The Gainesville City Commission voted Thursday to eliminate roam towing and booting throughout the city. The ordinance must pass an additional vote before it can take effect.
The commission also addressed concerns surrounding a new Gainesville Police Department policy requiring officers to report people they suspect are in the country illegally.
Roam towing
In May, the commission voted to draft an ordinance to eliminate roam towing and booting, a practice in which property owners hire towing companies to patrol parking lots for unauthorized vehicles.
The new ordinance is designed to encourage property and business owners to contact companies to remove specific vehicles instead of patrolling lots as a whole. The measure is expected to impact six towing companies licensed to roam tow and boot in Gainesville, according to documents discussed at the meeting.
The affected companies weren’t named during the meeting.
Under the ordinance, roam towing and booting can still be conducted under the direction of law enforcement or on government property.
Mayor Harvey Ward said the city has received feedback on roam towing for years. He said he’s also spoken to mayors in cities that don’t allow roam towing — a practice that has become “unique” to Gainesville, he said.
“Unique is not necessarily good,” he said. “It has earned us a reputation I don’t think any of us want to have.”
The commission will revisit the ordinance for a third vote before it can take effect.
It is unclear when that vote will take place.
Public commenters protest GPD policy
On Aug. 27, GPD issued a general order requiring officers to report anyone they suspect is living in the country illegally. The order was established to comply with federal requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Under the general order, personal characteristics like limited English proficiency can’t be used to justify suspicion of immigration status without other factors like fleeing an officer.
Ahead of the meeting, residents and members of the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative gathered outside of City Hall to protest the order. More than 10 residents spoke in opposition of the order during public comment.
The demonstration came two weeks after a protest outside of GPD headquarters.
Rev. Marta Fioriti, a minister at the United Church of Gainesville, said the policy could undermine public trust in local law enforcement during public comment. GPD shouldn’t work as an extension of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she added.
The policy could make people hesitant to reach out to law enforcement, she said, instilling a fear of being targeted that puts community members further at risk.
“What happens when a mother is afraid to report violence, when a witness is afraid to cooperate, when a victim fears asking for help could put their family at risk?” Fioriti said. “That is not community safety. That is community fear.”
Veronica Robleto, the director of the Rural Women's Health Project, said she has worked with immigrants who were victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She’s also represented immigrants as a paralegal for over a decade, she added.
She said the order is unnecessary, and she urged the commission to repeal it.
“I know the city is concerned with putting themselves at risk, but we do not believe this order is anywhere in what they’re obligated to do,” Robleto said. “It has reversed years of work we’ve done to create trust with local law enforcement.”
During the meeting, GPD Assistant Chief of Police Efrain Torres emphasized the department issued the policy to comply with state requirements, but it’s being cautious with immigration enforcement practices. Maj. Jamie Kurnick is the only person within GPD who can approve forms submitted under the order, Torres said.
Torres also reiterated that officers won’t ask people about their immigration status based on personal characteristics like last name. It’s unclear what suspicion may lead an officer to question someone’s immigration status.
The department intentionally hasn’t signed a 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to carry out ICE operations, because the community has largely spoken against it, he added.
“Our mission and goal of GPD is to protect the community and serve them,” Torres said. “We value the community, and we value the service we provide to the community … We are going to show up, and we are going to do that for them regardless of these circumstances.”
Contact Olivia Lofaso at olofaso@alligator.org. Follow her on X @OLofaso77652.
Olivia Lofaso is a senior journalism student at UF and the Fall 2026 City and County Commission reporter, a role she previously held during the summer. She enjoys gushing about her cocker spaniels to anyone who will listen and playing the cello in her free time.
