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Photo special to Alachua County Today / Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway

GAINESVILLE, FL - As the final seconds tick away before halftime of the Pac-12 Conference football championship game, University of Florida College of Pharmacy student Jeremiah Johnson’s heart is racing. From his position in the end zone tunnel at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, he hears the roar of 60,000 rabid college football fans and sees rows of bright stadium lights shining down on the field. He is about to compete in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway before a national television audience of nine million people — and hopefully ride the accuracy of his right arm to win a $100,000 scholarship.

The Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway

An avid Florida Gators and college football fan, Johnson has watched college students compete in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway for years and mused about one day participating himself. In its 15th year, the contest features student finalists taking the field at halftime during the ACC, Big 12, SEC, Big 10 and Pac-12 conference championship games, competing to see who can throw the most number of footballs into an oversized Dr. Pepper can in 30 seconds. The winner of each halftime contest receives a $100,000 scholarship, with the runner-up earning a $20,000 scholarship.

The student finalists are selected based on a 60-second video submission, where they explain why they deserve the tuition scholarship, how it would impact their lives and how it would help them achieve their personal and professional goals. Johnson recorded his video in October, highlighting how the scholarship would help ease the burden of student debt and enable him to pursue his dream of becoming a community pharmacist, helping patients in underserved communities.

In his video, Johnson spoke about finding inspiration from past pharmacists. He specifically referenced Charles Alderton, a pharmacist and creator of Dr. Pepper. Alderton formulated the carbonated soda in a Waco, Texas drug store back in 1885.

Johnson believes that linking Dr. Pepper to pharmacy made his video stand out among all the entries. A man of strong faith, he prayed often about the contest in the hope that his selection would allow him to glorify his savior, Jesus Christ. A week after submitting the video, he received a phone call from Dr. Pepper.

“For a minute, I did not believe the phone call was real,” Johnson said. “A marketing representative from Dr. Pepper explained how they were impressed by my video and extended an invitation to the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas.

Johnson had about five weeks to train for the contest. His stepdad and grandfather built a wooden structure in the backyard of his Plant City home that mirrored the dimensions of the large Dr. Pepper can. As a fourth-year pharmacy student, he would spend his days at a community pharmacy rotation site in Tampa and his evenings throwing the football in the backyard.

“I watched videos of previous contestants and tried to figure out the best method to grab the footballs and throw them,” Johnson said. “There are so many techniques to consider, but I felt most comfortable throwing the football overhand in a traditional motion.”

Touchdown in Las Vegas

Johnson and his girlfriend arrived in Las Vegas on Nov. 29, two days before the Pac-12 Conference championship game. Dr. Pepper covered all their travel expenses and, in his words, provided a VIP experience throughout the stay.

There were three student scholarship winners invited to Las Vegas, but only two got to compete for the $100,000 grand prize at halftime. A preliminary round of throws was held at Allegiant Stadium the day before the game, with Johnson competing against college students from Stony Brook University in New York and Santa Barbara City College in California.

Johnson found his rhythm early in the preliminary round, tossing 14 footballs through the round hole in 30 seconds. He earned the highest score and punched his ticket to the competition’s final round. The victory also guaranteed that Johnson would leave Las Vegas with at least $20,000 in scholarship money.

“I refrained from telling many people about the trip to Las Vegas and my participation in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway, in case I finished last in the preliminary round and did not appear on national TV,” Johnson said. “Once my spot in the final was secured, I let a few of my classmates and friends know what was happening.”

30 seconds for a $100,000 scholarship

As the football teams from the University of Oregon and University of Washington walked off the field for halftime, Johnson and his competitor were ushered out of the end zone tunnel. Two oversized Dr. Pepper cans were positioned on the goal line with tubs of regulation-size footballs five yards away. Each competitor took their position near the tubs and received last-minute instructions from the official. Whoever threw the most footballs through the two-foot diameter hole in 30 seconds would take home the $100,000 scholarship.

The nerves Johnson experienced in the tunnel followed him to the football field. Despite long, deep breaths, he was unable to relax. It was hard to ignore the spotlight and the gravity of the moment.

“The whole situation of knowing that you could win $100,000 and so many people are watching and counting on you was a lot of pressure,” Johnson said.

An official wearing white and black stripes led the final countdown, and on his whistle, the competition began. Johnson, sporting a red Dr. Pepper football jersey with the number 23 on the back, made his first throw. But he struggled with his grip on the subsequent throws and missed three in a row.

“My technique, the overhand throw, requires you to have a good grip on the football,” Johnson said. “When I did not have a good grip, I started panicking and my technique changed.”

Johnson had no idea how many throws his competitor made, but with each miss, his dream of winning the $100,000 scholarship became more difficult. He would only connect on 7 of 16 tosses and ultimately lose by a score of 13-7.

The sting of disappointment does not last long, as Dr. Pepper presented Johnson with a $20,000 scholarship check for finishing runner-up.

“This scholarship will go a long way toward paying down my student debt,” Johnson said. “By alleviating some of the financial pressure that accompanies my student loans, I can better focus on being a community pharmacist and serving others.”

Johnson will graduate from UF with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May — appreciative of the scholarship and the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway during his final year of college.

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GAINESVILLE - Alachua County Public Schools has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing teachers and most of the district’s other employees.

The district’s negotiating team and the Alachua County Education Association (ACEA) tentatively agreed to an across-the-board 3.5% salary increase for instructional and non-instructional personnel. That increase is in addition to the automatic ‘step’ increase those employees receive at the beginning of each school year as long as they completed half of their contract the previous year. The step increase typically averages 1%.

The increase would be retroactive to July 1 of 2023, depending on when each employee’s contract took effect. For example, if an employee’s contract for 2023-24 started the first day of school, the raise would be retroactive to that date.

The salary agreement still has to be ratified by employees, then approved by the School Board. The district is hoping to place the new salary schedule on the School Board meeting agenda for January 16^th if the employee vote is completed in time.

“We appreciate the collaboration between the district and the ACEA to reach this tentative agreement,” said Superintendent Shane Andrew. “I’m sure it’s welcome news for employees. Once the salary schedule is ratified by employees and approved by the School Board, district staff will be working very hard to get those dollars into employee’s paychecks as quickly as possible.”

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• Alachua County Housing Authority Board – one tenant alternate.
• Animal Welfare – Two vacancies, including one alternate and one mental health professional.
• Health Care Advisory Board – One alternate and one representative of a healthcare agency serving primarily low-income patients.
• Historical Commission – Two At-Large citizens and one alternate vacancy.
• Housing Finance Authority – Three At-Large citizens vacancies, with one being knowledgeable in labor, finance or commerce.
• Human Rights Board – Three vacancies, including one alternate, one lending institution representative, and one residential rental manager.
• Infrastructure Surtax Oversight Board – One Alachua County resident (alternate), one representative incorporated cities – not Gainesville (alternate), and one representative incorporated cities – not Gainesville.
• Public Safety Coordinating Council – One representative county state jobs programs community groups who work with offenders and victims.
• Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee – One At-Large citizen vacancy.
• Regional Transit System Advisory Board – Three vacancies, including one citizen who is one (or more) of the following: Chamber of Commerce representative, member of the environmental community, member of the MTPO Citizen's Advisory Committee; one citizen who is one (or more) of the following: major employer in the local area, senior citizen, person with a disability; and one citizen who is one (or more) of the following: regular user of transit system, UF student, SFC student, member of a neighborhood and/or homeowners association.
• Rural Concerns: Two vacancies for a member actively involved in agriculture and/or silviculture and one At-Large citizen.
• Tourist Development Council – One hotel owner or operator vacancy.
• Value Adjustment Board – One At-Large citizen who owns a business in Alachua County.
• Veteran Services Advisory Board – One At-Large citizen, one disabled American veterans representative, one American Legion representative, and one VA Medical Center Representative.
• Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center Advisory Council – Five At-Large citizens and one alternate vacancy.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - City of Gainesville officials anticipate severe weather conditions, including temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit during evening hours Monday, Dec. 18-Friday, Dec. 22. The anticipated temperatures will lead to the activation of the city's Cold Night Shelter (CNS) Program, and it is expected to remain in effect until overnight low temperatures rise above 45 F. The CNS program normally runs from Nov. 1 through March 31.

 St. Francis House and GRACE Marketplace at the Empowerment Center will provide Cold Night Shelter services to people in need of shelter as long as overnight temperatures remain below 45 F. The CNS program providers serve additional persons in need of shelter so that families and individuals desiring shelter will have a warm place to stay. St. Francis House provides temporary shelter that is appropriate for families, women and children. GRACE Marketplace primarily serves individual adults.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Dec. 15, 2023) – Gainesville City Manager Cynthia W. Curry is encouraging community organizations that receive support from the City of Gainesville to consider Fiscal Year 2025 budget plans that do not rely on city funding.

In a message sent today to community-based service providers, City Manager Curry outlined the uncertainties facing the City of Gainesville as her office begins the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process.

In past years, the city has relied on funds from Gainesville Regional Utilities to help support public services and programs. But as the members of the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority Board continue to analyze the utility’s debt level and rate structure, this Government Services Contribution (GSC) — formerly called the General Fund Transfer —could potentially be lowered or eliminated.

The City Manager’s message reads:

Dear Community-based Service Providers,

On behalf of the City of Gainesville, I would like to thank you for your dedication to our residents and your continued partnership with the City. Your presence in the community and involvement with the City helps us to deliver important services, enrich our cultural resources, and improve the quality of life for our neighbors.

When developing the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, General Government was faced with unprecedented challenges – including navigating a $19.0 million revenue deficit as a result of a 55.4% reduction to our second largest revenue source – the General Fund Transfer – now referred to as the Government Service Contribution, remitted to General Government by the Gainesville Regional Utilities. Through reductions in personnel, including eliminating 125.5 positions, increasing the millage rate, and making other revenue and expenditure adjustments, we were able to balance the budget and preserve outside agency grant funding.

We are now working on the Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget, and at this time, we are facing similar uncertainties regarding revenue sources. Future discussions and budget development processes will bring these uncertainties to resolution. However, we are preparing for additional reductions in our key revenues such as the Government Services Contribution and indirect costs, which could potentially further reduce our available resources. This will surely impact our ability to maintain current funding levels for General Government programs, services, and the level of outside agency support you have come to rely on.

I share this information with you in the spirit of transparency as you begin to prepare your budgets and develop your fundraising plans for the upcoming year.

Again, thank you for making Gainesville the special place it is. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with questions.

Cynthia W. Curry

City Manager

City of Gainesville

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