Gainesville City Commission discusses new state laws, expresses disappointment with “toxic” attitude of School Board toward City and County Commissions

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the March 26 Gainesville City Commission special meeting, Commissioners discussed how Florida’s new laws, particularly one that prohibits DEI programs, will affect the City, and they expressed disappointment with the way the School Board responded to requests from City and County Commissioners during its recent rezoning effort.

Click here for our article on the budget portion of the meeting.

Appropriations priorities

John Alexander, Director of Government Affairs and Community Relations, provided an update on the Commission’s state and federal legislative priorities for 2026. He said the state’s budget had not been completed yet, but he reviewed the current status of the City’s appropriations priorities:

• SR 331/SR 121 strategic intermodal bypass connector ($1 million)
  • House – $500,000
  • Senate – $0
• Regional fire response: fire apparatus replacement initiative ($850,000)
  • House – $425,000
  • Senate – $0
• EMS advanced cardiac monitoring
  • House – $0
  • Senate – $0

Property tax exemption for homesteaded properties

While discussing various bills, Alexander brought up House Bill 203, which proposes an amendment to the state constitution to make homesteaded property exempt from all ad valorem taxation, with the exception of school district levies. It also prohibits local government from reducing funds provided to law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders. Alexander said the bill was not heard at all on the Senate side and is likely to be taken up during the upcoming special session. 

Commissioner Casey Willits: “Does this suggest that we cannot cut them, and they would become permanent parts of the services the City of Gainesville [provides]?”

Commissioner Casey Willits, with a big smile on his face, said, “Does ‘first responders’ include our paramedicine or any of the other people that work under [Gainesville Fire Rescue]?… Does that fit into ‘first responder,’ not merely police and fire, but any of the other programs that we gladly fund here? Does this suggest that we cannot cut them, and they would become permanent parts of the services the City of Gainesville [provides]?”

Alexander later provided the language from the bill: “The term ‘first responder,’ as used in this section, means a law enforcement officer, as defined in statute 943.10; a firefighter, as defined in section 633.102; or an emergency medical technician or paramedic, as defined in statute 401.23, employed by the state or local government. A volunteer law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic engaged by the state or a local government is also considered a first responder of the state or local government for the purposes of this section.”

Mayor Harvey Ward responded, “One wonders, at that point, who would be left to process their paychecks.”

Guardian program for colleges and universities

Alexander also discussed a school safety bill and said, “What it basically does is expand the Guardian program that was recently put in for K-12, expanding it to our state colleges and public universities. It requires a Sheriff’s department to actually go in and assist those colleges and universities in implementing the Guardian program. It also creates a second-degree felony for anyone that discharges a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or a school event, and it designates that offense as a Level 6 under the criminal punishment code.”

Ward asked him to “pause for a moment – I had a question about that, that I think I know the answer to, but it’s worth asking: Does anything in that bill make it more difficult to acquire a firearm?”

Alexander responded, “Not that I know of,” and Ward said, “It’s a trick question. There’s nothing in there that makes it harder for people to actually get a gun, which is the entire problem.”

DEI restrictions

Alexander described Senate Bill 1134, which restricts funding and policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and prohibits counties or municipalities from expending funds to support a DEI office or a DEI officer; Alexander said there are exceptions for “things like federally protected holidays and so forth.”

Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut said, “This legislation protects Juneteenth; that’s a federal holiday. What happens to Women’s History Month and Black History Month?”   

Alexander responded, “Black History Month was protected, as well… There’s still a lot of uncertainty and anxiety about this, because there were some things that were… left unanswered and potentially could put you in violation of this particular bill.”

Willits asked, “So Juneteenth is protected, but is our Journey to Juneteenth? Because we have a whole month of activities…. Perhaps they will say that that is not somehow based on race or ethnicity, even though we know it is. In the end, it’s a historical fact .”  

Alexander responded that the City Manager’s office is working very closely with Director of Equity and Inclusion Zeriah Folston to explore those questions: “We know the day itself is protected, but the activities surrounding it, all of those things, we’re trying to explore.” Willits said the City also provides a “basic level of support” to an Asian festival, and Alexander said he would get back to him on whether that would be affected by the bill.

Willits said, “I want these things said publicly. We just reconfirmed a strategic plan that includes, under ‘Great place to live and experience,’ broad and available diverse cultural and recreational experiences for all. Are we allowed to broaden the availability of diverse cultural experiences?” Alexander responded, “A lot of it was left up to local governments to determine if they fall under what was strictly written… That discretion is left up to us… to make sure we comply with this.” 

Commissioner Willits: “This is just a gag rule on anything that recognizes the reality that we live in a diverse world… and that the history still matters, the facts are facts, and things happened in the past, and there are real truths in the world that this gets in the way of.”

Willits continued, “Are we allowed to develop a successful minority women-owned business enterprise program that is producing results under ‘A resilient local economy’?… We approved it today. This law goes into effect on January 1, 2027… I assume they can’t penalize us for things we do before the law takes effect…  I don’t know that the legislators completely heard us, and I think they will be surprised by the amount of things that get shut down… This is just a gag rule on anything that recognizes the reality that we live in a diverse world… and that the history still matters, the facts are facts, and things happened in the past, and there are real truths in the world that this gets in the way of.”

Interim City Manager Andrew Persons: “So even if we’re doing everything according to the law, it does not prevent somebody who just doesn’t like something to then bring suit against us, and then we would have to defend that.”    

Interim City Manager Andrew Persons said the City’s big concern is that the bill provides for a right of private action, “a concern that we have about both time and financial resources, having to defend these types of suits… So even if we’re doing everything according to the law, it does not prevent somebody who just doesn’t like something to then bring suit against us, and then we would have to defend that.”    

Ward said he had seen social media posts from elected officials in other areas, speculating that “something as simple as wearing your designation as a name tag or shirt, designating you as a local elected official, in a Pride parade or some other cultural celebration that does not meet the taste of someone in Tallahassee, could get you removed from office.” 

Commissioner Willits: “There’s no question, I can wear my name tag and march in a neo-Nazi parade, and there’s no question that it [may violate] Senate Bill 1134, but there is a question about whether I wear my name tag to a Pride Festival. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, it’s just the realities that we’ve got no problem with Nazis in this country. We just have a problem with people who are black or brown or gay or queer or any other thing that is protected under federal law, we just can’t talk about it.”

Willits said, “But not in a neo-Nazi parade, just to be clear. There’s no question, I can wear my name tag and march in a neo-Nazi parade, and there’s no question that it [may violate] Senate Bill 1134, but there is a question about whether I wear my name tag to a Pride Festival. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, it’s just the realities that we’ve got no problem with Nazis in this country. We just have a problem with people who are black or brown or gay or queer or any other thing that is protected under federal law, we just can’t talk about it.”

Ward thanked him and added, “And to be clear, a lot of us do have problems with Nazis.”

Commissioner Ed Book suggested that the City Commission should schedule a meeting, which he called a “Gainesville showcase,” with the federal and state delegations to build relationships and communicate their priorities, and Persons said he would work on that. 

Road to Housing Act

Ward said the federal Road to Housing Act is “a very, very good package of legislation by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott. It eventually passed the Senate, 89-10, so it’s very bipartisan.” He said that when he went to the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., he was able to meet with Senator Ashley Moody. “The way that it was described to all of us at the Conference of Mayors meeting was, ‘Be really, really careful who you give credit to.’ This is how weird it is. They wanted us to be super careful not to call it ‘Senator Warren’s bill’ in front of a Republican legislator, or ‘Senator Scott’s bill’ in front of a Democratic legislator. You had to give credit to the right one at the right time because… it was that sensitive.”

Ward continued, “I was very careful to call it ‘Senator Scott’s bill’ when I spoke with Senator Moody. Senator Moody was very gracious and supportive of the bill. I want to give her and her office tremendous credit for giving me more time than we asked for. We had a great discussion about the City of Gainesville and the work we’ve been doing, particularly on housing, because that’s what we were there to discuss… It really is a great package. I encourage folks to read up on the Road to Housing Act and the potential good that it could do for every community in America, and particularly our community, where we are very ready to put that sort of thing to work — more ready than most communities, I would say, around the country.”

Commission Comment

During Commission Comment, Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker said, “I went to the School Board meeting, and it was a disappointing meeting, not so much because of the decision, but honestly, because of the decorum… I think that this Commission, as well as the County Commission, made a very conscious decision to come together in the spirit of collegiality to address some problems that impact us all. And so I was extremely disappointed to sit in a meeting that was not just contentious, but that was toxic, where this Commission was literally insulted.”

Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker: “I was extremely disappointed to sit in a [School Board] meeting that was not just contentious, but that was toxic, where this Commission was literally insulted.”

Duncan-Walker continued, “I have personal relationships with just about everyone on that board, and it was hurtful to hear what clearly was a lack of understanding of what our attempt was. I could call it ‘tone deaf.’… There were lengthy rants that got us absolutely nowhere, and that frankly criticized decisions that we all have the opportunity to make; that’s what we’re here for… I wanted to say this because we’re putting millions of dollars into 8th and Waldo, and that, by and large, is going to support the School Board, millions of dollars, and some of us… didn’t want to do it that way.”

Commissioner Duncan-Walker: “When I left that meeting, I was thinking about our reverter clause [for the stadium property at Citizens Field], just saying, because it’s in the contract.”

Duncan-Walker concluded, “I hope that moving forward, we can do this a better way, because I’ll be very, very honest with you. When I left that meeting, I was thinking about our reverter clause [for the stadium property at Citizens Field], just saying, because it’s in the contract. We’ve got to figure out a better way to deal with each other, to respectfully disagree, and I frankly prioritize decorum at all times.” 

Ward said he has had conversations with County Commissioners and School Board Members about potentially using existing institutional buildings for housing homeless families or meeting other community needs. He concluded, “I don’t have any specifics to report, but I had some good conversations following that meeting — not with everybody, but with some members of both boards, I was able to have good conversations about what might be possible, going forward.”

Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut: “Everyone has to come together to support East Gainesville and to put the funds there. And then to see the School Board turn a cold shoulder — and have a celebratory party after their vote — was just unbelievable.”

Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut said, “I was at home watching that meeting on TV, and I, too, was appalled. It’s all about intergovernmental relations, and obviously, the School Board missed the mark there, in terms of trying to work together as a group. The City is putting millions of dollars into 8th and Waldo. The County Commission is putting millions of dollars into East Gainesville. The Gainesville Housing Authority and HUD are putting millions of dollars into East Gainesville. So for years, people in East Gainesville have cried, ‘We want help.’…  Everyone has to come together to support East Gainesville and to put the funds there. And then to see the School Board turn a cold shoulder — and have a celebratory party after their vote — was just unbelievable.”

Willits said he was glad that the School Board had at least decided to keep Rawlings Elementary open: “I think it helped for us to talk, and in the end they got there, at least on that, because at first blush it was really bad… We should take that as a win… But with this redistricting, I don’t know that a single bit of Buchholz’s zone is inside the city [limits].” He said that “changes the nature of who plays at Citizens Field” because Buchholz has always been considered “one of our city schools, because they play there.”

Willits added, “I don’t think we deserve what we got at that meeting, because we have gone through it as nicely as we can… We didn’t sit up here in this meeting and say, ‘The School Board has failed the children by not teaching them to read.’ We said, ‘How can we help?'”

Mayor Ward adjourned the meeting at the end of Commission Comment.