[Orionsdolph]

Two Florida Towns Vie to Be Center of the Equestrian World — The Wall Street Journal




"An equestrian rivalry between towns competing for horse-riding events and well-heeled homeowners and athletes is heating up in Florida.

Wellington, a village on the west side of Palm Beach County, for more than 15 years has been Florida’s equestrian sports center, hosting the Winter Equestrian Festival, which attracts tens of thousands of spectators during its 13-week run. The daughters of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Bloomberg have competed in the festival and their families own homes in the area, according to real-estate brokers.

Now, the family of the late trucking magnate Ralph L. ‘Larry’ Roberts Sr. is trying to get a piece of this business in Ocala, a sleepy rural town of about 65,000 in central Florida. They have spent about $1 billion to build an event complex, named World Equestrian Center, that has more and larger arenas than Wellington International, as well as a greater variety of lodging, retail and restaurants.


Wellington’s equestrian promoters and many businesses and developers in that area are worried that Ocala might usurp their dominance unless they expand their arenas and amenities. “If we sit idle, I think Wellington will atrophy,” said Mark Bellissimo, a developer who played a lead role in building Wellington’s equestrian business and is now advocating a major expansion plan.

The duel between the two equestrian centers is one of the more upscale competitions playing out in Florida as the state’s low taxes, warm weather and business-friendly government policies become a magnet for people living in New York, California and other areas in the U.S. While large Florida cities such as Miami and Tampa have experienced tremendous growth since the pandemic, smaller communities such as Wellington and Ocala also have undergone a boom in real-estate pricing and population.


Florida’s population increased by 1.9% between 2021 and 2022, the largest percentage increase in population of any state in the entire country last year, according to U.S. census data. Fourth-quarter median home prices were up 11% in Wellington and 15% in Ocala from a year earlier, according to Jonathan Miller, who compiles the data for Douglas Elliman.

Newcomers in Wellington and Ocala include celebrities in the equestrian world and big names in the business world whose children have developed a passion for riding. For example, Barry Sternlicht, chief executive of Starwood Capital Group, said his daughter’s activities in Wellington helped persuade him to move his headquarters to South Florida.


“I came down because my mom lives down here, my daughter rides at Wellington, personal life changes,” said Mr. Sternlicht in a Wall Street Journal interview last year when asked why he moved to Miami. Another factor in his decision was a subsidiary he owned in South Beach with 300 employees, he said.

Will Simpson, a USA Olympic gold medalist, moved to Ocala from Los Angeles about two years ago after purchasing what he calls a “barndominium”—a house and barn set on 23 acres 10 minutes from the World Equestrian Center. “It’s an amazing horse community,” he said.

Chris Desino, a broker-owner who specializes in both Wellington and Ocala, says he recently sold a 29-acre farm in Ocala for $4.1 million, a 43% increase over what it went for in 2020. In Wellington, raw land goes for much more, about $2 million an acre and up depending on how close it is to the show venue, says Martha Jolicoeur, a real-estate agent for Douglas Elliman.

Meanwhile, the Roberts family through one of its real-estate companies is selling over 200 lots in a gated golf and equestrian community it owns near Ocala’s equestrian center.


For now, Wellington has a big lead on its upstart rival. Its equestrian events get more international attention. Its location is just a 30-minute drive from Palm Beach and a day trip from Miami.

But Wellington’s higher density also has helped make it more difficult for developers to expand. Mr. Bellissimo met with some community resistance in 2014 in his efforts to expand the residential offerings, amenities and arena space to transform the area into a resort destination.

Mr. Bellissimo says he will soon submit a new set of plans that will help address some community concerns about density. He says he hopes competition from Ocala will increase support for expansion.


“I think the last thing we want to do is be arrogant about where we are,” he said at a planning and zoning meeting in September.

Indeed, a number of horse breeders, trainers and sellers are moving from Wellington to Ocala. Ariel Grange, daughter of Susan Grange, an icon in the equestrian world, says her family is selling its Wellington properties and moving its 20 or so horses to a farm in the Ocala area.

Ocala “is more horse country and has a less-stress feeling as opposed to Wellington’s fast-paced world,” Ms. Grange says."



https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-flo...world-41c54136

[silverct9a]

Wellington is a very nice and affluent area with an incredible equestrian social scene.

[wizrap]

I’ve never attended any equestrian events in Wellington or Ocala for that matter, but I did participate in a national golden retriever dog show at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala and it’s a top-notch facility. It’s also attracting a lot of dog show enthusiasts. The UF vet school is also opening a satellite facility for its students on site.

Ocala has more land, and cheaper. We’ll see who wins out.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by wizrap

I’ve never attended any equestrian events in Wellington or Ocala for that matter, but I did participate in a national golden retriever dog show at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala and it’s a top-notch facility. It’s also attracting a lot of dog show enthusiasts. The UF vet school is also opening a satellite facility for its students on site.

Ocala has more land, and cheaper. We’ll see who wins out.

imho...Ocala will win out due to its central location to Northerners who want to participate. Oala is very driveable from most places in the SE USA.

[carnivalday]

The World Equestrian Center is fabulous. Since it has been built and put into use, I am seeing a lot of farms in my area being sold for really good prices. Used to be a race horse center, now the show horse people are coming in and its really great. A very diversified group of horse owners. Its really fun.