OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

East Ocala Redevelopment Advisory Committee Meeting - January 27, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, January 27, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, January 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 45:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:21

Oh no.

0:37

Are we expecting anyone else?

0:39

Um did Tito confirmed that in the front.

0:57

Okay.

1:01

I got some nice seats up here, don't we?

1:03

Yeah, these are cozy.

1:06

Take a nap.

1:57

So we're not we're not looking at any grants today.

2:00

No, it doesn't look like it's a good thing.

3:16

Okay.

3:17

I say we moved the meeting to Puerto Rico.

3:27

I wonder if they confirm thinking the meeting was tomorrow.

3:31

Because normally it's on Wednesdays.

3:34

Yeah, because you had questions that yeah.

3:37

Yeah.

3:37

And I had something for four o'clock today, but I called the guy and canceled it.

3:41

I know when I saw it, I was like, I I had it on my calendar for Tuesday, but I was like, is it Tuesday?

3:46

I had to look at the agenda just to make sure because it's always on a Wednesday.

3:57

No, this is a one hour.

3:58

Okay.

4:26

And is John gonna pick it up?

4:35

Yeah.

4:36

That's great.

4:37

I won't see you.

4:50

I don't know.

4:54

Hi, how are you?

5:00

We have a board meeting and it's going to be a sending so we're sure he's looking at yes.

5:12

Yeah, it should have started already.

5:27

All right.

5:40

Hey, this says I have to submit a formal request.

5:44

I would never do that to you then.

5:46

I remember right now only thing we're showing.

5:49

Um it's really easy to do.

5:50

Yeah, I submit a formal request.

5:53

For the removal.

5:59

Mommy, who are we missing?

6:00

John.

6:01

Well, Carl.

6:03

Carl got off.

6:04

I asked him, yeah.

6:05

He said he'd he had.

6:06

Yeah, he said he had gotten all.

6:08

Yeah.

6:09

Yeah.

6:09

So there's just a committee member.

6:12

And Top.

6:16

Just John and Pluto, right?

6:18

Yeah.

6:20

That sounds about right.

6:21

Yeah.

6:22

Well, I mean, let me look at the list.

6:25

Carl's still listed at the end of the day.

6:26

Okay.

6:27

Yeah, coral still on it.

6:29

But I think he's off, isn't he?

6:31

Yeah, he told me he was off because I told him it's about seeing him at a meeting or something for the last one he goes on.

6:35

No, I resigned.

6:36

Okay.

6:46

Oh, we're not showing me.

6:47

I just checked my email.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Board Governance███████████████████████████27%
Transportation Safety██████████████████18%
Meeting Scheduling███████████████15%
Public Works████████████12%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Procedural████████8%
Economic Development████4%
Arts And Culture████4%
Personnel Matters██2%
Summary of Proceedings

East Ocala Redevelopment Advisory Committee Meeting - January 27, 2026

The East Ocala Redevelopment Advisory Committee (CRA) met on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 4:08 PM in the Ocala City Hall Council Chambers. The committee reviewed project updates, including completed murals and upcoming infrastructure projects, and discussed proposed changes to CRA advisory committee policies and grant review processes. No formal votes were taken.

Consent Calendar

  • No items were presented for consent approval.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided comments.

Discussion Items

  • Project Updates (Presented by Charlita Whitehead, Economic Development Project Coordinator, and Eric Smith, Senior Transportation Project Administrator):
    • A mural project on 8th Avenue at Neighborhood Workspace has been completed under the Commercial Property Improvement Grant Program. Positive feedback received; better photos to be provided.
    • January 2026 CRA Board approved grants: residential properties $87,764, commercial $100,000 (one project spanning two fiscal years), historic building grants $50,549, for a total of $258,313.
    • Land acquisitions for 2026: parcels identified for potential purchase; negotiations to begin.
    • Sidewalk projects: staff to assess right-of-way and identify gaps; 8th Avenue corridor sidewalks will be included in the 2027 beautification project.
    • 8th Avenue roundabouts: construction start planned for 2027, followed by 6th Street connection. Roundabouts will be installed at 4th Street (fire station), 2nd Street, and 6th Street. Underground electrical utilities are planned as part of the project due to necessity.
    • Skate park: ahead of schedule; grand opening targeted for March 28, 2026, with a possible soft opening earlier. Construction completion expected early February.
    • Tuscawilla master plan: review to begin in March 2026 following adoption of Vision 2050 plan; first draft expected by end of 2026.
    • Sidewalk gaps on 2nd and 3rd streets: right-of-way constraints remain the primary issue; staff will investigate potential acquisition.
  • Staff Comments (Roberto Ellis, Economic Development Manager):
    • Proposed changes to CRA advisory committee policies and procedures, applicable to all CRA advisory committees:
      • Establish uniform bylaws, policies, and procedures to define roles, expectations, and meeting structure.
      • Attendance: change from three consecutive unexcused absences to two absences triggering a notice; third absence results in removal.
      • Grant review process: move to rolling applications (no deadlines); site visits still involve a committee member; smaller grants can go directly to CRA Board after staff review. Catalytic grants (scored) will still require committee recommendation.
      • Meeting frequency: committee can decide (monthly, quarterly, etc.) to accommodate schedules.
    • Committee members raised concerns about receiving feedback when the CRA Board approves grants that the committee recommended against. Example: Windham hotel project behind CVS. Staff agreed to provide information on criteria used by the Board. Staff noted that denials are rare; the only recent denial was the SOSA project on Fort King.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes or decisions were made; discussion only.
  • Staff will incorporate committee feedback into the draft policies and present recommendations to the CRA Board.
  • Next meeting scheduled for February 25, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Oh no. Are we expecting anyone else? Um did Tito confirmed that in the front. Okay. I got some nice seats up here, don't we? Yeah, these are cozy. Take a nap. So we're not we're not looking at any grants today. No, it doesn't look like it's a good thing. Okay. I say we moved the meeting to Puerto Rico. I wonder if they confirm thinking the meeting was tomorrow. Because normally it's on Wednesdays. Yeah, because you had questions that yeah. Yeah. And I had something for four o'clock today, but I called the guy and canceled it. I know when I saw it, I was like, I I had it on my calendar for Tuesday, but I was like, is it Tuesday? I had to look at the agenda just to make sure because it's always on a Wednesday. No, this is a one hour. Okay. And is John gonna pick it up? Yeah. That's great. I won't see you. I don't know. Hi, how are you? We have a board meeting and it's going to be a sending so we're sure he's looking at yes. Yeah, it should have started already. All right. Hey, this says I have to submit a formal request. I would never do that to you then. I remember right now only thing we're showing. Um it's really easy to do. Yeah, I submit a formal request. For the removal. Mommy, who are we missing? John. Well, Carl. Carl got off. I asked him, yeah. He said he'd he had. Yeah, he said he had gotten all. Yeah. Yeah. So there's just a committee member. And Top. Just John and Pluto, right? Yeah. That sounds about right. Yeah.

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