Community Leaders
IF YOU ARE visiting Alachua County, let me welcome you. If you are a resident, let me invite you to use this month’s issue of Gainesville Today as a guide to our community, its attractions, services and a number of the fine businesses and agencies featured in this magazine.
Alachua County government serves two roles. For all the residents we provide countywide services, including emergency management, animal services, the Crisis Center, the Cooperative Extension Service and victim services. For those residing or working in the urban, unincorporated areas we provide the same types of services as cities, including fire-rescue, solid waste, parks and recreation and public works.
We encourage our residents to participate by joining an advisory committee, attending commission meetings, serving as a volunteer or by calling, writing or sending e-mails to commissioners and staff.
Again, welcome to Alachua County.
Mike Byerly Chair Alachua County Commission
WELCOME to Gainesville, the heart of beautiful North Central Florida. Not your typical Florida, Gainesville is an eclectic mixture of beauty, diversity and charm. A place where history blends with the future and technology mingles with tradition.
Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, the area basks in beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures year-round.
Gainesville is a leader in education, healthcare, business, technology and the arts, making it is easy to see why our community is recognized as one of Florida’s most livable cities.
Come unlock the history, romance and beauty of our community. Explore every nook and cranny because you are our guest, and we’re glad you’re here. For more information about Gainesville and the surrounding area, visit our website at www.gainesvillechamber. com. The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization of more than 1,200 members, representing 65,000 employees – more than 60 percent of the workforce of Alachua County. We are proud to have served as the voice of business in the Gainesville/Alachua County area since 1924.
J. Brent Christensen President & CEO Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce
WELCOME! Whether you’re a lifelong resident, a college student or a weekend visitor, Gainesville, Alachua County and all of North Central Florida have so much to offer. We pride ourselves on being a vibrant, exciting and welcoming community with something for everyone.
In these pages, you’ll learn about the things we love: our favorite activities, restaurants, natural areas and neighborhoods. Whether you’re drawn to University of Florida sports or the Hippodrome Theatre, the Spring Arts Festival, Gatornationals, historic small towns or the downtown culture and nightlife of Gainesville, try it all.
Stay for an hour or a lifetime. We know you’ll love it here!
Pegeen Hanrahan Mayor-elect of Gainesville
A WELCOME to Gainesville inevitably includes a greeting at a class, service, event or activity that's connected in some way to Santa Fe Community College. I have heard it said that Santa Fe is "Gainesville's best kept secret," but there is a better way of phrasing it: Santa Fe is involved in the community in so many ways that it is difficult for any individual to know about all of them.
Your community college offers enrichment classes for adults, arts festivals, renowned speakers, athletics and arts events, courses that match almost every personal goal, special programs for individuals who need help and a rich campus life. Through it all, and with 16,000 students, we maintain small classes and a cordial atmosphere. Santa Fe certainly is not a secret, and I thank Gainesville Today for producing this guide so you have the opportunity to learn more about us.
Jackson N. Sasser President, Santa Fe Community College
THE UNIVERSITY of Florida is a proud member of the Gainesville and Alachua County community. Gainesville has been a gracious host to this university, providing the passionate support that has allowed the University of Florida to become one of the finest, most comprehensive research institutions in the country.
The University of Florida well appreciates its role as a significant community partner. Each year, the university is engaged in a considerable number of community outreach programs, from education to health care. The university also creates jobs and nurtures local technology initiatives. Finally, and perhaps most noteworthy, during the last year, the faculty, staff and students of the university donated approximately $2 million to local charity and service organizations.
Yesterday, today and always, the University of Florida is pleased and gratified to call Gainesville its home.
J. Bernard Machen President, University of Florida
WE ARE PLEASED to present the Guide to Gainesville. Working many years in the medical industry, we are believers in improving our work through CQI (continuous quality improvement). We hope you will agree that this year’s Guide is the best ever. A sincere thank you to all of you who contributed.
We are very proud that we will be showcased in the community pages of the MEGAbook, where they also believe in getting a little better every day. Mitch and his team have impacted the Gainesville landscape by setting the goal of being the best phone book in the country. We are excited about being part of his vision, and look forward to many years of synergistic collaboration.
Almost every day, our team gets compliments on our progress and how people enjoy reading our magazine. Almost every day we also get feedback on ideas to improve. We are listening, growing and changing, just as our community is, getting better, getting stronger and getting closer as we enjoy North Central Florida and call it our home.
Sincerely, Mark and Patti
TTHE MISSION of the Gainesville Police Department is to provide competent and courteous service to all residents of the community in their homes and places of business, while working toward establishing a community environment characterized by both physical safety and personal freedom. Tax dollars, along with other funds we receive through a variety of sources, allow us to provide you with the best police protection possible, and helps make Gainesville one of the most livable places in Florida.
In recent years, GPD, like many other agencies, has geared our efforts to community policing. That allows us to be much more effective at providing a higher level of service, especially in our more urban areas, and it makes us much more responsive to people in neighborhoods and on our streets.
We continue to strive to make our department more accessible to the community it serves, and we appreciate the opportunity to share this information with the readers of Gainesville Today.
Norman B. Botsford, Chief, Gainesville Police Department
GREETINGS: I’m Alachua County Sheriff Steve Oelrich and I would like to explain how the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) works to ensure the services they provide are supported by the countywide jurisdiction and authority vested in the sheriff.
The Court Security Bureau is responsible for the criminal and civil courthouses. The Warrants Bureau is responsible for the execution of all misdemeanor and felony warrants, serving 12,741 warrants in 2002.
The Combined Communications Center (CCC) is staffed 24 hours a day with telecommunicators, who dispatch for ACSO, Alachua County Fire Rescue, Gainesville Police Department, Gainesville Fire Rescue Department and the Waldo Police Department.
At the Department of the Jail, in 2002, our staff booked 12,944 inmates into the facility and had an average daily population of 814 inmates.
Please visit our website at www.alachuasheriff.org to learn more about your Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Sincerely, Stephen M. Oelrich Alachua County Sheriff
I AM PROUD to be a part of this progressive campus law enforcement agency, and appreciate the fact that Gainesville Today is including us in this special issue.
The University of Florida Police Department is a state and nationally accredited agency. We employ more than 90 certified officers providing patrol and protection on campus.
Like other law enforcement agencies we have a Criminal Investigations Division, as well as a Bicycle Patrol Team, Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), K-9 Team, Motorcycle Unit, Office of Victim Advocacy and specialized units responsible for duties unique to the campus environment.
Every member of the UF community should also be familiar with our Community Services Division. One of the most important parts of our department, the division is dedicated to providing personal and property safety information and programs designed to help make your experience at UF as enjoyable and crime-free as possible.
Chief Linda J. Stump, Director University Police Department