The County Commission authorized County Manager Michele
Lieberman to negotiate a contract with District 6 Chief Medical Examiner Jon.
R. Thogmartin to provide services for District 8 on an interim basis.
The move is a pivot from the January directive where the
commission voted to create a new department that falls under Alachua County, which
was done as part of a verbal agreement with current Medical Examiner Thomas
Coyne to stay in his role.
Coyne, however, recently informed the county that he would
be accepting another job outside the region.
Currently, the medical examiner’s office falls under the
University of Florida’s College of Medicine Department of Pathology. The office
conducts approximately 400 autopsies and certifies 900 deaths annually.
Over the coming months, the county will transition equipment
and supplies from UF. State Attorney Brian Kramer, along with Thogmartin, will
help with the recruitment of a permanent medical examiner, though the final
appointment is made by the governor’s office.
Commission Chair Mary Alford will send a 30-day notice to
terminate a three-party agreement between the county, University of Florida and
Coyne. The county will then enter into a new interlocal agreement for medical
examiner services with Baker, Bradford, Levy, Gilchrist, Union and Dixie
counties.
Watch the
discussion.
Land conservation
The County Commission received a report from the Alachua
County Land Conservation Board for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The board recommends lands for conservation to the
commission under the Alachua County Forever program, which aims to acquire,
improve and manage environmentally significant lands to better protect water
resources, wildlife and other natural resources.
In 2023, the county purchased eight properties from its
acquisition list, totaling 872 acres for a cost of $4.24 million. Those
purchases were made possible with the assistance of the previous Wild Spaces
Public Places (WSPP) sales tax passed by voters.
Among the notable properties purchased over the past year were
Lochloosa Slough – Colasante (347.5 acres), Santa Fe River – Waldo Tree Farm
(158.2 acres), Santa Fe River – Matthews (183 acres).
Later in the meeting, the commission also authorized the
purchase of the 40-acre Lake Santa
Fe – Winchester property. It is in the northeastern portion of Alachua County
and adjacent to the county’s Lake Alto Preserve, which buffers Lake
Alto’s northern shoreline, just outside of Waldo.
The $72,000
purchase price will come from WSPP funds.
Watch the
presentation.
Watch the
land acquisition discussion.
Wild Spaces Public Places
(WSPP) Oversight Board
Commissioners heard a presentation regarding the
Infrastructure Surtax Citizen Oversight Board for the fourth quarter of the
fiscal year.
The one-cent surtax was passed by voters in 2022 in
combination with WSPP.
The oversight board reported that the county received $4.9
million for projects between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2023. Some of the projects already
completed with the surtax include renovations to the Cuscowilla Nature and
Retreat Center, a shaded pathway at Lake Forest Elementary, play area and
engineering work at Veterans Memorial Park.
Some of the upcoming projects noted include restroom
renovations at Poe Springs, construction of a pavilion at Cuscowilla and
improvements to Copeland and Monteocha parks, as well as various road projects.
The oversight board currently has five vacancies for Alachua
County residents.
Learn
more about the board and openings for Alachua County and smaller municipality
residents. The “view vacancies” button is in the upper right-hand corner.
Apply
for one of the two vacant Gainesville resident openings. Scroll to the
Infrastructure Surtax Oversight Board.
Watch the
presentation.
Proclamation
The commission proclaimed the week of March 24-30 as Zero
Waste Week in Alachua County.
Read
the proclamation.
Watch the
presentation.
See
the full March 12 meeting and agenda.
