With bright sunshine and lively music, spring seemed to have sprung Wednesday at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention as it hosted Gainesville’s State of the City.  

However, Punxsutawney Phil will let us know Sunday, Groundhog Day, when we can expect spring to officially arrive.  

Danny Rubin attended Gainesville High School and was the screenwriter for “Groundhog Day” the movie, a 1993 comedy featuring Bill Murray. Via video, he introduced Mayor Harvey Ward on Wednesday.  

“One terrific benefit to having written that movie is I get to hear people from all over the world tell me what I meant when I wrote it,” Rubin said. “The fact is when someone tells me what they think it’s about, that tells me more about them than it does about me.” 

He said Ward finds a lesson in getting outside yourself and learning to see others’ needs and trying to meet those needs. 

Ward also used the movie, and the lessons from it, to structure his speech. He said the city must recognize what is truly important, discover where you can make a difference and never give up.  

“I’m not claiming victory on any single thing,” Ward said in an interview. “We have a lot of work to do every day, but we’re doing that work, and we’re staying focused on being in our lane and doing the things that the city of Gainesville can make an impact on.”     

For the first section, Ward highlighted the city’s efforts to reduce gun violence. He said a key metric is eight months without a gun homicide—since May 2024. The number of shots fired and persons injured also lowered in 2024 compared with 2023.  

Ward said progress has come thanks to partnerships with Alachua County and Santa Fe College, together forming the Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance. He also mentioned community partners like the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center, People Against Violence Enterprises and the city’s youth steering committee. 

Other initiatives in this section included supporting first responders, improving pedestrian safety and boosting economic development through the Eastside Health and Economic Development Initiative (EHEDI). 

Covering the second lesson, Ward pointed to the Community Resource Paramedicine Program, revamping of Citizens Field and projects within the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area, especially a focus on downtown.  

The City Commission hired downtown ambassadors, established the downtown advisory board and approved a concept for the streatery last year. Mile markers included approving $75 million in private investment for downtown—including The Knot’s expansion and Lot 10 construction. 

For never giving up, Ward said the city embodied the lesson by continuing after affordable housing.  

The city, Ward said, implemented single-family zoning changes, then pulled them back and then came back with a series of new changes. The city implemented inclusionary zoning and opened its first home through a partnership with Bright Community Land Trust. 

Gainesville also continues with its climate goals and plans to have electric buses in 2026 and works to keep the city beautiful through cleanup projects and planting more trees. 

“The State of the City is in constant improvement,” Ward said. “We’re in the moment. We are doing everything we can to make this a safer, healthier and more prosperous city for everybody who lives here, and there’s always more work to be done.”