Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center

11/22/2024

Explore, savor and enjoy What’s Good® as Alachua County welcomes the holiday season! Click through for more of What’s Good®: visitgainesville.com/whats-good

🏈 Gators Football vs. Ole Miss, Saturday, November 23
🍁 Cane Boil and Fiddle Fest at Morningside Nature Center, November 23
❄ Dance Alive National Ballet Presents Free Previews of The Nutcracker at Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, November 23
🐯 Thanksgiving Tours at Carson Springs Wildlife, November 29 - 30
🎭 Holiday Performances at the Hippodrome Theatre, November 29 – December 23
🎁 2024 Craft Festival at the O’Connell Center, November 30 – December 1
🤣 An Evening with David Sedaris at UF Phillips Center, December 2

✉ Stay up to date and join the email list at bit.ly/WhatsGoodAlachuaCounty

📸: Gator Walk by Florida Athletics/Jay Metz
📸: “A Christmas Carol” by Michael A. Eaddy

11/08/2024

10/30/2024

Shows and Events for Walk Trot Canter Association

10/09/2024

**Post Update**
Hurricane Milton Update: 10/9/2024, 4:27 p.m. EST

New Shelter Opens and Two Shelters Full

Meadowbrook Elementary School (11525 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville) is now the sole open general population/pet-friendly emergency shelter. Both the MLK Center and the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex shelters are full.

Hurricane Milton Update 9 - Current Situation

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS ALL BASED ON THE CURRENT STORM TRACK. IT CAN STILL CHANGE

Impacts from Milton are expected to start in Alachua County as early as 7 p.m. tonight, but they are more likely to occur very late tonight into early morning Thursday. The most likely departure time is approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday.

The overall forecast for Alachua County has improved. However, we are still expected to see tropical storm-force winds and rainfall rates ranging from 2 to 8 inches. Winds and rain will be more severe the farther south you are.

As we have seen multiple times, these storms are unpredictable, and any shift of the track north will increase the potential impacts on our area. Preparing for the worst-case scenario is always best, so you won't be caught off guard.

Many people in our area have evacuated from central and south Florida. Please be aware of the extra people on the roadways.

🌀 For those that need sheltering, you can view the most up-to-date information on sheltering at https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/shelters

🌀 Sandbags: There are some self-serve sandbag locations still open; you can find those sites at https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/distributionsites

🌀 Closures: Government closures can be found at https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/otherclosures

🌀 Uber Rides: Information about emergency Uber rides to shelters can be found at https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/latestupdates/7591206439

If you have any other questions or concerns, the 311 Emergency Information Line (or 352-264-6557 if 311 is unavailable in your area) is now active for storm-related questions and rumor control. If you have true emergencies, please call 911.

Please keep a close eye on the current forecast and potential impacts by checking the National Weather Service website athttps://www.weather.gov/media/jax/briefings/nws-jax-briefing.pdf

Stay safe, stay informed, and watch out for one another.

10/08/2024

Hurricane Milton Update #6: General Population and Special Needs Shelters Open; Uber Rides Available

Alachua County does not expect storm impacts today. There is no need for local residents to shelter today. The county is opening shelters today to accommodate our neighbors from the south who are evacuating.

Alachua County has opened three emergency shelters in response to Hurricane Milton, including two general population/pet-friendly shelters and one special needs shelter. We encourage residents impacted by the storm to seek alternative housing with friends, family, or short-term rentals. Shelters are intended as a last resort.

General Population/Pet-Friendly Shelters:

Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center
1028 NE 14th St., Gainesville
Easton-Newberry Sports Complex
24880 NW 16th Ave., Newberry

Please note that general population shelters do not provide cots or beds. Residents are advised to bring their own bedding and essential supplies, including:

Special dietary foods, baby food, diapers, and other child necessities
Prescription medications (with a small cooler for refrigeration if needed)
Spare clothing, personal hygiene items, and spare eyeglasses or contacts

Residents with pets should bring:

Basic pet supplies (collars, leashes, crates, carriers, towels, blankets, medications, food)
Veterinary records indicating vaccinations (animals without such records will be vaccinated upon intake)

Alachua County Animal Resources will have supplemental supplies on hand. For everyone’s safety, animals must remain properly restrained throughout their stay.

Special Needs Shelter:

Alachua County Senior Recreation Center
5701 NW 34th Blvd., Gainesville

Special needs shelters will provide one cot per patient, though we cannot guarantee cots for caregivers. Residents should bring their own bedding, prescription medications, dietary foods, spare clothing, personal care items, and identification. For transportation assistance to the special needs shelter, please call 352-955-2575. For more: https://www.alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/shelters
Free Uber Rides to Shelters:

Alachua County has partnered with Uber to provide free rides to and from shelters, ensuring no resident is left behind due to transportation challenges. To access this service:

Open the Uber app
Go to the account tab and tap "Wallet"
Add promo code: rYb19PkolMp
(Up to $55 each way to/from Alachua County shelters and Grace Marketplace)
Or go to https://tinyurl.com/UberAlachua
Alternatively, visit Uber Ride Promo to redeem your free ride.

311 Emergency Information Line:

The 311 Emergency Information Line (or 352-264-6557 if 311 is unavailable in your area) is now active for storm-related questions and rumor control. For true emergencies, please call 911.

Stay Informed:

To receive critical updates, residents can sign up for text alerts by texting ALACHUA to 888-777. For the latest storm track, updates, and real-time weather developments, follow the Alachua County page or visit the Alachua County Ready website.

10/07/2024

10/07/2024

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OUR ALACHUA COUNTY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS

As Milton continues to move towards Florida, there are some very important information that you can use to help make sure that you and your family are prepared.

Local Impacts from Evacuations in South and Central Florida:

We can expect a significantly larger amount of traffic along I-75 from those that are evacuating Central and South Florida. This will likely impact travel times along the interstate and affect fuel stations that are close to the interstate exits

Current Weather Information:
You can find current weather and forecast information at the following locations:

▪ Local weather-stations: Alachua.WeatherSTEM.com
▪ National Weather Service: weather.gov/jax
▪ National Hurricane Center: hurricanes.gov
▪ National Weather Service Briefing Packet (Updated on a regular basis):https://www.weather.gov/media/jax/briefings/nws-jax-briefing.pdf

Alachua County Updates/Social Media Resources:

▪ Alachua County Info: AlachuaCountyReady.com
▪ Latest Updates: https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/latestupdates
▪ Sandbag Info: https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/milton/sandbags

▪ City of Newberry - Government
▪ City of Gainesville, FL - Government
▪ City of High Springs- Government
▪ Alachua County
▪ City of Alachua
▪ Alachua County Public Schools
▪ University of Florida Public Safety
▪ Santa Fe College
▪ Visit Gainesville, Alachua County
▪ Florida Division of Emergency Management
▪ NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center
▪ US National Weather Service Jacksonville Florida

Apologies if I missed anyone, please add in the comments if there is a resource that was missed.

10/06/2024

TARP DISTRIBUTION
Tarps are available for those who have home damage from Hurricane Helene.

Alachua County will have tarps available at the Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center, 23100 West Newberry Road, Newberry, on Monday, October 7th from 8am to 7pm, or until supplies last.

Tarps will also be available at the Archer Rural Collection Center and the Leveda Brown collection center.

Find information on tarp distribution locations at https://alachuacountyready.com/incidents/helene/disasterrecoveryinformation

They are large tarps, and there will be a limit of two tarps per household.

Alachu County Ready Site for latest updates on Emergecny Incidents

09/27/2024

Hurricane Helene Update: The following map issued by Alachua County Emergency Management shows the following information:

- Green is a reported tree down,
- Pink is a reported powerline or tree and line,
- Yellow icons are new reports being assessed.
- Clusters with a number means the map isn’t zoomed in and there’s a bunch of reports in that area.

Please read the post for additional information. This post is written in both English and Spanish.

(Expanda para ver esta información en español.)

To give residents an idea of the conditions outside, these are the reported downed trees and power lines around Alachua County. The icons can represent multiple trees/lines in a general vicinity, not exact locations. As more response crews assess the roads this morning, we will likely identify more downed trees/lines and other hazards.

(Green represents a reported tree down, pink is for reported powerline or tree and line, and yellow icons are new reports being assessed. The blue and yellow radiating circles represent clusters of issues. Click on the map and zoom in to see the numbers in that area.)

As of 6 a.m., Alachua County has more than 82,000 households without power, excluding Newberry numbers. Please stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Thank you for your patience as we work with local utility crews to restore power.

Reminder that shelters are still open for those who need them. Please call or text 911 to report downed powerlines and trees if you see one.

(The below text is a Spanish translation. Facebook may auto-translate to imperfect English.)

Para darles una idea de las condiciones exteriores, estos son los arboles y cables caídos alrededor del Condado de Alachua. Los iconos pueden representar varios árboles/cables eléctricos en una zona general, no hay ubicaciones exactas. A medida que más equipos de alivio accedan a las carreteras, es probable que identifiquemos más árboles/cables caídos y otros peligros.

(Verde es un árbol caído, rosa es cable eléctrico caído, o de un árbol y cable eléctrico, iconos amarillos son reportes nuevos que están siendo asesados. Grupos con números quiere decir que el mapa no está magnificado lo suficiente y hay varios reportes en esa área.)

A partir de las 6 a.m., el Condado de Alachua tiene más de 82,000 hogares sin electricidad, excluyendo los números de Newberry. Por favor, manténgase alejado de las carreteras a menos que sea absolutamente necesario. Gracias por su paciencia mientras trabajamos con equipos de servicios públicos locales para restaurar su electricidad.

Por favor llame o envíe un mensaje de texto al 911 para reportar cables eléctricos y árboles caídos si ve alguno.

09/27/2024

Hurricane Helene Update: Please read for important road closure information if your are traveling today in Alachua County.

Update: This road is no longer blocked.

4:00 AM – Major roadway blockage – Downed tree and live power lines along Newberry Road

⚠️ If traveling eastbound on Newberry Road, defer south to Parker Road then Archer Road, or travel north up Northwest 143rd Street to Northwest 39th Avenue.

⚠️ If traveling westbound, divert north from Newberry Road to Northwest 98th Street then Northwest 39th Avenue, or travel south via Southwest 91st Street to Southwest 8th Avenue.

Crews are working to clear the roadway as quickly as possible but it is expected to take several hours.