Last month, voters throughout our community went to the polls and decided several local elections and, in some cases, selected candidates for the November ballot. While these local raises are very important, I would like to mention an item about which you will start hearing more soon.

Safety. It is probably something we all take for granted until we need it. It is important to our families and to our businesses. We all want to know that in time of emergency, we can depend on our first responders such as the fire and rescue to come to our aid. We also want to know that our roads will be safe to travel.

In March 2016, Marion County voters approved a one-percent sales tax for public safety and transportation infrastructure.  There are no salaries nor recurring costs paid by the sales tax revenues.  Since January 2017, the tax has brought in approximately $180M in estimated revenue that has funded dozens of projects including:

• Building of Northwest 49th Avenue to improve traffic-carrying capacity and enhance the opportunity for economic development in the area.
• Rehabilitation of over 53 miles of roadways including: County Road 464B, County Road 326, County Road 316, County Road 42, and County Road 320
• Marion County Fire Rescue equipment including: 12 new ambulances, 5 new engines, 1 ladder truck, 300 self-contained breathing apparatus, and new fire station at Rolling Greens
• City of Ocala has completed 12 road improvement projects valued at over $1.9M
• City of Ocala also added 2 new fire stations and a police district office

Additionally, the City of Ocala and Marion County have seen their ISO ratings improve: Ocala to a 2 and Marion County to a 3. These improvements are in large part thanks to the sales tax and provide relief to property owners through lower insurance costs in addition to knowing that our homes and families are safer.

Our economist reveals that at least 30% of the taxes are derived from individuals who do not live in our community. This could include tourists who are visiting our parks or competing in equine events or simply passing through on the interstate. It also includes the approximately 80,000 people who commute into our community to work. The sales tax ensures they are helping to fund the roads they drive on and the first responders on which they depend.

On November 3rd voters in Marion County will have the chance to extend public safety and highway safety with a FOR vote for the 1% local sales tax.  We still have a substantial backlog of equipment needs and transportation projects. Should the sales tax fail to pass, the cost for these improvements will be levied on property owners.

Key facts regarding the sales tax:

• One-percent sales tax limited to 4 years
• January 1, 2021, and sunset on December 31, 2024
• Funding only Public Safety (40%) and transportation infrastructure needs (60%)
• Paid for by all county residents AND visitors

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106 Hwy 441 DownTown Lady Lake at the Log Cabin Park

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Call Peggy at 352-537-4197

(Pictured: LaHacienda Catering serving a visitor a hotdog at the Farmers Market)

The CEP has partnered with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners to distribute $7.1 million dollars of CARES Act funds to local businesses struggling in light of COVID-19.

Our number one goal is to ensure that our community is vibrant and prosperous, and the key to that is to have a vibrant, prosperous business community. As a result, we have a program to meet nearly every business need.

Businesses do not have to be CEP Partners to apply. Funds are available to businesses in the following breakdown:

Bridge to Recovery Program – The Bridge to Recovery Program seeks to assist businesses with 25 or fewer employees who have been experiencing continuing negative impacts as a result of the

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COVID-19 pandemic.

• The businesses will need to submit an online application demonstrating the negative impact of COVID-19 and will be able to receive up to $15,000.

Moving Forward Program – The Moving Forward Program seeks to assist businesses with 26-100 employees who have been experiencing continuing negative impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The businesses will need to submit an online application demonstrating the negative impact of COVID19 and will be able to borrow up to $40,000.

Testing Capacity Enhancement Grant – The Testing Capacity Enhancement Grant program seeks to assist private labs, clinics, and physician offices which are looking to increase their testing capacity. Business may apply one time for a reimbursement of up to $30,000 for expenses which demonstrate their intention to increase their testing capacity beyond what was previously available. Continue reading →

In August, voters throughout our community will go to the polls to decide several local elections and, in some cases, select candidates for the November ballot. While these local raises are very important, I would like to mention an item for which you will start hearing more after Labor Day and heading towards November.

Safety. It is probably something we all take for granted until we need it. It is important to our families and to our businesses. We all want to know that in time of emergency, we can depend on the fire department, emergency services, and law enforcement to come to our aid. We also want to know that our roads will be safe to travel on.

In March 2016, Marion County voters approved a one-percent sales tax for public safety and transportation infrastructure.  There are no salaries nor recurring costs paid by the sales tax revenues.  Since January 2017, the tax has brought in $166M in estimated revenue that has funded 43 projects including:

• Building of Northwest 49th Avenue to improve traffic-carrying capacity and enhance the opportunity for economic development in the area.
• Rehabilitation of over 53 miles of roadways including: County Road 464B, County Road 326, County Road 316, County Road 42, and County Road 320
• Marion County Fire Rescue equipment including: 12 new ambulances, 5 new engines, 1 ladder truck, 300 self-contained breathing apparatus, and new fire station at Rolling Greens
• City of Ocala has completed 12 road improvement projects valued at over $1.9M
• City of Ocala also added two new fire stations and a police district office at the cost of $5.1M

Continue reading →

The CEP continues to engage and work to ensure our community keeps moving forward. We are very excited about the two items I am highlighting this month.

Amazon

I am sure most have heard the news by now, but the CEP was pleased to join the Ocala City Council and Marion County Board of County Commissioners in welcoming Amazon’s announcement that they will establish a distribution facility in the Ocala Metro.

The company has leased the 617,000 sq. ft. spec building being constructed by Red Rock Developments.  This new facility will create approximately 300 jobs, all making at least $15.00 per hour from day one.

The CEP is pleased to welcome Amazon to our community. What an incredible addition to the Ocala Metro! We look forward to seeing their brand welcoming residents to the area.”

The new Amazon facility is located in the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park along I-75. The company joins existing park tenants Chewy.com, AutoZone, and FedEx Ground which all operate logistic facilities in the park. Continue reading →

The following is a review of just some of the ways the CEP is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Get. Gather. Go.

The CEP ran a marketing campaign around the Paycheck Protection Program called Get. Gather. Go. We were seeking to GET our businesses informed on the program; encouraging them to GATHER the needed documents; and to GO apply. And apply they did! After the first round of funding, we determined that 1 in 8 Marion County businesses received a PPP loan. That compares extremely favorably to the state (1 in 25) and national (1 in 19) rates. All told, approximately 2800 businesses received nearly $300 million in funding in the first round.

The second round of funding is still live but antidotally it appears that most eligible businesses are finding success. We have been in regular communication with our lenders who have done a phenomenal job literally working around the clock to meet the needs of the local business community. We anticipate that when this round is finished, something approaching 25% of all local businesses (not just eligible businesses but all businesses) will have received a PPP loan. Continue reading →

The following is a review of just some of the ways the CEP is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: 

Get. Gather. Go. 

Hopefully, you saw our efforts around the marketing blitz to GET businesses informed on the Paycheck Protection Program, have them GATHER the necessary information, and GO apply. We ran radio, billboards, social media, cable, and print. The social media campaign reached more than 50,000 people. We created a dedicated website (GetGatherGo.com) in addition to our COVID-19 response page. The goal was to get as many local businesses as possible to apply. We hosted a webinar on filling out the application and filled it to our 100-seat capacity. The webinar was recorded, posted on our website, and was viewed more than 1,000 times. Finally, actively engaged with all of our lending institutions to make sure businesses had the latest tips on applying.

Local Loan Fund 

The City and County have both approved funding for a local loan fund. The Paycheck Protection Program has moved much faster than anyone anticipated and is much more attractive to borrowers than originally promoted (the loan is forgivable and any portion not forgiven carries a 1% interest rate). This is a much better option for our businesses and we are encouraging those who were interested to pursue this instead. However, the CEP finalized the agreement with both the City and County so that we can activate this program should we need to in the coming days. As a note – the CEP is taking no fees or admin on this program. Continue reading →

The purpose of the CEP is to be the One-Stop Shop and Voice of the Business Community. We are the designated economic development organization for all of the Ocala Metro. While many focus on our Business Attraction successes (bringing in new major employers like McLane, Dollar Tree, and FedEx) or our Business Services programs (such as Business After Hours, TuesdayTalks, and Leadership Ocala Marion), it is our Business Retention and Business Creation efforts that really have the ability to impact the business community. This is especially true as we go through a difficult crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Business Retention efforts are focused on assisting existing businesses throughout the community with a particular focus on primary employers (manufacturing, distribution, and large office). We work with approximately 200 businesses every year REGARDLESS of their partnership with the CEP. In other words, a business does not have to be a CEP partner to receive assistance. Much of this work is focused on removing barriers to their growth. Sometimes this means connecting them existing resources on the local, state, and federal level. Other times it means we are connecting them with other businesses to the benefit of both. Continue reading →