Property eyed for judicial center expansion

The old Post Office Tire Store on Silver Springs Boulevard is shown on Thursday. Marion County will buy the property and two other adjacent parcels for $1.36 million. The property will go for future, unspecified expansion of the Marion County Judicial Center, shown in the background. [Carlos Medina/Ocala Gazette]

County to pay $1.36 million for former Post Office Tire location, two other parcels

The old Post Office Tire Store on Silver Springs Boulevard is shown on Thursday. Marion County will buy the property and two other adjacent parcels for $1.36 million. The property will go for future, unspecified expansion of the Marion County Judicial Center, shown in the background. [Carlos Medina/Ocala Gazette]

The Marion County Commission approved the nearly $1.4 million purchase of several lots next to the Marion County Judicial Center during Tuesday’s meeting.

“The purpose of this acquisition is for future expansion and use of any county operation,” county administrator Mounir Bouyounes explained to the commissioners when presenting the initial plan during the Jan. 19 meeting. “It’s an opportunity that we have today that those parcels are for sale.”

The county will pay $1.36 million for three parcels including the building which was formerly the Post Office Tire Store on Silver Springs Boulevard.

According to the purchase agreement, the county will pay $952,000 plus any closing costs to two parcels from K3CM Properties-Downtown 2 LLC. The three parcels of land consist of the old Post Office Tire Store and a vacant lot next door. The county is also paying $409,000 plus closing costs for the Bullard Law Office Building adjacent to the other two lots. The county will buy that land from 18 Ocala, LLC. All told, the commission approved $1.4 million to cover the purchase and other costs.

The purchases will be paid for with $790,852 not spent by constitutional officers during the 2019/2020 fiscal year. Another $488,071 will come from state revenue sharing proceeds and a local half-cent sales tax revenue. The balance of $121,077 comes from legislative reserves for contingencies, according to county records.

There was no immediate plans for the property, but the current judicial center has expanded multiple times over the years covering most of its current footprint.

“The county is taking advantage of the present opportunity we have that the parcels adjacent to the courthouse are for sale, in order to preserve the land for future use,” said Marion County public information officer Alex AuBuchon.