During Hurricane Milton, Mayor Ben Marciano called for volunteers to fill sandbags for the elderly and disabled. When his desired numbers of volunteers fell short Forest head basketball coach Mike Hoffman gathered his team to answer the call.

Unbeknownst to Hoffman and his team they were solving a problem that's struck Ocala before. Two years prior, the town was short of volunteers when hurricane Idalia struck in 2023.

As Hoffman and his team formed assembling lines for sandbags people in the community took notice nominating Hoffman as citizen of the month, a program Mayor Marciano instated in 2024 to aluminate outstanding members in the community.

“I have a big admiration for coaches, especially today that are doing a good job that are developing great young men," Marciano said. "A goo

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