November 15, 2022

Alachua County is now accepting applications from individuals interested in serving on the Children's Trust of Alachua County for a four-year term. There are two appointments coming available. Applications must be received by Friday, November 18, 2022, to be considered at the December 13, 2022, County Commission meeting for possible recommendation to the Governor's Office.

The County Commission will consider all applications received and recommend at least three individuals for each vacancy. The Governor makes appointments to the Children's Trust Board from the list of applicants recommended by the County Commission.

Applications are available online. Applicants should fill out the application in its entirety, save it, and email it to ttonkavich@alachuacounty.us.

A ten-member board governs the Children's Trust. The Trust is an Independent Special District with taxing authority empowered to provide preventive, developmental, and treatment services for our local children. 

Learn more about the Children's Trust of Alachua County. 

Alachua County welcomes citizens to visit Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve, the most recent Alachua County nature preserve to open for public recreational use. Alachua County Commission Chair Marihelen Wheeler welcomed attendees at the ribbon-cutting event, with Assistant County Manager Gina Peebles, Environmental Protection Department Director Steve Hofstetter, and Interim General Manager of Gainesville Regional Utilities Tony Cunningham. 

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve is 637 acres and was purchased in two acquisitions with funds from the citizen-supported Wild Spaces and Public Places surtax. The original 464-acre tract was purchased in 2013 through the Alachua County Forever Program. The preserve was expanded in 2019 with the purchase of an additional 173 acres after voters re-authorized the Wild Spaces and Public Places surtax in 2016. The Preserve now protects 637 acres, nine distinct natural communities, and 4,000 ft of Hatchet Creek. Imperiled plants and animals can be found within the preserve, including hooded pitcher plants, spoonleaf sundews, gopher tortoises, and Southern fox squirrels.

Learn more about Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve.

Alachua County Environmental Protection Department’s (EPD) Water Resources Program received the Wes Skiles Water Stewardship Award from the Rotary of Downtown Gainesville. The award highlighted Program Manager Stacie Greco’s leadership in developing EPD’s water conservation program, which is a statewide leader for innovative water conservation. 

Chris Bird, former EPD Director, was also acknowledged for his accomplishments during his 27 years leading the Department. Under Chris’s leadership and guidance, Alachua County became recognized in the State and nationally for its strong wetland and natural resource protection standards and resource conservation accomplishments.

Read more about the Wes Skiles Water Stewardship Award.

Alachua County Forever, the County’s environmental land acquisition program, has closed on the purchase of 75.77 acres from members of the Carr and McNab families. The closing was held on Friday, November 4, 2022, and represents the culmination of years of partnership by all parties. Funding for this acquisition was provided by the voter-approved Wild Spaces and Public Places one-half-cent sales tax.

Located southwest of Micanopy, this property falls in a critical location, identified as part of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network. This $749,030 purchase by Alachua County represents the first phase of a planned conservation corridor and Florida Forever Project linking Alachua County’s nearly 6,000-acre Barr Hammock Preserve, and the 962-acre Price’s Scrub State Park, managed by the Florida Park Service, in Marion County.  

Find out more about the Alachua County Forever purchase.

Irrigation restrictions change Sunday, November 6, 2022. When residents set their clocks back, they should also remember to cut back on their watering. Landscape irrigation will be limited to one day a week in Alachua County. 

“Landscape irrigation can account for almost 60% of residential water use,” said Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Water Resources Program Manager Stacie Greco. “Eliminating or reducing your irrigation helps to conserve the precious groundwater supply we depend upon that also provides water to our springs, lakes, and rivers.”

Watering is limited during these seasons because most plants go dormant in cooler weather and require little to no supplemental watering. Most yards can go all winter without irrigation, so turning off irrigation systems can save additional water and money. Irrigation restrictions apply to the use of private wells, city water, and surface water and do not apply to the watering of vegetable gardens and fruit trees. 

County staff actively enforces irrigation restrictions and responds to citizen complaints or concerns regarding wasteful watering. 

Fall wildflowers are in full bloom in Alachua County, and now is a great time to get out and enjoy them. The Alachua County Public Works Department works hard to protect and encourage native wildflowers within the County’s maintained Right of Ways (ROW) as safety allows.

Over 300 acres of ROW are currently actively managed for wildflowers. Most of these sites are “remnant” stands of native wildflowers adjacent to conservation areas, which are using prescribed burning to manage the forests. It is well known that prescribed fire stimulates wildflower production. However, mowing the ROW at the right time can mimic prescribed fire and stimulate wildflower production. One example is the wildflower area on S.E. County Road 325 between S.E. County Road 2082 and S.E. County Road 346 in the Micanopy/Cross Creek area that is adjacent to several conservation and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s). When residents visit this area, they may notice that staff recently mowed one strip adjacent to the pavement so cars can safely pull onto the shoulder if needed. The rest of the ROW will be mowed later this fall when the flowers are finished blooming and the seeds are ready to be dispersed by mowers. In the meantime, the pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and beetles serve an important ecological function by nectaring on flowers and aiding in seed production.

Learn more about Fall wildflowers.

The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County (DOH-Alachua) is announcing the availability of free Naloxone (Narcan) Nasal Spray kits. This lifesaving medication could reduce thousands of substance abuse deaths across the state. Naloxone is available to people who use drugs, people with a history of drug use, others at risk of experiencing an overdose, friends, family members, and others who may witness an overdose. Kits consist of two Naloxone nasal sprays that are administered even without a health care professional present.

"Overdose deaths are tragic and preventable," stated Paul Myers, Administrator of the Alachua County Health Department. "These lifesaving medication kits have been effective in reducing the number of opioid overdose deaths in Alachua County and, with increased availability, provide additional hope of surviving an overdose."  

Find out more about Naloxone.