Alachua County received full reimbursement from UF for the public safety costs accrued when Richard Spencer spoke at UF in October of last year.
The county sent UF an invoice for $302,184 on Jan. 10, according to Alligator archives. The itemized invoice broke down costs, included law enforcement, court security, fire rescue, jail and Combined Communication Center services. Alachua County received UF’s check Friday, said county spokesperson Mark Sexton.
“We were happy to get the check,” Sexton said. “They paid the invoice very promptly.”
The county’s reimbursement came one day after the city of Gainesville announced it had decided not to bill UF for the $224,105 it spent for public security surrounding the Spencer event in October, according to Alligator archives.
City Commissioner Helen Warren said the city’s decision to foot the bill is part of maintaining a strong relationship with UF, according to Alligator archives.
Although the city chose not to request reimbursement, Warren acknowledges UF’s relationship with the county is different than it is with the city.
“I think there’s a lot of differences between the personality and the mindset of the relationship that the city is trying to have with the university than what the county’s efforts are, and obviously that’s reflected in some of the actions that they take,” she said.
UF declined to comment on the reimbursement check sent to the county and has yet to disclose the total amount they spent on the Spencer event. A UF spokesperson declined to comment on what part of UF's budget the money came from.
Contact Jessica Giles at jgiles@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @jessica_giles_.
Richard Spencer
