I have been wondering about the success of Marion County. When our country was in a slump and the economy was down \Marion County was doing OK not great but money was moving. I ask how and why? Well we had many seniors spending retirement checks and no one was talking about the thousands of Veterans receiving and spending their checks. Back then the horse industry was not growing like it is now. Now the Horse industry is turning over a lot of money.Now we have the  World Equestrian Center, (for horses and people) which s turning out to be entertainment, hotel stays, restaurants and many things that go with that. But we have the Florida Horse Park which caters to a little bit different crowd of horse competitions that are very popular. I think they have national competition in horses jumping coipition s and all the things that go along with it. The two venues are totally different the only thing that is the same is they compete with Horses. Here are the stats about Marion County that is online.

The numbers can be confusing because some of the numbers overlap. But we have a lot of people  spending a lot of money! Our county seems to be poor because the powers to be keep raising our taxes instead of lowering them! The invisible expense is the mortgage insurance. Every time the County raises the value go your home your insurance goes up. It has put people into a poverty level they never expected to be. Some their mortgage payment has gone up just because of the value increase the county has put on their homes to charge them more money so they have it to spend! Publishers note The numbers I have heard for veterans are 28,000??? Continue reading →

(OCALA, FL) Sept. 16, 2026 – Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire at Arnold Truss Manufacturing, located at 2250 NW 42nd St. The emergency call was received at 5:38 p.m., reporting flames engulfing the commercial structure.

Ocala Fire Rescue’s Engine 1, Squad 7, Ladder 3, Battalion Chief 11, and a Safety Officer responded. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a fully involved medium-sized sawmill shed, with access restricted by a bolted gate. The Safety Officer assisted Engine 1 in cutting the chain to gain entry while additional crews conducted a secondary 360-degree assessment of the structure.

Marion Country Fire Rescue crews from Stations 1, 11, 19, and 21 arrived shortly after, established a water supply, and aided in the fire attack.

Because of severe fire conditions and a partial collapse of the structure, crews transitioned to a defensive strategy to extinguish the fire. Despite these challenges, firefighters had water on the fire within four minutes of arrival.

The fire was under control at 5:56 p.m., preventing the flames from spreading to surrounding structures.

No injuries were reported.

HAPPY 251^st BIRTHDAY, UNITED STATES NAVY! 

On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing the purchase and fitting of “two armed vessels, one to carry ten carriage guns and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, to be fitted, with all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months.” A second vessel of similar size was also authorized. This was in response to two British ordnance ships known to be sailing from England unescorted, and their capture would yield powder, arms, and equipment that Washington’s army besieging Boston desperately needed.

On October 30, four more vessels were authorized and, on November 10, the Continental Marines were established. By the end of 1775, seven ships had been authorized, and 13 frigates of 24, 28, and 32 guns were under construction in American shipyards.

The Continental Navy never numbered more than 65 vessels, and it was gradually reduced by capture and attrition, effectively disbanding in 1785. The U.S. Navy traces its continuous institutional existence to the Naval Act of March 27, 1794. But, by convention and by act of Congress, October 13, 1775

Staff writer

Brigette quietly shown up and advocated for our children for over a decade, long before this election. Brigette an operating room nurse with 35 years of experience who trained at Shock Trauma, University of Maryland, a United States Army Reserves Nurse Corps, as a direct commission as a first lieutenant after 911 and a dedicated community volunteer, Board secretary to the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation and Medical missionary traveling abroad helping to perform life-changing surgeries on the indigent children of the area, She has built her life around service and leadership.

Briggete has invested with skin in the game, she has two daughters who graduated from Marion County schools, and she currently have a granddaughter attending Dunnellon middle school. What’s been missing on the School Board is a disciplined approach of assessing, intervening, and evaluating-the same cycle she use every day as a nurse. Despite rising budgets, Marion County has remained in the bottom academically for years. That’s unacceptable. She says if elected, she will raise the bar for students, reject mediocrity, restore fiscal responsibility, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently- especially in school construction-so we can put those resources back into the classroom where they belong. Continue reading →

Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership Celebrating a new chapter for Legacy In Motion Dance Center. Congratulations on your ribbon cutting and the incredible impact you’re making by inspiring dancers of all ages to grow in confidence, creativity, and community. We’re excited to officially welcome Legacy in Motion Dance Center to the Ocala CEP family and can’t wait to see all that’s ahead. Join us in congratulating them in the comments and wishing them continued success!

Congratulations to Ocala Massage and Integrative Therapies on their ribbon cutting and official welcome to the Ocala CEP family!

Dedicated to helping our community feel and live their best through personalized therapeutic care, they’re a great addition to Marion County’s growing business community. We’re excited to celebrate this milestone and look forward to their continued success.

Help us welcome Ocala Massage & Integrative Therapy by congratulating them in the comments!

Life just got a little sweeter in Ocala!

We had the pleasure of celebrating the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of Häagen-Dazs, officially welcoming another exciting business to our community.

From the first scoop to the last smile, it was a great afternoon celebrating with local leaders, partners, and community members. We’re thrilled to see Häagen-Dazs join Ocala’s growing business community and can’t wait to watch them thrive.

Help us congratulate the Häagen-Dazs team, and if you haven’t stopped by yet, consider this your excuse to treat yourself!

Marion county pool teams come home in the money

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Special to the Ocala DownTown news

Five Marion County amateur pool teams traveled to Las Vegas in August to compete in the World Pool Championship, American Pool players Association world finals that took place August 4-15, and each team won cash prizes.

In the 8-ball competition, Best Served Cold and Ohana finished in their respective divisions in the 385^th spot, winning $350,  and Racks on Racksss finished 65^th, winning $1,500 for their team.

In the 9-ball competition, Cue Carnage finished in its division at 518^th, and X-Cues Us finished 385^th. Both teams won $350. Continue reading →