OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Amid the quiet, peaceful pastures of Marion County’s horse country, a vocal, fierce battle brews.
The owners of Jumbolair Aviation Estates want to develop roughly 400 acres of rural farmland and have submitted an application requesting the county commission to approve a land-use change.
That’s sparking strong objections from residents and advocacy groups who plan to turn out in full force for the Marion County Board of County Commissioners meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m.
They oppose plans by Jumbolair owners Robert and Debra Bull to expand the estates, which is an aviation and equestrian-focused gated community.
The zoning change application filed with the county seeks to amend the land use as follows:
- 306.81 acres from rural land to low residential
- 39.26 acres from low residential to medium residential
- 30.28 acres from rural land to commercial
“It’s a quality-of-life killer,” said Brian Donnelly, an aviator, farmer, and former resident of Jumbolair. He moved down the road just a bit. “A couple months ago, you know, a nice little Sunday morning, a Huey [helicopter] came over my house. My room, my body, and my bed started shaking and bouncing all over the floor.”
Donnelly also worries about the impact the expansion would have on his farm animals and dogs.
Horse Farms Forever (HFF), a nonprofit advocacy group whose purpose is to protect Marion County’s horse farmland, claims the plan would increase the number of hangars on the Jumbolair property to more than 200 and increase the potential for the number of daily flights. HFF claims the expansion would make it larger than the Ocala International Airport.
“This is a small rural community, lovely people, beautiful farms. We all came here to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and, you know, we love quiet, beautiful rural land,” said Donnelly.
He described the situation as “life or death” and hopes commissioners will deny Jumbolair’s application.
“We have veterans who have PTSD living in mobile home parks under all of this that are crawling up in the dark in their beds shaking,” claimed Donnelly.
The Ocala Horse Alliance (OHA) is another group opposed to the proposed expansion. OHA says its mission is to unify and grow the horse industry in Ocala.
They called the proposed development an “egregious assault on the equestrian industry and on the quality of life for thousands in Marion County.”
“Not only does this proposed development infiltrate the Farmland Preservation area, but it creates an environmental nightmare for horse owners and residents in the vicinity,” stated the alliance in a release. “Low flying aircraft and helicopters are simply not compatible with horse pastures and arenas with riders.”
Donnelly, who owns an organic farm called Sun State Organics, also worries about the environmental impact of increased flight traffic.
“I have jet fuel being sprayed on my farm all the time. I can’t grow organically with this going on,” said Donnelly. “This site is in what is called the Primary Springs Protection Overlay Zone. It is where the entire county gets its water from and you’re putting jet fuel and kerosene and salt and paints on top of our water supply. How can the community be assured that our life’s water supply is protected? How can I be sure of the air that I’m breathing anymore? Those are two most important life aspects on the planet, and it’s being destroyed here daily.”
And that’s not all. Donnelly says neighboring homeowners fear the proposed development will decrease their property value.
“My business is affected. My rental is affected. My nerves are shot. If you lived through what we’re living through here, you would go insane. I’m slowly probably getting PTSD myself,” added Donnelly. “You have dreams about the future. You raised your kids and your grandkids here for what? For some guy to come in here and destroy the dream and the finances, and the economics and the health of everybody. That’s not what we all signed up for here,” stated Donnelly.
He says he doesn’t know what he’d personally do if it was approved but says he would be “wiped out.”
The Ocala Horse Alliance says if the Jumbolair development plan is approved, it would create a precedent of rezoning land preserved for farmland as a place for developers instead.
“There’s 20 private airfields in Marion County. What’s to stop it from happening 20 more times all over this county,” added Donnelly. “We’re supposed to be the horse capital of the world. You think jets and horses mix?”
The Marion County Commission is scheduled to consider Jumbolair’s land use amendment request at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, starting at 2 p.m. at the McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium located at 601 SE 25th Ave. in Ocala.
Donnelly says nearly 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing the project. He expects over 400-500 people to be in attendance along with five attorneys. Opponents have been encouraged to wear red as a show of force.
“This isn’t about me, it’s about an entire northeast section of this county,” said Donnelly.
352today reached out to representatives from Jumbolair to provide comment on this story. We did not hear back from them prior to publication. If we receive comment, we’ll update the story accordingly.