Alachua County Commission says decision on extending GCRA would be ‘premature’

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At an October 7 Special Meeting, the Alachua County Commission took no action on a staff recommendation to allow the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) to sunset when the 10-year term ends in 2029, with several Commissioners stating that the discussion was “premature.”

History of the GCRA

Communications Director Mark Sexton began the presentation and said County staff first learned about the proposed 20-year extension of the GCRA in December 2024, but County Commissioners had not yet had a chance to discuss it because “it just seems to be happening behind the scenes.”

Click here to see the presentation. 

Sexton went through the history of the GCRA, which began with the formation of the Downtown Redevelopment Agency in 1979. In 2019, a “10-year” GCRA was created as a City of Gainesville department, and the boundaries of the area were expanded in 2022. The presentation states that the formation of the GCRA was “predicated on the promise of ’10 and done,’” with a total of $70 million in funding, and that it would involve “transformational projects,” such as the 8th & Waldo site.

Sexton emphasized, “We are, in effect, taking no action today… All we’re doing is sticking with our deal.”

Concerns about the economy and property tax reform

Assistant County Manager Tommy Crosby reviewed budgetary concerns, including inflation and uncertain federal government funds; he mentioned Affordable Care Act subsidies, saying, “One of the directives that the Board has provided in our Human Services area is looking at medical losses for citizens. So if we’re going to do assistance, that’s money out of the General Fund… And remember, all money is in competition with itself.”

Crosby: “A move to a $250,000 homestead exemption, which I don’t think is very far-fetched at all,… will be about $47 million to your General Fund at current millage rates.”

Crosby continued, “We’re all aware of the DOGE efforts going on around the state,… the pressure they’re putting on local governments… We know property tax reform is coming… A move to a $250,000 homestead exemption, which I don’t think is very far-fetched at all,… will be about $47 million to your General Fund at current millage rates,… [and] I can assure you that any adjustments to property tax reform will include limitations on your ability to increase millage to compensate for anything… So just be prepared for that.”

Prizzia: “Poverty is the number one driver of crime. And so when we make investments in economic development and we make investments in housing and social services and the social determinants of health, we are investing in public safety.”

Commissioner Anna Prizzia responded, “You made a comment that all money is competing with itself, and that we have competing priorities. And you… couched, like, social services and human services versus infrastructure and public safety [as] things that are kind of competing with each other. And I just want to make a point that I think is really important here, and that is that poverty is the number one driver of crime. And so when we make investments in economic development and we make investments in housing and social services and the social determinants of health, we are investing in public safety.”

Prizzia: “At the end of the day, if we’re talking about what competes with what, for me, root causes are always going to win. And investing in people, investing in the human capital and in those social determinants of health, is always going to win the day over, you know, locking people in a box.”

Prizzia continued, “And I really think it’s important people understand that, because we wouldn’t have to make so many investments in law enforcement and detention if we were helping people lift themselves out of poverty by having good economic opportunities for people and supporting people with their decisions… I think that, at the end of the day, if we’re talking about what competes with what, for me, root causes are always going to win. And investing in people, investing in the human capital and in those social determinants of health, is always going to win the day over, you know, locking people in a box.”

Commissioner Ken Cornell said he “couldn’t agree more with the point she made.”

Tourism and Economic Development Director Jessica Hurov said the County’s commitment to East Gainesville “existed long before the GCRA and will continue long after it, and our focus remains on advancing meaningful, long-term commitments.” She went through a list of County-funded projects, along with partnerships with smaller cities. 

Sexton said that after the 10-year agreement concludes, the City of Gainesville has the option of continuing the GCRA by maintaining the City’s current financial contribution, using Wild Spaces Public Spaces funds, raising property taxes, or regaining governance of GRU and using the General Fund Transfer “to make the GCRA whole.”

Sexton: “We just want to make it crystal clear to the public: the County is not recommending getting rid of the GCRA; the City has the ability to keep it going. The County is, actually, with this recommendation, not taking any action.”

Sexton concluded, “We just want to make it crystal clear to the public: the County is not recommending getting rid of the GCRA; the City has the ability to keep it going. The County is, actually, with this recommendation, not taking any action.” He reiterated that ending the GCRA after 2029 would free up General Fund money for both the City and the County because both entities currently contribute funds to the GCRA. 

After the presentation, Cornell said, “When I saw the email go out from [the City’s GCRA Department], I was really angry. To try to frame that this County Commission doesn’t want to continue to invest in these schemes is factually inaccurate and could not be farther from the truth.” He said he has supported and will continue to support investments into East Gainesville. He also thanked City Manager Cynthia Curry for sending out an email saying that the newsletter from the GCRA Department was not authorized. 

Click here for more details about the newsletter sent by the City’s GCRA Department.

However, Cornell said, “I want to tell my colleagues [at the City of Gainesville] that it’s a little early for us to be having this discussion.” He said he wanted to wait until closer to the end of the 10-year term, particularly because of the uncertainties mentioned by Crosby: “Essentially, local government and how it’s funded could completely change in the next five months.”

Prizzia: “I think it’s premature to have this conversation.”

Prizzia agreed, “I think it’s premature to have this conversation… We’re about to see some really intense changes, not just in the way governments are funded, potentially locally, but also in the general well-being and welfare of our community, and we’re going to have some really hard choices to make.” She said, however, that she would like to understand the status of the projects, particularly 8th & Waldo. 

Prizzia: “We need access to healthy food in East Gainesville. We have 12 Publixes within, like, you know, a stone’s throw of my house, and I get downtown and… I’ve got the one Publix on Main, and then once I go east of Main Street, I’ve got nothing.”

Prizzia added, “I’ll just put this out there one more time: a grocery store in East Gainesville, people. It was my first motion as a Commissioner, and if it’s the last thing I do before I leave, then I will feel like I’ve been a success. I know you guys have worked really hard. I know we’ve had a couple of almost wins, but we need access to healthy food in East Gainesville. We have 12 Publixes within, like, you know, a stone’s throw of my house, and I get downtown and… I’ve got the one Publix on Main, and then once I go east of Main Street, I’ve got nothing. We need grocery; we need healthy food access in East Gainesville. And if there are creative ideas about how we do that, since we can’t seem to get a major grocery chain to bite, I’m all ears.”

Commissioners Marihelen Wheeler and Mary Alford said they agreed with Cornell and Prizzia and didn’t need to repeat the same points. 

Charles Chestnut: “We’re still spending more money in downtown. We’ve not spent a whole lot of money in East Gainesville. Let’s be realistic — it has not happened, and that’s what’s disappointing to me.”

Chair Charles “Chuck” Chestnut IV said he has not seen “a transformational project [in East Gainesville], so it becomes frustrating to me… I want to do what’s right,… but I’m still disappointed… [After] all the talk about East Gainesville, when I look at the downtown redevelopment,… we’re still spending more money in downtown. We’ve not spent a whole lot of money in East Gainesville. Let’s be realistic — it has not happened, and that’s what’s disappointing to me… I don’t care how loud we scream; it still falls on deaf ears… We really need, as Commissioner Prizzia said, a grocery store. We need more than just a grocery store. We need a movie theater.” He thanked Sexton for the presentation “because we didn’t know all of this,” but he agreed with Cornell that they’re not in a position right now to make recommendations. 

County Manager Michele Lieberman said that this time next year might be a good time to have the GCRA conversation again. She added, “I believe that it would be irresponsible for us to recommend today to go into a long-term commitment, given the financial uncertainties that we have.”

City Commissioners speak during public comment

During public comment, Gainesville City Manager Cynthia Curry said, “We just want to reach common ground. There are still some major projects that need to be funded. How they get funded, obviously, is a big question.”

City Commissioner Ed Book said he valued the relationship between the City and the County: “Big things, transformative things, huge projects take a tremendous amount of time, so I understand when we get disappointed and that we’re concerned that we haven’t made the appropriate progress.” He said the City Commission will be discussing the 8th & Waldo project at their October 9 General Policy Committee meeting and invited County Commissioners to come to that meeting.

Cynthia Chestnut: “I want to say emphatically, emphatically: we are committed to East Gainesville. We are committed to 8th and Waldo. And as Tom Petty would say, we won’t back down.”

City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut said she was glad that the County Commission had decided to “defer action.” She continued, “East Gainesville — and I have to separate it out, because you can’t be too benevolent when there’s a portion of your city missing — East Gainesville is depending on us… to help them realize a dream,… and that dream has not been fulfilled… I want to say emphatically, emphatically: we are committed to East Gainesville. We are committed to 8th and Waldo. And as Tom Petty would say, we won’t back down.”

City Commissioner Bryan Eastman said, “What’s important is that we have this commitment,… and so I think the real question is, in 2029, what does that look like?… I think there’s a lot of power in that commitment of us both putting funds together and saying, ‘What are the projects and the programs that are going to move us forward?’ And I think there’s a lot of power in saying this is its own set-aside amount of money that will live far beyond my time in office, your time in office, all of our times in office… I think we all agree that East Gainesville and our downtown and these communities are important enough that we need to have a commitment that goes year over year over year,… and I think that it’s time for us to start having that conversation.”

After public comment, Prizzia referred to a remark by Greg Bradley about increasing private investment in GCRA projects: “I agree with you 100%, but I do want to say that our current way of doing private investment, oftentimes, is really extractive, because our private investors just want to make money and get out, and what I’m looking for is private investors that… actually want to see that transformation happen and that care about our community… I don’t need more extractive development happening in our community. We need our dollars to stay here, to recycle here, to hire our local people with fair living wages and real, quality jobs.”

Prizzia: “We’re spending tons and tons of dollars [in the eastern part of Gainesville and Alachua County], even though each family may only make a little bit of money. That money is real money, and right now, it’s mostly being extracted into corporations and going outside ot our community.”

Prizzia said there is “a lot of wealth in the eastern part of Gainesville and in Alachua County. We’re spending tons and tons of dollars, even though each family may only make a little bit of money. That money is real money, and right now, it’s mostly being extracted into corporations and going outside ot our community… I just wanted to point out that I hope that whatever we create, when it comes to private investment and public-private partnerships, really looks at making those investments in people who live here and who want to invest here because they want to see this place be successful and grow, and not just big-scale developers that are in here to make a buck and get out.”

Prizzia also asked her “CRA colleagues in the City” to bring presentations to the County Commission whenever they bring them to the City Commission because “we’re equal and actually larger investors in those projects.” She suggested putting the 8th & Waldo project on a County Commission agenda.

Cornell said, “Ditto… because Anna really hit it.” He told Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut that he wanted to make 8th and Waldo “happen before you’re out.”