Community Leaders
WELCOME! On behalf of the citizens of Alachua County, I would like to extend a warm greeting to those of you visiting our amazing county. To the citizens of this great county, I would like to invite you to rediscover our local treasures.
Where else on earth can you take a swim in the world’s most pristine springs in the morning, catch a top-fuel drag race in the afternoon and watch the NCCA Champion Florida Gators play basketball at night?
Alachua County is truly where nature and culture meet. Our county, and the extraordinarily unique cities within it, offers an incredible diversity of activities. From visiting hiking and biking trails to attending the symphony, canoeing unspoiled rivers to a night at the theater, antiquing in historic small towns to touring one of the great universities in America, watching the buffalo roam on Payne’s Prairie to witnessing great dancers defying gravity, whether you are visiting or fortunate enough to live here, I urge you to take advantage of all that Alachua County has to offer. Go Gators!
Lee Pinkoson 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 1,300 members, representing 69,000 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 of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE IS renowned as a welcoming community. Our city exudes a friendly spirit and an open heart to all comers. We do so because of the people and the place. This region is populated with active, talented and involved individuals who care very much about their neighbors and the place in which they live. Many of them work and study at Santa Fe Community College. Because citizens are engaged, Gainesville can boast a quality of life and sophistication that matches what you find in a much larger city. This vibrancy is found in a beautiful place. We have a natural setting that brings out the best in those who live here, and soon enough in those who visit. In your travels, I hope you visit us at SFCC. Santa Fe is a cordial college, and I thank Gainesville Today for producing this guide so you may learn more about us.
Jackson N. Sasser President, Santa Fe Community College
A CENTURY AGO this year, the University of Florida opened its doors in Gainesville. We have been a proud member of the Gainesville and Alachua County communities ever since.
A total of 102 students enrolled at UF in the fall of 1906. Today, that number has grown to nearly 50,000. While in the early years UF offered only a handful of degree programs, today we have available more than 100 bachelor of arts degree programs and more than 200 graduate and professional degree programs.
We owe our remarkable growth and success in no small measure to the gracious support and assistance of our host communities of Gainesville and Alachua County. As a result, we value our role as a significant community partner very highly. We operate a number of outreach programs. We strive to nurture local technology initiatives. And our students, faculty and staff are engaged in many volunteer and service projects.
We are pleased and gratified to call Gainesville our home, and look forward to continuing our productive relationship with this city and Alachua County for many years into the future.
J. Bernard Machen President
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS are professionally trained and State-of- Florida-certified. The department provides twenty-four-hour coverage with complete law enforcement services including investigating all crimes committed in its jurisdiction, making arrests, providing crime prevention/ public safety programs, enforcing traffic laws and maintaining crowd control for campus special events. The department maintains a close liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in implementing and coordinating campus law enforcement operations.
In March 1996, the University of Florida Police Department became one of only 14 university law enforcement agencies in the country to achieve national law enforcement accreditation. Upon achieving this prestigious designation, the UFPD became the first accredited collegiate law enforcement agency in the state of Florida, and the second largest accredited campus agency in the country. Accomplishing both national and state accreditation provides an excellent indication that the University of Florida Police Department is among the leaders in the field of campus law enforcement.
For more information regarding the University of Florida Police Department, please see our website at www.police.ufl.edu.
Chief Linda J. Stump, Director University Police Department
AS AN AGENCY, we count ourselves among the leaders in the nation in progressive law enforcement and true community oriented policing.
The Gainesville Police Department is unique in that the City of Gainesville has a population of approximately 114,000 and serves an area of approximately 52 miles. However, GPD provides service to a much larger base of approximately 150,000 citizens, primarily because of the student and urban-fringe population who enter the city each day.
Gainesville Police Department members answer more than 120,000 calls for service each year. To this end, GPD has many special programs to combat crime and work with the community. Since August 2000, the department operates under a District and Community Policing concept, where officers and supervisors are assigned to permanent zones and where it allows us to be much more effective at providing the highest level of quality-of-life service to our neighborhoods.
As an agency, we depend on our community and government agency partnerships to assist us in delivering the highest services. Please visit our Web site at www.gainesvillepd.org to become involved in our community programs.
Norman B. Botsford, Chief, Gainesville Police Department
THE ALACHUA COUNTY Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) is a state and nationally accredited, full service law enforcement agency that has countywide jurisdiction in all 965 square miles of Alachua County. We are an agency that stands for the highest quality law enforcement and inmate detention, rendered with dedication to equality, fairness, and professional integrity. Our agency is comprised of over 760 sworn and nonsworn employees who work hard for you everyday. It has been our mission to partner with our community in order to keep our streets and communities safe for you and your family. As your Alachua County Sheriff, I am committed to your safety and the safety of our community. Over the past 12 years, violent crime in Alachua County has continued to decline. Together, we can make a difference. If you would like to learn more about your ACSO, please visit our web site at www.alachuasheriff.org.
Sincerely, Stephen M. Oelrich Alachua County Sheriff