The Zoning Hearing is TONIGHT, June 1st, 5:30pm. Here’s the agenda.
In just two weeks, Horse Farms Forever has received a groundswell of letters and comments from Flemington area residents opposing the Double Gate ATV Park. We will be bringing these before the County in tonight’s non-binding Zoning Hearing.
Here is our letter requesting that the Zoning Commission DENY the project.
Now it’s your turn. Zoning and Planning MUST hear from the community.
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.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
On May 28, 2020, at 12:55 PM
Ms. Dinkins,
As owner of Sweet Dixie South, LLC, I am concerned about the proposed amendment to the comprehensive plan for an increase in the size of the existing rural activity center and the request for a special use permit for the ATV Racetrack, Paintball and other activities on the property located at the corner of N329/W318 in the quiet community of Flemington.
We realize these types of parks have a history of disrupting local lifestyles and the general atmosphere of the rural community due to their generation of noise and traffic. These parks seem to evoke an increase of littering, and police arrests . We have additional concern as to the detrimental impact these activities would have to the ground waters in or on the nearby flood zones.
Sweet Dixie South is a 160 acre “Jumper and Three Day Event” training farm located less than 1000 feet to the west of the proposed facility. We are very concerned about the volume of the noise and odors from exhaust created by this park. The proposed activities may be very disruptive to ourselves and other adjoining training facilities for the continuance of our established equine disciplines.
We also stand by the fact and believe the proposed facility does not support or promote the Farmland Preservation Area. We discourage any approval by the Marion County Commission to allow this intrusive proposal into the quiet community of Flemington, which is steeped In the tradition of equine culture.
Michael Campbell
Sweet Dixie South
We at Horse Farms Forever like ATVs. Many of us own and enjoy them. We support family-oriented outdoor recreation, just like the Double Gate ATV Park applicants. Our concern continues to be about the location of the subject property:
Our message continues to be the same as our mission:
We ask that the Farmland Preservation Area be respected and protected. Once it's erased, it can't be replaced.
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.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
Check out this bright and inspiring video of the Ocala Horse Parade, 2020. Brought to you by Horse Farms Forever, the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership, and Strategic Drone Services. Enjoy!
Help us to protect what’s unique about Marion County and ensure that its Farmland Preservation Area will always be there to welcome horses, agriculture and the rural way of life.
Join us. Like our horses, we are stronger together.
May 17, 2020
To Whom It May Concern,
As an avid sport horse enthusiast, I am adding my support for the thoughtful consideration of the preservation of the Farmland Preservation Area as designated in Ocala and Marion County. The special component of Ocala is the artful melding of all horse sports within a community that respects all aspects of good horsemanship from breeding, raising, training, competing and retiring these special partners after years of service. From world class veterinary and farrier service to exceptional training and competing options, Ocala is second to none in the opportunities it provides for the sport horse participate.
After semi-retiring from a 25-year career in the financial services industry, my husband and I had a choice of many areas to relocate. We chose Ocala because of its special beauty and open spaces where horses could be horses for 23 hours per day. Because of the turn out, peace and quiet of their surroundings and the extraordinary equine support of the community, they can rise to their potential for that one hour per day that they work to excel at their designated sport. Their mental and physical achievements are quite unique in this special place.
The Farmland Preservation Area at the heart of Ocala creates the certainty that this environment will always remain at the core of the horse industry of Marion County. It is the reason that horse owners and equine business efforts are willing to invest in owning, developing and operating horse related activities in this very region. Without it, Ocala becomes one more stopping point in the never-ending journey of horse shows and horse activities. This is not the fabric that Ocala represented to us when we first moved and invested in our community.
For this reason, I was excited to become a founding member of Horse Farms Forever. The education of and efforts towards preserving our equine community for generations to follow allow me to know that this very special melting pot of equine activities will always be appreciated and preserved.
Please do everything you can to preserve our special Farmland Preservation area as it exists today and resist the temptation to allow an erosion of its core principle. Having lived in New York City for many years in my career, I always marveled at the foresight of the city planners that allocated and preserved Central Park in the middle of that sprawling metropolis. Please do whatever you can such that someday people will marvel at your foresight to have preserved such a special part of the equine fabric of Ocala and Marion County.
Very best regards,
Linda Bammann
Owner of Laughing Horse Farm, Inc.
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.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.
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.
Join the herd. Every voice matters.