exCEPtional Mornings - December 2026

Crashes killed 81 people on Marion County public roads in 2025, down from 113 in 2024 and the lowest total in the five years covered by the Ocala Marion TPO's 2026 Commitment to Zero Safety Report. Motorcyclist deaths rose to 21, and 20 bicyclists were killed or seriously injured, the highest yearly total in the report's summary table.

Ocala City Council voted 5-0 on Oct. 20, 2026, to adopt Ordinance 2027-1, repealing the city's local business tax, known as the business tax receipt (BTR). The ordinance was introduced Oct. 6. Staff had also asked to refund businesses that already paid for 2026-27.

The 2026 OBS October Yearling Sale in Ocala ended Oct. 7 with 267 yearlings sold for $6,775,500. The average rose to $25,376 and the median to $17,000. A Girvin filly bred by Ocala's Glen Hill Farm topped the sale at $190,000.

Marion County voters will decide Nov. 3, 2026, whether the county may issue up to $140 million in bonds for parks, trails, clean water protection, farms and forests, repaid by a countywide property tax of no more than 0.35 mill. Here is the ballot language, the rules the commission attached and the county's project list.

The first Go and Gobble 5K runs Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, at 8 a.m. on the grounds of the Florida Horse Park in Ocala. Registration is $40 through Nov. 21 and includes a long-sleeve shirt and finisher medal.

World Equestrian Center says The Shoppes Off 80th, an outdoor shopping district with 32 storefronts next to The Riding Academy Hotel, is expected to open later in 2026, with a wine shop, two Thoroughbreds boutiques and a second Mr. Pickles & Sailor Bear Toy Shoppe.