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NEWBERRY ‒ A 37-year-old Newberry man, Collen Courtney Brown, was arrested on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, after an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy witnessed him allegedly attempting to swallow baggies of cocaine during a traffic stop.

The incident began at approximately 2 p.m. when a deputy conducted a stop on Brown’s vehicle after it reportedly failed to yield while exiting a private driveway, nearly causing a collision. The deputy also observed illegal tint on the car's front windshield.

The deputy reported that while he was attempting to catch up to Brown’s car, the car abruptly turned into a parking lot and made a U-turn. The deputy placed his patrol vehicle in front of Brown’s car, boxing it in.

Brown reportedly got out of his car, turned his back to the deputy and ‘chugged’ a bottle of water. While the deputy reportedly commanded him to step in front of his patrol vehicle, Brown allegedly ignored the commands, continued to “chug” water, and started sweating profusely, despite the cool weather.

After backup arrived, the deputies attempted to detain Brown because they believed he was attempting to swallow evidence. Brown allegedly pulled away, and deputies took him to the ground.

After the subject was handcuffed, he reportedly spit out two clear baggies containing a white substance that later tested positive for cocaine. In addition to about 2.2 grams of cocaine in the baggies, a search of Brown’s person reportedly produced 0.8 grams of marijuana.

Post Miranda, Brown reportedly declined to speak with deputies.

Brown was transported to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries, and he reportedly told a doctor that he’d had cocaine in his mouth before arriving at the hospital.

Brown has been charged with cocaine possession, tampering with evidence, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer without violence.

Court records indicate Brown has a criminal history dating back to 2006, including at least three felony convictions and five misdemeanor convictions.

Judge Phillip Pena set Brown’s bail at $50,000. He remains in custody at the Alachua County Jail.

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ALACHUA ‒ Santa Fe High School educators are celebrating the award of $29,000 in grant funding to launch innovative programs that blend environmental science, career readiness, and behavioral support. These initiatives, driven by the vision of dedicated staff members, promise to provide students with enriching, hands-on educational experiences.

Santa Fe High School science instructor Maureen Shankman will use an Education Foundation Catalyst for Change grant to lead a project studying the effects of hurricanes on Florida’s coastlines. By combining scientific research with real-world application, her students will gain a deeper understanding of environmental challenges facing the state. The project not only enhances students’ learning but also contributes to broader discussions about disaster preparedness and environmental impact.

Shankman’s findings will be shared at next year’s Elevate Ed conference, where she will present her innovative teaching approach to educators from across the state.

Guidance Counselor Sydney Boukari received a Catalyst for Change grant to support the school’s Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) plan. This initiative aims to create a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment by promoting positive behavior and reducing disciplinary issues. Boukari’s efforts highlight the school’s commitment to fostering a nurturing learning atmosphere for all students.

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) instructors Kristi Booth and Sean Sand, who also serves as the ESE department chair, received $19,000 in funding—including $5,000 from the Education Foundation Catalyst for Change and $14,000 from The Able Trust. This funding will support career-focused programs tailored for 50 exceptional education students.

The funding will support initiatives that expose students to the agricultural industry, including raising chickens to sell eggs. A local Boy Scout troop will assist in building a chicken coop on campus, where students will learn hands-on skills by caring for the chickens and collecting eggs for sale. Additionally, the program includes mock interviews, internships, and the creation of an interview closet stocked with professional attire such as suits, ties, and dress shirts, helping students prepare for career opportunities.

These initiatives reflect the unwavering commitment of Santa Fe High School’s staff, whose hard work and innovative vision secured the funding necessary to bring these programs to life. The collaborative effort, including the Boy Scout troop’s role in building the chicken coop, underscores the strength of community partnerships in enhancing education that will impact students' lives by providing them with unique, hands-on experiences and vital life skills.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs City Commission convened on Nov. 21, 2024, for a regular meeting, followed by a Community Development District (CDD) workshop with the Planning and Zoning Board. Central to the agenda were decisions concerning the city’s emergency rescue capabilities and adherence to new state regulations.

Declaring the Heavy Rescue Truck as Surplus

The meeting began with a discussion about the future of the city’s heavy rescue fire truck, a longstanding asset of the High Springs Fire Department. Fire Chief Joseph Peters confirmed an offer from Clay County to purchase the truck for $740,000, above its payoff amount of $550,388.

Peters said, “The offer on the table is from Clay County for $740,000. The current payoff on the heavy rescue, with our December payment made on Dec. 15, is going to be $550,388. If you decide to take the offer from Clay County for $740,000, that will give us a net surplus from the sale of $189,612.” The sale would leave the city with a $189,612 surplus, bolstered by insurance savings of $3,656 over nine months.

Peters also emphasized the need for a more compact and versatile rescue truck, citing challenges with the oversized vehicle, which is ill-suited to navigate narrow roads and suffers damage when doing so. Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth asked if the firefighters agree with swapping the large truck for a medium rescue truck. Peters responded, “Firefighters are on board with everything 100 percent,” and he added that they actually made the decision.

City Manager Jeremy Marshall said, “There are some firefighters that make valid points on why not to get rid of it, but a majority of the firefighters I talked to are on board to get rid of it.”

Despite some dissent from Mayor Tristan Grunder and Commissioner Chad Howell, who questioned the decision to part with the vehicle, the Commission voted 3–2 to declare it surplus.

New Rescue Vehicles Approved

The sale proceeds of the heavy rescue fire truck are earmarked to partially fund a $280,000 medium-duty rescue truck and a $35,000 used backup truck, totaling $315,000. Peters assured the Commission that the medium-duty truck is four-wheel drive, lighter, narrower, and capable of carrying essential equipment from the heavy rescue. He noted that purchasing before Jan. 1, 2025, would avoid a significant price increase.

Peters said, “We looked high and low. We did a whole lot of research on medium-duty rescues, light-duty rescues, and we found a medium-duty rescue that really will suit this City for many years moving forward. It’s four-wheel drive. It’s a little bit narrower, it’s a little bit lighter and it’s got more than enough room to carry a lot of the equipment that is on the heavy rescue right now.”

The backup vehicle, previously owned by the City of Lakeland, will temporarily fill the gap until the new truck is delivered and could remain useful for up to a decade.

Peters said the total cost for the $280,000 medium-duty truck and the $35,000 backup truck will be $315,000. The amount available after the sale of the heavy truck is $193,268, leaving a balance of $121,732 for the City to fund. Peters added that the proposed used backup/temporary truck may still be useful for five to 10 years or longer. Peters said they could always put a different chassis on the “box” or back half of the vehicle.

Finance Director Diane Wilson said financing the debt for five years would require annual payments of $29,675, and payments would be $16,983 when financed for 10 years. Wilson said that would be an obvious savings over the current $83,839 scheduled to be paid each year through 2032 for the heavy rescue truck. Wilson said using $125,000 from ARPA funds is a third option, and that would save finance charges of $148,373 for a five-year loan and $169,835 for a 10-year loan. Wilson said the City currently has $863,051 in unspent ARPA funds, although $250,000 is already committed elsewhere.

City Manager Marshall recommended the five-year loan, but they needed to consider that the remaining APRA funds must be committed to something by Dec. 31, 2024, or they might eventually lose it.

Following further discussion, it was decided to split the cost between ARPA funds and a loan. Marshall said he liked that idea because it gives the City a chance to commit some of those ARPA funds and use it for a one-time purchase and lower the monthly or the yearly burden on the City.

Howell made a motion to move forward with purchasing both vehicles using a five-year loan and no ARPA money, not to exceed $325,000 total. Weitz seconded the motion, and she pointed out that ARPA money can still be used to pay off the loan early. The motion passed unanimously.

Ban on Public Camping

In response to a new state mandate, City Attorney Scott Walker introduced an ordinance prohibiting public camping or sleeping on public property. The ordinance was unanimously approved without discussion during its first reading.

This measure aligns with statewide efforts to address homelessness and public camping, ensuring compliance with state law.

Sunshine State BMX Event Permit

The Commission granted High Springs BMX a special event permit for the Sunshine State BMX State Series Qualifier in April 2024, allowing camping on city property during the event. The discussion highlighted the need for enhanced lighting at the venue to accommodate attendees.

CDD Workshop and Future Planning

Following a brief intermission, a joint workshop involving the Planning and Zoning Board and representatives of the proposed Bridlewood development provided a forum for community input. While no decisions were made, the two-hour session offered insights into development goals and potential impacts.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The City of High Springs has a new mayor and vice-mayor. On Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, the High Springs City Commission convened for its annual reorganization meeting, a tradition following elections. The meeting concluded the term of the 2023-24 Commission and marked the start of the 2024-25 term.

Outgoing Mayor Katherine Weitz adjourned the final session of the 2023-24 Commission after approving the minutes of the Oct. 24 meeting and discussing the City’s Special Magistrate position, which will be re-advertised due to unresolved negotiations with the first candidate.

The City Clerk administered the Oath of Office to newly elected Commissioner Chad Howell and re-elected Commissioner Katherine Weitz. City Manager Jeremy Marshall called the first meeting of the 2024-25 Commission to order. Commissioner Tristan Grunder was unanimously elected mayor, and Commissioner Andrew Miller was also unanimously elected vice-mayor.

Several board appointments were made:

• Planning and Zoning Board: Tim Bolliger was reappointed, and Julie Tapia-Ruano joined as a new member.
• Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA): Vice-Mayor Andrew Miller will continue as chair, with Commissioner Chad Howell as vice-chair.
• Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: Cassandra Davis was reappointed, with Eva Verner serving as an alternate.
• Mayor’s Youth Council: Camden Treese and Leila Ceilley were reappointed, and Jenelie Avila was added as an alternate.

Additionally, the Commission unanimously authorized the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, City Manager, and City Clerk to sign city checks.

In other business, High Springs may soon be selling a vehicle and replacing it with one more suitable for unpaved roads. High Springs Fire Department Captain Kevin Pearson proposed selling a heavy rescue vehicle to Clay County for $740,000. The vehicle, purchased for $738,854, is considered unsuitable for unpaved roads in High Springs. Pearson suggested replacing the vehicle with a smaller, more versatile option. Commissioners tabled the discussion to allow more time for research and to address questions raised during the meeting.

High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard presented information about a new state law regulating public camping and sleeping. The new law prohibits a county or municipality from authorizing any person from regularly engaging in public camping or sleeping on any public property, public building, or public right-of-way unless the county designates property for such purposes. The prohibition applies to residing overnight with or without a tent. It does not apply to residing overnight in a registered, insured motor vehicle which is parked in a lawful place, nor does it apply to camping for recreational purposes on property designated for such purposes.

The Commission was provided with a sample ordinance and asked to submit feedback to the City Manager by Monday for review by the City Attorney.

In other business, following a brief discussion, the Commission dissolved the Organizational Liaison position between the City and the High Springs Chamber of Commerce. Acting as the Liaison between the two was former City Commissioner and Mayor Sue Weller.

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NEWBERRY ‒ A 29-year-old Newberry man, Simon David Flores, has been arrested on child pornography charges following an investigation that began after law enforcement received a tip about disturbing online messages.

Flores allegedly expressed intentions to commit a mass shooting in addition to engaging in sexually explicit communications with minors.

A CyberTip was received on Oct. 2, 2024, about a Meta Platforms account expressing the intent to conduct a mass shooting.  In response to an emergency request for information about the account, Meta Platforms identified Simon David Flores as the person who created the Instagram account that sent the message.

According to information provided to law enforcement by Meta Platforms, Flores sent a message to another account on Instagram on Sept. 18 that said, “I hate this sh**.  I’ve been feeling so dark and depressed lately.  I want to do a mass shooting.”

The same day, Flores reportedly exchanged sexually explicit messages on Instagram with another account, talking about wanting to find a “young” person to “be a little submissive pet.”

On Sept. 25, Flores reportedly sent a message to a third account that said, “I swear I never wanted to kill or pull a Columbine more than thsn [sic] now big time.”

On Sept. 26, in a sexually explicit exchange with a fourth account, Flores reportedly sent a picture of his genitals, and when the other account said he was 15 years old and asked if that was a problem, Flores responded, “Not if it isn’t for you… F*** society and its rules… I’ll get more guns.”  Flores reportedly asked the other account to send pictures when his parents left.

A federal search warrant was executed at Flores’s home on Nov. 26.  At that time Flores declined to answer questions without an attorney present.  However, when he was told about the search warrant, he reportedly asked if this was because he “said something while [he] was pissed.”  When shown the nude picture of his genitals and told that law enforcement believed he had sent the picture to other people, he reportedly said, “Yeah.”

There is no information available in the arrest warrant about whether federal charges are pending.

Flores has been charged with using a computer to seduce a minor and sending a sexually explicit image to a minor.  Flores has no local criminal history.

Bail was set at $100,000 by Judge Meshon Rawls.

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NEWBERRY – On Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, the Newberry City Commission met to address budget adjustments, land use and zoning changes and long-term infrastructure planning. The meeting also included a Board of Adjustment session to review a development plan for a new orthodontics office.

Assistant Director of Finance and Administration Amanda Hagan requested adoption of a resolution to provide fiscal amendments to the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, saying that the City’s expenditures were under budget. The Finance Department performs an end of year review of actual receipts and expenditures to identify budget and expenditure variances in need of correction. As a result of the review, the Finance Department reallocated previously appropriated funds to correct several budget variances. The resolution was unanimously approved.

In other business, the Commission unanimously approved second reading of a petition by Joy Glanzer, on behalf of Coleman, Gerald & Melanie, owners, to amend the City’s Future Land Use Plan Map of the Comprehensive Plan from Industrial to Commercial, on property located at 849 N.W. State Road 45. The property consists of approximately 1.28 acres. The request is to make the land use category consistent with the proposed use, which will be a retail store called Shirt Shack.

In a related action in a Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing, the same 1.28 acres was heard on second reading to rezone the property from Industrial (I) to Commercial, Intensive (C-I) to make the land use category consistent to the use of the property. This item also was unanimously approved on second reading.

In an additional Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing, an application for rezoning 0.16 acres from Commercial, Neighborhood (CN) to Commercial, Central Business District (CCBD), located at 22 S.W. 258^th Street, was unanimously approved. The property is located within the Urban Service Area, Community Redevelopment Area and Transportation Enhancement Project Area.

The proposed use will be Hedge Eye Care and Coffee Place. The coffee shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be a full coffee bar with a pick-up window and interior seating for 10-15 people. The coffee shop will also have a remodeled ADA accessible restroom.

The optometric facility will have four exam treatment lanes for two doctors, state-of-the-art optical and contact lens fitting with support laboratory, a new restroom for optometric patients only and will be fully ADA accessible.

In other business, a resolution of intent to implement a stormwater infrastructure and services assessment program was also approved unanimously. Assistant City Manager and CFO Dallas Lee emphasized the need to adopt the resolution by Jan. 1, 2025, to preserve the option of including the assessment on 2025 tax bills. While the assessment would primarily target downtown businesses, it excludes homeowners.

In other business, Eda Consultants, Inc., agent on behalf of RRL Newberry Holding, LLC requested approval of the final plat for Magnolia Acres Subdivision. The property is approximately 79.3 acres and contains 15 lots. It is located south of Southwest 15^th Avenue and East of Southwest 226^th Street. The plat proposes 15 developable detached single family lots at an average density of one dwelling unit per five acres. The subdivision will have private roads and utilities. The Commission unanimously approved the final plat.

In a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote, the Commission authorized City Manager Mike New to offer $110,000 to purchase of a 0.56- acre property owned by Mr. Estes. The property is parallel to the CSX tracks on a road that the City could in the future develop to run from State Road 26 to 15^th Avenue. The purchase would also have to be approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board.

Looking ahead, the Commission voted unanimously to provide Charter Officers with a two percent cost of living raise effective immediately. Charter Officers are the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk. Commissioners also voted to hold one meeting in December due to the holidays. That meeting will occur on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. The second meeting of the month has been cancelled.

Board of Adjustment

Following the Commission meeting, the Board of Adjustment (BOA) held a quasi-judicial hearing to review a site and development plan for Progressive Orthodontics for an orthodontics office on property located south of Southwest 15^th Avenue and west of Southwest State Road 45. The property has a future land use designation of Commercial and is located within the Commercial Intensive (CI) zoning district and is located within an Urban Service area (USA) of the city. Progressive Orthodontics proposes construction of a 9,929-square-foot orthodontics office along with associated infrastructure.

The development also sought a parking variance from City of Newberry Land Development Regulations that require one parking space per 150 square feet of building for a total of 66 parking spaces. The variance request was based on trip generation calculations that use daily number of trips and the peak hour trips for the proposed use per number of employees.

According to the owner, the building will be split into three separate uses, each with approximately five employees, which generates 17 trips during the peak hour. The proposed plan is for 33 parking spaces to serve these facilities.

Although some BOA members questioned whether 33 parking spaces would be adequate, the site and development plan was approved in a 4 – 1 vote with Board Member Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote.

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