The Florida League of Cities (FLC) awarded Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper the E. Harris Drew Lifetime Achievement Award during its 2024 conference.
The annual award, which honors local elected officials who have made “lasting and worthwhile contributions” through their local duties, is named for Supreme Court Justice E. Harris Drew, who coined FLC’s motto, “Local self-government, the key to American democracy.”
“I’ve had a wonderful time being involved with the things that have happened here,” Coerper said in a phone interview.
Coerper said he had no idea he had been chosen for the award and had even forgotten it would be given out. He said he was caught “with my mouth open,” though the Alachua commissioners and city manager who were sitting with him knew ahead of time and had their cameras ready.
FLC’s award recognized Coerper for his 23 years as a public servant in Alachua, almost 20 years as a youth liaison for Boy Scouts of America Troop 88, and years of tutoring in the local elementary school.
Under Coerper’s leadership, the town has grown, adding houses and businesses to change from a single square mile with a gas station, to a place where children can grow up and stick around because there are jobs available.
Coerper touted Legacy Park, a multipurpose center, as one of his top accomplishments, along with an ongoing partnership with Alachua County Public Schools and Santa Fe College that have resulted in biotechnology magnet programs in Santa Fe High School and Mebane Middle School.
The city credits Coerper’s commitment to infrastructure investment and innovative technologies in part for attracting major companies and bioscience businesses. Through a multimillion-dollar Florida Job Growth Grant, the city also gained a parkway that could potentially double the bioscience sector, according to a city press release.
“That is another treat, because they recognize just what a good city we are,” Coerper said.
Coerper served on the Alachua City Commission from 1999-2001 and from 2005-2009, then, when the city amended its charter to make the mayor an elected position, Coerper ran. In 2010, he became Alachua’s first elected mayor in 105 years and has since been re-elected three times.
“I hope that means I’m doing a good job,” Coerper said.
