Welcome (back) to the Spring semester in Gainesville! The most important thing I hope you’ll take away from this column is that I’m glad you’re here. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter the hue of your skin or the accent of your voice, no matter whose hand you hold or the clothes you wear, no matter how (or if) you vote, I’m glad you’ve chosen to be a part of Florida’s cultural capital.
Of the more than 400 cities in Florida, Gainesville is the 13th largest, with more than 151,000 residents, but our community is so much larger than that. Neighbors from a dozen or more surrounding counties work, play and shop here, and families from all over Florida – and the world — send their loved ones to learn at UF and Santa Fe College or to be healed at our hospitals.
We’re proud to host some of the greatest higher education and healthcare the world has to offer, but Gainesville is more than that. We are music, and we are springs, and we are parks, and we are libraries, and we are restaurants, and we are sports and we are so many more things that are yours to embrace and enjoy. I hope you will do exactly that.
As the world around us moves faster in unfamiliar, often frightening directions, I want you to know that your local government in Gainesville continues to deliver for you. When Congress threatens to (or actually does) shut down the federal government from time to time, Gainesville’s City Hall remains open and is here for you.
Is everything perfect in our city? Of course not. But the Gainesville City Commission and I (and everyone who works for our city government) are focused on building a cleaner, safer and more affordable city every day.
We closed out the calendar year a few days ago, so I can report to you that crime continues to drop significantly every year in Gainesville, and we have become one of the safest cities to be a pedestrian or a cyclist anywhere in Florida. Regarding affordability, our city government is working with partners to build — or has already built — nearly 800 affordable homes over the past three years.
We’re renovating and investing in historic buildings across the city. We’re building and rebuilding parks and public safety buildings and neighborhood streets in every corner of our community.
Just this past week, we announced a $2 million grant program for homeowners and businesses in the Duval neighborhood in East Gainesville. Near the UF campus, through partnerships with the University, the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Gainesville, we’ve made and are making physical changes to University Avenue and 13th Street that make them far safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers as well.
Speaking of UF, we’re developing a better relationship between city government and UF leadership than I’ve seen in many years. And the city’s relationship with Santa Fe gets better every year as their Downtown/Blount Center campus continues to build out and grow.
My point in all of this? Regardless of what is happening in the outside world, this is an exciting and a good time to be a neighbor in Gainesville. This is your city, and I hope you’ll be active in it. Come visit us at City Hall. Ask questions. Get involved.
Whether you’ve been here in Gainesville for a few days or a few decades, whether you are looking for exits or putting down roots, whether you are a casual bystander or hip-deep in local culture, you are a part of Gainesville’s story, and Gainesville is a part of your story.
And once again, I’m glad you’re here.
Harvey Ward is the mayor of Gainesville.
