Kat Cammack

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the VFW Veterans Village in Fort McCoy, Florida, as it celebrates its 35th anniversary.

The VFW Department of Florida opened the Village on October 13, 1991, on 42 acres shaded by mature oaks and palms. Like those oaks, the Village has put down deep roots in Fort McCoy.

The Village was built on a simple principle: provide affordable, independent living for the Veterans who defended our country and the families who stood behind them. Honorably discharged Veterans, their spouses, widows of Veterans, and those who qualify for the VFW Auxiliary are all welcome. The Village opened with 34 rooms, and demand filled them quickly. In March 2006, the Department completed a 19-room addition to serve even more Veterans.

The VFW Department of Florida owns and operates the Village without a single government subsidy at any level. Rent covers about 75 percent of day-to-day operating costs, and donations and fundraisers make up the rest. By the Department's account, the Village is the only facility of its kind anywhere in the world run this way. Our Veterans saw a need, and they met it themselves.

In 2016, the Department added a covered pavilion that has become a gathering place for the Fort McCoy community. The pavilion and grounds have hosted Easter Sunrise Service, the Veterans National Honor Society Pow Wow, the Armed Forces Weekend Patriotic Concert in the Forest, Bluegrass Fest, Veterans Day programs, Christmas in Fort McCoy, and many other events. Residents live on their own terms, surrounded by neighbors who understand what service means.

I am grateful to work alongside the VFW Department of Florida, both in Washington and back home in North Central Florida. Its leaders are steady advocates who make sure our Veterans' priorities are heard in Congress. The Veterans Village puts that same commitment into practice every day.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the VFW Department of Florida and the residents of the VFW Veterans Village on this milestone. I thank the Veterans and families who call the Village home for everything they have given our Republic, and happy 35th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Steve Forrest, longtime owner of Bagelicious Deli and Bakery in Ocala, Florida, who passed away on July 26.

Steve was Ocala through and through. Steve graduated from Forest High School and attended the College of Central Florida. No matter where his career took him, Ocala was home.

In 2002, Steve found himself out of work and waiting tables. He heard that a small bagel shop on Southwest 27th Avenue was for sale. He did not have much money, but he took what he had and bought it. He made a bet that paid off for more than two decades.

Every weekday, Steve was in the kitchen at 3:15 in the morning making bagels by hand. The soups, sides, and bagels were all made from scratch. And when customers walked through the door, Steve knew many of them by name and even remembered their usual orders. He once said there was nothing better than looking into his dining room and seeing someone smile while eating a sandwich he had made. That was Steve's measure of success.

When COVID shut down his dining room and cut his revenue in half, Steve adapted. He switched to curbside service and fought to keep every one of his employees working. Bagelicious became more than a restaurant. It became a gathering place. Steve treated customers like family, mentored his employees, supported our local service members, and gave his time to causes throughout Marion County.

Steve's wife, children, parents, and the entire Bagelicious family are in my prayers.

Ocala lost a good man. But Steve's legacy lives on in the community he served and the countless lives he touched. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Alfonso ``Alfy'' Fanjul, Jr., a Florida agricultural leader who passed away on August 3 at the age of 89.

Alfy was born in Havana, Cuba in 1937. His family had spent generations building a bustling sugar business. Then came Castro's communist revolution. In 1959, the Castro regime seized then land, mills, homes, and businesses.

At 23, Alfy fled Cuba and came to the United States. Here, he helped rebuild what communism had taken away. He and his family built what became Florida Crystals in western Palm Beach County, a pillar of Florida agriculture. After his father's death in 1980, Alfy became chairman and CEO of the family companies, leading them for more than four decades.

He understood something every farmer in my district knows. Agriculture is more than a business. It is a responsibility to the people who work the land and the communities that depend on it. Alfy was the living embodiment of that responsibility. He said his first obligation was to his employees, then his community, and then his shareholders. He was also a man of deep Catholic faith and a generous philanthropist, supporting charitable and educational institutions across Florida.

Alfy often said that in America, anyone could succeed ``if you work hard and play by the rules.'' His life proved it. He lost nearly everything to a communist dictatorship, started again in Florida, and built a legacy through faith, family, hard work, and freedom.

Alfy is survived by his wife Raysa, his daughters Crista and Lillian, his stepdaughter Raissa, four siblings, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

The Fanjul family are in my prayers. May Alfy rest in peace.