Community and camaraderie

Jess Rodriguez catches some air at the Ocala Skate Park on Sept. 1, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]

At Tuscawilla Park, with its scenic lake trail, playground and arts facilities, the Ocala Skate Park is expanding by 6,000 square feet, bringing the total skateable area to approximately 16,215 square feet.

A groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 28 officially set the project in motion. Construction is expected to be completed by February 2026.

The “Gazette” spoke with the park’s lead designer and local families to learn more about a project that is driven by collaboration and a vision for an inclusive space.

“This project was always planned as a multi-phase effort. Ocala’s skating community is vibrant and engaged and we are excited to bring this next addition to Tuscawilla Park. The expansion includes new features such as a snake run, pro bowl, beginner street course and an intermediate bowl,” said Greg Davis, public information officer for the city of Ocala.

“The goal was to design features that accommodate all skill levels, giving beginners a welcoming place to start while also providing opportunities for growth and exciting challenges for even the most experienced skateboarders,” he added.

According to Davis, the total budget for the expansion is $884,561. On construction logistics, he noted that construction areas will be secured with fencing so the park can remain open. There may be times, however, when a full closure will be necessary to ensure the safety of visitors and construction crews.

In October 2024, a selection committee reviewed and scored the qualifications and experience of the design build firm and team members of the sole bidder, Platform Group LLC. Tito Porrata, the lead designer of the Ocala Skatepark expansion, has recently left Platform Group LLC to pursue his own ventures. Porrata now independently applies his expertise to create innovative, community-driven skate facilities.

Porrata described the community-driven design process in building Ocala’s Skatepark.

“Our approach takes into account the entire community: skateboarding, inline skating, scooters and bikes. That being said, our approach takes into account people, like public stakeholders, who will be enjoying it. In addition, we take into account other things, like the municipality’s needs, as well as being in contact with the local stakeholders and skaters and skateboarders. We connect with skate shops, pro-skaters that reside in the area and know the scene, and then pretty much we get a good idea of the need,” Porrata said.

“The first phase was roughly around 10,000 square feet and a strictly street course. The second phase provided an additional street course of a different style that was more in the beginner’s sense to capture the beginner version and also include a little bit more street. The other one was a professional sized bowl, a clover bowl. The other one was a medium-sized bowl. And last, but not least, it was like a real user-friendly snake run,” he added.

On community feedback, Porrata said that after talking to “pretty much all age demographics that actually use the facility” that it was “pretty unanimous that they needed a little bit more street.”

In skate lingo, “street” refers to a style of skateboarding that focuses on performing tricks in urban environments or on features that mimic city elements, like ledges, rails, stairs and curbs. It emphasizes technical tricks, grinds, slides and flips, often in a skate park’s street course, which replicates these real-world obstacles, as opposed to transition or vert skating, which involves ramps and bowls.

“Internally, we also apply our industry knowledge in order to make sure that you know these things that we conceptualize and design and eventually fulfill with construction, we make sure that they are relevant. And you know, they have to be relevant all through its existence. They need to not be obsolete and be functional for even skaters that have yet to start. These facilities last 20 to 30 plus years with minimal maintenance,” Porrata said.

Regarding sustainability efforts, Davis said that while there are not any environmental or sustainability initiatives incorporated into the expansion, they are installing six Bismarck palms and 13 cabbage palmettos to enhance the area’s appearance and make it more visually appealing.

Porrata elaborated on sustainability initiatives by citing that he uses eco-friendly materials, recycles when feasible and sources locally.

“We recycle when possible. We work with locals; we seek all our stuff locally. We don’t bring them from out of state unless it’s a specialty item. We spend quite a bit of time here, supporting the community while we’re in town,” Porrata said.

Porrata spotlighted the inclusivity of the design, noting that the company used colored concrete to aid neurodivergent users and those with visual impairments in navigating distinct areas.

On safety measures, Davis noted that cameras are already in place at the park.

“Once the project is complete, we evaluate adding more cameras to the expansion. Additional lighting will be installed around the park and the existing lights will adequately cover the new skate park features,” Davis said.

Porrata gave special credit to Ocala skate shop owner Phil Hajal for his involvement in the project.

“Hajal has been very involved, most of the props go to him for being such a champion of the community. His main interest is in the development of the youth so they can have a positive experience,” Porrata said.

Chuck Casamasima, a local dad who has skated at the park since 2020, shared his perspective.

“As a dad, I definitely think the added space and the expansion of the park just gives more room for kids to play, especially if there’s a lot of kids out there, you want them to have that space to be able to move around and try different obstacles. I see that they’re going to add more of a beginner area or improve on that. That’s a huge plus because some obstacles are intimidating,” Casamasima said.

“I like that they have really nice quarter pipes up at the top that are really mellow. Those are really fun to learn tricks on. They have a couple of ledges, or their ledge that’s there now at the bottom inside the park, that one is really nice to learn stuff on,” he continued.

On the park’s novelty, Casamasima said the park is a hidden treasure in Ocala.

“I think it’s definitely something people don’t realize that Ocala has, and there’s nice artwork there. I would definitely encourage people to go there because it’s a fun space, especially for your family if you want to have lunch, get a skate with your family and cruise around. Because even if you just wanted to cruise and not necessarily try anything like tricks, that’s a space for that too and as soon as they add to it, that’s going to give you even more room to be able to practice your balance, cruise around, feel how it feels on your board and then go from there and improve on and try tricks that you want to, like bring your skating to the next level,” he said.

Casamasima sees skating as about community and camaraderie.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie when it comes to it. Being in that space, you can see kids improving, wanting to try new things and be brave and just hang out,” he said.

Theron McEachern, another local dad whose son Jaron Nettles skates at the park, said it helps kids stay out of trouble.

“It gives them an avenue that may be able to help them. Kids that skate sometimes don’t play basketball or football, or maybe they do that extra, but not everyone’s a team sports player and this helps them have another avenue to help them have fun in the community,” McEachern said.

“I like just the way it flows from one obstacle to the next. I’m really looking forward to the snake run personally,” added McEachern, who is a skater.

For parents wondering about the safety of the park for kids, McEachern reassured it’s a secure environment.

“The Ocala Police Department, they constantly patrol the place and keep everybody safe. And it’s right next to Reilly Arts Center, just a good location,” he said.

For more information, go to ocalafl.gov/government/city-departments-i-z/recreation-parks/parks/ocala-skate-park or call the city of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department at (352) 368-5517.

Ocala Skate Park Expansion

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