opinion - The Independent Florida Alligator

The Florida Gators football team runs onto the field before
a football game between the South Florida Bulls and the Florida Gators on Sept. 6, 2025, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.

Sports

I attended my first Gator football games as a freshman. I get the hype now.

By Isabella Cabrera | Sep. 16

Before arriving at UF, I never truly understood the thrill of college game day. My parents were never particularly big football fans, let alone college football. Even though I grew up in Miami, I only went to one University of Miami football game (don’t worry, I believe orange goes much better with blue than green), and even then, the atmosphere wasn’t as impressive as what I have already experienced here.

Gender norms are still present in heterosexual relationships, even when it comes to who pays at dinner.

Opinion

Feminism ends at the dinner table

By Eriel Pichardo | Sep. 15

Women want a feminist who pays for stuff.

Opinion

College Friend with Alejandra

By Alejandra Agustin | Sep. 12

I don’t know you. But I want to give you advice.

Opinion

When a child goes missing, the community becomes the search party

By Sonaiya Brown | Sep. 11

The news that two missing Florida brothers were found safe in Georgia, just days after an Amber Alert was issued, is a resounding testament to a system that works.

A gator spits on a bull, representing the incident that took place during the UF-USF game on Sept. 6.

Opinion

Spitting and sportsmanship in The Swamp

By Riley Brinser | Sep. 10

We expected the football game against the South Florida Bulls Saturday would be forgotten within weeks, with the hardest games of this season right around the corner. But it will now live in infamy.

Opinion

Our goal should be dignity for the people and the environment

By Gracie Adams | Sep. 9

Alligator Alcatraz, Florida’s contested new immigration detention center, is set to be empty within days. The facility, built in the middle of the Florida Everglade, has been the subject of at least three lawsuits since construction began.

Conflicting research regarding Diet Coke’s health effects has stirred public discourse.

Opinion

Is your diet coke addiction really killing you?

By Lara Caglayan | Sep. 9

I think we have all heard that aspartame, the sweetener in many diet sodas, has been found to cause cancer. Every time I order a sweet, crispy Diet Coke, my mom gives me that look and a mini lecture. But what if I told you the cancer risk of aspartame has been vastly exaggerated?

The company sign for GRU stands outside its secured government complex in North Gainesville, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

Opinion

A message from Gainesville Regional Utilities' CEO

By Ed Bielarski | Sep. 7

Unlike many of your hometown utilities, Gainesville Regional Utilities is a one-stop shop. We provide electric, natural gas, water and, for those who live in a GATOR NET community, high-speed internet. We also treat wastewater at our two local facilities and work with the City of Gainesville to bill for their solid waste and stormwater services.

City Commissioner Susan Bottcher calls to congratulate District 3 winner Craig Carter. Bottcher’s term comes to an end in May.

Opinion

Why you should vote YES on Local Public Utilities Nov. 4

By Susan Bottcher | Sep. 7

The state legislature forcefully placed our locally owned public utility, Gainesville Regional Utilities, under the control of Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. This stripped Gainesville voters of their power to choose who controls GRU, despite the stated will of its ratepayers in two previous elections. DeSantis appointed five people to the new Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority Board, who answer only to him.

Pedestrians cross University Blvd. at a raised crosswalk on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla.

Opinion

The real victory on University Avenue: Our students coming home safe

By Sylvain Doré | Sep. 4

It wasn’t an award I ever wanted us to win. The motivation for those wide, flat-topped mounds, or speed tables, on University Avenue was born from gut-wrenching losses — the tragic, preventable deaths of Maggie Paxton and Sophia Lambert, two bright young students.

Online shopping ads and paid influencer promotions drive overconsumption, harming mental health and contributing to environmental strain.

Opinion

Overconsumption is consuming us

By Kendall O'Connor | Sep. 3

Overconsumption has become a buzz word in the media today, particularly in the ongoing discussion about sustainability, but many of us don’t actually know what it means for ourselves directly.

Opinion

Why Florida should strengthen gun secure storage regulation

By Isaiah Sloan | Sep. 3

I am a student at the University of Florida, a proud Floridian and a young person who has seen firsthand what happens when a gun is not stored securely.

Opinion

A smoke-filled sky: A warning from Florida’s natural heart

By Sonaiya Brown | Sep. 2

The acrid scent of burning sawgrass and cypress — carried on the breeze across South Florida's urban sprawl — is more than just a fleeting inconvenience. It is a powerful, visceral message from the wild heart of our state: the Everglades.

Opinion

Dear Florida Democrats: Stop running Republican-lites

By Lucas Nadeau | Sep. 1

The primaries for Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial election are still a year away. But some Florida Democratic Party officials are already attempting to prevent a primary in the first place. Who is the party anointing as their pick for Florida governor in 2026? Surprise, it’s another former Republican.

The thrills and challenges of a fast-paced college lifestyle can feel like an F1 race at times, especially with its many milestones along the way.

Opinion

College is an F1 race. And I’m entering my third lap.

By Grace Tran | Aug. 31

As I enter my junior year, I am on the cusp of finishing my last two laps before victory — graduation. Yet, when I look in the rearview mirror, I can already see what I'll be leaving behind.

Aidan Ragan enjoys his order from SquareHouse Pizza on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025.

Opinion

SquareHouse: Pizza and waffles perfected to the decimal

By Aidan Ragan | Aug. 25

Transforming pizza from Baroque to brutalist, SquareHouse redefines the form with its sharply cut, freshly baked, build-your-own squares.

Opinion

UF joins a troubling trend in climate rollbacks

By Abigail Trachtenberg | Aug. 25

UF is also abdicating its role in climate leadership — depriving students and the city of Gainesville of a vital environmental resource. The implications are profound for a university in a state currently experiencing the impacts of climate extremes.

Opinion

Dean Hub Brown welcomes students back to UF campus

By Hub Brown | Aug. 21

Seeing your energy return to this community is like watching the great battery of this university getting recharged. So with that charge approaching 100%, let’s chat.

Opinion

UF student body president welcomes students back to the Swamp

By Blake Cox | Aug. 21

Happy first week Gators, and welcome to The Swamp! Whether you’re stepping onto campus for the very first time or returning for another chapter in your journey here, I am beyond excited to greet you as this year’s Student Body president.

Opinion

Mayor Ward Welcomes You Back

By Harvey Ward | Aug. 21

Welcome back to fall in Gainesville! Yes, I know it’s technically still summer, and I know it’s still hot. It’s going to be this way for a bit, but I promise you there’s no better place to be than right here in Gator Country right now.