Ocala council approves zoning, contracts and budget items including termination of drone contract

Ocala — The Ocala City Council on Jan. 7 approved multiple ordinances, resolutions and contract actions spanning zoning, downtown development and budget matters. Highlights included adoption of a rezoning to allow multifamily housing on a wooded lot, approval of an alleyway abrogation for a planned downtown hotel, and a termination-for-convenience of a two-year drone-show contract after a high-profile drone incident.

Key actions and outcomes

- Ordinance 2025-15 (case ZON24-0003): Council adopted an amendment changing a 1.14-acre parcel in the 7100 block of Southwest Third Street from R-2 (two-family residential) to R-3 (multifamily residential). Planning staff noted the site is undeveloped, within a flood zone, and any redevelopment will require stormwater review and on-site runoff retention. The motion carried by recorded roll call (unanimous vote recorded as Aye).

- Resolution 2025-10 (alley aggregation for downtown hotel): Council approved vacating 164 feet of an east–west alley within the form-based code area to accommodate a proposed AC Marriott hotel; the applicant owns adjacent parcels and staff recommended approval.

- Resolution 2025-11 (Saving Mercy / Mercy Village): Council approved a resolution removing the Saving Mercy property from an old plat (18/92) as part of the Mercy Village project; staff will forward the resolution to the county for recording.

- Termination of Sky Elements agreement (Patriotic Skies drone shows): Staff recommended termination for convenience of the Sky Elements agreement after a Dec. 21 incident in Orlando in which a drone injured a child and the FAA suspended a waiver allowing multiple drones at night without position lights. Chief of Staff Christopher Watt said the suspension and ongoing FAA/NTSB inquiries prevent the city from completing required preparations, and council voted to terminate the contract.

- Contracts, purchases and change orders: Council approved a three-year mowing contract for 78 drainage retention areas (Dragonfly Pond Works, LLC), authorized a construction change order for a roundabout on SW 44th Avenue and associated budget resolution to fund the work, and approved equipment and vehicle purchases for various departments as provided in the adopted fiscal-year budget.

- Grants, federal/state funds and program agreements: Council approved an agreement with Marion County for a $100,000 Emergency Solutions Grant award to support countywide street outreach (for FY 2024-25), accepted a HOME program award of $256,344 (a reported ~35% reduction from last year’s allocation), and accepted SHIP funds of $502,079 (a reported ~40% reduction from prior year allocation). Council also authorized delegations of authority for reimbursement agreements with Florida Department of Emergency Management related to recent hurricanes.

- Utilities, investments and Ocala Fiber Network spending: Council approved fiscal-year expenditures for electric service provided by Duke Energy, renewed investment-advisor contracts, and approved consolidated payments for Metro E (CenturyLink/Lumen) circuits used by Ocala Fiber Network to connect customers where network infrastructure is not yet present.

Council discussion and staff context

Councilors and staff noted project-specific caveats: the multifamily rezoning is subject to stormwater and flood-protection requirements; the alley abrogation leaves part of the alley open for utilities and access; and the Sky Elements termination was driven by regulatory uncertainty and public-safety concerns following the Orlando incident. City staff indicated that certain projects (roundabout, hotel) remain subject to final design and right-of-way considerations.

Votes at the meeting were recorded by roll call for the items listed above; for several routine contract and budget items the staff recommendation prevailed by unanimous or recorded majority votes. The meeting minutes record the roll-call votes for each agenda item.