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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The Newberry City Commission on Nov. 14 approved an ordinance amending the City’s Alcoholic Beverages regulations on first reading in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote citing concerns over liability.

The new law, if passed in a second public hearing, will allow for open consumption of beer and wine within a defined area of downtown Newberry during special events sanctioned by the City. The ordinance limits consumption of beer and wine to that purchased from merchants within the approved zone or a licensed vendor operating within the zone during the special event.

The area specified by this ordinance is a two-block area of the downtown district, plus the area south along the Seaboard Drive right-of-way. City sanctioned events include the Newberry Main Street Organization’s Fall and Spring Festivals, but are not limited to those events.

The special events offering open consumption shall be set by Resolution of the City Commission, either annually for multiple events or on an individual event basis.

Individuals consuming beer and wine in the zone will be identified by some means, such as an event wristband or special “Sip and Shop” cups. The ordinance will also include penalties for violating the Code.

Cottage Industry Permit

In other business, the Commission approved a Cottage Industry Special Permit application by Brittany Huffman, owner of Southeast Perimeter Solutions, Inc., to allow an electrical contractor business ancillary to an existing single-family residence within the Agricultural (A) zoning district.

The approval came in the face of existing violations on site, which are in violation of the criteria for conducting a Cottage Industry. The business has been operating on-site in violation of City Code since at least 2020, more than two additional employees are working at the site, and the accessory structures that support the business are in excess of the 50 percent of residential structure limitation as outlined in the City’s code.  The property is located at 27317 N.W. 78^th Avenue.

“Cottage industries are uses which are also a form of home occupation, but due to the intensity of the use, are only allowed within the Agricultural (A) zoning district,” said Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas.

Thomas said, “because the business has been operating for several years without complaint from neighbors, staff does not believe that granting this special permit will negatively impact the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the city of Newberry.”

The special permit will sunset in five years and will be reviewed again at that time.

Changes to P&Z and HARB Appointments

Under the direction of the City Commission, City of Newberry staff will be preparing an ordinance changing the appointment process for the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board and Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB). Under the new procedure, board member appointments will be reduced to two years as opposed to the three-year terms currently in place, board members will be assigned seat numbers and the mayor will chair both meetings as an ex-officio non-voting member. Openings will continue to be publicly noticed when they become available, but criteria will be developed for the review and ranking. Staff will present their findings to the Commission for a final decision on appointments to both boards. Applicants will still be able to address the Commission prior to the Commission’s vote on board appointments.

Five Percent Salary Increases

The Commission has agreed to five percent salary increases for the city manager and city clerk. Five percent is the highest amount the Commission could approve. It is expected that City staff will provide a resolution at the next Commission meeting to formalize the action.

In other business, Duke Energy has pledged $20,000 toward the $50,000 cost of a feasibility study on an ag-tech business incubator. City Manager Mike New said the City also plans to seek funding from the Department of Economic Opportunity to help make up the rest of the funds needed for the study.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ They are sometimes called the “One Percent” because they make up under one percent of the country's population. They are the men and women who put their lives on hold to serve in the military to protect their fellow Americans. There were nearly 2.4 million military personnel in the five branches of the Armed Forces in 2020. Comparing this with the U.S. population of 329.5 million, active military only makes up 0.727 percent.

Military service can leave scars, both mental and physical, that can affect a veteran’s future once out of the military. There has always been a large number of veterans who fall on hard times and homelessness, and on any given night, 40,056 veterans are homeless. Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness. Only seven percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly 13 percent of the homeless adult population are veterans.

Additionally, a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

In Alachua County, there is a group that offers support for all veterans and active military. The American Legion Auxiliary 16 (ALA) is comprised of spouses, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, and sisters of U.S. war veterans. They are a separate entity from the American Legion, which is a veteran’s organization, but share the same values and dedication to supporting those who served. For the past 10 years, the ALA has held an event for homeless or in transition veterans, providing a thanksgiving dinner, clothing and footwear donations and what’s called a “blessing bucket,” which contains needed household and sanitary supplies as well as blankets.

Most of the supplies are either donated by other veterans’ organizations or provided as monetary funds or supplies from sponsors such as Rural King, Sav A Lot, Winn Dixie, Home Depot and Sandy's Place. The veterans were also offered free haircuts provided by volunteer barbers.

This year’s event held in early November featured a number of veteran supporters, including local singer Josh Tayler who sang the National Anthem. ALA Chaplain and event coordinator Ronna Jackson spoke to the veterans, expressing that the ALA was honored to help these men who had served their country. Jackson, a gold star mother whose son, John Reiners, was killed in action, now dedicates much of her time supporting other servicemen and veterans.

Guest speaker Vicki Jackson-Herndon delivered a moving story of her veteran father who abandoned the family when she was 11 and how he lived in poverty, homelessness and substance abuse. Jackson-Herndon said that for years she hated her father for what he did, but after finding religion she reached out in her early twenties. Over the next few years, she saw the hard times her father suffered mentally, and they reconnected until his passing. Her message to veterans is that there are people who care about them, and they are not alone. In dedication to her father's memory, she created the Blessing Bucket program.

State of Florida ALA President Jane Hardacre expressed the state's support for veterans, and Ronna Jackson presented her with a stuffed plush rainbow pillow signed by all staff and veterans present. The meal was served by ALA staff, including several male veterans who were associated with ALA women members.

While there were donated shoes and clothes for veterans to take, one homeless veteran could not find a pair that fit to replace his worn-out shoes. A male staff member took off his own shoes to give him. Later, Taylor gathered the veterans in a circle to all sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” to show the camaraderie between all who served.

“We want them to know they are not forgotten and there are people here to lend a helping hand and support them,” Jackson said. “Everyone deserves a second chance, especially those that served their country.”

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ALACHUA ‒ For the second straight year, Santa Fe High School is the winner of the Class 4A Volleyball State Championship. The Raiders (29-2) took down Academy of the Holy Names (22-5) in four sets at Polk State College in Winter Haven to claim their second consecutive state title on Nov. 12. This is the first time Santa Fe faced the Academy of the Holy Names since Santa Fe swept the Jaguars in last year’s semifinals when they went on to beat Calvary Christian Academy for their first crown in the school’s history.

Under the direction of Coach Eric Marshall, the Santa Fe Raiders played four sets in the Championship game. Early in the first set, it was a back-and-forth battle between the teams, 8-6, until the momentum shifted in the Raiders’ favor with an 8-0 run, stretching the score to 15-6. The Jaguars attempted to close the gap but fell short 25-13.

The Jaguars stepped up in the second set and forced a Santa Fe timeout after leading 8-6. After the timeout, the Jaguars didn’t let up, stretching the score to 22-14. The Raiders never gave up and fought their way back into the game 22-19. But, in the end, the Jaguars took set two, 25-21. “The second set was lost due to errors in our playing,” said Marshall. “We gave them 10 free points. We talked about the team calming down and reminded them to take a deep breath and focus on their playing.”

The Raiders responded and dominated the court, taking an 8-2 lead early in the third set. Sparking the rally were seniors Jalyn Stout and Anisa Dorlouis. Both delivered multiple kills while the defense shut down the Jaguars, resulting in the Raiders winning the set, 25-12.

In the fourth set, Santa Fe went ahead 12-5 early on, highlighted by Miya Thomas’ seven service points and an ace. The domination continued as the Raiders pulled ahead 23-13, paced by Stouts’ five digs and five kill assists. Stout finished with 28 kills, 17 digs, 13 assists and two aces.

Thomas added 23 digs, nine assists, nine service points and two aces. Anisa Dorlouis had 18 assists, 15 digs, 12 kills and one ace. 

Senior Jalyn Stout played a pivotal role in the win, including the match-winning kill to close out the victory in style. Stout has helped lead the team in both championships with over 1,500 kills in her career at Santa Fe, as well as over 1,000 digs. Saturday’s game was the fourth time in five seasons Santa Fe has advanced to the state championship match, finishing runner-up in 2018 (6A) and 2019 (4A) before winning its first title last year.

“Winning two championships has been an incredible feeling for both me and the team, but it is also somewhat bittersweet since I am losing five great senior players this year, including Jaylen and Anisa.”

Stout is headed to college at Costal Carolina University while Dorlouis is going to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

“I have known these girls since they were 12, and I coached them in Gainesville Juniors Volleyball,” said Marshall. “For them to go out and win back-to-back state titles is a big deal. That locker room got emotional for the girls and me after the game.

“They are a special group of girls, so while it’s bittersweet, I am happy I did it with them,” said Marshall. “I have to give a shoutout to the crowd that came down to support us. They have been here all year long and for several hundred to make the trip on a Saturday afternoon is just incredible.

Marshall said that student “Rowdy Raiders” made the difference and “Coach 6” kept the crowd pumped up all year long. “We have something special here at Santa Fe, from our boosters, to fans, to an awesome administration in Principal Tim Wright and Athletic Director Michel Faulk,” said Marshall.

Santa Fe High School Athletic Director Michele Faulk added, “Sweet to repeat!” About the win Faulk said, “So sweet to see a good group of kids be successful on the court. It’s bittersweet because the senior group is special and have left a legacy that will be here forever.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) has approved a request by the First Baptist Church of Newberry to demolish a residence. On Nov. 7 the Board approved a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish the residence located at 90 N.W. 255^th Street, next door to the church.

The action came after concerns were raised that the building is a structure in the historic district and an example of a Craftsman architectural style. Initially, Newberry Principal Planner Jean-Paul Perez recommended against approval of the demolition, suggesting the church consider relocation of the single-family home.

Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe said the City has worked with the owner for three years to relocate the building to another property. Although some people showed interest, none were able to either find a property to move the building to or couldn’t afford the cost of moving the structure and rehabilitating it at another location.

Church representative Bill Martin described the lengths to which the church has gone in an effort to get the building moved. Martin said that the building has serious termite infestation observed around the windows and that the back part of the building has already collapsed. He said it was not structurally sound and the church had already begun to remove the windows and some of the doors to repurpose them for other projects. Martin said he wasn’t aware that they needed to apply for a permit to dismantle the building as the church owned the structure.

Upon learning of the prior efforts to relocate the building, Perez reversed his recommendation from denial to approval. Board members unanimously approved the application to demolish the structure. The church plans to use the soon-be-vacant property for additional church parking.

A second request for approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness in the City’s Historic District did not end as well when the Board voted to delay the action until Dec. 5. Pat Post applied to construct a single-family home at 144 S.W. 258^th Street. An artist’s rendering of the 1,258-square-foot home was included in the presentation. Although the City was able to request certain embellishments to the home to make it fit in better with the historic feel of the neighborhood, Board members deemed the structure “cookie cutter” in design.

They unanimously voted to table the item to the Dec. 5 meeting to establish what the guidelines should be for new additions in that district. Perez informed the Board that they could vote to extend again at that meeting if necessary.

In other business, Perez updated the Board on the funded State Small Matching Grant for an Historic Resources Survey. Perez said the grant has been fully executed, and staff is working to issue a Request for Proposals. The City last conducted an historic survey in 2011.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ A 28-year-old Micanopy woman has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, three years of probation and 300 hours of community service on 20 charges of animal cruelty. Erin A. Douglas is also prohibited from having any animals.

Douglas was initially charged with 24 counts of aggravated animal abuse, all third-degree felonies, and five counts of improper disposal of a dead animal. She entered a plea of nolo contendere to 20 first-degree misdemeanor charges of tormenting or depriving animals.

Seven others were also charged after investigators found 19 malnourished dogs, two dead puppies, and three puppy skeletons. Dawson Hicks has also been sentenced to three years of probation on four misdemeanor charges and one felony charge, with adjudication of guilt withheld on the felony charge. The remaining cases are still pending.

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies and Alachua County Animal Control responded to the 17400 block of Southwest County Road 234 on April 27 after a report of animal cruelty. At that time, they found a large number of dogs in “obviously frail and neglected condition.” They reported that “several dogs could be heard yelping and wailing in physical pain.”

They reported that they saw young puppies lying in the driveway, too weak to physically stand on their own. Other “extremely malnourished” dogs were around the house. All dogs also had a large number of fleas and ticks, “with flies circling them.”

According to the report, investigators found 19 dogs alive, along with five dead dogs, three of which were skeletal remains only. Three living puppies were found in a cage with the two dead puppies. The living puppies were lying on top of the dead animals, which were in the water bowl inside the cage. The cage and water bowl both had obvious mold on them. Two other dogs were found in cages in the woods without any food or water. One female dog had several puppies which were too weak to stand on their own. The female dog was malnourished and injured but was still trying to care for the puppies and pull them under a vehicle to get out of the rain.

Six more dogs were inside the house, which did not appear to have electricity or running water except in one bedroom, but the dogs did not have access to that room. According to the report, animal feces littered the house and there were holes in the flooring. Large amounts of trash littered the front yard. In addition, a camper on the property had an open waste line that poured human feces directly onto the ground.

Investigators concluded that all animals on the property showed signs of a long-term lack of care and the lack of food, water, clean or adequate shelter and veterinary care directly led to the condition of and death of several of the dogs on the property. All residents on the property were directly responsible for care of the animals, yet all failed to take action to protect the animals from death and unnecessary pain and suffering.

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NEWBERRY ‒ On Oct. 24 the Newberry Board of Adjustment considered and approved three issues in quasi-judicial public hearings.

A Special Exception for a Small-Scale Rural Subdivision for the Lakota development was unanimously approved. The 45.53 +/- acre site located at 17512 S.W. 15^th Avenue, northwest of the intersection of Southwest 15^th Avenue and Southwest 170^th Street, is in the Agricultural (A) zoning district.

Small-Scale Rural Subdivisions permit the subdivision of land at a density of one dwelling unit per two acres, greater than the standard one dwelling per five acres allowed in the Agricultural zoning classification.

The property owner proposes 15 lots of an average density of one unit per three acres and lots ranging from two to four acres. Access is provided on Southwest 15^th Avenue and the privately-owned access driveway will be built to City standards. Perpetual maintenance of this access driveway will be the responsibility of the Lakota Subdivision homeowner’s association (HOA).

A platted 50-foot undisturbed buffer exists along the southern plat limit abutting Southwest 15^th Avenue and a 25-foot perimeter undisturbed buffer is provided along the remaining plat limits. The property owner is voluntarily providing a 40-foot undisturbed buffer along the western plat limits encumbering Lots Five – Eight, which has been made a condition of approval for the companion Preliminary Plat petition (SD 22-04) at the request of the owner.

The property will be serviced by Clay Electric and potable and wastewater services will be provided on-site through well and septic systems.

North of the Lakota property is the recently approved Barrington subdivision. While Barrington also provides for lot sizes less than that permitted by the Agricultural (A) zoning district, it was approved prior to the City’s adoption and implementation of the Small-Scale Rural Subdivision regulations. Barrington cannot be considered a Small-Scale Rural Subdivision under the rules by which it was approved. As required by the Land Development Regulations, a HOA will be established.

In a separate matter, a petition for a variance to allow a pool in the side yard of a property within the Newberry Place Planned Residential Development was also approved in a 3 – 1 vote with Board Member Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote.

Property owner Wilfredo Gonzalez Valentin requested a variance to “Accessory uses and structures” of the City’s ordinances to allow an in-ground pool in the side yard of a developed single-family lot. The property is located at 649 S.W. 242^nd Terrace in a Planned Residential Development zoning district and has a future land use designation of Residential Low Density of four dwelling units per acre.

The property is Lot 87, which is located on the corner of Southwest 6^th Place and Southwest 242^nd Terrace. This street corner incorporates a cul-de-sac-like turnaround into the design of the street corner. Due to the location of Lot 87 and the design of the street corner, the lot’s corners are not right-angles or comparable to a typical interior lot within the same subdivision. When considering lot shape, typical house size and the required 20-foot front yard and 15-foot rear yard setbacks, the footprint of the home fills the buildable area of the lot and does not leave sufficient room in the rear yard for a pool. The owner is requesting a variance to place an in-ground pool within the side yard.

“The owner has demonstrated a unique hardship that is not self-imposed,” said Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas. “Pools are an amenity commonly enjoyed by other residents within the same subdivision. However, a majority of the pools are located on interior lots with right-angled corners and sufficient rear yards,” said Thomas. Thomas said that granting this variance would not negatively impact the public health, safety or welfare.

A third petition was also a variance request related to pool construction. The petition was by property owners Jacob D. and Gilberto M. Gonzalez-Welker for a variance to allow an eight-foot encroachment into the required 10-foot rear yard setback. This property is located at 24647 S.W. 21^st Circle, Lot 128 in CountryWay at Newberry, Phase 3, on the interior of the arc of Southwest 21^st Circle. The site-built home is of a common size within the subdivision and has a covered porch in the rear yard. Due to the lot being located on the southern interior arc of the bend of Southwest 21 Circle, the lot has an unusually large street frontage and a significant portion of the lot is dedicated to the front yard setback. The atypical lot shape required the developer to place the building footprint further into the rear corner of the lot. The lot is pie-shaped and encumbered by a 20-foot front yard setback. While it was always the intent of the owner to construct a pool, the form boards for the foundation were placed too close to the rear yard. This error did not leave sufficient area to place a pool in the rear yard.

“When also considering the lot shape, depth and location, standard size of the home and the required 20-foot front yard and 10-foot rear yard setbacks, the owners adequately demonstrate a hardship that was not self-imposed,” said Newberry Principal Planner Jean-Paul Perez. “Furthermore, pools are an amenity commonly enjoyed by other residents of the neighborhood.”

This item was unanimously approved with the setback at five feet from the fence line for the pool water edge, not including the decking.

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