City of Gainesville restores single-sex bathrooms at City Hall after challenge from Rep. Clemons
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In response to a question from Rep. Chuck Clemons about whether the City of Gainesville’s gender-neutral restrooms violated building codes, the City has removed the exterior door locks on two City Hall bathrooms and changed the signs to designate one bathroom for men and one for women.
In March, Clemons asked the Florida Building Commission for a non-binding opinion on the conversion of the restrooms, which the City said were renovated in January 2022. The renovations included adding a lock to the exterior doors of the restrooms and changing the signs to indicate that the restrooms were gender-neutral. Clemons argued that adding locks to the exterior doors effectively converted the restrooms to single-seat restrooms because any person entering the restroom could lock out other users; his petition asked for an opinion on whether this violated building codes that require a certain number of toilets in a public building. Clemons’ petition also speculated that this was “a failed attempt to stymie the implementation of CS/HB1521,” which became law in 2023.
CS/HB 1521 requires educational institutions, detention facilities, correctional institutions, juvenile correctional facilities, and public buildings with a restroom or changing facility to designate separate facilities based on biological sex or provide one-person unisex facilities.
On April 25, Derek Miller, the Director of Legislative Affairs at the Florida Department of Business Regulation, told Rep. Clemons by email that “the matter regarding the restrooms has been amicably resolved.”
City of Gainesville Public Information Officer Rossana Passiniti confirmed, “The first-floor restrooms’ signs have been changed – one with signage for men, one for women. Locks have been removed.” She declined to answer our question about whether the City plans to add gender-neutral restrooms at City Hall.
Two sexes, two bathrooms. Makes sense to me.
What doesn’t make sense is those who have a difficult time making that determination.
As the back-Ward Mayor of Gainesville I now don’t know which bathroom to use. Which bathroom should a grown man, who sits to pee, use?
Good. Men do NOT belong in women’s bathrooms or locker rooms.
City Commission liberals get slapped back into reality by Chuck Clemons.
Just like he got slapped back into reality about the recent Newberry school voting procedures that he so hyper ventilated over in his complaint to Tallahassee but apparently failed to understand?
Can Chuck come through town weekly and bring more challenges against our idiot city leaders?
I wish he lived in the city limits 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Clemons needs to get our freedom to choose paper or plastic straws back in Alachua county! Paper straws suck‼️
Get your own reusable straws. No waste, and no icky paper straws.
The schlubs on the Gainesville City Commission think they can broker a peace agreement in the Middle East, meanwhile genius Bryan Eastman over here can’t even figure out what bathroom to use. He’s probably gone back to sitting in the urinals.
On a positive note, I’m sure the ladies in city government breathed a huge sigh of relief now that they don’t have to see Mayor Ward shaving his back in the women’s restroom every day.
They’ll gladly sign a contractor for $2 million to add multi-gender dysphoria restrooms throughout City Hall, for starters.
Not so fast–need to spend $3 million on a consultant first, then ignore his conclusion that it would be a stupid idea and probably violate building codes.
Then comes $2 million on the construction of the Gender Delusion Closets anyway, followed by $5 million to have them removed after it turns out the original consultant was right.
Next agenda item: a $10million budget shortfall means we can’t repair NW 53rd Ave anymore.
Next agenda item: we have awarded Grace Marketplace $12 million to create 3 additional beds for 2025. Each following year will require $14 million for maintenance.
I could imagine a company connected to a DEI business owned by the City Mgr. doing just this. Sure looks like she understands creative billing.
Way to go Chuck, I knew from the moment I met you, you are a common sense person, glad I supported and voted for you. WE NEED A WHOLE LOT MORE LIKE YOU.