You may be wondering why a Dollar General store is being built in the Farmland Preservation Area? Marion County’s comprehensive plan allows for limited commercial and residential development in designated Rural Activity Centers (RAC) (Policy 2.1.21) The new Dollar General store is located in the Flemington RAC.

On Friday, April 14th before our Spring Speaker Series event at Golden Ocala, Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) held a Roundtable meeting with a diverse group of 25 community stakeholders to provide feedback on Marion County’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program.

Over 100 guests joined Horse Farms Forever to celebrate Farmland Preservation Month at our second annual Spring Speaker Series event on Friday, April 14th at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.

We were honored to have two of the nation’s leaders in farmland preservation as our speakers. John Piotti is the President and CEO of the American Farmland Trust (AFT) and Rick Pruetz, who is an FAICP professional planner, is also a nationally recognized expert on Transfer of Development Rights.

Who remembers the “Save It, Don’t Pave It” signs from 2017-18 that were all over Marion County when the Florida Department of Transportation was proposing a toll road through the Farmland Preservation Area? Those signs did a lot to raise awareness and public input that organized citizens to stop the coastal connector and led to the birth of Horse Farms Forever.

he Board of Directors of Horse Farms Forever is excited to announce that Sara Powell Fennessy has returned as Director of Community Affairs. Please join us in welcoming Sara Fennessy back to Horse Farms Forever in the role she defined and filled so well – Director of Community Affairs. Sara joined HFF in 2019, when we were just getting started, and served with distinction. After a year’s hiatus, where she served at the College of Central Florida, she’s back to once again head up membership and community outreach.