Flying unfriendly skies

Jumbolair Aviation and Equestrian Estates is shown in Anthony, Fla. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. On May 16, 2026, Anthony will be celebrating its 150th anniversary. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.

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Posted May 14, 2026 | By Jennifer Hunt, [email protected]

The legal turbulence over the future of Jumbolair Aviation Estates has intensified. A group of residents, on behalf of the Jumbolair Aviation Estates Owners Association, this week sued developer Robert Bull, his various corporate entities and Marion County.

The new petition filed by local attorney J. Theodore Schatt seeks to halt Bull’s ongoing efforts to assert exclusive control over the community’s private runway and develop the surrounding property for commercial and industrial use.

It marks a significant escalation in a long-running legal saga, pulling local government into the fray and joining a highly publicized, ongoing lawsuit filed by actor John Travolta’s trust.

Why Marion County is a defendant

The inclusion of Marion County as a defendant centers on a zoning and land-use dispute regarding Bull’s expansion plans. According to the petition, on Feb. 25, 2025, Marion County’s director of Growth Services sent a “county letter” to Bull determining that the Jumbolair Private Airport in Anthony is a “conforming use” under the county’s Comprehensive Plan and is best classified as an “industrial use.”

This determination granted Bull “vested rights” to engage in industrial and commercial activity on the property surrounding the runway.

The association alleges that the county’s action was illegal and beyond its legal power. Under the county’s Land Development Code, private airports are listed as a “special use” in agricultural zones, which requires a public hearing and a final decision by the Board of County Commissioners.

The plaintiffs argue that the Growth Management director unlawfully bypassed this required public process and usurped the board’s quasi-judicial function by unilaterally issuing the vested rights letter. The association is asking the court to declare the county letter void.

Intertwined with the Travolta/Hawker litigation

This new lawsuit is deeply intertwined with an ongoing legal battle initiated by Hawker Investment Trust, the entity that owns Travolta’s 19-acre Jumbolair estate.

Both the Hawker lawsuit and the new association petition stem from Bull’s alleged attempts to use a 2021 Airport Agreement and a 2022 Amendment to the Master Declaration to consolidate his power, restrict residents’ easement rights and push forward his commercial development agenda.

• The Hawker suit: Hawker sued Bull after he used the 2022 amendment to impose a 60,000-pound weight limit on the runway (effectively banning Travolta’s Boeing 737-300) and later implemented “2026 Airport Procedures,” requiring his explicit authorization for any aircraft movement.
• The association’s suit: The new petition claims that Bull’s 2022 amendment and his 2026 rule-making authority infringe upon the residents’ “unfettered grant of easement.” Furthermore, the association argues that Bull, who serves as the association’s president, has a severe conflict of interest. They allege he is breaching his fiduciary duties by using the association’s property to build commercial hangars and increase airport traffic to benefit his own bottom line, which devalues the residents’ homes.

In prior injunction hearings for the Hawker case, Hawker’s attorneys relied on a 2025 lawsuit filed by Robert Moses (one of the lead plaintiffs in this new association petition) to demonstrate that Bull had a history of unlawfully prohibiting runway use.

Status of the pending litigation

The prior litigation between Hawker and Bull remains active and is currently before an appellate court.

In November 2025, Circuit Judge Robert W. Hodges granted Hawker a summary judgment that declared Bull’s 60,000-pound weight limit void and unenforceable because he failed to obtain the required 90% homeowner vote to amend the rules.

In March, Judge Hodges granted Hawker a temporary injunction, immediately enjoining Bull from enforcing his 2026 Airport Procedures and explicitly permitting Hawker to continue safely operating the Boeing 737-300 at the airport.

However, on April 13, Bull and his corporate entities filed a Notice of Appeal regarding the temporary injunction. The dispute over the injunction has now been elevated to the Fifth District Court of Appeal, where it remains pending.

As the appellate court reviews the Hawker injunction, the newly filed suit means that Bull will also have to fight a multifront war in the lower courts, this time defending his development plans against the collective weight of the homeowners association and zoning approvals he received from Marion County.