HFF is grateful for Kearns’ support and for the support from a broad spectrum of the community, including large and small horse farm owners, realtors, developers, and business owners. This collective strength of our members creates a “seat at the table” for HFF to help influence land use decisions and to inspire the conservation of horse farms.

Over the next 20 years, the land use decisions will determine Marion County’s future. To protect the community’s high quality of life, both preservation and growth have to coexist strategically or neither succeeds.

Maintaining this balance between growth and preservation will take a cooperative effort from both sides of the table. Finding this balance, and giving back to the community, is also important for Kearns.

“I have always loved Ocala and have several business interests in Marion County which permits me the opportunity to appreciate the challenges we face, and it also offers the opportunity to contribute to the City and County in a positive manner,” stated Kearns.

“As a career commercial real estate developer, I know all too well the issues facing us with the growth in our area, and I join with Horse Farms Forever to vigilantly monitor encroachment into our wonderful farmland,” stated Kearns. “I’m hopeful that with the leadership of our City and

County officials, the business community and citizens, we will be successful in preserving the wonderful area we all call home.”

Horse Farms Forever is honored to have Bill Kearns as a Founder Member to help bring our collective vision – to protect horse farms, Marion County’s most valuable natural asset, and our global brand as the Horse Capital of the World™ – to fruition.

Brandon Perry and his wife Diannah presented a generous gift from the Cathy D. Perry Trust to Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) Board Member Nick de Meric and Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Director of Community Affairs, at Nick’s Thoroughbred farm in Ocala.

Horse Farms Forever® is honored to be chosen as a recipient of a generous bequest from the Cathy D. Perry Trust of $125,000. This bequest was one of nearly 30 gifts totaling over $5 million made to non-profit organizations by Cathy’s son Brandon in honor of his beloved mother. Brandon and his wife Diannah selected organizations based on Cathy’s love of animals, as well as for cancer research, hospice care, and to help children.

Cathy D. Perry

When Brandon and Diannah purchased their farm in Lexington, one of the reasons was because of the high-quality soils. When Brandon’s parents retired in 1994 and moved to Ocala, they purchased the former Classic Acres, for the same reasons.

Paragon Farms, in Lexington, Kentucky.

“They settled here because of the land,” said Brandon. “We bought our farm in Lexington and my parents bought their farm in Ocala, due to its soil fertility and natural beauty, making it prime farmland for raising and breeding horses.”

Paragon Farms, in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Perry Family Business – Petzazz

Brandon’s parents developed and grew their Petzazz pet food store into one of the largest retail stores in the Midwest. In 1994, the family decided to retire from the retail business and sold their Petzazz company to the national chain PetSmart.

After selling their business, the Perry’s retired to Ocala and purchased Classic Acres, a 250-acre horse farm and started raising quarter horses, appaloosas and paints. At one time, there were 200 horses on the farm. Brandon also moved to Ocala to help manage the family’s farm. Brandon’s parents divorced in the early 2000s, but his mother stayed in Ocala and formed lifelong bonds with friends and generously gave back to the community.

Cathy D. Perry

Cathy D. Perry’s Legacy 

Cathy led an amazing life focused on her family, friends, and community. She was a very successful entrepreneur, but giving back to the community was a top priority. At the Petzazz retail stores, the Perry’s held adoption days with local humane societies to help find homes for cats and dogs. While living in Ocala, Cathy was an active member of the Ocala Royal Danes for Cancer Research and with her generous gifts, her legacy in the community will live on for many years to come. 

Brandon and Diannah Perry

Photo Caption: Brandon and Diannah Perry, HFF Founder and Board Member Nick de Meric

Have you wondered what Marion County will look like in 50 years? What about the Farmland Preservation Area? Will it still have the same miles and miles of four board fences and the rolling hills of horse farms that create the character and culture of Marion County?

The good news is that there is a Plan to help protect farms and the Farmland Preservation Area. The plan to manage growth is codified in Marion County’s Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. These two documents, and how they are implemented or changed, will determine the future of Marion County.

What About Zoning?

The Zoning regulations are found in the Land Development Code, which is a separate document with specific guidelines to implement the Goals, Objectives, and Policies of the Comprehensive Plan.

Zoning regulates development through land use classifications and specifies the areas in which residential, industrial, recreational or commercial activities may take place. The Land Development Code was adopted through a series of ordinances by the County Commission, which means that the regulations cannot be changed or waived, except by a further vote of the County Commission.

Ten Ways to Say Exception!

WITHIN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE THERE ARE 10 EXCEPTIONS TO DIVIDE LAND.

Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) monitors all applications to divide land using the exceptions, especially the most commonly used exception in the Farmland Preservation area, the Agricultural Lot Split.

The agricultural lot split exception allows landowners to subdivide rural land into 10-acre or larger lots without having to plat the land into a subdivision. The exception has some rules, including a maximum limit of 10 lots per parcel division. While nearly all applications using the agricultural lot split exception adhered to the 10-lot limit, HFF discovered several applications that sought a waiver from the County’s Development Review Committee to exceed this 10-lot limitation.

At the May of 2023 Development Review Committee meeting, HFF challenged the statutory authority of the committee to waive any provision of the LDC by approving an application to allow 20-lots on one parcel using the agricultural lot split exception. While the Committee heard our testimony and accepted our objection letter, they proceeded to approve the waiver and send the application to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval.

At the June of 2023 Board of County Commissioner meeting, the application with the waiver was part of the Consent Agenda and scheduled for fast-track approval. HFF again challenged the authority of the DRC to waive a provision of the LDC and presented the County Attorney Guy Minter with a position paper from our land use attorney, Matthew Brockway. After a lengthy debate and a statement from Mr. Minter that while he thought our position was most likely correct, he needed more time to review the matter, the Commissioners tabled the application and asked the County Attorney to report back on our challenge at the next commission meeting.

At the July of 2023 Board of County Commissioners meeting, HFF land use attorney, Matthew Brockway, again challenged the legal authority of the Development Review Committee to waive any requirement of the Land Development Code, especially the limits related to the agricultural lot split exception. As a result of this challenge, the Commission chose to halt any future use of the agricultural lot split exception until this section of the Land Development Code could be reviewed and the practice of waivers by the Development Review Committee scrutinized.

“We do want to thank you, and Horse Farms Forever,” said Craig Curry, County Commission Chairman to HFF attorney Matthew Brockway at the July 18 Commission meeting. “You have become a good partner and help put an extra set of eyes on things and have been very helpful in a number of areas. We work very closely with you to protect the Farmland Preservation Area and we are appreciative of your time.”

In regards to the Agricultural Lot Split exception, Horse Farms Forever has not taken any position on the agricultural lot split exception and has no issue with the current language. As part of our watchdog efforts, we did respectfully challenge the statutory authority of the Design Review Committee to waive any portion of the Land Development Code, which is created by ordinance.

It is the vision and mission of Horse Farms Forever to inspire conservation of horse farms through education, awareness and idea exchange so as to preserve natural pasture land focusing on horses and their habitats, to protect soil and water on which they depend, and minimize land use conflicts in Marion County, Florida.

We are watchful of government and others to preserve and protect horse farms and farmland for future generations – especially in the Farmland Preservation Area. We are neither anti-growth nor anti-development; we encourage urban growth to remain inside the Urban Growth Boundary.

Horse Farms Forever® is a Florida not-for-profit corporation registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a charitable organization and approved as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation by the Internal Revenue Service. Horse Farms Forever® does not have a political mission. Our status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization does not allow us to participate or intervene in political activities. The organization will neither advocate on behalf of political candidates nor advocate for the passage of legislation.