Frank DeLuca retires

The longtime owner of DeLuca Toyota was feted during a recent celebration in honor of his 46 years in business.

Posted March 10, 2025 | By Susan Smiley-Height, susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Last week was a busy and fulfilling one for Frank DeLuca.

On March 7, the longtime owner of the DeLuca Toyota dealership was feted with a retirement party at the Country Club of Ocala, with vintage autos on display, along with cut-out images of a younger Frank.

The next evening, during the elegant Inspire Gala at the Circle Square Cultural Center, he was recognized at the Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County and shared the Frank Hennessey Legacy Award with another noted local philanthropist, Stan Hanson.

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DeLuca, who was raised in Orlando, said his first act of charitable giving was when he was 17 and was involved in a high school Civitan Club, selling fruit cakes to raise money for local charities. That also was when he started working as a weekend auto detailer for a dealership owned by a friend’s father. He continued to work in the business through and after college, excelling as a sales representative, sales manager, financial services manager and general manager.

Since opening DeLuca Toyota in Ocala in 1978, he has been a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association, past director of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association and Dealer Council representative of Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. He is a five-time recipient of the Toyota President’s Award and has received the J.D. Power Certified Retailer Award. In late 2024, he sold the dealership to the Gettel Automotive Group.

The ”Gazette” asked DeLuca how it felt after 46 years to sign the documents to sell the dealership.

“I always realized that there would be a time to retire from the automotive business; I had talked with my wife, Angela, for a few years, and we felt that 2024 was the right time,” he said.

“I want to thank the community and many loyal generations of past customers for allowing DeLuca Toyota to have a significant impact on our community for 46 great years. Finding the right new owner to hand over the responsibility of serving our community was essential and I am confident that Gettel Automotive Group will do a fantastic job,” he added.

In addition to being a business leader all those years, DeLuca also is a noted supporter of a wide variety of community organizations, including many nonprofits, to which he has donated more than $14 million. Among the most notable are gifts of $1,000,000 each that allowed for expansions of the Frank DeLuca Family YMCA and the adjacent Sportsplex. He continues to donate over $10,000 annually to fund YMCA scholarships.

In 2022, his donation of $250,000 contributed to an expansion at the Reilly Arts Center that introduced new classrooms for the Community Music Conservatory, a black box theater and a new lobby named in his honor. In 2024, Habitat for Humanity of Marion County completed the construction of a 17th home with funds from DeLuca, bringing his total donations to the nonprofit to more than $650,000.

For the past six years, including 2024, the DeLuca dealership partnered with Orlando NBC affiliate WESH 2 and Second Harvest Food Bank to support the Share Your Christmas campaign, with donations of more than 60,000 meals to families, children and seniors in Marion County, and financial contributions exceeding $60,000. He has given more than $130,000 to Boys & Girls Club of Marion County programs that help children build character, succeed academically and adopt healthy lifestyles.

“From the early days, I understood that giving back to the community through various philanthropic organizations would be my guiding principle. I am proud of the way we were able to serve the automotive needs of our community. Still, I am even more proud of our impact on people’s lives by supporting various philanthropic causes,” DeLuca told the “Gazette.” “Over the years, we have supported many causes. Giving back is a defining legacy I am very proud of.”

Now that he is retired as a businessman, we asked DeLuca if he would “retire” from his philanthropic endeavors as well.“Angela and I are learning how to balance our professional and retired lives with our community involvement. We both found that we try to give of our resources and share our time, talent and love for our community. We will try to make Ocala/Marion County a better place because of our philanthropic efforts and concern for our community. We encourage other businesses to get involved as often and frequently as possible in giving back to your community,” he said.

“Frank’s greatest legacy in Ocala is a blend of his entrepreneurial success, which has brought economic prosperity, and his profound philanthropy, which has touched numerous aspects of our Ocala community. His passion for everything Ocala is impressive, and I admire all he has done in the past and all he will continue to do for many more years to come. His legacy is one of leadership, generosity and a deep commitment to making the DeLuca difference in our community,” Angela offered.

Frank Hennessey, during the Inspire Gala, told those gathered that Frank DeLuca’s legacy “will continue to inspire future generations to give back and make a difference in the lives of others.”

“So many things make him an incredible, dynamic person. He has an immense amount of gratitude for our community, his customers over the past 46 years, and all of the employees of DeLuca Toyota. I love that he always felt his success was directly related to those he surrounded himself with,” Angela added.

She also noted that her husband “is the most gentle, kind and caring man I have ever met. He enjoys upscale dining, fine wines, sorbet for dessert and loves when we meet someone and they have a story about the Toyota they purchased from him. I am very proud to be his partner and the one to share the next chapter. I am grateful for the man he is,” she continued.

The two are avid travelers and plan to continue that tradition, along with boating and skiing.

“We want to spend more time traveling during this season of our lives. I have always enjoyed spending quality time at the dealership, and I am now looking forward to being able to enjoy this next chapter and retirement. One of our favorite pastimes is boating. We enjoy travelling to exotic destinations in our boat, Nauti Lady. I have been an avid snow skier for the past 50 years and have enjoyed sharing this with Angela,” Frank said.

“Frank and I both love to travel and are blessed to have been many fantastic exotic places. We have a few new adventures lined up and will continue to explore new destinations in the future. We are also looking forward to more time on our boat,” Angela offered.

As for what is his favorite thing about Ocala/Marion County, Frank expressed: “It’s the people that make the difference. For me, Marion County will always be my home. Watching our community grow for 50 years from a small town to a vibrant growing Ocala/Marion will always be very special.”