OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Board of County Commissioners will be holding a workshop with the Trust for Public Land to discuss funding options for the Marion County Parks and Recreation department on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. The Trust’s for Public Land’s National Associate Director of Conservation Finance Pegeen Hanrahan will make the presentation.
The presentation is entitled Voter Approved Funding for Capital Projects, including land conservation, water protection, parks, trails and recreation. The Trust for Public Land’s conservation finance program works to help communities protect places they have a deep feeling for and improve access for people to enjoy them through approval of funding both legislatively and at the ballot box.
The Trust for Public Land has made a significant impact nationwide, protecting 4 million acres, 5,504 public outdoor public spaces, and having secured more than $112 billion in public funding. They’ve also made a difference in the education system by creating 311 schoolyards in 23 states.
A number of variables are involved in protecting green space, and generating revenue streams for funding efforts, including data and insight, advocacy, funding and leverage and park creation and transformation.
Statewide, The Trust for Public Land’s impact included the protection of over 180,626 acres of land and the completion of more than 470 projects, with the regional focus being on the Florida Wildlife Corridor. They’ve worked with a number of counties, including Alachua and Lake, and are currently working with nine counties in the State of Florida.
The organization’s impact has been deeply felt, passing nearly 700 ballot measures for parks, land, trails and school yards over the past three decades.
In the summer of 2024 during a Marion County Board of County Commissioners budget workshop on July 9, the board requested more discussion regarding the support needed for Marion County Parks and Recreation department projects, leading to a series of workshops related to capital improvement, future parks, funding opportunities and strategies.
A joint workshop was held with the City of Belleview on Dec. 3, 2024, to discuss the existing conditions and needs, and two days later, a workshop was held with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners to discuss the Parks and Recreation master plan, deferred maintenance and capital replacement as well as new parks and funding.
A workshop was held Dec. 19, 2024, with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners to discuss expansion improvements, funding proposals for the work needed and project classification funding. And six weeks later, on Jan. 29. 2025, a workshop was held with the Board to discuss funding options for the Capital Improvement Program.
It was during those workshops that the Marion County Parks and Recreation Department presented a diversified funding strategy to meet the needs of the county’s current and growing population. Those strategies include restructuring of the Parks and Recreation fees fund, the implementation of Parks and Recreation impact fees and the pursuit of bond funding. Bond funding was recommended as a way to address maintenance projects and as a solution to address the need of regional parks in the higher growth areas of Marion County.
