Local

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Four High Springs Firefighters have deployed to Dixie County as part of Engine Strike Team (EST) 1301.

EST 1301 includes crews from Clay County Fire Rescue, High Springs Fire Department, Putnam County Fire Rescue and Palatka Fire Department.

EST 1301 departed for Dixie County Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, and will be deployed for 10 days running fire and emergency medical calls for service in support of local fire departments in Dixie County.

High Springs' Engine 29 crew is led by Captain Kevin Pearson. Also, part of the deployment team are Lieutenant Gene Findley, Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Rivers, and Firefighter/EMT Clinton Drake.

This is the fourth deployment of High Springs resources in a year. Past deployments include a single resource Public Information Officer to Eastern Kentucky in August 2022, an Engine Strike Team to North Fort Myers in September 2022, and a single resource Engine Strike Team leader to Fort Myers Beach in October 2022.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) met on Aug. 24 to address an update of the CRA’s Façade Grant Program and consider hiring a lobbying group to work with the City.

City Manager Ashley Stathatos discussed the new application for the Façade Grant program and requested an increase in the amount of matching grant funds from $5,000 to up to $10,000.

Stathatos said staff believed that the increase in construction costs and materials over the past couple of years merits an increase in the funding amount to allow property owners to consider larger projects. She reviewed the eligibility requirements and the reimbursement process in her presentation and also suggested that the CRA announce a “call for projects” initiative in October to stimulate project consideration.

Following discussion, Board members voted unanimously to approve the new façade grant package, the increase from $5,000 to up to $10,000 in matching funds and to conduct a call for projects initiative in October.

Board members also approved a request to act on Sun Rise Consulting Groups agreements for the purpose of using them to help the City locate funding for a new police station building. Stathatos said that Sun Rise has helped the City identify legislation that would impact smaller towns like High Springs. She suggested that their company would be looking at appropriation opportunities to fund the police station.

The cost for their services would be approximately $2,800 per month. Board member Ross Ambrose asked that the County be consulted to determine definitively if the City can use CRA funds for this purpose.

In other discussions, High Springs Public Works Director Thomas Henry said that the lighting in the downtown area will soon be brighter as his department will be replacing the current bulbs with 150-watt bulbs. Another option was considered, but the cost would be prohibitive. This alternative would improve lighting at night and cost the City less.

Also discussed was the removal of trees in the downtown area between Railroad Avenue and old First Street. The existing trees have increased in size to the point where the roots are undermining sidewalks. The sidewalks in that area are the responsibility of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and they come by periodically to regrind the sidewalks to level them after tree roots have raised sections making the sidewalks dangerous for pedestrians. “The Florida Department of Transportation has been consulted and they have approved the removal of those trees,” said Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham.

Henry also explained that FDOT will be redoing the sidewalks and roadways in 2026 and would have to remove the trees anyway to complete their project. Planters will be installed in that area as part of the revitalization of the downtown area. Gillingham said the planters have already been planted.

Although the Board could have voted at this meeting to remove the trees, they opted to put the issue on their next CRA agenda. Gillingham and Henry said they would provide photos of how the planters will look in the downtown area at the next meeting.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ Hurricane Idalia was predicted to make landfall early Wednesday morning on Aug. 30 as a Category 3 hurricane with winds over 125 mph and 4 to 7 inches of rainfall. Early predictions had the storm as a direct hit on Cedar Key and then roaring over Alachua and Columbia counties as it traveled up the east coast. This would have made it the strongest storm to hit Alachua County in 100 years.

Just before making landfall, the massive hurricane shifted shortly before coming ashore, taking a curve to the northwest. The National Hurricane Center’s updated models on Tuesday showed only a part of Alachua County inside Idalia’s cone, and the 5 p.m. update shifted the cone even further north and west, keeping all of Alachua County and neighboring Gilchrist County outside the path.

While that was good news for Alachua County, it was bad news for Florida’s Big Bend area, especially Keaton Beach, located along Florida's Gulf Coast, 75 miles from Tallahassee.

Coastal towns along Florida's Big Bend, from Cedar Key northwest to Horseshoe Beach and Steinhatchee took the brunt of the storm with surges up to seven feet, flooding communities, destroying the landscape and demolishing buildings with winds up to 125 mph.

Inland, towns including Perry and nearby Live Oak suffered extensive damage from the wind as well. Over half a million residents lost power throughout the area that consisted of mainly rural communities, with no major population centers, which helped to keep structural damage and injuries down.

While not taking a direct hit, Alachua County still experienced damage from winds, which toppled trees, downed power lines and caused some structural damage, but it was much less than expected.

Alachua County issued its first ever mandatory evacuation order for mobile and manufactured homes, but the highest gusts of winds in the county were less than expected at around 55 mph, which were still high enough to cause damage and power outages throughout the area.

Public schools, the University of Florida and Santa Fe College were closed in anticipation of the oncoming storm. Schools reopened and resumed normal hours/operations on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.

It took several days to restore all power in Alachua County as the power companies worked in the hardest hit areas first. Outages were widespread throughout northwest Florida with utility crews working 24 hours a day to restore power. Columbia, Alachua and Suwannee counties were lower on the list than some others that suffered more extensive damage.

Outages were reported in Duval, Flagler, Lake, Volusia, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion, Putnam and Union counties. In Alachua County, the Public Works Department cleared 70 fallen trees that blocked roadways. With damage lighter than expected, the County was also able to provide public works and medical assistance to the surrounding harder hit counties.

Early reports claimed Hurricane Idalia was responsible for two deaths, a 59-year-old Gainesville man and a 40-year-old Spring Hill man. Both were killed Wednesday when they lost control of their vehicles while driving during the storm, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Alachua County was spared from the catastrophic damage other areas suffered as Idalia was a devasting Category 3 hurricane that caused flooding, power outages and structural damage to northwest Florida and up into Georgia and the Carolinas.

#     #     #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ With approaching Hurricane Idalia expected in less than 24 hours, the Aug. 28 City of Alachua Commission meeting was shorter than usual and sparsely attended.

The City Commission on second reading approved increasing rates for water, wastewater and reclaimed water to generate revenue sufficient to meet operating expenses. Proposed new rates will meet the expenses for providing utility services to Alachua residents and to compensate for inflation and higher costs. The new rates will also cover water meter installation charges, as well as water and wastewater facility charges.

The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) annually publishes a Water and Wastewater Price Index. The latest FPSC approved price index is 7.07 percent for water and wastewater. The City’s proposed rate increases are 7 percent for water rates and 5 percent for wastewater and reclaimed water. The proposed rate also includes a 7 percent increase for water meter installation charges and the associated capital facility charges for water and wastewater. The City’s rates were last modified in 2022.

The Commission also approved establishing a fee to cover administrative costs for lien requests that are fulfilled by the City. City staff routinely receives requests for lien searches on properties located in the City regarding open code enforcement cases and liens against real property, open and expired building permits, and requesting a listing of utilities provided by the City to real property. The fees have been set at $75 for a regular lien search of 7-10 business days and $150 for a rush lien search of 3-5 business days.

In other business, even an approaching hurricane didn’t keep some students of the Bhaktivedanta Academy from being honored with a special presentation from the City Commission. The attending students who had their artwork featured on display in the foyer of City Hall received certificates from Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper and Bhaktivedanta Academy teacher Ms. Danka. The students also had their pictures taken with the City Commission.

In other business, the Commission on first reading approved an amendment to the City of Alachua Land Development Regulations (LDRs). The proposed amendment revises use specific separation requirements for certain businesses that fall under the category of Warehouse and Freight Movement and those uses can only occur in business districts within the City. These include parcel services, truck or freight terminals and warehouse distribution or storage.

The current LDRs require a minimum separation of 250 feet from schools, day care centers, residential uses, or vacant land in residential zone districts. The proposed amendment allows for a reduction in separation distance that could be permitted when an intervening arterial or collector street exists between the proposed warehouse and freight movement use and the school, daycare center, residential use, or vacant land in a residential zoning district.

The revision reduces the minimum separation to 100 feet and to 50 feet when an enhanced landscape buffer is provided, but not closer than 150 feet from the nearest exterior wall of an existing residential dwelling.

#     #     #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com

Staff report/Alachua Chronical

GAINESVILLE – Jose A. Coronel, 45, was arrested late Thursday night, Aug. 31, 2023, and charged with six drug-related felonies, two drug-related misdemeanors, money laundering, and using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony after a man died of an overdose after allegedly purchasing drugs from Coronel.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a medical emergency at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night; the patient died, and deputies found evidence of drug use. The death is being investigated as a potential overdose. The victim’s parents reportedly gave consent to search his phone, where deputies found messages between the victim and Coronel from two days before his death about buying “a pack.” Previous messages between the two reportedly discussed weights, quality, and prices.

Deputies matched the phone number to Coronel and used the victim’s phone to arrange a narcotics deal. When Coronel came outside to meet them, he was taken into custody. A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small bag with residue that tested positive for methamphetamine.

A search warrant was issued and reportedly produced 18.8 grams of marijuana, 29.2 grams of methamphetamine, 8 alprazolam pills, 8 amphetamine pills, $1,600 in cash, a scale, baggies, glass pipes, and straws.

Coronel’s home is located 880 feet from Metcalfe Elementary School.

Coronel has been charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession and possession with intent to sell of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, money laundering, maintaining a drug dwelling, possession of amphetamines with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and possession of alprazolam with intent to sell. Additional charges may be added later.

Coronel has traffic citations in Alachua County going back to 2006 but no local criminal history.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

NEWBERRY ‒ The City of Newberry Board of Adjustment (BOA) on Aug. 14 approved three site and development plans. The BOA is made up of the same members as the Newberry City Commission.

The Board first considered two items regarding property located in the Avalon Woods Mixed Use zoning district.

The applications for both Avalon Woods-related requests were submitted by JB Pro, agent, on behalf of S&T Newberry Holdings, owner. Avalon Woods is located east of U.S. 41/State Road 45 and north of Northwest 9^th Place.

One site plan application was for a 4,500-square-foot warehouse and outdoor storage yard for Shore Builders on 1 +/- acre of land within that zoning district. This property will be used as the builders’ office and warehouse. A question about connectivity resulted in a comment by the developer stating that there will be direct access between the residential and commercial properties and property owners will not have to go to SR 45 in order to access commercial properties on this site. This item was approved in a 3-1 vote with Board Member Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote.

The second item was for Town Center Self-Storage to allow construction of a 49,500-square-foot self-storage facility on 3 +/- acres of land. The project will include a total of 10 buildings of varying dimensions.

Development of this property will be phased in with the utilities and infrastructure installed for the first four buildings in the front of the project. The second phase will include the remaining utilities as the other buildings are constructed.

“Because the second phase is a condition of approval for this item, the developer must apply for a building permit within five years for Phase 2 (by Aug. 14, 2028),” said City of Newberry Senior Planner Uma Sarmistha.

This item was approved in a 3-1 vote with Board Member Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote.

Both items were heard by the Planning and Zoning Board on July 17 and were unanimously recommended to the BOA for approval at that time.

The third site and development plan request was for a 5,000-square-foot industrial building and related site improvements on a 1.28 +/- acre site (Lot 4) within the Newberry Commercial Park. The application was made by eda consultants, inc., agent, on behalf of Jorge Villalobos and Susan Ulloa, owners. The petition is for The Best Restoration, a home and business restoration company.

The site is located at the northeast corner of Northwest 8^th Lane and Northwest 235^th Terrace within the Newberry Commercial Park.

This item was also heard by the Planning and Zoning Board on July 17 and recommended for approval with the inclusion of a voluntary condition offered by the agent. The condition was to improve the terminus of Northwest 253^rd Terrace within the Newberry Commercial Park, including, but not limited to, parking stalls within the public right-of-way and additional landscaping to provide additional buffering between the commercial park and the northern residential neighborhood of Newberry Corners.

“The developer has agreed to the conditions and has planned a heavy vegetative buffer along the northern portion of the site,” said City of Newberry Principal Planner Jean-Paul Perez.

The request was unanimously approved by the Board of Adjustment.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com