[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6512406,"mediaKeyId","5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a","parentId",5113943,"title","Council presses staff on repeated utility damage and fiber-optic permit enforcement","audioSeconds",409,"startMs",4497000,"endMs",4906000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a&start=4497&end=4906","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a/thumbnail_4497000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6512406/Ocala/Marion-County/Florida/Council-presses-staff-on-repeated-utility-damage-and-fiber-optic-permit-enforcement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6512406-0ae34ba55ee890a5325881f8d56c88cc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453588&Signature=MbNiEzD99JCc1FLV-4RCKuOOcZoBWOzyiBQmTJTyJUlHllF75NqisU8SbCkjsRQ0EBsOtQsOGp04TjYzUYm4-HHAWTROUaZcMmXzjUAtvBoo26UWNoyqOv5jY4X~3DNMBGDKmqomrhRvZHbaJ6etCB0f01iNp-FGyV2~-DUw20o2B9CIVk1zp9JPJaecFnz8tQVucu5aXsSeewJRnOTvfU-72dAnRvHH5IUudu7Scz6Cs9kDS5ypuL2FD5yYdgITgwo~UMTknL2B8IYt~-B1e3jpWORVRjedvvKXDsfB75AgevAhxEaec7HBA8nJ~Fe9~lN1fHSxYKBhKc0R3okyKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ocala","date","2025-07-01T00:00:00Z","article","Council members raised complaints about multiple outside contractors installing fiber-optic infrastructure across the city and causing property and utility damage. Complaints included two gas-line strikes and an irrigation-system break tied to fiber construction work reported in the Stonewood Villas area and other locations.

Councilmembers said contractors from several providers are working in overlapping areas and that the volume of crews is creating confusion, safety risks and repeated damage. Staff and council described four active fiber providers working in the city, and councilmembers said additional providers carrying state or private grant funding may enter the market.

City staff said inspections and permit oversight are being increased: building and code inspectors will more frequently check right-of-way permits and temporary traffic-control (MOT) plans, and staff said they will suspend contractors'permits in problem areas until deficiencies are corrected. City staff described one recent example at a city complex entrance where crews were asked to relocate work off city property and had an expired permit; staff said the contractor was shut down for the day and required to restore the property.

Councilmembers asked staff to step up roving inspections and to coordinate permitting officers with utility owners (TECO, Ocala Electric) when strikes occur. City staff acknowledged resource limits for continuous monitoring but said they will increase spot inspections, use CIP and code inspectors to check active crews, and consider suspending permits for repeat offenders. Council asked staff to visit the Stonewood Villas site the next day.

The mayor and council described the wider market forces: several companies are taking federal or state grant funding to build fiber infrastructure, which encourages rapid deployment and, in some cases, overlapping construction in the same neighborhoods. Staff noted that the city will continue to enforce permit conditions, require restoration, and pursue compliance when installations extend onto private or city property.

Ending: Council urged faster on-site enforcement and asked staff to report back on permit compliance steps taken. Staff said they will coordinate daily inspections where needed and apply suspensions for noncompliant contractors.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ocala - City Council - Jul 01, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council members and city staff discussed recurring damage caused during multiple fiber-optic installations and asked for stronger on-site inspections and permit enforcement after recent gas-line and irrigation-system strikes.","taxTitle","Ocala, Marion County, Florida","taxId",4898,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6512410,"Votes at a glance: Ocala City Council actions on July 1, 2025",456,1162000,1618000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a&start=1162&end=1618","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a/thumbnail_1162000.jpg","/articles/6512410/Ocala/Marion-County/Florida/Votes-at-a-glance-Ocala-City-Council-actions-on-July-1-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6512410-1eadc358edf9e3510946b3e845424d69/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453588&Signature=dW30AtOgJoak3HO0PfcfscaWexF1bPrtv~SleUAP48Jn5DRhEMn5mnRHxdTQ1aZwOW8dU9uIdaCMTUvXnMsrPJoOmNS1nLuzgUOCl6TVfPYcVunq7Sue-zQV3mb7bnjTmaX5fd35tJf2cfQFF0mnubYRm9HOQcL2TqiXEZ7xjrOETl-ytX8pYXn7wDTo-oG2L1-FTJ~lyykVCVtWyZw4Yto015Pednt9OJTLKwCSVQErbWudMqg61iK7pexzjATKapGNMipPu5h3rGauzD751g~HBKTGOVuh4vg6pKQ1u4SctnQ6UBTKKFJ0j6G3T0jOdABZ1s4i0JmyvnC631h2dA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its July 1 meeting the Ocala City Council took a series of formal actions: it approved the consent agenda; postponed five public hearings to July 15; adopted a PD amendment resolution to allow a 45-foot right-of-way and other minor reductions for a proposed 55-home development; adopted an ordinance expanding the Ridge at Heath Brook Community Development District; approved multiple task work orders, professional service updates and a budget resolution; awarded several two-year service contracts; approved the purchase of five electric transit buses; approved employee benefit renewals; and authorized a city attorney-requested satisfaction and release of an aged lien to permit a pending property closing.

Key council actions (motion text condensed where needed):

- Consent agenda approved (roll call recorded: Mister Leslie, Mister Bethea, Mister Hilty, Mister Mansfield, Miss Dreyer — all \"Aye\").

- Postponement: Council moved and seconded to postpone public hearing items 9(a) through 9(e) to July 15, 2025. Vote recorded as unanimous among present members who answered the roll call on that item (Mister Musley, Mister Hilty, Mister Bethea, Mister Mansfield, Miss Dreyer — all \"Aye\").

- Adopted Resolution (Item 9f) amending the PD plan for PD24-45735 (55 single-family homes). Presentation by Emily Johnson, senior planner. Roll call recorded as: Mister Hilty (Aye), Mister Mansfield (Aye), Mister Bethea (Aye), Mister Musley (Aye), Miss Dreyer (Aye). Outcome: approved.

- Adopted Ordinance 2025-32 (Item 9g) to expand the boundaries of the Ridge at Heath Brook Community Development District pursuant to Chapter 190, Florida Statutes. Senior planner Emily Johnson reported the expansion adds 29.142 acres to bring the CDD to 104.938 acres and projects a total of 391 residential units. Roll call: Mister Musley (Aye), Mister Mansfield (Aye), Mister Bethea (Aye), Mister Hilty (Aye), Miss Dreyer (Aye). Outcome: adopted.

- Approved additional expenditures and Task Work Order No. 3 with Architecture Studio, Inc. (Item 10a). Presentation by City Engineer Sean Lanier. Roll-call approval recorded with present members responding \"Aye.\" Outcome: approved.

- Approved Task Work Order No. 43 with Kimley-Horn and Associates (reclaimed water master plan update) (Item 10b). Outcome: approved; roll-call recorded \"Aye\" by present members.

- Approved Task Work Order No. 44 with Kimley-Horn (water reclamation facility biosolids evaluation update) (Item 10c). Outcome: approved; roll-call recorded \"Aye.\"

- Adopted Budget Resolution 2025-163 to fund the three water/wastewater task work orders and related professional services for the remainder of the fiscal year (Item 10d). Staff said this resolution provides the funding for prior agenda items. Outcome: approved by roll call (present members responded \"Aye\").

- Approved awards for two-year citywide painting services contracts (Item 10e) to Chinese Connection Painting, Inc.; Lamphere Company; and Overall Contractors Group, Inc. Outcome: approved by roll call.

- Approved contract award to PowerServe Technologies, Inc. to supply microprocessor-based protective relays and panels for Ocala Electric Utility substations (Item 10f). Outcome: approved by roll call.

- Approved a two-year pavement striping/thermoplastic contract for small jobs (Item 10g) (Brian Bombasi LLC/Bambasay referenced in the presentation). Outcome: approved by roll call.

- Approved purchase of five electric buses from Gillig LLC for $6,264,500 for transit fleet expansion (Item 10h). Transit administrator Tom Duncan said Gillig offered the best value for battery capacity and range. Outcome: approved by roll call.

- Approved employee-paid and city-paid insurance plan renewals and broker recommendations for fiscal year 2026 (Item 10i). The city's portion of employer-paid basic life and AD&D was stated as $175,500; flexible spending administration $11,345; employee assistance $19,709. Outcome: approved by roll call.

- City Attorney request: Council approved satisfaction and release of a 2012 nuisance abatement lien after the parties agreed to pay an agreed amount to satisfy the record lien. Outcome: approved by roll call.

Several of these items were described and presented by city staff (see provenance below). Most votes recorded in the transcript were unanimous among members present on the roll calls for each item; the meeting transcript records the individual \"Aye\" votes when the clerk called the roll.","The council approved multiple procurement and land-use items, postponed several public hearings to July 15, and adopted a community development district expansion. This roundup lists motions taken, identified movers/seconds when not specified as \"so moved,\" and the recorded roll-call votes where available from the meeting transcript.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6512415,"Ocala police seek to connect private cameras to city'wide system; council asks for public policy review",886,2540000,3426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a&start=2540&end=3426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5113943-7de4327bace2c8d705c3d9dfb5f8259a/thumbnail_2540000.jpg","/articles/6512415/Ocala/Marion-County/Florida/Ocala-police-seek-to-connect-private-cameras-to-citywide-system-council-asks-for-public-policy-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6512415-d1e089b50128e3dc2685ddea5d578f11/orig.mp4?Expires=1770453588&Signature=O6WAWHt2Es-SARYNxQMi-Svjmtl7WVIFPsn325djyJiqty7DYOwjpNX24bSk5oOeUZ7Dtqru4-c8b0A7E6vL3eVuM-rDhLtHmeXXWjSBpIlIzUM~vLXiqGMbJIud82eK64D2uCp1vePdsnLmydFkcR6-~ffx0HcHDDYh5N36GGzbfOOaZxgWxmP6W9Xk~vleRamqU5ByhtmgBchaxXjnT2hycV2Fw6deTRd7Iml-Vd9Ow8qHt43CuKVSN6eM~iWTRCBKUAVXBaKiwjbab2j1XY6xEUj1z-0JQ~Kij~bymyeS0buaAcwZyhE-h8wkITIo~P2jCU~v~USbWajo44q-5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ocala Police Chief presented a plan to expand the municipality's FUSIS/Axon real-time video platform to accept camera feeds from private businesses and residents and asked for council input on voluntary memoranda of understanding to register donor cameras.

The chief said the system already aggregates city-owned cameras into a single monitoring platform used by the department's real-time crime center, and that integrating eligible private feeds would provide faster, more complete situational awareness in active incidents and investigations. He described cases where live or historical camera access aided officer safety and helped investigators, and said private partners could register cameras under an MOU to permit no-cost, voluntary access by investigators or analysts subject to owner approval or legal process.

Council members raised privacy and oversight concerns. Several asked for a public agenda item, full disclosure of any MOU language given to donors, and an independent auditing process. Council members said Axon's acquisition of FUSIS changed the risk profile and noted provisions in vendor contracts that could allow vendor-side use of data for product development.

Madam President and other council members said they want written policies and public visibility on which locations or private partners would be connected, who would have access, audit logs, and whether vendor agreements permit secondary use of footage. One councilmember said the standard MOU the city has seen would prevent the department from accessing historical footage without owner permission or a warrant; another said some donors had already asked to connect. Several councilmembers urged transparency: posting policies and the auditing regime publicly and, if adopted, identifying connected camera categories (for example, license-plate readers or publicly visible cameras).

City staff said they are negotiating MOU language with the vendor and noted that the vendor had indicated willingness to accept changes that meet the city's legal requirements. Council indicated support to place the subject on a future agenda for a formal vote and asked staff to prepare model MOUs, proposed audit procedures, and recommended access controls.

The council did not take a final vote to adopt any MOU or to begin enrollment of private cameras at the meeting. The chief said he will return with proposed policies and the recommended MOU for council consideration.

The discussion also covered operational limits: staff said the department does not have the staff to continuously monitor private cameras and that participation would be voluntary; the chief and council discussed options such as limiting live access to analysts in the real-time crime center and requiring owner approval for historical footage except when obtained via legal process.

Council members and the chief recommended an independent auditing arrangement for access logs; one councilmember offered the city auditor's office as a potential third-party reviewer. Several councilmembers linked the matter to officer safety and to the department's recent operational successes tied to camera-assisted investigations, but emphasized the need to balance safety with resident privacy and vendor transparency.

The chief noted the department's real-time crime center has been in use for two years and said staff will bring proposed policy, MOU language, and auditing proposals back to council for a public hearing.

Ending: Council directed staff to return the subject as a formal agenda item with recommended MOU language, audit controls and public-facing policy documents; no contract or enrollment action was taken at this meeting.","Ocala Police Chief described plans to expand the city's FUSIS (now Axon) real-time video platform to include privately owned cameras. Council members said the proposal raises privacy and oversight concerns and requested a formal agenda item with policy language, auditing provisions and the proposed donor MOU before any expansion.","actionData","errors"]

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Council presses staff on repeated utility damage and fiber-optic permit enforcement

Votes at a glance: Ocala City Council actions on July 1, 2025

Ocala police seek to connect private cameras to city'wide system; council asks for public policy review