Update: Marion County commissioners approve World Equestrian Center development

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - The Marion County Commission has approved a change to how the Ocala Jockey Club property can be used. Some residents oppose the proposal.

Less than a year ago, the world Equestrian Center, which is owned by Mary and Larry Roberts who also owns Golden Ocala, announced that it had acquired the Ocala Jockey Club.

The property was purchased for $10.5 million, with plans to add polo fields, an RV park, a stadium, a hotel, barns, and more than 90 homes on the property.

A great number of residents are not happy about this.

“It could destroy the farmland of northwest Marion County and the farmland and it’ll just open the door for more development of this type,” said Jerome Feaster, member of the ‘Save Our Rural Area’ group.

TV20 has also learned that both commissioner Carl Zalak and Kathy Bryant have received several thousand dollars in campaign donations from Robert family entities. They are so far the only county commission candidates to receive such donations.

We reached out to the World Equestrian Center and have not heard back.

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