MediaUpdate

​The SS4A Plan seeks to identify and address the systemic issues contributing to these incidents, focusing on policy improvements and actionable projects to reduce risks for all road users. This meeting will present a draft high-injury network for Alachua County and potential safety countermeasures developed in response to the traffic violence crisis declared by Alachua County.

Read more​. 

​​The county’s acquisition of the property now covers critical maintenance and operational expenses — costs that had previously forced the non-profit to halt daily meal services in April 2024.

Read more​.​

​Alachua County is proud to announce that it has been selected as one of only 15 local governments nationwide to join the 2025 Economic Mobility and Opportunity Peer Learning Cohort and Mini-Grant Program.

Read more​. ​

​The Alachua County Commission and the City of Newberry Commission will conduct a joint meeting on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 7 p.m. The meeting is at the UF/IFAS Extension-Alachua County building (22712 West Newberry Road, Newberry).

Read more​. ​

​The Alachua County Commission will conduct its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. The meeting is in the Jack Durrance Auditorium on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville). The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. There is no evening portion of the meeting.

Read more​. ​

​“We are excited. Actually, these plans have been in the works for a long time, and it took a lot of planning to get here, but we are thrilled that it’s finally kicking off,” said Travis Parker, Alachua County Facility Director.

Watch this story.​​

​Alachua County’s constitutional officers and elected leaders presented mostly continuance budgets before the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at a Tuesday morning special meeting—though some special increases and decreases will come.  

Read more​. ​​

​Alachua County firefighters battle a car fire Monday night.

Watch this story.​​​

​Alachua County is seeking applicants to become the first members of the new Agricultural Land Conservation Board (ALCB). This board will play an essential role in conserving farmlands within Alachua County through the Alachua County Forever Program, which is funded by the voter-approved Wild Spaces & Public Places surtax.

Read more​.​

​Elliot Tritto

The Florida House's recent passing of a massive $5.4 billion tax relief package includes the elimination of all 62 of the state's tourist development councils, including in Alachua County where tourism in 2024 generated more than $766 million.

The bill, (HB 7033) passed by a 78-29 vote on April 25, could send nearly $2 billion in taxes collected by local tourist councils across the state to property owners in an effort to lower their tax bills.

The bill, however, faces an uphill battle in the Senate where lawmakers have proposed a roughly $2.2 billion tax cut. The Senate's budget plan would eliminate the sales tax on clothing items valued at $75 or less, in addition to the state's various tax holidays.

​The disagreement over the budget has led to a prolonged 60-day legislative session, which was scheduled to end on May 2. Lawmakers have agreed to extend the session until June 6 as they work to reach a final agreement.

​Jessica Hurov, Alachua County's tourism development manager, told The Sun on April 29 that Florida's local economies are built on tourism and that the state of Florida just celebrated its sixth consecutive record-breaking year in tourism.

"Now is the time to invest and not abandon this incredibly powerful tool that assists Florida's economy, and here in Alachua County tourism is a powerful economic engine," Hurov said.

​Alachua County on May 2 released its annual tourism report that illustrates the previous year's economic impact. The report indicated that in 2024, county visitors generated $766.3 million in economic impact, more than the previous year.

In addition, nearly 1.4 million county visitors stayed in paid accommodations and racked up $513.3 million in spending at local businesses, eateries and transportation.

"These kinds of efforts that drive jobs and economic growth revenue to our businesses, to our nonprofits, goes to spur the economy," Hurov said in a press release. "People now understand that eliminating tourist development taxes for its intended uses, which is to promote and obtain more visitors, means ultimately that residents would end up paying more taxes over time not less. Every dollar of TDT that's generated creates more dollars."

Hurov said the County Commission's reinvestment of the tourism development tax works as a multi-faceted strategy that assists with capital projects like building the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, which recently hosted the 2025 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championship.

Hurov added that development tax funds and 25% of all the county's consumer spending comes from visitors. In addition, around 6,400 local jobs contribute to the industry and generated almost $251 million in wages and salaries in which $75.3 million were contributed to state and local tax revenue.

More than $3 million in tourist development tax revenue also has been provided to local organizations.

"If you name any (local) cultural groups, chances are they work with our office," Hurov said. "Everything from the Cade Museum, Dance Alive National Ballet, Gainesville Orchestra, Hippodrome Theater, Gainesville Community Playhouse, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Carson Springs, Santa Fe Teaching Zoo, the list goes on and on," Hurov said.​