Melrose Forever

05/04/2026

It’s been about 6 weeks since the WildFlowers Festival.

Thanks for the permit compliance reports during the event. We published a short summary of incidents after the event, and the final report and analysis are under review. The concerns brought to light in our meetings and conversations were not unfounded or overstated, and materialized during the event as we expected.

Our campaign in opposition to WildFlowers stopped at the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Their rationale was arbitrary and capricious. We found no relief at the BOCC. It was perfunctory, as if their decision was a foregone conclusion.

Recently, information obtained through Sunshine Laws, online statements, and news has led us to believe WildFlowers and the BOCC have an interest in developing a Rural Events Center on the parcel. BOCC and others argue the alternative to WildFlowers is residential development (50 units), without proof of any interest or regard for existing zoning. They argue the WildFlowers development protects us from residential development. Development protecting us from development? An events center development answers outstanding questions about financial feasibility.

We argue the parcel is zoned rural agricultural and we expect the BOCC to respect and maintain that zoning.

Unfortunately, given BOCC’s direction away from agricultural use, we are left with no alternative other than to seek relief through the courts; to hire an attorney and litigate if we want to continue to oppose re-zoning and development.

Melrose Forever cannot commit the community to engage an attorney, however we see it as our next step. It’s up to you. The following is from our meeting with Sabatini Law.

“Hundreds of emails, BOCC meetings, protest, yard signs, ads, petitions, TV News...we’ve done our work and still were not heard.

We can continue doing the same things, or we can take our opposition to the next level.

The BOCC won’t hear our grievances until they feel there are consequences for ignoring us. We’re asking you to continue the fight by hiring Sabatini Law.

Why Sabatini Law?

Their focus is on land use law, constitutional and civil law, political law, and government law. All three of the attorneys are former county commissioners in north central Florida. They know how local government works and how it doesn’t. They’re building their careers and their practice by confronting the excesses of county boards. Attorney Marshall Rollins grew up in Melrose. He’s seen the erosion of The Comprehensive Plan. Sabatini Law has experience with attempts to create Rural Event Centers without rural events or agritourism. They know how to fight developers.

What will they do for us?

We have three choices. Actually four, if you include "do nothing or repeat what you've already done":

1. Send a strongly worded letter to the BOCC.

Comment: At this point, we’re guessing it will be tossed into the circular file with all our other emails.

2. Send Sabatini Law to the BOCC meetings to represent us there.

Comment: After all we’ve seen, I think we know how that will go. Without fear of consequences, the BOCC will ignore them.

3. File a lawsuit.

Comment: This seems to be the action that we can take that could get the attention of the BOCC. This route has the greatest chance of getting results.

How much will it cost?

Sabatini Law is asking for $5,000 retainer that would take us through discovery and two rounds of litigation.

Possible outcomes:

$5,000 may finish the job. The BOCC may want to settle quickly and get us out of their hair. They may recognize that the procedural violations hint at ethical ones. The BOCC may fight the lawsuit, dragging this on for several years and requiring more fundraising on our part. We have seen local governments respond quickly and we’ve also seen simple violations take three years to be resolved with a lawsuit. There are no guarantees and no way to be sure.

What we can be sure of is that we have done everything we can to hold WildFlowers accountable!

The BOCC is determined to allow them to go forward in spite of an incomplete TUP application and multiple violations of the conditions of that permit. If we allow them to continue, we will not only have music festivals of 10,000 or more people and vehicles on that property, but also Hoggetown Medieval Faire, disc golf, and who knows what else?

The BOCC will change Melrose forever, destroying another piece of Old Florida.

A knowledgeable attorney is our hard line against back door re-zoning and commercial exploitation of agricultural land.”

We have opened a GoFundMe account and will gauge interest by the financial activity.

Please join us by giving whatever you can.

Melrose Forever, a community organization, hosts this GoFundMe to pay l… Steve LeBel needs your support for Help Melrose Forever Oppose Wildflowers Music Park

04/21/2026

I know we're tired of these meetings where we're not heard. But we need to stay informed.

They'll discuss a "large-scale amendment to the Comprehensive Plan."

Can't wait.

IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE: Public Hearing - Board of County Commission Meeting Z26-000003 Amendments to the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan Based on Evaluation and Appraisal of the Plan (Large-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment)

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 1:30 pm in the John R. "Jack" Durrance Auditorium, Room 209, 12 SE 1st Street, Gainesville, Florida to consider transmittal the following Comprehensive Plan amendment for state agency review:

Z26-000003 Amendments to the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan Based on Evaluation and Appraisal of the Plan (Large-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment)

A request initiated by Alachua County to amend multiple elements of the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan 2019-2040 based on the Evaluation and Appraisal of the Plan pursuant to Section 163.3191, Florida Statutes. Proposed amendments to the Plan include revisions to certain goals, objectives, policies, maps, tables and definitions within the following Elements: Future Land Use, Transportation Mobility, Housing, Potable Water & Sanitary Sewer, Solid Waste, Conservation & Open Space, Stormwater Management, Recreation, Intergovernmental Coordination, Economic, Capital Improvements, Community Health, and Energy. The proposed amendments also update the planning horizon year for the Comprehensive Plan and the Future Land Use Map to 2045.

View the complete legal notice: https://tinyurl.com/3nh3e87d for more details.

04/18/2026

News Note: The meeting scheduled for tomorrow, 4.19.26, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.
Please monitor this page for the latest developments.

04/02/2026

A REMINDER AS WE HEAD INTO TUP APPLICATION #2 SEASON:

TUP #1 CONDITIONS THAT WERE NOT MET—

1. SOUND was consistently above the 60 decibel limit specified in the conditions for the permit all weekend, as measured at the property line.

2. RANDOM TENTS ALL OVER What happened to the map of the event that helped sell this to the BOCC? Tents and RVs parked everywhere. A neighbor sat on her front porch drinking coffee Saturday morning and saw a guy emerge from his tent on her property line to relieve himself in the shrubbery.

3. SPEED LIMIT No 15 mph speed limit signs that were promised. The roads are now degraded and need repair.

4. MOVING PARKED CARS AT NIGHT Cars were not supposed to drive around the WildFlowers property at night. But they did. This is not safe for people walking on the property to their tents. A neighbor's chickens were awakened over and over again by streaming headlights.

5. QUAIL STREET No barricade on Quail Street until the sheriff was called on Friday night. It remained sorta barricaded sorta not all weekend.

6. TRESPASS Still no fences. Neighbors reported an intoxicated man on their doorstep late Saturday night, complaining incoherently and disturbing the peace.

AND THE BIG QUESTION, WAS THE TUP APPLICATION ACTUALLY COMPLETED?

IF SO, WHY HASN'T CITIZENSERVE.COM BEEN UPDATED WITH WILDFLOWERS' RESPONSES?

Fire Rescue: John Adler
Corrections Required: Site map needs to include campsite locations with aisles. Aisle widths shall be no less than 16'. Vertical clearance shall be no less than 13'6".
Corrections Required: Please indicate how driving aisles will be stabilzed to handle the weight of emergency vehicles. Hay is not allowed.
Corrections Required: Indicate how local traffic will access beyond the point of closure on NE 255th Dr. Indicate how traffic can turn around at the closure point.
Corrections Required: Indicate travel route for Melrose Fire Department, ACFR Stations 41 (Orange Heights) and 62 (Hawthorne) to the festival site. Indicate how festival traffic can be controlled to allow expediated response for Fire Rescue Units.
Corrections Required: Indicate size and location of emergency vehicle staging area.
Corrections Required: Indicate layout of parking areas. Show driving aisles for parking lots that allow emergency vehicle access. Indicate capacity of parking lots.
Conditions of Approval: Due to remote location, the event will be listed as high hazard. An Advance Life Support Service with transport capability will be required per County Ordinance. Unit will need to be onsite between 7:00 am and Midnight each day of the event. Please contact ACFR to arrange.
Corrections Required: Per the Florida Fire Prevention, certified crowd managers shall be provided at a ratio of 1 crowd manager for every 250 anticipated attendees (this will include staff and participants). Please provided documentation showing crowd management training. Please note that security and staff that will have to deal with emergencies cannot be counted as crowd managers. Crowd managers are solely responsible for the crowd.
Corrections Required: Provide training levels and certification of first aid staff. Provide a list of equipment provide for first aid staff.
Conditions of Approval: Please contact ACFR to clarify the submitted EMS plan for how patients will be dealt with, reportable incidents, staffing, patient care methodology, triage criteria, etc.
Corrections Required: Per the Florida Fire Prevention Code, NFPA 1, Chapter 10.14.3.4.2 (3)(j), please provide a narrative of how fire and life safety issues will be addressed for patrons with disabilities.
Corrections Required: Generators: Provide a document showing layout of power distribution network, refueling plan, safety plan, and site set-up. Please describe type and kvw of generators.
Corrections Required: Water supply: Please indicate size of wells, size of pumps, length of pipe for hose bibs used for campsite fire safety.
Corrections Required: Provide information on brush truck and tanker, i.e. size of tank, size of pump, equipment. Provide documentation showing operational readiness of the apparatus and equipment.
Corrections Required: Provide information for staff members assigned to fire duties, i.e. training level, certifications, experience that complies with the requirements of FSS 633 to operate in an IDLH atmosphere.
Conditions of Approval: Please contact ACFR to clarify the submitted Fire response plan for how potential fires shall be handled, span of control, decision making process, reportable incidents, etc.
Conditions of Approval: Please provide documentation of agreement with Melrose Water Association for use of their hydrant.
Conditions of Approval: Please contact ACFR Fire Marshal's Office to set an inspection schedule for tents, food trucks, site, etc. prior to occupancy.
Conditions of Approval: Tents over 900 square feet will require permits through the building department. Permit applications will include the calculated occupant load from a design professional using the tables found in the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
Conditions of Approval: Pre-festival meeting required with all emergency agencies.
Corrections Required: Submit an evacuation plan for the festival. Include details outlining notification, shelter in place criteria, traffic plan, etc.
Corrections Required: ACFR Special Event Permit application needs to be submitted.
Corrections Required: Clarify how attendance will be monitored in real time. Show how occupancy will be limited when capacity is reached. How will travelers know that event is sold out? Explain how traffic will be controlled when event is at capacity.

03/28/2026

Thanks for adding your voice to ours in opposition to Wildflowers Music Park! We’re up to 416 Followers this morning. This graph illustrates the phenomenal increase, over 22% of our Followers, from the music Festival until now.

03/25/2026

HERE WE GO

HINT: THE MAYOR OF GAINESVILLE SUGGESTS WILDFLOWERS MUSIC PARK

The faire now operates for one weekend at Depot Park, a move that also reduced the number of vendors from about 150 to 90.

03/25/2026

HOW'S EVERYONE DOING?

We're not done. More to come soon.

If you've witnessed additional violations of the permit please post here.

Hope the gopher tortoises are doing okay. It's nesting season for Sandhill Cranes and we have a pair in our backyard.

03/19/2026

WHY 15 MPH SPEED LIMIT SIGNS WERE PROMISED ON THESE ALREADY-POOR ROADS.

03/19/2026

255th STREET

Who to contact:

Alachua County Public Works�
For any issues concerning a County-maintained road or right-of-way such as: potholes, STOP sign down, dead animal in the road, tree limb down, roadside drop-off, clogged culvert, sight distance problem, etc.

Please email [email protected] or call (352)548-1215 and report the issue.

You will need to provide your name, phone number, location of the issue, and a brief description of the problem.

Please also copy Jeff Hay and Ken Cornell on your emails.
Thank you and be safe.

[email protected]
[email protected]