Gainesville Florida sits as the county seat for Alachua County, and as such, the choices Gainesville makes has an impact on the surrounding areas. As many citizens and visitors might be aware, Alachua County relies on the marketing that it is the place  "Where Nature and Culture Meet". When you google "Where Nature and Culture Meet" in fact, results for Gainesville come up. This slogan is plastered all over their social media and even on the roadside signs. 

Despite this, however, Gainesville has a serious problem of mowing the wildflowers and flora that grows on the sides of the road. I notice this especially on my drives into town after 441-- which is where you can find signs for the "Wildflower Corridor"-- to Main Street, where there are dividers that separate the North and South Bound cars. In the Spring Time, these areas attempt to burst forth with various wildflowers, however, most of the time either right before they bloom or right after, the City of Gainesville mows them down. 

As a little bit of an etymology lesson, Florida literally means "The Land of Flowers". The Floridian ecosystem is vitally important and exceedingly rare, so to see it be cut down so thoughtlessly feels at odds with the mission system the county markets itself on.

Why should anyone care, besides the obvious misalignment between purported values and actions?

The wildflowers give shelter and nutrients to the pollinators, who go on to spread life wherever they go. Florida is as beautiful as it is because it has a flourishing life cycle. However, due to over mowing by the city of Gainesville, critical habitats are gone and our pollinators are left to starve.

To add insult to injury, the taxpayers are asked to cover the cost of these destructive habits that don't actually contribute to the health or wellbeing of the city. Nothing of value is gained and resources are being pointlessly expended. We pay for the gas, the labor, and the machinery that goes into mowing the wildflowers, and then we are asked to live in a land that is increasingly made barren. 

Please join me in informing the current Gainesville City Commission that we do not feel as if they are succeeding in the mission statement when they choose to mow the Wildflowers alongside the roads.

Thank you for your time.