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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 83

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

#SAVETHESWAMP

Aaron Ritter / Alligator Staff

People eat dinner at The Swamp Restaurant, at 1642 W. University Ave., Thursday. Rep. Anthony Sabatini, of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, proposed a bill that would make the restaurant a historic landmark.

Proposed legislation may turn the restaurant into a landmark By Karina Elwood Alligator Staff Writer

Change may be coming to Midtown, and Gators are trying to stop it. A UF student started a petition to stop the destruction of The Swamp Restaurant, and a Florida lawmaker proposed legislation to make it a heritage landmark. These actions come after 908 Group, a real estate development firm which constructed

The Nine at Gainesville student apartments, announced plans Tuesday to build a “luxury” student apartment complex where The Swamp Restaurant, Grill Fresh, a United States Postal Service Office and Chain Reaction Bicycles reside, according to a WUFT News report. The 908 Group could not be reached for comment after multiple phone calls. Chip Skinner, a city of Gainesville spokesperson, said plans have not been submitted to the city yet and nothing can be done until then.

Ron DeFilippo, The Swamp Restaurant owner, said the restaurant has a month-tomonth lease. He has heard similar rumors for years. This is the first time he has ever seen plans. Raleigh Faust, the owner of Chain Reaction Bicycles, said nothing is final yet. He has owned the bike shop since 1997 and said he has heard similar rumors for years. “I want to stay as long as I can,” Faust said. “I don’t want to move, but if I have to, I have

to.” City Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos, who represents the area where Midtown is located, said he thinks bringing more student housing around campus is a good thing, but he wants to search for solutions to incorporate the old buildings into the new development. Florida House Rep. Anthony Sabatini, of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, proposed an amendment to House Bill 7103, which focuses on property development and related issues. It would protect The Swamp Restaurant from

SEE SWAMP, PAGE 4

FEATURE FRIDAY

From Cuba to Gainesville: DJ Elio Piedra drums up Latin culture HE PLAYS MORE THAN 270 EVENTS EVERY YEAR By Christina Morales Alligator Staff Writer

In his fourth grade class in Cuba, Elio Piedra’s teacher asked him to play a rhythm. It was the first time Elio held drumsticks, and it’s how he and his teachers found out about his talent in percussion. “For most, it’s like two pieces of wood,” Elio said. “But for me, it’s like extensions of my arms. When I dropped the sticks, I wanted to put

glue on my hands.” When he was 11, Elio’s aunt in Miami sent him money so he could buy a set of drums, cymbals and sticks. It’s how he learned how to bang to the Cuban rhythm “Songo.” But in 2010, when Elio was 19, the word on the streets of San Cristóbal, Cuba, wasn’t about his music. It was about the sale of his 8-year-old set of drums. He needed cash for his ticket to the U.S., so he could marry his thenfiancee 300 miles away. He sold the drums for $300, but Elio still felt like he took a loss. “They were like a member of my

No. 6 Gators take on No. 5 Alabama

Pitcher Kelly Barnhill and the UF softball team host the Crimson Tide in a Friday doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m., pg. 14

family,” Elio said. Two months after the sale, Elio wasn’t feeling the beat of the drums. He was feeling the rumble of his flight to Fort Lauderdale. Elio, now 27, plays more than 270 events a year. He has played with Grammy-winner Churco Valdés and with his band on the parking lot of Mi Apá Latin Café during a domino tournament in April. Every few weeks, Elio takes the floor at Felipe’s Taqueria, at 1209 W. University Ave. He arrives at the restaurant in a van flaunting his name and face. Before he plays, he recites a

mantra in his head: “Play with your hands. Sing with your heart, and use all your passion.” Elio’s playlist is unique to each crowd. The men in the restaurant dressed in button-down shirts and held Coronas with lime. The women squeezed in tight dressed and drowned in Guess perfume danced in their high heels. Offstage, Elio’s dad, Evelio Piedra, 54, who arrived from Cuba in October 2018, helped his son set up and pick up late into the night. Standing at the corner of the restaurant, Evelio watched as Elio played and danced with the crowd to

The man behind the murals

See the artist who painted the Tom Petty murals around Gainesville, pg. 8

Food delivery just got cheaper

BiteSquad just created a promotional code for finals week, pg. 5

songs like “Vivir Mi Vida,” “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” and “Echa Pa’lla.” As a math teacher in Cuba, Evelio didn’t have money to buy instruments for Elio or for him to take music classes. “I always knew he had the talent,” Evelio said in Spanish. “But I never thought he was going to be this big.” For Elio to have a chance in the music industry, he had to take a test. After 15 tries and a week away from his family, he passed the test when he was 9 years old and was able to attend music boarding school at the

SEE ELIO, PAGE 4