ALACHUA – A local community found a special way to pay tribute to veterans this past Monday as they observed Memorial Day. While the COVID-19 pandemic changed routines and events, including the cancellation of most Memorial Day ceremonies, residents of Turkey Creek in Alachua banded together to honor the fallen. Due to COVID guidelines, the ceremony was held outdoors with as little close contact as possible.

At 8 a.m. on Memorial Day, the vehicles started to gather at the Turkey Creek Golf Club. Golf carts came first, followed by motorcycles and finally cars and trucks. Some vehicles were decorated with signs honoring deceased veterans while others were driven by veterans there to honor their fallen comrades. Most were decorated with flags. A sound system played music as the participants gathered. At 9 a.m. Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the haunting melody of “Taps” honoring the fallen and deceased.

Many of those assembled were veterans.

Eric Persons was a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam during the brutal Tet Offensive and the Battle of Hue. All 10 of his brothers and sisters also served in the military.

Standing next to their golf cart were three veterans who made the military their career. Dwayne Romano served 27 years in the Navy from 1958 -1985, Dwight Richard served 30 years in the Army, retiring in 2018. Mildred Perkins served 20 years in the Army.

Standing alone dressed in a red Marine shirt and cap was Ken Beasock, a retired Marine Colonel. He served 42 years from 1950 -1992 and saw combat in the Korean War and two tours of Vietnam.

Farther back among the motorcycle riders were Fred Johnson and Virginia McCord. Johnson served in Vietnam from 1970-1971 as a helicopter pilot. Although the U.S. had already been doing it covertly, Johnson was in the first Cobra helicopter to officially cross into Cambodia.

McCord was a Navy nurse during the war and was stationed in Oakland. California. “Many of the patients were not older vets but young ones with various health issues or injuries,” McCord said. “Many were not much more than boys.” She went on to make the service a career and was married to a Navy officer.

These were just a few of the veterans out of a convoy of over 50 vehicles. Each veteran had a story and many had seen combat during their time in service. All were there to honor their fallen comrades or family members.

The line of vehicles pulled out behind a police car with lights flashing to slowly wind through the neighborhood as residents came out on the street to pay tribute to those who had served. The convoy made several trips through the neighborhood as residents clapped or waved American flags and posters supporting veterans.

While many of this year’s Memorial Day ceremonies were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, Turkey Creek residents ensured that veterans were honored and the fallen were not forgotten.

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GAINESVILLE – At press release, the Gainesville-Alachua County Association of REALTORS (GACAR) raised close to $5,500.00 and collected over a dozen overflowing boxes of food and personal hygiene donations for the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank.

Thanks to the generous contributions from GACAR members, local businesses, and the general public, GACAR is able to provide over 54,000 meals to Bread of the Mighty during such a critical time. GACAR is extremely grateful to our media contacts at WCJB TV20, The Gainesville Sun, Alachua County Today, and the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce for promoting this important charitable event and enabling us to better serve this community.

GACAR President Jeremy Thomas was on hand today helping unload donations and thanking visitors (from an acceptable social distance, of course).

“It is truly humbling to see not only our REALTORS and business partners today, but also regular members of the community and representatives from surrounding offices have dropped off donations,” said Thomas. “Everyone has been so kind and encouraging. I am proud that our community has come together to help alleviate some of the hardship caused by food insecurity. “

While summer months are typically difficult for local food banks, it becomes downright devastating when coupled with the economic effects of COVID-19 rippling through the community. Even though this event was successful, food insecurity is still a major issue within our community. For those that are able, please consider visiting www.breadofthemighty.com/donate to contribute directly to this worthwhile organization.

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NEWBERRY – The City of Newberry called an emergency meeting of the City Commission on May 26 to discuss actions by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). During the May 20 Newberry Emergency City Commission meeting, Commissioners asked that a resolution be drafted for Mayor Jordan Marlowe’s signature the following day in response to the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) actions on May 19.

During the BOCC meeting on May 19, County Commissioners voted 3-2 to rescind its mandatory mask requirement and instead made the wearing of masks “strongly recommended” rather than required. The mask requirement order was put in place earlier in the month to help curtail the spread of COVID-19 as the state begins Phase 1 of the governor’s Plan for Florida’s Recovery.

However, later the same day, in a joint meeting with the City of Gainesville, the BOCC flipped their earlier decision, once again requiring the mandatory wearing of masks. Not only had Marlowe received calls from citizens and business owners, but other Newberry City Commissioners had as well.

On the heels of the County’s flip/flop decision, Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe said the constant changes in face mask requirements were causing stress and confusion in his city.

In response to the County’s decision, the City of Newberry called the May 26 emergency session in an attempt to address the confusion. During that meeting several City Commissioners said they thought the BOCC should have talked with the other municipalities in the county prior to making changes based on one city’s preference, especially since the County was not in sync with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order.

Several Commissioners voiced similar opinions. “This is not about facemasks,” said Commissioner Rocky McKinley, “it’s about stability.”

“Citizens are looking for guidelines,” Marlowe said. “Instead there is a lack of structure in our county government.”

During the meeting Commissioners indicated they had received several telephone calls regarding the county’s inability to make a decision and stick to it. “What we’re trying to do tonight is to find some stability for our citizens,” Marlowe said.

“The governor is getting advice and medical data in consultation with health officials,” said Marlowe. “I think it is in the citizens’ best interest to follow the governor’s lead on this issue.”

Although the city attorney was tasked with developing a resolution, Commissioner Tim Marden ultimately made a motion to update the City’s current Emergency Order to mirror the governor’s order and authorized the mayor to sign the resolution the following day so it could be implemented immediately. Commissioner Rick Coleman seconded the motion. Hearing no public comment, the motion passed unanimously.

During the May 26 City Commission meeting, City Attorney Scott Walker talked about Resolution 2020-25, which his office had drafted for the mayor’s signature. “We raised a couple of constitutional grounds for our case for objecting to the county’s position.” One issue was that the county’s order was so broad and void for vagueness that it would be difficult to require someone to be subject to criminal penalty because of the vague nature of the order. “We believe that it creates a concern on the part of implementation of that order and that due to that fact, the City of Newberry declines to enforce the order.”

The resolution specified that there is to be coordination between the County, the cities and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “For those reasons we believe enforcement is problematic,” Walker said.

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ALACHUA COUNTY – Like many states, Florida has begun reopening business and easing social restrictions. As of May 19, there were 46,944 cases and 2,052 deaths in Florida. While numbers have declined somewhat from early April when cases were averaging between 800 to 1,100 daily, infections continue to spike and recede with single day increases varying between 500 and 850 cases per day.

Part of this represents an increase in testing while part of the decline from early April is due to the month-long stay at home requirements, many of which have been lifted in the past week. Any upswing in infections due to reopening will not become apparent for a week or two due to the incubation period of the virus. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and many businesses feel economic pressure building to further ease restrictions. DeSantis has now issued revised rules for reopening in Phase 1 and is now considering Phase 2 of the three-phase plan.

Alachua County has had more stringent requirements on social distancing, regarding what establishments can open and how, and requiring that masks be worn. Alachua County officials issued a revised emergency order May 17 that brings local COVID-19 rules closer to those issued by the state the previous Friday.

New regulations allow certain businesses to operate at up to 50 percent versus the previous local rules that capped businesses at 25 percent. If a restaurant has outdoor seating spaced six feet apart, then that is not included in the 50 percent rule. Local gyms may now open using social distancing.

Individuals considered most vulnerable to infection are still urged to stay home as much as possible and to use care when leaving home. Public places where social distancing is difficult to maintain remain closed, including zoos, playgrounds, bowling alleys, pool halls, movie and other theaters and concert halls and bars, among others. All services and activities must still keep the six-foot distance rules between employees and members of the public, including when customers are standing in line. Churches are now open, but are limited by the same occupancy and social distancing rules as businesses.

Bowing to pressure from some groups, the governor also declared that while masks are suggested he would not make it mandatory. In Alachua County mandatory mask rules were instituted on May 1, but in a 3-2 vote on May 19 the County Commission voted to reverse that ruling and not make masks mandatory. Later in the day, the County Commission reversed that decision and are still requiring that face masks be worn. There will no longer be a criminal penalty for disobeying the county's order, although earlier there were fines up to $500 for not wearing masks. The County also now allows pool halls and bowling alleys to open as long as they don’t serve alcohol.

With the reopening, things are beginning to have a semblance of normalcy as local businesses and restaurants partially reopen. Traffic has increased and more people are out on the street. Many still wear a mask both for their own safety and out of respect for others’ safety as well. Other places, especially outdoor recreation locations are overwhelmed with people who have been stuck at home for a month. Unfortunately, some people are not concerned about the safety rules or crowds. On Saturday, May 16, the popular Ginnie Springs Recreation area was so overwhelmed by crowds, that they had to close entrance to the park by 11 am.

For local businesses and entrepreneurs, the reopening is a financial relief, especially for the self-employed or service workers. For many there has been no income for at least a month. Massage therapist Carrie Lynn had set up a massage chair outside a farmer’s market at Bambi’s Cafe in High Springs. She was offering massages for a donation. “I just need to get out and work my profession. I have been in self quarantine since February and no income due to the COVID,” Lynn said.

“Massage therapists were not considered essential medically so we had to stop all business. Massage therapists have always been concerned about transmission of disease and conditions; we use disinfectants and clean materials between each client. Now the only change is an increased use of gloves and masks by therapist. If there is something good that comes out of this maybe it will be an increased awareness of the importance of hygiene,” Lynn said.

The Great Outdoor Restaurant closed when restaurants were only allowed to do take-out orders as they didn't think it was practical for their menu. That left many of the restaurant employees facing the possibility of being laid off with no income. Instead, they used the closed time to renovate, repair and clean the restaurant and patio using the staff instead of contractors, which kept the staff employed.

As Florida progresses through Phast 1,all eyes are on when and what to expect when Florida enters Phase 2 of reopening, although there is no timeline for when that will happen.

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