County officials are set to vote on a proposal to rename the Marion County Sheriff’s Operations Complex in honor of the late Sheriff Don R. Moreland, a “law enforcement legend” credited with modernizing the agency and overseeing the construction of the facility itself.
The proposal, spearheaded by retired Marion County Judge John Futch, will be presented during the Marion County Board of County Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, January 20.
The item calls for the jail, emergency operations center, forensics building, and training facilities that comprise the center to be renamed the Don R. Moreland Criminal Justice Complex. Under the plan, individual buildings on the campus would retain their existing names, but the overarching geographical area would bear Moreland’s name.
In a letter to the county administrator, Futch noted that Moreland oversaw the creation and expansion of the complex after the county acquired the land. He wrote that Moreland is a legend in Marion County law enforcement and added that he has garnered support for the renaming from current Sheriff Billy Woods, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, Belleview Police Chief Terry Holland, State Attorney Bill Gladson, and Clerk of Court Greg Harrell…