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Thursday, April 30, 2026

The Gainesville Ledger

Gainesville Fleet Management named among 2026’s 100 Best Fleets in the Americas

The City of Gainesville’s Fleet Management division has been selected for NAFA Fleet Management Association’s annual 100 Best Fleets in the Americas list, a national recognition program now in its 20th year that evaluates public fleets on leadership, efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. In the first half of fiscal year 2026, the division overhauled fueling operations, deployed a new citywide fuel data system, and replaced dozens of emergency and other vehicles. The division also previously secured a $14.6 million grant with Alachua County and GRU to install 47 EV charging stations at 17 sites, though that funding is currently on hold due to federal action.

Sources: City of Gainesville

GPD breaks ground on $19M evidence storage building at NW campus

Gainesville city officials and contractor AJAX Construction marked the start of construction April 24 on a three-story, roughly 24,000-square-foot property and evidence facility on the Gainesville Police Department campus at 545 NW Eighth Ave. The building is designed to handle the department’s expanding volume of evidence, improving storage, processing, and retrieval capabilities for investigations and prosecutions. The City Commission approved the $19 million project in December 2025, funding it through a bank loan backed by the Streets, Stations & Strong Foundations surtax program, with completion targeted for summer 2027.

Sources: City of Gainesville

Gainesville Opens Applications for Federal Housing and Community Grants

The City of Gainesville will begin accepting applications on April 29 for federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships funding covering the period from October 2026 through September 2027. Eligible projects must serve very low-, low-, and moderate-income residents and address priorities such as housing, homeless assistance, job training, nutritional support, or programs for at-risk children and elderly residents. The application window closes May 11, 2026, and an optional Zoom workshop for prospective nonprofit applicants is scheduled for April 29 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Sources: City of Gainesville

Gainesville approves construction of two new fire stations amid rising call volume

The Gainesville City Commission approved guaranteed maximum price agreements for sitework on two new fire stations during its April 16 meeting. Fire Station #3 will relocate to NE Eighth Avenue in a new 17,000-square-foot building with three truck bays, while Fire Station #9 will move to a larger joint facility near Archer Road and Interstate 75 featuring four truck bays and a community room. The projects are intended to strengthen emergency response capacity as the department handles more than 29,000 service calls annually.

Sources: City of Gainesville

GCRA recruiting contractors and lenders for 8th Avenue, Waldo Road grant fairs

The Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area is looking for licensed contractors and lenders to participate in four resource fairs this spring, where they can connect with property owners eligible for renovation grants along the 8th Avenue and Waldo Road corridors. The fairs run from 6 to 8 p.m. on four consecutive Mondays — April 20 through May 11 — at the MLK Jr. Multipurpose Center on NE 14th Street. The City Commission has allocated $2 million for the incentive program, which supports interior and exterior improvements for homeowners, business owners, and nonprofits in those corridors.

Sources: City of Gainesville

Construction begins on downtown Gainesville’s Streatery pedestrian corridor

The City of Gainesville has launched construction on The Streatery, a planned pedestrian-only corridor along SW First Avenue between South Main Street and SW Second Street, with work expected to run through October. The project will replace underground utilities and roadway surfaces with brick pavers, add outdoor lighting, seating, landscaping, and electrical hookups for food trucks, and create ADA-accessible raised intersections. Construction will proceed in two phases, with detour routes shifting in July, while nearby parking and some downtown events continue during the build.

Sources: City of Gainesville

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