WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WCJB: Alachua Co. School District gets rid of “LGBTQ Support Guide” after pushback from FLDOE. “The ‘LGBTQ Critical Support Guide’ was a 25 page guide that covered topics ranging from how staff …
Read More »Gainesville commissioners vote to allow sex offenders to live closer to schools, day cares and parks
The Gainesville City Commission passed an amendment Tuesday that allows people convicted of sexual offenses involving children under age 16 to live closer to schools, day care centers and parks, reducing the prohibited radius from 2,500 feet to 1,000 feet. The amendment also establishes a cut-off date that was previously …
Read More »Gainesville City Commissioners vote to nearly double their salaries
Gainesville City Commissioners voted 4-1 on Thursday to change the method by which their salaries are calculated, nearly doubling their pay.
Read More »Gainesville City Commission votes to reopen street traffic near Flaco’s
The flocks of people who find their way to the picnic tables outside of Flaco’s Cuban Bakery late at night might have to find a new place to congregate. Flaco’s has used its adjacent one-way street as a patio area since 2020 when Gainesville implemented the Streatery program to help …
Read More »Voter clarity on Gainesville’s Complete Streets program still evolving post-election
Gainesville’s Vision Zero program, a part of the national Complete Streets movement, was introduced to the city commission in 2018, and the city implemented many of its major components in 2021. The Nov. 8 election results indicate that the plan will likely maintain support over the next electoral term. But many people seem not to know what the program entails.
Read More »Gainesville residents call on city commission to abolish K9 unit
The Gainesville City Commission's special meeting on the K9 unit largely pitted law enforcement officers pleading to preserve the unit against community members calling to dismantle it.
Read More »Beats on the block: Gainesville artists are showing their talents downtown
WUFT · Gainesville’s busking scene The City of Gainesville is paying street musicians to perform downtown in hopes of bringing more life and color to the city. “More art, more music, more people getting together as human beings without tearing each other’s heads off in free and open spaces,” said …
Read More »Gainesville commissioners approve elimination of single-family zoning
Despite an appearance of enormous public opposition, the Gainesville City Commission on Monday voted in favor of eliminating single-family zoning throughout the city. This means Gainesville is the first Florida city to approve this type of zoning change. The final 4-3 commissioner vote did not change from the first meeting …
Read More »New Gainesville policy may be the push aspiring recyclers need
Gainesville's zero-waste initiative reduces single-use plastic accessories like forks and ketchup in restaurants. It also requires apartment complexes to collect discarded but usable furniture and donate them. And it creates an expanded food network to redirect food that is past its sell-by date to Gainesville food pantries.
Read More »Gainesville residents divided on exclusionary zoning elimination
With such widespread and building opposition, it is questionable if the Gainesville City Commission will enact such a change. Even so, city commissioners initially approved the measure Aug. 4 in a close 4-3 vote. It now faces a final vote by the commission on Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.
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