Ocala renews $190,000 Chamber & Economic Partnership development contract from general fund

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The city of Ocala will pay the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership $190,000 for the coming year—$90,000 for services and $100,000 as a sponsorship, with the money coming from the Economic Improvement Program Fund (EIP), a general fund account.

At its October 6, 2026, city council meeting, the council approved the Business Creation, Retention, and Attraction Services Acgreement as part of File 2026-2215. The contract runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. City of Ocala Public Information Officer, Gregory Davis, said the funding is budgeted through the EIP Fund. Staff reports show the city’s partnership with the CEP began in 2012 and has been renewed annually.

The CEP is the private nonprofit that functions as both the area chamber of commerce and the region’s economic development organization. Under the agreement, the city retains the CEP to promote Ocala and its focus areas as places for companies to expand or relocate, and to support redevelopment consistent with the city’s Vision 2050 plan and Community Redevelopment Agency objectives. The CEP also operates the Power Plant Business Incubator under a lease with the city and the Ocala Downtown Market under a city license, and it serves as an official local representative to FloridaCommerce.

Davis said the CRA and the CEP play different but complementary roles. “The CRA focuses primarily on implementing programs and projects within designated redevelopment areas, while the CEP provides a broader range of economic development services that support the city as a whole,” he said. The CEP also works to attract developers and investors from outside Ocala, including for sites inside CRA subareas.

Of the $190,000, $90,000 pays for the defined work plan. The other $100,000 is a sponsorship. Davis said the city receives the Founder’s level of benefits as part of that sponsorship. On the CEP’s public materials, Founder’s Club is the top tier, listed at $35,000 and above.

The updated agreement raises several targets and changes the timing of the sponsorship payment. Prospect visits increase from 20 to 30, targeted marketing campaigns from five to seven with added emphasis on aviation and aerospace, and downtown business assistance from 20 to 30. Results will no longer be reported only as citywide totals. They will be broken down by Vision 2050 focus area—East Ocala, West Ocala, the High-Intensity Central Core, Downtown, and the Airport—so the city can see where the activity is actually happening. The $100,000 sponsorship, previously paid up front, will now be released after the third-quarter reports. The agreement also adds a task and deliverable for the West Ocala Business Incubator and includes a formal payment-review process.

Davis said the CEP’s services focus on supporting economic development throughout the City of Ocala. That can include outreach beyond city limits to attract prospective developers and investors interested in establishing or expanding inside Ocala. “This is a city agreement and addresses just the city’s needs,” he said. “The county also has an agreement for county needs.”

Using CRA money instead would not work for the full scope, Davis said. CRA funds are restricted to activities within designated redevelopment areas. The CEP’s services support economic development throughout the entire city, including areas outside those boundaries, and align with the city’s Vision 2050 plan. “Given the broader geographic scope of these services, CRA funding would not be appropriate for activities outside the designated redevelopment areas,” he said.

Reports under the agreement will not name every prospective business. Davis said they are intended to provide a high-level overview of the industries and types of businesses expressing interest in Ocala. In many cases, prospective businesses prefer to remain anonymous until they are prepared to announce and have resolved major development considerations, according to Davis. Jobs will be reported through signed incentive agreements. “The purpose of this agreement is to track the progress toward businesses being helped and future job creation,” Davis said.

In the prior contract year, Growth Management staff reported that the CEP exceeded most targets through August, with September figures still pending. It recorded 35 prospect visits against a target of 20, including 12 at the airport against a target of 5. It completed 28 targeted marketing campaigns against a target of 5, provided 260 business assistance appointments citywide against a target of 100, and made 41 assistance visits in downtown and midtown against a target of 20. Occupancy at the Power Plant Business Incubator averaged 80 percent against a 65 percent target, with three graduates. The CEP also handled 11 requests for information for FloridaCommerce and helped facilitate an incentive proposal that supported E-ONE’s $23.5 million manufacturing expansion, for which the city later approved a separate $193,000 EIP incentive.