WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
In the past two years, state auditors have found that at least one-third of education employees who had access to student Social Security numbers did not need them.
Read More »Florida’s Auditor General Puts Focus On Student Data Protection
$178M Truck Route Will Attempt To Relieve Congestion In Starke. It’s Likely To Change The City One Way Or Another
To address the longstanding traffic problems in Starke, the Florida Department of Transportation is building a 7.3 mile, four-lane bypass between County Roads 227 and 233 on the city’s west side.
Read More »Local Metal Artist Finds Beauty Through Sparks And Flame
Leslie Tharp, a 33-year-old Gainesville resident, spends her time transforming scraps of metal into works of art. When Tharp isn’t working on commissioned projects for businesses, the city of Gainesville and individuals, she’s teaching classes and leading workshops on blacksmithing.
Read More »As Seas Rise, Florida Will Likely Lose More Coastal Property Value Than Any Other State
By Melissa Ross, Brendan Rivers & Bill Bortzfield Long before rising seas permanently swamp homes, millions of Americans living in coastal communities will likely face more frequent and disruptive high-tide flooding — and the effects will ripple through the local economy. As the flooding increases over time, coastal residents will be forced to make difficult and costly choices. And if home values decline, an eroding property tax base would jeopardize funding for local services and infrastructure, such as roads, schools, and
Read More »These Are Some Of Florida’s New Laws Taking Effect In July 2019
The new laws, passed by the Legislature this spring and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, deal with issues ranging from bans on texting while driving and vaping to adding toll roads and preventing local governments from uprooting vegetable gardens.
Read More »A Small Gainesville Farm Works To Bring Food Justice to the South
In 2010 the Agricultural Justice Project launched the Food Justice certification, which ensures farmworker rights not granted by law. These rights create new costs for certified farmers while the American farmers’ debt has risen to $409 billion.
Read More »Gainesville’s Independent Bookstores Look To Beat The Odds Against Challenges From National Cyber Chains
Since the 2011 closure of the national bookstore chain, Borders, the future of retail bookstores looked grim. The competitive world of online book sales and e-readers have forced bookstores to adapt. Third House Books and Coffee, 113 N Main St., is one such independent bookstore in Gainesville planning on further changes. …
Read More »Competition From Mexico Endangers Florida’s Strawberry Industry
Florida's lucrative strawberry industry is in danger as Mexico imports cheap produce into the United States. Farmers have immense financial stress on them as they must lower their prices to stay competitive.
Read More »Gainesville And UF Are Working To Control How Dockless Scooters Come To The City. Their Efforts Might Not Matter If State Legislators Step In
The city is now in the final stages of working with the University of Florida to settle on an integrative agreement to bring dockless scooters to the area.
Read More »UF Doctor Named State Surgeon General
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday named a top University of Florida doctor and professor as the state’s next surgeon general.
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