The Ocala International Airport terminal sign and control tower. Photo: Mjrmtg, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Ocala International Airport Keeps Its Name After Advisory Board Vote
This is a government news article published on 2026-10-12 covering local Marion County, Florida news. On Oct. 13, 2026, the City of Ocala's Airport Advisory Board approved a motion to keep "International" in the airport's name rather than rename it Ocala National Airport. Here is what the proposal said and why board members kept the name for now.
Update, Oct. 18, 2026: The Airport Advisory Board decided on Oct. 13 to keep "International" in the airport's name. According to the action recorded for the item (file 2027-0054) in the city's Legistar meeting system, a motion "to keep international in the airport name" by board member Camp Clifford, seconded by H. Randolph Klein, was approved. The meeting notes record board members saying the name confuses some travelers but that customs service could return as the airport's west side is developed, and a request that airport staff begin talks about customs once Taxiway C is complete. The original preview follows.
The City of Ocala's Airport Advisory Board is set to discuss renaming Ocala International Airport as Ocala National Airport when it meets Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., according to the board's published agenda. The item is listed as "Airport Name Change" under new business.
Why the name could change
The two-page exhibit attached to the item proposes going from "Ocala International" to "Ocala National Airport" and gives three points:
- There is no requirement to change the name.
- The Federal Aviation Administration provided no regulatory guidance.
- The "International" label has caused confusion.
The exhibit does not say what kind of confusion the name has caused, what a change would cost, or when a new name would take effect.
The Ocala International Airport terminal sign and control tower, June 2025. Photo: Mjrmtg, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
About the airport
The city owns the airport, officially Ocala International Airport / Jim Taylor Field, at 1770 SW 60th Ave. in southwest Ocala. The city's airport policy statement describes it as a general aviation airport serving the commercial, industrial and corporate needs of Ocala and Marion County. Travelers looking for airline flights use the regional airports listed in our closest airports to Ocala guide.
An operations report attached to the same agenda counts 75,514 total operations at the airport from January through September 2026, including 8,280 in September. The report's totals include overflights and after-hours operations.
The Airport Advisory Board is a community advisory group that meets on the second Tuesday of each month. The agenda does not say whether the board will vote on the name, and the city has not published a date for any City Council action.
Also on the Oct. 13 agenda
- Air show planning for the Wings Over Ocala Air Show, set for April 30 through May 2, 2027.
- An amendment to a Florida Department of Transportation grant for the Runway 36 safety area.
- The airport director's report, which lists the terminal apron rehabilitation as complete, site work on a new sheriff's hangar as started Sept. 1, 2026, and the airport master plan as submitted. According to the board's draft Sept. 8 minutes, the sheriff's hangar is about 12,000 square feet, and the master plan had been with the FAA for about a month with no word back.
The board voted on Oct. 13 to keep the current name; see the update at the top of this story.
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