Both facilities will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

OCALA, Fla. (May 15, 2018) – The City of Ocala’s Aquatic Fun Centers will re-open to the public for the summer later this month.

The Jervey Gantt Aquatic Fun Center, 2390 SW 36th Ave., will be open to the public Saturday, May 19 through Monday, Sept. 3.

The Hampton Aquatic Fun Center, 255 NW Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., will be open to the public Saturday, May 26 through Monday, Sept. 3.

Both facilities will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission for a two-hour swim session is $2 for those ages 17 and under and $3 for those ages 18 and up. Admission is free for ages 1 and under. Pool passes are also available for purchase.

For more information, please call the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department at 352-368-5517.

Concerts will take place every Friday, June 15 through Aug. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW Fourth St.

OCALA, Fla. (May 14, 2018) – The Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA), in partnership with the City of Ocala, is excited to unveil the first half of the lineup for the 2018 Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series. The series is sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a national funder of creative placemaking that empowers communities to inject new life into underused public spaces. Through free, outdoor concerts, the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series will present ten free, family-friendly concerts to the public this summer.

The Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series will take place at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Complex located at 1510 NW Fourth St. Concerts will take place every Friday, June 15 through Aug. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. The public is invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs to the concerts, which will have an open lawn setting. Gates open at 6 p.m. and admission is free. Continue reading →

In January 2018, Ocala was named one of 15 small to mid-sized towns and cities across America to win a Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Award of $25K in matching funds to present a free concert series at Webb Field in 2018. MCA, in partnership with the City of Ocala, submitted the Levitt AMP proposal and is presenting the concert series. In an effort to inspire and engage communities across the country around the power of creative placemaking, the Levitt Foundation invited the public to choose the top 25 finalists through online voting. Learn more about the winners and the 150 free Levitt AMP concerts across America at http://levittamp.org. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected the City of Ocala to receive a Brownfields Environmental Assessment grant in the amount of $300,000.

OCALA, Fla. (May 9, 2018) –  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the City of Ocala to receive a Brownfields Environmental Assessment grant in the amount of $300,000.

Ocala is one of three communities selected in Florida and one of 144 communities nationwide. The grant is intended to be used to conduct outreach, Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments, and cleanup planning. The City of Ocala and EPA will work together under a cooperative agreement to assess and if needed, plan for cleanup of underutilized properties while protecting public health and the environment.

“EPA’s Brownfields Program expands the ability of communities to recycle vacant and abandoned properties for new, productive reuses, using existing infrastructure,” said Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator. “These grants leverage other public and private investments and improve local economies through property cleanup and redevelopment.” Continue reading →

OCALA, Fla. (May 11, 2018) – The City of Ocala will begin work on a habitat restoration project on the east side of the Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E Fort King St., the week of May 14. This project will focus on the environmental renovation of the park’s seep spring area and will address erosion issues, according to City staff.

To facilitate a safe environment for park patrons, areas impacted by restoration activities will be closed for access to the public until further notice. These areas will be clearly barricaded and marked with appropriate signage. Media and the public will be notified when these areas will reopen to the public. Continue reading →

MARION COUNTY, Florida (May 7, 2018) – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) are seeking information on the location of Curleasha Harris (B/F, DOB: 12/04/1984) and her four children. DCF has child custody pick-up orders for Samson Robinson (B/M, DOB: 01/28/2005), Shan’nya Montgomery (B/F, DOB: 01/18/2008), Dorian Leach (B/M, DOB: 09/11/2014) and Andre Harris (B/M, DOB: 02/12/2016). Deputies and DCF investigators believe these children are in danger while in their mother’s care and Harris has continually evaded DCF.

Harris was last seen occupying a white Mercury 4-door vehicle and might be staying in Deer Run, located in the City of Ocala. Harris’ last known address is 2912 NE 4th Court in Ocala. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Harris and/or the four children, please call 911 immediately.

The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department and the Fort King Heritage Association will host a special event Thursday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E Fort King St.

Post Date:05/07/2018 1:55 PM

OCALA, Fla. (May 7, 2018) – The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department and the Fort King Heritage Association will host a special event Thursday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E Fort King St., to announce the addition of a cannon to the Fort King property.  The cannon will be available on-site for those in attendance to view during this special event.

The cannon is a model one 1841 bronze mountain howitzer mounted on a field carriage with 41-inch wheels. These were used from the mid-1830s through the Indian wars in the 1870s. The tube is solid cast bronze approximately 38 inches long with a 4 1/2-inch bore and is fully functional. The cannon attaches to a full-scale limber with two ammunition boxes and comes with all the accoutrements for operating the gun, including the worm, the rammer, gauntlets, thumbstall, muzzle cover, powder prick and everything needed to fire the gun. The cannon also comes with a correct grease bucket and water bucket. The cannon is a correct period replica with a chambered breach and is a direct copy of the one in the Smithsonian, according to staff. Continue reading →

(April 27, 2018)- On October 9, 2013, former Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Detective Eric Meyers, acting in his capacity as a member of the FBI Regional Task Force, responded to Osceola Middle School to investigate concerning comments that Sky Bouche had made on the internet which had been brought to the attention of the FBI.

Bouche watched a YouTube video on the Columbine school shooting and posted comments on the video about doing a shooting at his school and that he had the weapons and ammunition to do so. Detective Meyers spoke with Bouche, along with an Ocala Police Department School Resource Officer, where he admitted to making the comments.

Bouche denied owning weapons and stated that he was just trying to gain attention because he felt hopeless. Also during the interview, Bouche made several comments to Detective Meyers that made him concerned for Bouche’s well-being. On the same day, Detective Meyers along with MCSO Deputy Tiffany Warren then responded to Bouche’s residence and obtained consent to check the house for firearms. Meyers stated that numerous replica firearms were found (airsoft, BB guns or pellet guns) but no real firearms were discovered. Continue reading →