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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 24 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville homeless community calls for change one year into encampment ban CITY OFFICIALS, POLICE SAID AWARENESS IS THE TOP PRIORITY

By Maria Arruda Alligator Staff Writer

Cyrus Jay became a Gainesville resident 10 years ago when his niece, a truck driver on assignment in the area, dropped him off. When they arrived, he told her he’d catch her some other time. Now 63 years old, Jay is a member of the homeless community. Following a state crackdown on homeless encampment, he’s calling for aid to change his circumstances. “I’m not particular,” he said. “Just get me off the streets.”

Bayden Armstrong // Alligator Staff

A.D. Hunter, a Gainesville local, stands outside Alachua County’s Headquarters Library, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Calls to action The Gainesville City Commission passed an ordinance in 2024 prohibiting people from camping and sleeping on public premises. The ordinance came after a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis banned counties and municipalities from allowing public encampment. While the City Commission “grudgingly accepted” the order, according to previous Alligator reporting, it had to pass it, or create a similar one, to evade legal consequences. The city created an option in the neighborhood myGNV app for residents to report public camping. In the first year after the ordinance

went into effect, Gainesville residents submitted 109 reports of camping on public property or encampment, according to records obtained by The Alligator. That’s about one report every three to four days, or less than 10 per month, on average. A majority of camping sites reports happen along, or near, North Main Street in downtown. Under the ordinance, people who appear to be camping will be redirected by law enforcement to legal resting spaces, such as shelters. If they refuse to move, they may face a $25 fine and possible arrest. Jay said he and his fellow residents “have nowhere to go.” When it rains, he goes to the library for cover. He’s often told to move, he said, even though he doesn’t plan to permanently camp there. More help for homeless people should be the pillar of change in the community, he added. “They should be able to give more help than they do,” he said. Lifelong Gainesville resident and homeless community member A.D. Hunter said the encampment ban makes it harder to find permanent residence. With the ordinance requiring residents to move around, finding stability becomes difficult. “I very much disagree with it,” she said. Hunter hasn’t personally been

SEE ENCAMPMENT, PAGE 4

2 months in: Where the Hamilton School is heading with new director Director Charles Canady speaks on political experience, the press and civic literacy By Leona Masangkay & Alexa Ryan Alligator Staff Writers

Civic literacy, freedom of speech and the Western canon. Those are some of Charles Canady’s priorities as he settles into his new role as director of UF’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. On Nov. 17, 2025, Canady was named the school’s new director, following his time as one of Florida’s Supreme Court justices. He steps in as the Hamilton School, established by the state legislature in 2022, has rapidly grown to over 1,300 students and 53 faculty members as of July 2025. From 2024 to 2025, the school more than doubled in full-time employees and total employee salaries, seeing a higher percent increase in both metrics than any other UF college or area over the same time period. In his first interview with The Alligator, Ca-

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT University administration

Story description finish with comma, Florida issues one-year pause on pg# new H-1B visas at state universities. Read more on pg. 2.

nady spoke on his political experience, words from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on his hiring and the future of the Hamilton School after officially beginning his role Jan. 1. The search for Canady Interim UF President Dr. Donald Landry initiated a national search for a permanent director for the school Oct. 10, 2025. The search was announced to “Hamiltonians” in an internal email from then-interim director Robert Ingram obtained by The Alligator. The search was not publicized until the new director was already chosen. The UF Board of Trustees tapped Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor and conservative legal scholar, to head the search. Although not a UF employee, George has a history of influence within the Hamilton School. Emails dating as far back as Summer 2024, obtained by The Alligator, show George

offering former Hamilton School director William Inboden and former UF President Ben Sasse recommendations on a bioethics professor the school should hire. In response to George, then-director Inboden wrote “your endorsement is exceedingly valuable.” George was even offered the UF presidential role by DeSantis following the rejection of sole finalist Santa J. Ono last summer, as reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education. After declining the job, George pointed DeSantis to Landry. During the director search, Landry paused all Hamilton School interviews for at least four candidates applying to be professors, according to another email Ingram sent to Cheryl Irvin, a conference event manager for the school. A little over a month later, Canady was announced as director. Meanwhile, former interim director Ingram

Politics

UF community reacts to Iran war, pg. 3

moved to the University of Texas at Austin — where Inboden, the Hamilton School’s first director, is serving as provost. Three other Hamilton School faculty have also joined the Civitas Institute, UT Austin’s civic center. None are employed by contract, according to UT Austin communications. Rather, they are all at-will employees, meaning they do not have a specific rate of pay written on paper and can resign or be dismissed without advanced notice. Canady’s experience and vision Canady, an alumnus of Haverford College and Yale Law School, served in the Florida and then U.S. House of Representatives before becoming a Florida Supreme Court Justice for 17 years. His wife, Florida Rep. Jennifer Canady, is the state’s soon-to-be speaker of the House.

SEE HAMILTON, PAGE 4

The Avenue: Music

Tune into the Avenue’s coverage from Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, pg. 6

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