Wrestling with WEC

Charlotte Weber is the owner of Live Oak Stud and Live Oak Plantation. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]

Charlotte C. Weber, owner of the 4,300-acre Live Oak Stud thoroughbred horse farm, filed multiple legal actions on April 17 against Marion County and Golden Ocala Equestrian Land, LLC, seeking to block the development of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Sports Complex.

The lawsuits follow a unanimous March 18 vote by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners to approve comprehensive plan amendments, rezoning and a development agreement for the project. These approvals pave the way for Golden Ocala to transform an approximately 250-acre parcel adjacent to Weber’s property into a high-intensity sports and entertainment venue. The complex is slated to include fields for soccer, baseball and football, as well as outdoor stadiums capable of hosting concerts with up to 10,000 attendees.

A central component of Weber’s legal challenge is a settlement agreement reached in 2016. According to the Circuit Court complaint, Weber previously filed a petition with the state Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) to challenge comprehensive plan amendments for the same property. She agreed to dismiss that challenge only after the developers — the Roberts Entities, Golden Ocala’s predecessor — signed a Joint Stipulation of Settlement agreeing to limit the property’s use to large-lot residential “Equestrian Estates” with a minimum of three acres per residence.

Weber’s attorneys argue the sports complex plan is a direct violation of this legally binding promise, asserting that Golden Ocala is reneging on the agreement to secure intense commercial use.

At the March 18 county commission meeting, County Attorney Guy Minter noted he did not recall the agreement stating the property owner could never apply for new rezoning “in perpetuity” and Commission Chair Carl Zalak added that there was “no moratorium” on changes to the planned unit development.

In addition to the breach of settlement claims, the lawsuits challenge the procedural and analytical grounds of the county’s approval. Weber’s filings argue that Golden Ocala failed to submit a required Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) before the initial July 2025 public hearing. The complaint further alleges that the TIA submitted later was substantially deficient because it omitted traffic generated by the proposed concert venues and only analyzed 155 acres of the development instead of the full impact.

The development’s approved traffic study notes that several segments of State Road 40, which abut Weber’s property, are projected to reach or exceed capacity.

Weber also asserts that the intense commercial development is incompatible with the adjacent Farmland Preservation Area. Golden Ocala’s own engineers acknowledged during testimony that the project will result in light spillage at the main entryway adjacent to the horse farm and the sound engineer admitted no testing had been conducted for noise generated by outdoor concerts.

Weber’s legal actions include a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief and a Petition for Writ of Certiorari filed in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court, currently assigned to Circuit Judge Stacy Youmans, as well as a Petition for a Formal Administrative Hearing filed with the state to resolve disputes regarding the local government comprehensive plan.