News
Happy 5th Anniversary!
This year, Horse Farms Forever is celebrating our five-year anniversary. The traditional five-year anniversary gift is wood, which symbolizes strength and wisdom. Over the past five years, we have gained strength to defend the Farmland Preservation Area and shared wisdom from local, regional and national experts about how to protect our horse farms, natural resources, and quality of life.
From Gilbert’s Hardware to Dollar General: Rural Activity Centers in the FPA
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.
Horse Farms Forever Hosts Roundtable on Transfer of Development Rights
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.
HFF Celebrates Farmland Preservation Month
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.
Signs of Change
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.
Horse Farms Forever Welcomes Sara Fennessy Back As Director of Community Affairs
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.
HFF Welcomes Perla Boord Capriles As New Founder
Horse Farms Forever is pleased to welcome Perla Boord Capriles as a Founder Member. Perla, a competitive show jumper and hunter rider, has travelled the world showing her horses. While her farm and horses have been in Wellington for over 12 years, she fell in love with Ocala while visiting over a year ago, and decided to buy a horse farm near the World Equestrian Center (WEC).
Little Creek Farm and Lifelong Equestrian Family Join HFF as Founder Members
Nicole Hornblower and James DenmanHorse Farms Forever is happy to welcome Nicole Hornblower and...
HFF Welcomes Chi University Among New Corporate Sponsors
We are thrilled to introduce four new Corporate Founders at the start of this new year: Chi University, JP Morgan Private Bank, Duke Energy Foundation, and UF Health These conservation-minded organizations are partnering with us to preserve Ocala/Marion County’s open spaces and beautiful places. This bodes well for the future of the Horse Capital of the World®! We heartily welcome them to the herd.
Perdue Emphasizes Community Engagement in Road Planning
At Horse Farms Forever’s Conservation Summit on November 14, Jared Perdue, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Tracy Straub, Assistant Marion County Administrator, shared detailed information about Florida’s transportation approach and goals, and specific road improvement projects in Marion County. Secretary Perdue, who took over the post this past April, gave an update on the improvements to I-75 and the Northern Turnpike Extension project, which will resume in one to two years. He also emphasized FDOT’s new emphasis to recognize and protect the unique heritage and culture of Florida’s communities while at the same time improving road safety and efficiency.
The partnership between FDOT and Marion County was also highlighted as a vital component to completing nearly 42 road improvement projects that will widen and extend roads, build several flyovers, and a new interstate interchange at NW 49th Street. These projects will help divert traffic off of I-75 and allow residents to travel both north-south and east-west without having to access I-75. This blog will highlight important aspects of Secretary Perdue’s presentation. We will cover Administrator Straub’s in detail in the next release. To Summit livestream was recorded, and is available for viewing here.
Always Watching
We work hard to keep you informed, and to represent our members' interests in preserving our horse farms, farmland and the unique character and culture of Marion County's 193,000 acre Farmland Preservation Area.
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