Marion County commissioners pass an ordinance that abides by a Florida law

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - The Marion County Commission held a public hearing that resulted in the criminal history screening ordinance being approved before the deadline of Jan. 31.

Marion County Commission passed the motion unanimously. This ordinance already applies to firefighters, but human resources and legal officials are working to expand it to vendors and contractors who work with the county.

County officials currently use a fingerprint database for state and national criminal history background checks.

“We have been doing this for years, however, there is a new state statute that came out,” shared Amanda Tart, the Assistant county administrator. “That state statute required that an ordinance is passed by each county government to continue doing this.”

The motion made will allow them to comply with Florida statutes. Commissioners say this will not change their current procedures in place with background checks.

Residents say they feel this procedure is necessary.

“I think everyone should get a background check because we have to have our safety for every person in our county,” shared Brenda Abel-Streicker, a resident.

Abel-Streicker has seen a shift in crime throughout Marion County and feels that expanding to vendors and contractors is necessary.

“They need to be stable enough. If they’re not stable enough, I don’t think we should have them out in our community working in that type of job,” shared Abel-Streicker.

County officials say they will continue using the FBI’s database for their background checks. They feel that it is best to prevent unsuitable people from having contact or access is critical to public safety.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.