Horse Farms Forever® Celebrates Six Years

Horse Farms Forever® Celebrates Six Years

by | Jun 21, 2024 | News

Iron Sharpens Iron

For a traditional sixth anniversary gift, iron is given to symbolize strength. Horse Farms Forever® was founded six years ago to gather the community in opposition to a proposed toll road right through the Farmland Preservation Area. While the toll road was stopped, development pressure has only increased. In these six years, growing community support for protecting Marion County’s iconic landscapes has strengthened the commitment to our mission.

We have worked hard to develop strong relationships and support from a broad spectrum of the community, including large and small horse farm owners, realtors, developers, and business owners. This collective strength and shared wisdom of our members has given us a seat at the table and the opportunity to impact land use decisions and to inspire the conservation of horse farms.

We are helping to build a Marion County land conservation success story. Here’s a review of the latest chapter: 

    Advocating for Smart Growth

    Our most high-profile role is in advocating for smart growth and development. We monitor all development, zoning, land use and special use permit applications made to the County with a focus on any that could affect horse farms and the Farmland Preservation Area. When a proposed development threatens the Farmland Preservation Area, or is located outside of the County’s Urban Growth Boundary, HFF has been there at every meeting with the best professional support available that looks at all of the angles. Our goal in advocating for smart growth is to minimize land use conflicts, and thus, we also work toward making policy changes in the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to help prevent future incompatible development applications.

    This year we worked with the community to oppose the proposed RaceTrac truck stop deep within the heart of the FPA. This proposal would have opened pandora’s box, subjecting all parcels within the FPA to intense commercial development.

    We also led the charge in halting the Jumbolair Aviation Community  proposal to build 200 airplane hangars on rural lands which would have subjected the FPA to a never ending air-raid. 

    This Spring, we developed a campaign to bring awareness to an application to build a 500-vehicle storage lot on 15 acres directly adjacent to the Cross Florida Greenway. The application was withdrawn just an hour before the public hearing started.

    In 2022, HFF successfully amended the Marion County Comprehensive Plan to add further protections to the FPA by more tightly defining rural character and compatible land uses. We have recently applied to amend the Marion County Land Development Code to add further protections from subdivision of rural parcels in the FPA.

    Photos by Elma Garcia (foreground) and Mark Emery (background).

    Protecting our Water and Springs

    Finding a balance to growth and protecting our iconic landscape is paramount to protecting our farms and billion-dollar equine industry, which relies on the expansive pastures with mineral rich soils and water. The Farmland Preservation Area serves as the first line of defense in protecting two of Marion County’s First Magnitude Springs – Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs. In addition, the County is home to abundant natural resources, including two-hundred miles of trails for hiking and biking, and equestrian use, more than 150 miles of streams and rivers, and over 25 second and third magnitude springs.

    HFF is working with the county leadership and other stakeholders to refine the Transfer of Development Rights Program to make it more effective and functional, adding further protections to the FPA with conservation easements.

    Guiding Growth Inside the Urban Growth Boundary

    To help guide growth, HFF will be actively participating in Marion County’s evaluation of the Comprehensive Plan through a process known as an Evaluation and Appraisal Report, or in short, an ‘EAR’. These meetings are open to the public. Click below for the community meeting schedule:

    EAR Meetings

    Conversations About Conservation

    Two of the most successful events over the past year include the 2023 Conservation Summit featuring Carlton Ward, Jr., and the 2024 Spring Speaker Series featuring Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and Florida Cattleman Jim Strickland. These events help create a community dialogue about conservation and inspire a culture of land preservation in Marion County.

    In 2023, HFF held our Fourth Annual Conservation Summit featuring Carlton Ward, Jr., a National Geographic Explorer, who inspired us with his stunning photography and film of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Over 500 people attended and the Summit was also supported by over 60 businesses and organizations!

    Iron Clad

    With the iron clad support from the community and a growing land conservation ethic in Marion County, we can celebrate our 6-year anniversary knowing that our efforts have made a difference to help preserve the landscape that supports our 4.3 billion dollar equine industry and defines the character and culture of the Ocala area.

    Cheers!

    Contact the County about the EAR:

    For any additional questions regarding the EAR process, please email Planning@MarionFL.org with your subject line including 'EAR' or call us at 352-438-2675 & ask for a planner.

    https://www.marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/growth-services/planning-zoning/ear

    The workshops will be livestreamed. Check the County’s agenda webpage for the link: https://marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

    Join Us
    Applications Withdrawn for 500-Vehicle Storage Lot Abutting the Greenway

    Applications Withdrawn for 500-Vehicle Storage Lot Abutting the Greenway

    by | May 23, 2024 | Development Threats, News

    Site Plan from the applications. The proposed parking lot had more vehicle storage capacity than the Gainesville Airport. 

    On Tuesday, May 21, just about an hour before the start of the Marion County Commission zoning hearing, the applicant, 1415 Brothers Holdings, LLC withdrew all three applications to allow for storage of 500 vehicles on a 15-acre parcel located directly north of the Cross Florida Greenway. This announcement, made as people were arriving to the hearing, did not deter residents and concerned citizens as they filled the County Commission Auditorium. 

    All the seats were full on May 21 for the County Commission Hearing.

    County Attorney Guy Minter said that by withdrawing the applications, the applicant could re-apply at any time. While the applications were withdrawn, Horse Farms Forever will continue to monitor this property for any potential future applications.

    The three applications from 1415 Brothers Holdings, LLC on a 15-acre parcel located on SW Highway 484 adjacent to the Cross Florida Greenway requested to: 1) amend the Future Land Use from Rural Land to Commercial, 2) change the Zoning from General Agriculture (A-1) to Neighborhood Business (B-1) and 3) request a Special Use Permit to allow for outside storage of up to 500 boats, recreational vehicles, and trailers.

    Marion County’s Growth Services Staff recommended denial, with their report stating: “The Urban Growth Boundary is approximately a mile east of this property and this is not a designated Planned Service Area. This application does not meet any of the requirements provided above and is, by definition, sprawl.”

    The Growth Services Staff report also stated that the applications were not compatible with the surrounding properties, inconsistent with nine provisions of the Comprehensive Plan, and adverse to the public interest.

    In addition, the Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously at their April 29 meeting to recommend denial of all three applications. HFF attended the P & Z Commission meeting and spoke in support of the Growth Services Staff recommendation of denial.

    Horse Farms Forever’s Pave Paradise campaign to oppose the applications, was based on our position that the Growth Services Staff Report accurately identified the issues with the applications and correctly recommended that they should be denied. To quote one of our members, “These applications should have never seen the light of day. And when they were exposed to it, they quickly moved back into the shadows.”

    The campaign also addressed the reality that in rural areas, the County’s policy to only notify neighbors within 300 feet of a parcel is ineffective.  In addition, the placement of a small paper sign in front of a parcel on a busy roadway is not conducive to widespread notification of significant land use and zoning changes. Perhaps this is a matter the County will consider reviewing.

    Pave Paradise Campaign

    HFF Watchdog Role

    Part of the Horse Farms Forever mission is to be watchful of government and others to preserve and protect horse farms and farmland for future generations, especially in the Farmland Preservation Area.  Thus, we regularly review all applications for land use and zoning change, and special use permits. 

    It was during our regular review that the applications from 1415 Brothers Holdings, LLC were flagged for further investigation.  As we have many members and supporters in the general vicinity of this parcel, we studied the aerial maps and put “boots on the ground” driving the area and surrounding neighborhoods. 

    While this parcel was not in the Farmland Preservation Area, it was also not in the Urban Growth Boundary; instead, it was in the Rural Area surrounded by rural land with extensive equestrian and agricultural activity.  And as our mission statement makes clear, while we are especially focused on the Farmland Preservation Area, we are not exclusively focused on it. 

    Upon further review of the applications, we deemed these changes would set a precedent for urbanization and commercial development of this rural area. The Horse Farms Forever Board of Directors deemed these applications to be firmly in the strike zone of our mission and authorized a campaign to notify the surrounding property owners and our members and supporters of the applications and advocate in support of the Growth Services recommendations of denial. 

    We believe that horses create the character and culture that make Marion County unique and special. For there to be horses, there must be horse farms. In Marion County, there is about one horse for every four people. The equine industry contributes about one-fifth of the economy and one-fifth of the jobs. In addition, rural farmland creates open spaces that act as filtration for the Floridian aquifer which is at the source of all life in Florida. Further, the Farmland Preservation Area acts as a protective umbrella for the primary and secondary protection zones for Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs.

    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.

    Join the herd. Every voice matters.

    Join Today!
    Join or Donate Now
    Cowboys, Cattle and Conservation

    Cowboys, Cattle and Conservation

    by | May 9, 2024 | Events, News

    Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and rancher Jim Strickland spoke to a packed house at Horse Farms Forever’s Spring Speaker Series Event held at Golden Ocala on April 24. Photos by Sean Dowie Photography

    Wilton Simpson, Commissioner of Agriculture, Inspires at Spring Speaker Series

    Wilton Simpson, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture gave an inspiring speech at Horse Farms Forever’s third annual Spring Speaker Series event held on Wednesday, April 24 at Golden Ocala. Jim Strickland, legendary Florida cowboy and rancher, also spoke passionately about his love of ranching at the event.

    Over 125 guests joined us to celebrate Farmland Preservation Month and to create more awareness about conservation programs to promote agriculture and protect farms. Our Presenting Sponsor was Lugano Diamonds and our Program Sponsor was Tasha Osbourne of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. Many thanks for their generous support!

    Wilton Simpson, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, has been a champion of agriculture since his election to the Florida Senate in 2012. He spoke about securing the future of farming in the state of Florida by protecting farms and ranches through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program with conservation easements.

    Food is National Security

    Commissioner Simpson is a fifth-generation Floridian and he has been a champion of agriculture since his election to the Florida Senate in 2012, where he served for 10 years. He spoke about securing the future of farming in the state of Florida, with programs such as the updated Right to Farm Act, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program to help protect agricultural land from urban sprawl, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and the Fresh from Florida program to encourage Florida-grown food.


    The most important issue facing agriculture, he said, is to define food and agriculture as a national security issue. 

    “We think about oil as a national security issue and our country has strategic supplies of oil just in case there’s a major disruption somewhere in the world,” he said. “But, imagine one week of no food in the grocery stores, or no food for just seven days. There would be total chaos in this country. Now imagine 30 days of no food in the stores and there would be people starving.”

    Simpson also said that agriculture is the number-two driver of Florida’s economy, but during the pandemic because tourism was limited, agriculture became the number-one driver of the economy. 

    “Agriculture has more than a $130 billion economic impact across our state while providing 2.2 million jobs and local sources of food,” he said.

    Rural and Family Lands Protection Program

    As a lifelong farmer, who grew up working on his family’s large-scale egg farm, he understands the development pressure that landowners face. He has championed the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) that protects important agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements. 

    He successfully secured $300 million in funding for the RFLPP the 2022-2023 fiscal year and he has requested an additional $300 million in funding for the 2024 fiscal year. 

    Florida Wildlife Corridor

    In 2021, Commissioner Simpson also championed the successful passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which helps protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The Corridor stretches over 18 million acres and generates more than $30 billion in revenue annually and stimulates roughly 100,000 jobs in the state of Florida. Since 2021, more than 160,000 acres have been approved for protection through the RFLPP and the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act. 

    He has also supported several agriculture-focused policies in the Florida Senate, including reducing the tax burden on farmers by strengthening Florida’s greenbelt laws and expanding Agritourism throughout Florida.

    After the Spring Speaker Series, Wilton Simpson posted on his personal Facebook page, stating:

    “Great to be in Ocala last night with my friend Jim Strickland and Horse Farms Forever. They’re working to conserve horse farms to preserve natural pasture land. The horse industry defines so much of the areas character and I’m grateful for the work being done to protect it.” 

     

     

    Bernie Little, HFF Founder and President, Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, CEO, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Traci Deen, Esq., President and CEO of Conservation Florida, Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Executive Director, Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Jonathon Rees, Firm Member, Smith, Bryan & Myers

    Craig Curry, Marion County Commissioner, Mary Jane Hunt, HFF Founder and Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Executive Director

    Michelle Stone, Marion County Commissioner (center) with Lonny Powell- CEO Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association and Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture

    Tasha and Michael Osbourne – Many thanks to our Presenting Sponsor Lugano Diamonds and to our Program Sponsor Tasha Osbourne of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty for their generous support!

    Rubbish and Debrie, mascots for Marion County’s No Horsin’ Around Campaign to help prevent litter.  

    Mary Jane Hunt, Director of the Saint Bernard Foundation, presents gifts of $25,000 each to Sam Smidt, Director of Land Use and Protection Research for the American Farmland Trust, Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, CEO, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, (standing with Wilton Simpson and Sara Fennessy), and Traci Deen, Esq., President and CEO of Conservation Florida

    Jim Strickland and John S. Rudnianyn, CCIM, ALC. International Property Services Corp

    Jason Reynolds, Executive Director, Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park and Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Executive Director

    Jim Strickland, legendary Florida rancher spoke passionately about the importance of protecting working cattle ranches.

    Cattle and Conservation Cowboy – Jim Strickland

    Jim Strickland is the Owner of Strickland Ranch and Managing Partner of Blackbeard’s Ranch a 4,530-acre cattle ranch near Myakka River State Park. He has six decades of ranching experience and comes from a family that has been ranching in Florida since 1860. When his father died in the 1970’s, Jim took over the family cattle operations at the age of 17, primarily leasing land for cattle. 

    “I’ve been ranching for 60 years and this is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” said Strickland. “There’s no illustrious history about Strickland Ranch, nor huge financial gains; what there is a love for the woods, cattle and Florida. I’ve been blessed to do what I love.”

    His passion for cattle and conservation began at a young age, as he witnessed the development pressure first-hand and had to move his cattle out of many leased pastures and native ranges when they converted to housing developments. 

    Jim is a strong advocate for Florida agriculture and land conservation. He is the Vice-Chairman of the Florida Conservation Group, a science-based organization that facilitated the protection of over 35,000 acres of ranches with conservation easements in 2023 and are currently working to protect another 40,000 acres in 2024.

    “A ranch is as close to pristine wilderness as you’ll get. How do we compensate ranchers to maintain their land, stay in business and not sell to developers? We have to be able to tell the story of what dirt is worth – not from the standpoint of development rights – but what is the land worth to society, the 22 million people who live in Florida, who depend on that land to filter water, protect wetlands, store carbon, and provide animal habitat,” said Strickland. 

    Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area

    The Florida Conservation Group worked in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to establish a new 4 million-acre Conservation Area in southwest Florida as the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area, which will allow USFWS to work with landowners to protect agricultural land with conservation easements.

    He was also instrumental in protecting nearly 1,500 acres of Blackbeard’s Ranch with a conservation easement.

    Jim has served as President of the Florida Cattleman’s Association, Past Chairman of the Florida Cattleman’s Foundation, and Chairman of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association PAC, the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park and is Co-Chair of the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture Work Group.

    Jim was named Audubon Florida’s Sustainable Rancher of the year in 2019 and recognized as one of Florida Trend’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders for 2018 and 2019.

    George Isaacs, General Manager, Bridlewood Farm and HFF Director, Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Executive Director, Mallory Lykes Dimmitt, CEO, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Mary Jane Hunt, HFF Founder, Jim Strickland, Florida rancher, Busy Shires, HFF Director of Conservation, Bernie Little, HFF Founder and President

    Busy Shires, Director of Conservation, Horse Farms Forever high fives Jim Strickland

    Nancy DiMaggio, Volunteer, Horse Farms Forever

    Heather Traynham Wright, Ann Louise Drake, Holland and Barbara Drake

    Debbie and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses and HFF Founder Mary Jane Hunt

    Thank You To Our Sponsors!

    Contact the County about the EAR:

    For any additional questions regarding the EAR process, please email Planning@MarionFL.org with your subject line including 'EAR' or call us at 352-438-2675 & ask for a planner.

    https://www.marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/growth-services/planning-zoning/ear

    The workshops will be livestreamed. Check the County’s agenda webpage for the link: https://marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

    Join Us
    Call It What You Want. It’s a Truck Stop.

    Call It What You Want. It’s a Truck Stop.

    by | Feb 25, 2024 | News

    RaceTrac has applied to build a truck stop deep inside the Farmland Preservation Area. The County says truck stops are not compatible on agricultural land, so RaceTrac has applied to change the zoning and made some modifications to the plan, calling it a gas station and convenience store with Extended Diesel Offering (EDO).

    EDO is RaceTrac’s code word for truck stop. It’s a shenanigan! But more critically, it is an inappropriate use of rural land and is located in a traffic hot zone that is already dangerous. 

    Original Plan

    In June of 2022, the Site Plan had parking spaces for 19 tractor-trailer rigs. Take a good look at this location and the entrance/exits onto US Highway 441 and W Highway 329. Can you picture tractor trailers entering and exiting in multiple places in that already busy location?

    Here’s a bird’s eye view of the traffic hot zone, close to schools and surrounded by rural land. Could you pick a worse spot for multiple tractor-trailer entrances and exits?

    Plan B

    Here is a revised site plan dated November 11, 2022, with parking spaces for 18 tractor-trailer rigs. The truck parking is condensed into a smaller area but the traffic impacts are unchanged.

    Plan “OOPS”

    Here is the “Oops, You Caught Us” revised site plan dated November 09, 2023, with parking spaces for ZERO tractor-trailer rigs. Why the change? Tractor-trailer parking is not allowed in Rural Commercial zoning and the only way to get this application approved is to change the zoning from agricultural to Rural Commercial. EDO is RaceTrac’s code word for truck stop. The EDO fueling pumps are still there, and the site is still designed for tractor-trailer rigs to enter and exit on 329 and 441. 

    Truckers: Please Stop In

    What’s more, RaceTrac is actively encouraging truck drivers to use the facilities, as seen here in their own promotion from September of this year:

    “As a business, RaceTrac relies on truck drivers not only to supply our store with fuel and products, but also as valued customers who stop in to fill up with us. We believe it’s important to show thanks for the hard work these drivers give, day in and day out,” said Mark Reese, vice president of operations, maintenance, and store support at RaceTrac.

     

    “RaceTrac Travel Centers and EDO stores are specifically designed with truck drivers in mind. Travel center amenities include plenty of interior store space, an outdoor patio, extended canopies for high-flow diesel with bulk diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), free Wi-Fi and a seating area.”

    A Traffic Nightmare

    The tractor-trailer drivers are going to park to visit the store, use the Wifi and outdoor seating area, and that begs the question, WHERE are they going to park?

    Along the road?

    How about in the open field behind the fuel pumps where the original spaces were located? Who could blame them for pulling over there just to get out of the way? Who will stop them?

    And if there is no parking, what will happen when all 5 EDO lanes are occupied? Will they be lined up along 441 or 329?

    Surely not. That’s a safety issue. How long will it be until RaceTrac applies for A SPECIAL USE PERMIT to add the parking spaces they originally planned, for the sake of safety and the public good? How then will the County be able to deny their request?

    This is not RaceTrac’s first rodeo. They have stated in their application their opinion that the location near the 441/301 split is ideal for development. The truck stop will trigger safety and environmental issues that will require further development, blowing the lid off that quiet rural area.

    Attend the Hearing

    RaceTrac’s application for zoning will face a public hearing on March 19th, 2pm, at the McPherson Complex. We urge you to show up along with us and exercise your right to public comment. Please also reach out to your County Commissioners to thank them for their longstanding support for farmland preservation and ask them to continue to uphold the Comprehensive Plan’s protections for the Farmland Preservation Area. Your voice matters and it makes a difference.

    Email the Commissioners

    Contact the County about the EAR:

    For any additional questions regarding the EAR process, please email Planning@MarionFL.org with your subject line including 'EAR' or call us at 352-438-2675 & ask for a planner.

    https://www.marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/growth-services/planning-zoning/ear

    The workshops will be livestreamed. Check the County’s agenda webpage for the link: https://marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

    Join or Donate Now

    The Racetrac Shenanigan

    The Racetrac Shenanigan

    by | Feb 22, 2024 | News, Resolved

    RaceTrac has applied to build a truck stop deep inside the Farmland Preservation Area. The County says truck stops are not compatible on agricultural land, so RaceTrac has applied to change the zoning and made some modifications to the plan so that it looks more like a gas station. It’s a shenanigan! Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, RaceTrac is hoping that the disguise will get them in the gate. Once they’re in, the incremental change to a full-scale truck stop will be hard to fight. Let’s take a closer look at this “sheep-nanigan” so we can see the teeth and claws hidden under the fluff.

    The Shenanigan

    The site is at the intersection of 329 where it meets 301/441 just before the “Y” where 301/441 split in northwest Ocala. It is right near both the North Marion High and Middle schools. You can see that the area is predominantly large, open pastures. It is a quiet rural neighborhood with one exception. The convergence of 301 and 441 creates a high traffic count.

    Especially for trucks headed to and from Jacksonville. 

    RaceTrac has applied to rezone an agricultural parcel in the FPA to Rural Commercial, a restricted, specialty classification. Rural Commercial is only available to legacy commercial parcels that are agricultural related and appropriate on Rural Lands.

    Perhaps you’ve never heard of Rural Commercial zoning – seems like an oxymoron! Is it rural or is it commercial? It’s understandable if you have never heard of it.  Of the 281,000 parcels in the County, only 20 have this legacy zoning. That’s just 0.007%.

    According to our research, no one has ever applied to rezone a parcel with Rural Land use from Agricultural to Rural Commercial … until RaceTrac.

    Truck Stops are not allowed in Rural Commercial zoning. So, RaceTrac is calling this project a “rural agricultural convenience store and gas station.”

    The Disguise

    How do you make a truck stop look like a gas station?

    RaceTrac’s answer is to remove the semi-truck parking, but keep the semi-truck fueling lanes. Take a look at this site plan. The gas pumps are in the front and the diesel truck lanes are in the back. If you’ve ever been to a truck stop, you’ll recognize the pattern.

    When’s the last time you saw a truck stop with semi-truck fueling lanes but no semi-truck parking? They have to park somewhere, even temporarily, and they will. On all that space in the back.

    How long will it be before that open space has semi-trucks parked on it? Who will be able to stop it then?

    My What Big Teeth You Have

    Truck stops depend on traffic to make a profit. Look at what grew up around a similar RaceTrac in Lithia Springs, Georgia: big box stores, distribution centers, fast food, you name it. If RaceTrac is allowed to use Rural Commercial zoning, then the sky’s the limit for a commercial invasion of the Farmland Preservation Area.

    If this truck stop is “agricultural related and appropriate for rural lands” then what else will developers argue for? A Bucc-ees on the opposite corner? A Walmart? How much farther behind are a wider road, faster speeds, on- and off-ramps, and lighting 24/7? URBAN SPRAWL is knocking on the door.

    A Break in the Fence?

    In order to get to the sheep, this wolf has to clear some hurdles. The first hurdle is the restriction to agricultural related commercial uses.

    Is a RaceTrac truck stop an agricultural related use? Of course not! The USDA says “agricultural related use” means lands, buildings, or structures, used, designed, or intended for use for the purpose of a bona fide farming operation.

    Selling salads does not make it agricultural. Providing diesel fuel for off-road vehicles doesn’t make it agricultural. There are already two small, legacy-zoned gas stations in that area to serve that need.

    The second hurdle requires the use be appropriate on Rural Lands.

    Is a truck stop appropriate on Rural Lands? The Marion County Comprehensive Plan says no! That’s abundantly clear.

    The third hurdle is that all undeveloped commercial parcels located in the Rural Lands shall rezone to Rural Commercial.

    The RaceTrac parcel is an undeveloped agricultural parcel. It does not qualify for the Rural Commercial zoning.

    It should take some fancy footwork to get past those first three hurdles addressing the intent of the Rural Commercial zoning classification, but if RaceTrac clears those, the fourth hurdle is permitted uses. 

    If you are agricultural related, appropriate on rural lands, and an undeveloped commercial parcel, then convenience store/gas station is a permitted use. Truck stops are not a permitted use. The Land Development Code says truck stops are not permitted on Rural Lands.

    If RaceTrac can convince the County that they meet both the intent of the classification and the permitted use, they will face the fifth and highest hurdle: the Comprehensive Plan. 

    Objective 3.3.1

    All Zoning Changes and Special Use Permits within the Farmland Preservation Area must be consistent with and preserve, protect, support, and enhance the rural, equestrian, and farmland character of the Farmland Preservation Area.

    A truck stop does not clear this hurdle.

    Common Sense

    If it walks like a truck stop, quacks like a truck stop and acts like a truck stop, it’s a truck stop! Our County has done good work to protect the Farmland Preservation Area through zoning and the Comprehensive Plan. Because it can’t undo those protections, RaceTrac is seeking to find and exploit a loophole.

    It’s a sheep-nanigan. We hope you don’t fall for it.

    Don’t let RaceTrac pull the wool over your eyes.

    RaceTrac’s application for zoning will face a public hearing on March 19th. We urge you to show up along with us and exercise your right to public comment. Please also reach out to your County Commissioners to thank them for their longstanding support for farmland preservation and ask them to continue to uphold the Comprehensive Plan’s protections for the Farmland Preservation Area. Your voice matters and it makes a difference.

    Email the Commissioners

    Contact the County about the EAR:

    For any additional questions regarding the EAR process, please email Planning@MarionFL.org with your subject line including 'EAR' or call us at 352-438-2675 & ask for a planner.

    https://www.marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/growth-services/planning-zoning/ear

    The workshops will be livestreamed. Check the County’s agenda webpage for the link: https://marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

    Join or Donate Now