OCALA, FL (352today.com) – At its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 1, 2026, the Ocala City Council approved two new alcoholic beverage location permits: an on-premises bar at La Quinta Inn & Suites and off-premise package sales at the BJ’s Wholesale Club under construction in southwest Ocala.

Public Information Officer for the city of Ocala, Greg Davis, said the vote signaled a first. “Tonight’s vote would establish the sale of alcoholic beverages on a site that has not previously been approved,” Davis said. “Should they want to expand services, that may be done administratively moving forward.”

Approval does not let either business start selling right away.

“The business will need to ensure they have their state licenses in place before sales can begin,” Davis said. City rules also give each applicant 90 days after a location permit to produce the matching state license, or the city permit is void.

Companies seeking liquor license approvals are rarely denied, according to Davis. “City council has denied one alcoholic beverage location permit within the last year,” Davis said.

La Quinta: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., indoors only

Council approved the permit for Shree Om 3530 LLC, doing business as La Quinta Inn & Suites (Alicante), at 3530 SW 36th Ave. The case is AL26-0588. The city’s file described the request as adding a bar to the hotel.

The applicant is a Florida LLC owned 100 percent by Pinal Patel. The hotel sits on about 2.1 acres zoned B-2 Community Business. The application sought a 4COP license for on-premises consumption, with about 60 seats in a 1,600-square-foot space, five employees on the maximum shift and 96 parking spaces.

Davis clarified that their hours will be from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., noting that “outdoor consumption is not part of the request.”

Plans filed with the application show lounge seating in the lobby near the front desk. A second drawing lists snack and breakfast equipment, a microwave, hot-dog roller, electric griddle, beverage cooler, soda fountain and coffee machine, not a full restaurant kitchen.

From July 17, 2024, through mid-2026, Ocala Police logged 199 calls at the hotel, including 106 security-duty checks, 37 citizen assists and 13 disturbances. The file also listed a death with no foul play expected and a felony drug arrest tied to a guest who overstayed a reservation.

Davis said that the volume of OPD calls did not draw an objection. “OPD responded that this call volume is consistent with activity associated with a larger hotel,” he said. “They had no objection to either permit.”

OPD Records Management Supervisor Russ Kern, in an August 6, 2026 email to city staff, compared the hotel with the nearby Hilton and said the Hilton logged 213 incidents in the same window. “The numbers are pretty comparable,” Kern wrote, adding that officers are using extra security checks as crime prevention and to make community contacts.

BJ’s: beer, wine and liquor to go

Council also approved off-premises sales for Mormax Beverages Corp., doing business as BJ’s Wholesale Club #260, at 7030 SW 59th Ave. The agenda item was the sale of beer, wine, and liquor for off-premises consumption. The case is AL26-0637.

The liquor shop is a 2,200-square-foot space attached to the main warehouse. The application lists a 3PS Quota license and liquor-store hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Property owner Matthew Oaks Investments LLC authorized tenant Mormax and attorney Louis J. Terminello of Greenspoon Marder LLP to file the city application.

Staff reviews by Growth Management, police and fire raised no objections. The site met the city’s distance test, with no schools, churches or daycares within 500 feet. OPD recorded one call at the address in two years, a security duty on July 28, 2026, and, Davis said, did not object to the permit.

The club is still under construction in the Winding Oaks area and is expected to open later this fall as Marion County’s second membership warehouse after Sam’s Club.

What happens next

La Quinta can pursue its state 4COP license to serve beer, wine and liquor inside the hotel from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. BJ’s can pursue its state package license to sell sealed product from the liquor shop. Until those state licenses are issued, neither location can sell alcohol.