The Gainesville Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO) selected an interim executive director and discussed hiring a search firm to assist with a new search during its Tuesday meeting.  

At the Aug. 20 meeting, the sheriff’s office also gave an update on traffic citation numbers.  

The MTPO is currently in flux, moving to in-house leadership instead of a contracted position and jumping to a higher classification. After a search with a lone finalist arriving for interviews, Gainesville Commissioner Bryan Eastman, who headed the search subcommittee, said the contract negotiations fell through. 

The MTPO board voted to make Alison Moss, Alachua County’s transportation planning manager, the interim executive director until the second search finishes.  

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) also briefed the board on traffic stops across the county and specifically within the smaller municipalities covered by the office.  

According to the report, ACSO issued 7,924 citations and 5,192 written warnings in 2024. Of those, around 1,500 citations were given within the smaller municipalities (Newberry, Hawthorne, Waldo, Micanopy, Archer, La Crosse) versus the unincorporated areas of the county.  

So far in 2025, the office has issued 4,326 citations and 3,566 written warnings.  

ACSO citations issued in municipalities from 2024 and 2025: 

• Archer (221 in 2024; 129 so far in 2025) 

• Hawthorne (500 in 2024; 111 so far in 2025) 

• La Crosse (4 in 2024; 5 so far in 2025) 

• Micanopy (149 in 2024; 94 so far in 2025) 

• Newberry (318 in 2024; 162 so far in 2025) 

• Waldo (364 in 2024; 116 so far in 2025) 

ACSO said 10% of citations were for speeding, and the remaining citations varied within a long list of possible offences.  

Alachua County Commissioner Anna Prizzia asked about speeding enforcement in school zones, and ACSO said a lot of the enforcement is complaint-driven at the moment. The office only has three officers in its traffic unit, with a goal of increasing it to five officers.  

These officers cover the entire county and pick certain days to enforce in smaller municipalities, plus the unincorporated areas.  

The Gainesville Police Department reports 7,072 traffic citations from 2024, along with 4,094 traffic warnings. So far in 2025, the department has issued 4,242 traffic citations and 2,223 traffic warnings.