Marion County weighs $100M–$150M parks bond; commissioners direct staff to begin polling

Marion County commissioners on Thursday heard a feasibility presentation from the Trust for Public Land and county parks staff about a potential voter-funded parks and conservation measure, and directed staff to begin public polling and refine project lists ahead of an August 18 ballot-language deadline.

"This is our 5th workshop focused on funding, for parks and recreation and our 2nd specifically about bond funding," Parks and Recreation Director Jim Couillard told the commission, laying out district-by-district project lists and countywide priorities such as LED sports-field lighting and a multifunctional indoor facility that could double as an emergency shelter.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said the county faces hundreds of millions in needs across asset replacement, expansions and acquisitions. The TPL presentation showed several ballot models (bonds, millage or a hybrid) and a household-cost example: using a $100 million bond at a typical 4% rate over 20 years, the average single-family home would pay roughly $32 per year in additional property tax, TPL consultant Peggy Hanrahan said.

Hanrahan and TPL colleague Casey Bowers reviewed Florida examples and TPL’s track record with local ballot measures. "We work with parks, land, trails and open space," Hanrahan said; Bowers noted that roughly 77% of the wildlife-corridor acres in Marion County are already protected but that about 106,000 acres remain as opportunities.

The commission discussion focused on what to prioritize and how to design a measure that voters will support. Commissioners debated revenue-generating park upgrades — such as RV campgrounds and upgraded event facilities — that could help offset operations and maintenance costs, versus one-time capital needs like acquiring land for a Southwest Regional Park and making trail connections to the Heart of Florida Loop.

Commissioner comments reflected differing priorities: some members emphasized regional parks and trail connectivity to serve population-growth areas, while others cautioned that fee-based revenue will not fully cover long-term operations and urged a balance between revenue-generating infrastructure and neighborhood-serving projects. One commissioner argued for keeping a proposed annual household cost under $50 as a guide for voter tolerance.

On funding mechanics, TPL described options: straight bond authorizations, a dedicated millage, or a combined approach in which a bond is authorized and a small millage is included so the millage revenue not needed for bond service can help operations for projects acquired or built with bond proceeds. "There is a provision in Florida law that allows you to do a bond plus some additional millage," Hanrahan said.

Staff and TPL recommended public-opinion polling and careful ballot-language drafting. Hanrahan said most county-level parks and conservation ballot measures in Florida pass when structured and promoted locally; she urged testing one target figure and then bracketing with higher and lower alternatives in follow-up questioning rather than offering a low/medium/high trio that could bias responses.

Next steps: commissioners instructed staff to finalize district and countywide project lists, continue municipal engagement, authorize TPL to conduct sample polling, and return with refined numbers and ballot-language options in June–July. The county administrator and TPL noted the supervisor of elections’ deadline for ballot language is Aug. 18.

The commission did not take a formal vote; members instead agreed by consensus to move forward with polling and analysis. Staff will bring detailed cost, millage and project-prioritization scenarios back to the board before any final decision to place a measure on the ballot.