Written by: Morgan Watkins

The Alachua County Commission has joined the city of Gainesville and other local governments in signing onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed in various marriage equality cases in Florida involving the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

The Gainesville City Commission decided to join in the amicus curiae brief in October, and the County Commission followed suit Tuesday. (The friend-of-the-court brief was included as an item on the county’s consent agenda.)

Written by: Cindy Swirko

A newlywed who organized a mass wedding party, a midwife who is a new mother, a fighter for equality who is relatively new to Gainesville and a longtime magazine were the honorees at Friday night’s awards dinner put on by the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida.

Written By: Morgan Watkins

The Equality Florida Institute plans to honor the Alachua County Commission Friday evening with the Voice for Equality Award at its annual Greater Gainesville Gala.

The commission is being given this award to recognize its addition of protections regarding employment, housing and public accommodations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the community, according to an Equality Florida news release.

By Chad Smith
Staff writers

Published: Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 9:47 p.m.

The Gainesville City Commission on Thursday created a temporary committee to study economic development for the central and eastern parts of the city after Commissioner Scherwin Henry shared his vision of a hotel/conference center downtown and mixed-use retail, office and residential development nearby.