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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ On a sunny fall day on Oct. 8, the High Springs Civic Center field was alive with activity thanks to the “The Ultimate North Central Florida Carnival.” A number of vendors and food trucks shared the field with bounce houses, pony rides, train rides, face painters, and various games, all geared toward children’s activities.

The event was sponsored by the Deeper Purpose Community Church to raise funds for their new church to be built at16817 N.W. on U.S. Highway 441. The church has sponsored a number events for children including an annual Easter Egg Hunt, summer camps and a pre-school and after-school care center. The church identifies itself as a “Spirit-Filled & Purpose-Driven, Multi-Racial, Multicultural Non-Denominational Christian Church Serving our Communities with a Purpose”

“In the past we have held an annual Fall Festival, but this year we wanted to expand it and offer a festive carnival for the community’s children and help raise funds for building a larger church, since we have outgrown our present location,” said church Pastor Adam Joy. The event garnered support and interest from both the community and vendors with the High Springs Lions Club donating their time and train rides for free.

“We wanted to make it a carnival with all the features they would have for the whole community to enjoy,” said Joy. “We had a large turn out and not just from our community. Some visitors said they drove two hours to come here for the event.”

To raise money for the new church building, food vendors were charged a $100 fee and product vendors were charged $50. Adults and children under 3 years of age enjoyed free admission, while there was an entree fee for children to have an all-access pass. “While we charged the vendors, most of that money actually went toward paying for things like the bounce houses, face painters, train operators and over all expenses which the church covered. What was left over will go into the church building fund,” said Joy. “

Continuous large crowds of families wandered among the tents and games throughout the warm fall afternoon. Lines formed for popular train rides, horse rides, mechanical bull rides and bounce houses. A variety of vendors included nonprofit organizations as well as UF Health offering free COVID testing and shots, and a blood mobile seeking donors.

“The event was a great success as far as providing the community with entertainment, as far as funds raise for the church, we don’t have those figures yet,” said Joy. “But I think it will definitely help in raising money for the new church.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Lucian Ryan Flaitz, 29, was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and charged with aggravated child abuse and possession of a controlled substance after allegedly preparing a burger with THC oil for a 15-year-old boy. The boy was later taken to the emergency room.

A High Springs Police Department officer reported that Flaitz is an employee at Bev’s Cafe in High Springs and was cleaning up after closing the restaurant on Oct. 7. He offered to make a hamburger for the boy. He then allegedly asked if the boy wanted Rick Simpson Oil on his burger. The boy allegedly responded that he did. Rick Simpson Oil is an oil with high THC potency, sold as a treatment for chronic pain and cancer.

Video surveillance reportedly showed Flaitz walking out to his car, then coming back into the restaurant and placing the oil on the victim’s burger. Flaitz then handed the boy the burger.

Shortly after eating the burger, the victim reportedly began to feel tired and went to bed. The next morning, the victim was reportedly found in bed face down by an officer, unable to walk and turning gray. He was taken to UF Health Shands for emergency treatment. According to the arrest report, tests revealed the boy had high levels of THC in his blood. He was released from the emergency room later that evening.

Post Miranda, Flaitz reportedly admitted putting the oil on the victim’s burger.

Flaitz has been charged with aggravated child abuse and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Bail information is not currently available.

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HIGH SPRINGS – Thousands of new homes are coming to High Springs as the City Commission approves a number of development agreements and zoning change requests. An estimated 2,000 housing units in one development alone are closer to reality as the High Springs City Commission approved on Oct. 13 a development agreement and zoning change on 688 acres. The proposed Bridlewood Development is in the southern sector of the city, east of U.S. Highway 41 near the City's wastewater treatment plant. Residents had earlier complained that the subdivision was too large and would cause traffic congestion and increase crime in the city.

The Bridlewood Development Master Plan allows for 1,432 single-family lots, 250 multi-family units and 200 independent living, assisted living or memory care units. The maximum number of residential units is limited to 2,000 units. Acreage has also been set aside for up to 300,000 square feet of commercial space, a future police/fire station, a future school as well as 60 acres for parks, recreation and open space.

The Commission approvals result in rezoning the property from PD-1, Planned Development and R-1, Residential to PD-12 Planned Development with a minimum dwelling size of 1,000 square feet, which is the same as for the entire city.

Commissioner Katherine Weitz expressed concern about the reservation of 500 units in the City’s new Wastewater Treatment Plant. City Manager Ashley Stathatos pointed out that the original plat would have allowed the reservation of more than 1,400 units and under the new agreement, the length of time the developer could take advantage of those hookups is limited to five years.

The Development Agreement calls for City water and sewer, roadways with curb and gutter, sidewalks on both sides of the street, enhanced subdivision entrances, increased landscaping along collector streets and along retention/detention areas, native/vegetation requirements, and a 25-foot buffer along the perimeter of the subdivision. The agreement also calls for architectural design guidelines for residential development, a landscape package for single-family homes, regulations pertaining to house repetition and façade elevations, consideration of a future Community Development District, and consideration of future Impact Fee Credit Agreements.

“The stipulations in the Development Agreement that the developer has agreed to are above and beyond what is required by City Code,” said Stathatos.

The Commission approved the Development Agreement and the zoning change 4 – 1 with Commissioner Weitz casting the dissenting votes for both the Agreement and the zoning change.

Hidden Springs Villas

In other business, the Commission unanimously approved a development agreement and zoning change for Hidden Springs Villas, a proposed town home project on 5.8 +/- acres located at 22771 Railroad Avenue. The developer, PR Corporate Holdings, LLC, intends to develop the town home project consisting of 44 units in 11 buildings.

The minimum lot size area proposed is 2,000 square feet and the minimum home size proposed is 1,200 square feet. The development will be served by City water and sewer. Roads with curb and gutter are required. They will be private and maintained by the Home Owners Association (HOA) or Property Owners’ Association (POA).

The Development Agreement calls for five-foot wide sidewalks throughout the development, all landscape areas must retain existing native trees, shrubs, ground cover and grasses to the greatest extent possible. Lawn areas must have water-wise turf grasses and 40 percent native vegetation. A landscape strip of land not less than 10 feet in width is to be provided along Railroad Avenue. In retention/detention areas, one large tree is required to be planted each fifty linear feet of the perimeter. “The developer has agreed to a 10-foot buffer area along the perimeter of the development as well,” City Manager Ashley Stathatos said.

The approved rezoning changes the property from R3, Residential to PD Planned Development. All parking areas and roadways within the development will be constructed with curb and gutter and sidewalks are required in front of buildings and other areas for pedestrian connectivity and pedestrian traffic.

Saddle Ridge Estates

Commissioners unanimously approved the Saddle Ridge Estates Preliminary Plat. The plat proposes 30 single-family lots on 154 acres. The project is located in the southern part of the city off of Northwest 142^nd Avenue. The property is zoned Rl, with a future land use of Rural Residential, with a maximum allowable density of one dwelling unit per five gross acres. The project will be serviced by well and septic.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A hot button issue that has come before the High Springs City Commission on numerous occasions was addressed again during the Oct. 13 meeting, which turned into a back and forth between two city commissioners and the City Attorney. Ordinance 2022-13, which would implement an ordinance governing murals in High Springs, was heard by the Commission on first reading.

The ordinance had been heard by the Planning and Zoning Board at their last meeting and was transmitted with their recommendation for Commission approval.

However, on Oct. 13, City Commissioner Linda Jones was troubled to find that a few changes had been made by the City Attorney to clarify the section on Definitions. In addition, she pointed out an editing error relating to the removal of the term “content neutral” from the ordinance.

City Attorney Scott Walker acknowledged the editing error, saying that the way the ordinance read it was unclear what “content neutral” was referring to. Walker said to avoid confusion, he removed the terminology. As far as the definitions were concerned, he said he sought to clarify the definitions.

Walker acknowledged that the changes were made after the Planning and Zoning Board’s review.

Commissioner Katherine Weitz pushed back against the ordinance by taking issue with the omission of terminology, which earlier had been voted on and approved by the Commission to be included in the ordinance, had not been included. Weitz’s claim related to the requirement that one mural permit at a time be applied for, voted on and completed prior to the City accepting another mural permit.

Walker responded that the addition of a limitation of one application at a time would have no rational basis and therefore would be challenged as restrictive. He used the analogy that the City does not restrict building permits to one permit application at a time and cannot support using that terminology in reference to mural applications.

Jones moved and Weitz seconded a motion to add the terminology back into the ordinance and send it back to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review a second time. The motion failed 2 - 3 with Mayor Byran Williams, Vice-Chair Gloria James and Commissioner Ross Ambrose casting the dissenting votes.

Commissioner Ambrose made a motion to send the ordinance back to the Planning and Zoning Board with the changes the City Attorney had made after the Board’s earlier review and recommendation to the Commission. The motion passed unanimously.

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ALACHUA ‒ An Alachua woman is going to prison after throwing hot grease on a co-worker while working at Popeyes Restaurant in Alachua.

Alachua city police officers arrested 46-year-old Betty Terry in June after she used a frying utensil to fling hot grease at a fellow employee with whom she was arguing.

During their verbal argument, Terry said she was going to throw hot grease on the victim, another female employee. The store manager said he had attempted to stop her, but he backed away in fear of having hot grease thrown on him.

Terry then grabbed a tool from the fryer that had hot grease on it and she threw the grease at the victim. Witnesses said that Terry threw grease at the victim approximately three times. The regional manager told police that the grease is set at 330 degrees and burned the victim.

The victim had burn marks on her left side and left arm and there was damage to the business that had to be cleaned up, along with losses from having to close the business early. Terry reportedly fled before police arrived, but she was located on June 14.

Terry was charged with aggravated battery and sentenced to three years in prison and four more years of supervised probation.

Terry was previously arrested on Sept. 5, 2021, after allegedly threatening her nephew with a knife. The charges were later dropped on the same day her lawyer filed a motion requesting a reduction in her bond. She has served five state prison terms and was most recently released in 2019 after serving a seven-year sentence on a conviction for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ The annual Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale is the largest book sale of its kind in Florida. This year the sale will take place from Saturday, Oct. 22 through Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the FOL Bookhouse located at 430 N. Main Street in Gainesville.

Patrons will be able to browse through more than 500,000 items for sale. Most of the items will range in price from $0.25 to $5. The Collectors Corner, which includes first edition books, signed works, and a large selection of Florida-related materials, will have some items priced well over $100. The Collectors Corner is only open the first four days of event. On the fifth and final day of the sale, all items will be 10 cents.

As is tradition, a bagpiper will play some traditional Scottish tunes Saturday morning to open the sale. Profits from the sale support the Alachua County Library District and community literacy projects throughout the county.

Don’t forget to bring bags or boxes to carry home purchased material. The FOL does provide boxes, but they run out quickly. The FOL asks that patrons do not bring shopping carts on the first day of the sale, because space is very limited. Special exceptions for individuals with wheelchairs will be made by FOL volunteers.

Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted for payment. In consideration of the volume of patrons on certain days of the sale and because of space constraints, FOL volunteers will limit the number of patrons allowed into the building at one time. Inside the building people are encouraged to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Visit the FOL website for more details. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact P.J. with FOL at 352-375-1676 or find out more information at the website www.folacld.org.

2022 Fall Book Sale hours are:

• Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 23, 12-6 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 24, 12-6 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 25, 12- 6 p.m. – All items in the general collection are half price.
• Wednesday, Oct. 26, 12-6 p.m. – All items are 10 cents.

The Spring Book Sale is scheduled for April 22-26, 2023.

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