Homelessness and water protection surfaced as recurring themes on Wednesday when residents and officials gathered at the Santa Fe Kirkpatrick Center for the Alachua County legislative delegation hearing.
Sen. Rob Bradley, Rep. Clovis Watson Jr., Rep. Keith Perry and Rep. Elizabeth Porter attended to hear the concerns and issues regarding Alachua and surrounding counties.
At the beginning, Perry reminded attendees that the lawmakers were not there to act on behalf of a particular group.
“Our job is to represent you, and I encourage you to express concerns as individuals or in small groups and make sure you understand our open door policy,” he said. “We represent a large group of constituents and individuals.”
Community members discussed topics that included funding requests for UF and Santa Fe College, concerns for local victims of human sex and labor trafficking, and local support for eliminating the death penalty in Florida.
A common issue brought up by numerous constituents and officials was the protection of local water.
Jean Robinson, a representative from the League of Women Voters, said protecting local water is of the utmost importance for Floridians.
“Water is Florida’s golden egg,” she said. “Let’s not kill that goose.”
Lee Pinkoson, an Alachua County commissioner, said that “anything we could do for water and bill protection is encouraged because water will be a critical issue as we move forward.”
The issue of homelessness in Alachua County also surfaced several times.
Randy Wells, a Gainesville city commissioner, stood to hold the deed for the Gainesville Correctional Institution, the building they recently acquired to create a center for the homeless.
Pinkoson said homelessness remains an enormous issue. He requested $1 million to assist in organizing an Empowerment Center with food, shelter and other resources for the underprivileged.
“Our No. 1 priority, homelessness, is a big issue that’s been languishing for decades,” he said, “and I think we finally have a solution.”
Mayor Ed Braddy touched on the increasing need to re-evaluate the area of “complex” governance of Gainesville Regional Utilities.
“We are beginning discussions to find a voice for the 30 percent of customers who live outside city limits,” he said.
The 2014 Legislative Session starts March 4.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 11/21/2013 under the headline "County forum sifts out residents’ concerns"
