The Point, May 20, 2025: Alachua County Schools' superintendent problem

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Left: Kamela Patton and the Alachua County School Board. Right: (from left to right) Kamela Patton, Leanetta Mcnealy, Kay Abbit, Sarah Rockwell, Thomas Vu and Tina Certain (Courtesy of Alachua County Public Schools)<br/> (987x375, AR: 2.632)

• WUFT News: Alachua County’s School District: what it means to lose and keep a superintendent. "Interim, resigned, and fired has been the fates of the past half-dozen Alachua County superintendents, each of whom have had relatively short tenures. This has left promises unfulfilled, money spent on rising superintendent salaries and severance pay, and more time spent on politics than things like curriculum."

• News Service of Florida: Bear hunting could return to Florida: Here's what you need to know. "A summary of the proposal was posted online Wednesday in advance of a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting this week at the College of Central Florida in Ocala."

• The Alligator: Alachua County School Board faces backlash after closure of Constellation Charter School. "According to a letter from the ACSB to the charter school’s governing board, there were 'multiple serious violations' of Florida school safety and governance statutes."

• Mainstreet Daily News: High Springs firefighters tackle medical emergencies with community support. "HSFD rolls out with sirens for a variety of calls—fires, rescues, crashes and medical emergencies—as part of the community’s first responder system. And from May 18-24, National EMS Week recognizes the specific work of medical responders."

• WCJB: Gilchrist County chef recognized in national competition. "Born in south Georgia -- tasty food was always part of Cecil Hancock’s life. But after moving to Florida and starting a family -- he decided to take it more seriously."

• Mainstreet Daily News: 5th Annual ‘Journey to Juneteenth’ events on tap for Gainesville. "Tuesday’s ceremony is open to the public and is just one of several city of Gainesville’s monthlong program of events through June 19, the date when communities nationwide commemorate the announcement of freedom reaching Texas in 1865."
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Around the state

Connie and Lake Sims sit on their boat in Estero Bay at sunrise. (Makayla Connor/WUFT File Photo)

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Boater Freedom Act. "It requires probable cause for law enforcement to stop and search boats. He said during the bill’s signing that it’s an important change."


• Central Florida Public Media: Proposed law now awaiting governor's approval could make planning harder for local governments. "Senate Bill 180, a broad emergency management bill supported almost unanimously by state lawmakers, would block local governments from making 'more restrictive or burdensome' changes to their comprehensive plans or land development codes."

• News Service of Florida: Federal appeals court urged to keep block on Florida's immigration law. "The law, passed during a February special legislative session, created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida. The Republican-controlled Legislature said the law was aimed at helping carry out President Donald Trump’s policies on preventing illegal immigration."

• Florida Phoenix: Miami-Dade becomes the latest Florida county to flip from blue to red in voter registration. "The latest evidence of the Republican Party’s growth in Florida is news announced on Monday that registered Republicans now outrank Democrats in Miami-Dade County, the most populous in Florida."

• UF/IFAS: Composting to handle food waste gets a lift via University of Florida initiative for a statewide model. "This initiative introduces the public to ongoing, coordinated efforts to reduce food and landscape waste from entering the already-saturated landfills in South Florida and harnesses the potential to reuse organic waste."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: 2025 Florida Python Challenge registration now open; $10k for the winner. "The event, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District, encourages the removal of invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades and its surrounding land."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: A Tallahassee coach is ready to travel the world on his bicycle. "65-year-old Kevin Record is trying to set a record as the oldest person to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle. He’s taking a leave of absence from Leon High School, where he’ll start and finish the trip."
From NPR News
• Weather: Millions prepare for severe storms in the Midwest and South

• Health: For the first time, the U.S. is absent from WHO's annual assembly. What's the impact?

• Economy: Trump has imposed a lot of tariffs. But here's why collecting them can be hard

• Law: Supreme Court says Trump can strip protected status for Venezuelans for now

• Politics: This new book explores how Biden's inner circle kept his mental decline from voters

• World: 5 years since Brexit, Britain and the EU announce fresh ties

• Health: Doctors urged to treat pain for IUD insertion and other procedures

• World: Trump and Putin talk more than 2 hours, but there's no Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.