A zoo and aquarium for Ocala? The proposal is real — the land isn't, yet
Organizers led by founder Jalen Watson are pitching an Ocala Zoological Park & Aquarium for Marion County, aiming at a 2028 opening. It's early days: no site secured, no financing announced — a vision, a website, and a plan to build community support first.
- Proposed by the Ocala Zoological Park & Aquarium (OZPA) organizers, led by founder and director Jalen Watson.
- The pitch: wildlife and aquatic exhibits, education programs for schools and families, and conservation partnerships, built around conservation, education, and animal welfare.
- No land is secured and no site has been named; cost and funding have not been announced.
- Target opening is 2028, contingent on site selection, financing, permitting, and construction — organizers say no date is guaranteed.
A group calling itself the Ocala Zoological Park & Aquarium wants to build a zoo and aquarium in Marion County. The effort is led by founder and director Jalen Watson, who says the goal is a facility focused on wildlife conservation, education, and animal welfare — with wildlife and aquatic exhibits, programs for schools and families, and conservation partnerships. In a statement, Watson said: "My dream is to create a place where families can discover their own love for animals — the same way I did."
The project's website sketches what the finished park would hold: a South American-inspired Capybara Cove with ponds and viewing areas, and an aquarium spanning freshwater and saltwater exhibits, reef displays, and interactive touch experiences, themed from Florida's waterways to the world's oceans.
The honest status is early. Organizers have not secured land, named a site, or announced a cost or funding source, and no permits or government approvals are in play yet. The 2028 opening is a target that depends on all of that falling into place. For now, organizers say they will share updates and community-involvement opportunities as the project develops — in one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida, the pitch is that the audience is already arriving.