POLICIES

Domestic Animal Policy

Domestic animals (i.e. dogs, cats, birds) are prohibited from County parks, except at the Baseline Road to Marshall Swamp Trailhead and the Brick City Adventure Park, which is governed by FS 260.016(1)(c), which state: Dogs must be on a leash not exceeding 6 ft. Domestic animals that are noisy, vicious, dangerous, disturbing or act threatening to persons or other animals are considered nuisances and will not be permitted to remain on Greenway property.

Geocaching

All caches must be maintained in a family friendly manner. The cache cannot contain any food, alcohol, drugs, weapons, explosives, dangerous items or adult items. Caches should be located along established trails, to minimize off trail hiking. All caches must receive the prior authorization of the Department. Download a  Geocache application.

Lost and Found Items

Staff members finding items left in our Parks have the responsibility of tagging the item(s) with the date and general location of where the item(s) were found. Any item(s) found will be held for thirty days. After thirty days, a Park Ranger will dispose of abandoned item(s) accordingly. The Park Ranger will maintain a log of items that were disposed of which will include: the general description of the item, date of disposal and initials of the Park Ranger. Any claimed items to be mailed will be at the expense of the guest.

Metal Detectors

The use of metal detectors is not prohibited by law on County owned land, however, permission is not readily granted. Use of metal detectors is not permitted at Horseshoe Lake and Resort. There are many guidelines that must be followed by the person using the device. Citizens cannot keep anything that is deemed historically important (i.e. artifacts, bones, coins, etc.) nor can they use the metal detector or dig on sports fields or in areas that are, or may be, significant. A significant area is one that may contain information relating to history or a crime. If a person does keep something or dig in a prohibited area, penalties under State Statute may be enforced. The person using the metal detector is responsible for knowing where it can be used and what can and cannot be kept. Staff will not be assigned to monitor metal detecting.

County wide parameters for use of metal detectors in the Parks are as follows:

• Use will be granted during normal operating hours only.
• Users must abide by the Florida Statute for lost and abandoned property.
• Users may not disturb other guests or leave holes or other types of damage.
• Those using metal detectors will not be allowed in historic areas.
• If metal detecting becomes a nuisance, developing BCC adopted rules may be implemented.

Because the Rainbow River is a designated Aquatic Preserve, guests wishing to use metal detectors in the water should be directed to contact the Department of Environmental Protection, Rainbow Springs Aquatic Preserve, for other restrictions and/or permits.

Candidate / Political Forums in Parks

All Candidate / Political Forums held in parks will require event organizers to complete a Special Event Permit Application and pay any and all associated fees (i.e. pavilion rentals, park user fees). If additional services are required, such as the provision of port-o-lets, bleachers, stages or others, those items are to be obtained at the sole expense of the event organizer and will be placed in a location mutually agreeable to both the Parks and Recreation Department staff and event organizer. The Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park will not be used for Candidate / Political Forums in respect for our many veterans serving our great county.

Disabled Residents / Active Duty Military Personnel

Marion County Residents with 100% disabilities and active duty military personnel are eligible to receive one complimentary annual park pass. Disability is determined by a letter from the Social Security Administration or other agency accepted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks for proof of disability. Active military status is determined by presentation of a military issued card stating active military duty.

Other Policies

Memorial Donation Policy (PDF) - 23 KB