Niagara Bottling Will Close Its Ocala Plant on Dec. 31, and 57 Workers Will Lose Their Jobs

Fifty-seven people who work at the Niagara Bottling plant on Ocala's northwest side will be out of a job when the year ends. In a layoff notice dated Oct. 31, 2026, the California bottled-water company told the City of Ocala and the state that it will close the plant at 2445 NW 42nd Street and that employee separations are expected on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026.

The notice was filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which generally requires larger employers to give 60 days' notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. It appears on FloridaCommerce's 2026 WARN notice list, which shows a state notification date of Oct. 31, a layoff date of Dec. 31 and 57 affected employees in manufacturing.

AI-generated illustration. Not a photo of the Niagara Bottling plant in Ocala.

What the company told the city

The two-page letter, signed by Miguel Gomez, Niagara's director of human resources for manufacturing, was sent to the Office of the Mayor at Ocala City Hall and to the state's rapid response coordinator. It says the company "has made the decision to engage in a reorganization of its workforce that will include a plant closure and the layoff of employees" assigned to the NW 42nd Street facility.

The letter does not give a reason for the closure beyond that reorganization. It says no "bumping rights" apply, meaning employees cannot move into other workers' positions to keep a job, and that none of the affected employees belong to a union.

Who is losing a job

An enclosure to the letter lists 17 job titles, and every one of them carries the same separation date, Dec. 31. The largest groups work the production floor: 11 injection operators and four injection operator leads, nine production operator IIs, two production operators and two production operator leads. The warehouse loses nine forklift operator Is, two forklift operator IIs and two warehouse leads.

Maintenance staff are on the list too: four maintenance technicians, one senior maintenance technician, two PM mechanics and one facilities associate. So is the plant's leadership, including the plant director, four production managers, the plant quality assurance manager, a QA technician lead and a quality technician.

The company behind the plant

Niagara Bottling describes itself on its website as a family-owned beverage manufacturer founded in 1963, with headquarters in Diamond Bar, California. Its newsroom also lists a Sept. 5, 2025, announcement that it acquired Ocala-based Silver Springs Bottled Water Co. and its portfolio of brands. The WARN letter covers only the NW 42nd Street plant and does not mention the Silver Springs brands.

Where affected workers can get help

WARN notices go to the state so its rapid response program can reach affected workers before their last day. Locally, CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion runs the region's career center at 2703 NE 14th Street, Ocala, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its Marion County line is (352) 840-5700. According to its services page, the fee-free help includes career counseling, job referrals, resume and interview help, hiring events and tuition assistance for training in high-demand occupations.

The next big chance to meet employers is close. CareerSource's 14th annual Paychecks for Patriots Job Fair runs Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Marion County Public Library Headquarters. It is free, and veterans and their families get priority access during the first hour. Our Ocala job fair guide tracks upcoming hiring events, and the Ocala jobs guide covers the area's major employers and where they post openings.

More business news from around the county is on our news page.