The Alachua County Commission announced at Tuesday’s meeting that the state removed restrictions from a plot of county-owned land, making it a possible location for a long-awaited new animal shelter.
The paperwork has not been finalized, but the state voted in favor of removing the restriction on Dec. 17.
“It’s not official until it’s official,” said County Manager Michele Lieberman. “The vote to approve is there. We still need the paperwork from the state.“
The county is looking to build the shelter on the Weseman Tract, a plot of land it obtained in 2006 to develop into a fairgrounds. Although the original plans for the land fell through, a “reverter clause” prohibited the county from using the land for anything other than fairgrounds. The county had been working to have the reverter clause removed for years.
Now, the Florida Cabinet has voted to approve Alachua County’s request to remove the reverter clause restriction on the Weseman Tract and transfer the deed restriction to the Alachua County Equestrian Center.
Alachua County has been in negotiations with UF since 2024 over a $3 million lease agreement to build a new animal shelter on university property. However, Commissioner Mary Wheeler suggested at Tuesday’s meeting that the Weseman Tract would be a better site for the new shelter.
“I would move to discontinue negotiations with UF and free the staff to focus on finalization of the required paperwork for use of the Weseman property for the new animal shelter,” Wheeler said.
The commission plans to address the location of the animal shelter and the lease agreement at its next regular meeting Jan. 27.
Launch of “My Alachua County” app
Alachua County launched a new mobile app called “My Alachua County,” aimed to deliver timely news and services to community members.
The app is a centralized location with resources to stay informed about county news, meetings, events, road projects, weather updates, adoptable animals, employment opportunities and more.
Mark Sexton, Alachua County’s director of communications, presented the app.
“It is strengthening our commitment to find new and effective ways to communicate with our residents,” he said.
The app is now available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
Contact Kaitlyn McCormack at kmccormack@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaitmccormack20
