County and city alliance outlines 10‑objective five‑year plan to curb gun violence; commission authorizes prioritization work

City and county representatives presented a jointly developed five‑year Gun Violence Prevention strategic plan that outlines 10 objectives to reduce firearm injuries and strengthen prevention systems across Alachua County.

Carl Smart, executive liaison (speaker 28), summarized the plan developed by consultants DPI LLC and alliance stakeholders. The objectives include deepening gun‑violence reduction strategies, institutionalizing prevention across departments, creating a coordinated system of care for school‑age youth, trauma‑informed response teams, elevating youth voice and leadership, expanding reentry pathways, focusing resources on priority zones, strengthening cross‑sector data transparency, and increasing community capacity through funding and training.

The plan recommends a coordinated data and response system, safe firearm storage campaigns, expanded prevention programs, youth leadership and paid year‑round opportunities for young people, and a blended public‑private funding model to stabilize nonprofit partners. "We need to prioritize objectives so we can get early wins and build momentum," said a committee representative.

Commissioners asked for clarity on how the plan aligns with existing city, county and children's trust programs; commissioners noted ongoing investments in literacy, family resource centers and after‑school programs and urged staff to produce an inventory of current programs that map to the plan's objectives. The commission voted to "authorize staff to continue planning and collaborative efforts toward prioritization of the strategies outlined in the plan."

A public‑safety follow up: The board requested a presentation from the sheriff on jail programming (scheduled for April 7) and asked alliance staff to return with a prioritization process (potentially a stakeholder retreat) and a plan to map existing resources and identify gaps before adoption of spending or formal commitments.

Why it matters: The strategic plan frames gun violence as a public‑health and social‑determinants issue and proposes cross‑sector prevention and data strategies. Commissioners acknowledged the scale of the work and asked staff to coordinate city, county, school district and university partners and to clarify budget and staffing implications during the budget process.

Representative quote: "Don't try to do ten objectives at once," an alliance presenter said. "Prioritize which one should come first and look for early victories."

Next steps: Staff will continue collaborative planning, work with the alliance to prioritize early actions and present implementation and budget recommendations to the board and oversight partners.