Gators Fight, Speed Cameras, and a $47M Boost to GRU

Another Monday, Gainesville!

I hope you had a great weekend, and I’m looking to get you started for your week.

🌡️ Monday: High is 87°F and Low is 61° with 0% chance of rain ☀️ , Tuesday: High is 83 °, low of 59° with 12% chance of rain 🌞 Enjoy the continued gorgeous weather!

📰 The General Scoop:

• 🏎️ Slow Down, Speedsters: School Zone Cameras Coming Soon The city and Alachua County are moving forward with a plan to install cameras in school zones that will automatically ticket drivers speeding through these areas. A 2023 study found more than 500 cars a day cruising past 13 Gainesville schools at over 10 mph above the speed limit. The cameras aren’t up yet, though. The county is aiming to start in January, with just one school getting cameras first to see how things go. It’s all part of a 2023 Florida law allowing $100 fines for anyone caught going more than 10 mph over the school zone limit. High Springs already has one system up and running, and more schools will likely join the party if it’s successful.

• Biden Approves $47M to strengthen GRU: Biden announced a whopping $94 million in federal funds are coming to Florida's utilities to prep for future storms. Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is set to score half of that—$47 million—aimed at beefing up its grid and cutting down on power outages. GRU was hit hard during Hurricane Helene, with over 67,000 customers losing power for a week. Hurricane Milton wasn’t as bad for Gainesville, but it knocked out power for millions statewide. These funds are part of a larger $612 million package from the Department of Energy to help storm-proof the nation’s power grids.

📰 Business News

• 🍔 Locals Rally to move GR back to being locally managed: About 20 Gainesville locals gathered outside GRU headquarters to rally for an amendment to return control of the utility from the state to the city. The amendment will be on the November 5 ballot, following a 2023 decision that handed control to a board appointed by Gov. DeSantis. Rally organizers argued the current board’s budget cuts, including $12 million in June, have strained GRU employees and reduced service quality, especially during storms like Hurricane Helene. Supporters of local control believe Gainesville should manage its own utilities for better accountability and service.

🏅 Sports News:

• 🏈 Gators Fall in Overtime Heartbreaker to Tennessee Florida football came close to a big win but fell short in a 23-17 overtime loss to No. 9 Tennessee. Key mistakes hurt the Gators' chances, although they played pretty well if we’re being honest. Despite the setbacks, Florida showed resilience, tying the game late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Injuries to starting QB Graham Mertz and RB Montrell Johnson added to the challenge. The Gators will try to bounce back this weekend against Kentucky on October 19 for UF Homecoming.

• 🏐 Gator Volleyball goes 1-1 this weekend in SEC Play The Gators won their rescheduled Friday match against Mississippi State, driving to a 3-1 win. On Sunday, the Gators faced the South Carolina Gamecocks who proved a little too tough for the Gators, who lost in 3 games.

📆 Things to Do:

Monday Oct 14th:

🍅 Grove Street Farmers Market at Cypress and Grove (4-7PM). Come grab all your fall favorites, have a tasty beer, and listen to some live music to get your week started!

Tuesday October 15th

🎺 Jazz at Public in General by Ben Champion Trio (6:30-8:30 PM) By Tuesday you’re past the Monday blues, but not quite to the halfway point. Enjoy a nice meal, and some beautiful music as you ease into the latter half of the week!

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Have a great Monday,
Lauren
Swamptown Scoop