OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Ocala City Council voted unanimously 5-0 to hold a special election Sept 16, 2025, for the mayoral seat and city council seats in district’s nos. 1, 3 and 5.
Council approved a qualifications period for that special election beginning at 8 a.m. July 16, 2025, and going through July 18 at 12 p.m.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on July 11, 2025, when the City of Ocala Attorney Will Sexton returned from lunch, the Ocala City Clerk Angel Jacobs brought to Sexton’s attention that three candidates attempted to pay their qualifying fee with either a cashier’s check or a bank issued official check.
“Based upon the advice of the Marion County supervisor of elections office, we researched the requirements of Florida law as it pertained to the payment of qualification fees and determined that based upon the requirements of section 99.061 Florida Statutes and Section 106.11 Florida Statutes, those checks were not acceptable. Once we reviewed those three checks, and in light of the strict requirements of Florida law with respect to the checks submitted for qualification payments, we also reviewed the remaining four checks. We also determined that all four of those checks also failed to strictly comply with Section 106.11.”
Sexton contacted Wesley Wilcox, Marion County supervisor of elections, and explained what the city had determined to him, and he concurred with the findings.
All seven candidates failed to comply with the requirements of Florida law, with none of the candidates qualifying for the four seats that were to be contested later this summer.
“Mr. Wilcox also advised us, and we agreed that under Florida law and pursuant to the City of Ocala’s charter and code of ordinances the need to conduct a special election to fill those seats,” said Sexton.
The city’s preliminary finding was that they could still hold the election on Sept. 16. 2025, and it would do three things, it would meet the supervisor of elections current timeline, it would allow the city’s officials to be seated on the first Tuesday in December as required by the city’s charter and code and finally it would minimize disruption to the public by having the election on the previously scheduled date.
Sexton and Jacobs spoke with each of the seven candidates the evening of July 11, 2025, by telephone to advise them of what they had determined, and the likely plan for the special election. Over the weekend and past two days, city staff has worked diligently to make arrangements for that special election, and to do so while remaining compliant with Florida law, the city’s charter and code and the Marion County supervisor of election’s timeline.
A proclamation was made by City of Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano July 14, 2025, calling for the special election on Sept. 16, 2025.
Mark Clark who is one of the candidates for seat district no. 3, spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, questioned whether or not the city council members who were running for office, Barry Mansfield, Dist. no 1. Jay Musleh, Dist. no. 3 and Jim Hilty Sr., Dist. no. 5, were going to recuse themselves from the vote and if so, the council wouldn’t have a quorum.