Ocala, FL Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The City of Ocala designates local landmarks under Code of Ordinances chapter 94, the Historic Preservation Code, administered by the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board through the Growth Management Department's planning staff. Under Sec. 94-2, a local landmark is any district, building, structure, object or site with particular historic significance to the community, whether or not it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sec. 94-81(c) lets the board itself or any interested individual, including a property owner, nominate a resource for landmark status directly with the planning department, accompanied by a $50.00 fee covering notification and processing, plus photographs and a statement of historical and architectural significance.

The board reviews nominations at a public hearing and forwards a recommendation to the Ocala City Council, which decides by ordinance whether to designate the resource; Sec. 94-81(e) requires a favorable board recommendation to be presented to council in ordinance form within 14 calendar days. Once council designates a property, the owner must obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the board under Sec. 94-82 before any exterior alteration, demolition, relocation or new construction, and the property becomes subject to affirmative-maintenance rules against demolition by neglect. The city has already designated the Ocala Historic District and the Tuscawilla Park Historic District under this chapter, in addition to individual local landmarks.