To the Editor:
We have lived in Marion County for 29 years. It was before State Road 40 was widened to four lanes, and there was nothing commercially built before or after Stumpknockers.
You could actually drive comfortably to your destination.
Life was grand, it was about country folk, farms, and horses. It was actually referred to as the “Breadbasket of Florida.” The horse industry started after the top champion race horses took hold here in the 40’s.
From what I understand, the Farmland Preservation Area covers nearly 200,000 acres in the northwestern part. There are significant amounts of land along the I-75 corridor that could have facilitated a water park, allowing motorhome travelers to travel without infringing on any land near horse farms.
I always educate myself when voting in any election. I have never been against growth, but there is a limit to where and what. Our county Commissioners have been a huge disappointment. I have watched Ocala be transformed into a “mini Orlando” through the years, and it has been very sad to witness.
Crime has gone up, the building of cheap housing developments and apartments is everywhere, our wildlife does not know where to go, and many undesirables walk our streets and highways.
I hope and pray that the next county commission will not continue with the urbanization of the “once beautiful, Horse Capital.”
Patricia Kelly
Ocala