Attorney for Business Disputes and Litigation in Gainesville

Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, as well as the largest city in North Central Florida.

Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, which is the country’s fifth-largest public university campus by enrollment.

Gainesville pushed solar energy by establishing the country’s first feed-in tariff (FIT). The FIT permitted small businesses and homeowners to feed clean, on-site generated solar electricity into the municipal power grid in exchange for a premium. The FIT began with a $0.32 per kilowatt-hour tariff and permitted a person or business to sign into a 20-year contract with Gainesville Regional Utilities in which Gainesville Regional Utilities would purchase the power. Although the FIT terminated in 2013, when the rate was fixed at $0.18 per kWh, the city is still regarded as a solar power leader. Gainesville now ranks fifth in the world for solar installed per capita, ahead of Japan, France, China, and the entire United States.

Gatorade, was created in Gainesville in the 1960s to keep the UF football team hydrated. Gatorade’s headquarters are now in Chicago, although UF still receives a portion of the earnings from the product.

The economic research department of the Florida Department of Citrus is located on the UF campus.

What Happened to the Courthouse?

The demolition of the city’s historic Victorian courthouse in the 1960s, which some deemed unnecessary, drew the community’s attention to the importance of historic preservation. Some residents dubbed the plain county facility that replaced the stately courtroom the “air conditioner.” Other historic buildings in the downtown were demolished as well. Only a few older structures remain, such as the Hippodrome State Theatre, which was once a federal building. Many parking areas and disused buildings are being replaced with infill construction and near-campus housing that integrate in with existing historic structures as the city’s core is revitalized. On a parking lot one block from the original location, a replica of the historic courthouse is being proposed.

Gainesville Business Climate

The University of Florida is the city’s economic engine, as it is by far the largest employer in the area and receives a significant amount of state and federal funding. The top employers in Gainesville, according to the city’s 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, are:

• University of Florida
• University of Florida Health
• Gainesville Veterans Administration Medical Center
• Alachua County School Board
• City of Gainesville
• North Florida State University
• Gator Dining Services
• Nationwide Insurance
• Alachua County
• Regional Medical Center
• Publix

Gainesville’s Startup Business Culture

With approximately 160 high-growth businesses, Greater Gainesville (Alachua County) is home to several startups. Gainesville is also home to a slew of organizations that help startups succeed at every stage of their development.

Gainesville has experienced a surge in the number of technology-based startup companies formed and developed in the city, notably in the downtown area, since the 2006 launch of Grooveshark, a Gainesville-based music streaming service.

Digital Brands, SharpSpring, Fracture, Optym, and Feathr are among them. In April, the city honors the late creator of Grooveshark and his contributions to the community’s startup culture with Josh Greenberg Day.

About Gainesville

A majority of city commissioners have been concerned about suburban sprawl since the 1990s. The “New Urbanization” proposal to gentrify the area between historic Downtown and the University of Florida may stifle suburban growth and encourage a shift to upper-floor apartments in the city. Also undergoing active reconstruction is the area directly north of the university.

Many gentrification schemes rely on tax incentives, which have stirred debate and aren’t always effective. University Corners was to be “the crowning gem of the city’s rehabilitation efforts,” and would not have been proposed without a $98 million tax incentive scheme from the city. 450 condos and hotel units, as well as 98,000 square feet (9,100 m2) of retail space in eight levels over three city blocks, were purchased for $15.5 million on 3.4 acres (1.4 ha). In April 2007, 19 thriving companies were demolished, however in May 2008, deposit checks were reimbursed to roughly 105 persons who had reserved units, and in July 2008, developers spent “$120,000 to improve the site, so we won’t have this ugly green fence,” according to the developers.

Gainesville’s population was predicted to be 133,857 by the US Census Bureau in 2018,[43] up 7.7% from 2010. There were 51,029 households in 2010, with an average of 2.2 people per household. Children under the age of five made up 4.4 percent of the population, individuals under the age of 18 made up 13.4 percent, and persons 65 and older made up 8.3 percent. 64.9 percent of the population was white, 23.0% black, 6.9% Asian, 0.3 percent American Indians and Alaska Natives, 0.1 percent Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, 1.9 percent others, and 2.9 percent claiming two or more races. 10.0 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, while 58.7% were non-Hispanic whites. Females made up 51.6 percent of the population. The projected median family income in 2007–11 was $30,952, with a per capita income of $19,100.

Gainesville’s low cost of living has been recognized in numerous guides, including the 2004 Cities Ranked and Rated: More than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the United States and Canada. Restaurants around the University of Florida are very reasonably priced. Property taxes are high to offset the university’s costs because the university’s land is tax-free, but the typical home price is slightly lower than the national average, and Gainesville residents, like all Floridians, do not pay state income taxes.

In the Cities Ranked and Rated guide, the city’s employment market received only 6 out of a possible 100 points, indicating that the city’s low cost of living is offset by an exceedingly weak local job market that is oversupplied with college-educated individuals. Gainesville’s median income is slightly lower than the national average.

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