August 14, 2023

The excessive heat in Alachua County and most of Florida continues today with no end in sight. The heat index (feels like temperature) continues to be well over 100° and is expected to stay high for the foreseeable future. Alachua County Emergency Management continues to monitor this situation and would like to share the below information and resources for our residents and visitors.

Extreme temperatures place extra stress on the body and can be dangerous if you don’t know how to identify signs of heat-related illness. Although heat-related illnesses can affect anyone, the elderly, those without sufficient cooling resources, and individuals with pre-existing conditions are more likely to suffer from heat-related illnesses.

Learn more about keeping cool during excessive heat.

In just 12 hours, 90 animals found their forever homes. We are absolutely blown away by our community's support and kindness today. Even with the blazing heat, everyone was all smiles. There was so much laughter, smiling, and happy tears. Rescue in the summer months can be brutal, so our staff, volunteers, and animals needed this victory SO much. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

We would also like to thank the Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians - UF Chapter for all of their hard work in making this event a success. We want to thank our staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly all day to stand by the animals we all love so dearly.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

The Day Camp at Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center has wrapped up for the summer of 2023. The Center hosted eight weeks of Day Camp and a Fishing Camp. The day camps averaged 60 kids per week, between the ages of 7 to 12. Campers enjoyed activities like swimming, arts and crafts, climbing wall, archery, and kayaking. The Children’s Trust of Alachua County and the Friends of Cuscowilla provided scholarships for the Day Camp.  

New this summer, campers took field trips that included the Santa Fe Zoo, Poe Springs, Sweet Water Wetlands Park, and the Hippodrome Theater. Swim lessons were provided for those who needed them. Campers spent a week with the UF/IFAS Extension of Alachua County, where they were exposed to skills like cooking, survival, livestock knowledge, and nature. 

“The field trips gave our campers new experiences to explore right here in Alachua County. I am so grateful for the staff and our many partners who came out this summer to make it a huge success,” said Camp Manager Jamie Bass. “Swim lessons provided confidence and life-saving skills to so many of our campers. We will be enhancing the program and adding it again next summer.”

Summer 2024 registration will open in early Spring 2024. 

Learn more about Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center.

School Bus Safety Tips

Alachua County Public Works reminds drivers about school bus safety. The penalty for failure to stop for a school bus is $200, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license will be suspended for up to one year. The penalty for passing a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal is $400, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license can be suspended for up to two years.

School bus safety tips for motorists:

• Motorists are required to stop when approaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arms extended (See the different situations in the diagram).
• All drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children, and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn (see diagram, TWO-LANE).
• On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and remain stopped until the road is clear of children and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (see diagram, MULTI-LANE).
• The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop is if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).
• On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least five feet wide, drivers moving in the opposite direction do not have to stop for the bus (painted lines or pavement markings are not considered barriers). However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).

Visit the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles School Bus Safety website.

Kids and Bicycle Safety

As the new school year begins, the Alachua County Public Works Department would like to share some tips for parents, guardians, and kids on Bicycle Safety.

Bicycles on the roadway are considered vehicles, and bicyclists are the drivers with the same rights and responsibilities as motorists to follow the rules of the road. When riding, always:

• Ride on the right in the same direction as other vehicles. Go with the flow – not against it. Obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.
• If there is no stop sign or traffic signal and you are coming from a smaller roadway (out of a driveway, from a sidewalk, a bike path, etc.), you must slow down and look to see if the way is clear before proceeding. Stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk.
• Use your eyes and ears. Watch out for potholes, cracks, wet leaves, storm grates, railroad tracks, or anything that could make you lose control of your bike. Don’t use personal electronics when you ride. Watch for the unexpected from parked cars (like doors opening or cars pulling out).

Before riding, make sure you and the bicycle are ready to ride. Remember to:

• Wear a Bicycle Helmet. Everyone should wear bicycle helmets. For more guidance on fitting a helmet, see the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fitting Your Bike Helmet​.
• See and Be Seen. Make yourself visible to others in the daytime, dusk, bad weather, or at night. Wear neon, fluorescent, or other bright colors when riding to be most easily seen. Remember, just because you can see a driver doesn’t mean the driver can see you.
• Use Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication. This includes eye contact with drivers, turn signals, pointing to road hazards for bicyclists behind you, and stating “passing on your left” or “on your left.”

Learn more about youth bicycle safety tips. 

Visit the NHTSA website. 

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that allows you to give back to your community and participate in your County's decision-making process? Serving on an Alachua County Advisory Board offers you this chance. The County Commission relies on input from these Boards to make informed decisions and set policies.

Over 250 citizens serve on the Advisory Boards advising County Government and local agencies on many topics. They include affordable housing, economic development, environmental protection, human rights, County finances, and many other issues. The Alachua County Commission seeks citizen volunteers to serve on several Advisory Boards.

Learn more about volunteering for Advisory Boards.

n this editorial from Alachua County’s Water Resources Manager Stacie Greco, she lays out how landscaping practices affect water quality and future water supplies.

We have a great opportunity with the recent changes to Alachua County's Irrigation Design Code to really improve our landscapes and community resilience. It will require some creativity, innovation, and a broader perspective on how we view our yards. It won't be easy for the irrigation and building industry, but this is something we really need to do.

Last year alone, over 800 landscape irrigation systems were installed in Alachua County, covering about 700 acres of land. Some of that land used to be forests, providing important habitats for wildlife and helping recharge our aquifer—the source of our water and the heart of our springs. As our region continues to grow, with the coast facing sea-level rise and climate change challenges, our yards have become more than just spaces for our kids and pets. They also play a crucial role in providing shade, cooling, and habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

We've done this before. In the late 1990s, permanent in-ground irrigation became the norm, and that's when residential water use shot up from an average of 125 to 400 gallons per day. To address this, the Code now limits permanent irrigation to 50% of the permeable area of a lot, with a maximum irrigated footprint of 0.25 acres per residential lot. This means we'll need temporary irrigation to establish new landscapes, which can be as simple as using hoses and sprinklers during dry spells. And guess what? We've looked at the data, and homes using these temporary methods still consume relatively low amounts of water. So, there's a niche here for someone to develop a system for establishing new landscapes in new construction.

The University of Florida is also doing some promising research in this area. They've found that Bahia grass does well without permanent irrigation, and there might be new varieties on the horizon that address aesthetic concerns about seed heads. Two types of Bermuda grass, Bimini and TifTuf, thrive on rainfall alone. Studies have shown that improving soil health with organic matter like compost can help new landscapes establish with limited irrigation, especially in areas with poor soils.

We're already seeing changes happening. Mixed-species yards are becoming more popular, where people intentionally plant various pollinator plants and legumes to improve soil nutrients. Another approach is to limit irrigation, fertilizer, and herbicide use and see what naturally evolves. We have plenty of native and Florida Friendly Landscaping (FFL) plants that can thrive without permanent irrigation. It's time to embrace the core principle of the FFL program: choosing the right plant for the right place. If a plant needs constant irrigation and chemicals to survive, it's not the right fit—let's try again! The Alachua County IFAS Extension and Master Gardeners are fantastic resources to help navigate these changes.

There is a bonus; it pays to do this. Installing and maintaining irrigation systems is costly for builders and property owners. Permanent systems add thousands of dollars to home costs and require regular upkeep to meet Code regulations and prevent water waste. Backflow inspections are also necessary to protect our water supply. Many times people are paying for excessive and unneeded amounts of water if they just set it and forget it. Irrigated turf is popular because it's the cheapest and quickest option for builders. But a survey conducted by Alachua County found that 68% of recent home buyers were willing to pay more for landscapes that use less water.

So, how do we get started? To learn more about Alachua County's Irrigation Design Code and programs to safeguard our water resources, visit www.AlachuaCountyWater.org.

​The UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office is pleased to announce that the August “Plant of the Month” is Thai long bean.

Long beans are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, long beans are a very good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese. Long beans have a chewier, but crunchy texture than snap beans with a flavor like dry navy beans or asparagus.

August is a good time to grow Thai long beans in North Central Florida. Check the Plant of the Month website for information on planting, harvesting, recipes, and more. Listen to the Extension Cord Podcast to get further insights on the Plant of the Month.

The Plant of the Month program is a collaborative effort between the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County, Alachua County Master Gardener Volunteers, Alachua County Public Library, and Working Food.

​State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP) funding for roof replacement and home repair as part of the Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation program is available through the Alachua County Housing Division. The funds are for low and very low-income eligible applicants who reside in Alachua County. Those living in the City of Gainesville are ineligible. This program is first come, first serve.

To qualify for the funds, you must meet the following criteria:

• The assisted unit must be owner-occupied, the owner’s primary residence, and located in Alachua County and outside the City of Gainesville.
• Property taxes must be paid current on the unit to be assisted.
• Homeowners must be very low or low income, depending on the funding source.
• Except for emergency repairs, each unit must meet or exceed the minimum housing code.
• Other requirements may need to be met, depending on the funding source.

Click to see low and very low-income household sizes.