City of Gainesville’s Director of Sustainable Development has resigned in lieu of termination for substance use

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Updated on July 16 with Eddleton’s response.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Forrest Eddleton, the City of Gainesville’s former Director of Sustainable Development, resigned in lieu of termination in May after the City determined that he was using drugs or alcohol at work.

Eddleton was hired by the City in May 2015 as a Planning Technician. In December 2016, he was promoted to Planner, and the position was renamed to Planner I in April 2017. He was promoted to Planner IV in July 2021, and in September 2022, former City Manager Cynthia Curry named him Acting Director of the Department of Sustainable Development. According to Eddleton’s LinkedIn profile, he became the permanent Director of Sustainable Development later that month, and he still lists that job as his current position on his profile.

On May 19, 2026, an Employee Notice was filed, reporting that Eddleton had violated the City’s Drug Free Workplace policy because he was sent to a medical office “due to reasonable suspicions of drugs and alcohol. Mr. Eddleton’s results were positive.” The form does not state which substance was found. The form states that termination is the required next step for a violation of that policy, and Eddleton was recommended for termination. The form noted that he had not been previously warned about drug or alcohol use.

On May 4, 2026, Eddleton sent an email to Interim Chief Operating Officer Brian Singleton, stating that he was submitting his resignation, effective May 1, “as discussed.”

Alachua Chronicle stands by the information in this article, which was all taken from public records provided by the City of Gainesville, but Eddleton disputed the City’s claims and provided the following statement:

“On Friday afternoon, May 1st, the City’s Chief Operations Officer Brian Singleton informed me that I had been anonymously accused of “erratic behavior.” Mr. Singleton also told me that if I did not submit to a drug and alcohol test I would be terminated. Confident in the results, I allowed myself to be subjected to testing and awaited the pending results. 

“The following Monday morning, May 4th, Mr. Singleton called me to inform me that he was “taking the department in another direction” and that he was giving me the opportunity to resign. I took that opportunity. At no point was there any discussion of a violation of City policy nor any discussion of test results. 

“I was not notified of, nor was aware of, any Employee Notice being filed on May 19th, more than two weeks after I resigned my position. I was not, and have not, been made aware of any formal results of the testing. To suggest that I resigned due to “using drugs or alcohol at work” is false and misleading. 

“For more than 8 years with the City of Gainesville, I have consistently received positive employee evaluations and have steadily progressed within the organization through assignments and promotions. While I am saddened by the way things ended with the City of Gainesville, I look forward to continuing to provide my expertise in Planning to the communities I serve.”