Marion County officials approved a request on Tuesday that will allow public access to the new Camp Margaritaville Resort at Orange Lake, affording local residents access to a collection of new water slides, a large pool, a restaurant, and several other amenities at the site.
The request was approved by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners during its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 17. Commissioners voted 4 to 1 in favor of approval, with Craig Curry offering the lone dissenting vote.
Located at 18365 NW 45th Avenue Road in Citra, the 140.91-acre resort is currently under development. It is owned by 8M Holdings, LLC, who expects to open the site later this year. The resort features 430 RV sites and 60 vacation cottages, along with the Fins Bar & Chill restaurant and the Barkaritaville Dog Park.
The approval affords the park the ability to sell day passes to local residents of Marion County and other members of the public. Before the approved request, the amenities at the facility would have been limited to private access.
Ocala-News.com first reported news of the new facility in January. The Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the measure on January 26.
Since those stories in late January, the development team has noted that a previously reported 145-foot slide is actually not planned for the facility. The water park’s slide complex was initially expected to require a height waiver until it was confirmed that the slide would be approximately 40 feet high, which fits within the existing PUD height limits.
With the approval in hand, when the new park opens, members of the public who are not staying at the resort will be able to access the facility, permitted there is availability.
There will be a maximum of 840 day passes available at any given time, but they will only be accessible when there are vacancies at the recreational vehicle (RV) park. Day passes will only be sold when RV spaces are not being used the park. If all the RV spaces are occupied, then no day passes will be sold.
RVs will be permitted to hold six individuals who may have access to the park. Members of the public who are visiting will have to pay the day rate per person. To accommodate the additional guests, the site will make use of unoccupied RV lots for use as vehicle parking for guests and employees.
Towards the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Camp Margaritaville president Jim Wiseman indicated that there would be a discount for day passes purchased by Marion County residents.
During the multi-hour discussion that preceded the approval on Tuesday, the development team, several local residents, and representatives from Horse Farms Forever expressed various opinions about the project, with some expressing strong opposition and others expressing excitement for the new entertainment options.
The most common arguments from opponents focused on the fact that when originally approved in 2011, the planned unit development (PUD) did not allow for public access to amenities. The opponents say that as a result, the new request was not compatible with the original intent of the PUD.
“The crux of the issue and the main concern is that this is a significant change in the intent and the character and the use [of the property],” said Busy Shires, a land conservationist who represents Horse Farms Forever (HFF). Shires stated that the change was not “consistent” and was not “compatible” with the surrounding horse farms and rural home sites in the area.
As the members of HFF spoke, Marion County BCC Chairman Carl Zalak III expressed disbelief in the organization’s position. He questioned several times why the position of HFF was that it did not want the people of Marion County to have access to the park.
“I know you guys and I appreciate you guys and I love you guys, but I find this hard to believe,” said Zalak III. “You’re going to sit up there and tell us after all the water parks that we’ve lost and all the things that we’ve lost, that we don’t want this for Marion County families? Tell me why.”
In response, HFF president Bernie Little reiterated that the site was being developed beyond the original intention of the PUD.
“The entire character and intent of the development has changed from what was approved in 2011. It’s intended and permitted uses are recreational resort. And that does not allow an amusement park. It does not allow a bar and alcohol sales,” said Little.
Little explained that although the county could change the permitted uses, it was HFF’s position that the PUD, “as it exists,” did not allow for public use or a bar.
As the discussion continued, Commissioner Kathy Bryant suggested that the bar was an amenity that was part of the resort, not a standalone entity.
“I disagree with what you’re saying today,” said Bryant. The commissioner clarified that under the recreational resort designation, the bar could be considered an accessory structure to support the resort development.
Bryant stated that she had been to “several resorts in the last several years” with her family and that at “all of those resorts,” the recreational facilities had a pool, a lazy river, multiple slides, a bar, and a restaurant.
“A bar could be an amenity in a resort,” said Bryant.
When Little countered with a reference to the county’s land development code, Bryant indicated that she had faith County Attorney Matthew “Guy” Minter would be able to find proof to support her position.
After Zalak once again pressed Little regarding HFF’s opinion on the matter, the HFF president said that his organization felt strongly about the PUD’s original intent. He emphasized that HFF rarely takes public positions.
“In the eight years that we have existed, we have averaged two position statements a year. Just two. Two last year in 2025. This is our first one of 2026. We’re not that often in front of you for these kinds of things,” said Little.
HFF and several of the local residents in attendance also frequently referred to the fact that the property is situated within Marion County’s Farmland Preservation Area, citing the potential negative impact of public access at the park on the area.
Betty Gray, the executive director of Stirrups’n Strides and owner of High Tide Farm, expressed several concerns with the property, which is directly across from the park on Highway 318.
Gray, who lives in Citra, said the project was a “high intensity public-facing theme park” and that commissioners were “choosing resort tourism over agricultural preservation.”
Gray stated that there was no city water access in the area and expressed her concern with the project’s impact on the aquifer.
“We cannot gamble our water security on a water park,” said Gray. She went on to state that the horses on her property are hyper sensitive and that screams and roars from slides would certainly impact their daily lives. She also suggested there would be more “transients and more crime” in the area as a result of the park being opened to the public.
CJ Kligora, who lives in Citra with her husband, said that the local community was in support of the RV park and the amusement component, but reemphasized the need for restrictive access.
“Anybody that’s an RV’er knows, you drive your RV into a park and stay there. Day pass users will not be there for anything but a day. The amount of traffic is going to be much more than if they had RVs,” said Kligora. She said that they expected and supported the progress because it was approved in 2011, but that the plan to go public was untenable.
“We cannot support what’s going on now,” said Kligora. She closed her comments by suggesting that the commission had already made up its mind before the meeting even began.
Mercedes Bongiovanni, who lives approximately 100 feet from the RV spaces, also agreed that the change to the PUD was significant.
“This is a significant change to the PUD. RV sites typically involve longer stays and limited vehicle movement. Converting the spaces creates high turnover,” said Bongiovanni. She said the change raises legitimate concerns with “privacy, traffic, and noise pollution.”
Tom Ventura, who represents Ocala Breeders Sales, said OBS was in “full support of the project.” Ventura said the company, which owns the Ocala Jai Alai next to the complex, thinks the new facility will be a positive for the community and for “everybody associated in the area.”
“We fully support what’s happening here today,” said Ventura.
According to county staff, a traffic study showed there are relatively low volumes for trip generation for the type of use specified in the area. Staff indicated that Highway 318 has “sufficient capacity” for the site and that turn lanes aren’t warranted at the moment.
Now that the matter has been approved, staff says that they will revisit traffic concerns in the future. The need for a turn lane will be examined based on data collected over the coming months/years.
What are your thoughts on Camp Margaritaville opening its water park to the general public? Share your comments below or write a letter to the editor.