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MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 27 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

‘Is there any way I can feel safe?’: Social 28 tenants file worker conduct complaints RESIDENTS ALSO CONCERNED BY LACK OF NATURAL LIGHT, APARTMENT DAMAGE AMID ONGOING CONSTRUCTION

By Caroline Walsh Alligator Contributing Writer

Like clockwork, Social 28 tenants awake to their daily alarm — hammering, drilling and shouting. While the tenants’ clocks read 7:30 a.m., their rooms still appear as if it were midnight. March marked the tenth straight month of construction on Social 28, an off-campus student apartment complex built in 2015, located directly across the street from UF’s College of the Arts. The ongoing construction, done by multiple licensed third-party contractors and Centex Construction as the general contractor, involves renovations to amenities such as the gym, pool and study rooms, and exterior improvements like window and balcony replacements. Tenants said they were not informed of the planned construction when they signed their leases. However, their leases included a clause that allows Social 28 to do construction without informing residents beforehand. Some tenants said they have not been given a clear answer on the projected end of construction and are fed up with the lack of clear communication by management. Nishra Kothari, a 19-year-old UF finance sophomore, moved into a four-bedroom unit at Social 28 in August 2025. She said construction ramped up on her side of the building after returning from winter break. The windows of every bedroom in her unit have been boarded up with plywood by the construction workers since the second week of the Spring semester, she said. In an email sent to The Alligator on March 3, Social 28 regional manager Angelina Mercurio said after B.HOM Student Living acquired

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT The Avenue

Story description finish with comma, Meet the UF alumnus who took pg# home an Oscar on March 15. Read more on pg. 6.

the complex, the ownership made plans for a multimillion-dollar investment to replace the entire exterior of both buildings. This involved boarding up residents’ windows for temporary protective measures. Mercurio added the boards were removed as soon as each portion of work was completed. Renovations are expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks for the South building, while the North building will be under construction until at least mid-May, she said. Throughout the renovations, Mercurio said, Social 28 has provided weekly communication about construction through multiple means like emails, on-site signage and direct outreach by management. She said there is on-site management to answer residents’ questions about construction, and the company is focused on remaining transparent while providing consistent updates. Social 28 did not respond to further emails asking for comment on specific incidents reported by residents, such as alleged harassment by construction workers and debris left in bedrooms. Interactions with construction workers Some tenants said they felt uncomfortable with construction workers constantly outside of their windows. Alaina Campagna, an 18-yearold UF microbiology and cell science freshman, said her roommate lodged a harassment complaint about their behavior. In the complaint, which was shared with The Alligator, the tenant wrote a construction worker scraped a smiley face into the paint that construction covered her window with. She then saw the worker look into her room around 10:30 a.m. Campagna said her roommate immediately called her father and went to the leasing office to report the incident. In a second complaint filed six days later, which was also shared with The Alligator, the tenant wrote that she found four total smiley faces scraped into her window after returning

SEE SOCIAL 28, PAGE 4

Caroline Walsh // Alligator Contributing Staff

Jenna Horner, founder of Mindful Messages, stands in front of a mural she is painting at Eastside High School, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. Read more on pg. 3.

Gainesville could see population boom as climate change progresses AS SOUTHERN FLORIDIANS ARE PRICED OUT OF THEIR HOMES, MANY ARE LOOKING TO NORTH CENTRAL COUNTIES

By Juliana DeFilippo Alligator Staff Writer

When Bob Tancig thinks about climate change in Gainesville, he thinks about azaleas. The small pink flowers traditionally bloom from February to April, when temperatures start to increase after chilly North Florida winters. But Tancig has started spotting them as early

Metro

Remembering former Alligator general manager Ed Barber, pg. 5

University

How will UF’s multibillion construction plan affect campus? pg. 2

as December. He’s heard some people call the changes that come with temperature shifts “climate chaos.” Chair of the Gainesville chapter of the Climate Reality Project, Tancig has lived in Gainesville since the 1980s, and he sees the impact of climate change in more than just the azaleas. “Alachua County is expected to see an increase of people who are moving here because of the climate threats in South Florida,” he said. As more South Florida residents

SEE CLIMATE, PAGE 4

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