Last year, the Daily Commercial reported on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s proposal to establish a satellite training campus on a 119-acre private parcel known as Deep Woods Ranch within the Ocala National Forest.
The university sought to rezone the land to create a full-scale instructional facility, including a 3,000-square-foot paved runway, aircraft hangars, drone operations and student housing.
Following intense public opposition from residents and conservation groups such as Defending Rural Florida, the university officially withdrew its rezoning request in mid-2025.
“The property has been used as a cattle ranch with a grass runway by a private owner since 1987,” the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. “Neighbors say changing from less than one flight daily to whatever volume Embry-Riddle will bring will bring a startling change.”
As of March 2026, the project is characterized by a “wait-and-see” tension between the university and the community. Embry-Riddle has stated it will continue assessing options for expansion while self-imposing rules to be a “good neighbor,” such as prohibiting flights after dark and during inclement weather.
Despite withdrawing the larger rezoning bid, the university still plans to utilize the site’s existing private airstrip for training, which critics argue is a “scaled-back” version of the same disruptive project.
Opponents, many of them nearby residents, have taken to social media to express concerns about noise pollution from frequent Cessna 172 flight patterns, potential environmental damage to endangered species habitats, and the degradation of the forest’s tranquil character.
Among the forest residents concerned about the aviation school’s presence there is Rich Graham, a retired Navy Seal veteran who runs a private firearms training program. He runs a bed-and-breakfast on the forest grounds near the proposed site.
Graham has posted a video (attached to the online version of this article) soliciting public comments for submission to the Forest Service. Deadline for comments is March 31.
Citizens can comment on the project by visiting the Forest Service website at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=68695
While the immediate prospect of a massive satellite campus has subsided, local activists continue to monitor the site closely through petitions on platforms like Change.org, fearing that paving the existing airstrip could set a permanent precedent for commercial development in one of Florida’s most sensitive ecosystems.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Public comments sought for Embry-Riddle’s Ocala National Forest airstrip plan
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
