Oct. 20 Recap: Marion County Rejects Composting Settlement; Ocala Repeals Its Business Tax Receipt

Both of Ocala's local governments met on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. The Marion County Commission voted 5-0 to deny a mediated settlement that would have sent a rejected food-waste composting permit on NW Gainesville Road back to a public hearing. That evening, Ocala City Council voted 5-0 to repeal the city's business tax receipt. The outcomes below come from the action records in each government's Legistar system: the county's Oct. 20 meeting file and the city's Oct. 20 council meeting. Both sets of minutes were still in draft on Oct. 21.

Concept plan for the NW 49th Street Gateway, which county commissioners approved Oct. 20, 2026. Image: Marion County case 261010ZP, Attachment A5 (Michael Pape & Associates for 49th Street Gateway, LLC).

At a Glance

• Composting settlement, NW Gainesville Road: denied by the county, 5-0.


• County employees' 3% raise: hybrid option chosen, 4-1, with Commissioner Kathy Bryant voting no.


• 49th Street Gateway (up to 535 homes and a 500-room hotel at the new I-75 exit): land use change and rezoning approved by the county, 5-0.


• Opioid settlement grants, library roof, health department funding, Rainbow Lakes Estates speed limits: approved on the county's consent agenda, 5-0.


• East Highway 318 speed limits in Citra: pulled from consent and approved separately, 5-0.


• Ocala business tax receipt repeal (Ordinance 2027-1): adopted, 5-0.


• Spot on Liquors package sales permit: failed, 1-3.


• Waiver for a new rezoning on the Mockingbird Ridge land: approved, 5-0.


• Peoples Gas franchise (Ordinance 2027-3): adopted.


• Ocala CRA grant overhaul and the county CRA's Silver Springs properties discussion: no action posted as of Oct. 21.

Marion County Commission

All five commissioners voted on the items below unless noted, according to the roll-call votes in the county's action record.

What happened to the NW Gainesville Road composting settlement?

Commissioners voted 5-0 to deny the mediated settlement (item 8.1, File No. 2026-24718) on a motion by Commissioner Michelle Stone, seconded by Commissioner Kathy Bryant. The agreement would not have approved the permit itself. It would have sent special use permit 260503SU, for food-waste "de-packaging" at an existing vegetative debris composting site at 8510 and 8548 NW Gainesville Road, back to the board for a new hearing with 22 negotiated conditions. The board had denied the permit 4-0 on June 2. The clerk's draft notes say the item was moved to the afternoon session and list four members of the public who spoke, raising concerns that included odor and the site's location.

According to the county attorney's agenda item, when the board does not approve the settlement, state law requires an evidentiary hearing before the special magistrate under Florida's Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act, who then makes a determination and recommendation on the board's decision. Under the mediated settlement agreement, a denial means both sides keep all their claims, rights and defenses. The agreement describes the operators' separate petition asking the circuit court to review the June denial (Case No. 2026-CA-1611) as pending; it would have been dismissed only after a final approval of the permit. Background is in our composting settlement preview.

How will county employees get the 3% raise?

The board chose Option 3, the hybrid, by a 4-1 vote (item 9.2), with Commissioner Kathy Bryant voting no. Stone moved and Vice Chair Matt McClain seconded. As described in the agenda item, the hybrid pays part of the 3% as a cost-of-living raise effective Oct. 31 and uses the rest for merit raises on employees' anniversary dates. The action record does not say how the 3% will be split between the two. The three options are laid out in our raise preview.

Did the 49th Street Gateway get approved?

Yes. Commissioners voted 5-0 on both requests from 49th Street Gateway, LLC: a small-scale land use change for 31.44 acres at 5110 NW 44th Ave. from Low Residential to Employment Center (26-S07), and a rezoning to a new planned unit development (261010ZP) on about 105 acres at 5110 and 5500 NW 44th Ave. The PUD allows up to 535 homes, a 500-room hotel, 450,000 square feet of retail, 100,000 square feet of office space and 14,500 square feet of restaurants. The site is on the west side of the new I-75 interchange at NW 49th Street. Details are in our 49th Street Gateway report.

What passed on the consent agenda?

The consent agenda passed 5-0 on a motion by Stone, seconded by McClain. Commissioners first pulled item 7.2.1 and the East Highway 318 speed limits for discussion, and set item 7.5.5 aside for a later date. Among the items approved:

• Opioid settlement grants: all six awards (items 7.2.2 through 7.2.7), totaling up to $764,868.94 with the hospital district's administrative share, to Wear Gloves Dignity House, Open Arms Village Women's Village, WellFlorida Council's Nurse-Family Partnership, Lost & Found Club and the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's and Public Defender's offices. See our opioid grants preview.


• Library headquarters roof: a $794,933.44 task order with Ausley Construction Company LLC of Ocala (item 7.5.15).


• Health department: the county's funding agreement with the Florida Department of Health, not to exceed $3,150,000 (item 7.5.12).


• Rainbow Lakes Estates speed limits: the resolution setting new limits, mostly 45 mph, on SW Marine Boulevard, SW Rainbow Lakes Boulevard, SW Beach Boulevard and five truck routes (item 7.7.2).


• NW 49th Street Phase 3: property purchases for the road project for $193,507.75 and $254,566.50 (items 7.1.2 and 7.1.3).

The item set aside for a later date (7.5.5) is an $84,345 contract amendment with Guerra Development Corporation for the SW/NW 80th/70th Avenue widening's preliminary engineering report, one of the road items in our county road projects preview.

What happened to the Highway 318 speed limits?

The East Highway 318 resolution in Citra (item 7.7.1) was pulled from consent and approved 5-0 on a motion by McClain, seconded by Commissioner Craig Curry. The draft notes record direction to staff to notify the Sheriff's Office for awareness. The segment-by-segment limits, including the stretch going to 55 mph, are in our speed limit preview.

Other county actions

• Affordable housing strategies withdrawn: the State Housing Initiatives Partnership incentive strategies for 2025-26 (item 7.2.1) were withdrawn, 5-0. The draft notes say the strategies must be finalized by the end of the year and set a workshop for Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m., to include the new commissioners.


• SE 136th Court: after a public hearing, the board approved the resolution to close and abandon SE 136th Court in the Lake Weir Beach section, 5-0 (item 6.1).


• Warehouse near Belleview: a special use permit for a warehouse at 6379 SE 115th Lane (261011SU, Majesty Corner, LLC) was approved 5-0 with an added condition that trucks must be able to turn around on the property, after an earlier motion to deny died for lack of a second.

The county Community Redevelopment Agency also met Oct. 20 to discuss two county-owned properties at 5550 and 5401 E. Silver Springs Blvd. The item asked only for discussion and direction, and as of Oct. 21 the county had posted no recorded action on it. Background is in our Silver Springs Manor preview.

Ocala City Council

Council Member Kristen Dreyer is recorded as excused for the consent agenda and the first quasi-judicial items, and as voting on the items later in the meeting, so some votes below have four members.

Is Ocala's business tax receipt gone?

Yes. Council adopted Ordinance 2027-1 on its second reading, 5-0, on a motion by Dreyer, seconded by Council President Pro Tem Jay Musleh. The ordinance repeals the city's local business tax, known as the business tax receipt and business tax certificate, and removes references to it from the city code. As introduced, it takes effect once the mayor approves it or it becomes law without that approval, and it does not exempt businesses from building, zoning or fire inspection rules. The action record does not separately list the refunds staff proposed for businesses that already paid for 2026-27. Background, including the city's reasons, is in our business tax receipt report.

What happened to the Spot on Liquors permit?

The request for beer and wine sales for off-premises consumption at Spot on Liquors (Mikael 25, Inc.), 125 NW 27th Ave., Unit 107, was denied. The action record lists the vote as failing 1-3, with Musleh voting yes and Council President Ire Bethea Sr. and Council Members Barry Mansfield and James Hilty Sr. voting no. In the same block, council approved beer and wine sales by the drink for Yummy House, 2510 SW 27th Ave., Unit 103, 4-0.

Mockingbird Ridge waiver, Peoples Gas and other council votes

• Mockingbird Ridge waiver: council approved, 5-0, a waiver of the city's one-year wait so a new rezoning application can be filed on the 283.55-acre Mockingbird Ridge planned development approved May 5. According to the staff report, Flyover Ocala, LLC bought 108.74 acres of the project and wants a separate planned development with a different plan; the waiver request came from both owners, Mockingbird Ridge, LLC and Flyover Ocala, LLC.


• Peoples Gas: Ordinance 2027-3, the new natural gas franchise agreement with Peoples Gas System, was adopted on its final reading. It keeps about $622,000 a year flowing to the general fund, as described in our Oct. 6 recap.


• Medical office at 325 SE 24th Street: Ordinance 2026-35 (rezoning) and Resolution 2027-5 (planned development plan) were adopted, 4-0.


• Reappointments: City Manager Peter Lee was reappointed 3-1, with Hilty voting no. Police Chief Michael Balken, City Attorney William Sexton, City Clerk Angel Jacobs and Internal Auditor Vincent Iovino were reappointed 4-0 with the consent agenda.


• Oakcrest Park and Greenway Reserve: the 78-lot Oakcrest Park conceptual subdivision on NE 28th Street and the Greenway Reserve developer's agreement were approved on the consent agenda, 4-0.


• Ocala Arts Festival: Resolution 2027-4, allowing drinks in the downtown event zone during the festival, was adopted 4-0. See our festival guide.


• Also approved, 5-0: Ordinance 2027-2 on flood-damage rules; $190,936 in added costs for four Ocala Fire Rescue fire apparatus units; and a contract with Commercial Industrial Corp. of up to $379,282 for Runway 36 safety area grading at Ocala International Airport.


• First readings: rezonings at 5203 SW 20th St. (Ordinance 2027-4), 2015 and 2141 NE 14th St. (Ordinance 2027-5) and 1920 NE Eighth Road (Ordinance 2027-6) were introduced.

Did the Ocala CRA approve the grant overhaul?

As of Oct. 21, the city had posted no recorded action for the Ocala Community Redevelopment Agency board meeting held at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 20. That agenda had the revised residential, commercial and historic grant frameworks and the new administrative approval process for grants of $10,000 or less. What the changes would do is in our Ocala council and CRA report.

More on Local Government

Contact information for each commissioner is on our Marion County commissioners page, and how city and county decisions are made is covered in our local government guide. For the communities affected by the speed limit changes, see our Citra guide; for the area around City Hall, see the downtown Ocala guide.

Sources: Marion County Board of County Commissioners, Oct. 20, 2026, meeting file and Legistar action record with roll-call votes and draft clerk's notes (items 6.1, 7, 7.1.2, 7.1.3, 7.2.1-7.2.7, 7.5.5, 7.5.12, 7.5.15, 7.7.1, 7.7.2, 8.1, 9.2, 15.3.1-15.3.3), the Oct. 20 agenda packet and the Mediated Settlement Agreement attached to File No. 2026-24718; Marion County Community Redevelopment Agency Oct. 20, 2026, agenda (File No. 2026-24754); City of Ocala City Council Oct. 20, 2026, Legistar action record with roll-call votes (draft), Legistar file 2027-0078 and its waiver request, and files 2027-0004, 2027-0073, 2027-0152 through 2027-0154, 2027-0151, RES-2027-4 and RES-2027-5; Ocala Community Redevelopment Agency Oct. 20, 2026, agenda. Checked Oct. 21, 2026.