As you know, one key step to ensuring the business voice is heard is to become informed on the issues that matter to our community and to vote. The City of Gainesville Regular Election will be Tuesday, March 16 and the deadline to register to vote in this election is Tuesday, February 16.

City Commission seats for District 1 and At Large will be on the ballot. To register to vote in this election, visit the Supervisor of Elections website, www.votealachua.com.

The Education Foundation offering over $200,000 in college scholarships

The Senior Scholarships program is open to high school seniors in the Alachua County Public Schools system. Students must complete one application to be considered for the more than 50 scholarships which they may be eligible.

Scholarships range from $1,000 to $60,000 for eligible seniors who meet the scholarships’ criteria, and last year, The Education Foundation awarded about $750,000 in scholarships including Senior and Take Stock in Children scholarships. 

The deadline to apply for Senior Scholarships is February 16. For a full list of scholarships and to apply, visit https://edfoundationac.org/scholarships/#seniorscholarship.

Dave & Buster's Opens for Good Clean Fun at the Celebration Pointe Mall on February 8

Dave & Buster’s - the ultimate destination to eat, drink, play and watch – opens their ninth location in Florida on Monday, February 8th at the Celebration Pointe Mall in Gainesville, FL with new health and safety precautions in place to provide good clean fun for everyone.

The Midway features hundreds of new and classic arcade games where hard-earned tickets can be redeemed for a variety of exciting prizes, including Apple products, Xbox consoles, Beats by Dre and more. In addition to traditional games, guests can experience Dave & Buster’s thrilling multi-player virtual reality attraction, featuring Jurassic World VR ExpeditionTM, DragonfrostTM, Star TrekTM: Dark Remnant experience, Men in Black: Galactic GatewayTM, and the Terminator®: Guardian of Fate.

Read the full release here.

American Commercial Realty Launches new Multi Family Brand “The Hammocks”

On Thursday January 21, 2021, The HAMMOCKS on 20^th hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the launch of this new brand, the physical renovations, and their great new story.  The Hammocks builds upon the entrepreneurial and growth spirit that is driving Gainesville.  By creating a new brand to meet the desires, price point and quality of service in demand, the Hammocks is an exciting new portfolio of apartment buildings garnering considerable attention from renters.  

GACAR will be livestreaming a strategic panel discussion on Wednesday, February 3 at 10:00am concerning the City of Gainesville's Housing Action Plan. Members can view the discussion live on GACAR's business page, and are encouraged to participate by voicing their questions and concerns in the livestream's comments section. Please note, questions for the panelists will be taken directly from the comments section. 

For more information, please contact our Government Affairs Director, Matt Umanos, at [email protected].

Read all the details in the full release here.

If you have a child who was at least 3 years old by Sept 1, they may qualify for free quality child care. Episcopal Children’s Services Head Start offers a free high quality school readiness program providing individualized education, health, nutrition, disability, mental health, and family support services. ECS has two classrooms open, serving 34 children ages 3-4 years old. Virtual services are available as well! To apply, visit www.ecs4kids.org, click on Head Start programs, and click on apply now. Once you submit your application, a staff member will call you for more information. ECS is excited to serve your child at Waldo Community School!

LifeSouth invites the community to support Santa Fe High School and save up to three lives in local hospitals when they host a blood drive on Saturday, February 6. The drive will be held at the Hal Brady Recreation Complex Gymnasium, located at 14300 NW 146 Terrace in Alachua between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This blood drive will benefit Santa Fe High School, which will receive a grant based on the number of donors. More blood donations will mean more support for our local high school and more lives saved.

To maintain social distancing, all donors will be spaced apart while waiting and donating blood. Donor temperature will be checked at the door prior to entering the blood drive. All donors will receive coupon for a free one-topping Domino’s pizza, a recognition item, a special t-shirt, and a free COVID-19 antibody screening. Blood donors must be at least 17 (16 with parental permission), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. A photo ID is also required. LifeSouth supplies one hundred percent of the blood to all the hospitals in Gainesville and the surrounding communities. For more information on donating blood or to schedule an appointment to donate, call toll-free 888-795-2707 or visit lifesouth.org.

Visit the Florida Museum of Natural History to see how slow and steady wins the race in the “Survival of the Slowest” exhibit! See 16 different species of LIVE animals, including a sloth, iguana, tortoise and more! The exhibit will highlight the unique adaptations of slow, small or weak animals to show how they’ve survived against all odds. A keeper is present in the exhibit to check on the animals, educate guests and answer questions. This is a bilingual exhibit with content in both English and Spanish. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for Florida residents and $7 for ages 3-17. Museum members and UF students with a valid Gator 1 card receive free admission. For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/survival.

For additional information, please contact City of Gainesville Public Information Officer Rossana Passaniti at 352-393-7842 or [email protected].

If you have any questions, please contact Karissa Raskin, Civic Collaboration Specialist at the City of Gainesville at [email protected].