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Record of Proceedings

West O'Cala Development Advisory Committee Meeting - January 28, 2026

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, January 28, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, January 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:21

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0:00

Oh, we made a cut.

0:01

Through the coal and the wind and the storm.

0:05

We are having our West O'Calerie Development Advisory Committee and we're calling to order at 3 o'clock sharp.

0:16

January 23rd, Wednesday.

0:19

All right.

0:20

We shall have roll call.

0:22

Ms.

0:23

Adams is absent.

0:25

Mr.

0:25

Fritz?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Mr.

0:26

Carlock.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Ms.

0:27

Hunt.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Mr.

0:28

McMahon.

0:29

Here.

0:30

And Miss Reed.

0:32

We have a quorum.

0:34

Thank you.

0:34

We have a quorum.

0:37

Public notice.

0:39

The public notice for the West O'Cala CRA committee was posted on the city website on January 20th, 2026.

0:48

All righty.

0:50

Moving right along.

0:52

Those of you that have had a chance to peruse your minutes.

0:56

Are you ready for approval?

0:59

No, we didn't have minutes.

1:00

Oh, we didn't have minutes.

1:02

Okay.

1:02

Let's get that.

1:06

All right.

1:08

Moving on to Mr.

1:09

Ellis.

1:10

Is that right?

1:11

Or am I wrong?

1:12

I might start us off.

1:13

All right, make an adjustment.

1:14

Thank you.

1:16

We have what is your name, darling?

1:18

Charlotte Whitehead.

1:19

Say it again, please.

1:20

Charlita Whitehead.

1:22

Last name again.

1:23

Whitehead.

1:24

Whitehead.

1:25

Yes, ma'am.

1:26

Thank you.

1:29

Proceed.

1:37

Okay.

1:38

So Charlotte Whitehead, Economic Development Project Coordinator with the City of Ocala.

1:44

So these are a few of the grants that we took to the CRA board recently to be approved.

1:48

We just wanted to give you an update on those.

1:51

Two of them are for DNS development, which is Duan, your uh co-committee members application, which the CRA board has started to ask that when we have conflicts of interest with people who are sitting on our committee, that we take those applications directly to them.

2:10

So that's something we're starting to work through with all of our sub-area.

2:13

So that a same similar thing happened with some of our East O'Cala grants at that same CRA board meeting.

2:19

But moving on to CRA 26-0004.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Board Governance█████████████████████████████29%
Public Engagement█████████████████17%
Economic Development█████████████13%
Procedural███████████11%
Public Works██████████10%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Parking█████5%
Meeting Scheduling█████5%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

West O'Cala Development Advisory Committee Meeting - January 28, 2026

The West O'Cala Development Advisory Committee met on January 28, 2026, at 8:00 PM. The meeting included updates on grant applications, transportation projects, and a discussion on proposed bylaws for the committee. The committee unanimously approved a residential grant and received updates on upcoming budget planning and the Vision 2050 workshop.

Grant Approval

  • CRA 26-0004: Staff presented a grant request for a primary residence in the West O'Cala CRA covering exterior door replacement, fencing, landscaping, exterior painting, and termite treatment. The maximum reimbursement is $15,635. The committee unanimously approved the grant.

Project Updates and Discussion

  • Transportation Projects: Eric Smith, Senior Transportation Project Administrator, reported on the Go CDC ITN (development opportunity off State Road 40) and the Safe Routes to School grant application. The committee discussed potential projects for the next fiscal year, including sober living homes, trash receptacles along school bus routes, and extending parking at Mary Sioux Ridge (25–50 spaces). Staff requested project ideas by the second week of February for a March 13 deadline.
  • Signage and Beautification: A committee member asked about aiding nonprofits with signage improvements. Staff explained that nonprofits are deprioritized due to not paying ad valorem taxes (which fund the CRA), but comprehensive projects can be considered toward the end of the fiscal year.

Proposed Bylaws for Advisory Committees

  • Overview: Roberto Ellis, Economic Development Manager, presented a draft of uniform bylaws for all four CRA advisory committees. Key proposals include:
    • Clear responsibilities: site visits, project review, community initiatives, budget planning, subcommittees, and proposing new incentive programs.
    • Attendance standards: written notice after two absences, removal after three consecutive absences.
    • Revised grant review process: Improvement grants (residential/commercial) will involve committee site visits but then go directly to the CRA board; catalytic grants (over $1 million) will still be reviewed and scored by the committee. This change aims to expedite processing and avoid conflicts of interest.
    • Committee members were invited to provide feedback on the draft.

Key Outcomes

  • Grant Approved: CRA 26-0004 approved unanimously.
  • Bylaws in Development: The draft bylaws were presented for discussion; feedback will be collected before finalization.
  • Parking Extension Request: The committee expressed support for extending parking at Mary Sioux Ridge; staff will review the master plan.
  • Committee Vacancies: Two positions are open due to a resignation; applications are being accepted from representatives of West O'Cala organizations.
  • Upcoming Event: Vision 2050 workshop on February 10, 2026, at 12:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Oh, we made a cut. Through the coal and the wind and the storm. We are having our West O'Calerie Development Advisory Committee and we're calling to order at 3 o'clock sharp. January 23rd, Wednesday. All right. We shall have roll call. Ms. Adams is absent. Mr. Fritz? Here. Mr. Carlock. Here. Ms. Hunt. Here. Mr. McMahon. Here. And Miss Reed. We have a quorum. Thank you. We have a quorum. Public notice. The public notice for the West O'Cala CRA committee was posted on the city website on January 20th, 2026. All righty. Moving right along. Those of you that have had a chance to peruse your minutes. Are you ready for approval? No, we didn't have minutes. Oh, we didn't have minutes. Okay. Let's get that. All right. Moving on to Mr. Ellis. Is that right? Or am I wrong? I might start us off. All right, make an adjustment. Thank you. We have what is your name, darling? Charlotte Whitehead. Say it again, please. Charlita Whitehead. Last name again. Whitehead. Whitehead. Yes, ma'am.

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