On Saturday, April 13, 2024, at noon, the Alachua County Commission is holding a ceremony to celebrate the renaming and dedication of the Jill McGuire Lake Santa Fe Park (24500 NE SR 26, Melrose). The ribbon cutting is open to the public, and the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association will serve refreshments.
The event's program includes comments from the Master of Ceremonies Commission Chair Mary C. Alford, Commissioner Ken Cornell, Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler, Parks Director Jason Maurer, President of the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association Carl Bennett, and President of the Putnam Land Conservancy Timothy Keyser.
Jill McGuire was an environmental icon, a well-known and respected community leader, and longtime president of the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association. Jill fought to protect the natural environment and water resources throughout North Central Florida. In 2023, the County Commission unanimously voted to name this park the Jill McGuire Santa Fe Lake Park in recognition of Jill's decades of advocacy for protecting the Santa Fe Lakes, Swamp, and River.
Jill loved this lake, used this park frequently, and lobbied for many of the improvements we enjoy today. Appropriately, the park has been named in her honor to recognize her life's work advocating for environmental protection.
For more information, contact Alachua County Communication Director Mark Sexton at 352-264-6979 or
msexton@alachuacounty.us.
