It has been reported that a survey is being conducted in Florida to examine the effect that the equine industry has on Marion County.
An article by the Ocala Star Banner states that sponsors of the survey include the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP), the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association and Ocala Breeders Sales Co.
The survey, which can be accessed here, is expected to be online for roughly one week.
Kevin T. Sheilley, the president and CEO of the CEP, was quoted as saying, “The feed store knows how important the equine industry is to them, obviously. But maybe the truck dealer doesn't realize it until they think about it and then they say, 'Man, I sell a lot of pickup trucks to horse farms.' Maybe the restaurateur says, 'Look we know the minute OBS or HITS is going on because our sales go up 50 per cent' and the boutique downtown says the same thing. We want to see how all the little pieces are impacted.”
(With files from the Ocala Star Banner)