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HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs Police Department (HSPD) has released a statement about Amanda Driggers, a 33-year-old who was found deceased in a clothing donation container.

“On April 17, 2024, HSPD responded to the High Springs Winn Dixie Plaza and discovered a deceased woman inside a clothing donation container. The 33-year-old deceased woman, Amanda Driggers, was a loving mother and a resident of Alachua.

“During this profoundly tragic incident, Driggers was in the company of an associate and her minor children. The two adults were together when they extracted clothing items from a closed clothing donation box, an act that many independent observers witnessed.

“Subsequently, the HSPD responded to the area concerning suspicious activity by the duo, where Driggers was eventually discovered expired. Driggers’ counterpart was only forthcoming about the actual location of Driggers late into the investigation.

“An autopsy was performed on the victim by the medical examiner, and the cause of death was ruled accidental relative to drug usage.

“After a thorough investigation and consultation with the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, it was determined that there was no criminal liability on behalf of Driggers’ associate. The cause of death was not connected to any actions or inactions of the associate.

“The High Springs Police Department would like to express our deepest condolences once again to the family of the victim. We ask that the public be sensitive and respectful of their grief during this difficult time.”

HSPD Chief Antoine Sheppard commented about drug use in the local area saying, “Drug abuse is a pervasive issue that affects many families and communities and the High Springs area is no exception.

“In our community, we have seen an increase in drug-related service calls, particularly involving opioids. HSPD needs citizen support to address this issue. Your involvement is vital. Numerous resources are available for drug rehab and HSPD strongly encourages participation in these programs.”

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HIGH SPRINGS – A 36-year-old High Springs man’s guilty plea secured him a prison sentence of 12 years, stemming from an assault on two High Springs Police officers in March 2022. John Kyle Culp entered into a plea deal with the State on Aug. 27, 2024.

During the original incident, the High Springs Police Department responded to a suspicious person call, where Culp was offering nearby residents drugs and appeared to be impaired.

As two High Springs Police Officers approached Culp, he sat motionless in his vehicle and refused to identify himself or cooperate with the officers’ direction.

When the officers attempted to remove Culp from the vehicle with the door ajar, Culp put his vehicle in reverse, accelerated and struck and dragged the officers for a short duration.

Culp subsequently crashed his vehicle a few blocks from the incident and fled on foot, escaping capture. A thorough search of Culp’s vehicle was conducted to ensure public safety, which yielded various controlled substances including fentanyl, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, Alprazolam (Xanax), and assorted pills. 

On March 24, 2022, a New Orleans-based U.S. Marshals Task Force located and arrested Culp in Louisiana, and he was extradited back to Alachua County to face criminal charges of: 

Count I: Aggravated Battery on Law Enforcement Officer

Count VI: Aggravated Battery on Law Enforcement Officer

Count VII: Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Count IV: Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Count V: Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Count VI: Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Count VII: Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Count VIII: Possession of Firearm, Ammunition, or Electric Weapon by Convicted Felon

Count IX: Aggravated Fleeing or Attempting to Elude (Injury or damage)

Count X: Resisting an Officer with Violence

Count XI: Fail Stop/Report Crash Involving Injury

High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard said, “I am grateful that the officers survived this attack. The actions of Mr. Culp were severe and could have resulted in the death or serious bodily injury to our public servants, underscoring the gravity of the incident. Mr. Culp will have a long time to reflect on his criminal offenses, and I fervently hope that he seeks and obtains the necessary help and reform upon his return to society.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Façade Improvement Grant Matching Program is now open to residential homeowners in the district.

After seeing overwhelming success with the CRA’s Business Façade Grant Program, the City of High has announced the addition of a residential grant program. The program is designed to help homeowners revitalize their houses. In an era of rising construction costs, the façade grant is available to offer neighbors a helping hand.

The grant program provides 50/50 reimbursement for eligible improvements up to $5,000 to encourage and advance revitalization efforts. The CRA Board will review applications and award grants.

For full requirements and application, residents should go to https://www.highsprings.gov/.../facade-grant-application.

Applications will be accepted until all grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, contact CRA Director Amy Bohannon at 386-454-6225 or CRA@highsprings.gov.

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NEWBERRY – The Newberry City Commission and received an update from City Manager Mike New about the city’s wastewater treatment plant and discussed a fire services agreement with Alachua County, among other matters on Aug. 26, 2024. The meeting also provided a platform for Commissioner Rick Coleman to ask questions about Save Our Schools Newberry, fulfilling a previous commitment he said he had made.

City Manager Mike New provided a status of grant requests for the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and current capacity. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) denied the City’s application for a construction state revolving fund (SRF) loan. New said, “We were not approved by FDEP for the loan because our current rates and fees are insufficient to repay the loan amount, which is presumed to be $70ish million.” New said the denial wasn’t a surprise. “Our last cost estimate was in the $70 million range. That project started in the $22 - $24 million range just four short years ago,” he said.

“We applied for a $49 million grant through FDEP. In December, we should find out whether we will receive the grant. If we are successful, then we will again seek an SRF loan, but this time we will request a $21 million loan. We are capable of paying debt service on $21 million, so we expect approval for a $21 million loan request,” New said. “If we get approved then we are going to bid in March.”

Regarding system capacity, New said, “Just from a wastewater capacity on paper, we are out. But in terms of everyday flow, we’re at 50 percent capacity. We have met with FDEP and we have a strategy in place that probably gives us four years worth of 150 – 200 gallons per day for homes per year.”

In other business, the Commission conducted a Legislative Hearing on second reading of an ordinance providing consent for the entire corporate limits of the city to be included in a Non-Ad Valorem assessment for Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) created by Alachua County for Solid Waste Management Costs. The Commission voted 4-1 to approve the assessment with Commissioner Tim Marden dissenting.

Alachua County requested authorization to continue the levy of a MSBU to provide Solid Waste Services to the City. The MSBU rate for residential customers in FY 2024-25 is $25.27, the same rate as in the prior year. Rates are annual and are paid to Alachua County when property taxes are due.

In still other business, the Commission unanimously approved an updated Fire Service Agreement (FSA) between Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) and the Newberry Fire Department (NFD) that was scheduled to expire at midnight on Sept. 30, 2024. Thes Agreement between the City and County will be effective Oct. 1, 2024 until terminated by agreement of the parties or as otherwise provided in the Agreement.

Newberry Fire Chief Mike Vogel presented the updated contract between ACFR and NFD, which he said includes several key changes including reducing the contract duration from five to two years. The Exchange Program has been removed, with NFD now providing Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. The minimum staffing requirement has been set at three personnel (NFD's minimum staffing is four). ACFR will provide all disposable ALS medical supplies and NFD must submit a daily roster to ACFR.

Vogel said currently, the City of Newberry attends more requests for services in the County than Alachua County attends Newberry fires. The cost to both parties to attend incidents in the other’s area is $866.

The matter of Newberry’s Charter School was raised as Commissioner Rick Coleman offered questions regarding Save Our Schools Newberry that he had promised to read. Mayor Jordan Marlowe said that all of these questions have been asked and answered previously. Marlowe also said that the same people keep asking the same questions.

Responding to a question about the legitimacy of the charter school after the close vote, Marlowe said, “The Department of Education has already ruled on this. They’ve already said that the vote passed and the vote hit the standard. So that’s a decided question. Anyone who continues to say that the vote didn’t pass is incorrect and is purposely misleading people, because we have very clear communication from the Department of Education that it did pass.”

Responding to a question about why the City plans to loan money to the charter school board to pay for lawyers and other consultants helping to prepare the charter school application, Marlowe said, “You guys [referring to the Commissioners] have not voted to loan anybody money. You guys have voted to pay the bills for the new school board in order to get the application moved forward.”

The next Newberry City Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.

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NEWBERRY – The Newberry City Commission at he Aug. 26, 2024, meeting put one agenda item on hold. Among other matters, the final adoption of the City’s Fire Assessment Rates for the coming year was scheduled for a vote. However, a large increase in the Industrial category from $0.06 per square foot to $0.23 per square foot had Commissioners and some business owners in sticker shock.

During the current year, the City of Newberry contracted Anser Advisory to calculate the apportionment of fire service costs to ensure those costs are fairly spread across all users of the City’s fire service. This is a standard best practice every 5-7 years.

The study returned with a higher call volume and response time generated by commercial and industrial users, meaning that more of the fire assessment is being proposed against those user types. Preliminarily adopted rates for FY25 were initially set at $0.23 per square foot.

However, it is well known in the community and revealed in the report that one business is responsible for the higher call volume/response time noted by Anser Advisory.

A number of business owners expressed their displeasure to the Commission in having their rates increased by $0.17 per square foot because of one business owner. The Commission agreed and discussed a few options for change to the category that might be fairer to all business owners.

Potentially reducing rates led to concern and discussion about a reduced assessment amount to the City’s FY 2024-25 Fire Services budget. Newberry Assistant City Manager and CFO Dallas Lee said that a reduction in rates would cause a budget shortfall, but the City could make it up if that’s what the Commission opted to do.

The Commission failed to take action on the rate structure at the Aug. 26 meeting but did task City Staff to look at options and to present their findings at the Sept. 9, 2024, Commission meeting for consideration and final approval.

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ALACHUA ‒ This past Saturday marked the start of the Fall 2024 season for the Santa Fe Alachua Raiders Youth Football & Cheer Program.

The program, which is a staple of the Alachua and High Springs community, organized a vibrant kickoff event featuring games across multiple age groups: 6U, 8U, 10U, and 12U.

The Raiders faced off against Perry Elite from Taylor County, with both the 6U and 12U teams securing their first wins of the season. Meanwhile, the 8U and 10U teams came up short but are hopeful for redemption in their upcoming games against Henry Brown in Jacksonville. The Raiders' next home games are set for Sept. 28, 2024, against the Bradford Cowboys.

Paulie McClain, the current President of the Alachua Raiders, along with coaches and volunteers, orchestrated a successful and engaging event that brought the community together. As the league travels north to Jacksonville this coming weekend, the community wishes them the best of luck.

In addition to the excitement on the field, the Welch Family Reunion brought a spirit of celebration and togetherness to the Hal Brady Recreation Gymnasium over the weekend. The Welch family, a longstanding pillar of the Alachua community, gathered to strengthen family bonds, create lasting memories, and uphold cherished traditions.

On the cultural front, the City of Alachua Recreation & Culture Department is teaming up with Dance About to offer a six-week dance program for children. Registration is currently open for classes that begin on Sept. 30, 2024, and run through Nov. 18, 2024. Classes for grades K-4 will be held on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., and for grades 5-8 from 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Legacy Multipurpose Center.

Additionally, the Recreation & Culture Department is launching a new music and arts program at Legacy Park. MapForYouth, a group dedicated to fostering youth appreciation for the arts, will host an open house on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Legacy Park’s Multipurpose Building, located at 5400 Peggy Road, Alachua. This event will provide an opportunity for parents and caregivers to explore the program’s offerings, which include introductions to keyboard/piano, digital drums, guitar, arts and crafts, dance, and a variety of fun and engaging games. The open house is free and welcomes anyone interested in learning more about these enriching programs.

For more information about these programs, please contact the City of Alachua Recreation & Culture Department at recreation@cityofalachua.org.

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