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Vol. 1 · No. 88 · Tuesday, July 28, 2026

The Gainesville Ledger

City

Alachua commissioners face pushback over rezoning that could bring Walmart to US-441

Alachua city commissioners held a lengthy public hearing Monday on a proposal to rezone farmland along U.S. Highway 441 for a mixed-use development that could include a Walmart, with many residents turning out to oppose the project over traffic and wildlife concerns. Developers acknowledged a 2020 traffic study had failed, and Alachua County officials have asked that an engineering and environmental study be completed before any final determination. The commission had previously voted 3-2 in June to change the land use designation for the site, but the rezoning vote remains unresolved.

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Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · WCJB TV20

Education

UF sets November 18 inauguration date for President Stuart Bell

The University of Florida has scheduled a formal inauguration ceremony for incoming president Dr. Stuart Bell on November 18. A steering committee drawn from across campus — including student government, alumni association, and college leadership — has been assembled to organize the event, with further details to be announced in coming weeks.

Sources: WCJB TV20 · The Gainesville Sun

State & National

Judge rules Fishback stays on Florida governor’s primary ballot

A Leon County circuit judge ruled Monday that Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback remains eligible for the Florida governor’s race, rejecting a lawsuit brought by Lt. Governor Jay Collins that sought to remove him over a residency dispute. Collins argued Fishback failed to meet the Florida Constitution’s seven-year residency requirement, pointing to a 2020 Washington, D.C. vote as evidence he had abandoned his Florida domicile. The judge found the complaint did not present sufficient evidence that Fishback intended to give up his Florida permanent residency, though Collins could still appeal.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

City

In Brief

Education

Federal appeals court blocked Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, but UF community says law left a mark

A U.S. Court of Appeals struck down Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, which had restricted how concepts related to race and identity could be taught at public universities. Experts, faculty, and students at UF told the Independent Florida Alligator that despite the legal defeat, the law had a lasting effect on academic freedom and classroom discourse.

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Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator

In Brief

Public Safety

Suwannee County animal sanctuary owners arrested on child abuse, sex abuse charges

Brandon and Krystal Detty, who operate the Livin Like Larry Animal Sanctuary in Branford, were arrested in Ohio on charges including child endangerment, child sex abuse, and domestic violence, according to the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office. Court records indicate the couple’s children were pre-teens when the alleged abuse began, and prosecutors say the children were threatened into silence during child protective service visits. All animals at the sanctuary are reported to be in the care of officials.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

Sports

In Brief

Community

In Brief

State & National

Federal lawsuit accuses FWC of illegally accessing activists’ driver’s license data

A new federal lawsuit charges the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with unlawfully searching the driver’s license records of environmental activists who publicly criticized the state’s authorized bear hunt. The activists, including members of Bear Warriors United, say they discovered the searches through a public records request and argue the agency targeted them for exercising free-speech rights rather than for making actual threats. FWC has acknowledged receiving threatening messages related to the hunt, but critics note that the identities of those who made the threats are redacted in agency records.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

Florida bans undocumented students from state colleges and GED programs

The Florida State Board of Education has voted to bar undocumented students from enrolling in state colleges and GED programs, making Florida the fourth state in the country to restrict undocumented residents’ access to higher education. The policy affects community colleges and adult education pathways that had previously been open to students regardless of immigration status.

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Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator

In Brief

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