Ocala City Council Meeting Summary – October 20, 2026

The Ocala City Council met on October 20, 2026, for its regular meeting. Councilmember Kristen Dreyer was excused at the start and participated after arriving later. The council approved the consent agenda, adopted multiple ordinances and resolutions, approved contracts and reappointments, and received departmental reports and public comment.

Proclamations and Awards

• Mayor Marciano presented the Mayor's Citizen Recognition Award to Chris Hickman for more than 25 years of community service and youth mentorship.
• Mayor Marciano presented a Key to the City to the Crawford family in memory of Terry Crawford, recognizing his philanthropy and leadership with the Monroe Regional Medical Center/AdventHealth foundation.
• Ocala Fire Rescue service awards were presented to Beth Antis and Fire Captain Steven Welfel, each for 20 years of service.

Presentations

• Jaye Baillie, Executive Director of the Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA), presented the annual MCA report and 25th anniversary highlights. She reported 425,000 individuals impacted, $701,000 in grants to arts organizations, 229,000 visitors to Brick City Center for the Arts, 1,250 artists impacted, $623,500 in scholarships and honorariums, three National Endowment for the Arts grants totaling $100,000, and 10,467 visitors to Brick City last year.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the consent agenda 4-0, with Dreyer excused, by motion of Musleh and second by Mansfield. It included $65,000 for umpire and referee services; the Oakcrest Park conceptual subdivision; Greenway Reserve and Winding Oaks developer agreement amendments; a $75,000 City Hall flooring contract; a $17,102 FDOT/FAA grant match for the Runway 36 Safety Area Grading project; the Fiscal Year 2026 management action plan follow-up; meeting minutes; and reappointments of the Internal Auditor, Police Chief, City Clerk, and City Attorney.
• Item 6o, the reappointment of City Manager Peter Lee, was pulled by Councilmember Hilty. Hilty said he could not support reappointing someone he had voted against when the contract was first approved. The reappointment passed 3-1, with Hilty voting no and Dreyer excused.

Ordinance Introductions (First Readings)

• Ordinance 2027-4, to rezone 2.80 acres at 5203 SW 20th Street from B-1A to B-1, was introduced by Musleh. Final reading is set for November 3, 2026.
• Ordinance 2027-5, to rezone 13.34 acres at 2015 and 2141 NE 14th Street to INST, was introduced by Hilty. Final reading is set for November 3, 2026.
• Ordinance 2027-6, to rezone 1.11 acres at 1920 NE Eighth Road to B-2, was introduced by Mansfield. Final reading is set for November 3, 2026.

Public Hearings and Final Adoptions

• 9a: Denied 1-3, Dreyer excused. The request was for off-premises beer and wine sales for Mikael 25 Inc., doing business as Spot on Liquors, at 125 NW 27th Avenue. Councilmember Hilty cited the daycare within 500 feet and another liquor establishment nearby; denial was based on Section 6-33E proximity to schools, daycares, and churches. Staff had recommended approval but corrected an earlier report to note the daycare.
• 9b: Approved 4-0, Dreyer excused, for on-premises beer and wine sales at Yummy House, 2510 SW 27th Avenue, operated by Ocala YH 88 LLC.
• 9c: Adopted 4-0, Dreyer excused, Resolution 2027-4 allowing beer, wine, and liquor sales in the downtown event zone during the 2026 Ocala Art Festival on October 24-25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participating restaurants must use the approved cup and sticker.
• 9d and 9e: Adopted 4-0 each, Dreyer excused. Ordinance 2026-35 rezoned 4.26 acres at 325 SE 24th Street from PUD-RO to PD, and Resolution 2027-5 approved the PD Plan and Standards Book for New Ocala MOB LLC. The PD allows a 21,000-square-foot medical office building, with 40.8% open space exceeding the 25% minimum. Conditions include sidewalks, signage limits, and on-site drainage.
• 9f: First public hearing only; no vote. The amended and restated concurrency development agreement for KAS Ocala LLC (formerly Ransom Group Investors) will return for a final public hearing on November 3, 2026.
• 9g: Adopted 5-0. Ordinance 2027-1 repeals the local business tax, business tax receipts/certificates, and occupational license requirements. Staff estimated roughly 4,400-4,500 active BTRs but said the number of operating businesses is likely double that. Council directed staff to process refunds for businesses that paid the current 2026-27 BTR.
• 9h: Adopted 5-0. Ordinance 2027-2 updates flood-related definitions and Florida Building Code cross-references, including letter of map change, market value, repetitive flood damage, and cumulative substantial improvement.
• 9i: Adopted, but the minutes list the result as ADOPTED while also recording ABSTAIN for all five members, so the individual tally is unclear. Ordinance 2027-3 grants Peoples Gas System/TECO a non-exclusive franchise to use city rights-of-way for natural gas distribution, with the city receiving approximately $622,000 per year. Councilmember Hilty expressed concern that the prior franchise expired four years earlier and questioned management. City Attorney William Sexton said the delay was largely his responsibility and that continued performance kept the agreement enforceable. Councilmember Dreyer asked for electronic monitoring of contract end dates.

General Business

• 10a: Approved 5-0 a waiver of the one-year waiting period for resubmitting a rezoning application related to the recently approved Mockingbird Ridge PD, approximately 283.55 acres, after a 108.74-acre portion was sold to Fly Over Ocala.
• 10b: Approved 5-0 $190,936 in additional expenditures for four fire apparatus units from Matheny Motor Truck Co. Fleet and Facilities Director John King said he mistakenly applied a new prepayment policy to an already approved prepayment, forfeiting the credit. He reported the city earned more than $135,000 in interest and received a $56,000 credit. Council members discussed transparency and process improvements, and City Manager Peter Lee took responsibility.
• 10c: Approved 5-0 a contract with Commercial Industrial Corp. for the Ocala International Airport Runway 36 Safety Area Grading, not to exceed $379,282.
• 10d: Approved 5-0 a three-year cemetery grounds maintenance agreement with Extreme Enterprises of Marion County Inc., estimated at $192,259.
• 10e: Approved 5-0 a three-year City Complex grounds maintenance agreement with Squeekie Klean Landscaping LLC, estimated at $104,850.
• 10f: Approved 5-0 a three-year janitorial services contract with Mega Services Solutions Inc., $38,460 annually and $115,380 aggregate.
• 10g: Approved 5-0 an additional $500,000 for underground boring and conduit installation services with Bellmore Enterprises Inc. Discussion included coordinating fiber and utility conduit installation; staff said a monthly citywide project coordination meeting exists.
• 10h: Approved 5-0 a one-year renewal with Milsoft Utility Solutions Inc. for outage reporting and management, estimated at $107,100.

Reports

• Internal Auditor: No action; report received.
• City Manager Peter Lee: Provided updates on CLEAR team contracts, strategic priorities milestones, the October 21 State of the City and United Way Day, downtown construction logistics and a business owner meeting, FAFO on October 23-24, recreation events, and recognized Planning Director Aubrey Hale, who was leaving the city.
• Ocala Police Department: Chief Michael Balken reported 7,154 incidents, down 6% from last year; 326 crimes, up from 305; 218 arrests, up 8%; more than 900 traffic stops; 173 vehicle crashes; and average priority one response of 1 minute 18 seconds.
• Ocala Fire Rescue: The fire chief reported 1,200 calls for the two-week period, 22,643 year-to-date, 99 motor vehicle accidents, 30 community paramedicine calls, 12 new Special Operations Team members, and fire prevention visits to more than 2,400 children in 20 days.
• City Attorney William Sexton: The council approved 5-0 the subordination of city waterline and sewer utility interests to FDOT for the SR 40/NE 46th Avenue commercial development, at no cost to the city. The council also approved 5-0 the appointment of Camille C. as Assistant City Attorney.

Public Comments

• Kent Guinn, former mayor and attorney, asked for an update on Ocala Fiber Network expansion and said his client Wire 3 remained uncertain about its prior $35 million offer until seeing a coverage map. Staff said Ocala Fiber is building out in the Deerman area, total financing will likely be less than $46 million, and a coverage map would require a non-disclosure agreement because it involves critical infrastructure. Several councilmembers expressed reluctance to revisit a sale and requested monthly progress updates.

Mayor and Council Comments

• Mayor Marciano wished Aubrey Hale well, asked staff to assist Carriage Hill residents with road access and provide a timeline, discussed code enforcement action against a smoke shop's excessive signage/mural, and praised Recreation and Parks for the Haunted Trail.
• Councilmembers Mansfield, Hilty, Dreyer, Musleh, and Bethea recognized Aubrey Hale. Hilty noted the McCoy house ribbon cutting. Dreyer requested a briefing on House Bill 399 at the next council meeting. Musleh said mistakes happen in large organizations and praised the city manager's honesty.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved all general business items 10a-10h and adopted most public hearing items. The only denial was 9a (Spot on Liquors). The KAS Ocala concurrency agreement received its first hearing and will return November 3.
• Reappointments were approved for city leadership, including City Manager Peter Lee on a 3-1 vote.
• Staff was directed to process refunds for 2026-27 local business tax receipts, provide monthly Ocala Fiber progress updates, prepare an HB399 briefing, and improve contract expiration monitoring.
• The next regular council meeting is scheduled for November 3, 2026.