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Record of Proceedings

Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board Meeting - January 8, 2026

City Council & Boards — Thursday, January 8, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateThursday, January 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 8:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Ms.

0:00

Kosan is absent.

0:01

Ms.

0:02

Smith?

0:02

Here.

0:03

Mr.

0:04

Drake is absent.

0:05

Ms.

0:05

Barbara?

0:05

Here.

0:06

Mr.

0:06

Hughley?

0:07

Here.

0:07

Mr.

0:07

Damante?

0:08

Here.

0:08

Mr.

0:09

McCullough?

0:09

Here.

0:10

We have a quorum.

0:11

Thank you.

0:12

And um was the meeting published?

0:14

The public notice for the local historic preservation advisory board was posted on December 17th, 2025.

0:21

Okay.

0:22

And um as far as the minutes for last month, um, is everybody had a opportunity to review those minutes?

0:30

I have I have a question.

0:32

Okay.

0:33

Um what's I don't see in these minutes is I believe I heard an announcement at the end of our meeting last time that Melissa had resigned.

0:41

Is that true?

0:43

There was an announcement.

0:44

Was there an announcement?

0:48

Yeah, it was mentioned.

0:49

Yeah, it wasn't announced.

0:50

I think before the meeting.

0:52

It was before the meeting.

0:53

Okay.

0:54

Okay.

0:54

So is that true that she's no longer?

0:57

Okay.

0:58

Okay.

0:58

But that's clarification.

1:00

I make a motion to accept the minutes.

1:02

Okay.

1:02

Second.

1:03

All right.

1:05

Any discussion?

1:06

All right.

1:07

All those in favor?

1:08

Aye.

1:09

All right.

1:10

And opposed.

1:14

All right.

1:14

Motion carries.

1:17

All right.

1:18

And the COAs apparently have been.

1:23

There's a proposal to uh postpone.

1:26

Uh yeah, that's correct.

1:27

Usher Alita Whitehead Economic Development Project Coordinator.

1:30

Um so COA 25-0042 and COA25-0043.

1:36

Um, we're proposing that they both be tabled.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procedural████████████████████████████████████36%
Economic Development██████████████████████████26%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board Meeting - January 8, 2026

The Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board convened on January 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the Ocala City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered routine approvals, two Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications that were postponed, and informal updates on local historic properties. Board members present included Carol Barber, Joshua DeMonte, Rick Hugli, Tom McCullough (Chair), Noelle Smith, and Melissa Townsend (Vice Chair). Jane Cosand and Holland Drake were absent.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the December 4, 2025 meeting were approved unanimously after a brief clarification regarding a previously announced resignation.

Discussion Items

  • COA25-0042 (609 NE 2nd Street – Windows) and COA25-0043 (Rear Door Replacement): Staff requested postponement of both applications to the next meeting due to the need for additional information and conflicting details in one application. The board voted to table each item separately to the February 5, 2026 meeting. Both motions passed unanimously.
  • Affirmative Maintenance: None were reported.
  • Public Comments: No members of the public spoke.
  • Staff Comments: Staff thanked the board for their patience and extended New Year wishes.
  • Board Comments: Members discussed ongoing work at a neighboring property (the Briggs house) and provided an update on the Israel Brown House, noting that the owner has made improvements and that staff have received inquiries but no new applications.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes Approved: Unanimously approved the December 4, 2025 meeting minutes.
  • COA Postponements: COA25-0042 and COA25-0043 were both postponed to the next regular meeting on February 5, 2026, by separate unanimous votes.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for February 5, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after a brief session.

Meeting Transcript

Ms. Kosan is absent. Ms. Smith? Here. Mr. Drake is absent. Ms. Barbara? Here. Mr. Hughley? Here. Mr. Damante? Here. Mr. McCullough? Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. And um was the meeting published? The public notice for the local historic preservation advisory board was posted on December 17th, 2025. Okay. And um as far as the minutes for last month, um, is everybody had a opportunity to review those minutes? I have I have a question. Okay. Um what's I don't see in these minutes is I believe I heard an announcement at the end of our meeting last time that Melissa had resigned. Is that true? There was an announcement. Was there an announcement? Yeah, it was mentioned. Yeah, it wasn't announced. I think before the meeting. It was before the meeting. Okay. Okay. So is that true that she's no longer? Okay. Okay. But that's clarification. I make a motion to accept the minutes. Okay. Second. All right. Any discussion? All right. All those in favor? Aye. All right.

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