After six hours of debate, the Alachua County Commission approved a temporary use permit for the Wildflowers Music Festival at its Tuesday meeting.
A temporary use permit gives short-term permission for non-permanent events to occur at a location for a specified amount of time.
The application clarified the Melrose music festival will have an attendance up to 5,000 with overnight camping for more than three days including set up and break down. The festival is scheduled for March 13-15.
The Wildflowers Music Festival has been a controversial topic since September 2025. At that time, the commission first opted for a temporary use permit instead of a special area plan, which would have evaluated the environmental impacts. In January, over 75 Melrose residents held a protest against the festival.
During the hearing, former commissioner and permit applicant Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson and his team addressed concerns regarding security, noise, traffic, sanitation, emergency services and environmental impacts.
About 250 community members — supporters and opponents alike — lined the seats of the commission meeting room and an overflow room.
During the quasi-jusidical hearing, 10 Melrose residents gave testimonies as party members, which allowed them to ask the board and Wildflowers staff direct questions. This is different from public comment, which doesn’t allow for cross-examination.
Sandra Gottschalk, a 61-year-old Melrose resident, was the first to speak. Gottschalk’s property is directly adjacent to the Wildflowers site, and she has lived there for 23 years. Opponents argued the area isn’t equipped to hold a festival of this size because the site is located in a rural residential area.
“Overnight camping, amplified nighttime activity, lighting and thousands of people represent an intensity that rural areas were never planned to absorb,” she said.
Gottschalk said the plot is designated for agricultural use, and the commission is not protecting that mission.
“A temporary use permit is intended for small, short durations … using it to authorize a high-intensity commercial venue sets precedents that rural land use protections can effectively be bypassed through proper labeling rather than compliance,” Gottschalk said.
Nearly 70 community members signed up for public comment. Some Melrose residents were in support of the festival.
Harriet Huss, a 45-year resident of Melrose whose property borders the land, was among those supporters.
“I feel like the festival is needed because the park is needed, and without the festival to fundraise it, I don't know how they can meet the mortgage,” Huss said.
Hosting the festival for a couple of days each year is the best way to keep the land mostly undeveloped and a community asset, she said. When the festival is not occurring, the Wildflowers land will be a public park.
“I feel like we can put up with it with a long-term goal of preserving this piece of land,” she said.
Ultimately, at 11 p.m., the temporary use permit passed through the commission unanimously. The commissioners cited positive economic impact as a main goal.
“These local communities are having a hard time keeping their young people there, because the businesses are not there,” said Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler. “Hopefully, we'll be able to encourage some of these young business people.”
Commissioner Mary Alford asked the community to remember that a temporary use permit can be considered a trial run.
“This is a one-time permit,” Alford said. “If they fail, we won’t do it again.”
Contact Kaitlyn McCormack at kmccormack@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaitmccormack20.
Kaitlyn McCormack is a senior journalism student serving as the County Commission Reporter for The Alligator's Spring 2026 metro desk. In her free time she enjoys journaling and drinking too much coffee
