‘Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County’ seeks community input in Waldo

Press release from Alachua County

WALDO, Fla. – The Alachua County Commission invites residents, businesses, and local leaders in Eastern Alachua County to a community input session for the Forward Focus initiative. The session is on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 9 a.m., at the Waldo City Square (14450 NE 148th Ave, Waldo). Light refreshments will be served.

This session is an opportunity for the Waldo community and other East County residents to share their thoughts on the future of their communities. Attendees will learn more about the Forward Focus project goals and timeline. They can also provide feedback to help shape a community-wide survey and network with neighbors and local leaders.

The Forward Focus project team will use this and future community meetings to develop a comprehensive plan to address Eastern Alachua County’s unique needs and aspirations.

”The input we received at the 2024 kickoff conversation in Hawthorne was invaluable,” said Missy Daniels, Assistant County Manager and Forward Focus Team Lead. “We heard concerns about social services, economic development, transportation, and a desire for more engagement with Eastern County communities. We encourage everyone in Waldo and surrounding areas to join us on January 25 to share their thoughts and ideas.”

Forward Focus: Eastern Alachua County is a three-year project designed to improve the quality of life, boost economic opportunities, and address community needs in the eastern part of the county. This community input session follows a successful kickoff meeting in Hawthorne in October 2024.

Learn more about the project and provide comments directly to the County.

After Waldo’s discussion, the project team will head to Micanopy’s City Hall at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, to get residents’ feedback. 

  • The press release, and website it links to, has lots words but neither one informs us what Forward Focus is. The maps do not show any proposals or ideas.

  • Ten years ago they said there’s not enough infrastructure to support development. But tax revenues come later…

  • This community has been talking about this concept for decades with little to no true advancement, I wonder how much tax money has been spent on bad or failed ideas? I recall certain former city and county commissioners making very feeble attempts at this and had ZERO problem spending finds on what amounted to be “pet projects” that did NOTHING for the folks on the east side. SHAMEFUL!!!

  • Don’t forget, after we Newberritards secede everything west of 34th Street into the conservative utopia of Spring County, this Eastern Alachua County will be the majority area of the remaining Alachua County.

    Current efforts need to be designed to make Eastern Alachua County a self sustained county after Springs County steals all the property tax base on the west side. It is obviously the plan of the Springs County proponent to make the remnant of Alachua County a poverty county. Spite and revenge against those woke Gainesville libs, doncha know? It is what Republicans DO.

    • You know just to be on the safe side I think the eastern boundary for Springs County is a little too far east if you know what meant. I would move it a little farther west to at least 122nd St. (Parker Rd) or just to be a 100% sure 143rd St.. Because I noticed there’s some new multifamily structures being built just east of 122nd and we all know what “multifamily housing means and brings “Democrats” sure they’re nice and shiny and now but in 20yrs they’re be the new Majestic Oaks. Also there’s still a lot of Commies from that live from 34th St to 122/143.

      • Springs County will not listen to your common sense suggestions. 34th Street is chosen because that puts the high property tax sites in Springs, thus bankrupting Alachua County remnant. Butler Plaza, Oaks Mall, North Florida Hospital, Millhopper area expensive houses, Haile Plantation etc. must be taken from the woke libs in Alachua County.

        The New Alachua will have massive tax exempt property, like UF and the Austin Carey forest, plus East Gainsville and acres of pine swamp near Hawthorne which generate little property tax revenue. Springs County is the work of their dear Fuhrer Tim Marden, chair of the Alachua County Republican party. The whole idea is to punish the Gainesville libs by bankrupting them. Hate and spite, it is what Republicans DO.

        The only good news is that Springs County will have to pay off the $38 MILLION debt for the horrible money losing Sports Center at the soulless bankrupt development Celebration Pointe when they secede with it. (Sad that the Chronicle will not investigate or write any articles about one of the biggest monetary scandals the BOCC has done recently, but only they know why.)

        • I don’t disagree with punishing the Libtards in the GSSR. Sure there’s a lot of tax money from 34th St to 122nd but there’s a lot of problems like crime and commies. in that area. I know it’s officerly the east side technically that doesn’t start until you east of Main St if you want to geography correct. But I’ve noticed over 40 yrs the “East Side” has been creeping further west if you know what I mean, for example West Side Baptist Church use to be near Royal Park Plaza now its at 98th ST everything is moving further west and not in a good way. So if you’re trying to avoid the 2 C’s Crime and Communism from the GSSR. Because the next time WSBC moves it might as well be at the Gilchrist county line, because you can’t go any further west and still be in the GSSR. Lets look at this like Korea you got 2 Korea’s North and South and to keep the south side safe they got a DMZ in-between them both. There’s GSSR proper which is everything east of Main St but we can concede the GSSR has invaded and occupied everything from Main St. to 34th ST. So we need a DMZ from 34th St to 122nd St. to protect Springs county from the ever expanding GSSR and their take over tactics like multifamily/affordable housing, expanding RTS routes to the county line . I bet they turn the west side golf course into Grace Market Place West before its over and done with just to mess with the people who tried to secede in Tioga but didn’t move far enough out of enemy territory. I don’t personally think “Springs County” will probably ever happened its just a pipe dream for patriots trapped behind enemy lines. Because we all the know the best option for patriots if to move out of the GSSR into a safe border county Columbia, Union, Bradford, Clay, Putnam, Marion, Levy Gilchrist, with no commies or possibility of RTS ever expanding there and or future Grace Hobo camps being built across the street from your subdivision. The most likely scenario i see is all the patriots move out of the GSSR and it crumbles from within like Los Angles, New York, Chicago, New Orleans or take you pick or any blue s-hole city. until “where culture meets nature” is taking off the county line signs it’s enemy occupied territory.

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