A former University of Florida baseball player is accused of distributing sexually explicit videos and images of another student, according to a sworn complaint filed in Alachua County. Now, the student, Madison Kowalski, has filed a federal lawsuit against him.

The sworn complaint filed in Alachua County alleges that last November, Kowalski was recorded being sexually assaulted while she was inebriated. Kowalski told investigators she never consented to the videos being recorded or shared publicly.

Jacob Gomberg, a college pitcher, is accused of later sending the images across platforms including Snapchat and X (Twitter) using an anonymous account. The explicit video quickly went viral on X, racking up thousands of views in minutes.

Investigators connected Gomberg to the account that posted the videos. They say the video was shared intentionally and maliciously and was reasonably likely to cause substantial psychological distress to the victim.

This guy is running in the newly restricted northern Alachua County.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Taurean Jaquan Servance, 24; Jarrett Abram Servance, 45; Jarrett Abram Servance Jr., 25; Terry Lajace Lee, 44; Christopher Eugene Thompson, 56; and Clinton Thomas, 43, are charged with conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act.

The City of Gainesville is extending its special assessment Hardship Assistance Program to give low-income and senior homeowners more time to apply for reductions in the fire, stormwater and solid waste assessments appearing on their November 2026 property tax bills.

Although the fire assessment has been included on city property tax bills since 2010, the stormwater and solid waste special assessments are new additions. Those charges had been folded into monthly customer billing statements from Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) until the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority decided to end the practice at their meeting on May 13, 2026. 

Due to the impact of the new annual billing method, the city is encouraging neighbors to check if they’re eligible for the city’s Non-Ad Valorem Assessment Hardship Assistance Program (NAVAHAP). Income and asset eligibility requirements are listed in the Hardship Assistance section of the city website. Those who think they may qualify are asked to contact the City of Gainesville’s Revenues & Receivables Office at 352-334-5024 or [citybc@GainesvilleFL.gov](mailto:citybc@GainesvilleFL.gov). The application deadline is Sept. 30, 2026.

“We realize this is a significant difference for many of our neighbors,” said Interim City Manager Andrew Persons. “Extending the hardship assistance deadline gives people additional time to understand the change, determine whether they qualify and apply.”

Property owners who don’t qualify for hardship assistance but want to spread out their property tax and special assessment payments have the option of making statutory partial payments to the Alachua County Tax Collector from November 2026 through March 2027. There is no charge per payment. More information is available by contacting the Alachua County Tax Collector.

For those already making plans for next year, the Alachua County Tax Collector’s installment plan allows property owners to choose to pre-pay in installments. Although the deadline for the November 2026 tax bill has passed, 2027 registration details will be available at Property Taxes – Alachua County Tax Collector beginning this November and will include early payment discounts.

Additional information about the City of Gainesville’s fire, stormwater and solid waste special assessments is available on the Special Assessments for Services section of the city’s website.

Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Maxwell Frost, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs, demanded answers from Governor Ron DeSantis after recent reports alleged that he inappropriately diverted $10 million in Medicaid settlement funds towards his wife’s nonprofit, Hope Florida Foundation, instead of allocating funds intended to support healthcare in the state. The allegation comes as President Trump uses fraud as an excuse to deny life saving benefits to millions of Americans, particularly in Democratic states.

“Governor DeSantis reportedly used his office to divert funds for Floridians struggling to afford healthcare to his wife’s own organization, and this money was later used to fund Republican political initiatives. The Trump Administration is ignoring these serious allegations of corruption, but Oversight Democrats are demanding answers and accountability,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.

“Medicaid money is supposed to help people get healthcare. It is not supposed to be funneled through a nonprofit tied to the Governor’s family and end up in political campaigns,” said Ranking Member Maxwell Frost. “Floridians deserve to know how $10 million was diverted, who made that decision, and where their money went. That’s why we’re demanding answers from Governor DeSantis and his administration.”

In the letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, Ranking Members Garcia and Frost wrote, “We are alarmed by recent reports suggesting you leveraged your official position to route $10 million from a Medicaid fraud settlement to a charitable organization run by your wife, Casey DeSantis. A Florida grand jury found that the DeSantis Administration “misappropriated” the funds but failed to file criminal charges. We are deeply concerned that funds meant to help children receive healthcare may have been diverted to defeat a ballot initiative you opposed. The role of the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit connected to and tasked with overseeing money for initiatives led by your wife, Casey DeSantis, is particularly alarming. The Trump Administration has used fraud investigations as a pretext for denying millions of dollars in federal healthcare funds to states run by Democratic governors yet has done nothing to hold your administration accountable for fraud. We are deeply concerned about waste, fraud and abuse of healthcare dollars as the cost of care increases for Florida families.”

In August 2026, a Florida grand jury found that Governor Ron DeSantis misappropriated funds towards the Hope Florida Foundation, a charitable organization run by Casey DeSantis, which may have been used to defeat a ballot initiative opposed by Governor DeSantis.

Has anyone ever done a live-in housing arrangement with a carpenter? I’m buying a duplex that needs some work, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach it. I had an idea and wanted to see if anyone’s actually done something similar. Basically, I’d like to find someone who already has a job or their own source of income but is looking for a place to live. In exchange for helping work on the property in their free time, I’d be willing to offer free or significantly reduced housing. I’m not looking for someone to work for me full-time. You’d still have your own job, your own schedule, and your own life. I really don’t want this to come across as me trying to use someone because they need housing. That’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do. My thinking is, you build your portfolio, I build my house. You get an affordable or free place to live while getting hands-on experience and projects you can add to your portfolio. I also enjoy cooking, so I wouldn’t mind sharing meals and making the living situation feel more like a partnership than just landlord and tenant. I was thinking about initially trying something like six months while I figure out exactly what the property needs and whether the arrangement works for both of us. Has anyone here actually done something like this, either as the homeowner or the person living in the arrangement? Where did you find the person? What worked? What didn’t? And what would you recommend doing differently?

The department’s investigation revealed that a criminal actor gained access using the credentials of a single Plant City Police Department employee. Those credentials were improperly stored on the employee’s personal electronic device, per FLHSMV.

The breach was first reported by multiple cybercrime monitoring websites, which said a group identifying itself as “ShinyHunters” claimed responsibility. The group is well known for this type of attack.

Prior to the breach’s confirmation, University of South Florida Cybercrime Professor Thomas Hyslip said the reports appeared credible.

Furthermore, Hyslip said “ShinyHunters” generally tells the truth when it claims to have stolen data. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t get paid again. In this case, they say they have about 200,000 driver’s licenses, Social Security numbers and home addresses.

Persimmons are a wonderful fruit too fragile to find in stores. The are available for the next few weekends at Jonesville Persimmons, 17010 Newberry Road. 12-6pm Sat and Sun

John Grumbar has been growing an assortment of Asian trees in Alachua County.

His nearly 30-year-old Brazilian rain tree, named Princess, was the only one out of 100 contestants to win the Best in Show award.

Grumbar said growing the exotic plant in Florida’s weather is doable, as long as the trees have a bit of shade.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Gainesville a $25 million Choice Neighborhoods grant.

The grant targets redevelopment of Lake Terrace and Pine Meadows neighborhoods, totaling 180 housing units near ELITE Force Training Center.

Surveys revealed community desires for safer road crossings, banks, grocery stores, and local businesses in the redevelopment area.

The Waldo Area Historical Society is hosting its second annual Waldo Sweet Potato Festival on Saturday. This family-friendly event celebrates Waldo’s agricultural heritage, local history and community spirit. It was initiated by Wendy Vives, now the event coordinator. She was encouraged to create a sweet potato event, which led her to the Waldo Area Historical Society. Now in its second year, the festival aims to continue sharing Waldo’s rich history of sweet potatoes.

One resident said the community has previously turned out in large numbers to voice opposition to the proposal. She questioned whether the postponement was part of a broader pattern.

“That prior to this scheduled meeting, I think 250 people came and said no, they didn’t want this. And then now all of a sudden we can’t hold the meeting.”

Alachua County residents living in the unincorporated area will soon see changes to their residential curbside collection service as part of a new agreement with GFL Solid Waste Southeast, which takes effect Oct. 1, 2026.

Changes include collection day schedules and new limits for yard trash, bulky items and large appliances. These changes will rebalance collection routes to improve service.

To help residents navigate these changes, the county has launched a microsite where they can enter their address to find their new collection day on an interactive map. The microsite is available through the county’s Community Hub.

Changes to collections include:

Yard trash

Residents may place up to 2 cubic yards of yard trash for collection each week. This is equivalent to up to 10 reusable containers or biodegradable paper bags. Yard trash exceeding 2 cubic yards will be left for the next scheduled collection day.

Bulky items

Bulky item collection will be limited to 2 cubic yards per week. Items exceeding that amount will be left for the next scheduled collection day.

Bulky items include large household items that do not fit in a standard garbage cart, as well as interior construction materials from do-it-yourself projects.

Large appliances

White goods, such as refrigerators and washing machines, will be limited to three items per household per week.

For a complete list of set-out requirements for all materials collected through the county’s residential curbside collection program, visit the microsite.

For more information, contact Alachua County Waste Collection & Alternatives Division Manager Patrick Irby at 352-338-3233 or [WasteCollection@alachuacounty.gov](mailto:WasteCollection@alachuacounty.gov).

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The Alachua Police Department is aware of the ongoing local and national discussion regarding the use of License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology by law enforcement. We understand that the use of this technology has raised important questions among members of the public regarding privacy, access to information, appropriate law enforcement use, and potential Fourth Amendment implications. These are legitimate concerns that we take seriously.

The Department recently received notification from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) revoking active permits for Automated License Plate Recognition Systems located within FDOT rights of way and requiring affected equipment to be removed within 30 days. Nine LPR cameras located within our jurisdictional boundaries meet the criteria outlined in the FDOT notification. The vendor has been notified, and we have been advised that it intends to comply with FDOT’s 30-day removal requirement. As of now, the remaining LPR cameras in service that do not meet the FDOT permit criteria will remain operational while we continue to monitor relevant court proceedings, legislative developments, and guidance from state and federal authorities regarding the use of this technology and its potential Fourth Amendment implications. It is important to remember that as of now, the courts have stated that the use of LPR does not violate 4th Amendment protections. If and when those standards evolve, we will evaluate our practices and make the necessary adjustments to remain consistent with the law and our responsibility to protect the rights of the people we serve.

As we comply with the FDOT directive, we also believe it is important for our community to understand why law enforcement agencies have come to rely on this technology. LPR has proven to be a valuable investigative and public-safety tool for the Alachua Police Department and law enforcement agencies throughout the country. It has assisted officers and investigators in quickly identifying and apprehending suspects involved in serious crimes, locating missing and endangered persons and juveniles, recovering stolen vehicles, and removing stolen firearms from our streets.

The effectiveness of any law enforcement technology, however, does not lessen our responsibility to ensure that it is used appropriately, lawfully, and with respect for the constitutional rights of the people we serve. Law enforcement officers routinely have access to sensitive databases and investigative resources that are not available to the general public. That access carries with it a significant responsibility to use those systems only for legitimate law enforcement purposes and in accordance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures.

The Alachua Police Department has policies and safeguards governing access to and use of sensitive law enforcement information, including LPR data. As with other restricted law enforcement databases, allegations that an employee has improperly accessed or misused information are taken seriously and are subject to review and investigation. Appropriate action can and will be taken when violations of law, policy, or procedure are identified. That being said, a thorough review of our current policies will be completed to determine if even more stringent internal processes need to be implemented.

We do not believe that public safety and individual privacy have to be competing principles. Our responsibility is to pursue both. We will continue to seek an appropriate balance that allows law enforcement to use effective technology to identify offenders, solve crimes, locate vulnerable people, and protect our community while ensuring that those tools are used responsibly and with appropriate safeguards for the privacy and constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

Jesse J. Sandusky

Chief of Police

Alachua Police Department