Gainesville, FL   Thu Sep 28 14:42:29 EDT 2023  

After almost sixty years eastside and westside see eye to eye


Exclusionary Zoning Then and Now

The exclusionary zoning debate has turned an outdated matter into a modern day hot-button issue for the Black community. The narrative in the Black community is that if the city took away exclusionary zoning it would somehow lead to a proliferation of multi-family, low-rent dwellings in east Gainesville. I must say this type of thinking does make one wonder, and truly cries out for a better understanding. To get a greater insight into all of this you must go back sixty years and retrace some events. A segregated Gainesville with an almost exclusively white westside wanted to protect itself from the newly formed federal government Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department that were forming surrogate wings all over the country.

Gainesville welcomed the formation of the Gainesville Housing Authority (GHA) as an agent for change that could be an ally in its fight to tackle a terrible subpar housing problem in the city. The mandate from HUD was to mobilize and launch an attack on the subpar housing sector as part of the overall federal government war on poverty initiative. The GHA hit the ground running and had an immediate impact on housing in Gainesville, especially housing in east Gainesville. With federal government money in hand, GHA drew up a game plan that included building four major developments. All four were to be in east Gainesville. The first, Gardenia Gardens, was built on NE 8th Ave adjacent to the Duval Heights community. The second, Kennedy Homes, was built adjacent the Lincoln Estates community on SE 8TH Ave. The third, Woodland Park on SE 4TH St across from the Sugar Hill community, was followed by the fourth, Lake Terrace, which is located on E University Ave, just east of the Duval Heights community. These four developments came with a lot of excitement because they were transformative in nature.


In 1970, when the four projects were all completed it looked like a win-win situation. The city and the community benefited mightily from GHA's effort, so the story was prime for a happy ending; and it was for a few years afterwards. The fact that GHA's gameplan included zoning changes was not an issue for East Gainesville. West Gainesville hedged itself from the reach of the GHA by doubling down on exclusionary zoning. West Gainesville wanted no part in being a location for a GHA project.

Now, almost sixty years later, the City of Gainesville has a notion of saying goodbye to exclusionary zoning. West Gainesville doesn't seem to have changed even though most of the generation that hedged itself from GHA has gone on to glory. East Gainesville residents have a different view of GHA and their approach to zoning and housing than they did in the beginning. The aim and desire now is to protect east Gainesville neighborhoods from multi-unit low rent apartments by keeping the city's exclusionary zoning policy intact.

Technically, this doesn't make sense because there are very few exclusively single family home communities in east Gainesville that are located such a distance from low-income housing that it doesn't experience any side effects from it. The location of the four primary GHA projects couldn't have been placed in a more negative impactful position for East Gainesville. The outcry from the Black community in 2022 against exclusionary zoning simply solidifies the position the White community in west Gainesville has been holding onto for almost sixty years. Does this mean the Black community is running 60 years behind the White community? Given all the dynamics that are at play in the exclusionary zoning debate, you can bet there will be an unlimited amount of conclusions to be drawn.

The exclusionary zoning debate has turned an outdated matter into a modern day hot-button issue for the Black community. The narrative in the Black community is that if the city took away exclusionary zoning it would somehow lead to a proliferation of multi-family, low-rent dwellings in east Gainesville. I must say this type of thinking does make one wonder, and truly cries out for a better understanding. To get a greater insight into all of this you must go back sixty years and retrace some events. A segregated Gainesville with an almost exclusively white westside wanted to protect itself from the newly formed federal government Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department that were forming surrogate wings all over the country.

Gainesville welcomed the formation of the Gainesville Housing Authority (GHA) as an agent for change that could be an ally in its fight to tackle a terrible subpar housing problem in the city. The mandate from HUD was to mobilize and launch an attack on the subpar housing sector as part of the overall federal government war on poverty initiative. The GHA hit the ground running and had an immediate impact on housing in Gainesville, especially housing in east Gainesville. With federal government money in hand, GHA drew up a game plan that included building four major developments. All four were to be in east Gainesville. The first, Gardenia Gardens, was built on NE 8th Ave adjacent to the Duval Heights community. The second, Kennedy Homes, was built adjacent the Lincoln Estates community on SE 8TH Ave. The third, Woodland Park on SE 4TH St across from the Sugar Hill community, was followed by the fourth, Lake Terrace, which is located on E University Ave, just east of the Duval Heights community. These four developments came with a lot of excitement because they were transformative in nature.


In 1970, when the four projects were all completed it looked like a win-win situation. The city and the community benefited mightily from GHA's effort, so the story was prime for a happy ending; and it was for a few years afterwards. The fact that GHA's gameplan included zoning changes was not an issue for East Gainesville. West Gainesville hedged itself from the reach of the GHA by doubling down on exclusionary zoning. West Gainesville wanted no part in being a location for a GHA project.

Now, almost sixty years later, the City of Gainesville has a notion of saying goodbye to exclusionary zoning. West Gainesville doesn't seem to have changed even though most of the generation that hedged itself from GHA has gone on to glory. East Gainesville residents have a different view of GHA and their approach to zoning and housing than they did in the beginning. The aim and desire now is to protect east Gainesville neighborhoods from multi-unit low rent apartments by keeping the city's exclusionary zoning policy intact.

Technically, this doesn't make sense because there are very few exclusively single family home communities in east Gainesville that are located such a distance from low-income housing that it doesn't experience any side effects from it. The location of the four primary GHA projects couldn't have been placed in a more negative impactful position for East Gainesville. The outcry from the Black community in 2022 against exclusionary zoning simply solidifies the position the White community in west Gainesville has been holding onto for almost sixty years. Does this mean the Black community is running 60 years behind the White community? Given all the dynamics that are at play in the exclusionary zoning debate, you can bet there will be an unlimited amount of conclusions to be drawn.


The Friendship Seven - consist of the University of Florida, UF Health, Santa Fe College, the City of Gainesville, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Alachua County and Alachua County Public Schools.

The Friendship Seven have release multiple reports that depicts the plight of communities of color. You will not find any mention of these important facts in their reports.

  • The fear of prosperity: local government is hesitant about improving infrastructure in communities of color because that could lead to personal wealth.
  • Regressive taxation and the cost of utility services has stymied prosperity in communities of color
  • Communities of color vote heavily democratic with very little to show for it.
  • There should be no need for Friendship seven reports since this is a Democratic stronghold.
  • Communities of color make great pawns in the game of politics.



An inside look at liberalism, equity and symbolism in Alachua County




Equity: the quality of being fair and impartial.
Symbolism: the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Liberalism: willingness to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one's own; openness to new ideas.

The democrat centric government of Alachua County is struggling to be honest and live by the true liberal creed; a creed that calls for being champions for the needs of the underserved. Operating in the shadows of the top five rated University of Florida (UF) has caused local government to take on a Judy in disguise persona. As UF goes so goes Gainesville. The Berkley of the south title UF crowned itself with has led to hyper symbolic liberalism where once used to be true moderation. Liberalism is a great recruiting tool for universities. The competition between schools for who is the most liberal is fierce; so fierce until collateral damage to the towns supporting the schools doesn't matter anymore.

Liberalism has its platinum, gold, and bronze tiers like most things we see in society. If you advocate for the environment and LGBTQ+ issues, you are seen as a card carrying member of the platinum liberal class. Platinum class liberals couldn't care less about what is going on in the heads of bronze class liberals. Howbeit, they do pledge a symbolic allegiance to the bronze class. The gold class liberals tend to concentrate on matters of voting rights, criminal justice reform, critical race theory and truth and reconciliation. Education disparities, food deserts, racial discrimination and gentrification are constantly on the minds of those who practice bronze class liberalism. Like the passengers in first class feel privileged over those in business and coach, so platinum class liberals are thought to be elite.

Gainesville has a situation where local government subscribes to platinum class liberalism in deed and gold and bronze class liberalism symbolically. Local governments have wrapped themselves in phrases like zero waste, net zero emissions, carbon neutral, urban cluster, urban density, gender neutral and children's trust, just to name a few, as a sign of their commitment to the liberal cause. All liberal ideas come with a hefty price tag that results in situations where there are winners and losers.
br> Alachua County, for reasons unknown to most, prides itself on adhering to the Palm Beach model of liberalism; which at its core is all symbolism. If Alachua County could reincarnate, it would come back as Palm Beach County, but for now in this life, it has to settle for being a university with a county around it. Palm Beach can afford to play the liberal ideas Du jour game; a game that has landed their consultants many clients willing to pay big bucks for the opportunity to see their liberalism implementation playbooks.

Liberal ideas rarely get fully implemented in Gainesville according to Palm Beach consultants' playbook instructions; usually because they require too many funds and produce hardly any tangible results in the time allotted. The presentations and the slideshows made it all look so easy and everyone who watched them was eager and excited to turn the slides into reality on the streets of Gainesville. What went wrong? Why did it work so well in the Palm Beach use case?

The most logical reason is Gainesville and Palm Beach has unlike subjects, and non-exact conditions by which they operate under. There have been several Palm Beach liberal playbook plays experimented with in Gainesville that have ended up on the scrap heap of ideas that never got off the ground.
When a liberal idea dies, it doesn't just die a quiet death. It takes a large chunk of the budget with it. Platinum class liberal governments are constantly faced with the task of convincing the underserved liberal classes they are being served even when they aren't.

Since liberal ideas are costly and can rack up expensive legal fees, oftentimes there just aren't any funds left over for serving the underserved liberal classes. The hope of it all is once the platinum liberal ideas become a reality; its benefits will lift all boats and make it a better world for all. All liberal ideas usually require a stream of revenue, and that usually mean some type of regressive tax, surcharge, assessment or rate increase that the underserved more often than not gets roped into paying.

There is a long ominous liberal shadow being cast from UF onto the city. That explains why the city is reluctant to make a move without getting recommendations from UF on which play to call when the natives become restless on equity issues. A network of surrogate organizations that is only capable of offering platinum class symbolic liberal solutions to mostly bronze class liberal uprisings is in place and has been the answer up to now for the city, but is beginning to wear thin. Bronze class liberals refuse to go away and be quiet; therefore the city finds itself up against a wall when it comes to moving beyond symbolism and is made to address disparities and inequities in a way that produce positive outcomes.

On any given night in Gainesville you can probably find the equity group meeting of your choice that is brimming with all sorts of liberal equity solutions. There is no shortage of equity officers in Gainesville. A liberal university requires a liberal city, at least on paper. The key thing to remember when you are in a situation like Gainesville is to be able to show something on paper. Making it look good on paper is all that matters to liberals.

If all the demographics have a representative who can be pointed to as being the face of the group, then mission accomplished. There capabilities don't matter and neither does their record. The term 'figure head' in Gainesville is considered taboo and does not apply; neither does it have any meaning when comes to liberal shenanigans.

Considering the amount of liberal ideas that has been invested in Alachua County, disparities should be rare and inequities should be even rarer. In conclusion I would say Alachua County is suffering from a bad case of liberal ideas gone wild. This has resulted in some of the highest taxes, highest utility bills and highest poverty rates in the state.

Symbolic gestures like passing ballot measures that is supposed to address inequities in housing, employment and schools are meaningless symbolism. Platinum class liberal ideas like ordinances that are supposed to promote energy efficiency which will result in cheaper rents and lower utility bills will go down as platinum liberal symbolic classics.
-GatorTown Review-










But my eyes are toward thee, O Lord God: in thee I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers! PSALMS 141:8-9


We awaken each day into a world where deception and darkness can easily be cloaked as goodwill and light. We need a guide to help use navigate through the day; a guide who can see beyond what we see. Jesus, the son of God promised to share his spirit to be that navigator if we put our complete trust in him.

On the surface it appears to be quiet evident that very few are putting the proper amount of trust in the Lord. I say on the surface because looks can be very deceiving in some instances.

There is a physical and a mental aspect to life. The physical is susceptible to all sorts of judgmental calls by those around us and can exist in an environment devoid to any truth. Beneath the surface is where life really happens and where truth can be found. The mental side of life is where our focus should be. Mastering the mental side of life automatically benefits the physical side, but not vice versa.

Trusting in the Lord changes your outlook on life. Trusting in the Lord takes you from being lead about by worldly circumstances and simple ideas to a position of enlightenment and understanding. Without the Lord you live life blindly and are constantly being ensnared by the forces of darkness. Living in the shadow of the Lord gives you a great understanding of the forces that are arrayed against you. Without the Lord you are defenseless in life. The absence of the Lord can be masked in the physical side of life with money and material things; masked to the point where everything looks normal.

Mentally you can't hide the absence of the Lord. Your very words, thoughts and actions testify against you. Your mouth is what the forces of darkness in this world is interested in the most. A mouth with no God watching over it and keeping it is equivalent to or can be likened to driving drunk; you think you are in control but you're not.

You need the Lord to show you where the traps and snares are located. Walking through life can be likened to walking through a mine field. Without the guidance of the Lord you expose yourself to becoming a victim of subtle snares that can constantly dog you for a lifetime. Most snares in life today are so expertly set until only those who truly rely on the Lord can spot them at first glance.

The power of the Lord really shines through when you expound on the haves-and-have-nots paradigm. With the Lord you have, without the Lord you have not. The ability to see what others can't along with contentment and peace of mind are invaluable attributes to have in today's world. If you have these attributes you have a strong defense and can navigate life far better than someone who is immensely rich but devoid of the Lord.

Trusting in the Lord leads to true freedom and independence from those who have embraced the antichrist worldly way of living. As the eyes of servants look to the hands of their master and the eyes of a maid unto the hand of her mistress, so your eyes should look to the Lord your God till he have mercy upon you.






Just when you thought there was no more milk in the Urban Cluster cow

Just when you thought everyone in county government knew the Urban Cluster Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation program is just a symbolic neo-liberal government idea that dupes the public into subsidizing the haves at the expense of the have-nots; now we get this recommendation from the county public works director:

"Make a legislative finding that the construction of the bus stop shelters identified in this agenda item are expected to increase RTS ridership along SW 8th Avenue, which will mitigate transportation impacts caused by developments with the NW transportation district."

The SW 8th Avenue area the staff recommendation is referring to is in what is called the "Urban Cluster." The Urban Cluster operates under a program called Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation (MMTM). MMTM is the county's agreement with developers that is supposed to cover the cost of development. Developers love this agreement because under it, they don't have to pay the full impact costs for roads. MMTM only require the developers to pay for things like bus stops and bike paths.

The county does have to prove to the state that it is making a reasonable effort to mitigate impacts caused by growth. Therefore the recommendation calls for the making of a legislative finding.

There is a serious level of denial taking place in county government when it comes to the Urban Cluster. On paper, the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) is committed to everything the county comprehensive plan requires for an Urban Cluster. County staff is very versed in Urban Cluster talk. However, what is on paper and what is being spoken does not jive with the realities on the ground. The comprehensive plan and the majority of the growth management staff insist that because of strict adherence to code, the Urban Cluster will only experience a very limited amount of automobile traffic.

Increased RTS ridership along SW 8TH Avenue will offset any transportation impacts that may arise from any new development. Developers do not pay their fair share of impact costs because the growth management staff does not charge them the full cost. They believe that it would not be fair to developers if they were charged an amount that covered the full costs of impacts to roads by automobiles; in staff's mind there will be no automobiles, so the impact from new develop would be very minuscule. The County Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendation and voted unanimously to approve it.







Zombie voters can have negative impact on system

The 2020 election was probably the most defining moment in the history of voting in the US. There were several unprecedented maneuvers by the political parties during the campaign until an indelible mark that will forever change the way we view the entire election process.

The thing that has stuck with me when I think about the 2020 was I heard one of the County commissioners say "since Trump is on the ballot in 2020, we should pack the ballot with all of our wish lists items because there is likely to be a large voter turnout." In other words, he was saying when you move beyond the diehard voters, you a class of voters who only know they have a right to vote. These are voters who are filling out ballots without applying any thought to what they are voting for.

The commissioner was right in his assertion that there would be voters showing up simply because Donald Trump was on the ballot. He was also right in that you can take advantage of the situation when emotions run high at the polls. That is the time to make out a long wish list and let the voters do the rest. With the proper ballot language in place that is designed to deceive the Jethro types, the county can have a banner night at the polls, and they did.

That's how politics work today. It isn't about what is best for the people but what is best for people like the commissioner who is pushing an agenda. The only thing needed is a group of fools to carry out his plans. Zombie voters are just what the doctor ordered for people like our commissioner. They vote purely on emotion without giving any thought to the fact that what they are voting for may not be in their best interest. Usually, a suggestion from someone they consider as a confidant or a message suggesting racial overtones is all it takes to short circuit any brain waves of the zombie voter may be experiencing.

For people like the commissioner, zombie voters are a godsend. For others, zombie voters are seen as dangerous not only to themselves but to society in general. The system is designed to work for people who are paying attention. We hear it said so often that "the system is broken," but we don't care to ask who broke it. Zombie voters, if they haven't broken the system, they sure have rendered it void. The voting booth is no place for a mindless idiot. The stakes are too great to be left in the hands of some fool who is clueless about what is going on.

Ridding the system of zombie voters is very difficult because zombie voters can't think; they can only do what they are told and since there are so many zombie hunters in media and running loose in our community feeding them misinformation, I don't see a clear path to correcting this problem. There is a clause in the election rules at state all voters must be of sound mind but it never gets enforced. Technically, anyone who votes against their own best interest should be a red flag to the supervisor of elections. Anyone who votes against their own best interest can't be of a sound mind.

If you have to have a cheat sheet before you can fill out a ballot, you're a zombie voter.
.  If you are only concerned with 'D' and 'R' when filling out a ballot, you're a zombie voter.
.  If you don't know that you don't have to make a choice (leave it blank) if you are not informed about something on the ballot, you're a zombie voter.
.  If your ballot selections are solely based on gender or race, you're a zombie voter.
.  If you complain after every election about how you vote but nothing ever changes, you're probably a zombie voter.