Photo Credit: Ocala Gazette
Golden Ocala’s proposed sports and entertainment complex is being promoted as a way to “do something for the kids that don’t ride horses.” But what’s actually planned is not a modest community sports space—it’s a massive 236-acre commercial development that would forever change the character of this area.
This intense development includes:
- 17 outdoor sports fields
- A stadium
- A hotel
- Restaurants
- A concert venue
- An indoor sports and expo center
- Unlimited concerts and events
This facility is not designed for casual Saturday baseball games. It’s designed for traveling sports teams, tournaments, and large-scale entertainment, more akin to a theme park than a neighborhood park.
In fact, the proposed size and scope rivals Disney’s Wide World of Sports, which spans 220 acres and supports major amateur and professional sporting events. That’s not just “something for the kids”—that’s big business.
WEC Already Offers Youth Sports
It’s worth noting that youth sports are already happening at WEC. This summer, Sports at WEC launched programs for both competitive and recreational play, including private training and field rentals.
These activities are located at Expo Center #2 and on existing outdoor fields—facilities that are already permitted and zoned for this kind of use. WEC’s 378-acre property allows for recreational activities, graduation ceremonies, community events, and up to four concerts a year.
So, why the need for such a massive new development?
Existing Sports Facilities—In the Right Place
Marion County and the City of Ocala already provide access to youth sports through:
- The 80-acre Ocala Regional Sportsplex
- The 80-acre Rotary Sportsplex
While our growing community may need additional venues, location matters.
That’s why the Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau partnered with Hunden Partners to develop a Tourism Placemaking Plan and Feasibility Analysis. Presented in March, the plan’s top recommendation was for an indoor, multi-use sports facility—not a sprawling mega-complex. Among 11 proposed sites, the best locations are near the City of Ocala or along I-75, where infrastructure already exists.
Let’s Wait for the Right Decision
The Tourism Placemaking Plan began in 2023 and included extensive community input and stakeholder interviews. No final decision has been made by the County about what to build or where to build it. So why rush?
Let’s hold our horses and allow this thoughtful, community-driven process to play out.
Wrong Location
The issue isn’t whether we should build more sports facilities. It’s where we build them.
Golden Ocala’s proposed location is currently zoned for low-density residential use as part of the World Equestrian Estates—a buffer for the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA). This land was removed from the FPA at Golden Ocala’s own request to develop WEC, with the promise it would serve as a transition between intense commercial activity and rural preservation.
Now, they want to break that promise.
Watchdog Alert!
Horse Farms Forever will be attending the BOCC meeting on Monday, July 21st at 1:30 p.m. at McPherson Auditorium to oppose the applications by Golden Ocala Equestrian Land to change the land use on 236 acres from low residential to allow for an intense commercial sports and entertainment complex.
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The proposed complex would sit directly adjacent to the Farmland Preservation Area, posing real risks to the surrounding horse farms and rural neighborhoods that define our landscape and economy.
The Farmland Preservation Area is located directly South of the site plan.
It’s the World Equestrian Center—Not the World Sports Center
Let’s not forget: WEC was built to showcase Marion County’s global identity as the Horse Capital of the World. That identity is rooted in our equine heritage—not hockey rinks or rock concerts.
Horses don’t play hockey. They don’t ride roller coasters.
This complex would undermine the very brand we’ve worked so hard to build—and the $4.3 billion equine industry that sustains our local economy.
Let’s Hold Our Horses—And Find a Better Location
We support more recreational opportunities for local children. But it must be done the right way, in the right place, and without jeopardizing what makes Marion County so special.
Let’s work together to protect our rural lands, preserve our equine identity, and plan responsibly for the future.
