Second Annual Business to Business Expo A Great Success. Pictured from left Chrissy Thibodeau, Jaclyn Searcy and Laura Schenck of Community Bank and Trust of Florida. Some 56 businesses made it into the expo, though some did not. Only 56 businesses would fit the then large room that housed the Expo. Many contacts were made; business transactions were set up. Each business there had time to talk to all 56 other businesses in attendance. All remarks that were passed around were positive and all were looking forward to 2018 expo. The great food was furnished by Eaton Beach Catering, Too Jays Catering, Water Oak, Sam Club, Honey Bake Ham and Chick-fil-A the Villages.

(OCALA, Fla.) July 7, 2017 – An eighteen-wheeler, carrying rocks, was involved in a traffic accident which resulted in a rollover and spill of its contents over multiple lanes on I-75.

Ocala Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the vicinity of mile marker 351, on I-75 Southbound, at 12:57 AM, where a collision between a truck and a Mercedes was reported. Upon arrival Engine 3, Rescue 3 and Tower 1 encountered a trailer, which had gone through the southbound guard rails, laying on its side in the northbound lanes with its cargo – river rocks – spread over the road. Firefighters assessed the state of those involved. While the truck driver did not report injuries, two of the three individuals traveling in the second vehicle involved – a black Mercedes – were transported to the hospital as a precaution. [Read more…]

Second Annual Business to Business Expo A Great Success. Pictured from left Chrissy Thibodeau, Jaclyn Searcy and Laura Schenck of Community Bank and Trust of Florida. Some 56 businesses made it into the expo, though some did not. Only 56 businesses would fit the then large room that housed the Expo. Many contacts were made; business transactions were set up. Each business there had time to talk to all 56 other businesses in attendance. All remarks that were passed around were positive and all were looking forward to 2018 expo. The great food was furnished by Eaton Beach Catering, Too Jays Catering, Water Oak, Sam Club, Honey Bake Ham and Chick-fil-A the Villages.

FREE Concerts every Friday night May 19 – July 21! For a full line-up, visit the website at: http://concerts.levittamp.org/ocala 

Marion County, Florida (June 30, 2017)- Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes detectives and Cold Case team members have closed the homicide case of Margaret Mary Mohrenne (DOB: 08/11/1971) nearly 12 years after her death. Mohrenne was found deceased in her home, then located at the 3600th block of NE 22nd Street in Ocala in July of 2005. Mohrenne’s boyfriend, Allen Hodder (DOB: 01/16/1979) was the main suspect in the case but was not arrested.

After further investigation and consultation with the State Attorney’s Office (SAO), the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the SAO began the process of seeking a Second Degree Murder indictment against Hodder. However, Hodder died on March 13, 2017, of a Fentanyl and Carfentanil overdose before the indictment could be brought against him, therefore closing the case. [Read more…]

The City of Ocala has installed a new municipal services payment drop box at City Hall located at 110 SE Watula Ave. This new drop box is located near the front entrance of City Hall along E Fort King Street and is available as a drive-through option for customers.

Post Date:06/30/2017 4:13 PM

OCALA, Fla. (June 30, 2017) – The City of Ocala has installed a new municipal services payment drop box at City Hall located at 110 SE Watula Ave. This new drop box is located near the front entrance of City Hall along E Fort King Street and is available as a drive-through option for customers.

Payments will be collected from this drop box at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. All payments received by 2 p.m. Monday through Friday will be posted the same day. Only check payments will be permitted at this new location. Cash payment will not be accepted. City of Ocala residents will not be able to start or stop any municipal services through this new drop box location.  [Read more…]

Wednesday, July 5, the City of Ocala, along with contractors Marion Rock, Inc. and Foundation Services, will begin work to remediate, or resolve, a depression located at the northwest corner of SW 27th Avenue and SW 19th Avenue Road. This project is expected to be completed at the end of July 2017.

Post Date:06/30/2017 10:33 AM

OCALA, Fla. (June 30, 2017) – Wednesday, July 5, the City of Ocala, along with contractors Marion Rock, Inc. and Foundation Services, will begin work to remediate, or resolve, a depression located at the northwest corner of SW 27th Avenue and SW 19th Avenue Road. This project is expected to be completed at the end of July 2017.

In continuation with the Maintenance of Traffic (MOT), the westbound lane of SW 27th Avenue will be closed to traffic during this construction period. All necessary devices will be in place to re-direct traffic.

Construction will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and will not occur during any City-recognized holidays.

For more information, please contact City Engineer’s Office, Capital Projects Division at 352-629-8419.

One of the two primary goals of the CEP is to create and retain jobs in our community. Four of our five core areas are organized around this goal. You will often see our five-year goal of impacting the announced creation of 4500 new jobs if you attend a CEP event or browse our website. However, job creation is more than just the projects that we directly impact. In fact, if we are doing our jobs then the community should see greater economic impact and job creation.

One way many people track the status of the job market is through the unemployment rate. While there are some real challenges with this approach, it does provide a good barometer of what is happening in our community. Using the latest numbers available (March 2017), the current unemployment rate in the Ocala MSA (Marion County) is 5.1 percent. This is a tremendous improvement from just a few years ago when it surpassed 14 percent. Additionally, when you look at the three-county workforce the numbers remain very positive. Marion County is the center of a regional workforce shed so these numbers are important. The unemployment in this region was 5.2 percent with nearly 5,900 more people employed than a year ago. [Read more…]

There are so many incredible things happening in our community. The coming months will see the announcement of new primary employers and major expansions by existing primary employers. The Power Plant Business Incubator continues to help innovative and scalable startups primarily in the areas of technology, health care, and communications. The downtown area continues to generate enthusiasm with the new midtown plan, an ever-growing line up of restaurants and stores, and the long awaited hotel project set to break ground by the end of summer. All of this excitement and growth is in large part the result of our partners. Thank you for your engagement and investment in moving Ocala and Marion County forward.

Leadership Ocala Marion

Spring brings warmer weather, high school proms and graduations, and the beginning of planning for the CEP’s amazing leadership programs. For 30 years, Leadership Ocala Marion (LOM) has been training and providing opportunities to train new generations of leaders on the needs of this community and how they can engage. [Read more…]

Last month, I outlined the successes of the CEP’s inaugural five-year plan, Moving Forward. In fact, this plan was reached a full year early. This month’s column will be focused on outlining the recently adopted Moving Forward-Phase II plan which seeks to continue to grow and diversify the local economy.

Moving Forward – Phase II

Just like its predecessor, this plan did not just happen. It is the result of months of discussion and research by the CEP staff and Board of Directors. Once again, the Board asked economist Dr. Sharon Younger to assist them in the creation of this plan. She provided an incredible layer of analysis and detail to assist the Board including a significant amount of data on how the Ocala MSA and the CEP compare to our ten benchmark communities.

[Read more…]