To the Editor:
Marion County residents are feeling the strain of rapid growth. Traffic backups worsen while road projects stall. Schools overflow, with students packed into decades-old portables and parents stuck in long car lines. For more than 10 years, the county failed to collect school impact fees, leaving the district scrambling to keep up.
At the same time, rezonings and new subdivisions continue to be approved—even as a nearly $500 million shortfall for road infrastructure looms. Residents worry their concerns about safety, farmland preservation, and neighborhood quality of life are ignored in favor of developers’ interests.
Growth is inevitable, but it must be responsible. Our community deserves leaders who will balance development with infrastructure and truly listen to the people they serve. The future of Marion County will be decided by whether the leaders we elect will put residents first, and not developers.
Steven Thompson
Ocala