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 • WUFT News: City Commission considers landscaping proposal for City Hall Plaza ponds. “The two ponds, now empty, would be replaced with grass and concrete as part of a $35,000 beautification plan under …
Read More »City Commission considers landscaping proposal for City Hall Plaza ponds
Visitors who once enjoyed the sound of gurgling water coming from the outdoor ponds at Gainesville City Hall Plaza may never hear those sounds again. The two ponds, now empty, would be replaced with grass and concrete as part of a $35,000 beautification plan under consideration by the city. …
Read More »Alachua County commission lowers millage rate, establishes budget
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove mentions of the city of Gainesville budget and GRU rates. —— The Alachua County commission established its budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The new budget continues the county’s seven-year millage rate reduction. The General Fund operating millage rate was finalized …
Read More »New Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority Board members sworn into office
The board faces a steep learning curve. It oversees about $3 billion in assets and will learn about the utility company’s Integrative Resource Plan, advanced metering infrastructure and debt in the coming weeks.
Read More »Alachua County school district removes book about transgender teen after parent complaint
Why we reported this story the way we did This news article covers the Alachua County Public Schools’ removal of a book about transgender and gender-fluid teens from the libraries at Gainesville High and Hawthorne Middle and High schools. The story explains why the book was removed and describes passages …
Read More »UFORA apartment construction delay continues, tenants see no end in sight
Some University of Florida students are still waiting on a place to live, nearly halfway through the semester. The UFORA apartment complex has yet to finish construction after an initial proposed move-in date of August 5. Alyson Gonzalez, a UF parent, said she is feeling “frustrated and misled” because the …
Read More »Florida’s champion live oak tree stands tall – a new statewide record-holder in Alachua
Standing tall between the I-75 corridor and a rapidly expanding suburb, an aged giant spreads its arms around a world of chirping squirrels, scuttering anoles and choral songbirds. And now, this giant holds a statewide title: It’s Florida’s new champion live oak tree, the largest of its species in the …
Read More »New lawsuit seeks to block DeSantis’ appointments to control city’s utility
Members of Gainesville Resident United Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Ron DeSantis for his appointees to the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board. On Monday, Gainesville Resident United, Inc. board members Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson and Jeffery Shapiro filed a petition for writ of quo warrant in the circuit court …
Read More »Gainesville residents reject housing development plan on wetlands
Five months after a housing development plan was approved, homeowners are still trying to find a way to shut it down. The Gainesville 121 development plan was approved by the Gainesville City Commission in April. City commissioners voted 6-1. Mayor Harvey Ward was the only one who voted against the …
Read More »Judge sides with state, tosses Gainesville’s GRU lawsuit
Leon County Judge Angela Dempsey on Friday sided with the state and upheld legislation that removes the city’s sole control of Gainesville Regional Utilities. The judge’s ruling appeared to be made largely on technicalities. She ruled the lawsuit improperly named Attorney General Ashely Moody, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of …
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