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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 49
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Alachua County Commission raises age to buy tobacco It also voted to end prisoner labor By Karina Elwood and Taylor Girtman Alligator Staff Writers
The Alachua County Commission voted Tuesday night to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products and voted to end using prisoners for county labor. Alachua County became the first county in Florida to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 after the commission unanimously voted to pass the ordinance. Tobacco products include cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and vapes.
Alachua County joins six states and about 450 cities and municipalities to adopt Tobacco 21, the national movement to increase the minimum tobacco age, said Wendy Resnick, the Tobacco Free Alachua vice chair. The ordinance will be implemented county-wide in about nine months, allowing time to inform retailers about the change, according to a presentation shown at the meeting. Cities have the option to opt-out. Businesses will need to get an annual license from the county to sell tobacco and could face suspensions if they continue to
sell to those under 21. Alvi Showkat, a 19-year-old UF material science freshman, said raising the age will make no difference in teenagers’ smoking. “I think it’s kind of pointless because even if they raise the age, people will have other means to get it via asking other people, like friends who are 21 to get it for them,” he said. Before the meeting, about 40 residents carried signs, some saying “Solidarity” and “End Prison Slavery at UF,” and banged drums as they marched their way to the Alachua County Administration Building from the Civic Media Center in protest of the county’s use of prison workers with the Department of Corrections.
The commission voted 4-1 to end its road and bridge labor contract with the corrections department and use full-time employees instead. County Commissioner Mike Byerly voted against the ordinance. “If those positive reforms don’t come, then we’ve made a really bad mistake,” he said. The county uses prisoners from department work camps for road and bridge work, but the county does not pay the prisoners, said Ramon Gavarrete, the county public works engineer, during the meeting. Instead, the county pays for maintenance supervisors. The county has not yet decided on a date to end prisoner labor work.
SEE PRISON, PAGE 4
Scheduling error affects Spring election ballot THE WEEKLY SENATE MEETING WAS CANCELED By Hannah Beatty Alligator Staff Writer
Bryan Pepper / Alligator Contributor
Honoring the King Treyvon Jenkins, a member of the Florida Youth Challenge Academy, looks at the crowd Monday during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day March starting on Bo Diddley Community Plaza and ending at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center. The march lasted about an hour, and hundreds of people participated in the celebration.
Santa Fe student is running for mayor MARLON BRUCE IS THE FOURTH CANDIDATE RUNNING By Karina Elwood Alligator Staff Writer
Bruce
A 20-year-old Santa Fe College student joined the Gainesville mayoral race Thursday.
Florida makes it rain on Texas A&M KeVaughn Allen and the Gators made 18 three pointers in win over the Aggies, pg. 14.
Marlon Bruce moved to Gainesville from Ocala two years ago to attend Santa Fe College and said he loves the city so much he decided to run for mayor. “Gainesville is a great place to be, but the issue is that there are problems,” Bruce said. “The issues were bigger than I realized. If I don’t run for mayor then I won’t be doing my duty to everyone else.”
The UF Student Senate may have missed its chance to make changes to the upcoming election ballot because its meeting was accidentally canceled. Senate meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Reitz Union Chamber. This week, however, the Christian fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi booked the room to hold its new member induction. The Senate had planned on voting to add an amendment to the ballot that would change the Spring election dates. The meeting was the last opportunity to make changes to the ballot because referendums and amendments must be passed 28 days before the Spring general election, which starts Feb. 19, according to Student Body Statutes. Senate Minority Leader Felipe Gatos said Tuesday was a blow. Inspire Party senators were going to propose referendums on the Senate floor. “There’s nothing that can be done. We went through the codes,” Gatos said. UF’s SG adviser James Tyger, who handles the room reservations, said the chambers were supposed to be reserved for a Spring elections information meeting and then the Senate meeting would follow. Tyger said an overlap in bookings has never happened before. “We did reach out to the [Reitz] Union to see if there were any other spaces available and unfortunately and apparently there are not,” he said. @hannahbeatty_
SEE BRUCE, PAGE 4
A taste of Puerto Rico
A father and son food truck that offers Puerto Rican favorites just opened, pg. 3
A boost for UF neurology institute
A man donated $20 million to help fund the institute, pg. 5
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