MediaUpdate

​An agenda item on the October 7 Alachua County Commission meeting about the future of the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) has led to concern at the City of Gainesville, with the GCRA office sending out an unauthorized email to a large distribution list and an email from the City Manager to City leadership about the issue.

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​ Due to low water levels on Newnans Lake caused by dry weather conditions, the boat ramp (11309 SE 16th Ave., Gainesville) is closed to motorized watercraft. Paddle craft can still use the ramp to launch.

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​Dance Alive’s program on October 10 is nothing less than a love letter to the county that has nurtured it for over 60 years. DANB celebrates its Diamond Anniversary with Land of La Chua and a Tom Petty Tribute Ballet while Alachua County celebrates 200 years.

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​The Alachua County Commission will conduct two special meetings on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Both meetings are in the Grace Knight Conference Room on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville).

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​Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia highlighted a slate of wasteful spending projects across a dozen cities and counties, but the full report from Florida DOGE efforts remains in the works.

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​The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO) for the Gainesville Urbanized Area will hold a meeting at the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville) in the Grace Knight Conference Room on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. The meeting begins at 3 p.m.

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​The task force noted that Alachua County paid $31,000 to Planned Parenthood for “Teen Time.” The organization’s website describes the service as a program that brings teenagers and their parents or caregivers together to discuss issues of sexual health and preventing unwanted pregnancies.

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​The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO) for the Gainesville Urbanized Area will hold a meeting at the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville) in the Grace Knight Conference Room on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. The meeting begins at 3 p.m.

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​​Alachua County's plan to transform two former motels in southwest Gainesville into permanent supportive housing is nearing completion.

Originally projected to be completed by end of September, the Scottish and Budget inns just south of the corner of Southwest 13th Street and Williston Road are now expected to be fully renovated by mid-November and Dec. 24, respectively.

"Once you reach substantial (completion), within a week we provide the contractor with a punch list and have 30 days to work through it to get it on final completion," Alachua County Facilities Management Director Travis Parker said of the Budget Inn's Christmas Eve completion date.

At a total cost of $4.6 million, Gray Construction Services is the contractor tasked with renovating the Budget Inn's 36 one-bedroom units. The Budget Inn will now be called East Tumblin Creek, and each unit will feature a bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom and small living space. Additionally, a new fire sprinkler system was installed to bring the building up to code.​

​Ulloa Management Group is leading the $4.1 million renovation of the 31 units at the Scottish Inn, which will now be called Forest Edge. Planned upgrades include a new fire sprinkler system, updated mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, new roofing, and the installation of bathrooms, kitchenettes, new flooring, windows and doors.

​Each will have a manager's office and designated areas for laundry and community events.

"We gave them not a ton of time so they've (contractors) been working pretty hard trying to get through it," Parker said of the contractors.

The Alachua County Commission approved the purchase of the Budget Inn in November 2020 for $2.2 million and subsequently the adjacent Scottish Inn in 2023 for around $1.8 million, with funding coming from the American Rescue Plan Act. 

​The county said in a May press release that the units will be a mix of permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing, with services determined by assessed need. Rapid rehousing is housing that provides short-term (up to three months) and medium-term (four to 24 months) tenant-based rental assistance and supportive services to households experiencing homelessness.

​Permanent supportive housing occurs when housing assistance (such as long-term leasing or rental assistance) and supportive services are provided to assist households with at least one member (adult or child) with a disability in achieving housing stability. 

​“Transforming motels into homes is a powerful step toward restoring dignity, stability, and hope for our most vulnerable residents,” said Community Support Services Director Claudia Tuck in a May press release.

​Plans to build houses and commercial spaces atop a cave system of the Floridan Aquifer are moving forward in the City of Alachua despite action by Alachua County and opposition from some of its residents. 

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​​During the evening session of the September 23 Alachua County Commission meeting, the board finalized the County’s FY2026 property tax rates and budgets and approved a contract with the Alachua County Housing Authority to manage the Scottish Inn.

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​Today, Governor Ron DeSantis joined Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia to highlight examples of wasteful spending in cities and counties across the state. The Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has traveled to 12 jurisdictions across the state to seek out waste, fraud, and abuse and identify opportunities for improvement. Today’s examples are just a few of the DOGE Task Force’s findings from those visits and from data requests sent to all of Florida’s 411 municipalities and 67 counties.

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​Commissioner Ken Cornell said he’d spoken with attorneys involved with the bill who said the sponsor wanted to help people rebuild in the event of property damage, not stop local control over additional development. 

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​At the September 23 meeting, the Alachua County Commission adopted a Green Procurement Policy, decided to use a grant application process to select a developer for the Legacy project, decided against joining the lawsuit challenging SB 180, and discussed whether to develop a Special Area Plan for Melrose.

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