Ocala

Marion County veterans groups will host an event to support veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder on Nov. 18 in Ocala.

The Lorax, the Wicked Witch of the West and a plethora of life-sized inflatable animals filled downtown Ocala Saturday morning as part of a string of nationwide “No Kings 2.0” protests. More than 2,500 similar demonstrations were scheduled across the country.

More than 500 people gathered on Ocala's downtown square to protest the Trump administration at a No Kings rally on Saturday.

Former executive director of the DeLuca YMCA and owner of the gym chain Zone Health and Fitness since 2014, Marciano was first sworn in as mayor of Ocala in 2023.

Marion County Public Schools administrators say they are worried that a $64.3 million budget gap will prompt some teachers to leave in search of better financial opportunities.

Big Lee’s popularity and the traffic it has brought to Ocala are just a glimpse of the area’s changing business demographics. From 2023 to 2024, Ocala’s population increased by 4%, making it the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Four elected offices will be on the ballot for Ocala’s special municipal elections on Tuesday, but only the offices of mayor and City Council District 3 are contested races. Incumbent Mayor Ben Marciano faces challenger Zackary Arbor Feliciano, and District 3 incumbent Jay A. Musleh faces challengers Mark W. Clark and TamBoura Jenkins.

A push in Congress to designate Ocala National Forest and the surrounding springs is drawing mixed feedback from locals, economists and conservationists.

21 dogs are up for adoption after a boarding dispute between DogWalker Ranch and the dogs’ previous owner, accused of never picking his dogs up from the center in Ocala, Florida.

Florida wildlife officials this week will hear a proposal to create an annual “limited-entry” black bear hunt, with a December hunting period the first in more than a decade.