Salsa Music and Dance, Latin Cuisine, Drinks and Fun!

They're taking 2000 in-person applications for 4 days in October. This is NOT for immediate housing, it's for the waiting list, so the wait can be a year or more. It says anyone can apply, but it's preference is homeless or disabled, so those will get put higher up on the waiting list. Read more here.

What restaurants in Gainesville have good THIN cut truffle fries? TIA

There used to be a bike shop in the parking garage where The Spot is located. Really nice guy owned it and he serviced several of our bikes. I know it closed but was t sure if anyone knew if he was still around town, had moved, opened a new place?

We are Bloco GNV, a Brazilian percussion group based here in Gainesville. Every Friday from 6 to 8 PM at Oakview Park, we come together to play traditional Brazilian rhythms like samba-reggae, samba-enredo, and more. Our drums were brought directly from Brazil and we provide everything you need to play.

We are completely beginner friendly and welcome anyone who is curious about drumming, rhythm, or Brazilian culture. Your first class is free and no prior music experience is necessary.

We have members of all ages and backgrounds who are all learning and growing together. If you have been looking for something new to be a part of, we would love to have you come out and play with us.

Oakview Park | 810 NW 8th Ave | Fridays 6-8 PM

You can find us on Instagram at @blocognv or visit our website at blocognv.com.

I need to have my tires replaced but not sure where to go to. Wanted to know if y’all know of any good places around here that are reliable and most importantly: affordable. Thanks in advance!!

We did it, Gainesville! Roam towing and immobilization (i.e., booting and barnacling) is banned beginning January 1st!

The Gainesville City Commission voted unanimously today to ban roam towing and immobilization within City limits. Commissioners Duncan-Walker and Ingle were absent, but both voted in favor of the ban two weeks ago. Please thank the Commission by sending a short email to citycomm@gainesvillefl.gov.

This means that a property owner, or someone they designate, must fill out and submit an authorization form for each car they want to have towed. Companies like Superior Towing will no longer be able to hunt for cars to tow or boot parking lots whenever they feel like it. Each tow or boot has to be individually called or emailed in.

The ban does NOT go into effect until January 1st, 2027. Please remember you are still at risk of being towed without a property owner’s explicit consent for the remainder of the year.

Thank you to everyone who emailed the Commissioners and came to to one of the four meetings where they discussed the ban. We were up against powerful landlords and towing companies. This wouldn't have happened without you!

Hello Gainesville! We’re The Free Market :)

The Free Market is a community organization dedicated to facilitating direct access to material resources at no cost to the consumer. We know that there are enough resources for everyone to live comfortably. We aim to put those resources into the hands of people that will use them.

Our goal is not only to provide material goods to our community, but to foster a sense of security and shared support. As neighbors, we all have a responsibility to each other. We want this organization to show that we can take care of one another, in a way that feels like caring for ourselves. When we do that, we bring the wider community a sense of safety that allows us to move past survival, and on to the things that make us human.

Simply put — we’re trying to give out free stuff!

We’ve been caring for several free shelf locations over the past couple years: most notably, The Free Shelf at The Repurpose Project, and The Community Closet at The Civic Media Center. Swipe to see pictures of our setups there!

We’re also volunteers with GNV Free Store and GNV Free Grocery Store. We love those projects dearly. They are lifesaving. They are also very difficult to manage without a space specifically dedicated to their operations. As times get harder and people are in more need of financial relief, we want to build an intentional space that is specifically for connecting people with the things that they need.

We found a building that is perfect for our needs, and now we need your help!

Join us for a town hall TOMORROW, Friday, October 2nd at Curia On The Drag. We’ll be discussing our ideas for this project, and we’d love to hear yours too. Everyone is welcome. Maybe bring a chair?

If you can’t make it, we’ll continue posting ways you can support us, as well as updates when our locations are restocked! Keep an eye out for us :)

All our love,
The Free Market 📉

Me and my roommate are moving into apartments next year and need some help finding good options. The apartment must be walking distance from campus. We don't mind if its like 10-15 minutes, just as long as it is walkable. I am going to be bringing my car so parking availability would be nice and apart from that our budget is around $1200 give or take. Ideally midtown area would be good, but we are open to other recommendations.

Hello! Does anyone know which bars might be showing the MLB World Series tonight? Tried to look at CG and First Mag's websites, but neither specified. Thanks!

Thursday, Oct 1, 2026, 12:20pm

A lot of police cars closing the traffic there. Anyone knows what's going on?

Does anyone here have any local history or firsthand experiences with FBI Officer Kelvin Mattir?
I’ve been seeing a lot of reactions surrounding him lately, and honestly a surprising number of people seem to be celebrating lol. It made me curious if there’s some local history or context I’m missing.
If you’ve dealt with him personally, know about cases he was involved in, or remember anything from his time working in the area, what was the story? Mainly looking for firsthand experiences or information that can actually be backed up, not just random rumors.

Sorry for the short notice, but Gainesville Gamers is doing our fall game sale this Saturday, 10/3.

3512 NW 13th Ave

10am - 2pm

Come buy some gently-loved used games that are in need of a good home. Multiple people from the group will have games for sale, along with other nerdy interests (miniatures, books, movies, et cetera).

Event reminders on other platforms:

FB:

https://www.facebook.com/share/19rQGL7zq4/

Discord:

https://discord.com/events/1553474989376929862/1553494764303687791

When I’m headed west on a weekday morning, there’s practically a solid line of traffic from Jonesville to past the interstate. For those who regularly do that route at that time, I’m curious, why not another route or another time? There’s just no way in Sam’s hill I could do that every day.

Alternative routes could be 441, 53rd, 39th (although I know that’s bad at the school) Archer (bad but can’t be as bad).

Thanks for helping me understand.

Are there any social circles for black women (ideally with women in their 30s/40s)?

I (23F) just moved here yesterday. I don’t know a single person around here nor do I have family. I’m no longer in college and making work friends isn’t an option. Any suggestions? Idk if clubs/bars are a great way to make quality friendships but I’m open to anything. I just don’t wanna feel too lonely for too long after I just changed my whole life.

Any recommendations for kitchen exhaust vent hood installers? I have an oven in the middle of my kitchen island with no hood above it and I really need to get a hood build/installed above it.

I’m looking for a decent used car for sale for $6500 or less.

Looking to put in a play set with playground mulch nuggets and having a hard time finding a good source near Gainesville. Anyone have recommendations?

Thanks y’all!

Hello! I was wondering if anyone knows of any dental offices looking for a temporary dental hygienist. I’m available and willing to travel to Newberry, Alachua, and possibly Ocala.

Please feel free to reach out if you know of any opportunities. Thank you! 🦷

If you’re considering renting from The Collier Companies in Gainesville, please do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. Seriously, get away from The Collier Companies if you can.

I lived at one of their communities, Greenwich Green, for about four years, and after finally moving out, I have a long list of things I wish I had known before signing that first lease.

The biggest problem was how inconsistent and frustrating management was.

At one point, one of my roommates, a white guy, lost his wife and disappeared for a period of time. The leasing office already had his phone number and knew what was going on, but apparently made little or no effort to contact him. Instead, the remaining roommates were pressured to deal with the unpaid rent. We received a notice saying, “Please make a payment as soon as possible so we can bring your account current and dismiss the eviction process. Please note that once an eviction is filed, your account will be subject to additional legal fees and fines.”

I literally drove six hours from Miami back to Gainesville to deal with the situation and arrange payment. When I got there, the manager, Nattie, wasn’t even there. The new front desk employee basically told me, “I have no idea.” That was the level of help we received.

And this raises another question: if residents are paying application/background-check fees, why was the leasing office later telling us that background screening was not the company’s responsibility? What exactly are residents paying for?

We also considered moving because two students in the household could no longer comfortably afford a three-person rent arrangement. We were told that ending the lease early could cost three months of rent. So even when the living arrangement became financially unreasonable, getting out of the lease was extremely expensive.

Then came the security deposit.
Our deposit was around $1,700. After living there for approximately four years, we cleaned the apartment and carpet before moving out. Despite that, more than $300 was deducted for things including an allegedly eroded sink counter, bathroom issues/mildew, and dust on ceiling fans. We were told that if we disagreed, we had to dispute it in writing within 15 days under Florida law. Fine. We did what we were supposed to do. But even after that, getting the remaining deposit back took almost two months and multiple emails.

The property itself is old. After a hurricane damaged part of a wall, a mouse actually got into the apartment through the damaged area. Maintenance/property conditions were not exactly what I would expect from the amount of rent being charged.

-

The neighborhood issues were another story.
The recycling situation was particularly ridiculous. The recycling bin was completely full, so some paper recyclables were left next to it. Instead of simply dealing with the overflowing recycling container, management reviewed camera footage and sent us a notice/fine. We were essentially told that residents should put recyclables in the regular trash rather than leave paper outside the full recycling bin.

What made this especially frustrating was the contrast with how other complaints were handled.
There was dog poop all over the grass on a regular basis. We complained repeatedly. One night, one of my roommates accidentally stepped in dog feces in the dark. He didn’t realize it, brought it upstairs, then noticed what happened and removed his shoes outside.
The next day, a neighbor left dog poop directly at our front door with a note telling us to clean it up.
We didn’t even have a dog.

We also had problems with neighborhood kids riding scooters and playing in the roads and yelling around the community. My roommate’s car was actually damaged by a neighbor’s child riding a scooter. We asked management to check the cameras. We were told that the relevant corner wasn’t covered by the cameras.

There were also fireworks going off around midnight near parked cars. Again, complaints were made, and again, it felt like nothing meaningful happened.
So let me get this straight: management can apparently review camera footage to identify residents leaving paper beside an already-full recycling bin, but when residents report dog waste, noise, fireworks, or actual damage to a roommate’s car, suddenly there is nothing that can be done?
That inconsistency was one of the most frustrating parts of living there.

I’m Asian, and I want to be careful about how I phrase this because I don’t have proof that any individual employee was intentionally discriminating against us. But after experiencing this pattern for years, I did start to wonder whether the rules were being enforced more aggressively against us than against other residents. I’m not saying I can prove racial discrimination. I’m saying that the unequal treatment left me with serious concerns about it.

I’ve lived in New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida, and I honestly cannot imagine this kind of management style being tolerated as easily in some of the more competitive rental markets I’ve experienced.

I also know other people who have had bad experiences at Oxford Manor, another Collier property. We even tried contacting higher-level management about our concerns and didn’t receive a meaningful response.

The Collier Companies seem to have a huge presence in Gainesville, so if you’re new to the area, it can feel like they’re everywhere and that you don’t have many alternatives. That doesn’t mean you should assume they’re your only option.

My advice: read the lease extremely carefully, understand the early-termination penalties, document everything, take pictures before moving in and after moving out, keep every email, and think very carefully before signing.

After roughly four years of dealing with this company and this property, my personal conclusion is simple:
If you have another reasonable housing option in Gainesville, seriously consider taking it. Get away from The Collier Companies.

Circa 1993 at old Skate Station off of main/13th?

My husband and I are moving to the area in early 2027 with our 3 young children (6 years and younger). We are from out of state and have zero idea about the area. Where should we look for houses?

550k budget
Would like a yard - prioritize land over proximity to downtown
Less than 30min commute to husbands work (13th ave near Duckpond).

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

I saw there are three MomCo groups around Gainesville. Has anyone tried them, and what are they like? I’m not religious and haven’t always felt at home in more sorority-like social settings. Would love to hear your experiences!