High Springs City Commission swears in Wayne Bloodsworth, Jr., hears presentation by Sheriff Gainey, considers lifting alcohol restrictions on Sundays

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. – At their March 28 Regular Meeting, the High Springs City Commission swore in newly-elected Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth, Jr.; heard a presentation from Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey about the work he has been doing; passed an ordinance bringing local codes governing golf carts into compliance with new State standards; and, amid much input from the public, considered lifting alcohol restrictions at local businesses on Sundays.
Wayne Bloodsworth sworn in
City Clerk Angela Stone administered the oath of office to newly-elected Seat 2 Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth, Jr., who requested to have his father hold his Bible while he placed his hand on it. After applause from the audience, Bloodsworth took his seat and addressed the crowd: “It’s a lot to absorb, I can tell you that. I want to thank everybody for this past election Tuesday. I appreciate all my family, friends, and support that was out there holding the signs through that hot heat. I got to know Chad very well. Me and him stood side by side a lot of times holding the sign. We learned a lot about each other. I think either one of us sitting here would have been a good asset to the City of High Springs. One of us had to win, one of us couldn’t win. So, I appreciate everything, and hopefully I can do what needs to be done to help the citizens of High Springs in this city. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
After more applause, Mayor Katherine Weitz spoke: “Mr. Commissioner Bloodsworth, I’d like to welcome you, sir, and it’s my honor to sit up here with you. As I have to boogie on out of here, my apologies, but I have to go listen to my daughter play her French horn. So, welcome. Thank you Mr. Vice-Mayor for taking things over, and I wish you the best night.”

Sheriff Gainey discusses state of Sheriff’s Office
Alachua County Sheriff Emery A. Gainey gave a presentation about the current state of the Sheriff’s Office, and he introduced some of his command staff who were also at the meeting. Gainey said he was born in Gainesville and spent the first 25 years of his career with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASO), and then he moved to Tallahassee to work for the Attorney General. Gainey said what was supposed to be one term turned into 13 years, and in 2020, he decided to come back home. He said Governor DeSantis was gracious enough to appoint him as Sheriff in September 2023.
Gainey continued, “What did we find when we got back to the Sheriff’s Office here? Unfortunately, we found 248 openings throughout the organization. That’s about 26% of the staff all across the organization, perhaps with the biggest impact being over at the Department of the Jail. They had 119 openings. That’s about one-third of their total staff… We’ve been hiring people. So in the five-and-a-half months that we’ve been back, we were fortunate enough to hire officially… 120 employees. I happen to know that’s over 130, but we’ll do another official count in a few weeks. (We have) 53 that’s currently in background in some form or another. Of those 120 that we have hired since I’ve been here, 42 of those are men and women who came back to the Sheriff’s Office, and that’s a good thing because they were fully trained and ready to hit the ground rolling.”
Gainey said he brought some of his command staff back from retirement. He mentioned ASO’s great partnership with High Springs Police Chief J. Antoine Sheppard and how the two agencies have been working cooperatively to respond to calls.
Gainey said he is concerned that there have been three shootings involving teenagers in the unincorporated parts of the County that his agency serves, even though that is fewer than the five teenage shootings that have already occurred in the Gainesville city limits this year. He said he finds these very concerning, and he believes most of the incidents have involved gang members and drugs.
Commissioner Andrew Miller thanked Gainey for bringing the presentation and letting everyone know about the partnership between the City and the County.
Bloodsworth said, “I’d just like to thank you for your service, all police officers for their service, and what they have to sacrifice. And they put their life on the line every single day, and we thank you.”
Vice-Mayor Tristan Grunder thanked Gainey for coming and said, “I know a lot of very happy people at the Sheriff’s Office.” Gainey responded, “Good. That’s what I want to hear.”
Changes to golf cart ordinances
City Attorney Scott Walker introduced an ordinance to amend the local codes relating to golf carts, to bring them into compliance with new State requirements. Miller made a motion to pass the ordinance, and it was seconded by Commissioner Byran Williams. It passed 4-0 during a roll-call vote with Weitz absent.
Lifting restrictions on selling alcohol on Sundays for certain businesses
Walker introduced an ordinance lifting current restrictions on businesses selling alcohol on Sundays that derive less than 51% of their revenue from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages.
Grunder suggested waiting until all five members were present before making any decision (Weitz was absent at that time). Miller agreed with his suggestion.
Walker explained that no businesses in High Springs may sell alcohol on Sundays unless at least 51% of their sales are nonalcoholic beverages and foods. The proposed change would allow the businesses that fall below this threshold to serve alcohol from 1 p.m. until 11 p.m. A special exception would be made if December 31 falls on a Sunday, extending the time to 2 a.m.
Bloodsworth expressed concerns about a bar operating on Sunday afternoons in High Springs. He was also concerned that some businesses may decide to stop serving food if not legally required to do so in order to serve alcohol.
Bloodsworth asked, “Would it be proper procedure to wait ’til the (new) City Manager gets on board here to have his input?” Walker responded that the new City Manager should begin working on April 2.
Public comment on removing restrictions on alcohol sales
During public comment on the agenda item, a woman named Julie favored using a “Special Permit” system for serving alcohol on Sundays at non-food establishments, and she thought it should be limited to a maximum of six permits per year, but only during holiday weekends and special events.
A woman named Amy said that she has heard this argument a few times before, and she felt that requiring Special Permits would be a big waste of time for the City and business owners. She said the issue deserves a decision.
A man named Tim said, “I think that we may be missing a part of the reason why the ordinance was written the way it was written because when you consume food with alcohol, it takes longer for the alcohol to take effect. For instance, the food that you consume absorbs some of that alcohol instead of your body.”
Chad Howell said, “I’m a huge fan of local business, and I think that we should give every business, every local business, an opportunity, the best opportunity, to succeed. Their business is to sell beer. When we start restricting that, we’re taking away from our local businesses. As far as the other thing, just because it’s 51% food, I can go sit in one of our local establishments that does that, sit at the bar, and never order food, and drink as much as I want to. That doesn’t seem fair to me. So my opinion is the ordinance needs to be changed. Let’s allow local businesses to succeed. Give them the best opportunity.”
Monica White said she agreed with Howell that anyone can go into a restaurant that serves liquor on a Sunday and drink without ordering any food.
A woman named Eva said she has seen the community change from antique-oriented to entertainment-oriented. She said she is afraid that noise levels go up when people drink more, especially in senior areas.
Motion
Miller made a motion to proceed with the use of Special Permits that will be approved by the new City Manager on a case-by-case basis.
Grunder said, “I’ll be honest. I think the Special Permit is a mistake… I’m listening to the citizens… They are tired of us moving things, and frankly I am, too… My thought was to get all of us back in here.”
Williams made a motion to table the item until it can be discussed with Mayor Weitz and the new City Manager. He said, “We need to discuss it.”
Walker appeared confused and said he thought Miller’s motion and Williams’ motion were essentially the same, although no one else seemed to share his assessment of the two motions.
Bloodsworth pointed out that all of the local businesses were started by people under the existing ordinance and that they were aware of the rules when they did that.
Miller seconded Williams’ motion to table the item until Weitz and the new City Manager could be consulted. The motion passed 4-0 with Weitz absent.
Grunder thanked everyone for participating and congratulated Bloodsworth on his election win.
The Ordinance was written to stop bars from selling alcohol on Sundays. If half the sales that day must be equal amounts in terms of food vs drinks sold the environment also changes.
That is what the residents want1 this community to be like.
Not others that drive over here and party then leave the town.Many historic homes are in the close proximity of the bar only. They want at least one quiet family day at home not listening to lound music and occasionally rude behaviors.
Gainey continued, “What did we find when we got back to the Sheriff’s Office here? Unfortunately, we found 248 openings throughout the organization. That’s about 26% of the staff all across the organization, perhaps with the biggest impact being over at the Department of the Jail.”
Sheriff Gainey should not dismiss the realities of the post-covid world.
The mindset of the workforce has been irrevocably altered due to past impetuous covid policies that brought about a paradigm shift to the employee-employer relationship.
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Trying to run an organization today with a pre-covid mindset will leave you confounded and scratching your head.
Only those who can master the art of doing more with less will succeed.
Technology can be a very powerful ally of law enforcement. Maximizing technology in a strategic way is the key; necessity is the mother of invention.
The time to rethink policing to preserve the little safety we have left is now, since these unprecedented vacancies are here to stay.
Did you read it? He said they’ve already hired 130+ people in the few short months he’s been there, with 53 more getting their backgrounds checked before they can get hired (that’s what it sounds like). More and more people kept quitting under Watson.
Excellent synopsis of the meeting, Mr Lightman.
I believe Wayne is going to be a great addition to the commission.
Regarding the alcohol ordinance, I agree with Commissioner Miller that we should leave as is – special permit to serve alcohol on Sundays if business does not have 51% food. The commission voted on this two years ago. As one of the owners said, yes they knew about the restriction when they opened but they are going to continue “to push the envelope.” It seems that in the opinion of some, the commission just keeps kicking this issue down the road but in fact it is the those who oppose the ordinance who keep bringing it up. This would open the door for more bars. The Brewer does a great job sponsoring nonprofit events, but it is a win-win for them because it does increase their sales of beer and wine. I support the Brewery and the ordinance as it now stands.
Thoughtful response!
I don’t understand the Sunday restriction. What difference does it make, what day it is? Makes no sense.
You probably don’t understand why children shouldn’t be rolling around on the floor with bearded drag queens, either. Right?
It’s okay to have standards and a little decency, with or without religion. It’s what the decent people of High Springs want. That’s the difference it makes.