story to tell, please email us at costofliving@tampabay.com.

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