Welcome Serenity Spring Farm, New HFF Founder Member!
The opening of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) has attracted the horse world from far and wide to Marion County. Elisabeth Brinton and Bob Utley have lived abroad and traveled the world for most of their professional careers. They recently purchased a horse farm in the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA) and joined Horse Farms Forever as Founder Members.
Watchdog Alert! RaceTrac Plans Farmland Preservation Area Invasion
RaceTrac has targeted land and begun discussions with the County with intentions to build a truck stop in the Farmland Preservation Area. RaceTrac is a great family business story. Their facilities are first class. There’s nothing wrong with what they want to build. What’s wrong is where they want to build it, deep inside the Farmland Preservation Area on rural land with agricultural zoning. It’s just not a compatible land use.
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.
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.
Help Protect Our Farms - Join Today!
Together, we can help preserve the character and culture that horses, horse farms and the Farmland Preservation Area make unique to Marion County.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
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When the farmland watchdogs sound the alarm, you’ll hear first.