Popular attraction works to resolve code violations

Paintball enthusiasts prepare for battle during a recent weekend at the Wayne’s World of Paintball field in Ocala. [Photo courtesy Jackie Dollack]

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Posted June 23, 2026 | By Marian Rizzo, Special to the Gazette

Unless the owners/operators of Wayne’s World of Paintball, Inc., are able to correct violations issued by the city’s code enforcement, they will be forced to shut down the facility, which has been in operation for more than 30 years.

Wayne’s World is a popular venue for paintball enthusiasts. The facility culminates the season with a grand finale in December and also hosts a heavily attended Nightmare on Pine Street Haunted Trail event in October.

The violations came up before the board in October of 2025 when an anonymous person filed a complaint with the city of Ocala and Ocala Fire Rescue, stating that a child had been shocked by exposed electrical wiring on the property. Greg Davis, the city’s public information officer, said an inspection uncovered other safety issues and a notice of a hearing was issued for March 12. Since then, the board approved two 30-day extensions.

Main concerns included burn piles, abandoned vehicles, outdoor shower facilities, unstable structures, debris and unsafe electrical wiring. Many projects will require city registered professional contractors and related permits, Davis said.

“At the end of the day, the city doesn’t want to shut them down. That’s why we extended it so many times,” Davis said. “We want the business to be successful, but we want it to be safe for visitors who come to those areas.”

Owner Jackie Dollack said she has been trying to address the long list of violations, however some structures are needed for paintball activities and several are away from those activities and do not have public access.

“Now we are tearing down buildings,” Dollack said. “We are pretty much down to the two buildings which I don’t want to tear down, one of them being the prop trailer. It’s a mobile home. Nobody goes there. Nobody goes into the block building. It’s restricted, no unauthorized personnel are allowed.”

Cody Hargis said he’s been attending Wayne’s World events since he was 14. Now 27, he reflected on having a positive place to spend his weekends while growing up. He said Wayne and “Miss Jackie” Dollack made him feel right at home.

“They kind of took me in as family,” said Hargis. “They are really good people. They made it cheaper for me to play. Honestly, this has been life changing. I don’t know what my life would have been without this place.”

Hargis also has been an active volunteer and helped cut down trees and clean up debris after Hurricane Irma came through in 2017.

“I made friends at the paintball field, older people who taught me what it’s like to be a good person,” Hargis said. “This feels like a community.”

Also a regular at the field, Jeremiah Hutter, 25, often helps with refereeing at paintball events.

“I kind of grew up with Miss Jackie and the family,” Hutter said. “A lot of fathers and sons, third generations come there. Me and my brothers have been playing there for four or five years. I’ve never been in a spot where I said, ‘Hey, I don’t feel safe being here.’ If they have to close down, it wouldn’t just hurt the people who come there for the Haunted Trail, it would be a sacrifice for a lot of us.”

The Haunted Trail draws about 5,000 visitors annually. A large portion of admission fees, after expenses, is donated to the Marion County office for Toys for Tots and to Cathy’s Kids, a Christmas program for underserved children, hosted by Ocala Fire Rescue, Jackie Dollack said.

Brad Hardy, union president for Ocala Fire Rescue said, “Wayne’s World has contributed roughly $2,000 or $3,000 a year, off and on, for the last 10 or 15 years.”

Patrick Joynt, coordinator for Toys for Tots in Marion County, estimated that Wayne’s World donations have ranged from $12,000 to as much as $20,000 a year for at least 20 years.

“If I had to guess, throughout the years, they’ve given a couple hundred thousand dollars,” Joynt said. “It’s no small feat, the things that they’re doing. If they take away the Haunted Trail, not only will it hurt that business and everyone who goes there, but they’ll be hurting my charity.”

Joynt also has helped with parking for the October event. He said he sometimes asks people how they enjoyed it and he usually gets the same answer.

“A lot of them say things like, ‘It’s better than Hollywood Horror Nights. It’s closer, cheaper and better,” he said.

At the March hearing, Ocala attorney Richard Mutarelli responded on behalf of the Dollacks regarding the long list of violations.

“It may not look like much has been done, but there have been five dump trailers,” Mutarelli noted. Jackie Dollack has hired professional contractors to address the plumbing and electrical issues, he said.

“With regard to the removal of abandoned vehicles and debris, it is a lot,” Mutarelli said. “We are not dealing with an unlimited budget. We are not able to cut a check and say, ‘Hey get this out of here next week,’ We are depending on volunteers coming out, plus the Dollacks are dealing with their own health issues at this time.”

At the May 14 hearing, Dale Hollingsworth, chief code enforcement officer for the city, reviewed the long list of violations and encouraged the board to approve another 30-day extension.

“We know there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Hollingsworth said. “We greatly appreciate what they’ve done so far, but there’s just a long road ahead.”

Scott Tepper, an associate attorney with the Cobb Cole Law Firm, requested a 60-day extension, noting the amount of time needed for the work to be done. Tepper pointed out that permits have been filed and the Dollacks were working to bring everything up to code, primarily the electrical issues and safety hazards. Playing field upgrades are scheduled to be completed in June, Tepper said.

The board agreed to another 30-day extension and set the next hearing date for July 9.

In a phone conversation, Jackie Dollack noted that she’s already paid $356.91 in court costs for the first hearing and more fees are pending.

“Here they’re saying, ‘You gotta do this and you gotta do that.’ We’d have to rebuild everything,” Dollack said. “I’m 78. We’re in flux. I feel like if they can put off some of this stuff they’re pushing on us, we might not be there in a year, I’d rather make repairs and adjustments and not have to rebuild. Our gofundme page has been how I’m paying for everything and the bills are still coming in. If someone is retired and wants to volunteer some time, we can always use some volunteers—handymen, carpenters—we have dump trailers to haul off debris. We’d love to have the help.”

Meanwhile, paintball activities will continue on non-holiday weekends, Dollack said.

To volunteer or contribute, visit Wayne’s World on Facebook or go to waynes-world.com