Local

ALACHUA COUNTY – Qualifying for statewide, multicounty, county and special district candidates ended at noon Friday. 

The Alachua County candidates who have qualified to have their name appear on the ballot, as well as the seat for which they are running, are listed below.

Alachua County Sheriff

Robert Walter Brinkman

1815 SE 50th Street

Gainesville, FL 32641

robertwbrinkman@gmail.com

352-318-4934

Party Affiliation: N/A

Write-in candidate in General Election

Sadie Darnell

2603 NW 13th Street

PMB #276

Gainesville, FL 32609

darnell.sadie@gmail.com

352-281-5990

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Clovis Watson Jr.

16591 NW 129th Terrace

Alachua, FL 32615

cwatsonjr@windstream.net

352-225-6264

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Alachua County Property Appraiser

Glen Tyler Foerst

306 NW 148th Terrace

Newberry, FL 32669

gt2089@gmail.com

352-318-3018

Party Affiliation: N/A

Write-in candidate in General Election

Matt Geiger

5432 NW 45th Drive

Gainesville, FL 32653

matt.geiger1968@gmail.com

352-222-4338

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Susan M. McQuillan

12516 SW 9th Avenue

Newberry, FL 32669

mcsusan@cox.net

352-359-2409

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Wendy Sapp

PO Box 5451

Gainesville, FL 32627

wendymsapp@gmail.com

352-328-4134

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Ayesha Solomon

1559 NW 29th Road

#6

Gainesville, FL 32605

s.ayeshasolomon@gmail.com

352-562-2111

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Kelly F. Suggs

9000 SW 106th Terrace

Gainesville, FL 32608

kellysuggs@cox.net

352-495-9603

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Alachua County Commission District 1

Mary Alford

5208 SW 91st Way

#110

Gainesville, FL 32608

mary.alford@gmail.com

352-317-4480

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Mike Byerly

PO Box 776

Micanopy, FL 32667

byerly4@gmail.com

352-234-7010

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Raemi Eagle-Glenn

9932 SW 54th Lane

Gainesville, FL 32608

raemi@eagleglennlaw.com

352-316-7091

Party Affiliation: Republican Party of Florida

Name will appear on General Election ballot

Randolph L Kaufman

8729 SW 145th Place

Gainesville, FL 32618

randyandjean77@hotmail.com

352-495-2564

Party Affiliation: N/A

Write-in candidate in General Election

Alachua County Commission District 3

Joy W. Glanzer

190 NW 266th Street

Newberry, FL 32669

joyglanzer@cox.net

352-665-3534

Party Affiliation: Republican Party of Florida

Name will appear on General Election ballot

Anna Prizzia

2530 NW 11th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32605

annaforalachua@gmail.com

910-894-3441

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Jason Stanford

PO Box 6175

Gainesville, FL 32627

jasonforalachua@gmail.com

404-545-9077

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Kevin Thorpe

230 SW 2nd Avenue

#108

Gainesville, FL 32601

vote4kevinthorpe@gmail.com

352-219-2218

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot to determine General Election candidate

Alachua County School Board District 2 (Nonpartisan)

Khanh-Lien R. Banko

601 NW 23rd Street

Gainesville, FL 32607

klbanko@gmail.com

386-717-4965

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot

Diyonne L. McGraw

4331 NW 21st Terrace

Gainesville, FL 32605

mcgrawforstudents@gmail.com

352-246-8071

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot

Alachua County School Board District 4 (Nonpartisan)

Sande Calkins

628 CR 234

Gainesville, FL 32641

sande4schoolboard@gmail.com

352-214-1027

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot

Leanetta McNealy

1266 SE 12th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32641

lee.mcnealy@gmail.com

352-219-3898

Name will appear on Primary Election ballot

The following candidates were elected without opposition:

Alachua County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller

J.K. "Jess" Irby

Protected Information

irbyforclerk@gmail.com

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Elected without opposition  

Alachua County Supervisor of Elections

Kim A. Barton

5212 NW 27th Drive

Gainesville, FL 32605

bbartonkim@aol.com

352-278-6062

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Elected without opposition

Alachua County Tax Collector

John Power

Protected Information

votejohnpower@outlook.com

352-339-1406

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Elected without opposition

Alachua County Commission District 5

Charles S. "Chuck" Chestnut IV

11827 NW 71st Terrace

Alachua, FL 32615

charleschestnutiv@ymail.com

352-215-0659

Party Affiliation: Florida Democratic Party

Elected without opposition

Alachua County Soil and Water Conservation District Group 2 (Nonpartisan)

Emily Faulconer

8119 West Newberry Road

Gainesville, FL 32606

emily.faulconer@yahoo.com

434-485-9021

Elected without opposition  

Alachua County Soil and Water Conservation District Group 4 (Nonpartisan)

Daniel "Danny" Gordon

910 NW 40th Drive

Gainesville, FL 32605

dtg10e@my.fsu.edu

352-301-0587

Elected without opposition

Qualifying for statewide, multicounty and special district candidates is handled by the Florida Division of Elections. For a list of those candidates, go to http://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/.

The list of Alachua County candidates and additional information can also be found at https://www.votealachua.com/Candidates-Parties-Committees/Candidates-For-Office.

If you have any questions or need more information, call the Supervisor of Elections at 352-374-5252.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS – At 25042 US-27, on the outskirts of High Springs stands a small white cinder block building whose history is intertwined with the community. Its only distinguishing feature is the wall-mounted barbershop pole that has been rotating for more than half a century.

Over 60 years ago, Otto Duncan opened the shop and became the first African-American licensed barber in the area. From his two-chair barber shop he continued to cut the hair of the High Springs community until his death in March 2020 at the age of 92. After his passing, the barbershop sat shuttered, its antique porcelain and leather chairs vacant and the barber pole light that had rotated for so long remained off.

Andrew Miller grew up in High Springs and knew Duncan, who had cut his hair as a child. Miller became a master barber himself and studied barbering at Bly’s School of Cosmetology and Barbering in Gainesville. Miller, a graduate of Santa Fe High School, was active in several clubs including the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), which helped him establish his career. At the age of 19, Miller opened his first barbershop in High Springs and called it Poetic Cuts. By the age of 22 he was doing well enough to open a second shop in Gainesville. At the same time, he was also taking care of his elderly grandmother. When she died, Miller felt running two shops was becoming a burden and closed both shops and worked as a barber for Great Clips, which provided a steady paycheck without the responsibility of being the business owner as well. But his desire to have his own shop never faded away.

After Duncan's passing, Miller, now 25, heard that a stylist was going to move into the building. Miller contacted her to see about renting out the other chair as an independent barber. What happened next Miller describes as having come from nowhere but would change his plans completely.

The stylist contacted him the next day to suggest that he take over the lease and she was going to withdraw. “I was not really expecting to own my own shop again, but the opportunity suddenly came up and I decided to take it. With its history and Duncan's impact on the community I didn't want to see it disappear,” Miller said. “I am proud to follow in Duncan's footsteps and keep the place as it has been for over 60 years.”

He plans to keep the old chairs and furnishing as an old time feel. He has also tried turning on the barber pole and was surprised to find that despite being 60 years old, it still works.

On June 20, that pole will again be lit and rotating when Miller reopens the barbershop under the name of his first shop, Poetic Cuts. Starting at 10 a.m., there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony dedicated to Duncan. This will be followed by announcements by several city officials including the High Springs mayor. Miller also plans to have free food, a bounce house for children and prizes for attendees.

The small shop has two styling chairs and Miller said might add staff. He charges $12 for cuts for kids 12 and under and for 13 or older it’s $15. His barbershop is not just for men’s cuts, he said. “I can cut women styles as well,” Miller said, adding that he learned a variety of styles while working for Great Clips hair salon.

“I am setting up a telephone reservation system where people can call to be scheduled. As a barber its can be frustrating to set specific times for appointments and have people not show, which can then affect other appointments,” Miller said. Customers can call in to be added to the days list of appointments. “I give them the approximate time based on previous customers so there is a constant flow but not a long wait time for the customers,” Miller explained. “If someone isn't there for their appointment, they will get put on end of list, it will be first come first served so no one has to wait long.”

While Miller had not planned on reopening his own shop, he is looking forward to being his own boss and the flexibility of the hours while not being confined to a shift. The chance to carry on Duncan's legacy and keep this historic barbershop alive was an opportunity he had to take.

#     #     #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com

NEWBERRY – Gatorback Cycle Park in Newberry has been given the green light for another five years. During the City of Newberry’s May 26 Special Commission meeting, Principal Planner Wendy Kinser Maxwell highlighted her findings after investigating compliance with the City’s Land Development Regulations by Gatorback Cycle Park. Kinser explained that the Special Exception (SE) provided to the business requires that a review for compliance take place every five years.

Kinser said that following a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Board, they recommended approval of the Special Exception application.

Kinser said the proposed use is in conformance with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and that continuing to allow the SE would be compatible with the established land use pattern. “The intended use will not materially alter the population density pattern or overtax the load on public facilities,” Kinser said. "The proposed use also will not have an undue adverse influence on living conditions in the neighborhood.”

Kinser explained that the park would not excessively increase traffic, will not create a drainage issue, will not seriously reduce light and air to adjacent areas, or adversely affect property values in the nearby areas. She also said that the park would not deter improvement or development of adjacent property under existing regulations and the proposed park is not out of scale with the needs of the neighborhood or community.

The 230-acre private recreational sports tourism-related facility, owned by Unlimited Sports MX, is located at 20524 N.W. 46th Avenue and is in an Agricultural Zoning District.

The race track has operated for over 30 years in this location and Kinser said there is no documented history of chronic nuisance complaints although there was an inquiry about fireworks at the park.

Newberry Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas consulted with Gatorback staff regarding fireworks. “They said that they would only be using fireworks twice during the annual Gatorback Mini-Os event," Thomas said. The first display will take place on Sunday, Nov. 24, between approximately 8:30 p.m.– 9 p.m. and will last about 10-15 minutes. The second display will be mid-morning on Monday, Nov. 25, and will last less than eight minutes.

Following up with the Newberry Fire Chief Ben Buckner, Thomas was informed that the state not only allows fireworks displays but also pre-empts local jurisdictions from regulating them on private property.

"Given the results of our investigation, the Board need take no further action," Kinser said. “We’ll be back with another report on Gatorback in another five years.”

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS – How thrilled would any child be to get a FaceTime visit from one of their favorite miniature therapy horses? That’s exactly what’s happening all around the nation as Mr. Jorge and various Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses drop in for a visit and a story.

With the nation in quarantine, the Gentle Carousel Mini Horses and their caretakers, Jorge and Debbie Garcia-Bengochea, have found ways to help cheer up children and adults in hospitals and rehabilitation centers around the country.

Therapy Horses Practice Social Distancing

“Normally, the charity would be visiting with people one-on-one and preparing for the library programs we do every year,” said Debbie. Since the couple and the therapy horses are observing social distancing along with the rest of the world, they have found innovative ways to continue the therapy program using social media.

In some cases, children have met the therapy horses at a Ronald McDonald House or hospital.  When they return to their home states, the couple and the horses can follow up with them. If they have met a specific horse somewhere, Debbie and Jorge try to have that horse check in with the child via FaceTime.

“People ask us if we’re bored since we can’t leave the farm and volunteers can't come over,” Debbie said. “Far from it. We’re just as busy as ever talking to children using FaceTime in our living room along with the horses.”

In addition, Jorge has been calling some of their long-time supporters and friends just to keep in touch with those he can’t FaceTime.

The organization has about a million social media followers. “Some people are so excited about the telephone calls they post about them on their Facebook pages,” Debbie said. When he calls, they tell him their story. Everyone is facing challenges right now. They get so excited that they call their friends and say, “The real Jorge just called me.”

The couple, other volunteers and the horses returned from New York City just four weeks ago.  They were visiting hospitals and also were at the Javits Convention Center (now a hospital) doing a large international toy festival along with NBC Universal Disney.

“This was a toy fair, which was not open to the public,” said Debbie. The event was open to distributors from all around the world. Children from Make-A-Wish® Foundation as well as terminally ill adults were allowed to attend the event and meet the horses.

As it is unlikely the quarantine will be lifted in time for the charity's normal library visits, they are videotaping “StoryTime on the Farm with Mr. Jorge.”

Jorge will be reading stories that include different horses that usually go to the libraries to visit with the children. “We will have videos of the horses doing some of the things that are included in the story being read to the children,” said Debbie. “It should be really fun for us and for the children,” she said.

The couple is also doing videos for children on things they can do at home…the types of things kids can tune into and enjoy. “We hope that will make their time at home more enjoyable,” said. Debbie.

Major Fundraisers Cancelled

On the down side, the two biggest fundraisers of the year had to be cancelled this year. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization relies on fundraisers to pay for the work they do. “We don’t charge for our visits,” Debbie said. The Magical Gala, which is usually held at the end of March, was cancelled. In addition, a big Walkathon, which is scheduled for the end of April, has been severely curtailed.

The event is scheduled for the McKethan Brothers Training Center just north of Ocala, the training track used to train Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh. Although the event hasn’t been totally cancelled, it has been so severely downsized as to be a totally different event than was originally planned. Instead of stands full of people, kids who were planning to set up their own lemonade stands, additional horse riders and horse drawn carriages and lots more, there will be two horses walking around the track.

The event will be available for the public to see online, but not in person.  Folks can watch it from home on Facebook. Miniature Therapy Horse Scout, weighing in at no more than 100 lbs., will be walking the track with a 2,000 lb. Percheron named Tiny Prince Charming.

Help by Sponsoring Virtual Walkathon

“If people want to sponsor one of the horses for walking around the track, that would be great,” said Debbie. “People were excited about coming to this event, but social distancing has changed all that.” The horses will begin at the starting gate and go one lap around the track.

The couple is working alone right now. Volunteers are quarantined as well so the couple is busy feeding, grooming and taking care of the horses and other animals on their farm. “Expenses keep on coming. The horses need to be insured, fed and receive the same medical attention as any other time as do the livestock guardian dogs that protect the horses,” said Debbie. “We had counted on the two large fundraisers to help the charity financially, but that’s not going to happen this year,” she said.

Even though these are challenging times, the couple says they are going to continue to look at the positive ways they can send their love out to people. “We are always looking for creative ways to stay positive and send positive care out into the world,” said Debbie.

One item currently in the works is the possibility of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, another non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspiring today’s youth through entertainment and education-focused initiative, running the Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses videos and live feed from the farm in their 10 studios located in various hospitals. The horses have visited the studios in person many times over the years.

“We’re still in the talking stages,” said Debbie, “but if it happens, hundreds of children will be able to see the horses and hear Jorge read them stories while they are in the hospital. How wonderful would that be?”

     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY – Florida and Georgia were among the first states to announce the reopening of businesses and relaxation of social distancing, self-isolation and mask wearing rules. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis first announced a “stay at home order” on April 1 as Florida cases spiked over a 1,000 per day. Between April 1 and May 16, the numbers varied with 13 days of over 1,000 new cases a day but a general decline with larger gaps between the spikes. Less than a month later, Florida began to reopen. A number of health experts expressed concern that it was too early to allow close contact and make safety precautions like mask covering voluntary rather than mandatory.

After a month in self quarantine, people took advantage of the relaxed rules and flooded beaches, parks and springs While many stores required masks to be worn inside the store, many backed down due to threats against employees by people who refused to wear them. While the state had suggested guidelines for the number of people per group and regulations, some people chose to ignore them in favor of personal comfort. Since asymptomatic people can still have and spread the virus during the two-week incubation period, this created a situation where increased exposure could spike the numbers and a second wave was feared by medical personnel.

Two weeks later, the numbers rose dramatically and have continued to increase daily. For the sixth day in a row, Florida has seen a single-day record for the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state at the rate of over 2,000 a day, higher numbers than the original spike. Some of this increase can be attributed to increase testing with more testing sites including mobile testing centers in smaller towns.

To date, over one million people have been tested. Florida is now testing more than 200,000 people a week, more than double the number tested weekly in mid-May. This only accounts for 4 percent of the population and does not entirely explain the sudden and dramatic increase. Test results for more than 39,300 individuals were reported to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) as of midnight, Monday, June 15. Of those, 7.4 percent of new cases tested positive as opposed to 5 percent two weeks ago.

Alachua County created a “stay at home” order almost two weeks before the governor made it statewide and has continued to make masks mandatory despite the state making them “suggested.” These rules, while unpopular with some, have helped keep the infection rate and death rate lower in Alachua than the average per population. As of June 16, Alachua was 20^th of all counties with 564 confirmed cases and 10 deaths. Florida had 2,783 new cases on June 15 for a total of 80,109 and 2,993 deaths. That number of new cases is now the highest single-day jump since tracking began in March.

The increase in new cases come as the state continues the process of reopening businesses while also expanding testing for COVID-19. But even these high numbers are being questioned for their accuracy. DOH publishes total cases, not positive people. Cases are not currently created for those who receive positive antibody test results, and so DOH excludes them from that total, which means their numbers only reflect current cases, not people that were not tested for antibodies which would show they had it but have recovered. However, these people could have spread it to others without knowing.

Rebekah Jones was the data technician in charge of the DOH data website. Last month she was removed from the state's dashboard project after she questioned other officials' commitment to accessibility and transparency, according to some reports. While Jones says she was fired for questioning the accuracy of the charts, DOH countered she had "exhibited a repeated course of insubordination" during her tenure there. Jones contends that the state is under reporting the numbers and has put up a similar website detailing what she says is a more accurate and informative representation of the pandemic in Florida. According to her information there is an under count of over 8,000 cases from antibody tests.

Jones's website https://floridacovidaction.com is paid for entirely by donations. "Florida deserves a community-based dashboard that doesn't hide or fudge numbers," Jones said. Jones parallels her data alongside DOH’s coronavirus numbers, which are much lower, according to the website. The new dashboard also shows report cards on where each county stands on reopening.

While there are conflicting counts on the number of cases and in the cause of the sudden increase in the nation and Florida, the cases are rising and there is concern that the re-opening may have been premature. The state DOH dashboard and resource center can be found at http://www.floridahealth.gov/.

#     #     #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com