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ALACHUA – The City of Alachua City Commission on Jan. 26, 2026, approved an employment contract formally appointing Rodolfo Valladares as the city’s permanent city manager, marking the conclusion of a transition that began when he stepped into the role on an interim basis last summer.

Commission Vote and Background

The commission approved the agreement on a 3–1 vote and authorized the mayor to sign it. Commissioner Dayna Williams was not present at the Jan. 26 meeting, though she had voted at the Jan. 12 meeting in favor of bringing the city manager’s contract back for consideration. Commissioner Jacob Fletcher voted against bringing the contract forward at the earlier meeting and again voted against approval on Jan. 26.

Contract Development and Legal Review

The contract stems from the Jan. 12 decision in which commissioners selected Valladares for the permanent position and directed the city attorney to prepare a formal agreement. City Attorney Kiersten N. Ballou explained the contract closely follows previous city manager agreements and Valladares’ interim contract, with updates reflecting the permanent appointment. She also noted corrections of scrivener’s errors, which would be taken care of before the final document is signed.

Term, Salary and Evaluations

The agreement establishes a three-year term beginning Jan. 26, 2026, with an annual salary of $171,000 plus benefits. It also requires annual performance evaluations each August, with potential merit increases tied to those reviews and subject to available budget funds.

Discussion at the meeting included review of contract structure and provisions governing termination. Fletcher asked several questions about how different sections reference one another, particularly language concerning severance, and said he would have preferred to delay the vote for further review. The majority of commissioners moved forward, however.

Under the contract, the city manager serves at the pleasure of the commission and may be removed without cause by majority vote, with severance terms defined in the agreement. Termination for cause would not include severance pay.

In addition to salary, the contract provides for a city vehicle, family health, dental and vision insurance through the city’s plan, reimbursement for professional dues and official travel, and up to $10,000 for continued education. A written waiver allows Valladares to reside outside city limits.

Statements from City Leadership

While the contract discussion was largely procedural, several commissioners and members of the public spoke more broadly about leadership and service.

Mayor Walter Welch expressed appreciation for the work being done on behalf of residents. Commissioner Jennifer Ringersen voiced support for Valladares, stating, “one-hundred percent, integrity and all.”

Vice Mayor Shirley Green Brown also spoke glowingly about Valladares, saying “I meet with Mr. Valladares on a weekly basis. He is an awesome communicator, and listens attentively. He fosters engagement. He collaborates in the workplace with his directors and staff. Mr. Valladares is a family man and is a positive example for his colleagues.

“He exhibits integrity and transparency, is highly professional, an exceptional leader and exhibits extraordinary ethics. He is truly, truly committed to his work schedule, which extends on weekends he is goal oriented, organized and embraces our city, values, our strategic plan and our city's roadmap to success…And I want to express my highest commendations to Mr. Valladares.”

Public Comment

During public comment near the end of the meeting, Pastor Natron Curtis thanked city leadership and acknowledged the difficulty of public service. He said, “We talk about delays and building and stuff, and then we want to delay and nitpick at someone who I have known to be a man of his word to get the job done, and can and will get the job done…but the good book I live by says, ‘Don't muzzle the ox that treads out the corn.’ This man got a lot of corn tread out. He has got a lot of work to do.

“We can do a search and look all around the world for people that come in this city we don't know, who don't know this city, who don't know this culture, who don't know really, what's going on, and start all over again and push things back even farther. We have somebody we know, somebody we trust, and everybody may not, but I believe he'll do what he said he's going to do, and we have a commission to keep that in check…This is a good man.”

Earlier in the meeting, Reverend John Brown included city leadership in his opening invocation, praying for guidance for officials, saying, “we ask Lord God that as we go through this meeting, Lord God, that you will again be in our midst…be in the hearts and the minds of our citizens, our commissioners and everybody that's a part of this meeting.”

Valladares’ Background and Response

Valladares has served as interim city manager since June 2025 and previously worked within city administration.

Valladares responded to the approval of his contract saying, “It is my great honor to introduce my mother and father.” He added, “I cannot begin to say how grateful I am for them to see me continue to do the work that I'm doing. Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged. My mother was a Cuban refugee. She came over, and my father was from Mexico and came over, too. They showed great gratitude for the wonderful things that this country does. They always pointed to God, faith, family, and pushed education. I am living the American dream.” Valladares also thanked other members of his family, including his wife and children who were also present at the meeting.

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GAINESVILLE – A traffic stop on Interstate 75 earlier this month led to the arrest of a 34-year-old man on multiple felony drug charges after detectives discovered dozens of pounds of marijuana inside his vehicle, according to the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force.

The stop occurred during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, near mile marker 374 on southbound I-75. Authorities said Detective C. Litzkow, assigned to the task force’s Domestic Highway Enforcement Team, stopped a silver Hyundai for a traffic infraction.

The driver, identified as Michael Nguyen, was described as argumentative when the detective made contact. Investigators said Litzkow advised Nguyen that he intended to issue a warning and verify his driver’s license, but Nguyen repeatedly refused to exit the vehicle despite multiple lawful commands.

Nguyen eventually exited the vehicle and was taken into custody on a charge of resisting an officer without violence, authorities said.

A second detective, Det. J. Stadnicki, arrived on scene with a narcotics-trained K-9 named Ozzy, who conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle. The dog alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics, providing probable cause for a search, investigators said.

During the search, detectives located a large scent-proof duffel bag and a locked suitcase inside the Hyundai. Both containers held numerous vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana with a combined weight of approximately 46 pounds, according to authorities.

As a result of the investigation, Nguyen was charged with trafficking in cannabis in excess of 25 pounds, trafficking drugs while knowingly using a vehicle to transport illegal substances, and resisting an officer without violence.

Nguyen was booked on the felony charges and remains in custody awaiting trial. His bond was set at $75,000, according to jail records.

The case remains under investigation by the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force.

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ALACHUA – The Alachua Police Department has named Detective T. Williams as its 2025 Officer of the Year, recognizing her more than 14 years of law enforcement experience and her work protecting some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.

Williams joined the department in 2023 and is currently assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. In that role, she works alongside local law enforcement partners in the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, where the department said her “dedication, expertise, and persistence help protect the most vulnerable members of our community.”

According to the department, Williams has distinguished herself through professionalism, compassion and an unwavering commitment to justice. Her work with victims emphasizes dignity, respect and support, reflecting the department’s mission of service to the Alachua and its residents.

The department said Williams’ recognition as Officer of the Year is a testament to her hard work, leadership and the positive impact she continues to make each day. Her service, the department noted, exemplifies how officers strive to go above and beyond in serving Alachua’s “Good Life Community.”

The Officer of the Year honor is awarded annually to recognize exceptional performance and dedication within the department.

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ALACHUA COUNTY – A new student-run food pantry has opened at Buchholz High School, marking a first-of-its-kind effort in the region to address food insecurity among students and their families.

Bread of the Mighty (BOTM), a regional food bank serving four counties in North Central Florida and a branch of Feeding Northeast Florida (FNEFL), announced on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, the launch of the Buchholz High School food pantry. The initiative was funded by the Gainesville-based Mach Charitable Trust and is designed to provide discreet access to food for students in need.

The pantry, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2025, is operated by students in Buchholz’s DECA club as part of the school’s Entrepreneurship Academy. The academy prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management and emphasizes leadership and community engagement.

“This pantry is special because it’s driven by students, fueled by compassion and dedicated to ensuring that no member of our school family goes hungry,” said Terry Hoffer, the pantry’s director and an Entrepreneurship Academy teacher at the school.

The pantry is open every Monday from 3 to 4 p.m. and offers shelf-stable proteins and produce to students, with no questions asked. Organizers said the Mach Charitable Trust has committed to fully funding the pantry’s inventory for the next four years, providing long-term sustainability for the program.

“The Mach Charitable Trust’s goals are to help the most vulnerable and lend a helping hand to those who are in need,” said Lisa Reid, a trustee of the trust. “It’s our hope the Buchholz School Pantry will do just that in a discreet manner for the students and families in our area.”

Reid added that the organization hopes to expand similar pantry programs to other schools in the future.

Bread of the Mighty officials said the program addresses a significant need across the four counties the food bank serves, where food insecurity remains a persistent challenge. One in seven residents in the service area faces food insecurity, including one in five children, according to the organization.

School-based pantries, officials said, help reduce barriers to access by providing food assistance in a familiar and trusted setting.

“We’re excited to partner with the MACH Trust and Buchholz to make this pantry a reality,” said Patrick Dodds, executive director of Bread of the Mighty. “School pantries are one of the best ways to increase access for families, because they meet people where they already are and remove so many of the barriers that can stand in the way of getting help.”

More information about food assistance or volunteer opportunities is available at breadofthemighty.org.

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Law enforcement vehicles block Interstate-75 near Paynes Prairie in Alachua County on Tuesday, Feb. 3, after deputies shut down the highway in both directions during an active incident involving an armed suspect linked to a double homicide investigation in Union County./Photo special to Alachua County Today

ALACHUA COUNTY – A double homicide investigation that began Tuesday afternoon in western Union County escalated into a multi-agency pursuit across Alachua County, shutting down Interstate 75 in both directions and ending with the suspect found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at approximately 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 2026, to reports of shots fired off Southwest County Road 241 in the Providence area of Union County. Upon arrival, deputies found two female victims deceased at the scene from apparent gunshot wounds. Investigators said the initial evidence suggests the shooting may be domestic-related.

The suspect fled the scene before deputies arrived, driving a black four-door 2020 Ford F-150. While deputies worked the scene, assisted the victims and gathered witness information, they were able to make telephone contact with the suspect, officials said. The victims’ names were not released as investigators continued next-of-kin notifications.

Just after 5 p.m., the Alachua County Combined Communications Center received a call from Union County deputies advising that a person of interest in the homicide was believed to be traveling through Alachua County. Deputies were told the suspect vehicle was possibly heading northbound on U.S. Highway 441 near High Springs.

Deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), along with officers from the High Springs Police Department and the Alachua Police Department, began using real-time intelligence systems to locate the vehicle. Information obtained through those systems indicated the truck had traveled through High Springs and the city of Alachua and was believed to have entered Interstate 75 southbound.

At approximately 5:26 p.m., an ACSO patrol deputy reported being behind the suspect vehicle near mile marker 386 on I-75, traveling south. Additional ACSO deputies and troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) joined the response.

About four minutes later, deputies and troopers attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver fled at a high rate of speed, continuing southbound on I-75. Given the violent nature of the Union County incident and the dangerous speeds involved, an FHP trooper performed a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, causing the vehicle to come to rest on the west shoulder of the interstate.

As deputies and troopers contained the scene, they issued repeated commands for the driver to exit the vehicle. At the same time, the ACSO SWAT Team, ACSO Aviation Unit, Gainesville Police Department Drone Unit, and the ACSO Negotiations Response Team were activated.

After receiving no response for an extended period, SWAT team members used specialized equipment and tactics to approach the truck. They determined the lone male driver was deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

As the incident unfolded, ACSO shut down I-75 in both northbound and southbound directions as a protective measure to prevent injuries to motorists. The closure extended from Micanopy to the south and Williston Road to the north, backing up traffic for miles, particularly near the southbound Archer Road exit around mile marker 384.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in conjunction with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the double homicide in Union County. ACSO’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau are assisting FDLE with the investigation of the scene on I-75.

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ALACHUA COUNTY – The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office has begun its annual high school voter education program, continuing a long-running effort to educate students about the voting process and encourage civic participation.

The outreach initiative kicked off Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, with a visit to Hawthorne High School. Staff members from the elections office are visiting the county’s public high schools to explain how elections work and provide students with an opportunity to pre-register or register to vote.

The Supervisor of Elections Office has conducted the school outreach program annually since 1993, making it a cornerstone of its voter education efforts.

Florida law allows residents to pre-register to vote beginning at age 16. Once a pre-registered voter turns 18, the registration is automatically activated, allowing the individual to participate in elections without further action.

As part of the 2026 outreach schedule, the elections office plans to visit the following schools:

• Jan. 26: Hawthorne High School
• Jan. 28: Santa Fe High School
• Jan. 29: Buchholz High School
• Jan. 30: Loften High School
• Feb. 6: Newberry High School
• Feb.11: Eastside High School

A date and time for a visit to Gainesville High School have not yet been finalized.

Students attending the presentations receive information about voter eligibility, registration requirements and the importance of participating in local, state and federal elections.

Residents with questions about the school visits or the Supervisor of Elections Office’s outreach efforts may contact Director of Communications and Outreach Aaron Klein by email at aklein@alachuacounty.us or by phone at 352-275-9404.

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