Gainesville City Commissioner and MTPO Chair David Arreola exchanged excited glances with the other commissioners in the room upon hearing this news. Gaining jurisdictional control over the taste road has been a priority of Gainesville's for the past month.
On Jan. 4, the commission approved the drafting of an emergency order to enforce mask-wearing inside businesses. The order would have required patrons to stay seated while eating and drinking in bars and clubs, similar to a Hillsborough County order from December.
Commissioners believe there are a number of immediate changes that can be made to stretches of the state highway inside the city, such as lowering the speed limit, equipping sidewalks with better lighting and increasing traffic enforcement. In order to move forward with some of these changes, the commission is wrestling for control over the road with the Florida Department of Transportation.
If residents successfully secede, Springs would form the first new Florida county in almost 100 years. The last time it happened was in 1925, when Gilchrist County split from Alachua.
![[Courtesy of The Agency]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/aeceb1c3-dda2-479b-986c-24363ea3a2e1.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
Students at The Agency, UF’s student-led marketing firm, paired up with the city to launch a marketing campaign aimed to encourage students to wear masks in public inside bars during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Healthy Gainesville Initiative was presented to and approved by the City Commission Jan. 21 and cost the city $87,500.
The city commission voted 3-3 against the proposal at a Feb. 11 meeting, halting the “Free the Nipple" movement in Gainesville but passing a plan to begin drafting language changes to de-gender city codes.
The Alachua County Commission voted unanimously at a meeting Tuesday to accept the rent relief funds, which will help county residents who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or are at risk of homelessness.
Alachua County healthcare workers continue to vaccinate residents over the age of 65, but it will still be several months before the vaccine is widely available to those under the age requirement.
After four years of planning, the city commission approved a 20-year plan to beautify Gainesville and protect its local fauna.
Here's what you need to know about the plans the Alachua County Commission, Gainesville City Commission and UF Student Government have for 2021.
The Gainesville City Commission voted unanimously Thursday to pass a four-part plan that will help the Alachua County Health Department mass administer the COVID-19 vaccination.
Downtown renovations will total more than $385,000
Temperatures in Gainesville reached 32 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday, and are expected to drop further throughout December. To help residents get through inclement weather circumstances, Gainesville has programs and mechanisms to prepare people and keep them safe.
The external investigation found that he had retaliated against an employee
The commission is waiting on state approval in the start of 2021
The commission also denied a request to build a solar array near a historically Black community in Archer
County Commissioners voted to increase the county’s budget by $15 million
The proposed changes would have required hosts to submit an electronic form that included the gathering’s location and size
Previously, residents could receive a citation from law enforcement for carrying open containers of alcohol on public property
Applicants could previously receive up to $2,500
Solutions by The State News
