Development

Gainesville Regional Transit System opened a new bus transfer station near the new Butler Plaza expansion. The station only services routes 1 and 75, but as the area develops, RTS plans to make it a hub for bus transfers in the area.

It could be three months before the full plan goes before city commission.

Gator Cinemas 4 has been closed down — at least temporarily — after the City of Gainesville Building Inspection Department deemed it unsafe.

Tourism in Hernando County has significantly increased in the last year, in large part to its outdoor recreation opportunities and mermaid shows. Hernando County has rebranded itself as Florida's "Adventure Coast."

On Nov. 17, the Hawthorne City Commission voted to add 1,200 acres of land, owned by Plumb Creek Timber to the city. The mayor, Matt Surrency, thinks that the added land will benefit Hawthorne, and plans to work with Alachua County to solidify plans and move forward.

Evinston resident Ashley Wood is spending his retirement completely renovating his more than 100-year-old home. The house was built by Evinston’s founder, an ancestor of Wood, and has stayed in the family for generations.

Three separate proposals were submitted by Gainesville entrepreneurs with the hopes of being chosen to open their restaurant in Bo Diddley Community Plaza. The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency hopes to choose a new restaurant by the end of the year, according to Lynn Janoski, the city manager with the Gainesville CRA.

Annual chowder contest brings huge crowds to St. Augustine, Florida. Around 30 restaurants participated in the 31st Great Chowder Debate to raise funds for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.