The Villages Lodge and "Canned Hunt" Property in Ocala
 

I was just wondering if anyone knew any information regarding the property in Ocala owned by The Villages where they had a lodge and had "canned Hunts" for family and friends.

I understand the property has been sold or is under contract.

Canned hunts?!?!?!?! I hope that place is long gone and never to return. :ohdear: a quick google search tells me that a developer from
Connecticut bought it. Sounds like there’s going to be some new home options in Ocala.

Believe that property sold back in July/August time frame for $15.5M double what they paid for it.
6,000 sq ft lodge on 2,725 acres. Story was in the Ocala Star Banner and web site but you needed to be a subscriber to read online. Might be available in Star Banner app to read.

Regarding The Villages "Canned Hunt"
 

This is what I understand from way back when . . .

The Morse family paid big bucks to make the Leesburg Airport an international airport so that they could bring in wild animals (lions, tigers, etc.) for their "canned hunt" project in Ocala.

For those of you who do not know what a "canned Hunt" is, here is the definition from Wikipedia:

A canned hunt is a trophy hunt which is not "fair chase", typically by having game animals kept in a confined area such as in a fenced ranch to prevent the animals' escape and make tracking easier for the hunter, in order to increase the likelihood of the hunter obtaining a kill.

I shudder when I even think about it, but I will assume the animal heads in their sales office in Sumter Landing are trophies from their "canned hunt" property. It makes me sick to walk through those rooms.

I was very surprised to learn that this property was being sold and wonder what has happened to the surviving animals which were left there???

My Question is . . .
 

Unfortunately, "canned Hunts" are legal and exist throughout the country.
This is not the only one in Florida.

Anyway, why would a developer be interested in this property, specifically for development of homes, when there is so much bare land to be had in the Ocala area (and elsewhere)?

I am just hopeful that this property isn't going to continue to be used for the same purpose.

It could be because this site was incredibly cheap compared to other land available in Ocala. This property sold for about 7000 an acre. Compare that to land in NW Ocala selling for about 100K an acre. If they are going to build homes here they could be very moderately priced with what they paid for the land. It is also completely fenced in making it very easy to create a gated community.

Hopefully, This Parcel Will be Developed
 

It is my understanding that KLEE (Leesburg Intl. Airport) was funded by the Morse family. As they have a place in the Bahamas, when returning to the U.S. they would have had to stop in Orlando or another International Airport to go through Customs and then fly to Leesburg. They funded KLEE to make it an International Port of Entry (there is U.S. Customs located at Leesburg). Now they fly direct to KLEE from any foreign country. I use KLEE often and have never heard anything about wild animals being flown in to KLEE.

Didn't Dick Cheney gt shot by one of his buddies at one of those disgusting places but in Texas? Wonder how it felt?