MediaUpdate

From rainy Friday evening, through Saturday night lit by the full moon, until brunch on Sunday’s sunny afternoon, downtown Gainesville celebrated every crevice of its growing art scene.

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​The city of Alachua's Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public meeting Tuesday to consider plans for a private golf course just south of the intersection of U.S. 441 and Interstate 75.

Tomoka Hills Golf Course, as it would be known, will be for the "private use of the employees of Tower Hill Insurance Group, Inc., its affiliates and subsidiaries and their guests," according to the application submitted by local civil engineering firm CHW on behalf of Lexington, Kentucky-based Tomoka Hill Farms Inc.

The proposed golf course will be next to the new 71,000-square-foot Tower Hill headquarters currently under construction. Other plans for the immediate area include single-family homes, apartments, a hotel, and office and retail space.

The site plan for the Tomoka Hills Golf Course in Alachua.

The golf course, clubhouse and maintenance facility is slate for almost 200 acres directly west of I-75 and east of Northwest 173rd Street, near Santa Fe High School.

According to the application, the actual golf course would take up about 160 acres, with the greens, fairways and tee boxes only accounting for about 25 acres.

Staff recommends approval of the application based on several conditions, including the development of a groundwater monitoring plan that will monitor for pollutants from fertilizer and stormwater, and that a formal approval process take place if the course is ever opened up for general play.

​Tuesday's public meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the James A. Lewis City Commission Chambers at 15100 NW 142nd Terrace in Alachua. If approved by the Planning and Zoning Board, the application would then move to the Alachua City Commission for final approval.​

Alachua County Fire Rescue officials say a house fire they responded to Thursday night was an accident.

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​Alachua County residents are invited to participate in the Community Reuse & Recycle Day to be held at Santa Fe College Northwest Campus on Saturday, April 19.

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​Alachua County Forever (ACF), the county’s land conservation program, will host a public input workshop on Tuesday, April 15, to discuss future recreational opportunities at Lochloosa Slough Preserve.

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​Some local governments choose not to make commissioner emails available to the public. Some have various restrictions on email access. Alachua County is pleased to announce that its public-facing County Commission email function, which has always allowed residents unrestricted and complete access to emails to and from Commissioners, has been upgraded to allow easy access to email attachments. Also, the site’s ergonomics and search function have been greatly improved. This is part of Alachua County’s ongoing efforts to keep residents informed and engaged and to enhance transparency.

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​The Alachua County Planning Commission will meet on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville). This meeting begins at 6 p.m.

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​The Alachua County Equal Opportunity Office, the City of Gainesville, and other community partners are celebrating Fair Housing Month with the “Breaking Down Barriers” housing resources fair. The fair will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center (1025 NE 14th St., Gainesville). Light refreshments will be provided.

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​A park in Alachua County is temporarily closing to protect a historic tree.​

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​This afternoon, fire crews extinguished a kitchen fire that spread to the attic of a house; all occupants of the home, including pets, escaped safely.

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​As a valued member of our community, your insights and ideas are crucial to inform our commissioners as they develop a new Alachua County Strategic Plan. The new Strategic Plan will serve as a roadmap for the foreseeable future, guiding decisions on key issues and resource allocation.

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​The air monitoring plan comes in response to a motion unanimously passed in January, which directed county staff to review and present the BOCC with Florence’s state-required closure plan after residents raised concerns over potential air emissions coming from the landfill. 

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​The contest was founded in 2014 by Eliana Bardi, the Senior Planner with the Environmental Protection Department, with the first calendar published in 2015. Bardi saw it as an opportunity to engage students in environmental issues through art while spreading awareness of the county’s conservation efforts.

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​Alachua County Parks & Open Space announces that Cellon Oak Park (4100 NW 169th Place, Gainesville) will be closed to the public from April 10-11.

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​To celebrate Earth Day 2025, the County, the City of Gainesville, the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, and other local organizations have planned a series of events for citizens to enjoy.​

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​Over 250 citizens serve on the advisory boards advising County government and local agencies on many topics. They include affordable housing, economic development, environmental protection, human rights, county finances, and many other issues. The Alachua County Commission seeks citizen volunteers to serve on several advisory boards.

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