WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Tropical Storm Dorian nears Puerto Rico as it grows to hurricane strength. The island is still recovering from Hurricane Maria's damage two years prior.
Read More »Storm Dorian Closing In On Puerto Rico Near Hurricane Force
Alachua County Commission Decides To Repeal Plastic Ban After Lawsuit Threat
Deliberation on the motion to appeal Alachua County's ban on Styrofoam carry-out containers and single-use plastic bags took less than 20 minutes.
Read More »Gainesville Residents Uncertain On City’s Quest To Build Its Own Internet Network
A telecommunications consultant hired by the Gainesville City Commission conducted a residential survey of 370 potential internet customers to gauge interest in a city-owned network.
Read More »Newberry Could Have A New Police Presence In 2020
The Newberry City Commission consolidated its options for a law enforcement contract Monday night. Now they must decide whether to renew with Alachua County Sheriff's Office or enter into a contract with High Springs Police Department.
Read More »Neighboring Cities, Other Entities Weigh Partnering With Gainesville To Improve Internet
Gainesville’s bid to seek municipal partners for building a broadband network is getting mixed initial reviews.
Read More »Gainesville City Commission Votes For Property Tax Increase To Take Effect In October 2019
In addition to the increase in property taxes, there was also a recent decision to increase utility electric rates.
Read More »‘Angry And Annoyed’ Gainesville City Commissioners Push Back Against Critics At Chaotic Meeting
For three hours, elected officials and members of the public fought over speaking time and decorum.
Read More »How To Make Jacksonville More ‘Resilient’: 2 Committees’ Suggestions
By Brendan Rivers In early 2019, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced he was putting together an ad hoc committee on sea level rise. Clad in a rain jacket, he was speaking on the sand at a press conference about the completion of a beach renourishment project as he stood alongside with the mayors of Duval County’s beach towns. Praise followed quickly from environmentalists. “We’re pleased to see that the mayor is listening,” St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman said shortly afterward.
Read More »With Weather Extremes Projected For Jacksonville, Elected Officials Cool To Aggressive Climate Action
By Brendan Rivers & Ayurella Horn-Muller for Climate Central In September of 2017, flooding caused by Hurricane Irma destroyed the house that Tom Davitt was renting on Jacksonville’s Westside and wrecked tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of his uninsured possessions. “I rolled out of bed because I thought it was my alarm, and it was a tornado warning. And I stepped into a foot and a half of water,” the 56-year-old yacht broker said in February. “I’m basically starting all
Read More »‘Retreat’ Not An Option For A California Beach Town, But It’s Already Happening In Duval County
By Jessica Palombo & Nathan Rott, NPR In Jacksonville Beach, Kimberlee Prescott is selling her home to the county so it can be torn down. The house, built just over two decades ago at 3640 Sanctuary Way S., is located in unfortunate proximity to a Florida Department of Transportation drainage culvert along Butler Boulevard. After Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, rain and storm surges caused “tremendous damage, expense, time loss, and disruption to the homeowner and her family,” according to Jacksonville
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