District 2
Commissioner Jim Payton
Marion County Commissioners are elected to serve our citizens and
this is the focus of my tenure in local government, Florida’s economy
is anchored by Tourism, Agriculture and Retirees. The voters of Marion
County recently passed a 2% Tourist Development Tax that will help attract
travelers to our abundant eco-tourism opportunities. Marion County has
one of the lowest Ad-Valorem rates in the state and we are able to maintain
a very high bond rating. However, we are not without challenges, our
road and public utility infrastructure is not developing as fast as
our population. We have a new county wide ambulance service that while
promising to be one of the best is in the state has not yet matured.
As more and more citizens want to move to our county, land use and zoning
change applications continue to present challenges to all of us. The
need to balance the private property rights of individuals against the
public interest is to say, at the least, a daunting task. Nevertheless,
Marion County is a wonderful place to live, work and raise your family.
And I enjoy, so much, the opportunity to serve as your county commissioner
