MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – On the morning of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, professional horse trainer Brooke Bayley stood, a full nine months pregnant, and addressed the Marion County Board of County Commissioners on the subject of the commercial-level fireworks display set to go off less than 1,000 feet from her home, her business and the 14 horses stabled there.
“Marion County proudly calls itself the Horse Capital of the World,” she said. “This park is surrounded by homes, farms and agricultural operations, many of which are located within the Marion County Farmland Preservation Area. Hundreds of horses and livestock are within hearing distance and viewing distance of this display. Our own farm is home to 14 horses, including elderly horses and a pregnant mare. Relocating that number of horses is simply not realistic, and as far as I know the county has not offered any practical solutions to realistically accommodate the animals.”
The park in question is Citra’s Wrigley Fields, which was chosen as one of four sites to host massive fireworks displays on the Fourth of July as part of Marion Celebrates America 250, the county’s contribution to nationwide events marking the country’s semiquincentennial. The Marion Celebrates America 250 program was largely spearheaded by outgoing Board of County Commissioners Chair Carl Zalak, III, in whose district Wrigley Fields is located.
A week or so prior to the county commission meeting, Bayley had started a change.org petition to “respectfully ask that Marion County relocate, modify, or cancel the annual Fourth of July fireworks display proposed for Wrigley Fields due to its significant impacts on nearby residential and agricultural properties.” So far, the petition has collected more than 1,000 signatures, and Bayley has rallied multiple neighbors to her cause…