Several gallons of oil were spilled in front of Smathers Library early Tuesday morning.
"A street sweeper broke during the night around 4 a.m.," said Reggie Jacobs, a UF Physical Plant Division employee who helped clean the spill.
UF's spokesman Steve Orlando said the spill was caused from a hydraulic leak.
The oil ran on the sidewalk and road between UF's Peabody Hall and Plaza of the Americas. It did not spread to any sewage drains or grass, Orlando said.
According to Jacobs, two dump truck loads of sand were brought in to absorb and clean up the oil. Cleanup began at 7 a.m. and continued through the afternoon, he said.
Orlando said once oil was absorbed by the sand, it was placed into four 55-gallon drums and deposited at UF's Department of Health and Safety.