Local

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Golf carts will soon be a familiar sight in High Springs as the City Commission on May 25 authorized the operation of golf carts on streets owned by the City. Designated streets that golf carts can operate on include all city streets with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less. Golf carts are not authorized on Northwest 174^th Avenue, U.S. Highway 441, US Highway 27, US Highway 27 Alt, Northwest 186^th Avenue, Northwest 182^nd Street, Northwest 190^th Avenue and Northwest 202^nd Street.

Regulations on Ordinance 2023-03, which governs the use of golf carts in High Springs, specify that golf cart operators must be 15 years of age or older. Golf carts may not exceed a speed of 20 miles per hour and must be equipped with efficient brakes, reliable steering apparatus, safe tires, a rearview mirror and red reflector warning devices in both the front and rear. Golf carts operated between sunset and sunrise must be equipped with headlights, brake lights, turn signals and a windshield.

In other business, the Commission awarded a bid to Florida Homes for $375,745 in renovations at Catherine Taylor Park, 18100 Southeast Douglas Street. The park’s old daycare building is planned to be used as a Community Center in the future.

The interior work to be performed includes the removal of equipment, fixtures and lead paint. Items to be replaced include the kitchen, restrooms, mechanical room, air conditioning unit and duct work, ceiling and flooring, lighting and paint. Exterior work to be performed includes a new roof, windows, doors, lights, sidewalk and paint job.

Breanna Rolling, owner of Tight Seal, submitted a request for review of a minor site plan for construction of a pole barn to be located at 17414 N.W. U.S. Highway 441. The project, which received approval, is on 0.89 +/- acres. The 30-ft. x 30-ft. pole barn will be located behind their existing building. According to the submitted plan, the pole barn will not be visible from the road and meets the needed separation between the main building, as well as the setbacks from the parcel line.

The applicant plans to remove an accessory structure already on site in order to be compliant with the limit on accessory structures.

The Commission also surplused a lawn mower and four passenger vans that the City no longer needs. All of these items were purchased using Wild Spaces Public Places funds. They were all declared surplus so they can be sold by competitive bid on Govdeals.com. Revenue from the sale of these items will be returned to the Wild Spaces Public Places Fund for other uses.

The Commission voted to surplus a 2018 Toro Groundsmaster mower as well as four passenger vans, a 2000 GMC, 2007 Chevy, 2004 Ford and 2000 Ford. The vans were part of the Canoe Outpost purchase, but are not useable due to age and condition.

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ALACHUA ‒ When Acariyah Nelson was in first grade at Irby Elementary School in Alachua, she had a chance to come to school dressed for the job she wanted when she grew up. She came dressed as a teacher.

Now on the verge of graduating from Gainesville High School’s Academy of Future Teachers (AFT), Nelson is much closer to achieving her goal of becoming a teacher, with an $8000 scholarship to help pave the way.

Nelson is this year’s recipient of the Florida Prepaid Superintendent Scholarship, which was made possible by a partnership between Alachua County Public Schools and the Florida Prepaid Scholarship Foundation. She’ll be using the scholarship to attend the University of North Florida to pursue her education degree and earn her teaching certificate.

“I want to help the future generation and change people’s lives,” said Nelson. “I had incredible teachers who changed my life, and I appreciate them so much.”

The AFT is one of several career tech academies offered by Alachua County Public Schools. They provide students with a rigorous and relevant curriculum along with real-world experiences in their chosen professions. For Nelson, that meant serving internships in local schools, including Irby Elementary.

“I really love Irby, and I enjoyed working with the first-graders,” she said. “I would love to go back and teach there.”

“Acariyah exemplifies all the characteristics of a fantastic teacher,” said Katherine Martinez-Malo, director of the AFT. “She’s intelligent, compassionate, empathetic, selfless, genuine, and creative.”

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ALACHUA ‒ Robert Lydell Sharp, 52, was arrested and charged with four counts of battery on a police officer or EMT, one count of simple assault on a police officer or EMT and one count of resisting an officer with violence.

At about 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 24, an Alachua Police Department (APD) officer conducted a traffic stop and issued a citation to Sharp, who reportedly became “highly irate” on scene of the traffic stop. The APD report indicates Sharp was balling his fists, shouting profanity and refusing to follow commands from officers at the scene.

Once the traffic stop was completed and Sharp was released, he allegedly went to the APD station and asked to speak with a supervisor. Two APD lieutenants met him in the lobby. Sharp allegedly proceeded to aggressively stance his body, became aggressive by balling his fists, shouting profanity and making threats. The officers tried to detain him to prevent physical injury to themselves and property damage to the lobby, but Sharp allegedly began violently resisting them.

Sharp allegedly kicked the lieutenants and spit on them, then tensed his body and thrashed on the floor to resist being handcuffed. After he was handcuffed, he allegedly continued to violently resist being placed in a patrol car and finally had to be carried to the patrol car. At the patrol car, he allegedly continued to scratch officers, kick officers with his steel-toed boots and strike officers with his head, elbows and knees. Three officers were injured and were struck in the face by spittle.

After a prolonged struggle, Sharp was reportedly placed in the patrol vehicle, but he began complaining of pain and shortness of breath, so Alachua County Fire Rescue was called to the scene. Sharp reportedly “vigorously resisted” being placed on a gurney and into the ambulance, hitting and spitting on officers and medical personnel.

He allegedly physically fought with officers and medical personnel in the ambulance while on the way to the hospital, which resulted in officers and medical personnel being battered and “covered in saliva.” The medical personnel did not want to pursue charges but reportedly acknowledged they had been battered by Sharp. Sharp also allegedly tried to bite an officer who used his hands and arms to try to turn Sharp’s face away, to prevent being spit on.

When he arrived at the hospital, Sharp allegedly spat directly in the face of an officer who was trying to restrain him from kicking medical personnel and then tried to hit and bite numerous hospital staff members in the emergency department. Even after being placed in a hospital bed, Sharp allegedly tried to punch an emergency department nurse but was prevented from doing so by the physical intervention of officers and medical staff.

All of these actions were reportedly accompanied by “repeated, aggressive, and derogatory racial slurs, threats of physical and sexual violence against medical staff and law enforcement officers and their families… due to the resentment and hatred that he feels toward law enforcement.”

Sharp has five felony convictions (three violent) and 37 misdemeanor convictions. He has a pending felony case in Leon County for battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct.

Judge Walter Green set bail at $3,000 per charge, for a total of $18,000.

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Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office

~ Florida Officials Interact with More Than 5,800 Undocumented Migrants Including One MS-13 Gang Member on U.S. Terror Watch List ~

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida teams have made contact with more than 5,800 undocumented migrants and assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety with more than 190 arrests including felony charges for human smuggling, drug paraphernalia, unlawful carrying of weapons, and a suspect with a capital murder warrant. In addition, Florida officials have assisted with the apprehension of an MS-13 gang member currently on the U.S. Terror Watch List.

The following state resources remain deployed in Texas supporting the mass migration crisis at the U.S. southern border:

Florida National Guard (FLNG)

• Over 400 personnel continue to support the Texas Military Department with service members to assist with the mass migration on the southern border. Mission sets include assisting with static observation points, roving patrols, and engineer assistance with obstacle improvement.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

• Thirty FDLE special agents and nine support team members remain deployed assisting Texas law enforcement agencies investigating criminal activity along the border associated with human trafficking and drug and weapon smuggling.  
• Florida law enforcement agencies continue to assist with more than 190 arrests on charges including human smuggling, drug paraphernalia charges, unlawful carrying of a weapon, money laundering, and a suspect with a capital murder warrant.
• FDLE agents have assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety with the arrests of violent felony suspects including gang members. Suspects were arrested on various Texas state charges including human smuggling, burglary, firearms, smuggling of persons, and possession of controlled substance. As part of the arrests, FDLE agents helped seize cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, firearms, and boxes of ammunition.

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) - Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)

• 101 FHP troopers are deployed in support of Operation Lone Star. 
• Troopers have been involved in nearly 700 traffic stops, eight commercial vehicle inspections, and seven pursuits. These efforts have resulted in nine narcotic-related charges along with 17 federal and/or state warrant arrest on fugitives as well as the seizure of two firearms. Throughout the course of their duties, troopers have identified gang members and recovered undocumented migrants concealed within vehicles.
• FHP has been involved with seven human smuggling/human trafficking arrests and nearly 100 overall arrests.
• Troopers responded to an area on the Unites States border due to reports of gunfire occurring in Mexico. Troopers provided perimeter security for a local school in the immediate area. Additionally, troopers have responded and assisted with an attempted suicide, aggravated battery with a firearm, and an incident that resulted in a battery on a law enforcement officer in the United States Border Patrol. 
• FHP has deployed unmanned aircraft on 215 occasions while facilitating multiple missions and assisted in identifying the location of 652 undocumented migrants.
• FHP has detained two suspects involved in smuggling people into the United States, both of which have been turned over to the United States Border Patrol. Troopers have had encounters with multiple undocumented migrants originating from China, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Columbia, El Salvador, and Middle Eastern countries. Through the weekend, FHP encountered African, Cuban, Bolivian, and Iranian undocumented migrants who were detained and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.
• Troopers participated in a traffic stop which led to seizing an estimated $500,000 of currency. During a joint task force investigation with FDLE and Texas state and federal partners, cash, coins, one kilo of cocaine, and one pound of marijuana were seized (estimated total value of $263,675.00). One undocumented migrant contact was identified as an MS-13 gang member who was also on the Terrorist Watch List.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

• A third wave of 20 sworn FWC Officers and two mechanics deployed to Texas to assist federal, state, and local agencies with response efforts.
• FWC’s law enforcement assets will provide assistance to responding federal, state, county, and municipal agencies with border security, information gathering, humanitarian response, search and rescue efforts, officer safety and assistance, emergency medical services, and other similar duties.
• FWC officers are partnering with Texas law enforcement to conduct high-visibility water patrols along the border.
• FWC officers are conducting land-based border patrol activities in conjunction with Texas law enforcement.
• Ten shallow draft vessels and two airboats capable of navigating variable depth river environments are being used by FWC and Texas law enforcement to assist federal, state, and local efforts.
• Twenty four-wheel-drive patrol vehicles are in use by FWC officers.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ For many Americans, Memorial Day is a three-day weekend to travel, enjoy the outdoors or party. The true meaning of Memorial Day carries a more somber quality as we remember those who served and did not return as well as those who came back but have since passed. This is the real meaning of Memorial Day.

In World War I the government started a tradition of giving the family of every active soldier a banner with a blue star in the center to hang in their window and show their family's pride and commitment. Mothers of soldiers were known as Blue Star Mothers and the tradition continues to this day.

But there is a smaller group called Gold Star mothers that no mother wants to join, because it means their child was killed in action.  Ronna Jackson became a member of the Gold Star club on Feb. 13, 2010.  Her son, Staff Sergeant John Reiners, was killed in action in Zhari Province Afghanistan. His wounds were sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with improvised explosives devices (IED). Jackson knew that her devotion to the memory of her son would help both active deployed soldiers and the veterans who had served their time.

Since his passing, Jackson has helped organize local parents of soldiers and veterans into a support group that sends care packages to soldiers deployed in combat zones to give them a sense of home and know that people back home care and support them. One in 10 homeless people are veterans, and Jackson also works with Veteran of Foreign War (VFW) posts to offer support to veterans who have fallen on hard times. They organize food and clothing drives, free meals, help them find housing if homeless and help finding jobs to get back on their feet.

While many people see Memorial Day as a three-day weekend, there are many others like Jackson, who want people to remember the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives for country.

Eric Mattingly and Steven Mather promote concerts to raise money for Gold Star family tributes.  Mattingly is a disabled veteran who was wounded in Afghanistan. After his discharge he pursued a career in music production and committed to also honor his brothers in arms, especially those who did not return.  For the second year in a row, they have produced a the Celebrate Jam concert at the High Springs Lions Club on Memorial Day weekend.  Assisting to help produce the event were the Lions Club and the Veterans Motorcycle group.

This year's event featured eight bands performing on two stages.  “Our mission is to honor and support Gold Star families and their lost heroes by providing them a platform to share their stories and memories…our goal is to raise money through donations and ticket sales for the Woody Williams Foundation,” Mattingly said.  “We raised $2,500, which will go to the foundation to build Gold Star monuments in every state.”

Mattingly added that Williams was the sole surviving Marine from WW II to wear the Medal of Honor until he passed away on June 29, 2022. To date, Woody Williams and his foundation are responsible for establishing 106 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the United States with more than 73 additional monuments underway in 50 states and one U.S. Territory.  Ronna and Jerry Jackson were also honored at the event in memory of their son and Jackson's efforts to honor her son by helping other soldiers and veterans.

“Our goal is to create an annual tradition that not only pays tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, but also raises awareness and funds for organizations like the Woody Williams Foundation, which work tirelessly to support Gold Star families and veterans in need,” said Mattingly. “Their dedication to our country should never be forgotten.”

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ALACHUA, Fla. - Mavis Tires & Brakes is now open at 16113 NW US Highway 441 bringing affordable vehicle services to the Alachua community at its newest Florida location.  

Local drivers are invited to stop by the new store for a free tire pressure and visual tire check.

“Underinflated tires decrease fuel efficiency,” said Brian Sisson, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, “while overinflation can lead to irregular tread wear and reduced tread life. Tire pressure increases or decreases by 1 PSI per 10 degrees of temperature fluctuation. A simple tire pressure check can help drivers save money on fuel and extend the life of their tires.” 

Mavis now has 53 retail locations in the Sunshine State of Florida and more than 850 stores nationally.  

“It is a privilege to be part of the Alachua community and provide quality automotive service for our neighbors,” said Sisson. “Mavis offers tires and services at the prices customers want and we are excited to welcome more drivers to our growing family.” 

Alachua Mavis Tires & Brakes 

The new Mavis Tires & Brakes in Alachua offers the following services: 

• New Tires and Installation
• Flat Repair Services
• Brake Repair Services
• Oil Changes
• New Wiper Blades and Installation
• Wheel Alignment
• Suspension Repair
• New Shocks and Struts Installation
• New Battery Replacement
• Muffler and Exhaust Repair
• AC Repair 

To make an online reservation for tires or automotive service, visit mavis.com. 

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