After a year of international social movements, Time magazine chose The Protester as its Person of the Year.
Protesters in Gainesville, including members of Occupy Gainesville, Students for a Democratic Society and Fight Back Florida, hope to continue their momentum from last year and keep bringing attention to their causes.
Occupy Gainesville is still using Bo Diddley Community Plaza as a headquarters for its occupation.
It is looking to focus on foreclosure issues in the community.
Students for a Democratic Society have not introduced its plans to continue advocacy for the upcoming year, but plans to do so in the coming week.
Fight Back Florida, a group started in March in response to Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts, is trying to repeal Scott's policies.
Kenzie Cooke, a 20-year-old Occupy Gainesville member, said she hopes Time magazine's announcement, which was published Dec. 14, will inspire those on the fence about participating in the Occupy Movement to join.
"My main focus is to help student, activist and minority groups come together through the Occupy Movement and beyond," Cooke said.
She said Occupy Gainesville will work on advocating for foreclosure reform.
"This isn't the first time the 99 percent has addressed consumption wealth in America," she said. "These issues protesters are involved with aren't new."
Skye Schmelzer, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, said it meant a lot to her that the magazine deemed The Protester as the person who had the greatest impact during the year.
"It showed that Time magazine, a prime source of entertainment, believed in activists," said Schmelzer, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at UF.
Last year, the student organization started an anti-tuition hike movement, but it will be putting its efforts elsewhere this semester.
Schmelzer said she didn't know the organization's official plans at the moment.
Fight Back Florida plans to continue pushing against Scott's policies.
Dave Schneider, a 21-year-old recent UF graduate and statewide organizer of Fight Back Florida, said he is continuing his activism after graduating and is working to fight against Scott's budget cuts in Tallahassee now that the state legislative session has started.
"What we want is for working people to rule society again," he said.
Occupy supporter Annette Gilley, 58, makes a poster on Bo Diddley Community Plaza on Tuesday for "Occupy the Courts," an event that will take place Jan. 20.
