Although Marion County is not near either of Florida 's coasts , it is situated slightly to the west , so it takes a little less than an hour to get to the Gulf of Mexico while it takes about half an hour longer to get to the Atlantic Ocean . Although Marion County is not near either of Florida 's coasts , it is situated slightly to the west . Therefore , it takes a little less than an hour to get to the Gulf of Mexico while it takes about half an hour longer to get to the Atlantic Ocean .