MediaUpdate

​The Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance is inviting Alachua County residents to participate in a series of upcoming town hall meetings that will help shape a countywide strategic plan to address gun violence.

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​Alachua County is inviting residents, farmers, vendors, and market supporters to share their thoughts on the role of farmers markets in the community. A brief survey is now open to help guide future initiatives that support farmers, growers, food entrepreneurs, and small businesses.

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​To celebrate October as Florida Native Plant Month, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department invites residents to participate in a guided wildflower walk.

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​The Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance invites residents to participate in a series of upcoming town hall meetings to help shape a county-wide strategic plan to address gun violence.

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​​Florida’s chief financial officer took aim at Alachua County on Thursday in his effort to reduce property taxes and expose alleged wasteful spending.

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​At a press conference today in Alachua, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced that his team found $84 million in wasteful spending in Alachua County’s budget.

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​The Alachua County Commission on Sept. 23 approved on final reading a nearly $1 billion budget that will see property taxes rise slightly despite the county lowering its millage rate for the ninth straight year

The commission, with Commissioner Mary Alford absent, voted during its regular meeting to lower its millage rate from 7.6180 to 7.6000. County Manager Michelle Lieberman said the final millage rate represents a 6.36% increase of its rolled back rate of 7.1455 mills.

A mill is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The rolled-back rate is the tax rate needed to generate the same amount of tax revenue as the previous fiscal year.​

​During the meeting, a budget presentation showed that the county's millage rate has been reduced by 15% since 2016, when the rate was set at 8.9290 mills. In 2024, an average Alachua County property owner paid $714, while the state average was $942.

​The county's $947 million budget includes $324.7million allocated to its general fund withproperty taxes generating $192.3 million of the total budget. More than a quarter of its budget — $244 millon — will be allocated to public safety for services provided by the sheriff's office, its jail, and Alachua County Fire Rescue.

Additionally, the county will allocate $108.5 million for the capital projects and the facilties masterplan, $111 million for transportation and stormwater unfrastructure, and $34 million for Wild Spaces and Public Places, a third of which will go toward road projects.

​The county also allocated $38 million for housing projects which will support projects such as motel conversions and a container home pilot program alongside home rehabilitation programs.

The Alachua County Commission also voted to increase the minimum wage for county employees from $18 to $18.50.

Commission Chair Charles Chestnut IV said in a pre-written statement that approving the budget is a testament to the board's commitment to fiscal responsibility and community priorities.

"I am proud that we have reduced the millage rate for the ninth consecutive year in our ongoing efforts to ease the tax burden on residents while still funding essential services like public safety, infrastructure, and programs that enhance our residents' quality of life," Chestnut said.​​

​Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia, alongside officials with the state’s Department of Government Efficiency, claimed during a Sept. 25 press conference in the city of Alachua that Alachua County's general fund budget contains more than $80 million in “excessive” and “wasteful” spending.  

That figure, derived from indexing the pre-COVID-19 2019-2020 fiscal year budget and adjusted for inflation and population growth, includes general fund property taxes, other fees and services, and federal pandemic relief dollars.  

Ingoglia added that Alachua County’s general fund budget has increased by about $140 million since fiscal year 2019, an increase of about 77%. The county’s population has increased by over 15,000 residents.

“Floridians are suffering due to rising property taxes, whether it is in the large metro areas of our state or our smaller communities like Alachua County. I am calling on the Alachua County government to provide real relief to its taxpayers and put Alachua County families first, ahead of reckless spending., Ingoglia said in a press release. ​

​The state's DOGE team visited Alachua county Aug. 13-14, but its report has not yet been released. When asked by a reporter what programs Ingoglia believes are superfluous, he said it was not his job to determine what programs and services should be cut.

​Ingoglia did not share exact spending amounts during the press conference. He said those numbers will be outlined in the DOGE report.

Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton told The Sun that the county looks forward to reading the report.

​“Alachua county has been transparent and cooperative with the State’s DOGE staff,” Sexton said. “We had no advance knowledge of the numbers shared at the press conference and are reviewing them.”  

The Alachua County Commission adopted a $947 million budget for fiscal year 2026 on Sept. 23. Countywide property taxes are expected to generate about $192 million of the total budget.  

​“Approving this budget is a testament to our commitment to fiscal responsibility and community priorities,” Commission Chair Charles Chestnut IV said in a press release. “I am proud that we have reduced the millage rate for the ninth consecutive year in our ongoing efforts to ease the tax burden on residents while still funding essential services like public safety, infrastructure, and programs that enhance our residents; quality of life.” 

Ingoglia has traveled across the state in recent months advocating for property tax reduction.

​He aims to get the issue on the ballot in 2026 via constitutional amendment.  

In September, Ingoglia announced his run for Florida's chief financial officer in 2026. He was appointed CFO for the state by Gov. Ron DeSantis in July.  

​Ingoglia said a report on the city of Gainesville, which the state's DOGE team visited on July 31, will be out in the next few weeks.  

​​The CFO held a press conference at Wolf Health & Performance Group in the city of Alachua Sept. 25 in front of a crowd of about 50 people. The DOGE audit found Alachua County wasted taxpayer money to expand its bureaucracy, he said, though he did not specify what programs or positions Alachua County wasted the money on. State auditors visited the county’s office Aug. 13 and Aug. 14.

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Drill and hammer sounds echo through the adjoining properties of the former Budget Inn and Scottish Inns motels in what will become new homes for Gainesville’s most vulnerable citizens by the end of the year.

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​At their September 23 meeting, the Alachua County Commission heard a presentation from a consultant about changes to their Court Services Department and asked for more engagement with stakeholders before adopting the recommendations.

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​Alachua County is hosting NASA’s International “Observe the Moon Night” on Oct. 4, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center (210 SE 134th Ave., Micanopy).

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​Alachua County commissioners reviewed options like temporary use permits, zoning changes, and a special area study. Each of these paths has different timelines, costs, and levels of community input.

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​The Alachua County Commission will be meeting on Tuesday to talk about a controversial topic, The Wildflowers Music Park. This has been getting a lot of attention from residents.

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​On October 1, 2025, the Alachua County Strategic Guide goes into effect. Almost half (14 out of 33) of the Board Level Objectives formalize what the Alachua County Commission has been doing for years: funneling money to “public-private partnerships” to reduce transparency and accountability, with the goal of transforming Alachua County into a far-left replica of San Francisco or Portland. 

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