Excited chatter and music filled the event space at Cypress and Grove Brewing Company as supporters and Gainesville residents gathered for Bryan Eastman’s campaign kickoff event.
Bryan Eastman, a member of the Gainesville City Commission, is running for reelection. He was first sworn into the District 4 position in 2023.
On Wednesday, Eastman spoke to a crowd of more than 40 community members to discuss the future of Gainesville.
Eastman began his speech by highlighting Gainesville’s political and artistic identity as a “blue dot” amid predominantly Republican areas in Florida.
As commissioner, he said he hopes to continue efforts in affordable housing, environmental conservation and the legal disputes surrounding Gainesville Regional Utilities.
In 2023, the Florida legislature approved a bill that allows Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint members to a GRU authority board without input from local leaders and residents.
Gainesville is the only city in the country to have a governor appoint members of a local department without community consent, Eastman said.
In March, the Florida Senate approved a bill that reaffirms state control over GRU. The bill, if signed into law, would also nullify past and future legal proceedings between the city and GRU, in which Gainesville residents voted in favor of returning power to the commission.
“We have to figure out how we're going to move forward under more pressure than before,” Eastman said. “I think we need to really be focusing on what makes our community special and really building that up.”
Other speakers included former Alachua County Commission Chair Robert Hutchinson and current Chair Ken Cornell.
While Eastman is currently running uncontested in the District 4 race, Cornell warned voters that could change during qualifying week, the period in early June when interested candidates can finalize their appearance on the ballot.
“We know based on the history of how this works, we can expect that somebody is going to be placed into the race and funded with money from Tallahassee and maybe even outside of the state,” Cornell said.
Many of Eastman’s longtime supporters and friends attended the event, including 74-year-old Nancy Deren.
Deren said she has worked with Eastman since 2017 on issues related to GRU. She said the campaign’s emphasis on building community resonates with her during “challenging” times.
Ahead of the election, Deren said she is most concerned about affordable housing and water issues surrounding GRU.
“This is the election that is going to determine a direction,” she said, “and I really want to see us coming back together and strengthening this community.”
Other attendees included Janice Garry, a 73-year-old Gainesville resident.
Like Deren, Garry said she has known and supported Eastman for years as her district representative.
When Eastman ran previously, she said she attended his other campaign events and found it important to speak with local leadership.
“These events are really nice because it gets everybody together,” she said. “It gives candidates a chance to encapsulate how they see the city and what vision they have for where the city can go.”
Contact Olivia Lofaso at olofaso@alligator.org. Follow her on X @OLofaso77652.
Olivia Lofaso is a third-year journalism student and the Summer 2026 city/county commission reporter. She previously worked as a contributing writer at The Alligator. In her free time she enjoys visiting art museums and solving crosswords.
