The Alachua County Commission approved additional funding for road repairs and repealed regulations for firearms in a meeting Tuesday.
Road repairs
The commission unanimously approved an amendment that adds $9 million to the road repair budget over the next three years to address deteriorating roadways.
The proposal supports funding for pothole services like strip milling, resurfacing, mastic and chip seal work, which preserve road surfaces by filling cracks and gaps in the road.
Instead of reallocating from existing projects, the money will come from carry forward funds, updated revenue projections and additional interest.
Commissioner Anna Prizzia spoke in favor of the budget amendment.
“I am very excited that you all have found this funding,” Prizzia said, “and that we have the opportunity to accelerate these road projects and respond to the rapidly deteriorating situation our roadways are facing.”
Pothole repair has been a consistent concern for Alachua County residents, with several advocating for road maintenance during public comment at a Sept. 22 meeting.
Aside from adding funds to its budget, the county is also addressing road repair concerns through its pothole portal. Active since Sept. 15, the portal allows residents to submit reports online.
The portal has seen over 600 reports in the last four weeks, according to Alachua County Commission spokesperson Mark Sexton.
Firearm provisions
The county also amended regulations on firearms Tuesday.
Florida Carry, Inc., a nonprofit advocating for Second Amendment protections, issued a notice in July that four provisions of Alachua County ordinances regulate firearms in a way that violates state law.
Florida law prevents firearms from being regulated locally and renders any existing ordinances null and void.
The provisions being preempted limit the sale, dispensing and transportation of firearms; prohibit firearm use on designated county waters; restrict the carrying of firearms or weapons into the county courthouse; and allow signs prohibiting weapons to be posted in courthouses.
The commission unanimously approved repeals or amendments for all four provisions.
“I'm not happy to make the motion,” Prizzia said at the September meeting. “I believe that home rule and local authorities should have the ability to make ordinances and rules related to gun control in our communities to keep our residents and our public servants safe.”
During the same meeting, Kathleen Walston Pagan, a 69-year-old member of gun violence-prevention organization Moms Demand Action, spoke against the amendments.
“People that want to have firearms, why don't they join the well-regulated militia, our police, or our military?" Pagan said.
Contact Julia Miller at jmiller@alligator.org. Follow her on X @juliamill30.
Julia Miller is a freshman journalism student at UF working as a general asignment reporter on the metro desk. This is her first semester with The Alligator and in her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading, and spending time with her friends.
