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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A decision about a zoning request to the High Springs City Commission has once again been delayed. At the July 22 City Commission meeting, a zoning change application submitted by J.H. Londono, agent for Safeca Ltd., was rescheduled to the Sept. 20 meeting.

The request is for 89.69 acres located east of Bailey Estates be changed from R-1A (low and medium density single-family residences) to R-3 (medium density single-family detached residences). If approved by the Commission, it would be consenting to a minimum lot size of 4,500 square feet.

The application has been continued for several months to finalize a development agreement with Londono. The City has provided a draft development agreement to him, but the applicant proposed that 40 percent of the lots be 5,000 square feet minimum and the remaining lots be 6,000 square feet minimum.

In a second revised version, the applicant proposed all the lots be 6,000 square feet minimum. “City staff did an analysis of all the lots in Bailey Phase I and found that the majority of lots are in the 8,000 square feet and 9,000 square feet range,” said Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham.

The City has said they could not support a development agreement with a lot size starting at a 6,000 square foot minimum. “Staff is not in favor of this zoning request because it is not compatible with surrounding land uses,” Gillingham said. Londono does not want to increase lot size, putting the rezoning request at a standstill.

Although the City Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the proposed zoning change on Sept. 22, 2020, the Commission did not approve the request when it was first presented to them at their Oct. 8, 2020 meeting. Londono was then asked to present an amended plan. The ordinance was read and adopted on first reading at the Nov. 24 meeting, but was continued at the Dec. 10 meeting and has been continued several more times. A request at the July 22, 2021 meeting to extend second and final reading to Sept. 20.

Area residents spoke about the rezoning request and expressed a strong desire to limit further continuations of this application past Sept. 20.

In other city business, the third amendment to an agreement between the City and Prochamps, which originated in 2015, received a unanimous vote to extend the agreement for another two years. The company, which is based in Melbourne, provides registration and tracking of homes in or about to go into foreclosure. There were no changes to the agreement, which will now expire on Aug. 31, 2023.

The purpose of the agreement is to provide a system of registration and tracking of foreclosed homes and homes in default with personal contact information of the party who may be responsible for remedying Code violations.

Law enforcement mental health and wellness is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)between High Springs and Gainesville.

Gainesville was awarded the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Grant. The grant provides for implementation of a multi-jurisdiction law enforcement mental health and wellness peer support program.

The collaboration of Peer Support Programs (PSP) within each agency will prove cost effective and could serve to be beneficial in its ability to break down the stigma and stereotypes associated with the profession of policing and mental health services.

In budget matters, the Commission approved Resolution 2021-F, which fixes the proposed tentative ad valorem taxes for fiscal year 2021-22. While the current rate is 5.88 mills, the Commission voted unanimously to raise the proposed tentative rate of taxation to 6.25 mills.

Most municipal governments set their tentative rate of taxation higher than their previous year’s rate because they have not yet gone through the budget process. The City still has the option to lower the taxation rate once they have completed the budget process.

Following up on the latest Farm Share food distribution in High Springs, Commissioner Byran Williams said that 671 households were served. He thanked everyone who volunteered their time to hand out the food.

High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard announced that National Night Out will be held on Aug. 3 this year.

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GAINESVILLE - Due to rapidly rising COVID cases in the community and among employees, Alachua County Public Schools will require indoor masking by all employees, vendors and visitors at district facilities. The requirement will be in place regardless of vaccination status.

The requirement will take effect Tuesday, August 3 and last through Friday, September 17. The district will then reassess the COVID data to determine if the requirement should remain in place.

Florida recently recorded the highest number of COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The state also has the nation’s highest hospitalization rate. Cases among ACPS employees have risen significantly over the last two weeks, and one individual passed away this past weekend due to COVID-related complications.

“With rates as high as they are, I felt the district had to take action to reduce the spread of COVID in our community and schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Carlee Simon. “The state has taken some options out of our hands, but this is something we can do to protect students and staff.”

The district will continue to work with the Health Department to offer free vaccinations for students and staff. That includes vaccine clinics at schools during the school day. The district is also working on an agreement with the Alachua County Education Association, which represents district employees, to offer a $100 incentive for employees who are already vaccinated and those who get vaccinated by September 17.

“By taking these steps, I believe we can keep more of our students in school and more of our employees at work,” wrote Simon in an email to employees. “More importantly, we can reduce the number of people affected by COVID. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get back to normal.”

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ALACHUA ‒ An Obrien, Florida man was killed in an accident in Alachua o July 21. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) was called to the scene of an overturned truck on Northwest U.S. Highway 441 near Northwest 104^th Terrace at 5:09 p.m., on Wednesday, July 21. The crash stopped traffic in the area for several hours as investigators and emergency response teams were on the scene.

FHP reports that the 39-year-old Obrien, Florida driver of a white 1995 Ford pickup truck was northbound on Northwest U.S. Highway 441, approaching Northwest 104^th Terrace, when he lost control of his vehicle. The truck ran off the roadway to the right and overturned.

The driver was pronounced deceased at the crash site. His passenger, a 59-year-old man, also from Obrien, was transported to the hospital for minor injuries.

According to the FHP, the crash is still under investigation. Neither man was belted in at the time of the event.

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GAINESVILLE – Motorists traveling U.S. 441 through Paynes Prairie next week should expect a traffic shift as construction crews prepare to start a new phase of the road resurfacing project.

One lane of northbound traffic is scheduled to be shifted to the newly rebuilt northbound lanes on Monday, August 2, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting. Currently, traffic is configured in a way that both directions of travel are on the southbound side of the roadway while the northbound lanes were being reconstructed and repaved.

By the end of the month, it is expected that both directions of travel will be moved to the newly paved northbound side of the roadway, which will allow crews to reconstruct the southbound side of the U.S. 441.

The $13.9 million project is expected to be completed in Spring 2022. The approximately 12-mile resurfacing project, which takes place between Southwest Williston Road (State Road 331) and the Marion County line, also includes the addition of guardrail through Paynes Prairie and additional signal and lighting upgrades at County Road 234 in Micanopy.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses were in Surfside, Florida, recently where therapy horses Sweetheart and Magic comforted families and first responders involved in the aftermath of the June Champlain Towers South collapse.

The horses and their trainers, Debbie and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea, left for south Florida on July 16 after they had been contacted by several families with loved ones involved in the building’s collapse. The couple and their mini horses had been conducting summer outdoor reading programs for Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership and sheduled their trip between the two weekly Thursday reading sessions.

“We had to fit it in somehow,” said Debbie Garcia-Bengochea. “It was tight, but we really wanted to be there for those families and the emergency personnel involved.” The pair and their horses returned to north Florida the night of Wednesday, July 21, in time to do the reading program in Ocala the day after.

Describing the situation in Surfside Debbie Garcia-Bengochea explained, “The whole scene is a crime scene. Emergency personnel have come in from other places to help with the work and trucks are in and out of the area all the time removing debris to other locations.”

When the horses were not meeting with people, they had a private place to stay so they could have some quiet time. “The people were great. The beach is a place where they normally don’t allow animals, but they allowed our horses to run on the beach at Surfside to help them get some exercise,” said Garcia-Bengochea. “Although parking is at a premium in that area, people made sure to leave room for our van.”

While Garcia-Bengochea didn’t know the exact number of people or families they met with, she said it was a lot. “We met with a lot of first responders more so than the impacted families.”

The couple went to Surside with bags of stuffed horses for the children. As it turned out, first responders’ families were not on the scene, and they sent the stuffed horses home to the families, making sure they provided for each child in the family. Jorge Garcia-Bengochea and Magic also left a stuffed horses at the Memorial Wall in tribute.

After their poignant visit, horses Magic and Sweetheart are taking a few days off. “They are running around and playing with the other horses,” said Garcia-Bengochea.

As for the other horses, they will continue visiting assisted living outdoor programs, hospice programs in the courtyard and outdoor reading programs in outlying libraries in Live Oak and Perry. “

“We have been at this for more than 22 years now,” she said. “We do all we can to help promote reading, kindness and other good qualities.”

One of the ways the organization earns money to continue their program is through the sale of books they have written about the miniature horses. They use the books during the reading programs and bring along the horse the story is written about to make the stories even more exciting for the children.

The latest book, “Mini Horse, Mighty Hope: How a Herd of Miniature Horses Provides Comfort and Healing” is available nationally through Amazon for preorder now, but will officially be released on Oct. 19. And in 2022, a documentary film about Magic is slated to premiere.

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GAINESVILLE – Members of the Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® (GACAR) gathered at Splitz Bowling Alley on Thursday, July 29, to enjoy a night of friendly competition to conclude weeks of fundraising for charity.

At the time of publication, GACAR has raised $18,065 to help St. Francis House and Arbor House update their playgrounds and facilities. “We are so appreciative and grateful that GACAR selected St. Francis House and Arbor House for their annual charity event this year,” said Lauri Schiffbauer, Executive Director of St. Francis House.

“Proceeds raised will go toward enhancing our existing playgrounds for the children in our programs. We cannot thank GACAR enough for helping us provide a fun and safe play area, where the children can be kids with no worries!”

St. Francis House and Arbor House provide homeless women and families with children the tools needed to obtain permanent, sustainable housing. Because of the support of the surrounding community, St. Francis House, Inc. was able to house 108 families and over 150 children in 2020. Patti Moser, 2021 GACAR President, was on hand to celebrate the association’s first in-person event since the pandemic. “I am incredibly proud of our members and business partners and how quickly and enthusiastically they have mobilized. It is an honor to work with and help St. Francis House and Arbor House continue their efforts to aid families in need of safe and stable housing.”

For more information on how GACAR supports local housing charities and affordable housing efforts, contact 2021 GACAR President Patti Moser at 352-538-1773 or president@gacar.com.

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