The Gainesville Iguana

Here is your helpful guide to voting. Please vote all the way down the ballot, your voice is loudest the more local you get. We strongly lean Democrat in party races. 

Note that Alachua County Commission races are newly single district, so you may have no County Commissioners, or one of the two we list. Later in the ballot you have the chance to vote on returning us to at large voting for County Commission. 

You will also find two names under Sheriff, the Democrat, Chad Scott, and No Party Pamela Marshall-Koons. Pam has a mental health and social justice background, and has added a lot to our community, and to the candidate forums, and should be recognized for that.

by Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons

I write as a retired University of Florida Professor and a long time civil rights and peace and justice activist in support of the courageous UF students who joined with thousands of students across the U.S. (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and non-religious) to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and the ethnic cleansing and occupation of Palestinians in all of Palestine. 

In a country which claims to uphold the right to free speech, free expression of views, the right to peacefully assemble and to protest wrongs, what has happened to the UF Students (known as the UF 9) and many across the U.S. shows that this is not the case. 

Oct. 7, 14, and Nov. 4

You are invited to attend a performance of “It Can’t Happen Here,” a radio play based on the 1935 book by Sinclair Lewis. The production is produced by Actors’ Warehouse and sponsored by the Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville.

Performances on Oct. 7 and 14 and Nov. 4, starting at 7:30, will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville at 4225 NW 34^th Street.

by Bill Gilbert

Our Republic does not have a people’s representative democracy!

If we did, we would not have the following protracted economic, environmental, and social problems. 

Among the industrialized nations we are: number one in prison population with 2.3 million people incarcerated, first in teen birth rates, and some of the highest rates of STD’s, first in illiteracy, poverty, racism, homelessness, income disparity, child hunger, child poverty, drug use and drug related deaths, use of antidepressants, violence, firearms deaths, not providing access to health care for all of our citizens, not providing child care for working parents, the most military spending, hazardous waste production, recorded rapes, and the poor quality of its public schools, and lowest in life expectancy. This is warp-speed decline.  

by Tim Martin

With so much at stake in this upcoming election, it’s understandable if Amendment 2 hasn’t caught your attention. This proposal seeks to enshrine the right to hunt and fish in Florida’s state constitution. While it might appear to be a harmless endorsement of outdoor traditions, a closer examination reveals significant concerns that should prompt you to vote against it.

Potential Opening of Conservation Lands

One of the most concerning aspects of Amendment 2 is the potential pressure to open public conservation lands to hunting. Currently, many state parks, preserves, gopher tortoise mitigation areas, some state forest lands, and water management district (WMD) lands are off-limits to hunters. This amendment could create legal and public pressure to allow hunting in these areas, jeopardizing the safety and tranquility of spaces crucial for wildlife preservation. Non-hunting outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, bird watchers, and families seeking recreational activities would likely face increased risks and reduced enjoyment if these areas are opened to hunting.

by Jay Whitehead, President, Florida Free Speech Forum

We hope everyone made it through the storm safely. We hope you will join members of the Florida Free Speech Forum for our Oct. 14 meeting, full of important information just in time for the upcoming election. We will again be meeting at the Institute of Culinary Arts at Eastside High School at our usual time, 11:30am. 

Our speaker this month will be Candy Birch with The League of Women Voters of Alachua County. She will discuss the six Amendment proposals to the Florida Constitution that will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

by Pamela Koons, Candidate for Alachua County Sheriff

“Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165. This verse is the first line in the book I wrote, “The Art of Forgiveness – An Expression of Peace.” Little did I know it would become my mantra during this campaign for Alachua County Sheriff. It reminds me to stay grounded, focused on serving the public, and to seek peace even in the midst of challenging moments. 

With over 30 years of public policy experience – working on transportation, healthcare, housing, and economic development initiatives and serving as Chief of Staff for the Mayor in one of the nation’s largest counties – I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to run an efficient, safe, and fiscally responsible operation. I helped to manage a $1.2 billion budget, but my key takeaway has always been about people. We must put people over politics. Which is why I chose to run as an independent candidate. Safety isn’t about politics, it’s about protecting people. It’s a fundamental issue that affects us all. This campaign has only reinforced that belief. 

by Susan Bottcher, One Alachua County

Update: On 10/8, Circuit Judge Olin Shinholser ruled in a case brought by Keith Perry against the At-Large District referendum that the ballot language was unlawful, but dismissed all other claims made by Perry (i.e., he ruled the County can return to At-Large Districts if specific ballot language is used). The County Commission decided the very same day to appeal the decision, which the County Attorney feels confident about winning. What’s more, Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton has confirmed she will count and certify the results of the referendum. The campaign is going full steam ahead and urges you to vote YES!

In last month’s issue of the Iguana, we laid out the reasons why restoring At-Large Districts (ALD) voting for county commissioners is better for democracy in Alachua County. 

In short, it increases your chances of having a majority voice and broader representation on county issues. The newly implemented Single Member Districts (SMD) model is now in place which is why you can vote for only one county commission seat this year. If you live in Districts 2 or 4 you don’t get to vote for any county commissioner this election cycle. 

As you’ll recall, in 2022 local Republican operatives used a dark money funded campaign to spew lies and disinformation about what SMD is and what it means to you, as a voter. They claimed it would provide “equal representation, equity, and end racism”. Their ruse worked on just enough people to pass.

We responded with two years of citizen outcry to the county commission asking they place a referendum on the 2024 ballot to return to ALD voting. They heard us and agreed: People need to hear the truth about ALD so they can be fully informed and vote accordingly. 

Now that ALD is on the ballot and voters are being educated with actual facts, Sen. Keith Perry has filed a lawsuit to prevent your vote on ALD from being counted. That’s right. You can vote, but he wants the courts to prevent your vote from being counted. And when the Supervisor of Elections does count your votes, Perry is asking the courts to prevent ALD from being implemented. 

Perry knows people will vote to restore ALD so is using his power to interfere in a free and fair election. This desperate act to silence you is an abuse of power and a betrayal of the public trust. 

In the meantime, they are launching their disinformation campaign, so be prepared. 

They claim that under ALD we won’t be able to elect minority candidates to public office. They’ll say there is a better chance of Black representation on the county commission under SMD. The bitter irony and ugly hypocrisy is this comes from the same people who voted to ban books about Black history and critical race theory in Florida.

Its stunning and disrespectful that they turn a blind eye to all the people of color already in office who have been elected throughout Alachua County. Our school board is elected by ALD and is majority-minority. 

Our Supervisor of Elections and Property Appraiser are Black women overwhelmingly elected countywide. We elected a Black judge to the 8^th Judicial Circuit. The citizens of Hawthorne and Micanopy elected Black women to serve as their mayors. The towns of Archer, High Springs, Alachua, Waldo, and Gainesville have elected Black commissioners. 

The system of ALD we have had in place for decades, prior to this new SMD, worked well. 

It proved that voters throughout Alachua County will elect people they believe reflect their values and will represent their voices best in all areas of government, especially elevating those from the Black community. Perry and his group want to tell you not believe what you see with your own eyes. 

Furthermore, they’re not just trying to interfere with your voting on ALD. 

Perry and the wider Republican forces, including Gov. DeSantis, have been working to use the courts to block your right to vote on other citizen-led initiatives. 

This specifically includes the referendums that will be on your November ballot to amend our city and county charters and our state constitution: They’re suing to block the Local Public Utilities (LPU) referendum for Gainesville voters and are sending cops to intimidate voters from supporting Amendment 4 that will protect women’s reproductive rights. 

Instead of allowing these issues to be settled fairly at the ballot box, they are seeking to use intimidation and the courts to interfere with the democratic process by delaying and blocking the counting of your votes. 

Just like your YES votes on Local Public Utilities, your YES vote on ALD must be heard. An overwhelming turnout in favor of these issues will send a strong message. 

If we pass ALD this year, in 2026 when two county commission seats are up for consideration, you get to vote for both. Then, in 2028 when three seats are up, you get to vote in all three for a total of five over those two election cycles. More representation is better than less representation.

The campaign for YES on At Large Districts is proud of the endorsements we’ve earned. More are coming in every week and so far include: Alachua County Chapter of the NAACP; Alachua County League of Women Voters; Rep. Yvonne Hinson; Alachua County Central Labor Coalition; Alachua County Democratic Party; North Central Florida AFL-CIO; Tax Collector John Power; School  Board members Leanetta McNealy, Tina Certain, and Sarah Rockwell; County Commissioners Anna Prizzia, Mary Alford and Ken Cornell; and former Newberry City Commissioner Alena Lawson Bennett.

You can help increase awareness and build support by putting a YES on At Large Districts sign in your yard. And as with any campaign we need funding to get the truth out. The Perry GOP machine has deep resources, so every dollar you can donate to ALD is meaningful and will be put to good use. 

You can request a yard sign and make a donation by visiting OneAlachuaCounty.com or send a check to One Alachua County P.O. Box 358986, Gainesville 32635. Yard signs for ALD and LPU are now available for free at the Democratic Party office 901 NW 8^th Ave.

Kick DeSantis out of town and put the ratepayers back in charge

by Dr. David Hastings, Suwannee St. Johns Sierra Club and Jyoti Parmar, Sierra Club of Florida 

It’s impossible to ignore the upcoming election, which may be the most important vote we will ever cast. At the top of our ballots, we are choosing between a Black and South Asian woman who worked for McDonalds as a teen, and a chaotic candidate who has called climate change a “hoax.” 

At the bottom of your ballot, the last item on the back page is an important reminder to Think Globally and Act Locally. It is a referendum to remove the DeSantis appointed “GRU Authority” and return decision making to ratepayers in Gainesville.