New marijuana grow facility in Ocala cultivating 50,000 sq. ft. of product – Ocala-News.com
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A cannabis company has opened a new marijuana cultivation facility at a property in northeast Ocala that it acquired and redeveloped for tens of millions of dollars over the past year, enabling the organization to now cultivate and ship marijuana throughout the state of Florida.
AYR Wellness has opened its first indoor cultivation facility in Ocala, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. The 97,580-square-foot building is located along NE 33rd Street Ocala, northeast of Vanguard High School’s Booster Stadium.
The structure features approximately 50,000 square feet of “grow canopy.” The company reports that the facility employs around 100 team members across cultivation, technical, and operational roles.
According to AYR, the new cultivation facility in Ocala will allow the company to offer delivery services to patients across the state of Florida. Locally, the Ocala facility joins a hybrid greenhouse site in Gainesville.
Based in Miami, AYR currently operates 67 medical marijuana dispensaries across the state of Florida.
In June 2024, Ocala-News.com reported the $13 million acquisition of the property in northeast Ocala where the new AYR facility sits.
The purchase of the multi-parcel grouping that comprises the property was financed by Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIP), a Maryland-based real estate investment trust that specializes in acquiring and financing the development of properties for cannabis companies.
As part of its deal with AYR, IIP also agreed to provide “reimbursement of up to $30 million” to build out the facility.
Since the state of Florida legalized medical marijuana in July 2017, Ocala has become one of many cities that have seen a steady rise in the presence of cannabis cultivation facilities and dispensaries.
There are currently over a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries serving the city of Ocala, including MÜV, Green Dragon, Curaleaf, The Flowery, Trulieve, Jungle Boys, GrowHealthy, Goldflower, Sunnyside, AYR, and Planet 13.
Last year, just a few weeks after AYR announced the acquisition of its cultivation property, another cannabis company purchased a 250,000-square-foot logistics center in southwest Ocala for $37 million in order to cultivate and produce marijuana as well.
UPDATE: This story has been amended to remove a company that was incorrectly named.