UPDATE: The City of Ocala responded with the following statement: “City leadership recently learned that the City of Ocala was the victim of a fraudulent scheme that resulted in the theft of $277,799.81. Those investigations are currently being conducted by the City’s Internal Auditor, the City’s insurance providers, and other appropriate agencies. The City of Ocala will provide additional information as appropriate once the investigations have been completed and the underlying facts have been verified.” Making it public before the internal auditor and IT finished their work, he argued, would have been premature. At the July 21, 2026, Ocala City Council meeting, city officials discussed scheduling interviews for four internal auditor applicants, agreeing to follow a format similar to the city attorney selection process.