West Ocala CRA committee approves funding option for Ocala Plastic Surgery project after scoring

The West Ocala CRA Advisory Committee voted to approve a funding option for an Ocala Plastic Surgery new-construction incentive application after the project received an average score of 85.6 points from committee members. Roberto Ellis, economic development manager for the City of Ocala, presented the application and the staff scoring materials at the meeting.

The applicant, listed in the packet as Ocala Plastic Surgery, proposes to build an approximately 10,000-square-foot medical office on a roughly 0.88-acre parcel owned by Iron and Properties LLC adjacent to the applicant’s existing facility. Ellis said the site is zoned Office Park and sits near State Road 200 inside the West Ocala CRA boundary but outside the CRA’s stated priority zones.

Kendall Drake of Drake Construction Services, speaking for the applicant’s development team, described the project as a significant local reinvestment and noted the owners have operated in Ocala for about 20 years. “They’re expanding, you know, in this in Ocala, the CRA,” Drake said. He estimated the total project cost at approximately $4.5 million and said the development would create salaried medical positions; Drake told the committee the applicant expects to hire roughly 10 staff initially.

Ellis said staff’s fiscal-impact estimate shows tax revenue from the parcel is currently about $1,400 and would rise to roughly $29,000 after the new building is completed. He reviewed eligible reimbursable items in the new-construction incentive program, which include site work, building construction, architectural enhancements, furnishings and some equipment.

Staff reported the project met the program eligibility and that committee scoring placed the application above the 80-point threshold used to consider awards. After discussion of payback options, timelines and CRA budget constraints — staff noted award payments are made over three fiscal years and that the CRA has a limited remaining term — a committee member moved to approve the funding option described in the packet as the “5.5% payback” option; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with no opposing votes.

The committee’s score sheet and the packet discuss a range of award sizes; staff said the maximum award allowable under the program is $300,000. Ellis said funds awarded through the CRA process are paid out over three fiscal years and that the committee’s funding recommendation will be forwarded to the CRA board for final approval and appropriation.

Next steps: staff will forward the committee’s recommended funding option and supporting documents to the CRA board for final action and will follow the board’s schedule for disbursement if the award is approved.