UF emailed an emergency alert shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday warning of an armed suspect in the Shands at UF atrium.
After searching the Shands and UF Health Science Center area, University Police had not found the suspect, according to a follow-up email sent at about noon.
Guns are not allowed on campus or in Shands at UF facilities, according to the email.
The first email said a man was seen dropping a handgun. He then picked it up and put it in his pants pocket.
UPD advised those on campus to maintain normal operations.
Students were asked to call UPD if they saw a black man about 5 feet 8 inches tall wearing jeans and an orange shirt with white short sleeves.
There were no indications that the suspect intended harm, said Maj. Brad Barber, UPD public information officer.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said students were notified by email because text message warnings would be used for more serious situations.
"The report that [UPD] had was that a person had seen another person with what appeared to be a weapon," he said.
If the suspect had indicated he meant harm or had actually started firing, he said, the university would have sent a text message instead of an email.
Orlando said the university did not receive confirmation from a second source that a man had a gun.
Barber said the nearby Baby Gator building was put on lockdown, but nobody else was instructed to interrupt usual business.
UPD Capt. Bart Knowles said during the search that people at Shands at UF were staying calm.
He said UPD had received several calls about sightings of the suspect, but he was never located.
Police maintained an increased presence in the area throughout the day, according to a follow-up email.
A UF emergency alert email sent around 10 a.m. Wednesday warned students and staff of an "armed subject" in the Shands atrium.
