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MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 35 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville cuts ribbon on Tom Petty Park after $2.6 million renovation project THE 22.5-ACRE PARK RECEIVED NEW PICKLEBALL COURTS, LIGHTING, TRAILS AND FACILITIES

By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer

On a warm, partly cloudy June 6, Gainesville residents sang along through the Florida heat to Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down.” But it wasn’t a gameday in the Swamp stirring the song. Roughly 100 people gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly renovated Tom Petty Park. The $2.6 million project was funded through Gainesville’s Wild Spaces and Public Places halfcent sales tax, which goes toward recreational improvements in the city. The 22.5-acre park’s renovations were completed by Gainesville-based Scorpio construction, with the project separated into two phases. The first included eight pickleball courts, a pedestrian entrance from Northeast 16th Avenue, a multi-purpose trail, a new stormwater pond and lighting improvements. The second phase was focused on bathroom renovations. As ‘70s and ‘80s music echoed through the park, several attendees sang along to the classics of the eras. Rick Chin, a 65-year-old Gainesville resident, was among those singing along in celebration of the park’s opening. “I’m a big fan,” Chin said. “I’m often concerned about what the city spends money on and how they tend to use it. This is one of the better investments I’ve seen them do with our money. As

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Reader Palooza

Story description finish with comma, Alachua County Library District pg# kicks off summer programming. Read more on pg. 6.

a citizen, this is the kind of thing I want to see.” Chin was proud the city was honoring Tom Petty; with the mural on Southwest 34th Street, Tom Petty weekend at Heartwood Soundstage and, now, the recent improvements to the park renamed after Petty in 2018. He’s happy to see the musician celebrated in his hometown. Petty is honored throughout the park with benches and fences engraved with his name. Chin recently moved to the northeast side of Gainesville, and he said he’s already seen the park draw in the community. He believes it’ll continue to bring people to northeast Gainesville and improve business in the area, he added. Chin also said he was happy with the pickleball courts, where games began almost immediately after the ribbon was cut. Chin has played the sport for around four years, participating in tournaments around Gainesville. Going forward, he said Tom Petty Park will be a popular playing spot for him. “These courts are exceptional,” Chin said. “You see some of my friends playing here right now; they’re all from the west side of town. We come here often, usually every Saturday.” The courts feature permanent nets, smooth blue surfaces and tall black fences to prevent interruptions during play. Chin said the lighting at night is “extremely good,” too, illuminating the courts without disturbing the neighborhood. These additions were taken into careful consideration during the renovation process,

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and other city leaders cut a ribbon commemorating the opening of new pickleball courts and park renovations, Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Tom Petty Park in Gainesville, Fla.

SEE TOM PETTY, PAGE 4

SEE FORUM, PAGE 3

Sonaiya Brown // Alligator Staff

UF presidential finalist Stuart Bell answers questions on DEI, vision for school THE FORMER UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PRESIDENT ADDRESSED STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND FACULTY

By Julianna Bendeck Alligator Staff Writer

Standing before students, faculty and administrators, UF presidential finalist Stuart Bell introduced himself to the campus community in a series of forums that offered one of the first public glimpses into how he would lead the university.

Bell answered questions from students, faculty and administrators across three time slots. Bell took to the stage with Rahul Patel, the chair of the presidential search committee. His appearance comes after a sixmonth-long search following the Florida Board of Governors’ rejection of presidential finalist Santa Ono last summer. Ono faced criticism for his investment in diversity, equity and inclusion programs when he was president of the University of Michigan. Bell has faced similar criticism since he was announced as the sole presidential finalist. Linda McMahon, the U.S. sec-

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Cowboy culture

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retary of education, is one critic of DEI. She posted on X urging UF’s next president to pursue reforms against DEI. UF responded in a May 22 post calling DEI “discriminatory by design.” Despite these criticisms, Patel said the presidential search committee’s recommendation of Bell was unanimous. At the forum June 3 afternoon, he said Bell is committed to academic achievement. Bell increased the population of National Merit Scholars at the University of Alabama by nearly 40%. Incoming university students

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