Disclaimer: This story contains information relating to investigations and allegations of sexual misconduct against minors The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) raided Alachua Today and Boukari Law in July 2024 because of an investigation into former city manager Adam Boukari according to a March memorandum from the Florida Office of the Inspector General.  but pavement-pounding journalism is not free Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible This memorandum was filed as an exhibit to a motion in an unrelated civil case and the exhibit notes that the investigation arose from allegations of sexual acts against juvenile boys Boukari denied allegations of criminal wrongdoing in a Thursday comment to Mainstreet He said that he has known for over a year about a likely ongoing inquiry “This is my first opportunity to respond and I unequivocally deny the allegations of any criminal actions or wrongdoing,” Boukari said in a text The memorandum said the raid was conducted in part to search for semen from acts involving “the target of this investigation Adam Boukari and juvenile boys.” The memorandum referenced at least two unnamed victims and the potential for dozens of acts The memorandum quotes from the Operational Plan and search warrant used by FDLE in the raid.  “An FDLE investigation revealed that sexual acts have occurred at Alachua Today/Boukari Law involving juvenile victims,” said the search warrant quoted in the memorandum “The acts occurred sometime around the time period of 2006-2021.” Adam Boukari served as Alachua’s city manager from 2018 to 2021.  The March memorandum came to light because of an unrelated civil case involving Alachua Today and a neighboring business but the FDLE raid appears to have caused bumps in the civil case deadlines.  attached the memorandum in a motion filed Tuesday he referenced the memorandum as evidence that Bryan Boukari lied to the court Alachua County Today is a weekly newspaper that is operated by the Boukari family with Bryan Boukari listed as publisher and Ellen Boukari listed as director The newspaper shares offices in downtown Alachua with Boukari Law FDLE told Mainstreet that both investigations referenced in the memorandum remained active and declined to comment on them.  The raid occurred on July 3, 2024, and received widespread coverage at the time, including television coverage on WCJB while agents were still on the scene but FDLE declined to comment on the reason for the raid Just three months before the raid, an FDLE investigation into “crimes against children” at Santa Fe High School (SFHS) became public but the memorandum does not establish a direct  link between the school and Alachua Today/Boukari The March memo says the raid was focused on evidence related to victims at the building in question.  “Based on the number of known victims and number of sex acts Adam has committed that have resulted in male ejaculation it is highly probable for Alachua Today to contain trace evidence of semen from many victims,” the memorandum quotes from the search warrant.      Adam Boukari said he would pursue all avenues to protect his reputation He was selected as president of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce last year and is a well-known Alachua citizen.  “I look forward to this matter being closed and I will be pursuing all avenues to protect my reputation,” Adam Boukari said “I hope there will be an investigation into the manner in which this information was made public as it appears to be a violation of State law and FDLE procedures.” The memorandum from the Florida Office of the Inspector General was created in response to complaints filed by Linda Chapman and Bryan Boukari against FDLE for aspects of its raid at Alachua Today/Boukari Law.  Chapman did not return Mainstreet’s request for comment Bryan Boukari responded Thursday to a request for comment by asking for a deadline he informed Mainstreet he had just filed a lawsuit on behalf of Alachua Today to prevent Mainstreet from publishing this story he threatened a series of defamation lawsuits identified as the personal attorney of Bryan Boukari said in her complaint that FDLE agents illegally searched her office that legal papers were not as she had left them and that a case from High Springs was rifled through Chapman’s office is in the same building as Alachua Today/Boukari Law and the memorandum notes she practiced as “of counsel” in the Boukari Law office Chapman’s complaint added that the warrant’s inclusion of the term “semen” with a capital “S,” among other things The complaint added that Chapman contended those bodily fluids would not exist because too much time had passed.  said the search warrant presented “scientific findings that indicated the recovery and analysis of semen could be accomplished on samples many decades old.” Cope also dismissed claims that case files were rifled through computer emails were accessed and documents shuffled Cope reviewed before and after pictures of the offices and said documents in Chapman’s office had been left in place besides a couple of boxes that had been shifted or turned 45 degrees—but with no signs of evidence taken.  While the memorandum does reference Santa Fe High School the document stops short of linking the school investigation with the raid Chapman and Bryan Boukari make repeated mention of attorney Bobi Frank who has an office less than two blocks from Boukari Law/Alachua Today.  Chapman and Bryan Boukari alleged Frank prompted FDLE to conduct the raid and the memorandum mentions video footage provided to FDLE that shows Frank outside the Boukari Law offices during the raid talking to an “agent.” Frank told Mainstreet that she had no part in coordinating the raid accusations that have been made against not only Law Enforcement Officers but also about a fellow Officer of the Court by licensed Attorneys is truly astounding,” Frank said in a Thursday email to Mainstreet “The accusation is absurd and exposes their pure ignorance on criminal law and Frank represents clients in the Santa Fe High School case, even suing the School Board of Alachua County and the city of Alachua for negligence. The case was dismissed in early April for lack of grounds and failure to create a civil cause of action Chapman and Bryan Boukari’s complaints also claim inappropriate social media conduct by FDLE Special Agent Yolanda Carbia who obtained the search warrant leading to the raid According to the memorandum, Carbia liked posts by Colby Thompson of Thompson Sod. News stories on the Santa Fe High School investigation were sparked by Thompson’s decision to pull advertising and his kids from the school after he learned about the FDLE investigation into “crimes against children.” Carbia also commented on a personal post by Thompson and Thompson responded that they’d hopefully talk soon.  The memorandum about the FDLE raid clarifies the relationship.   a review of the case file revealed Thompson was a witness in the criminal investigation and was being represented by Frank regarding a dispute with SFHS,” the memorandum states “Thompson was a vocal critic of SFHS [and] the Alachua County School Board after finding out about allegations of crimes against children being investigated at SFHS.” Frank didn’t comment on any connection between the investigation into Santa Fe High School and the July raid “Based on my experience representing victims of crimes one thing that I know for certain is that a lot of questions will be answered once FDLE completes its investigation and the case file is made public,” Frank said.  The memorandum shows that Frank and sources of information had approached law enforcement as early as October 2022 concerning investigations.  Cope also addressed Chapman’s claim that agents had illegally raided her office (given as 14804 Main Street Suite 100 While the building exterior delineates Suite 100 from 200 Cope said Chapman didn’t file her business with Florida using the Suite 100 designation He added that Chapman was unable to provide any court document that she had filed with her practice that included Suite 100 in the address.   the building is open and doesn’t designate between a Suite 100 and 200 Cope said none of the allegations warranted an internal investigation but recommended that FDLE look into Carbia’s social media activity Cope added that a determination into whether or not the raid was legal is up to the courts and outside his purview.  The memorandum was filed as part of a motion with the Eighth Judicial Circuit on April 29 by Attorney Leonard Ireland regarding a civil case unrelated to the raid Alachua Today is the defendant in that case and represented by Bryan Boukari while Ireland represents the plaintiff but Ireland attached the memorandum to a motion seeking the court’s official notice of the document Ireland said the purpose was to show that Bryan Boukari lied to the court while litigating the case “I have acted with all candor toward this court and at no time have I misled any member of this court or opposing counsel on anything that my client or that I have done or would file or would do,” he said Bryan Boukari filed emergency motions to seal the memorandum from the court docket In the motion he said the reason is “to prevent undue harm from public disclosure of potentially exempt investigatory information.” The clerk removed the document upon request but Mainstreet received a copy prior to the April 30th hearing And so the Boukari House of Cards begins to fall… ‘bout time Just illegally leaked information from media hungry people about allegations that can’t be proven but from what I read the search warrant party was at least a photographer and probably at least two evidence technicians Two times one minute per swab times the three and one half hours they were there is possibly 420 DNA swabs Plus possibly a number of victims to test and cross reference How long does it take them to process that many not “11 months” or “OVER a year later.” I know Might not take 11 months (actually it’s only 10 but who is counting) to process DNA samples but it takes that long to weave together the web that has been scrubbed by the Boukaris and their enablers for decades You really think the FDLE seeks out a search warrant with no probable cause journalistic enterprises worked together to maintain their collective right of free speech One newspaper is suing in court to have the court force another newspaper to NOT publish a story which the paper believes is true and in the public interest When exactly did the abuse allegations start and by whom That might tell us a lot about this yarn ball wcjb.com TV20 has the complete FDLE memo online Reading the whole thing makes things more clear who owns Thompson Sod) went to an attorney about allegations of sexual abuse of minors at Santa Fe High School Thompson had paid for a new scoreboard at the school’s stadium and wanted his business’s logo removed from the scoreboard because he didn’t want his business associated with the school’s athletics contacted the FDLE to report the allegations instead of the Alachua Police Department which has jurisdiction over the school and has a school resource officer at the school interviewing students and others at the school for at least a week Fast forward to last summer and the FDLE served as search warrant on the law offices of Boukari which are co-located with the Alachua Today newspaper The Boukaris have been involved in high school athletics at Santa Fe HS in various ways for years There are three Boukari brothers in Alachua and one is married to a SFHS guidance counselor There were people who asserted that the search warrant last summer was related to the allegations of abuse at Santa Fe HS and FDLE’s investigation of those allegations but that was confirmed by no officials The memo disclosed recently in a court case seems to confirm that the search warrant was about sexual abuse but did not mention Santa Fe HS I guess we won’t be reading about this in the Alachua Today Your attorney’s reply to the lawsuit against you is a masterclass of legal writing Join your neighbors who make this work possible As native vegetation like pine trees and wire grass begin to enter the growing season the Alachua Conservation Trust is conducting various prescribed burns to support proper seeding and prevent wildfires heading into the summer months after which the area enters the growing season the state and other organizations burn just over 2 million acres a year to manage Florida ecosystems The Alachua Conservation Trust conducts the burns of about 20,000 of those acres stewardship director of the Alachua Conservation Trust The Alachua Conservation Trust is a nonprofit regional land trust created to protect Florida’s critical natural lands from development and degradation exemplifying the importance of land management Over 23,000 acres were burned in the raging fires of Los Angeles Coulliette said he sees this as a representation of what happens when land is left unmanaged about every 10 to 15 years we have a lot of fire in our state,” Coulliette said And that's due mostly because of the dry burning we do in the state of Florida.” Before joining the Alachua Conservation Trust Coulliette worked at the Florida Forest Service for 36 years instructing prescribed fire training and conducting burns at various state forests and private lands in the north Florida region He stressed the importance of increasing public knowledge of prescribed burns as purposefully burning natural habitat can sound negative “It’s a safe and effective way to manage our natural resources,” he said Prescribed burning is necessary to prevent large-scale wildfires because it removes dead materials that can be kindling for fires Prescribed burns are also used in agriculture to renew the soil in between crops It also creates new habitats for animals and promotes proper seeding of vegetation There are many different weather factors that the Alachua Conservation Trust monitors to ensure a safe and effective fire The time of day of a burn is important for the spread of fire heat and humidity levels change throughout the day Surface-to-volume ratio of the kindling is also important fallen pine needles are thin and long which means they burn quickly Removing those prevents wildfires from getting out of hand Kestrels are used to help read the weather which is updated hourly during a burn to ensure conditions are remaining safe to proceed While Coulliette says that the fires are conducted safely wildfires like those in California at the beginning of the year have caused people to think prescribed burns are unsafe or put their homes at risk “It creates an environment where we can do prescribed burning in a safe manner to remove the fuel so we don’t have catastrophic fires like in other places in the United States and other places in the world that's going on right now,” Coulliette said Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInALACHUA (WCJB) - A newly surfaced memorandum from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Inspector General revealed that sexual crimes involving juvenile victims occurred at the office shared by Alachua Today and Boukari Law sometime between 2006 and 2021 following a July 2024 search warrant which stemmed from a citizen’s complaint about the legality of the search ultimately concluded that no misconduct occurred it also revealed new details about the underlying investigation involving allegations of sexual abuse tied to the premises shared by Alachua Today and Boukari Law in downtown Alachua FDLE investigation Memo by xoxo.mistielynn on Scribd FDLE Special Agent Yolanda Carbia applied for the search warrant including bodily fluids connected to possible sexual assaults dating back to 2006 It targeted evidence believed to be connected to allegations involving Adam Boukari and incidents that allegedly occurred over 15 years RELATED: FDLE agents, sheriff’s deputies raid attorney’s office in Alachua Carbia cited testimony from one witness who claimed Boukari attempted to destroy evidence after allegations became public via social media The memo also addresses claims by attorney Linda Rice Chapman who shares the building and whose complaint prompted the Inspector General review She alleged that her private office was illegally searched and that FDLE agents had mishandled her documents Investigators determined that Chapman’s workspace was not clearly separated from the rest of the building and did not appear to operate as a distinct business based on both visual inspection and business registration records Photographic evidence reportedly showed no disruption to her materials Concerns that Agent Carbia may have leaked information to the media were also dismissed While Carbia’s social media activity was scrutinized the Inspector General found no evidence of inappropriate disclosure but suggested the agency review her online interactions as a precaution including skepticism about the viability of collecting decades-old bodily fluids were addressed in the warrant affidavit itself which argued that trace DNA could still be recovered despite the passage of time The memorandum was sent to Alachua County Commissioner Chuck Chestnut and is accessible via the County’s public email portal Alachua Today’s legal representation is reportedly working to keep the document off the public docket in a separate civil case This story will be updated as more information becomes available Click here to subscribe to our newsletter FDLE investigation Memo by xoxo.mistielynn on Scribd TONYADOB: 08/29/1974Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) (BREVARD COUNTY) (FTA) GRAND THEFT AUTO MOTOR VEHICLE; (FTA) BURGLARY OF A STRUCTURE   BLAKEDOB: 06/14/1990Charge(s): RESIST/OBSTRUCT WO VIOL; TRESSPASSING; FALSE ID GIVEN TO LEO  SVETLANA KARELINADOB: 02/08/1987Charge(s): THEFT PETIT X2; FRAUDULENT USE OF CREDIT CARD; VIOLATION OF PRE-TRIAL RELEASE CONDITION  CURTISDOB: 07/31/1964Charge(s): (VOP) LARC: PETIT THEFT MERCH FARM TRANSIT 2+ PRIOR; (VOP) LARC: PETIT THEFT MERCH FARM TRANSIT 2+ PRIOR CONV  JERAMEY PRINCEDOB: 06/23/1986Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) (VOP) LEWD LASCV BEHAVIOR: VIC 12Y OR OLDR YOUNGER THAN 16 YOA OFF 18Y OLDR  THEODOREDOB: 11/02/1979Charge(s): WEAPON OFFENSE: USE DISPLAY ETC FIREARM DURING FELONY; DUI: REFUSAL SUBMIT DUI TESTING; RESIST OFFICER; FLEE/ELUDE POLICE WITH LIGTHS AND SIRENS; DUI: INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS  FAITH TEMPLEDOB: 12/27/2005Charge(s): SIMPLE BATTERY (DOMESTIC)  DONALDDOB: 01/24/1972Charge(s): DRUG EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE; DRUGS-POSSESS: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION; MOVING TRAFFIC VIOL: DWLSR REVOCATION EQUIV STATUS 2ND SUBS OFF; (WARRANT) DWLSR 2ND SUBS OFF  CHRISTOPHER LACYDOB: 09/20/1994Charge(s): TRESPASS AFTER WARNING  ELDERDOB: 02/12/2004Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) DAMAGE PROP-CRIM MISCH: 200 DOLS AND UNDER; ABUSE CHILD WITHOUT GREAT BODILY HARM  WADE TYLERDOB: 05/13/1983Charge(s): MOVING TRAFFIC VIOL: DWLSR REVOCATION EQUIV STATUS 2ND SUBS OFF   MIKEEVEN DEMARDOB: 03/19/2001Charge(s): BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE (DOMESTIC)  COREY ADOB: 03/05/1993Charge(s): FELONY BATTERY REPEAT OFFENDER  ERIC TORAILDOB: 08/23/1976Charge(s): POSSESS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE; DRUG PARAPHERNALIA; (WARRANT) LARC: OTHER THEFT  SAMUEL KIRTANDOB: 07/02/1993Charge(s): GRAND THEFT MOTOR VEHICLE  JOSHUA FITZGERALDDOB: 05/18/1989Charge(s): (VOP) TAMPER IN 3RD DEGREE FELONY PROCEEDING  MICHAELDOB: 07/12/1962Charge(s): TRESPASSING MARTYDOB: 06/14/1989Charge(s): POSSESS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION; (WARRANT) POSSESS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION; GRAND THEFT 750 LESS THAN 5K DOLS  Jail booking logs are removed from the Alachua Chronicle website after one month In an emergency Alachua County School Board meeting on May 1 board members unanimously voted to close the Constellation Charter School of Gainesville over a "pattern of serious safety and leadership failures that has compromised the well-being of students and staff." The termination of the contract for Constellation Charter is effective May 1 at the end of the students' school day "Students will go back to their zoned school the remainder of the school year," board member Tina Certain told The Sun (Kamela) Patton and staff are making it as easy as possible for the students and parents if they are in Alachua County." Parents must bring two forms of address verification to their child's zoned school to complete the enrollment process Local news: After months-long negotiation, Alachua County School Board approves 1.3% pay raise for teachers Certain said Constellation Charter will have 60 days to appeal the board's decision board members heard from board attorney David Delaney and district security chief Douglas Pelton Delaney said in order to terminate the contract board members must find "clear and convincing evidence" of the following: without elaborating on the problems at the school in order to protect student privacy "Constellation Charter School has experienced a pattern of serious safety and leadership failures that has compromised the well-being of students and staff," Pelton said "Required threat management procedures were neglected critical incidents were mishandled or reported late and staff who followed legal protocols were unjustly disciplined." Pelton said the school's "threat management team members resigned or took a leave of absence due to administrative interference and unsafe work conditions..." "The totality of circumstances surrounding the systemic safety concerns at the school are significant enough to warrant decisive and immediate action," he said Board members were provided more detailed information about the school's "failures." No one spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting Constellation Charter School opened in August 2023 in a building previously used by the school district It followed the principles of Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf education methods which focus on a child’s growth and development as a person and individual This digital resource shines a light on the county's ambitious Transportation Capital Improvement Program (TCIP) a 10-year initiative backed by over a quarter of a billion dollars in funding from the Wild Spaces & Public Places surtax the TCIP is about much more — it's about safe and modern infrastructure that enhances everyday life for everyone in Alachua County "Keeping our residents informed about these projects is critical," said Alachua County Commission Chair Charles Chestnut IV "Investing in our transportation system is investing in our community's safety our community can follow along as we deliver on these long-awaited capital investments." county staff have completed 22 projects totaling $13.6 million Another 55 projects — totaling over $75 million — are under construction or in the planning stages for 2025 and 2026 Residents can review comprehensive information about each project's journey by exploring infographics and visual data Go to the Road Projects website Residents can also sign up for updates at the bottom of the page by simply entering their email addresses For more information, contact Communications Director Mark Sexton at 352-264-6979 or msexton@alachuacounty.us Keep up-to-date with all news and developments in your community School buses arrive and wait for students to dismiss at Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary School in Gainesville Alachua County Public Schools alerted families in a press release Friday about proposed state legislation that could significantly reduce funding for advanced academic and career readiness programs.  House Bill 5101 and Senate Bill 2510 propose changes that would result in a loss of at least $3.5 million for ACPS These funds currently support students who pass Advanced Placement as well as those who earn an “A” in academic dual-enrollment courses The funding is only awarded if students pass so it “doesn't cost the state anything if they don't pass,” ACPS Spokesperson Jackie Johnson wrote in the press release.  the proposed legislation aims to revise the Florida Education Finance Program which determines funding for K-12 education.  The bills suggest reducing the additional funding provided for advanced academic and career programs by 50%, potentially decreasing allocations by approximately $290 million under the House proposal and $214 million under the Senate version, as previously reported by the Florida Policy Institute. Proponents of the bills argue the funding “is not making a difference,” according to the press release citing low pass rates in some districts.  ACPS reports high success rates: 80% for IB exams 69% for AP and 71% for career certifications about 5,000 students in the district's middle and high school Career and Technical Education programs earned nearly 6,000 career certifications Other districts across Florida expressed similar concerns about the legislation. Duval County Public Schools estimates an $8 million loss, which could lead to increased costs for families, limited course options and fewer qualified teachers, according to  Action News Jax. Marion County Public Schools passed a resolution Wednesday urging lawmakers to protect funding for the programs, highlighting a potential $2.5 million loss.  ACPS encouraged community members in the press release to contact local legislators to express their concerns about the potential impact of the proposed bills.  Contact Sara-James Ranta at sranta@alligator.org Sara-James Ranta is a third-year journalism major minoring in sociology of social justice and policy she served as a general assignment reporter for The Alligator's university desk – Given the damaging impacts of hurricanes Debby you may want to prepare your landscape and trees for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season – and the sooner the better “Best management practices include supporting soil health through appropriate fertilization monitoring landscapes and trees for pests and disease managing tree roots for health and structure urban forestry agent for UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County “All management that leads to a healthier plant leads to a landscape that’s more resilient to disturbance That doesn’t mean that a once-in-a-lifetime storm isn’t going to knock down a perfectly healthy tree just that in normal circumstances a healthy tree is going to fare better.”  “Home and business owners can take steps to make sure the trees can withstand tropical storm- and hurricane-force winds and rain,” Vinson said “Well-established and mature trees are often very resilient,” Vinson said. “If you monitor them for concerns and have them structurally pruned by a certified arborist you will maximize their ability to withstand storms.” property owners should trim their landscapes the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) agent with UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County Cutting back one-third of the plant will improve the aesthetics and health of the plant FFL Director Claire Lewis also offered a few suggestions for getting your outdoor space ready for hurricanes: “A little prep now can save big headaches later,” Lewis said <#= ThriveComments.util.render_label('login_submit_comment') #> <#= ThriveComments.util.render_label('commenting_as',ThriveComments.current_user.display_name || ( ThriveComments.social_user && ThriveComments.social_user.name ) ) #> <#= ThriveComments.util.render_label('guest_comment') #> Alachua County announced Tuesday that it recently launched its “Road Projects” website to keep residents informed on the progress of ongoing road work and upcoming projects The digital resource will highlight the county’s Transportation Capital Improvement Program (TCIP) 10-year initiative funded from the Wild Spaces & Public Places surtax property taxes and state and federal grants The TCIP will not only feature road upgrades new sidewalks and safer pedestrian crossings “Keeping our residents informed about these projects is critical,” said Alachua County Commission Chair Charles Chestnut IV in a press release “Investing in our transportation system is investing in our community’s safety our community can follow along as we deliver on these long-awaited capital investments.” County staff have completed 22 projects totaling $13.6 million since the program was approved in May 2023 An additional 55 projects — totaling over $75 million — are in the planning stages or under construction for 2025 and 2026 Residents can review comprehensive information for each project by watching videos Click here to go to the Road Projects website Residents can also sign up for updates at the bottom of the page by entering their email addresses looking for info on why NW 23rd Ave is taking so long there’s absolutely no information other than a pat on the back press release from 2024 stating that the project will be completed in Jan 2025 (clearly it’s not and doesn’t look like it will be anytime soon) Would be great to know why a project is running half a year late they also incorrectly list it as NE 23rd Ave which I guess is hand in hand with the quality of information they provide The overall plan for all roads was only adopted less than 2 years ago If you’ve ever worked on roads you’d know there’s tons of reasons why “completion dates” aren’t exact and always estimated “The construction is scheduled for completion by January 2025” planned construction dates are subject to change due to factors outside our control and the only real info is a puff piece with an expected completion date 5 months ago this indicates to the reader that there’s no real focus or intention of providing any real quality information I’m looking at the site and can’t find the typo you referenced It was on the front page and has been corrected I have serious concern about the deteriorating condition of roads in [specific area or neighborhood] which has become increasingly hazardous and frustrating for residents and commuters alike These conditions not only damage vehicles and increase maintenance costs for residents but they also pose a safety risk to drivers It reflects poorly on the county commitment to maintaining essential infrastructure Given the taxes and fees paid by residents we expect basic services such as road maintenance to be handled with diligence and accountability The current state suggests either mismanagement or underinvestment The Alachua County BCC should be more concerned with core services and not with social programs The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections is investigating the records of 11 voters in the City of Alachua after receiving a complaint of their potential ineligibility last Thursday said the team hasn’t found any violations yet they’ll report the findings to the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office and the Office of Election Crimes and Security The complaint alleged the voters may be ineligible due to prior felonies Formerly convicted Floridians can register to vote after completing all terms of their sentence That automatic restoration of rights —approved by voters in 2018— doesn’t extend to people convicted of murder or sexual offense The Supervisor of Elections forwarded the complaint to the City of Alachua said he had no further updates beyond an April 25 press release stating the city was “actively gathering information.” Gainesville Regional Utilities is prepared to stop adding fluoride to its water system this year if Gov Ron DeSantis decides to sign a bill recently approved by the Florida Legislature The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill (SB 700) on April 29 that would ban local governments from adding fluoride to public water systems The bill also would place restrictions on the labeling of plant-based foods State: Florida begins prosecutions under new law intended to protect law enforcement from harassment If DeSantis signs the bill into law, Florida would become the second state — behind Utah — to remove fluoride from its drinking water Both DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo a professor of medicine at the University of Florida have openly supported the removal of fluoride from the state's drinking water UF declined to comment on fluoridation or Ladapo's stance on the subject GRU spokesperson David Warm told The Sun via email on April 29 that if the legislation becomes law the utility is prepared to stop adding fluoride to its drinking water in July Warm added that the cost of adding fluoride is minimal and removing it will not impact rates The authority's directors have declined and openly support the use of the mineral One advocate for the removal of fluoride from GRU's water system is former Alachua County commissioner and attorney Raemi Eagle-Glenn Eagle-Glenn told The Sun on May 1 that she believes fluoride should be removed from the water supply because hydrofluorosilicic acid — a common source of fluoride — is toxic Eagle-Glenn said she doesn't practice environmental law but has looked into Florida's relationship with its water systems and phosphate mining She claims a 2003 GRU water report revealed that fluoride is an additive and is used in the water due to runoff from fertilizer plants "There's no phosphate mines in Alachua County and I don't know if it's intentionally hidden or not but nobody has been really paying attention to this so the question never came up," Eagle-Glenn said Warm said fluoride naturally occurs in our groundwater and any additional fluoride added during treatment must be certified by an accredited third-party agency to meet federal standards for drinking water Warm added that customers can learn more about GRU's treatment process, its water source and test results by reviewing its latest water quality report Dr. Bert Hughes, a dentist and former president of the Alachua County Dental Association, spoke about the safety of fluoride during a recent GRUA meeting Hughes told The Sun on April 29 that he's not surprised by the Legislature's decision but finds it troublesome for underserved communities "Adding fluoride to water is one of the top ten public health achievements in our country," he said "We look at different communities around Gainesville like High Springs and Alachua and I see a lot of children and you can see the difference in the rate of decay and how it presents itself "What's good about fluoride water is that it actually gets within your system and when teeth are forming it forms a harder structure that is more resistant to decay versus applying it topically." Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward also weighed in the topic of fluoridation "I'm disappointed that the legislature is fighting to roll back decades of proven public health successes rather than fighting to roll back skyrocketing home insurance premiums," Ward wrote in a text message to The Sun – In advance of National Travel and Tourism Week Alachua County is pleased to announce continued growth in tourism’s economic impact celebrates the essential role of travel in the U.S travel generated $2.9 trillion in economic output and supported more than 15 million American jobs in 2024 visitors staying in paid accommodations generated $766.3 million in economic impact which is a growth over the prior year and reflects the tourism sector’s critical importance to Florida communities Nearly 1.4 million visitors stayed in paid accommodations in Alachua County last year and transportation totaled a record-setting $513.3 million This visitor activity supported an estimated 6,400 local jobs generated $250.8 million in wages and salaries and contributed $75.3 million in state and local tax revenue strengthening the local tax base and helping offset the tax burden for Alachua County residents visitor spending accounts for approximately 25% of all consumer spending in Alachua County underscoring tourism’s foundational role in sustaining the local economy “Tourism continues to be an engine that fuels our local economy and enhances everyday life for our residents,” said Jessica Hurov the county’s tourism and economic development director “This year’s gains are a testament to our destination’s appeal and the dedication of our partners across the hospitality sector The return on investment for tourism has never been clearer.” paid lodging revenue in Alachua County has grown by approximately 80.6% rising from $96 million to nearly $174 million in FY24 This substantial growth highlights how Alachua County’s targeted investments in destination enhancement and tourism promotion yield measurable economic benefits for the entire community “The impact of tourism reaches far beyond hotels and attractions — it supports jobs and enriches our community,” said Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler chair of the Alachua County Tourist Development Council “We’re encouraged by the growth we’ve seen and excited to continue building on this progress.” Tourist Development Taxes (TDT) — paid by visitors not residents — play a key role in making this success possible TDT revenue funds transformational capital projects that benefit residents and visitors including the Alachua County Sports & Events Center Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center These projects elevate Alachua County’s reputation as a premier nature and world-class sports tourism destination such as the Certified Guest Service Professional certification launch earlier this year While it’s GREAT those visitors’ dollars helped offset residents’ costs just think how much they could make if they put those hotels they purchased to good use ​The Alachua County Commission continues its community listening sessions for the Forward Focus initiative at the Melrose United Methodist Church (5807 Hampton St. “We have found our community listening sessions to be extremely helpful in identifying opportunities across eastern Alachua County,” said Assistant County Manager Missy Daniels “We’re looking forward to hearing from Melrose next and we encourage everyone to participate in these important conversations.”  For more information, contact Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County at 352-374-5204 or ForwardFocus@alachuacounty.us.  Two new faces will soon frequent Alachua’s City Hall Walter Welch and Jacob Fletcher beat incumbent Mayor Gib Coerper and Vice Mayor Ed Potts Their victories are the latest in a series of changes to the city’s personnel spurred on by a rapid period of local development ending Coerper’s nearly 15-year tenure as mayor City commissioners selected the mayor from among themselves until 2010 when a city charter amendment gave that power to citizens Welch’s victory makes him the second mayor to be elected in Alachua since the city’s founding in 1905 While Coerper narrowly garnered more in-person votes mail-in-ballots pushed Welch over the finish line leading to his 639 (50.8%) to 618 (49.2%) vote victory Political newcomer Jacob Fletcher beat incumbent Vice Mayor Potts 785 votes (60.5%) to 513 (39.5%) Fletcher was the youngest candidate on the ballot this election cycle he first became involved with city government in his role as president of the Florida Speleological Society opposing the developments proposed near the Mill Creek Cave System He credited voter interaction as the key to his campaign’s success and so the concerns throughout the city are very diverse,” he said called his opponent’s campaign “outstanding.” “We chatted this morning about things we had that were common interests,” Potts said confident that they “would be advanced regardless of who won.” He added that the pair agreed to “just let the voters decide” and avoid bringing the divisiveness seen at a national stage to their local community “The two incumbents we defeated are great men,” Fletcher said community involvement and philanthropy in Alachua I have no doubt that they'll continue to make meaningful contributions to our community.” Voters’ decision for new representation on the City Commission came amid a slew of other staffing changes Three planners resigned from the city’s Planning and Community Development Office earlier this year followed by the resignation of public information officer Kyler Burk in the spring City commissioners voted not to investigate the planners’ motives for leaving or to contract temporary help to fill their vacancies in decisions on Feb Fletcher and Potts expressed concern over the planners’ resignations during a candidate forum held by the League of Women Voters ahead of the city’s election The three candidates each emphasized a need for increased transparency “we need to do better with communication.” Fletcher has been a vocal critic of the city’s rapid development and decision not to investigate the planners’ resignations “A lot of the stuff that has threatened and affected [the Mill Creek Cave System] threatens this entire city,” he said at a March 18 demonstration outside of City Hall “The citizens of the city need to come first and not these developers.” He emphasized that priority in a phone interview with WUFT shortly after election results were announced “We need to really address how we're approaching planners,” he said “I do not want our city facing liability because we're eager to develop.” The mayor and commissioner-elect will be sworn in at the regular City Commission meeting April 21 at 6 p.m Over 100 local police officers, firefighters, community members and Special Olympic athletes gathered in the Archer Road Publix parking lot on Wednesday evening to participate in the Alachua County Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).  The annual event raising money for Special Olympics Florida started at the Butler Plaza West Publix and traveled just over one mile to the Celebration Pointe finish line which featured a dance party from Tú Fiesta Radio referred to as “Guardians of the Flame,” took turns carrying the lit metal Flame of Hope torch and an LETR flag during the event which raised around $5,000 for Special Olympics.  “There’s so much joy in this,” said Chris Sims of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office “It doesn’t matter who you are…we’re all here for one common goal one common mission to support the Olympians If you’ve never spent time with any of these Olympians The local LETR run was just one of many taking place across the world Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon created the run in 1981 as a way to engage law enforcement with their communities and to support Special Olympics Kansas After the International Association of Chiefs of Police officially endorsed the event in 1983 LETR has since become Special Olympics’ largest public awareness and fundraising event with over 97,000 law enforcement officers participating annually and $600 million raised.  to fundraise for the Special Olympics.  “What started in 1981…as a flicker of hope for Special Olympics has now become a roaring flame of stability for Special Olympics athletes worldwide,” LaMunyon said in a press release.  over 5,000 law enforcement officers from more than 300 agencies carry the Flame of Hope through all 67 counties The torch’s journey culminates on May 16 when it’s delivered on the Final Leg to Special Olympics Florida’s State Summer Games at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Alachua County resident Sydney Winningham carried the torch for a stretch She said she participated because her father is a fire chief and her mother helps kids with autism.  volleyball and football coach for the Special Olympics’ Unified Sports program she first got involved with Unified Sports which pairs athletes with and without disabilities on the same teams because her best friend was on the spectrum for autism Zyngier has run torch runs in multiple states and her Special Olympics team recently qualified for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games Whether people are interested in competing coaching or just volunteering with Special Olympics Zyngier said there’s something for everyone to get involved in She said the most rewarding part is seeing all types of people come together.  they really push inclusion,” she said I get to see relationships build between our athletes and other individuals The city of Alachua's Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public meeting Tuesday to consider plans for a private golf course just south of the intersection of U.S Tomoka Hills Golf Course, as it would be known, will be for the "private use of the employees of Tower Hill Insurance Group, Inc., its affiliates and subsidiaries and their guests," according to the application submitted by local civil engineering firm CHW on behalf of Lexington The proposed golf course will be next to the new 71,000-square-foot Tower Hill headquarters currently under construction Other plans for the immediate area include single-family homes clubhouse and maintenance facility is slate for almost 200 acres directly west of I-75 and east of Northwest 173rd Street Local news: Commercial developments proposed near West Newberry Road off Southwest 143rd St. in Jonesville the actual golf course would take up about 160 acres fairways and tee boxes only accounting for about 25 acres Staff recommends approval of the application based on several conditions including the development of a groundwater monitoring plan that will monitor for pollutants from fertilizer and stormwater and that a formal approval process take place if the course is ever opened up for general play Tuesday's public meeting will take place at 6 p.m Lewis City Commission Chambers at 15100 NW 142nd Terrace in Alachua If approved by the Planning and Zoning Board the application would then move to the Alachua City Commission for final approval The Citizens of the Month awards are sponsored by Bosshardt Realty and the Children’s Trust of Alachua County The Citizens of the Month awards recognizes one student from each elementary school in Alachua County their contribution to the community (for example church) and their extracurricular activities Published in Mainstreet Daily News print edition Zone 1 April 23rd, 2025. Printed copies are available at 100 NW 76 Dr STE 2, Gainesville, FL 32607 _________________________________________________________________________________________ The Kiwanis Club wishes to thank its partners and supporters in this program: The Children’s Trust of Alachua Co. Bosshardt Realty Services Alachua County Public Schools Santa Fe College Cade Museum Nothing Bundt Cakes IQ Fiber Gator Domino’s Pizza SouthState Bank Rock N Roll Sushi 4 Rivers Smokehouse Campus Credit Union Rock N Roll Sushi Tropical Smoothie Cafe Huntington Learning Center Tropical Smoothie Cafe Krispy Kreme PDQInsomnia CookiesMcAlisters Kiwanis is a global organization focusing particularly on helping children ZAYTARIOUSDOB: 08/02/2001Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) HOMICIDE: MURDER DANGEROUS DEPRAVED WO PREMDEDITATION  LASHANDDOB: 07/09/1986Charge(s): BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE (DOMESTIC)  RICHARDDOB: 07/27/1991Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) (MARION COUNTY) PETIT THEFT (FELONY)  RAFAELDOB: 11/20/1989Charge(s): BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE (DOMESTIC)  TERRENCEDOB: 03/25/1990Charge(s): MARIJUANA-POSSESS; POSSESS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION X2; DRUG EQUIP-POSSESS; FRAUD IMPERSON; ABUSE CHILD W/O GREAT BODILY HARM  MICHAEL LDOB: 08/28/1973Charge(s): POSS W/ INT TO SELL A CONT SUBSTANCE WITHIN 1000′ FT OF A PARK (COCAINE)  JENNIFERDOB: 03/14/1984Charge(s): (MARION COUNTY) BATTERY (DOMESTIC) X2; RESIST/OBSTRUCT W/O VIOLENCE   WILLIAMDOB: 11/21/1964Charge(s): DRUG-POSSESS: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION  JERRELLDOB: 12/17/1991Charge(s): AGGRAV BATTERY: CAUSE BODILY HARM OR DISABILITY; DAMAGE PROP-CRIM MISCH: OVER 200 DOLS UNDER 1000 DOLS  ELDERDOB: 02/12/2004Charge(s): BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE (DOMESTIC); DAMAGE PROP-CRIM MISCH 200 DOLS AND UNDER; ABUSE CHILD WITHOUT GREAT BODILY HARM  ALAN KASEYDOB: 07/30/1993Charge(s): RECKLESS DRIVING  HAYLEEDOB: 10/29/2004Charge(s): DOMESTIC BATTERY BY STRANGULATION; BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE  JAMES FREDRICDOB: 07/31/1989Charge(s): RESIST OFFICER: OBSTRUCT WO VIOLENCE; DRUGS-POSSESS: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION X3  CHRISTIANDOB: 12/11/1994Charge(s): LARC: OTHER THEFT  DARADOB: 11/12/1966Charge(s): DRUG-POSSESS: METH W INTENT TO SELL MANUFACTURE DELIVER; DRUGS-SELL: OWN RENT STRUCTURE VEH KNOW SELL DRUGS; DRUG EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE  The Alachua County Commission will hold its next community listening session for the Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County initiative on Saturday The Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County initiative is designed to boost economic opportunities enhance the quality of life and address community needs in eastern Alachua County Previous meetings have been held in Hawthorne business owners and community leaders are encouraged to attend Attendees can learn more about the Forward Focus project goals and timeline at the meeting They can also provide feedback and network with neighbors and local leaders The Forward Focus community listening sessions are important for developing a comprehensive strategy to address Eastern Alachua County’s unique needs and aspirations the Forward Focus team will host their next listening session in the Winsor/Rochelle area in June and we encourage everyone to participate in these important conversations.”  View the comments and feedback the Forward Focus team has collected Learn more about the project and provide comments directly to the county For more information, contact Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County at 352-374-5204 or ForwardFocus@alachuacounty.us.  Press release from High Springs Fire Department firefighters from the High Springs Fire Department (HSFD) and Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) were dispatched to a reported structure fire near NW 242nd Street and NW 190th Avenue in High Springs Firefighters arrived within minutes to find a large approximately 600-square-foot pole barn fully engulfed in flames Crews launched an aggressive fire attack and successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby homes The cause of the fire remains undetermined and is currently under investigation footage from the department’s FSWN High Springs Fire Weatherstem camera captures smoke rising above the tree line followed shortly by the response of firefighters Around 30 Gainesville residents – from concerned citizens teachers and students – gathered at the Matheson Museum on Tuesday to express their concern regarding immigration regulations announced by the Alachua County School Board The advocacy group Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative organized a press conference at the Matheson explained how parents say they are worried about sending their children to school claiming they fear for their safety The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative got involved as soon as Alachua County Public Schools released a memo on Feb.10 issuing guidance for school-based administrators designated to interact with law enforcement officers on school campuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers can enter school zones interview children without previous parental notice and remove students from school property The Alachua County Public Schools memo outlines how schools should respond if law enforcement — including ICE — comes to question or remove a student but they must still comply with law enforcement orders While ACPS doesn’t track immigration status it acknowledges that federal agents like ICE can still legally interview or remove students even without a warrant or parental consent Many residents and Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative representatives said they have tried to contact Alachua County Public Schools since the memo’s release but have had no success Maia de Needell said he is worried of a drop in school attendance and called for the district to provide protection for its students and require immigration officers to have a warrant signed by a judge and parental permission before an adult can interview a child “To actually put pressure on the school system to fulfill its responsibilities and protect its students.” The press conference was followed by attendees walking across the street to the Alachua County Public Schools administration building to voice their opinions at the School Board meeting Over 20 people waited in their seats for their turn to talk and board members gave each speaker two minutes when normally they receive three Jenny Gavilanez-Slone expressed her concerns over her child being removed or questioned by ICE without her being previously notified “The district needs to be more transparent with these parents the future of our country depends on it,” she said called attention to the uncertainty of the memo She mentioned how other counties are handling the immigration situation “We need a new protocol that gives guidance to teachers and clarity,” she said ICE out of our schools and away from our children.” School board members did not respond to audience comments at the meeting and no information on additional immigration procedures has been posted in upcoming meeting agendas ANTONIO WAYNEDOB: 12/23/1985Charge(s): (VOP) LEWD LASCV BEHAVIOR EXHIBITION OFF 18 YOA OLDER VICTIM LESS 16 YOA X2  RICKY DEWAYNEDOB: 05/31/1971Charge(s): PETIT THEFT; RESIST/OBSTRUCT OFFICER WO VIOL  ZAYTARIOUS JOEQUANDOB: 08/02/2001Charge(s): GRAND THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE; LARC: GRAND THEFT OF FIREARM; POSSESSION OF WEAPON OR AMMO BY CONVICTED FLA FELON  MIGUELDOB: 04/27/1994Charge(s): VIOLATION OF PRE-TRIAL RELEASE (BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE)  MATTHEWDOB: 09/26/1988Charge(s): LARC: OTHER THEFT; BURGLARY UNOCCUPIED CONVEYANCE UNARMED  WILLIAMDOB: 10/05/1991Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) LARC: PETIT THEFT MERCH FARM TRANSIT 2+ PRIOR CONVIC X3; DEFRAUD TO OBTAIN PROPERTY VALUE OF <$20K  DRAYONDOB: 10/04/2003Charge(s): HOMICIDE MURDER FIRST DEGREE PREMEDITATED X2; DISCHARGE FIREARM FROM VEHICLE; DISCHARGE GUN WITH HARM OR DAMAGE PROP; MISSLE INTO DWELLING VEH BUILDING OR AIRCRAFT   KENNETHDOB: 03/13/1961Charge(s): BURGLARY UNOCCUPIED STRUCUTRE UNARMED  ADRIANDOB: 02/12/1999Charge(s): (VOLUSIA COUNTY) (FTA) LOITERING/ PROWLING  BRIANDOB: 05/29/2004Charge(s): (VOP) CARRYING A CONCEALED FIREARM; GRAND THEFT OF A FIREARM  ALI DDOB: 09/30/1990Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) THEFT GRAND-VALUE 750 TO 4,999; STOLEN PROP-DEAL IN: ORGANIZED DEALING TRAFFIC STOLEN PROP  ASHLEYDOB: 04/05/1983Charge(s): DAMAGE PROP-CRIM MISCH: 1000 DOLS OR MORE; BURGLARY UNOCCUPIED DWELLING UNARMED  ELIJAHDOB: 08/14/2001Charge(s): MARIJUANA-POSSESS: OVER 20 GRAMS; DRUG-POSSESS: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/O PRESCRIPTION  PEDRODOB: 01/13/1994Charge(s): BATTERY TOUCH OF STRIKE; PROB VIOLATION  MAKELDOB: 08/23/2002Charge(s): RESIST OFFICER; BRIBERY OF OR BY PUBLIC SERVANT OMARDOB: 06/24/1975Charge(s): AGGRAVTED BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON (DOMESTIC); AGGRAVTED ASSAULT W DEADLY WEAPON WITHOUT INTENT TO KILL (DOMESTIC) X2; ATTEMPTED FELONY BATTERY(DOMESTIC); RESTICT OFFICER W/O VIOLENCE; TRESPASS AFTER WARNING; ATTEMPTED ESCAPE   GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tree kangaroos live high in the trees, and they need our help. On Saturday, May 17, the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo in Gainesville will host World Tree Kangaroo Day Families and friends can visit the zoo to learn about these amazing animals and have fun There will be animal encounters and fun music with didgeridoo performances by Lindsey Dank with Mayflower Cellars and Kona Ice serving tasty treats The City of Gainesville’s Urban Forestry Division will be giving away native plants purchased through the Tree Mitigation Fund These plants help our local animals and can grow in residents’ backyards Kathy Russell and Jade Woodling will also give a talk about how zoos help protect tree kangaroos “We are very proud of the collaborative work our zoo is part of to bring awareness for Matschie’s tree kangaroos and hopefully make a meaningful impact for their wild cousins and habitats,” said Woodling Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan Education Advisor Tickets are only available at the gate the day of the event This event is funded in part by Visit Gainesville Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGAINESVILLE (WCJB) - Year-round school at Marjorie K Rawlings Elementary will be discontinued next year This comes after a 3-2 vote at the Alachua County School Board meeting on Tuesday night Leanetta McNealy and new member Janine Plavac were in dissent but I feel like the community will probably breathe a sigh of relief,” shared parent Melissa Lira “I think it’s a good idea because I feel like they did the work they needed to do to bring the school grade up so I think it’s going to be good,” said parent Shenijua Stephens Parents are split on the year-round schedule RELATED: Year-round school year begins in Gainesville School board members looked at a presentation showing a fluctuation in attendance rates Rawlings by kayla.lewis on Scribd but then there was a decrease of 179 students during the start of year-round school last July enrollment is back up as of this January at 319 students 34% of parents said they were satisfied with year-round Seventy-one percent of staff liked this schedule “A lot of these younger siblings rely on their older siblings to take them home that kind of puts a wrench into things,” Lira shared Parents say a positive note is how the schedule improves academic performance but a common negative is how this makes scheduling more difficult When asked if year-round positively impacts student achievement and learning Fifty-eight percent of staff members agreed I did not agree with the vote to discontinue the year-round program at Rawlings and the educational support personnel have all worked so hard for this calendar to work for the students and their families The plans were well executed with sound practices I was very disappointed that the year-round calendar now has been discontinued The vote did not allow for at least one year to prove data Year-round school is still 180 days for students just like for the other schools in the program Can you imagine what this discontinued situation will disrupt the students and their families 44% of instructional staff were first year teachers 70% of parents wanting to continue with year-round schools Bottom line we should have evaluated after year 2 We have not seen what the final state assessments will determine Tina Certain says this school model puts a burden on the district’s transportation and food staff Marion County school board officials approved Wyomina Park Elementary to continue their year-round calendar for another year Rawlings by kayla.lewis on Scribd Two newcomers have successfully joined the city of Alachua’s political scene having defeated incumbents to take their places as mayor and commissioner.  Walter Welch will become Alachua’s second-ever elected mayor after defeating Gib Coerper, who has held the office since 2010 when it became an elected position Coerper spent six years on the city commission.  a pastor at True Worship Church of God in Christ has run a quiet campaign based on collaboration between citizens and government.  “Thank God and all the people that believed in my leadership as becoming Mayor of Alachua Florida and I know if we exercise unity and respect we will get the best results in solving problems and issues with God’s help because we’re better together,” Welch wrote in a Facebook post.  earning about 50.8% of the vote in a 639-618 victory.  Jacob Fletcher won a seat on the city commission by a larger margin earning about 60.5% of the vote in a race against incumbent Vice Mayor Ed Potts.  Fletcher, a 29-year-old data engineer, ran a campaign based on calls for more transparency from Alachua’s leadership and better long-term planning.  Fletcher took 785 votes against Potts’ 513 to win by a margin of 272 votes.  Transparency, as the winning touchstone, is no surprise as the Alachua City Commission’s meetings have been rocked by citizen calls for change since three of Alachua’s four city planners resigned in quick succession.  The city has spent huge sums of money and owns one of the best AV wired commission chambers in the county Yet they have never live streamed their meetings on the internet or made the recordings available on the internet Accept the resignation of the unqualified city manager now and do a national search for outside talent No more inbreeding or “promoting from within” as they call it Accept the resignation of the unqualified city attorney and get someone who works for the people not someone who only protects the interests of the Good Ole Boys No more giving the city attorney 30% payola for all cash seized on I-75 for filling out a one page form that should be part of their normal job Do a DOGE cleaning and fire half the bloated city staff each with an assistant and a secretary doing the same thing Millions of dollars in salary savings are there to be had with no reduction in service check the activity logs (they are public record) for the past and next few weeks for the city safe deposit box at the local bank See which wads of cash or documents or bearer bonds just might disappear don’t look at what that greedy billionaire is doing and try to replicate it on our city level I do agree with having them serve the best interest of the citizens but I’m curious to see what you think that is And what greedy billionaire would you be referring to I’m extremely happy with a change of a new mayor for the City of Alachua Start with also open bid for trash removal for the entire city These old Waste Pro trucks are leaking hazardous materials through out the city City of Alachua should be transparent and have there meetings live streamed  PLACE YOUR LEGAL NOTICES HERE  ALACHUA ‒ Three local elementary schools in Alachua and High Springs received a major boost to their literacy efforts during National Library Week thanks to a surprise visit from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) who marked 20 years of partnership with a generous donation of grants and books Irby Elementary School and Alachua Elementary School along with High Springs Community School in High Springs each received a $20,000 literacy grant from DGLF the schools received $60,000 in funding and nearly 4,500 new books from RIF to support reading engagement in and out of the classroom More than 30 Dollar General employees from area stores and the company’s Alachua distribution center joined RIF representatives on-site to help students select books to take home and encourage their love of reading outside the classroom “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is thrilled to celebrate more than two decades of partnership with Reading Is Fundamental and our collective commitment to enhancing literacy and education in our hometown communities,” said Denine Torr by helping enhance local literacy programs that open doorways to new opportunities and brighter futures for Alachua-area students.” The donation event highlighted the long-standing involvement of the three schools in RIF’s flagship Books for Ownership program All three have participated since the national literacy partnership began in 2004 The program annually supports more than 60 elementary schools offering students the opportunity to select high-quality books based on their interests The visit also reflected Dollar General’s continued investment in the area with its Alachua distribution center serving as a key employer and community partner in North Central Florida the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $254 million in grants and supported more than 21.8 million individuals through adult The partnership with RIF has helped distribute more than 2.2 million books to approximately 680,000 students nationwide in communities served by Dollar General #     #     # (This article has been updated with additional information.) At least four people have applied to fill the Alachua County School Board District 5 seat vacated in mid-December by Kay Abbitt a former associate instructional professor at the University of Florida who was elected to the District 5 seat in 2022 17 to serve as interim director of Boulware Springs Charter School has obtained the applications submitted to the governor's office of those wishing to be considered for the seat 13 but not filled by the governor's office until April 4 Requests to the governor's office to confirm if the list is complete have not yet been returned Ron DeSantis selects will serve the remainder of Abbitt's term Local & State: University of Florida international student detained by immigration agents now back in Colombia is among those who have submitted an application "I have been very engaged with the school board activities while she was a board member and I would like to carry on the work she has initiated during her term," John Abbitt wrote in his application The Navy veteran also wrote that he has the experience to make Alachua County schools "so much better than the are now." "I have observed my wife at her Title 1 charter school and I know what it takes to make low performing students succeed at a high level," he wrote Tim Marden, the local Republican Party leader and recently elected mayor of the city of Newberry as having referred John Abbitt to apply for the seat According to information provided by the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office requested to change his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican the same day The elections office processed the change on Dec a registered Republican who currently serves as the development coordinator for The Education Foundation of Alachua County Kolb previously served as the program director at Abacus Learning Center from August 2008 to April 2024 Kolb wrote in her application that she has dedicated her career to "fostering student success and building supportive educational environments," and that there have been "some difficulties in Alachua County with transparency ..." "Alachua County has gone through a multitude of superintendent and administrative changes in the past 10 years students and families are leaving to go private schools and charters because of the general unrest," she wrote "They have lost faith in our district schools Skipper has worked as an agriculture teacher for the Levy County School District since 2018 Before that he taught agriculture in Marion County The University of Florida and Newberry High School graduate wrote in his application that he knows the "challenges that face educators and students in the classroom and would use this experience to better serve the students of Alachua County." also wrote that he feels his is a "qualified replacement" for the remainder of Abbitt's term and that he isn't looking to launch a political career I believe I could provide common sense policy to Alachua County," he wrote director of the Health Sciences Institute at St for 16 years also served as the director of Gainesville High School's Academy of Health Professions based on her most recent address listed in her application The 2008 High School Teacher of the Year for Alachua County wrote in her application that she is "uniquely familiar" with three of the four members of the current school board having worked with District 2 member Thomas Vu at GHS and District 4 member Leanetta McNeealy and District 1 member Tina Certain in various school system committees "I am very familiar with the workings of the school board and recognize that they dramatically need a school board member that is an advocate for teachers parents and students and who doesn't have their own agenda particularly since I am involved in private school education now," she wrote I believe in school choice but also recognize public education is extremely necessary in our community." The timeline for an appointment to to the board is not yet known A sign in front of the Alachua County Public Schools district office building is seen Sunday The Alachua County School Board unanimously approved a plan to restore the district's financial stability at a meeting Tuesday night.  The plan comes in response to a $6.5 million decrease in general fund revenue triggered by a mid-year state revenue reduction reported by the Florida Department of Education in March.  The general fund is the chief operating fund of a school district It is used to account for all financial resources of the school district except those accounted for and reported in another fund Florida school district funding is primarily determined by the Florida Education Finance Program, which allocates funds based on student enrollment district needs and local property values.  ACPS’ lost revenue due to lower student enrollment and late FEFP calculation by the state The district is allocated money from each full-time student by the state.  The latest state calculation was late by a few months we always got that calculation in January,” she said So this is highly unusual that it took the state that long.” the district introduced a series of immediate corrective actions including a hiring freeze of unfilled positions and significant budget restrictions to “critical spending only,” according to the document.  The district is experiencing financial instability, Board Vice Chair Tina Certain said, especially in allocating teacher salary increases, which still remains uncertain.   we’re not in a good place right now,” she said.  the district is implementing long-term strategies to ensure fiscal sustainability including providing monthly updates to the board on fund balances and plan progress.  The district must address the shortfalls by the end of June The Florida winner purchased his winning ticket from Kwik Stop Chevron located at 3450 SW Williston Road in Gainesville The retailer received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket He claimed his winning prize at the Lottery’s Gainesville District Office features two top prizes of $1 million a year for life and 234 prizes of $1 million this ticket is filled with more than $1.6 billion in cash prizes There are zero top prizes remaining and 54 $1 million prizes remaining according to the Florida Lottery Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" ALACHUA – The City of Alachua’s newly elected leaders took their seats Monday night in a Commission meeting that celebrated new beginnings even as it spotlighted familiar tensions over growth Mayor Walter Welch and Commissioner Jacob Fletcher who won their races in the April 8 municipal election were sworn in during the early portion of the meeting Welch unseated longtime Mayor Gib Coerper by just 21 votes (639 to 618) while Fletcher claimed Seat 2 over former Vice Mayor Ed Potts The Commission also unanimously appointed Shirley Green Brown as Vice Mayor reflecting on the emotional weight of the meeting and the significance of the leadership transition “It’s not easy to be up in the seats of which you are,” he told the new Commission who also serves on the city’s senior advisory board praised the contributions of both departing and incoming officials “The senior advisory board works diligently for the seniors of this city We invite all seniors to come out and be a part of what we are doing.” resident and former commissioner and former vice-mayor Ben Boukari also offered heartfelt remarks in recognition of outgoing Mayor Gib Coerper’s legacy “Mayor Gib Coerper has served this community since 1999 and did one hell of a job for our community,” Boukari said He noted that Coerper’s decades of service extended far beyond city limits “Mayor Coerper is so respected across the state of Florida …” Boukari noted that Coerper received the prestigious E Harris Drew Municipal Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida League of Cities an award given to only one person statewide each year While the atmosphere was celebratory at first – with student performances by the Alachua Elementary chorus and a Relay for Life donation from Mi Apa Latin Café – public comments and Commission votes quickly shifted to weightier matters: development local businessman and former president of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce addressed the Commission with concerns that “double-digit instances of ineligible voters” had cast ballots in the recent municipal election undermine the will of the people,” Glaeser warned He said the matter would be referred to the appropriate local and federal authorities but did not specify names the Commission transitioned into a trio of development approvals in the Fletcher Trace subdivision a master-planned residential community east of County Road 235 was approved in three separate final plat votes Despite the election of Fletcher and Welch to the commission there was remarkably little change in the ultimate outcome of projects up for approval Fletcher cast dissenting votes on a few items but voted with the remaining commission on two of the larger development projects before the board comprising 32 detached single-family homes citing lack of access to the staff report and concerns about procedural clarity which included 42 and 37 homes respectively the developments met all requirements for concurrency and infrastructure including sufficient water and sewer capacity the first vote was disrupted by repeated objections from Tamara Robbins a frequent speaker at public meetings known for her adversarial tone and exhaustive legal critiques Robbins alleged that the hearing was invalid due to a deferral process months earlier that violated the city’s public notice rules “You didn’t open the public hearing You dropped the ball on February 24—massively,” Robbins asserted during the meeting ignoring clarifications from city staff that the hearing had been properly re-advertised and deferred by a Commission vote impassioned monologue asserting that the public was being “left out” and that the Commission routinely ignored due process in favor of developer timelines Several commissioners and staff members calmly pushed back explaining the procedural steps taken and affirming that the public had been given notice in compliance with state law No one came forward claiming an “affected party” status during the three Fletch Trace quasi-judicial hearings The most contentious votes of the evening came during a pair of land use and zoning changes for a 5.07-acre property along U.S The Commission voted 4–1 to approve a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment reclassifying the property from Agriculture/Rural to Commercial and a companion vote to rezone the property to Community Commercial (CC) also passed by the same margin citing traffic concerns along “Segment 6” of U.S which planning staff acknowledged was operating near its evening peak-hour capacity Highway 441 between Interstate 75 and County Road 235A One nearby homeowner who identified herself as an “affected party,” urged the Commission to consider the impact on her neighborhood emphasized that the zoning being requested was moderate “We are not pursuing Commercial Intensive zoning We’re limiting this to Community Commercial and we’ve planned significant buffering from adjacent homes,” Blurton said He noted that potential uses might include dental offices or quick-service restaurants and explicitly ruled out more intense uses such as liquor stores or smoke shops Robbins again took the floor during the rezoning item this time accusing the Commission of environmental negligence and suggesting that “any development at all” inherently produces “significant adverse effects.” She objected to the city’s standard findings that a rezoning “would not adversely impact the environment,” dismissing the language as incompatible with any construction activity “If you're not leaving the land exactly as it is you are adversely impacting the environment – period,” Robbins said She also criticized the lack of transportation impact fees saying city policy was shaped too heavily by staff and developers rather than by elected officials Commissioners did not engage with Robbins' commentary in detail though staff reiterated that any future development on the site would require its own traffic concurrency review Vice Mayor Brown thanked city staff for their professionalism and added Mayor Welch closed the meeting by thanking the public and pledging transparency “I promise you that my goal is not for you to be blindsided demonstrated a heightened local political tension in recent months ​​Alachua County’s distinctive culinary scene is set to take center stage as Diners and Dives features local eateries in upcoming episodes as part of the County’s commitment to advancing local food systems and producers Alachua County partnered with Working Food Kitchens to introduce the Diners and Dives production team to local culinary entrepreneurs providing curated gift bags including a selection of locally made food samples and destination information For more information, contact Bailey McClellan at 352-374-5260 or info@visitgainesville.com Press release from Gainesville Area Rowing – Gainesville Area Rowing (GAR) delivered a historic performance last weekend at the 60th Annual Florida Scholastic Rowing Association (FSRA) Sweep Championship held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota taking home two State Championships — a remarkable achievement not ever seen for GAR Highlighting the weekend’s successes were two gold medal victories: “This weekend was a presentation of a strong team but because nearly every boat showed up ready to compete at a championship level It’s the most competitive performance Gainesville Area Rowing has delivered in over 20 years I am very proud to be a part of it.“ Georgia on May 10–11 to compete at the USRowing Southeast Regional Championship aiming to continue their record-breaking season GAR’s performance at this year’s FSRA Sweep Championship marks one of the program’s strongest state championship showings in over two decades underscoring a new era of success for Gainesville’s premier rowing club (GAR) is a non-profit Florida corporation created to promote rowing as a sport in the Gainesville/Alachua County area and psychological skills that lead rowers to heightened mental and physical self-awareness Through the active participation of its members GAR provides the equipment and professional coaching staff to compete on a national level Middle and high school age youth are encouraged to give rowing a try- either by contacting Head Coach Garrett Bauer via the website or by registering for one of our Learn to Row summer camps.  Gainesville residents were battered early Friday evening with a mix of rain "It's a lot of cold air aloft with pretty warm air at the surface and some drier air initially at the beginning and then moistening up at the surface really quickly and that kind of sets the state for this type of situation," a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville said A second line of storms with hail is expected around 8:30 p.m "It shouldn't be as ominous as the first round "After that line passes you guys will be in the clear." Winds of at least 43 mph were reported at the Exactech office off Northwest 13th Street Ron DeSantis appointed Janine Plavac on Friday to fill the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) District 5 seat vacated by Kay Abbitt in December Plavac currently serves as the director of the Health Sciences Institute at St She previously served as chair of the Gainesville High School Advisory Council and was on the Alachua County Superintendent Search Committee She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Miami Abbitt resigned from her seat on Dec so she could serve as the interim director for the Boulware Springs Charter School a school she founded with her daughter in 2013 after the previous director unexpectedly died Abbitt was elected to the District 5 seat in August 2022, and joined the first-ever all-female school board in Alachua County McGraw later re-won her seat but then lost a reelection bid last year DeSantis appoints Janine Plavac to School Board of Alachua County I’m sure she can’t do anything worse then the current Board members Support the teachers provide them a fair living wage with a cost of living increase Alachua County does have the 2nd highest property taxes in the state of Florida Please support are Alachua County teachers If many people had their way he would be locked up in prison for LIFE It is disappointing to learn that Governor DeSantis is again appointing someone to the Alachua County School Board ​​Alachua County small farmers and ranchers have a grant opportunity starting in March 2025 The County Commission is funding another round of mini-grants to Alachua County-based farms and ranches that earn between $1,000 and $250,000 annually Funding is for capital and equipment expenditures that will positively impact these operation’s income Attention: Small Farmer GrantAlachua County’s Department of Tourism & Economic Development12 SE First Street 2nd Floor County Manager’s OfficeGainesville receiving 885 of the total 1,673 votes cast In a text message to The Sun on Wednesday morning Marden wrote that he's thrilled with the results "I am glad voters responded to my positive message focusing on Newberry values of community Local news: FHP: Newberry man, 23, dies after being ejected in single-vehicle crash on State Road 26 Marden said he is happy to be putting the election in the "rearview mirror" and begin focusing on the city's future The Sun reported last month that Marden may be in violation of state law after he registered as a lobbyist for the Wisconsin-based political advocacy group Marden said Wednesday's he's still working with legal counsel to resolve the matter "There's another aspect of the ethics statute which is language that says you can't be a registered lobbyist and be an elected official," Marden said there's other language that says you can't be working 20% or more of your job because you don't want somebody that wears both hats and going to be a lobbyist and then moonlighting as a city commissioner." said the city's election set a new record for voter turnout which she attributed to residents paying more attention to city politics and wanting to have more say "Newberry had over 1,673 people cast their vote on April 8 in the City of Newberry," Glanzer said in the release The last municipal election Newberry held was in 2022 Glanzer added that she will work to rebuild the bridges in Newberry burned by isolationist policies incumbent Tony Mazon defeated educator Rosa Marie Campbell 1,144 to 510 Walter Welch beat Gib Coerper by 21 votes to win the mayoral race Jacob Fletcher beat incumbent Edward Potts 785 to 514 for the City Commission Group 2 seat Four candidates will be on the ballot for citizens of the city of Alachua to choose their next mayor and City Commissioner for Seat 2.  Incumbent Mayor Gib Coerper is running to keep the seat he has held since Alachua’s mayor became an elected position in 2010 Incumbent Commissioner Ed Potts will run against Jacob Fletcher on April 8 at Legacy Park Multipurpose Center Cleather Hathcock Senior Community Center and Turkey Creek Clubhouse.  Previous experience in elected office: Since 2005 and 1999-2002  Public service other than elected office: Volunteering in Alachua schools for 35 years started the first Alachua Cleanup 1997 with Big Red Waste and is still going today In 1998 a friend and I co-wrote a grant to FDLE to Landscape the Medians in Alachua’ 3 phases We received $125,000 and we followed all the rules and got it done with my wonderful volunteers I was able to get the first 4th of July Fireworks started in Alachua What prompted you to run for re-election?  This will be my last term in office if I get re-elected My heart is in Alachua “The Goodlife Community.” I would like to make every project that we started “The Best it Can Be.”  What are your top two priorities if you are elected?  Continue our work on our Historic Main Street and keep working to help our schools be “The Best They Can Be.” We have the whole school system here What are the two most important issues facing Alachua’s government?  Florida is growing at a rapid pace and Alachua has to continue doing the great job we do All cities are faced with challenges; keeping their team the best it can be is so important and having a vision of what we see to make sure we are ahead of the game.  What do you think Alachua needs to be doing differently We are constantly looking at ways to be better and I never want that to fail and I want us to always be The Best.  Previous experience in elected office: I have not previously held elected office.  Public service other than elected office: President of the Florida Speleological Society Founding Member of the Florida Karst Conservation Task Force  Website: fletcherforalachua.org Facebook: Fletcher For Alachua City Commission What prompted you to run for election?  My involvement with the city began when the Tara development attempted to push five interconnected plats onto the recharge area of the Mill Creek Cave and Cavern System Working alongside concerned community members I became increasingly aware of the many challenges residents of Alachua face.  Through attending City Commission meetings I noticed a troubling pattern—motions often pass unanimously with little scrutiny or regard for public input with Commissioner Brown being the sole voice against a development proposal This lack of discussion and accountability in local government is troubling It’s clear that Alachua needs leadership that values transparency public engagement and critical review.  Investing in Infrastructure Responsibly  My first priority is ensuring that Alachua’s infrastructure supports sustainable growth without overburdening taxpayers development moves forward without adequate planning for roads leaving residents to deal with the consequences A major concern in Alachua is the poor quality of roads which the city often deflects as a county issue the city hasn’t assessed county land development impact fees since 2009 which are designed to ensure that new developments contribute to transportation improvements This lack of funding exacerbates infrastructure problems while unchecked development continues I will push for responsible budgeting and long-term planning to ensure our roads and public services receive the investment they need.  Supporting Local Businesses for Economic Stability  Alachua must shift its economic focus toward supporting local businesses and fostering a stable Recent job losses from companies like National Resilience and Exactech highlight the fragility of relying on large corporations that do not offer long-term job security We need policies that support small businesses and create stable jobs for the people who live and work here By prioritizing sustainable development and economic stability we can strengthen our community’s economic foundation.  Lack of Long-Term Planning and Accountability  A significant issue Alachua faces is a lack of long-term planning and accountability Alachua’s planning director and its only certified planners resigned the City Commission voted unanimously to investigate this unprecedented situation after individuals with longstanding ties to development spoke out against the investigation and after the City Manager stated that exit interviews were conducted I learned that only a verbal interview was conducted and no formal documentation or exit interviews were available This raises serious concerns about accountability and due diligence We need commissioners who stand their ground and follow through on oversight responsibilities to ensure transparency and proper governance.  Lack of Transparency and Civic Engagement  Another issue is the lack of transparency and citizen engagement Many residents are unaware that an election is taking place the city has only made one post about the election on its Facebook page the City Commission recently passed a resolution opposing Senate Bill 1416 which would have aligned municipal elections with general elections municipal elections in Alachua are decided by just 5% of the city’s population While commissioners claim opposition to this bill is about preserving “home rule,” they have not voiced similar concerns regarding state preemptions passed in 2024 I will push for greater transparency and civic participation to ensure that every Alachua resident has a voice.  The City of Alachua needs to put in the work to ensure that the “Good Life Community” is truly for everyone We need to balance the demand for housing and growth without placing the financial burden on taxpayers the city must foster informed and engaged citizens while making thoughtful investments in strengthening our neighborhoods we must prioritize long-term prosperity over short-term gains.  it’s about building a place where residents can thrive—where they feel safe Occupation: Retired after 35 years in the insurance and financial services business  Previous experience in elected office: Currently serving my first term as City Commissioner  Public service other than elected office: Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville (4 years) 12-year member and Past President of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Teach Stock Market Game at Buchholz High School member and Past President of Alachua Lions Club lifelong blood donor (100+ donations).  Website: pottsforalachua.com  Facebook: Ed Potts for Alachua City Commission Seat 2  There are still items on our city’s strategic plan that need to be advanced and seen to completion.  Supporting the efforts to improve our schools and smart economic development in both the commercial and residential sectors.  Staying ahead of future development with the necessary infrastructure investments and maintaining our quality of life while we continue to grow.  We need to make better progress in regard to our historic Main Street and downtown area The creation of our city’s Education Task Force has been terrific but we need to continue to support their efforts and identify areas where we can invest time and money to improve our schools and student performance.  Because of the current mayor Gibb my major concern in the City of Alachua hign taxes and poor quality of roads which the city often deflects as a county responsibilities the city hasn’t assessed county land development impact fees since in 15 years which are designed to ensure that new developments contribute to transportation improvements and most of City of Alachua planners have spoken out and quit of the City leadership Gibb please drop resign of mayor you are terrible take up a hoppy but have to live with the consequences of their decisions gave information about himself and what he sees are the problems that need to be addressed and future needs of Alachua identified key issues and explained what he would hope to do in specific terms but if I did he would certainly get my vote Seems like Fletcher is the only one with a real plan The roads are the responsibility of Alachua County except for 441 which belongs to FDOT Sounds like we need an activist for a change Where did you get your information on Fletcher That base drum sounded pretty sweet last night A former city of Alachua planner said in a public letter that internal and external pressure led to his resignation from the city in February when three of the city’s four planners resigned within two weeks The letter comes after the City Commission initially decided to inquire as to why the planners left but then reversed course two weeks later, on Feb outlined an outsized influence from former City Manager Adam Boukari and pressures placed on the city’s planning staff to ensure developments were recommended for approval especially two large developments that met with Alachua County scrutiny The letter comes a month before city elections that impact incumbents Mayor Gib Coerper and Commissioner Ed Potts Tabor said the planning department dealt with Boukari’s influence since he left the role of city manager in 2021 with City Manager Mike DaRoza taking his place it appears that former City Manager Adam Boukari never relinquished control of the City Manager’s position and has been essentially co-managing the City with Mr while representing developers’ interests in a private capacity,” Tabor said Tabor also pointed to DaRoza placing pressure on the professional planners to recommend approval of the Tara April and Tara Phoenicia projects earlier this year Tabor said that pressure is what pushed him to resign Those projects, located at Mill Creek Sink, were slated for a final hearing before Alachua County approached the city with concerns The city of Alachua delayed that hearing to reconsider the projects and Tabor said DeRoza told planners to place the developments on a Feb the direction City Manager DaRoza gave to Planning staff to schedule these two applications for public hearings despite Planning staff’s concerns was orchestrated by former City Manager Adam Boukari to fulfill the needs or desires of Mr Boukari’s private clients.”    Tabor said in the letter that this moment in early 2025 was when he knew he was being asked to put developer needs ahead of the citizens told Mainstreet in December that the city already had the information presented by the county He said the city had no reason to delay the hearings In a letter between Childers and David Theriaque be placed back on a meeting in keeping with a state guideline of 180 days Theriaque said he questioned whether the state guideline applies given the delays the developer had caused he said the state statutes don’t provide a “procedural recourse” if a city extends beyond the 180-day deadline “While [Florida Statutes] sets forth this 180-day provision as to the ramifications when a municipality fails to take the required action within 180 days,” Theriaque said in a letter to Childers.  Tabor said the planner had concerns with how the two Tara projects interrelated and the cave system underneath He also mentioned DaRoza working around planners’ recommendations for a solar installation at the wastewater treatment plant Tabor said the city manager’s interpretation didn’t line up with that of planners 10 to look into why three of their four planners left directing the city attorney to bring back recommendations for outside attorneys to conduct interviews and look at why the planners left.  and I really would like to find out more about why… We can’t just sit here and pretend it didn’t happen; it happened,” Commissioner Shirley Green Brown said at the meeting City Attorney Marian Rush brought back a recommendation and negotiated a price point with the outside attorney But commissioners balked at the idea of an “investigation” into the planners’ exit and a prepared contract Commissioners Ed Potts and Brown supported moving forward Potts made the motion to hire the outside attorney for an investigation he scaled the motion to have the outside attorney conduct exit interviews with the planners That vote ended an official inquiry into why the planners left “If three city employees of similar expertise and seniority left in three different departments in our city “Three of four in one department: I think we’re burying our heads in the sand if we don’t want more information about how that happened and whether or not we can do something better as a city.”    Tabor’s letter followed two weeks after the vote He said he had looked forward to sharing his reasons with the city when learning about the potential outside inquiry and discouraging to me is an understatement,” Tabor said “As a result of this reversal I have not been afforded an opportunity to provide any feedback regarding my resignation.”  one other planner was not given the opportunity of an exit interview He added that “false statements” made by developers at the Feb 17 and a half years and 9 years of experience with the city “You must ask yourself this: If we were not adequately doing our jobs why do our performance evaluations not reflect poor performance?” Tabor questioned “Staff throughout the organization know our character and know that we upheld the best interests of the City in every action we took.”    Coerper and Potts both declined to comment on the letter 24 meeting and said he stands by his public statements at the time He said the city deserves leadership that prioritizes citizens over backroom deals had both the experience and the responsibility to prevent this,” Fletcher said we must now ask: has our leadership been working for the residents—or for the developers who stand to benefit?”  Fletcher added that regardless of the April elections and the people of Alachua must demand a “full Alachua County has closely monitored the Tara projects mentioned in depth in the Tabor letter. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) even allocated $1 million toward tracking and potentially litigating the projects BOCC Commissioner Ken Cornell commented Friday on the situation “I trust the City’s elected officials will get to the bottom of these allegations,” Cornell said.  Read John D McDonald’s “A Flash of Green” A consultant influenced a City to do what exactly No development was even considered or passed The same planner complaining now works for a private firm to do exactly the same thing he is accusing someone else of doing It seems you’re trying to redirect from the subject of the article to attack the whistleblower How about the county spending that $1 million dollars to fixing the dilapidated roads next to this community They rather spend it on attorneys than fixing the roads Have your taxes been going down from all this rampant development And yes planners are there to approve or disapproved development projects Building over Rochelle Cave system obviously is a good reason to disapprove in this case While a property owner has a right to develop their property they should also bear the full costs of that development they often expect the public to shoulder the costs of providing infrastructure capacity to facilitate their private profits When runoff contaminates your drinking water is that developer going to pay to clean it up or are the taxpayers If having only one exit creates dangerous traffic congestion is the developer going to pay for a better intersection is that developer compensating you for having to fight more traffic The point is that supposedly private action doesn’t take place in a vacuum. I thought this is what property taxes are for I’ve been reading story after story and the only smoke is the city planners quitting I have yet to hear one detail about why these developments were bad etc… Maybe that is on purpose maybe not But I see lots of uninformed opinions on all this ​​The Alachua County Department of Human Resources in collaboration with CareerSource of North Central Florida invites all job seekers to the 2025 Alachua County Job Fair at CareerSource of North Central Florida (1112 N For more information, contact Wanda Santana at 352-337-6176 or wsantana@alachuacounty.us​ Teachers and community raise the alarm as ACPS opens school doors for ICE- policy shift sparks privacy and safety concerns Amid rising fears of federal immigration crackdowns in schools Alachua County Public Schools issued a memo outlining strict protocols for U.S granting it “broad authority” to interview and remove students in schools without a warrant parents and community members about student safety The memo, released Feb directs school administrators to take several steps if ICE seeks to interview or remove a student Administrators must ask for identification and request to make copies of any existing warrants subpoenas or court orders authorizing the action no documents are required for ICE agents to interview or remove a student Yet these directives seem at odds with existing district policies which waive parental or administrator consent to interview or remove students only in “investigations of criminal activity.” Under current policies administrators may be present during questioning unless law enforcement cites “compelling reasons” for their exclusion — a term left undefined If an officer denies parental contact or staff presence during an interview the policy requires the principal to remove the student from school property for the process The memo also states ACPS doesn’t request or keep records of a student’s immigration status. ACPS prohibits the release of student records without written parental consent district employees must comply with directives from law enforcement officers and a failure to do so may result in “legal consequences or obstructing a law enforcement investigation or law enforcement official.” School principals would handle law enforcement officers if they were to show up to a school “ICE agents have broad power to interview and detain students and that’s with or without a warrant,” she said “Employees should comply with any directives that they receive.”  The memo was released to help principals understand what protocols are “in this period of heightened awareness,” Johnson said The memo was never meant for the greater ACPS community as school principals handling law enforcement is “not a new thing,” she said The district doesn’t currently plan on releasing any information or announcement to parents However, the memo is on the ACPS website’s Safety and Security page It also doesn’t anticipate making any adjustments based on feedback If parents have questions or concerns about ICE Johnson said she encourages them to seek out legal advice because “that’s not anything that we as a district can provide to families.” President Donald Trump signed 10 executive orders related to immigration during his first week in office, including an executive order titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” signed on Jan The order directed federal agencies to focus on removing undocumented immigrants living in the U.S state and local law enforcement in all states an action created by the Biden administration Following the directive, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several state agencies entered agreements with ICE in a press release Feb Under these agreements, state law enforcement officers will receive training to carry out functions such as questioning individuals about their immigration status arresting those attempting illegal entry and executing warrants for immigration violations.  Alachua County Education Association President Carmen Ward passed on guidance to union members from the Florida Education Association FEA’s memo states ICE officers must have a warrant to interview or remove a student “It seems like an attempt to create misinformation so that people over-comply with ICE,” she said That could lead to students not being adequately protected.” Ward also worries about ACPS’ lack of policy on educating or raising awareness to “age-appropriate” students about ICE Because ACEA legally protects members under general union policy Ward said she assumes a teacher would have legal protection if he or she is on duty when an ICE situation occurs she still needs to get a “clear answer in writing” due to the newness of the issue Over 20 Alachua County residents voiced their concerns to the school board about the ICE memo at a meeting Feb told the board how her 10-year-old daughter cried for her friend “The trauma and fear of police taking children from school affects all students regardless of immigration status,” she said “There is no such thing as other people’s children.” She shared her concerns about the need for judicial warrants when ICE enters a school citing there’s no law allowing “warrantless arrests of citizens,” she said It’s not the responsibility of school employees to determine “reasonable suspicion” or even know what it is a third grade teacher at Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary said she feels “anxiety-ridden” and “uneasy” about the ICE memo Engelhorn knew she’d not only be educating students but making sure they were protected and “free from trauma,” she said “I do not like that the same governing body that entrusted me with this very important role is now interfering with my ability to carry out the role of protector,” she said Despite having no power against ICE actions Engelhorn said her greatest concern and disagreement with the memo is how there is no clear and detailed explanation for how students would be reunited with their parents if the district releases them to ICE and feels ACPS is “hopefully” doing the best it can with a difficult situation “The federal government is not doing enough at this moment to protect undocumented students and their families,” she said “None of us can really do very much at the moment The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday to start regularly monitoring air quality conditions around Florence Landfill in Gainesville The air monitoring plan comes in response to a motion unanimously passed in January, which directed county staff to review and present the BOCC with Florence’s state-required closure plan after residents raised concerns over potential air emissions coming from the landfill.  Of the six air monitoring options presented by the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on Tuesday the BOCC chose option E which will cost an estimated $95,099 to rent install and maintain four air sampling units The units will test for contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide gas carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide every 15 to 30 minutes every day for six months to document data in compliance with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to illustrate Florence’s harm to the area.  The estimated cost does not include access fees such as electricity and internet needed to run the machines the units could be up and running in a couple of weeks.  Residents posing concerns over potential emissions in the air from the landfill damage to the roads by its dump trucks and the ongoing stench are what drove the BOCC to pass the January motion and the same concerns also drove the second motion on Tuesday.  but hopefully we could get Florence Landfill to pay for it after,” a resident said because the economic costs of community members getting cancer is a lot more expensive than what that would be.”  According to EPD’s Steven Hofstetter and Chris Gilbert’s Florence Landfill closure presentation the landfill started as an unpermitted local landfill that ran as the Feagle Fill Dirt operation from 1960 through 1984 The site was the Renfroe Landfill until 1991 before becoming the Florence Construction and Demolition Landfill in 1994 Although county staff reported that the landfill is not currently violating its FDEP permit Florence has a history of permit compliance failures.  Multiple commissioners said concerns raised about Florence Landfill today were generational and nothing new Commissioner Charles Chestnut recalled hearing about similar dealings when his father was a commissioner Although Florence’s ownership initially responded to promptings to compromise on addressing the site’s concerns Chestnut expressed his frustrations over their recent inaction.  He said the data collection will also serve as an effort to collect enough evidence to send to the state to entreat them to intervene on the county’s behalf in the landfill’s closure.  “I think we need this to be able to fight and to give to the legislature to show that there is an issue and a reason,” Chestnut said “I don’t think I have any more sympathy left for businesses who don’t want to participate and help with the problem It’s the American way of life; greed.”  The EDP’s closure plan presentation outlined the FDEP’s requirements for a landfill closure design plan final side slopes and drawings showing existing and final topography cover for the land.  a landfill site must be covered by a 24-inch-thick soil layer with the upper six inches being capable of supporting vegetation for managing erosion that could impact stormwater basins.  The closure plan must also include how stormwater will be controlled on the site and limiting who has access to the property A gas management system will also need to be accounted for if applicable.  The current closure plan for Florence is from May 2019 and created by Engineering Design Associates (EDA) It would cost an estimated $478,193.42 to target 28 out of the landfill’s 40 acres and expand the three stormwater retention basins on site.  Long-term care of the land following the closure would include five years of monitoring the groundwater for any hazardous materials leaving the site and cost an estimated $107,494.37.  The state would issue a certificate of closure once the closure project engineer notified the FDEP that the closure had been completed according to its plan The landfill owner would then be able to publicly declare in deed records in the office of the county clerk that the landfill is closed.  Within 30 days of the certificate of closure and public declaration the FDEP will provide a letter containing an official date of closure Although the plan did not include a specific timeline for closing Florence Commissioner Ken Cornell noted that after all the requirements are met and the five years of monitoring are completed the county is looking at a nearly decade-long process for closing Florence.  Sarah Younger of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group asked the BOCC to consider where construction debris—such as from the demolition of Maguire Village as recently proposed by UF’s board—would end up over the next several years during Florence’s shutdown “It’s a big concern to me that this facility is not already in its final steps to close because it has the potential of being doubled in height if it’s allowed to operate that way,” she said.  Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler also questioned the amount of dirt it would take to create the site cover proposed in the plan and where it would come from Gilbert said the plan didn’t account for how much dirt would be required but that it would be pulled from the perimeter of the site.  After reviewing the six air quality monitoring plans Commissioner Anna Prizzia filed a motion to approve plan C for $77,269 which she said would monitor the contaminants they knew to be of concern without paying extra for what doesn’t exist Commissioner Mary Alford said she was putting her environmental engineering degree to use in considering the landfill’s closure But after considering the farmlands surrounding the landfill that could also emit contaminants like hydrogen sulfide through fertilizer she recommended the board pivot to plan E that would provide a fourth unit capable of collecting a baseline of background data to pinpoint the source more accurately.  “[Florence] could make the argument that there was something happening on a farm where they were spreading manure and that brought out hydrogen sulfide [and] that could be a real thing,” Alford said.  Alford also addressed the “big elephant in the room,” which is what happens if the air tests come back contaminated Would Florence Landfill be responsible for paying for any of the costs if it did Gilbert said he would look into the concern No matter what the data comes back showing Cornell said it doesn’t change the fact that the Florence Landfill owner is still guilty of operating in non-conformity over the years.  The BOCC also confirmed that it had addressed two other action items from January’s motion in contacting the landfill’s owners to ask that drywall be diverted to a Palatka site and sending a chair letter to Gov the Alachua County Legislative Delegation and other state departments about the community’s concerns.  Florence’s owners responded that they would continue operating under the legislative extension timeline with the drywall and the chair letter sent on March 5 had received no response.  The World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships will be held for the first time in the United States next week and Gainesville will be the host city of the event Hosted by Alachua County, the biennially event will be free and held from March 23-30 at the Alachua County Sports and Event Center in Celebration Pointe The opening ceremony for competition will be held Saturday featuring 3,700 athletes representing 99 countries making this year's event the most represented in the championship's history the first championship was held in 2004 at Sindelfingen Athletes must be 35 years or older to participate and 23 athletes will be representing the local community Two of the event's oldest participants include a 104-year-old Thailand man and a 96-year-old New York woman Fun Day: Nearly 2,000 students take part in Alachua County Public Schools' Fifth Grade Fun Day The opening of the events center in Celebration Pointe was a major factor in drawing the event to Gainesville and Alachua County said Radd Sports Senior Vice President Stephen Rodriguez when he was interviewed on Alachua County Talks the county's talk show hosted by Communications Director Mark Sexton The 144,000-square-foot facility can host everything from pickleball to full track events The site was chosen to host the event after some members of the WMA council visited the area to see the events center "We identified this opportunity that existed that World Masters Athletics was reopening a bid for their indoor championship in 2025," Rodriguez said Some of the competitions will be held outside The course is a 5K loop that runners will complete twice from Celebration Pointe Avenue to where runners will finish on Bass Pro Shops Boulevard RALPHDOB: 09/10/1968Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) LARC: PETIT THEFT MERCH FARM TRANSIT 2+ PRIOR CONV; STOLEN PROP-DEAL IN: ORGANIZED DEALING TRAFFIC STOLEN PROP  VICTORDOB: 11/04/2003Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) AGGRAV ASSAULT ON SPECIFIED PERSONNEL  TYLERDOB: 08/03/1994Charge(s): BATTERY: PRIOR CONVIC FELON BATT COMMIT 2ND SUB BATTERY  AUBREYDOB: 08/23/2001Charge(s): (DUVAL COUNTY) BATTERY; CRIMINAL MISCHIEF  DANIELDOB: 04/08/1969Charge(s): AGGRAVATED BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON  NATASHADOB: 05/13/1983Charge(s): (SENTENCED) DUI-UNLAW BLD ALCH: DUI DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OR PERSON OF ANOTHER; MOVING TRAFFIC VIOL: OPERATE MOTOR VEHICLE WO VALID LICENSE  HEATHERDOB: 12/08/1971Charge(s): DUI INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS  CURTIS DDOB: 1992Charge(s): OUT-OF-COUNTY WARRANT  AJADOB: 07/02/1989Charge(s): (SENTENCED) DWLSR OR REVOCATION EQUIV STATUS SUBSQ OFF  CORY KENNETHDOB: 11/11/1977Charge(s): (VOP) LEWD OR LASCICIOUS BATTERY VICTIM AGE 12 TO 16  KELLISDOB: 07/14/2006Charge(s): FLEE/ ELUDE POLICE; GRAND THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE; BURGLARY OF OCCUPIED DWELLING UNARMED; RESIST OFFICER: OBSTRUCT WO VIOL  JAMESDOB: 01/23/1999Charge(s): SIMPLE ASSAULT; BURGLARY OF OCCUPIED STRUCTURE (ATTEMPTED); RESIST/ OBSTUCT OF OFFICER WO VIOL  JEREMYDOB: 04/06/1982Charge(s): (MARION COUNTY) (FTA) NO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION  JAN MARIEDOB: 07/31/1951Charge(s): (SENTENCED) DRIV WHILE LIC SUSPNED REVOCATION EQUIV STATUS  WILLIEDOB: 12/20/1958Charge(s): DRUG EQUIP-POSSESS AND OR USE X2; FALSE ID GIVEN TO LEO; SEX OFFENDER VIOL: FAIL REPORT ESTABLISH TRANSIENT RESIDENCE  DAREN GARYDOB: 04/16/1967Charge(s): (IN HOUSE) BURGLARY WITH ASSAULT OR BATTERY; BATTERY: TOUCH OR STRIKE; RESIST OFFICER: OBSTRUCT WO VIOLENCE  MARQUEL DONOVANDOB: 01/19/1998Charge(s): SIMPLE BATTERY (DOMESTIC)  LAMARIOUSDOB: 08/26/2003Charge(s): LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS BATTERY VICITM AGE 12 TO 16  Alachua County’s first Chick-fil-A outside of Gainesville will be coming to the city of Alachua.   the restaurant will take up shop at 16314 NW US Highway 441 Alachua next to Santa Fe Ford car dealership MainStreet Urgent Care and across from Santa Fe High School.   Even though the restaurant is planned for that location at Santa Fe Crossings, Chick-fil-A will not confirm the Alachua location.   “We are always evaluating potential new locations in the hopes of serving existing and new customers great food with remarkable service,” Chick-fil-A Inc “We would very much like to have more restaurants in the Gainesville area but we have no new locations to confirm at this time.”  Other businesses at Santa Fe Crossings include a Wawa convenience store and gas station that opened in December 2024 and construction is underway for a Firestone Complete Auto Care store East side of Gainesville needs a Chick-fil-A Chickens lay eggs every 24-26 hours rather than twice per day I’ve thought they should put one there for years The Alachua City Commission canceled an external inquiry into the resignation of 75% of its planning department during comment time at a regular meeting on Monday after the city attorney brought back a recommendation for an attorney to conduct the inquiry.  Upon the request of city attorney Marian Rush, the commission waived its rules to allow for a vote during comment time. Two weeks ago, commissioners had voted unanimously to direct Rush to bring back suggestions for an outside attorney who could independently conduct an inquiry or investigation into the reason for the planners’ exodus.  Rush said she made the assignment her top priority and has spent well over 25 hours working on it searching for attorneys with experience with municipal governments.  Her final recommendation was to hire Mark Barnebey of the Blalock Walters law firm in Bradenton She said the firm has no relation to Commissioner Jennifer Ringersen and Barnebey has extensive experience in municipal government and planning departments.  Rush said in the interest of starting the inquiry quickly she had already negotiated a contract with Barnebey for $375 per hour significantly lower than his standard rate.  Rush said Barnebey understood that time was of the essence in the investigation had committed to starting next week at the latest and would complete the process within four weeks She said he would come in person and speak with all three of the planners and would follow up with others by phone.  The recommended motion was for the commission to hire Barnebey to independently investigate the resignation of the planning director and principal planners.  Vice Mayor Ed Potts made the recommended motion to extend the contract offer to Barnebey seconded by Commissioner Shirley Green Brown.  public commentors streamed to the podium to weigh in—some applauding the commission for looking into the matter and others saying the city needs to look to the future not concern itself with former employees.  Mitch Glaeser, CEO of Emory Group and co-developer of Tech City said he has had bad experiences with the planners who resigned and kept quiet about it for fear of retribution He said he would rather the city look to the future and try to build the best possible planning department instead of following up with the planners who resigned.  “When we talk about the resources that you’re going to put into this look-behind let’s do that in terms of trying to reach out to the greater good and the future… and if you want to interview someone Now I have the opportunity to tell you the truth and not feel like the regulatory agency is going to oppress me,” Glaeser told the commission.  a citizen and chair of Alachua’s Community Redevelopment Agency Board said though he has not always liked the answers he’s gotten from the planners He agreed the city should look to the future but said the city still needs to search out and resolve any existing issues.  and you as commissioners have to take an open look at what’s going on within our city Commissioner Dayna Miller said that her motion two weeks ago was not intended to launch an investigation She said she was surprised to find that Rush came on Monday with a contract already negotiated.  Miller and Ringersen said they did not like the idea of a full-blown investigation and noted that former employees may not want to talk to anyone about why they left City Manager Mike DaRoza said he believed two of the planners had already gone through the city’s usual exit interviews DaRoza said when he heard the word “investigation” at that meeting he put the third planner’s exit interview on hold to see how the city would proceed.  Mayor Gib Coerper said if the planners want to move on to new jobs they should be allowed to leave without being hassled for exit interviews He said he speaks to city employees regularly and they seem happy and comfortable talking with him.  and not everything you get is perfect,” Coerper said Potts and Green Brown said they still supported the idea of having an outsider talk to the planners but Potts said he was open to changing his motion to hire Barnebey to conduct exit interviews with the planners instead of allowing him to talk to anyone necessary for an investigation.  “Three of four in one department: I think we’re burying our heads in the sand if we don’t want more information about how that happened and whether or not we can do something better as a city.”  Potts retracted his original motion and made a new one for Barnebey to conduct exit interviews How can they force a person who is not an employee anymore to talk with an investigating attorney for the other side with a warrant There are two supposed news outlets with “Alachua” in their name In the 2/27 edition there is not one word about this story There is not one word that there is an upcoming city commission election nor is there one word that the incumbents have challengers The real estate cartel that runs Alachua will not even allow the name of the challengers be printed in the papar If not for MSDN folks in Alachua would know nothing about what is going on the city’s web site did not list the commission qualifications period The first and only posting on the city web site is a notice that the qualification period is over It will use every third grade trick to keep anyone from running against the preferred candidate of the Good Ole Boyz a trick for the unwary to miss the deadline “Let’s not investigate – we might uncover something we don’t want uncovered” What You Need To Do To Be A Better City Of Gainesville Florida Alachua County Is To Get The MILITARY 🎖️ POLICE Into This Criminally Insane City Alachua County Is Always Stating That They Are Short Handed Of Alachua County Sheriff’s and Gainesville Police Officers Yet you consider and will raise their yearly salaries to $55 000.00 per year while this City is ran like the Bronx or Harlem or the Slums of New York City Get the Military Police into the City of Gainesville Florida Alachua County to Walk these City Streets and Gain Back Control so the Citizens are once again protected happy and at ease to go outside their front door without worry of being mugged or stabbed or shot with a gun The citizenry certainly SHOULD want to know why most of the staff quit some pretty cushy gigs I suspect there is a lot more to this story but the good ‘ol boys once again want to cover up The truth will come out sooner rather than later remember – the coverups are always worse than the transgressions they try to cover The Alachua County School Board discontinued Rawlings Elementary’s year-round school year and approved summer school opportunities in a meeting Tuesday night.  The meeting was also the first for new board member Janine Plavac, who was appointed to the District 5 seat by Gov Rawlings Elementary’s year-round school year in a 3-2 vote with Janine Plavac and Leanetta McNealy in dissent.  Rawlings was among only five schools in Florida participating in the Year-Round School Pilot Program, under a state law passed during the 2023 legislative session. The school year started in July to reduce learning loss over the summer.  The northeast Gainesville elementary school received a “D” grade for both the 2022-2023 and the 2023-2024 school years Less than 4% of all Florida schools received a “D” grade in the 2023-2024 school year Rawlings’ grades place it in a “Tier 2” status, labeling it a target of additional support and improvement. It has been in a turnaround plan since August.  During the meeting, survey data about Rawlings from both parents and teachers was presented to the board.   Parents surveyed in April 2024 mostly supported the year-round change with 70% planning to keep their children enrolled Supporters cited academic improvements as positives while those choosing to leave pointed to scheduling difficulties and worries about academics 71% of staff reported satisfaction with the year-round model but only 34% of parents expressed satisfaction.  About 60% of staff said they would recommend the year-round schedule Enrollment at Rawlings showed a significant decline since the schedule change with a nearly 20% drop in full-time students between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years Attendance rates at Rawlings improved slightly rising from just over 86% in 2024 to nearly 89% in 2025 but it’s still below district averages.  A large percentage of K-5 students scored at the lowest performance level in reading and math assessments with projections suggesting many students may struggle to reach proficiency by 2025.  Science proficiency was notably low at 57% well below the district’s overall 70%.  The board deliberated the decision for over an hour.  District 5 board member Janine Plavac said the program “set these kids up for failure” due to the high percentage of first-year teachers at the school.  “First year teaching is the worst thing for you in the world,” she said “You don't know what is up or what is down and then you've got kids you're trying to engage Nearly 46% of Rawlings Elementary teachers were “inexperienced,” or had taught for less than four years during the 2022-2023 school year. The number of inexperienced teachers was nearly 13% higher than the statewide average, according to the FLDOE. spoke in support of keeping Rawlings year-round.  “I'm frankly really shocked that following the presentation that we just had we had a motion to discontinue this,” she said “It is good that you're taking community input and acting on it but you're misinterpreting what you're hearing.”  District 4 board member Leanetta McNealy said she disagreed noting one year wasn’t enough time to measure success.  “I'm not happy with this decision to seem as if this full year has not been successful,” she said “It was necessary at the time that we would change the process and that's what this staff has tried to do.” P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville was also approved as a year-round school.  While Board Chair Sarah Rockwell said she agreed with Plavac regarding the inexperienced teachers Yonge’s pilot program doesn’t start until next year because the school took a year “just to plan it out.”  “I think that really should have been the requirement from the state of Florida,” she said “What I'm seeing is we're scrambling to try to fit a mold from the state of Florida that is not having a huge benefit but is taking a huge amount of staff work.” The ACSB also approved its 2025 Extended School Year programs focusing on combating summer learning loss.  The ESY programs include Voluntary Prekindergarten English for Speakers of Other Languages support middle and high school credit recovery options and extended special education services.  Transportation services will be provided for eligible students and all enrolled participants receive breakfast and lunch during the summer session.  the district is offering enrichment opportunities including Camp Crystal a residential summer camp for students in grades second through ninth which features themed activities designed to foster social-emotional growth and creativity.  Career and technical education options such as Driver Education and the Career & Technical Education Land Lab will also be offered.  The recent salary "increase" proposal by the Alachua County School Board was soundly rejected Jan. 21 by teachers — and for good reason. The proposed 1.6% increase did nothing to satisfy the complaints from local teachers who say it wasn’t enough to keep up with the national rate of inflation You don't have to be an economist to realize that life is more expensive nowadays from eggs to rent and everything in between.  It is disappointing to see how teacher salaries in Gainesville compare to other local occupations to say the least.  The starting salary for a teacher in Alachua County is $47,317 — $8,683 less than the average pay for a manager at Tropical Smoothie and $3,000 less than the average pay of a local Dunkin’ manager Florida has done an atrocious job of spending on education and teachers in Gainesville are subjected to some of the lowest teacher salaries in America the good news is that we no longer rank last in the nation when it comes to teacher pay.  According to a recent survey by the National Education Association only West Virginia does worse paying teachers what they deserve The money that we aren't spending could help pay for everything from school supplies and infrastructure to after school programs and teacher salaries.  that's not to say there's no money in education or no money in the bank accounts of Alachua County Public Schools It's just not being spent on teachers or students.  and some teachers in Alachua County might even be tempted to ask the new Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Kamela Patton for a loan 21 they could only afford to give teachers a 1% raise approved a lucrative contract for Patton in November filled with perks that would make an A-list celebrity jealous That's enough to buy a ton of smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe and still have plenty left over for coffee from Dunkin' Patton makes in just over two months what these classroom teachers make in a whole year.  That doesn't make much sense to most people and we all know how the cost of living has skyrocketed in Gainesville and everywhere else there are teachers in Gainesville who can't afford rent and are living with friends Patton doesn't have to worry about this because in addition to her salary the board also included an additional $2,000 per month for her mortgage or rent she doesn't have to spend any of the $19,500 that she makes each month on living expenses the board threw in an additional $175 monthly allowance for her cell phone so she doesn't have to spend any of her $234,000 yearly salary on T-Mobile or Verizon $175 seems like a lot for one person's cell phone bill since the taxpayers in Gainesville are footing the bill It's about time we started standing up for our teachers Andrew Carswell is a writing professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville For questions about the event and news media inquiries, contact Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton at 352-264-6979 or msexton@alachuacounty.us​ You can use the database to search by county or by restaurant name Florida's restaurant owners are not required to post restaurant inspection results where guests can see them For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our Alachua County restaurant inspections site Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in Alachua County follow-up inspections may not be included here Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as a 'snapshot' of conditions present at the time of the inspection an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall For full restaurant inspection details, visit our Alachua County restaurant inspection site These restaurants met all standards during their April 21-27 inspections and no violations were found ** Restaurants that failed an inspection and aced a follow-up inspection in the same week These restaurants failed their April 21-27 inspections and were temporarily closed Facility Temporarily Closed: Operations ordered stopped until violations are corrected Which Alachua County restaurants had high priority violations?Blue Star Grill23352 NW 186th Ave. Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review but are not an immediate threat to the public Cheffrey's Food Trailer and Special EventsMobile food dispensing vehicle McDonalds1030 E Sweetwater Branch Inn625 E What agency inspects restaurants in Florida?Routine regulation and inspection of restaurants is conducted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation The Department of Health is responsible for investigation and control of food-borne illness outbreaks associated with all food establishments If you see abuses of state standards, report them and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will send inspectors. Call the Florida DBPR at 850-487-1395 or report a restaurant for health violations online Get the whole story at our restaurant inspection database Basic violations are those considered against best practices A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment Says the division website: "Correcting the violations is important but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over." An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license.