Pay gap widens between Marion County and Ocala elected officials

File photo: Marion County Commission Chair Kathy Bryant, center, speaks as Commissioner Carl Zalak , right, and Ocala City Council President Kristen Dreyer, left, listen during a joint workshop at the Marion County Commission auditorium in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, March 13, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.

Marion County’s top elected officials have seen steady salary growth over the past decade—some exceeding 40%—while the Ocala City Council and mayor have not received a raise in decades, earning compensation that has remained virtually unchanged since the 20th century.

According to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, Marion County commissioners will earn $110,896 in fiscal year 2025-26, up from $79,105 in 2015-16—a 40% increase over 10 years.

The sheriff’s salary rose even faster, from roughly $146,446 in fiscal year 2015-16 to $257,625 this year, a nearly 56% jump. Likewise, the constitutional officers have seen major increases. The Clerk of Court, Property Appraiser and Supervisor of Elections salaries went from $137,825 10 years ago to $189,155 today.

The Tax Collector went from $137,823 in 2015-16 to $217,448 currently.

Salaries for School Board Members in Marion County have gone from an allowable $37,953 to $52,021 over 10 years. However, the state caps board member salaries at a starting teacher’s salary. In Marion County, that is $50,000.

Those salaries are sent by a state-mandated formula under Chapter 145, Florida Statutes, which adjusts automatically based on population and inflation. The intent is to maintain parity across counties, regardless of local politics.

But the same cannot be said for Ocala’s elected city leaders.

Under the city charter, council members receive $200 per month, the council president $250, and the mayor $550. Those stipends haven’t changed in decades and can only be increased if a majority of the council votes to amend the charter—an action some members have historically avoided to prevent being viewed as self-serving.

In effect, Ocala’s mayor earns $6,600 a year, less than one-tenth of what most Florida city mayors make. A 2021 League of Florida Cities survey found that in more than 280 cities, the average mayoral pay was $14,300, and some ranged as high as $220,000.

Meanwhile, Ocala’s population has grown by roughly 50% since 2000, now approaching 70,000 residents. The workload for local leadership has grown accordingly, spanning thousands of pages of staff reports, zoning applications and budget documents ahead of each meeting.

Council members and the mayor also have the option to buy into the city’s employee healthcare plans at their own expense, but otherwise their compensation is minimal.

Critics of the city’s stagnant pay argue that expecting part-time civic volunteers to manage an increasingly complex government is unrealistic and limits who can afford to serve.

City Council Chair Kristen Dreyer wrote the “Gazette” that the issue of the pay increase has never been brought up at a council meeting by a member of the council or a member of the public.

“Per the City of Ocala Charter, any change to City Council salaries must follow a defined process. First, the City Council would need to vote to approve a proposed salary increase. If that motion passes, the proposal must then go before Ocala voters in the form of a ballot referendum.  A majority of the voters would then have to approve the referendum. Again, the City Council has not initiated any discussion or action to begin that process,” Dreyer wrote.

Whether the city revisits its charter to adjust those rates remains to be seen. For now, Marion County’s elected officers will continue receiving formula-based raises each year—while the city’s mayor and council remain among the lowest-paid in Florida.