‘I went through hell’: Former detainee alleges negligence at Deportation Depot
RAFAEL CRESPO-GARCIA DESCRIBES MISTREATMENT IN NORTH FLORIDA DETENTION CENTER
By Angelique Rodriguez Alligator Staff Writer
Despite being from Havana and having built a life in America for the last three decades, Rafael Crespo-Garcia, 54, now lives in Mexico after being deported in January.
Crespo-Garcia stays in the extra room of a stranger’s house, where he sleeps on a mattress on the floor — the only piece of furniture in the room. He’s still grappling, he said, with the lasting effects of being detained at the Baker Correctional Institution, better known as “Deportation Depot,” in Sanderson, Florida, about an hour north of Gainesville.
From his detainment six months ago to the three months he spent in Deportation Depot to his eventual deportation, he alleges he experienced medical neglect, abuse and degradation.
From Cuba to Baker County Crespo-Garcia came to America in 1991 in a raft as a Cuban refugee. He became a business
owner and a truck driver, settling into a long-term relationship along the way.
On Oct. 20, 2025, he reported to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Orlando, as he had every year since 2005, for a check-in due to a criminal record from his involvement in two physical fights dating back to 1994. There, ICE agents arrested him.
He was booked the next day and sent to Baker Correctional Institution.
“I swear, I went through hell,” he said. “It’s so painful. … I cry every day.”
He said the officers at Deportation Depot would often spray the inmates with pepper spray, sometimes for no reason. Previous reporting by the Associated Press describes multiple instances of guards pepper spraying inmates, including on Oct. 29 in an incident Crespo-Garcia said he was involved in.
Baker County officials, in a statement to the Associated Press, said pepper spray was used by the guards because an inmate was refusing to return to their cell and got violent toward an officer. Crespo-Garcia only mentioned inmates yelling at of-
SEE RAFAEL, PAGE 4
GYMNASTICS
Florida gymnast eMjae Frazier performs on the floor during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship against Oklahoma, LSU and Minnesota, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. Read more in Sportson pg. 11.
Community effort reveals details into Alachua County Animal Resources investigation
The organization faces allegations of animal abuse and unnecessary euthanasias
By Kaitlyn McCormack Alligator Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: This story contains mentions of animal cruelty, neglect and death.
Alachua County Animal Resources volunteer Melissa Wokasch awaits the day her favorite shelter dogs will find forever homes.
On Feb. 21, Wokasch saw one of her most beloved furry friends — Gala, a 6-year-old, 40-pound bulldog mix — for the last time. It wasn’t for the reason she hoped.
“I can't think too hard about what happened to those dogs when I left the shelter, because it's not good,” Wokasch said. “I believe those dogs are dead.”
When Alachua County Animal Resources opened its doors in 1987, the shelter often eu-
The Avenue
The Chainsmokers kick off higher education tour in Gainesville. Read more on pg. 6.
thanized animals after only a few days. In the 2010s, it shifted toward a no-kill mission. But now, staff confessions and volunteer outcry are raising questions about the shelter's commitment to no-kill.
On March 2, the Board of County Commissioners received an email from former ACAR employee Anthony Friedell detailing a trend of misconduct and corruption from the shelter’s primary leadership, Gina Peebles and Brittany D’Azzo.
The email triggered Alachua County’s whistleblower ordinance, which protects employees from retaliation and allows the county to open an investigation based on whistleblower claims. County Manager Michele Lieberman and county attorney Sylvia Torres launched an external investigation the next day.
“I chose an external investigation option to ensure that this board, the county manag-
er and the public receive information that it needs from a credible, disinterested source,” Torres told county commissioners at their March 10 meeting.
The allegations
“We can no longer be silent,” Friedell wrote. “I, along with other technicians who have resigned recently, have decided to inform the Board of County Commissioners, the County Manager, and this community of why so many of us have departed and why more of us will continue to leave.”
The over 5,000-word whistleblower email included 36 photos and screenshots of messages between staff and leadership.
Alachua County officials declined to comment for this story.
“To avoid any appearance of trying to influence this investigation, we are refraining
from responding to inquiries in this matter until the investigation is complete,” county communications director Mark Sexton wrote in an email.
Shelter leadership struggles: Brittney D’Azzo and Gina
According to Friedell’s email, ACAR’s previous shelter director was removed last August, around the same time the previous veterinarian quit.
Assistant County Manager Gina Peebles, who worked in the county manager’s office for 11 years but had no publicly available experience in animal shelter work, was named interim director.
Friedell speculated in the whistleblower email that the permanent director position was left vacant so current ACAR shelter supervisor Brittney D’Azzo could take it once
SEE ACAR, PAGE 4
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Peebles
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Today’s Weather
Alachua County school closures part of statewide trend
FLORIDA PTA HOSTED AN ONLINE MEETING WITH PINELLAS, ORANGE AND BROWARD COUNTIES
By Grace Larson Alligator Staff Writer
Underenrollment and school closures have drawn heated debates, countless community input meetings and carefully drawn rezoning maps this year in Alachua County. But those issues aren’t unique to Alachua. The Florida Parent Teacher Association hosted a Zoom meeting April 18 to discuss the trend of school closures across the state.
Board members from Pinellas, Orange and Broward counties attended the meeting to share how declining birth rates and the shift of students to private and charter schools have decreased public school enrollment and necessitated the closure of schools.
Alachua County Public Schools
Alachua County, in the middle of its reconciliation with school closures and consolidations, did not participate in the statewide PTA meeting.
On March 12, the board voted to close three schools: Alachua, Foster and Williams elementary schools.
The board is considering the closure of a fourth school: Irby Elementary School, located in Alachua. The school board will vote on whether to close the school at a May 5 meeting.
The district does not anticipate any layoffs as a result of the consolidation of schools, said Deborah Terry, the assistant superintendent of human resources, in a meeting at Mebane Middle School April 13.
In various presentations on school closures, the district has cited underenrollment and low birth rates as reasons for consolidating schools.
According to USAFacts, fertility rates across the country declined between 2005 and 2022. Fertility rates are the number of live births per 1,000 women.
In Florida, fertility rates dropped nearly 14% in that time frame. Utah, which experienced the greatest decline, dropped nearly 34%. Louisiana, which experienced the smallest decline, dropped less than 1%.
Beyond decreasing fertility rates, Alachua board members have also acknowledged increased homeschool, charter and private school enrollments as reasons.
According to USAFacts, charter school enrollment increased by nearly 6% in Florida between 2012 and 2022. Nevada, which saw the greatest increase in charter school enrollment, increased by more than 9%. Kansas, which experienced the steepest drop, declined by nearly 1%.
This August, Newberry Elementary School will be converted into a charter school. In February, the Newberry Community School Board had enrolled 427 students. The conversion will result in the transformation of Oak View Middle School into a kindergarten through eighth grade school going into the 202627 school year.
Schools of Hope legislation also necessitates school closures, board members added. Passed in 2025, the law allows charter schools to operate in schools with “excess space.”
Gina Uhl points at a proposed rezoning map draft at a community rezoning meeting held at A.L. Mebane Middle School, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Alachua, Fla.
Schools operating under 75% capacity or with 400 open seats can be shared with charter schools that apply to “co-locate,” or operate within the space. This would mean two schools operating in the same facility at the district’s expense, as the district would fund the charter school without having input in its operation.
Florida PTA meeting
School board representatives from Pinellas, Orange and Broward counties discussed similar school closure and enrollment issues in the April 8 Zoom meeting, indicating a statewide trend driven by legislation and declining enrollment.
Caprice Edmond, the board chair for Pinellas County, was among those in attendance. Pinellas County will close two schools at the end of this school year and expects more recommendations to rezone and shut schools in the near future, Edmond said.
She said the closures are brought on by a myriad of factors. In addition to the declining birth rates cited by Alachua County, Edmond said a lack of affordability, federal immigration policies and differing viewpoints have all caused lower enrollment.
“Immigration policies have caused many families to be fearful of enrolling their child in school, thinking that their citizenship would become questioned,” she said. “However, public schools are not tracking citizenship.”
From 2020 to 2024, roughly 12.4% of the Pinellas County population was foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county’s total population estimate in July 2024 was nearly 966,000.
Despite the setbacks public schools are facing, Edmond said, community members should share their concerns with elected officials.
“There are a lot of challenges that public schools are going to face,” Edmond said, “and it is extremely important that community stakeholders — not just parents — community stakeholders … are communicating their concerns, both with their local elected officials, like school board members and their state representatives, and also on a federal level.”
Similar reasons for closure exist in other counties throughout the state, like Orange County. Board member Angie Gallo said the district will close seven schools at the end of this school year. The district will also eliminate roughly 200 district-level jobs, Gallo said.
She said the statewide changes are brought on by state legislation.
“I don't believe that this is temporary,” Gallo said. “I think this is all part of the plan to try to privatize education in Florida. And unfortunately, right now, it looks like it's working.”
Taxpayer-funded vouchers redirect money from public schools to sponsor scholarships for students to attend private schools. In 2023, the state expanded legislation to make all students eligible for a scholarship. Previously, scholarships were restricted to students demonstrating financial need or special needs and circumstances.
Broward County Board Member Rebecca Thompson also attributed school closures to taxpayer-funded vouchers.
“I do not think this is temporary if we are unable to change the mindset of those who make decisions in Tallahassee,” Thompson said. “If we don't change how public schools are funded, if we don't put some parameters and accountability on taxpayer-funded vouchers, this isn't a problem that's going away.”
State incentives for alternatives to public schools have led to declining enrollment, she said. Broward County has already begun the process of closing schools.
The district closed six schools this past year, Thompson said. Broward County is undergoing a second round of closures and layoffs this May, she said. The district is releasing roughly 300 employees. While school closures may not be favored by community members, Thompson said they offer increased benefits to students.
Schools operating under capacity don’t have the benefits of a fully staffed PTA or special resource classes, like art or robotics, she said.
The Independent Florida Alligator is a student newspaper serving the University of Florida, published by a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) educational organization, Campus Communications Inc., P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, Florida, 32604-2257. The Alligator is published Monday mornings, except during holidays and exam periods. The Alligator is a member of the Newspaper Association of America, National Newspaper Association, Florida Press Association and Southern University Newspapers.
The story “Leading their last ride: Gator tennis seniors reflect on team culture, bold playstyle” was reported by Alligator sports writer Ethan Feinberg. A printed edition of The Alligator that appeared April 6 listed the incorrect byline.
The Alligator strives to be accurate and clear in its news reports and editorials. If you find an error, please call our newsroom at 352-376-4458 or email editor@alligator.org
Caroline Walsh // Alligator Staff
Can’t focus on studying? Lib
WHAT’S GREEN, POTTED AND BOOSTS ACADEMIC CONCENTRATION?
By Alabama Weninegar Alligator Staff Writer
When Alex Segelnick studies at Library West, Malcom’s company helps him focus.
Malcom, a bright green coleus plant in a tiny pot, is one of over a dozen plants Library West offers for librarygoers to rent while they study. With names from Simon to Zoë, these study buddies have been rented over 2,300 times since their debut at the library in 2022, according to Library West Chair Stacey Ewing.
Segelnick, a 21-year-old UF microbiology junior, said having a study buddy helps him focus on his work, rather than scrolling through social media like TikTok.
“My attention span has been degraded,” Segelnick said. “I’d rather be distracted looking at the plant for a
UF
few seconds, rather than getting caught for minutes on that scrolling.”
The study buddy program started as an undergraduate fellowship program and has now turned into a popular trend, Ewing said.
Each plant has a wooden stick in its soil showing off its name. Students ask for the plants by name, Ewing said, and some even receive permission to take their favorite home when they graduate.
“Students really took to that,” she said. “There’s something about being able to study with this cute little plant on your desk with you.”
When someone is accompanied by plants, their memory, concentration and morale are boosted, said Holland Hall, a 33-year-old Gainesville licensed mental health counselor with a background in therapeutic horticulture.
Nature engages the senses and generates curiosity, Hall said.
“Creating an aesthetic experience in a library with the use of plants could make it a more attractive and relaxing environment,” they said.
Attributing human-like qualities to a plant, such as by naming it, may also create a “body doubling” effect for students, said Elisha Lepine, a 25-year-old UF psychology doctoral student. Body doubling refers to using another’s presence as motivation, helping people, especially those who are neurodivergent, stay focused and on task, Lepine said.
Lepine personally tries to surround themself with plants when doing mentally demanding work, they said, because they believe plants can relax our brains.
“I absolutely find it plausible that the presence of plants can inspire, calm and provoke awe,” they said.
In 2025, a little over one-third of undergraduate students experienced anxiety, according to the Healthy Minds Network data interface. Increased stress and anxiety levels negatively affect a person’s memory, sending them into “survival mode,” said Joy Steiner, a 48-year-old licensed Gainesville therapist with a background working with plants.
Working around and caring for plants can calm the nervous system, she said. Students can also focus their attention on the plants instead of internalizing their anxiety, Steiner said.
“Externalizing your attention and getting out your head is essentially the key to well-being,” she said. “Suddenly, we’re not just stuck in our heads anymore.”
Studying inside can be hard for Daniel Ohana, a 23-year-old UF horticulture science senior, and the plant helps him, he said.
Ohana regularly rents out study buddies, he said, and the study buddies turn the library into a more enjoyable environment, which makes it easier to study.
“I don’t like being inside, so this helps me cope,” he said. “It makes it easier to just be inside and be more comfortable staring at a screen for a couple hours.”
@AlabamaW40513 aweninegar@alligator.org
presidential search to wrap up by the end of April
April 16 faculty meeting agenda also included dean search updates, new degree proposal
By Leona Masangkay Alligator Staff Writer
UF Interim Provost Joe Glover provided updates on UF’s presidential search and dean searches for the colleges of arts and engineering at a faculty senate meeting April 16.
There “is an expectation” the presidential search will conclude by the end of April, Glover said.
He added he does not have any other updates on the search as of now.
“I know nothing, literally nothing, about the presidential search. I am not being coy or trying to conceal anything,”
Glover said. “That’s the only thing that I have heard.”
This is UF’s third presidential search in four years. The search was first announced in
December 2025, and there have been no further updates about potential candidates. However, the university’s next president could make up to $3 million annually, per a unanimous vote by the UF Board of Trustees in February.
Glover also said the College of the Arts has narrowed its dean search to three finalists, while the College of Engineering
has narrowed its search to eight semifinalists.
Graduate council proposal
Also during the meeting, Tom Kelleher, the associate dean for academic affairs at UF’s graduate school, said UF’s graduate council is looking to establish a new Master of Science degree in AI-driven hospitality.
Kelleher announced the
proposal as an information item during the April 16 meeting. The graduate council unanimously approved the new program Feb. 26.
The 30-credit degree is intended to be taught at the Jacksonville campus, Kelleher said.
The program has a pending start date of Spring 2027, should the Faculty Senate approve it with a vote during its next meeting May 7.
@leo_amasangkay lmasangkay@alligator.org
Caroline Walsh // Alligator Staff
A tray of plants used in a study buddy program at UF’s Library West, Friday, April 10, 2026.
Caroline Walsh // Alligator Staff
A sign for a study buddy program at UF’s Library West, Friday, April 10, 2026.
Former detainee alleges Deportation Depot negligence
RAFAEL, from pg. 1
ficers.
“They all behave bad,” CrespoGarcia said of the Deportation Depot officers. “I would say 95% of these people. No heart, no nothing.”
The medical facility at Deportation Depot did not respond to requests for comment.
ICE responded by asking for a list of questions via email. After an Alligator reporter responded with the requested list, the agency did not respond further.
‘I wanted to die’
Deportation Depot’s opening was announced on Aug. 14, 2025, by Gov. Ron DeSantis as an expansion of Florida’s mission to detain and deport illegal immigrants. It was placed at Baker Correctional Institution, a former state prison, amid the legal controversy over Alligator Alcatraz. The South Florida immigration detention center opened two months before Deportation Depot. One day after Deportation Depot’s opening, federal judges blocked any more detainees to be sent to Alligator Alcatraz.
Crespo-Garcia said the abuse began Oct. 29, 2025. He woke up with a fever and difficulty breathing, he said. He then went to the medical building, where he said staff told him his medicine would be ordered and sent to the facility the next day.
Later, he said, the inmates went to have lunch, only to be turned away when they arrived “because the kitchen broke.” According to Crespo-Garcia, guards instead gave them a box of bread, which was supposed to last them until 6 a.m. the next day, 19 hours after their last proper meal.
ICE food service operations standards specify inmates should receive three meals daily. The dining room schedule must allow no more than 14 hours between the evening meal and breakfast.
Some detainees began to scream, Crespo-Garcia said. Guards responded by bringing out weapons, spraying gas into peoples’ rooms from the roof when they began to run away.
Struggling to breathe, CrespoGarcia climbed on his top bunk bed in a panic to reach the window.
“I started coughing, and I was choking. I wanted to die right there. I can’t breathe,” CrespoGarcia said.
He fell 5 feet off the bed, landed on his back and started running downstairs, searching for a source of air. There, he saw people lying down like sprayed roaches, he said.
Around midnight to 1 a.m., he said, the guards handcuffed everyone, hands and feet, and dragged them outside. The inmates sat on the wet grass, where guards sprayed them down with cold water while laughing, he said.
Following the incident, the inmates were locked up for a week, unable to call lawyers or family members, and given only an ounce of water every 12 hours, CrespoGarcia said. They also couldn’t shower or change clothes.
Medical attention in detainment
On Nov. 3, 2025, Crespo-Garcia said he stood up from his cell toilet, which he was using as a seat, and collapsed, banging his head on the floor in the process. His cellmate called the guards, who called an ambulance to Ed Fraser Memorial Hospital.
When Crespo-Garcia was in the ambulance, the officers in the
ambulance started playing the song “Bad Boys” at a loud volume while laughing at him, he said. He submitted a grievance form and cited a witness who was in the ambulance, but he never heard back from the detention center on the matter.
He received attention for his head and lower back pain. According to a document given to Crespo-Garcia from Ed Fraser Memorial Hospital, which he shared with The Alligator, he was given a CT scan and diagnosed with a chronic lipoma, a type of benign, inherited tumor, on his back.
Over the next two months, he had more visits to the hospital due to abdominal pain and received a check-up. Hospital imaging also revealed he had a spine fracture, grade 3 liver hematoma and bleeding in the liver, according to his medical documents.
His medical plan ordered medication, monitoring by the detention facility, activity restrictions and medical consultations. He was also required to have an abdominal binder, a wheelchair for long distances, a walker and a lower bunk bed in the lower tier of the cell section.
Crespo-Garcia said the walk back to his cell felt long and straining without a wheelchair, which his medical documents said were only required for significant distances.
“I said, ‘One day I’m going to be free. I’m going to tell everybody what you guys, all you, do to me. They’ll see what you’re doing, and you’re a piece of garbage,’” Crespo-Garcia said. “They don’t care. They’re not human.”
The next day, on Dec. 24, 2025, he was transferred to Krome Detention Center, a Miami-Dadebased detention facility, before being deported to Mexico.
Today, Crespo-Garcia said he feels grateful he is able to contact his family, who are helping him pay rent and buy food. But, he said, he doesn’t know anyone and feels constant physical and mental pain.
“I don’t belong here, I don’t know nobody here,” he said. “I have no family, no friend, I can’t work, I’m in danger, I don’t have nothing here.”
He said he feels betrayed by the U.S. for kicking him out.
A trend of neglect
Vilerka Bilbao, the owner of Bilbao Law Firm and an immigration lawyer who works with detainees at Deportation Depot, said many of her clients’ claims match up with Crespo-Garcia’s, including medical neglect.
Many people who have, for example, high blood pressure are given their medication hours off schedule, and sometimes not at all, she said. Many detainees are also being denied insulin, Bilbao said. Such claims fit into a trend of medical neglect allegations leveled at ICE facilities.
“I know it’s a jail. I know it’s not a hotel. But the government has a responsibility to provide adequate medical attention to people, and a delay in medical care becomes negligent,” Bilbao said.
She said she has never been able to get records from Deportation Depot, despite several clients who have requested medical records. So, she said, she doesn’t know what kind of medical records they are keeping.
Another detention jail in Baker County, Baker County Detention Center, has a history of medical neglect and lawsuits against them for fudging medical records for detainees, so she wouldn’t be surprised if Deportation Depot is
Bilbao corroborated CrespoGarcia’s claims of the guards reducing inmates’ water intake. She said her clients often see a dirty, white residue in drinking water and complain it tastes “unfiltered” and “disgusting.”
She also corroborated CrespoGarcia’s claims about the inmates’ dusty clothes and linens rarely being changed, causing coughing and sickness. She said her clients have also complained of the heat being turned off when it is cold.
Inmates being pepper sprayed is also common, she said. The amount and quality of the food that is given to them has caused inmates to lose 10 to 30 pounds. Sometimes, the times inmates are given food vary greatly, she said.
The former deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Katie Blankenship, said when she was working for the ACLU, she received complaints about both of the Baker facilities for years. The ACLU has a legal case against them and is representing many detainees who struggled in detention, she said.
When Blankenship visited Baker, she said, she saw and heard “really rampant human rights abuses and neglect,” which she said were systemic.
“Folks suffer from pretty significant medical neglect there,” Blankenship said.
As long as immigration detention centers exist, abuse and neglect of detainees won’t stop, Blankenship said. For her, the only way to curb instances of abuse is educating the public about them.
“All it does is create a system where we prioritize profit over human lives,” she said.
@angeliquesrod arodriguez@alligator.org eligible for promotion.
D’Azzo has been the shelter supervisor at ACAR since June 2025, following her tenure as supervisor at Polk County Animal Control.
D’Azzo’s qualifications to run ACAR have been questioned by community members who say her tenure at Polk County doesn’t seem to align with ACAR’s goals. Polk County Animal Control had the fourth-highest nonlive outcome rate in the state in 2024, out of the 156 shelters tracked in the Florida Shelter Animal Census.
Deteriorating conditions
Friedell wrote extensively about shelter conditions, which he said are harming animals’ physical and mental health.
“Since the previous director was terminated, dogs do NOT get out of kennels every day,” he wrote. “The current administration will tell you this is due to staffing issues, but we had more technicians than ever before.”
He provided photos of the chart staff use to keep track of how often dogs get out. A picture of the chart from January 2026 reported only 14 of about 70 dogs were let out that day. When Alligator staff visited the shelter in March following the whistleblower complaint, the chart showed almost all dogs were reported to have been let out.
A lack of cleaning, Friedell added in his email, leads to contaminated kennels, play areas and water bowls. He described a pest and rodent problem, with rat feces found in kennels.
“Bowls and kiddie pools riddled with algae can be found throughout the facility,” Friedell wrote. “Moldy food bowls will be left in kennels for days at a time.”
According to Friedell, because kennels are not cleaned as often as they should be, sick animals have been left with blood, vomit and feces in their kennel for extended periods of time.
“Dogs are left with open wounds in urine and feces-slathered kennels,” he wrote.
Improper medical care also concerned Friedell. He alleged staff do not properly administer medications, exacerbating animals’ illness and injury.
“Often, medication is dropped in paper bowls or meatballs and select staff will not wait to ensure the medication has been taken successfully,” he wrote. “We have documentation of animals not receiving medication for days at a time with moldy meatballs and pills being found scattered throughout the kennels.”
The Alligator reached out but was unable to independently verify Freidell’s allegations.
Euthanasia concerns
In his whistleblower email, Friedell also
accused Peebles and D’Azzo of intentionally misrepresenting the number of animals euthanized at the shelter to boost the live release rate.
A large, “impromptu” slew of December 2025 euthanasias created tensions, he wrote.
That month, Friedell wrote, ACAR needed seven to 10 empty kennels to accommodate an influx of intakes from a dogfighting case. To make space, Friedell wrote, shelter leadership decided to euthanize the necessary number of dogs.
Euthanizing for space is not approved at nokill shelters like ACAR, according to guidance from the Humane Society. At these organizations, euthanasia should only be performed on an animal with an untreatable illness or behavior issue, and the goal live release rate is 90%.
At ACAR, many long-term, healthy dogs were marked “unhealthy” in the shelter’s system so they could be euthanized, Friedell wrote — a decision made without consulting the shelter’s behaviorist.
Friedell also alleged authorization documents were falsified.
Two supervisors and the department director are required to sign off on euthanasia logs. But not all necessary parties signed off on the December 2025 euthanasias, Friedell wrote, leading to the direct resignation of a technician.
More confusion emerged when 11 dogs
were transferred from ACAR to unidentified locations two months later. When community members began investigating the transfer, suspicions rose that the dogs were euthanized.
Emerald Shores and 11 missing dogs
On Feb. 24, 11 dogs were transferred from ACAR to an anonymous rescue.
Many saw the shelter’s anonymity as highly unusual. Community concern soon led to a group investigation effort. In an effort spearheaded by volunteer Melissa Wokasch, community members filed public records requests from ACAR.
The requests revealed the 11 dogs were transferred to a company called Emerald Shores Humane Society.
Emerald Shores Humane Society, established in 2024, describes itself as an organization that aids in animal cruelty investigations, animal welfare classes, animal adoptions and in-home euthanasia. Its website doesn’t provide details about these services beyond a “contact” tab. No physical location is listed.
Emerald Shores is owned by Stephanie Eddins. Her husband, Doug Eddins, owns three other animal companies: ZooTrek, Florida Animal Control Trading Commission and American Animal Cruelty Investigations School.
Read the rest online at alligator.org.
@kmccormack20 kmccormack@alligator.org
Your favorite downtown Gainesville restaurants are about to get more walkable
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS FOR TWO-BLOCK ‘THE STREATERY’ PEDESTRIAN SITE ON SOUTHWEST FIRST AVENUE
By Grace Larson & Maria Arruda Alligator Staff Writers
This fall, community members can escape the honks and horns of Gainesville traffic and wander around a pedestrian-only portion of downtown.
Gainesville’s The Streatery project began construction April 13. The $4.5 million project will transform Southwest First Avenue downtown into a two-block pedestrian-friendly site for hosting festivals and events. The project will include “outdoor lighting, seating, landscaping and electrical outlets,” according to a press release.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city converted Southwest First Avenue — from South Main Street to Southwest First Street — into a pedestrian-only area. The Streatery project extends the area from South Main Street to Southwest Second Street, expanding it from one block to two.
The new portion will help connect pedestrians to shops and restaurants like Loosey’s and How Bazar.
The city commission approved the multimillion dollar project in
early March. It is funded by the gas tax fund and the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area, a 10year program meant to revitalize Gainesville.
“I think it’s going to be fantastic,” said Mayor Harvey Ward. “I’m thrilled that it’s finally moving forward.”
The city discussed the project for nearly six years. Ward traced the project’s delay to civil engagement constructions, including Gainesville’s Tom Petty Park. With a hefty list of projects, he said, it took a while for The Streatery to get in the queue.
While the city considered concerns of construction slowing down businesses, Ward said, it doesn’t seem to pose an issue. All stores and restaurants will remain open, and residents should not let construction stop them from visiting downtown, he said.
Every time an event is hosted downtown, he added, he feels it could be improved with better infrastructure. Music festivals, for example, might be better if there were better lighting or if the streets were more level, he said.
In “real cities that work,” he said, storefronts are easily accessible to cyclists and pedestrians, improving local economies.
“Giving people just a place to be … is good for cities,” Ward said. “So it’s hard for me to see a downside to a pedestrian mall.”
Local businesses also have high
Construction on the south block of Southwest First Avenue, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.
hopes for the project. Melanie Floyd, the owner of GainzVille Hub on Southwest Second Street, said she hopes the project will invite more customer foot traffic.
“It’s definitely going to be a great impact,” Floyd said. “Because I do feel like downtown does need to get a little bit more beautified in order to bring customers, so I’m absolutely looking forward to the aftermath.”
The only downside is how the ongoing construction may impact business, she said.
Gainesville Regional Utilities is currently working on a replumbing project on Southwest Second Street from West University Avenue to Southwest First Avenue, Floyd said. The construction is right outside GainzVille Hub’s door.
Floyd said patrons are having difficulty getting to the shop and often face dust clouds when entering or leaving the store. She hopes the city will provide additional construction signage and continue to communicate with business owners.
Michael Castine, a 59-year-old who works for the Alachua County Department of Growth Management, said the project’s promise outweighs the setback of momentary construction.
“The Streatery is a great idea,” Castine said. “Once the city had already designated it as a public space, to then go and fix the drainage, good, nice lighting, make it the environment that will make people want to be there — it’s a great idea.”
Other customers shared similar thoughts. Craig Burns, a 26-yearold Gainesville resident, said construction didn’t prevent him and his friends from getting lunch at Loosey’s, located on Southwest First Avenue.
Burns sees the project’s benefits to both businesses and community members.
“We don’t have a whole lot of areas like this in Gainesville,” he said. “So I think that it will increase the flow and the population of people being able to socialize with others and get to know the community better.”
Construction for The Streatery is expected to be completed in October.
CVS manager unseats incumbent in controversial Alachua City Commission election
JACKSON YOUMAS BEAT OUT DAYNA WILLIAMS FOLLOWING VOTER SUPPRESSION ALLEGATIONS OVER CLOSED PRECINCT
By Alexa Ryan & Maria Arruda Alligator Staff Writers
Jackson Youmas, a store manager of a CVS, beat incumbent Dayna Williams in Alachua’s City Commission election April 14. He will serve a three-year term.
More than 1,600 people showed up at the three polling locations to cast their votes, over 200 more than last year’s municipal election, when Walter Welch won the mayorship by just 21 votes.
Of the 1,606 votes cast, 833 went to Youmas, 463 to Williams and 310 to business owner Bill Menadier.
The 2026 election has been shrouded in controversy for months after the voting location for Precinct 53, which is predominantly nonwhite, was closed by the current city commission Jan. 26, citing construction plans.
Construction has not yet begun on the Cleather Hathcock Community Center, and the city of Alachua hasn’t published a confirmed start date for the project.
Williams and the commission were accused of attempting to suppress voters through the decision to close the precinct at the community center, which some said would help her in the election.
After the closure, voters were directed to head to the polls at Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, over 2 miles away from the original polling location — a trip some voters wouldn’t be able or willing to make, critics argued.
After facing backlash, the commission vot-
ed Feb. 9 to open the Alachua Branch Library, a closer alternative to Legacy Park.
In an email to The Alligator before the election results were announced, Williams said she hoped to establish more proactive communication and community engagement with residents if she won the election.
“Over the past term, I’ve learned that while making sound decisions is only part of the job, ensuring residents understand the reasoning behind those decisions is just as important,” she wrote.
The newest commissioner
“I’m going to do everything I can to fight for this community,” Youmas said.
Youmas launched his campaign for the city commission in November 2025 after being urged to do so by Mayor Walter Welch and City Commissioner Jacob Fletcher, both of whom the Alachua County Democratic Party endorsed.
The first time Fletcher and Welch asked him to run, he decided not to do so. After hearing the concerns of the people coming through his CVS store and giving the matter some prayer, he decided to launch his campaign.
“I want to see more respect for the will of the people,” he said. “They don’t feel heard, they don’t feel like their best interests are met, and so I’m hoping that we, as a city commission, we can start listening to the people more.”
Youmas said he wants the commission to start being “genuine in our voting.”
His campaign focused on smart growth, transparency and opportunities for Alachua’s youth.
“We know that growth is going to happen,” he said. “We need to make sure that we’re protecting our environment, natural resources and that, as we grow, we’re leading the growth and not big developers.”
Youmas said the commission needs to be more approachable and available to answer
citizen questions, including concerns about issues affecting residents’ children, like the Alachua County School Board’s decision to close at least one school in the city.
“There’s a lot of concerns from the people, especially people in underserved communities and disadvantaged households that don’t have that transportation,” he said.
During his campaign, he promised to invest in after-school programs, which could mitigate some of the issues that might pop up when kids have to attend schools farther from their homes.
Above all else, Youmas said he wants to see a solid plan and vision for the city, which he hopes he can create as part of the commission going forward.
Community perspectives
As the clock struck 5 p.m., signaling the end of the workday for most employees, the Alachua Branch Library’s traffic increased as citizens flooded in to cast their votes. While one corner of the library entrance was occupied by three Dayna Williams ambassadors, across the street stood two Bill Menadier supporters.
One lifelong Alachua resident, Queondric Boykin Jr., said he showed up to the new polling location because he did not want his vote to be wasted. While originally unsure who he would vote for, he said, Williams’ ties to the community won him over.
“I care about her coming to hear the citizens, what they have to say, and coming to bat for them,” he said. “That’s what she’s here for.”
As a Precinct 53 voter, Boykin was among the citizens who previously voted at the Hathcock Center. After seeing the controversy online about the polling location change, he said, he and his bosses at the Phillip & Sons mortuary in Alachua organized a limousineride service to transport residents who had re-
lied on the Hathcock Center’s walking-distance location.
Boykin added that while he isn’t very educated on the location controversy, the government officials in charge of the change were likely aware of the impact it would have on African American voter turnout. But residents should learn to respond to change, he said.
“I hope that we responded effectively to help out the citizens,” he said. “Kind of put down some of the frustration, you know, just trying to do our part.”
Julie Smith, an Alachua resident part of the pro-Williams group outside the library, said she participated in Williams’ campaign by managing the candidate’s Facebook page. From a business perspective, her strategy was to take Williams’ story and post it, mimicking a resume or memoir, she said.
Smith herself voted for Williams, and she credited the candidate’s diversity in community initiatives as a primary reason.
“She just didn’t keep to what is comfortable,” she said. “She stepped outside of her own box.”
The voter said she did not agree with the voter suppression claims made against Williams, emphasizing the decision was based on the safety hazards apparent at the Hathcock Center. People complained about the center’s dangerous conditions, Smith said, and then complained about the change, too. But you can’t have it both ways, she said.
Looking forward, Smith said she is excited to see what Williams brings to the table, and she named Williams’ background in government as a point of confidence.
“That’s what we need,” she said.
@mariazalfarruda marruda@alligator.org
@AlexaRyan_ aryan@alligator.org
Bayden Armstrong // Alligator Staff
MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2026
www.alligator.org/section/the-avenue
The Chainsmokers rocked SwampFest — or should we say ‘Gatorchella’?
STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRODUCTIONS HOSTED THE RENOWNED ELECTRONIC DUO AT FLAVET
FIELD
By Isabel Kraby Avenue Staff Writer
Most UF students made the short trek to SwampFest from their dorms, apartments or fraternity house parties.
Michele Ambrosio flew 11 hours from Monaco.
“I saw UF Student Government post, and I immediately booked my flight, and now I’m here front row,” he said, squeezed against the barricade at Flavet Field, eagerly awaiting U.K.-based DJ Riordan to take the
stage.
Ambrosio, an 18-year-old UF Online accounting sophomore, was one of over 10,000 UF students —
Sports Gator gymnastics falls short in Fort Worth, comes up third. Read more on page 11.
enough to temporarily break the event’s attendance tracker — to pack the field April 14 for Student Government Production’s first SwampFest.
The Grammy Award-winning DJ duo The Chainsmokers headlined the show as a kickoff to its national “Higher Education” college tour.
Tucked between Coachella’s first and second weekend — the first of which opener Riordan performed at — SwampFest emulated the major festival, said Mandisha De, one of several students to dub the event “Gatorchella.” Dust and dirt kicked up by attendees running to the barricade floated through the field in the 85-degree heat.
When doors opened at 6 p.m., one line of students snaked all the way back to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, and a second line wrapped halfway around Flavet Field.
The first group of students in line arrived at 8:30 a.m.
Tabitha Gottipati, a 20-year-old
UF mechanical engineering junior, didn’t mind waiting around all day. She and her friends got a lot of homework done.
They’ve attended all of SGP’s concerts that have been held during their time at UF. For Gottipati, it’s been important to make the most of her college experience — and to see an artist so nostalgic to her and her peers.
“I think everyone has a soft spot for The Chainsmokers in their heart,” she said. “We kind of grew up with them, so it was really important to us to relive those memories.”
Read the rest online at alligator.org/section/the-avenue.
@isabelgkraby ikraby@alligator.org
ART AFTER DARK
Wine Down
Thursday, April 30, 6 – 9 pm
Browse our exhibitions and Wine Down to musical performances by Richard Kendall, Michael Claytor, Samantha Moss, in collaboration with the UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine. Complimentary wine, beer and dessert will be served.
Museum Nights
Thursday, May 14, 6 – 9 pm aMAYzing pARTy!
Celebrate community art with local arts organizations and enjoy tours and activities in connection with Florida in the Frame: A Century of Artists’ Reflections on the Sunshine State.
FREE ADMISSION
Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff
The Chainsmokers play during SwampFest at Flavet Field, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.
www.alligator.org/section/opinions
Goodbye column
Ink stains and catharsis
IMonday. The day before, my very first byline — a feature on a delightfully quirky and profound one-man museum — had been printed, ink to paper, in The Gainesville Sun. It was surreal. I never once imagined I’d have a byline. I was a public relations major, forced to take Reporting. What sophomoreyear Pristine dreamed of was a grey-hairinducing career in political communications. Journalism never crossed my mind as an option.
But in the wee hours of that Monday morning, I held a copy of The Sun from the Wawa newspaper stand in one hand, some fries and a Diet Coke balanced in the other, and marveled at my own published words. Something clicked. I wanted to chase that feeling forever.
That semester, I switched my major. I tweeted, rather obliviously, that I was “subjecting myself to a major in journalism, not because I want to become a journalist but because writing stories is fun and interesting and I like talking to people.” I also predicted, rather correctly, that I would never again have free time nor adequate sleep.
It was a terrifying decision to make halfway through my college years, which I had so meticulously planned down to the credit hour on a gargantuan, color-coded spreadsheet. It was also the right decision, because it led me to The Alligator.
The Alligator has been my home for four semesters. My Sundays haven’t been free in a long time, and increasingly, neither have the rest of my weekdays. But every moment I spent with this paper was a formative one. I’ve learned to be persistent and humble (many of my darlings became casualties, though not without a bit of a fight). I’ve learned how to push myself harder and what happens when I push too far. I’ve learned to extend grace to others, and I’ve tried to ex-
Goodbye column
Pristine Thai opinions@alligator.org
tend grace to myself. It isn’t easy to make a paper, not that anyone told me it would be. Leaving the office well after sunset, I often felt more crushed than accomplished. But one must imagine Sisyphus happy, and in spite of the horrors, I was. Where else could I be maddeningly pedantic about commas and hyphenation and still be loved?
My face ached from tears, but not as much as it ached from laughter. Nowhere have I been so vexed and so vilified. Nowhere have I been so fulfilled, and nowhere have I so flourished.
I owe it to the people who put their trust in me: the editors who took a chance when they hired (and kept rehiring) me, the copy desk that went along with my optimistic overhaul, the contributing writers who let me shape their articles and journeys, the sources who placed their stories into my hands. I hope I did right by all of you. I did my best to.
To Corey Fiske, Juliana DeFilippo, Luke Adragna, Bailey Diem and SJ Ranta: Thank you for always lifting my spirits or commiserating with me when I needed it. You indulged me, enabled me, gave me a ride, gave me a hug and let me be my honest self. Your reassurance carried me through the rough patches, and your humor permanently rewired my brain. I’ll see glimmers of you everywhere I go.
Read the rest online at alligator.org/ section/opinions.
Pristine Thai was the Spring 2026 Senior News Director and Copy Desk Chief.
A story of uncomfortable chairs and humbling truths
Ihave sat in a lot of uncomfortable chairs for this newspaper.
School board meetings that ran past 11 p.m. A protest in Starke in 105-degree heat, watching people stand across the road from a military base that might have become the next immigration detention center. A barbershop on Archer Road, listening to a female barber explain, plainly, what it costs to work in a room that wasn’t built for you.
A parking lot of an apartment complex, where a mother told me she loads 11 kids into a seven-seat car each morning — not because it was her job, but because her heart wouldn’t let them walk across 13th Street alone. A Main Street sidewalk at 6 a.m. to cover a homeless encampment removal. Newberry community barbecues after Sunday service.
The chairs are never comfortable. But that’s not the point of the chairs.
My first application to The Alligator wasn’t for a reporter position — it was for senior news director, a role reserved for previous Alligator staff, unbeknownst to me. I ended up as the university news assistant reporter. Two weeks in, my editor, Alissa Gary, called me late at night to tell me I’d made the front page. The rush of those words was an adrenaline high better than any EDM festival or roller coaster ever offered.
That Spring 2024 semester handed me the first of many humbling truths: I knew almost nothing. But I was exactly where I needed to be. And I was looking forward to covering my community, sitting in the many uncomfortable chairs that followed.
Claire Grunewald — thank you for taking a chance on the overly passionate, albeit
naive, child I was. I didn’t even realize the opportunity you provided me until I couldn’t get enough of it.
Sara-James Ranta opinions@alligator.org
Alissa Gary — you saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. You believed in me through it all. I will never forget your support, even for my crazy article ideas.
I loved being a reporter for The Alligator enough to stay without a break — through three semesters on metro’s K-12 education beat.
The uncomfortable chair became the back pew of a school board chamber, every other Tuesday. I walked dismissal routes with students. I tore through public school policy. My work was used as legal evidence in a state investigation. I covered a superintendent’s firing.
I wore that beat like a Girl Scout badge. If given another chance, I’d sit in every one of those chairs again.
The K-12 beat taught me many humbling truths, too: The people most affected by policy decisions are almost never in the room where they’re made. My job was to close that distance. And showing up consistently — to the same board, the same beat, the same community — earned me things no single story ever could.
Read the rest online at alligator.org/section/opinions.
Sara-James Ranta was the Spring 2026 Digital Managing Editor.
Good journalism always about sticking your neck out
’
Im not a journalism major.
People often tilt their heads in confusion after learning the editor-in-chief of one of the country’s largest student newsrooms has never taken an introductory reporting class.
Four years ago, I planned to enroll at UF as a journalism student. My dad objected loudly. He said print media had no future, and I believed him. After all, he quit his 28-year career at the Orlando Sentinel in 2011 to work in public relations. He knew about escaping the industry.
I selected the closest major I could to journalism, housed within the same college but with a ridiculously long title: “media production, management and technology.”
As an underclassman, I joined a student-run public relations firm and tried copywriting for an advertising agency. Still, I couldn’t escape the pull of newswriting and applied for The Alligator as a second-semester freshman. With zero news experience, I got rejected as a reporter but accepted as a copy editor.
After a semester spent fact-checking each printed story, I re-applied my sophomore Fall and landed a reporting spot on the metro desk.
That’s when everything changed. I learned how to craft ledes, conduct interviews and pitch stories. I wrote about a chicken-coop empire and a homeless newspaper service.
My Alligator desk editors turned a girl who couldn’t even write a nut graf into a confident reporter. Siena Duncan, I will never look up to anyone like I do to you. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t believe I could be. Kylie Williams, thank you for shepherding me through my crashout semester and modeling thoughtful journalism.
Just like me, many of my Alligator peers have been told journalism is dying. It’s hard work and little pay. Adults today follow the news less than ever, instead leaning on social media
Goodbye column
for information and entertainment.
So why do students fill The Alligator’s newsroom every Sunday for our staff meetings, spilling out into the hallway and onto the floor? It’s a common belief that the stories we share matter.
When I think about the future of our industry, I no longer picture my dad’s doubtful face. I picture the faces I see every time I step into our office, full of pitches and passion.
Some of those faces live especially large.
Whenever anyone complimented my leadership this semester, I told them I was doing my “best Alissa Gary impression.” Alissa, you guided some of my proudest bylines on the university desk. Later serving as a managing editor to your editor-in-chief was an honor. Sophia Bailly, the other member of our Fall 2025 “big three,” you have the biggest heart in any room you walk into. Never change.
I’m lucky to share an apartment as well as an office with two of my favorite people. Corey Fiske, we’ve seen each other’s lowest moments — from a University Avenue bench to Sophia’s sister’s bathroom. Without you, I would’ve lost my sanity long ago. Stay awesome. And Ryan Friedenberg: We met under odd circumstances. I’m glad we had the sense to become friends anyway. The unifying factor in my favorite Alligator bylines is your photos under the headline.
My final editorial board contained three women who inspire me daily.
Megan Maria Howard, everything you touch sparkles. Thank you for baking muffins and making me laugh on the most stressful nights (of which there were many). Sara-James Ranta, your passion for journalism has amazed me since our first university desk Zoom meeting. And Pristine Thai: When I count all the blessings The Alligator brought me, you’re at the top of the list. I want to vent in the car with you on the way home from Sunday meetings forever.
Megan and the city
Igrew up with reruns of “Sex and the City” on every TV in my house. It was the show my mom always put on as she did her morning chores. I followed my mom around as I absorbed every bit of knowledge Carrie Bradshaw and her girl group shared.
I’m not much like Carrie. I dream of owning a closet half as fabulous as hers, and I would love a cushy writing job where I only produce one column a week and can still afford to live in New York.
We do have a few things in common: We’re both blonde writers whose romantic histories resemble a horror movie more than a romantic comedy.
But otherwise, I would like to think I’m more well-adjusted and funny than the Mr. Big-obsessed fashionista who has shaped the cultural zeitgeist for women since the 90s.
However, I did manage to copy one admirable aspect of Carrie’s life: I have a supportive group of friends who guide me through love and life.
Most of these friends were made at The Alligator, where for the last three years I have
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.
spent my Sundays (and my Tuesday and Thursday evenings).
As I changed, and the news industry continued to change, I couldn’t help but wonder: What is keeping me in journalism? Why stay at The Alligator?
That’s when I realized you come to The Alligator for the experience, but you stay for the people.
To Claire Grunewald, my journalism mother, thank you for taking a chance on me as an inexperienced sophomore: I owe it all to you.
And to Aidan Bush, Siena Duncan and Alissa Gary, thank you for taking me under your wing and teaching me the foundations of journalism.
To Ella Thompson, Nicole Beltran, Kylie Williams, Garrett Shanley, Sophia Bailly and Madilyn Gemme: I don’t think I would have survived my junior Spring without your love and support. Every day, your drive and talent inspires me. Not only are y’all amazing journalists, you’re all the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. I’m lucky to get to call you my close friends.
Our Spring 2026 editors — Sofia Meyers, Bailey Diem, Vera Lucia Pappaterra, Noah Lantor, Bayden Armstrong, Sofia Bravo, Ava DiCecca, Max Bernstein and Avery Parker — our industry needs you. Thank you for making this place so hard to leave.
Zoey Thomas opinions@alligator.org
Most of all, my parents have remained my rock over the last three and a half years.
In my favorite photo of me and my dad, we’re barreling toward the finish line of a local 5K race. I’m a second grader with pigtails, breaking into a sprint as my dad grins with raised arms. Dad, 14 years later, I’m still so proud to be running in your footsteps. I know this isn’t the career you wanted for me, but thank you for cheering me on anyway.
The Alligator drove me to tears of stress countless times. Pulled over on the highway en route to a meeting. Curled on the bed of my Midtown apartment. Every time, the common thread was my mom’s voice — echoing from the phone pressed to my ear, telling me it will be OK. Mom, thanks for being my biggest fan and safe place.
My dad titled his final column for the Orlando Sentinel “Good journalism still about sticking your neck out.” That sentiment remains true. The stories might look different, told through data graphics rather than ink, scrolling on a phone rather than a printing press. But that doesn’t make them less valuable.
Thanks to The Alligator, I’m no longer hiding from my passion for news.
When people ask me my major now, I usually just say “journalism.” Maybe it’s a white lie, but it’s four words shorter. And feels a lot truer.
Zoey Thomas was the Spring 2026 Editor-in-Chief.
And to Luke Adragna, thank you for making my sports writing dreams come true. You’re an amazing journalist and an even better friend. This semester I’ve been lucky enough to help lead a team of talented editors who make putting together this paper possible. They are all the most hardworking people I’ve ever met.
Ava DiCecca, our fearless sports editor, I admire the care and love you put into your writers; they’ve all grown tremendously under your guidance. Max Bernstein, assistant sports editor, please never lose your infectious, positive attitude.
To our double trouble, the Sofias, your smiles lit up the room each week. Avery Parker, the Caimán editor, your dad jokes kept even the dreariest of print nights sunny.
Noah Lantor and Bayden Armstrong: I will never be able to thank y’all enough for the amount of work it takes to lead the multimedia desk. You guys make it look effortless.
Corey Fiske, the arts extraordinaire, your dry and quick-witted humor carried me through the semester. I’ll miss laughing with you each week. Vera Lucia Pappaterra, the enterprise editor, I’ll never forget our time studying abroad, drinking vinho verde and exploring Lisbon. I’m so proud of all you do.
Bailey Diem, the metro mafia leader and my best friend, I love you. There’s not enough words in the dictionary to describe how fantastic you are. I’m so excited to watch you lead
this paper.
Pristine Thai, the senior news director and copy desk warrior, you have the hardest job at this paper. Yet, you show up each day with a kind smile and warm hugs. I don’t know how I’ll survive my first job without you around for emotional support.
To Sara-James Ranta, the talented digital managing editor, thank you so much for bringing back the podcast. It turned out beautiful. Your talent and service inspire me every day. And lastly, to my rock, the girl who talked me off the ledge and supported me all semester, Editor-in-Chief Zoey Thomas, I couldn’t have done this without you. You’re the Ella Langley to my Megan Moroney. Although we may need to visit a few Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after the amount of drinking we did to handle this job, I am so proud of what we built together.
And just like that, we did it — we made a paper!
Howard was the Spring 2026 Engagement Managing Editor.
Megan
Megan Howard opinions@alligator.org
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5.
1. TELEVISION: What was the title of the final episode of "M*A*S*H"?
2. GEOGRAPHY: The Red Sea is an inlet of which ocean?
3. INVENTIONS: Which English scientist invented the color wheel?
4. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What do pandas mostly eat?
5. MOVIES: What is the name of the fictional college where "Animal House" is set?
6. HISTORY: What was the last Chinese imperial dynasty?
7. GEOMETRY: What is the distance around a circle called?
8. SCIENCE: The world's first vaccine was developed to prevent which disease?
9. LITERATURE: Where is Stephen King's novel "It" set?
10. BUSINESS: What is the Disney logo based on?
Trivia Test Sports Quiz
2. What was the name of the Czechoslovakian wolfdog who ran onto the course during the women's crosscountry skiing team sprint qualifiers at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics? (Hint: It's inspired by a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.)
3. The Ekstraklasa is highest level of professional association football in what European country?
1. Name the Carolina Panthers wide receiver who scored
MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2026
www.alligator.org/section/sports
GYMNASTICS
Head coach, senior gymnast reflect on Florida season after championship loss
JENNY ROWLAND AND RILEY MCCUSKER CALLED THE JOURNEY A “WONDERFUL STORY” POST-MEET
By Max Bernstein Sports Writer
Heading into April 18’s Four on the Floor meet for the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics National Championship, Florida had plenty of momentum as it looked for its fourth national championship and first in 11 years.
It wasn’t meant to be.
The Gators fell short April 18, finishing in third place behind Oklahoma and Louisiana State in the final meet of the 2026 season. UF finished with a 197.6875 score, 0.4750 points behind the Sooners and 0.3875 points behind the Tigers. It finished ahead of fourth-place Minnesota by 0.3125.
Despite coming up short of their ultimate goal, head coach Jenny Rowland and senior gymnast Riley McCusker remained proud of Florida’s season, highlighted by an SEC Tournament and a first-place semifinal finish April 16.
“It was a wonderful story filled with highs,
HOCKEY
filled with lows, filled with drama, filled with intensity,” Rowland said. “It made for one of the greatest stories of Gators gymnastics history that I have been a part of. And I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Rowland, who joined Florida in 2015, has led the Gators to eight appearances in the NCAA Championship final but has yet to claim her first national title. Despite that, her Gators were excellent throughout 2026, claiming two of their four highest scores in program history in back-to-back weeks against LSU and Kentucky in March.
While it didn’t result in a national crown, Rowland said the team “left it all out there” in its final performance of the standout season. That reaffirmed the attitude the Gators carried all season, which Rowland highlighted postmeet.
“It was a ‘we over me’ team this year, and I saw so much growth and joy and happiness and fierceness and competitiveness,” Rowland said.
April 18 marked the final meet for some of Florida’s top performers, including McCusker. The Bradenton, Florida, native earned the NCAA uneven bars national championship with a 9.9875 score in April 16’s semifinal, one year after sharing the SEC uneven bars title with a 10.0000 score in the anchor position. Moments after her final meet at Florida, Mc-
Cusker was emotional when reflecting on her time in Gainesville.
“I have so much love and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this team,” McCusker said. “I’ve had the best experience with them.”
McCusker originally committed to Florida in February of 2016 but did not enroll until the fall of 2021 after competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials that same year. In her five-year Gator career, McCusker earned multiple All-American honors and was also named to the 2026 All-SEC team.
“Riley has grown up in front of our eyes,” Rowland said. “An exceptionally special young lady, and [I’m] extremely proud of her journey and how high her chin has been held the whole time.”
Rowland also reflected on the Florida careers of Selena Harris-Miranda and eMjae Frazier, both of whom have made major impacts since arriving in Gainesville from West Coast destinations.
Harris-Miranda transferred to Florida from UCLA in the summer of 2024 and continued her excellence as one of the nation’s top gymnasts. In her two-year stint with the Gators, she earned 10 All-American honors and was named the 2026 Women’s College Gymnastics Association Region 5 Gymnast of the Year.
Meanwhile, Frazier joined Florida in the summer of 2025 after earning 10 All-American
Florida seniors look back on hockey careers, talk next steps
UF’S JACKSON CHOI WILL WORK FOR THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS
By Nicole Scura Sports Writer
The scratch of blades against the ice cut through the stadium as the crowd held its breath. The hope of victory still lingered, but it was fading away with every passing second.
The University of Tampa was up 5-3 with one minute remaining in regulation. The clock ran out, and the final buzzer blared. Florida played its last game of the 2025-26 season and hung up its skates. Meanwhile, the seniors lived out the final moments of their college hockey careers.
Senior defenseman Zach Zelmanski and senior winger Jackson Choi have been part of the UF Ice Hockey Club for four years. Both were part of the AAU Division II National Championship-winning team in 2024.
Zelmanski, referred to as “Zelmo” by his teammates, said his favorite memory with the team was taking home that championship win. The final games were played in West Chester, Pennsylvania, starting before and running into spring break.
“We were spending our time up in cold Pennsylvania instead of on a beach somewhere, but we won, and that made it all worth it, and I had a great time with my boys,” Zelmanski said.
Leading up to the win, Zelmanski said the team practiced, spent nights in the hotel recovering with ice baths and enjoyed team bonding.
“We’d get all the ice from the ice maker and pour it in the tub and take turns,” Zelmanski said. “We watched UFC fights one night, so we had a good time. It was a lot of fun.”
Choi, a reliable scorer and leader for the team, had his own highlights from his four years with Gators hockey.
His favorite memories with the team were made on their bus trips during the Fall semesters. The hockey team would follow Gators football to away games, traveling to Tennessee, South Carolina and Mississippi.
Now, as graduation inches closer, Choi and Zelmanski reflect on the past four years.
”I'm excited. It just went quick, though. You think you're going to be in college forever and all of a sudden, it's like, ‘You gotta graduate in a month, and where'd all the time go?’” Zelmanski said. “But I'm definitely happy with the four years I had, and I'm ready to get out into the real world and start doing my thing.”
This year, the hockey team inherited nine freshmen players, the largest number on its roster since Choi’s freshman year.
“It was nice to see this new freshman class — bigger,” Choi said. “I told them, it's always cliche and corny to say, but you really do have to cherish every moment that you’ve got. The four years go by quicker than you think.”
Post graduation, the players have to face the
reality of a nine-to-five job.
For Choi, his hockey chapter continues. But this time, he will shine behind the scenes.
Following in his uncle’s footsteps working for the NHL, Choi is set to move to Tennessee and work with the Nashville Predators. About a month after his graduation, Choi said he will start his role in their sales development program as an inside sales representative.
Nashville will not be the Maryland native’s first time starting fresh in a new city.
“I wouldn't say Nashville is the city that I thought I'd end up in. Probably one of the last cities, I'd say,” Choi said. “But I said the same thing about Florida.”
Choi said that since coming to UF, it has become the state he would most like to return to in his future and one he will definitely miss.
Zelmanski’s future lies closer to home. Having grown up in Orlando, he will take on a role in Deerfield Beach with JM Family Enterprises Inc. in a nine-month program, followed by a placement into a full-time job in cybersecurity, network engineering or software engineering.
His hockey career also isn’t over. Despite finding a different career path, Zelmanski said he plans to continue playing hockey and join a men’s league.
“It's always a good way to meet people in the area and make some friends,” Zelmanski said.
Both seniors leave behind an irreplaceable presence on the hockey team and pass on valu-
honors in three years at California. In her lone year with the Gators, she was named to the 2026 All-SEC team.
“We wouldn't be the same without them,” Rowland said of Harris-Miranda and Frazier. “I feel like they've been a part of our family for four years.”
While Florida is losing three of its top contributors, the squad is stacked with talent to make a run at a national title in 2027.
Leading the charge is Skye Blakely. The sophomore was excellent in her second year with Florida, earning All-American uneven bars first-team honors and balance beam secondteam honors. Also set to return is rising senior Kayla DiCello. After missing all of 2025 recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, she earned All-SEC and two All-American honors in her junior year.
That returning talent has Rowland looking ahead with “great hope and great excitement” for next season.
With the 2026 season now in the rearview mirror, Florida might not have captured the top prize, but it achieved the success it strived for all season long.
“I even said going into this, we’ve already won,” McCusker said. “I still feel that way.”
@maxbernstein23 mbernstein@alligator.org
able lessons to the returning players.
Florida captain and junior defenseman Noah Horwitz said both seniors led the team in different ways, with Zelmanski dominating in physicality and Choi being a sharpshooter.
Describing Zelmanski as a teammate and leader, Horwitz said he has a contagious sense of humor.
“Zelmo is one of the funniest guys in the room; his presence is always felt,” Horwitz said.
Even as their president, Horwitz said he felt he learned something from each of them.
“I think Choi, being the director of recruitment when I was coming in as a freshman, was really big in my coming to the team and feeling so welcomed,” Horwitz said. “Zelmo was an older defenseman. He was able to show me the ropes of what it means to play in a college environment and take the next step up.”
Horwitz said Choi is a strong leader and has been a player his teammates look up to, even as an underclassman.
As the final weeks of the semester come to a close, Horwitz looks to the future and the next generation of leaders.
“I think it has to do with just a continuation of what the past leadership has left to us to continue the culture and the ways of the team,” he said.
Horwitz said he plans to enter the next season with expectations to win the Savannah Hockey Classic and the SEC Championship.
@NicoleScuraa nscura@alligator.org
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