OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board Meeting - February 5, 2026

City Council & Boards — Thursday, February 5, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateThursday, February 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 21:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Uh we have roll call.

0:01

One, two, three.

0:03

Oh, we do have five.

0:04

Ms.

0:05

Kosan.

0:06

Oh, I'm here.

0:07

Ms.

0:07

Smith.

0:07

Here.

0:08

Mr.

0:08

Drake is absent.

0:09

Ms.

0:09

Barber.

0:10

Here.

0:10

Mr.

0:10

Hughley.

0:11

Present.

0:12

Mr.

0:12

Damante is absent.

0:13

Mr.

0:14

McCullough?

0:14

Here.

0:15

We have a quorum.

0:16

All right.

0:16

Thank you.

0:17

And was the uh meeting published?

0:19

The public notice for the locala historic preservation board was posted on January 21st, 2026.

0:25

All right, thank you.

0:26

And uh review of the minutes.

0:27

Did everybody have a chance to review the minutes from last uh last month?

0:32

Yes.

0:32

Okay.

0:33

I make a motion that we accept the minutes as published.

0:37

Okay.

0:37

Second.

0:38

All right.

0:40

Yeah.

0:41

Further discussion.

0:42

All right.

0:43

All in favor?

0:44

Aye.

0:46

Opposed.

0:47

All right.

0:48

Motion approved.

0:49

All right.

0:50

Thank you.

0:51

And um is the role of the OPAB to uh review certificates of appropriateness applications and approve or disapprove them based on the finding of fact from the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for re rehabilitating historic buildings or the City of Ocala historic preservation ordinance, section 94 of the city's code.

1:23

When your CA number and address is announced, city staff will make a brief presentation.

1:29

And the applicant will then have the opportunity to speak.

1:35

Please step up to the podium and state your name and address prior to any comments.

1:41

Thank you.

1:44

All right.

1:48

Today we're going to be reviewing COA 25-0045 for 721 Northeast 2nd Street.

1:56

The applicant proposes to remove the existing deck on the property and construct a larger deck using composite treks decking.

2:06

They'll also add PVC railing and along the front and along the whole part of the deck with a specific design, a waves pattern on the street facing facade, and a more traditional picket fence design along the side.

2:19

This also includes converting two existing door openings to windows with a double double hung replacement.

2:27

The windows are consistent with windows that have been approved on a like-for-like basis for the rest of the home where all of the exterior doors and windows were replaced, excluding these two that are coming to this meeting.

2:41

It has previously received COAs for re-roofing, siding repair, and window door replacement that I was just speaking of.

2:49

It was originally a single family home.

2:52

It was later converted to three units, and so this is converting this back to a single family dwelling.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████73%
Procedural████████████20%
Community Engagement████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board Meeting – February 5, 2026

The Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board met on February 5, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The board reviewed a Certificate of Appropriateness application, elected officers, and approved minutes from the previous meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (January 8, 2026): The board approved the minutes from the January 8, 2026, meeting as published. (Motion carried unanimously.)

Discussion Items

  • COA 25-0045 – 721 NE Second Street: The applicant, Stephen Dawson, proposed removing an existing deck, constructing a larger composite deck with PVC railing, and converting two doors to double-hung windows. The property, built in 1918, is located in the Tuscawilla Historic District and was historically the residence of a rabbi, associated with the oldest surviving synagogue building in Florida. Staff recommended approval, noting the deck expansion was compatible in scale and the door-to-window conversion restored original openings, but expressed concern about the contemporary “waves” railing design on the street-facing facade. Board members questioned the appropriateness of PVC railing and the modern design, stating it would detract from the historic significance. The applicant agreed to use traditional picket railing throughout instead. The board voted to approve the COA with the condition that all railing use the traditional picket design, citing Section 94-82G of the city code. (Motion carried unanimously.)

Election of Officers

  • Chairman: Tom McCullough was re-elected as Chairman (motion and vote).
  • Vice Chairman: Rick Hugli was elected as Vice Chairman (motion and vote).

Key Outcomes

  • COA 25-0045 approved with modification: all deck railing must be traditional picket style; the “waves” pattern is prohibited.
  • Officers elected: Chair (McCullough) and Vice Chair (Hugli).
  • Next meeting: Scheduled for March 5, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Uh we have roll call. One, two, three. Oh, we do have five. Ms. Kosan. Oh, I'm here. Ms. Smith. Here. Mr. Drake is absent. Ms. Barber. Here. Mr. Hughley. Present. Mr. Damante is absent. Mr. McCullough? Here. We have a quorum. All right. Thank you. And was the uh meeting published? The public notice for the locala historic preservation board was posted on January 21st, 2026. All right, thank you. And uh review of the minutes. Did everybody have a chance to review the minutes from last uh last month? Yes. Okay. I make a motion that we accept the minutes as published. Okay. Second. All right. Yeah. Further discussion. All right. All in favor? Aye. Opposed. All right. Motion approved. All right. Thank you. And um is the role of the OPAB to uh review certificates of appropriateness applications and approve or disapprove them based on the finding of fact from the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for re rehabilitating historic buildings or the City of Ocala historic preservation ordinance, section 94 of the city's code. When your CA number and address is announced, city staff will make a brief presentation. And the applicant will then have the opportunity to speak. Please step up to the podium and state your name and address prior to any comments.

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