The concerned is heightened in Gainesville, given the large college-age population here. Young people are one of the groups more hesitant to get vaccinated, yet tend to pack in close quarters in bars, parties and residence halls where the virus may be more easily spread. With UF’s spring semester coming to a close, students will be traveling before returning to classes for the summer and fall.
At least 33 colleges across the country are requiring a COVID-19 shot for the fall semester, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Florida’s Nova Southeastern University announced on April 1 that its students, faculty and staff must be vaccinated before returning to campus this fall, only to have Gov. Ron DeSantis issue an executive order the next day prohibiting businesses from requiring patrons to present so-called “vaccine passports” documenting that they received the shots.
The Gainesville Sun Editorial Board
When Gainesville Regional Utilities moved into a new operations center on North Main Street in 2011, it opened up the opportunity to redevelop industrial land that GRU no longer needed downtown.
Ten years later, the redevelopment plan for the Power District is still a work in progress. In the meantime, affordable housing has dwindled and west-side sprawl has accelerated. Officials need to finally decide on a plan for the Power District and stick to it.
The Power District gets its name from GRU s continuing operations of the Kelly natural gas power plant downtown. The city-owned utility’s other properties in the area including parking lots, warehouses and even its downtown office are envisioned as possible locations for a walkable, mixed-use development that brings new jobs, residents and visitors to the heart of the city.
The Gainesville Sun Editorial Board
Over much of the past decade, financial decisions involving Gainesville Regional Utilities have forced elected officials to choose between bad and worse.
The Gainesville City Commission now faces another rotten choice in finding the right combination of utility rate hikes, property tax increases and cuts to government services to balance the city budget. Commissioners should prevent GRU’s already-high electric rates from soaring out of control by moving more aggressively away from relying so much on utility revenue.
Revenue from city-owned GRU currently funds around 30% of the city s general government budget. The revenue helps pay for law enforcement and other services in a city where more than half the property is not taxed, due to the University of Florida and other government entities owning the land.
The Gainesville Sun Editorial Board
Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Carlee Simon tries to avoid the term “rezoning.” She prefers the term “re-imagining” when discussing the comprehensive changes being considered by the school district.
Rezoning is certainly a loaded term. School Board and district officials dodged a comprehensive rezoning for decades, in order to avoid the controversy that comes with redrawing the maps that determine where students attend school.
But now overcrowded schools and racial equity issues are forcing a district-wide rezoning to be done. Just building additional schools in high-growth areas on the west side isn t a solution, instead creating new problems for the district’s finances.
The Gainesville Sun Editorial Board
Quality summer programs are more important than ever for K-12 students and their families.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted children’s schooling by closing classrooms last spring and keeping some students learning remotely even today. Students who are already struggling face the prospect of falling even further behind after classes end for the summer.
“Kids are not only suffering academically, but they’re also suffering on the social and emotional level from being isolated,” said Colin Murphy, executive director of the Children’s Trust of Alachua County.
Camps and other summer programs provide the opportunity for students to learn, interact socially and participate in sports and other enrichment activities, but not all families can afford them. Fortunately, the Children’s Trust provides a way to help.