Several readers submitted letters to Ocala-News.com to discuss the topic of expanding Ocala International Airport with commercial flights.
“I don’t know how many of you live close to the airport, but I do. I’m not interested in listening to jet aircraft takeoff and land all hours of the day. If you need to be close to an airport, you can move to Gainesville or Orlando and just a little farther to Tampa. Everyone’s need to turn Ocala into a northern version of south Florida is very disappointing. I moved here 30-plus years ago because I liked it the way it was like a small town. I guess that’s why they call it the good old days,” says Ocala resident Michael Charboneau.
“I agree with Carole previously from New York. Expanding the airports would just clutter the roads and make our small/medium sized city grow larger, and we all came here for the small town feel. Let’s remember, the county is known as the Horse Capital of the World, not the busiest,” says Tom Phillips, Dunnellon resident.
“Again, I will say if Ocala didn’t offer what you wanted and needed for your convenience and way of life as it was when you looked into living here, why did you purchase here? Don’t try and make our home and laid back way of life to your liking. Us native Floridians were here first. As our great governor once said, welcome but leave your past way of life wherever you are coming from. We’re not interested in change. We like our state the way it was,” says Ocala resident Ron Kimmel.
“I fly in and out of Gainesville on a regular basis to visit my family in Ocala, and the majority of the plane is filled with people whose final destination is Ocala. Not students but residents of Ocala. If there are so many Publix supermarkets, because there’s so much money in Ocala, it would make more sense, especially with the horse industry in Ocala, to make it more convenient and keep those taxes with the Ocala airport,” says Carol Springer, Denton, Texas resident.