Coldwell Banker Ellison Realty

General information

I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Mike, for 46 years. We have one daughter, Mindy Kay, and four grandchildren – Jourdon, 23, Dillon (in the USMC), 20, Aaron, 12, and Allison, 11 – who all live near us! Mike and I have 2 Jack Russell Terriers and an African Gray parrot.
We have lived in Ocala since 1972. Living in Ocala, Marion County for 44 years has given me the opportunity to see our community grow from about 70,000 in population to about 343,000 today. My perspective is a little different than in most people because Mike was an Ocala City Councilman for 16 of those years, and a Marion County Commissioner for 4 years after that. Mike and I have also owned and operated a sign business for 35 years, which draws directly from growth and change. I have always been very aware of what was going on in the community, and generally played a part in many community activities, as we’ve always been very service oriented. My unique perspective has provided me insight into local economic development, the growth of our fabulous medical community, and the transformation of commercial, industrial and residential development. I’ve also had close knowledge about improvements to our infrastructure to meet the growing needs.
Over my years in the sign business I’ve had many occasions where I’ve represented customers before the Board of Adjustment, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board. As a sign professional I was asked and served on committees to address needed code changes.
I currently volunteer with Project Hope of Marion County, which is a transitional housing program for homeless women with children. I am a partner at Church of Hope, and volunteer there as well. Some of my past community involvement included serving on the Board of Directors at ARC Marion for 23 years, serving as president for 2 years. I volunteered for “Barkitecture” which was a very successful 2 year long community fund raising project to raise money for the Humane Society of Marion County and the Marion Cultural Alliance. I also participated in every “Santa’s Holiday on Ice” Christmas Party that was put on 6 years in a row for the homeless and disadvantaged children in our community.
I believe my unique history has given me a vast knowledge about many aspects of our community which will allow me to represent my real estate customers well! I look forward to putting my experiences to work for YOU!!