OCALA – Wearing a white shirt that concealed his bullet-proof vest, Dr. James Scott Pendergraft on Wednesday announced the opening of Marion County’s first abortion clinic in nearly 10 years.

The women’s center is in Ocala, where the last abortion clinic was twice firebombed in 1989.

Marion County commissioners had urged Pendergraft to reconsider his plans.

Two years ago, Pendergraft took Orlando to court when elected leaders tried to use city-zoning laws to prevent second-trimester abortions at his Orlando Women’s Center, 1103 Lucerne Terrace. The city settled his lawsuit for $325,000.