City of Ocala Logo

  For historical data from all meetings prior to January 18, 2022, please refer to our archived meeting repository.

File #: 2025-0119   
Type: Agenda Item Status: Passed
File created: 10/29/2024 In control: City Council
On agenda: 11/5/2024 Final action: 11/5/2024
Title: Approval of letter to Robert W. Batsel, as counsel for the College of Central Florida, providing the position of the City of Ocala as to the "municipal purpose" of the College's intent to lease the former Pioneer Garden Club property to the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida for use as an employee health care center
Attachments: 1. 01 - WES - Email from R Batsel - 10-17-2024, 2. 02 - WES - Warranty Deed - 10-11-1983, 3. 03 - WES - Acknowledgement and Release - 06-25-1990, 4. 04 - WES - OCALA - LTR to R Batsel RE College of Central Florida - Lease to Marion County for Employee Health Center - Municipal Purpose - COUNCIL - B Mansfield - 11-06-2024
Submitted By: William E. Sexton, City Attorney
Presentation By: William E. Sexton, City Attorney
end
Department: City Attorney

STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
title
Approval of letter to Robert W. Batsel, as counsel for the College of Central Florida, providing the position of the City of Ocala as to the "municipal purpose" of the College's intent to lease the former Pioneer Garden Club property to the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida for use as an employee health care center
end

OCALA'S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Operational Excellence

PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A

body
BACKGROUND:
On or about October 17, 2024, the City Manager and City Attorney received a request (Attachment 1) from Robert W. Batsel, Jr., as counsel for the College of Central Florida (hereinafter the College), requesting a letter from the City which outlined the position of the City as to the "municipal purpose" associated with the College's proposed lease of the former Pioneer Garden Club property to the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida (hereinafter Marion County) for use as an employee health care center.
A review of the record demonstrates that in or about 1983, the City transferred ownership of the aforementioned property to the Appleton Cultural Center, Inc., the predecessor in title to the College, by a Warranty Deed (Attachment 2) which contained a series of clauses through which title to the property would revert to the City if certain conditions were not met. One of these was a requirement that the property be utilized for a "municipal purpose."
In or about 1990, the City released Appleton Cultural Center, Inc. from certain of those conditions through an Acknowledgement and Release of Restrictive Covenant (Attachment 3). The "municipal purpose" condition was not released and was reiterated.
Now, the College, as the successor in title to Appleton Cultural Center, Inc., desires to lease the property to Marion County to develop a...

Click here for full text