From the Mayor

A Mayor’s Wish List for 2023

BY MAYOR KENT GUINN

As most people are making their own personal resolutions for the new year, I thought I would change things up by offering up a New Year’s Wish List for Ocala.

The first things that come to mind involve our beautiful and vibrant downtown area. As great as it has become, I’d like to see the continued improvement starting with more residential in the area. In 2023, we will witness the completion of more apartment dwellings just steps away from the downtown square and that will mean an even livelier atmosphere with busy restaurants, shops and pubs. The great downtown areas in this country all have in common not just the nightlife, dining experiences and retail shopping opportunities, they all boast residents who can step outside their front door to this great lifestyle. This could be the missing piece to the puzzle in our own downtown. On that note, I wish for more shops downtown that would increase daytime foot traffic to compliment the growing evening traffic. Together with more residential and more shops comes the third element on my wish list and We’ve been noted as the natural evolution of the first two: more downtown parking. Yes, we are the fourth-safest city forever talking about parking and every weekend the need for more parking becomes clearer and clearer. in the country to live Next on my wish list is the preservation of farmland. We love the managed growth taking place in our city, but we always need to remind ourselves and I would like to that it’s the beautiful countryside that is a major drawing card of this area in keep it that way. the first place. A growing city with a vibrant downtown that coincides with the rural charms of horse pastures and viable crops is a can’t-miss formula on which everyone can be on board. I wish for commercial air service in the near future. Flights to Atlanta and Miami seem like a good start. Then, how about places like Houston, Dallas or Charlotte. Direct flights to Louisville on anyone’s mind while we’re at it? I’m also thinking about flights to places like Asheville, N.C., since I know there are a lot of locals here who have places in the mountains. In general, let’s just say the growth of our airport would be a wonderful thing. I’m also wishing for money for the schools, which are in desperate need right now by close inspection of the infrastructure. Where would that money come from? That’s the million-dollar question. My wish list includes continued public safety, something at which we have been very successful. We’ve been noted as the fourth-safest city in the country to live and I would like to keep it that way. We are a safe place because of a great police chief, outstanding judges and prosecutors, and even able public defenders. When I look at all our different law enforcement agencies and our team of first responders, I am confident we have the best of those -- my wish is that it stays this way. So what else lands a spot on my wish list? For me, I’d love to see a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s and, ahem, a Krispy Kreme. I don’t think it’s too much to wish for.