The inaugural WildFlowers Festival of Music and Dance in Melrose will move forward in March after a unanimous Tuesday vote by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and six hours of presentation, comments and deliberation.

WildFlowers Music Park asked for a temporary use permit (TUP) in November as volunteers continue to clear the 270-acre property for the three-day festival, approved for a maximum of 5,000 people.

The project started in 2024 with the potential of a national festival organizer moving onto the Melrose site. While the organizer, GrassRoots festivals, declined to move forward, a former director for the organization banded with locals to continue the vision.

The property was farmed for hay before being purchased in August, and the change from empty agriculture to a large festival prompted opposition from neighbors. But the potential economic catalyst for the site also garnered support.

At Tuesday’s meeting, half the chamber wore white shirts with WildFlowers Music Park crossed out in red. The other half had on blue shirts with the name of the park surrounded by flowers, bees and butterflies.

Packed chambers forced at least 30 attendees to use overflow space, and supporters outnumbered the opponents overall. In the last year, the county has received over 600 emails about the project—making it one of the most vocal projects from an unincorporated town that rarely earns a mention on the County Commission agenda.

The BOCC allotted 30 minutes for the county staff report, 30 minutes for the applicant to present, 15 minutes for 10 different affected parties to speak, a deliberation and motion, public comment at two minutes per speaker and then final deliberation and a vote.

County staff recommended approval of the TUP. The county recently updated its permit process and has three tiers for TUPs. For tiers A and B, county administrators can approve the permits, but a C-tier TUP needs county commissioners to sign off.

A C-tier event is one with 5,000 people, overnight camping or three days or longer. WildFlowers Festival asked for all three.

The festival will aim for a worker for every five festival attendees, with a cap of 5,000 people total (including the staff). Since the festival is new, Hutch Hutchinson said his best guess is around 2,000 people for the March event.

Hutchinson is a former county commissioner and serves as managing partner for the LLC behind the nonprofit WildFlowers Music Park. The presentation by the group highlighted their work to restore the 270-acres as a conservation park open to the public.

WildFlowers’ speakers also detailed the security, timeline, sleeping accommodations, traffic and other festival plans. WildFlowers said nearby neighbors would be minimally impacted by the festival.

Noise levels would be well below county standards by the time sound traveled more than 1,000 feet to property boundaries. Traffic would be contained on the property; deputies would control the flow; a water truck would sprinkle down the limestone road to prevent dusty conditions.

Gopher tortoise burrows would be fenced, and all sanitation would be collected and trucked offsite to be disposed of.

Hutchinson told Mainstreet that the annual festival would allow the nonprofit to pay for the property while keeping the land open to the public for the majority of the year.

Opponents said the festival would not blend with the Melrose area as easily as Hutchinson and WildFlowers claimed.

Sandra Gottschalk lives on property bordering the music park. She’s lived there for decades and told the BOCC that her family would likely move if the festival happens.

She said attendees would wander the woods and trespass onto her property. Plus, the site preparation would take nearly a month, not just a three-day festival.

The TUP is for a single event, but WildFlowers has made it clear that they want to make the festival annual. Leaders also said they plan for the site to be used as a wedding venue or host for small weekend events.

Gottschalk and other affected parties also worried about future implications. An annual festival could turn into every six months or more, and with smaller events, the music park would impact the area more than the TUP suggests.

County Commissioner Mary Alford said she heard a lot of fear from the public. She also heard a lot about trusting WildFlowers to be a good partner for Melrose.

But her big concern was what would replace WildFlowers if the property was sold again. She said the agricultural land could be turned into 50-foot lots by right.

“And I’m afraid of that kind of development in Melrose,” Alford said. “Y’all are shaking your heads, but we see that up here every single month.”

If WildFlowers flounders when operating its festival, Alford said the county will remember and not approve another TUP.

Chair Ken Cornell echoed the sentiment. He pointed to the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire held off Archer Road. It was very successful but caused traffic issues, and he said the county told the city to find a new location.

“[The medieval faire] was approved, and it’s never been approved since,” Cornell said. “So there’s a real risk of that.”

Commissioner Anna Prizzia added two conditions to a list of 13 conditions required by county staff. She asked that WildFlowers post “no trespassing” signs along its property boundaries to keep festival attendees from wandering onto private property. Secondly, she asked that “no parking” signs be posted along SW 35th Street.

Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler said the festival could be a way to help Melrose as rural areas struggle to retain young people and businesses.

“I just feel like it would be a gift to the Melrose community to have this there and the opportunity to enrich the lives of the young people at the same time supporting the economics that will keep business thriving there,” Wheeler said.

The BOCC voted unanimously on the permit, along with the following conditions:

• Gates may open to the general public no earlier than 9 a.m. on March 12, 2026, and all attendees shall have left the property no later than 2 p.m. on March 16, 2026.
• Set up on the site may begin no earlier than 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2026, and take down shall be complete no later than March 26, 2026. Set up and take down activities include activities related to locating vendors, temporary potable water or electricity, temporary stages or performance venues, and delivery of sanitary sewer and solid waste services.
• Amplified music or sound on the site is allowed beginning at 10 a.m. and ending no later than 9 p.m. on Thursday, 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
• Sound levels at the property line shall not exceed 60 dBA during the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. or 55 dBA during the hours of 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Consistent with Chapter 110 of the County Code of Ordinances, enforcement of sound level requirements shall be by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
• Pedestrian trails and paths shall be located no closer than 100 feet from the property boundary. Trails and paths along the perimeter of the property shall be signed for use only during daylight hours.
• The old homestead in the southwest corner of the site shall be fenced and signed to prohibit access by festival attendees.
• No later than March 6, 2026, the applicant shall provide the County with a surety in the amount of $15,950.
• A right-of-way use permit from Alachua County Public Works is required. The right-of-way use permit shall address all previously provided comments and shall include prohibition of festival access from Quail Street, traffic control at the intersection of CR 219a and NE 35th Avenue, directional messaging locations and the hours of off-duty law enforcement support.
• A driveway connection permit from Alachua County Public Works is required for the connection to NE 35th Avenue. The permits must address two-way traffic on NE 35th Avenue and the timing of installation of fencing.
• To the maximum degree possible, stormwater will be retained close to the proposed festival facilities to minimize runoff and erosion into wetlands. This may require slight grading and/or swales adjacent to segments of the access road.
• Permits for all tents over 900 sq. ft. and any applicable permits demonstrating compliance with the Florida Building Code must be approved no less than one week prior to the event beginning.