To the Editor:
Before making the decision to move to Ocala upon my husband’s retirement, he researched the most affordable place for seniors to retire. Ocala was in the top 3. I didn’t want to leave the country for the number one location, which was Portugal. If only we would have researched deeper into the fact that this area is so fast-growing and, most importantly, that there really aren’t any amenities around us.
Grocery shopping is impossible. Publix is overpriced with minimal choices. Walmart looks like it’s going through another pandemic! Nothing in the meat department, nothing in produce, and general groceries are sparse. It’s just two of us, so I’m not buying in bulk at Sam’s Club. Personally, I don’t see what people find so great about Aldi. I may have bought one or two things there.
I live on 200…what do I have left to choose from? No restaurants, bakeries, a place for bagels or bread! I feel like I’m living in the middle of nowhere with tons of people around me and I want to say to them, “Don’t you people ever want to go to a good Italian restaurant, or buy a good loaf of Italian bread that’s not sliced as thin as a cracker?” There may be places out there somewhere, but I prefer to not have to drive an hour to get to them. There are other things that I have tried to find “nearby,” but I think you get the point.
I feel that the area I live in is fairly safe, but I was here two months when there was a shooting at the Paddock Mall. I suppose there’s always going to be crime no matter what.
Phyllis O’Neill
Ocala resident