OCALA, Fla. – The nearly $7 million project was funded through the Marion County penny sales tax and is something first responders say was built around the community.“This community needs more help with employment, crime, and transportation than any other part of Ocala so we were not just going to build a brick building with closed windows and barbed wired fence,” said Ocala Fire Chief Shane Alexander.The MLK First Responder Campus houses the Fire Rescue Headquarters with a new fire station, police substation, and community center.
The campus is open to the public with a basketball court, meeting and event spaces, and a fire museum.Some community members said the open concept encourages residents to interact with first responders.“It also.