- Melrose residents hired the Sabatini Law Firm and sent a letter asking Alachua County to investigate WildFlowers Festival's compliance with its March temporary use permit.
- Melrose Forever funded the legal effort with $5,000 raised through GoFundMe and cited concerns about noise, permit violations, and property trespassing.
Melrose residents hired a lawyer and sent a letter this week asking Alachua County to investigate the WildFlowers Festival of Music and Dance and whether the March event complied with its temporary use permit.
Residents with Melrose Forever launched a GoFundMe after the event and raised $5,000 to hire the Sabatini Law Firm out of Mount Dora. In the letter, the firm pointed to areas of concern, including alleged noncompliance with the festival’s tent permits, apparent construction of right-of-way improvements prior to permit approval and potential use of property outside the scope of the approved application.
“We further request that any findings of noncompliance be documented and considered in connection with all future Temporary Use Permit applications submitted by Wildflowers Music Park or any affiliated entity,” the letter from Sabatini Law Firm said.
Alachua County Spokesperson Mark Sexton said the county received the letter and sent a receipt confirmation. He said the county had no other comment at this time.
According to Steve LeBel, an organizer with Melrose Forever, the event failed to meet the permit requirements. Melrose Forever formed a cohesive opposition to the festival starting in 2025.
During the permit process, county commissioners told residents that they would monitor how the permit was acted upon by WildFlowers. If WildFlowers floundered when operating its festival, Commissioner Mary Alford said the county will remember and not approve another temporary use permit.
County Chair Ken Cornell echoed the sentiment at the February approval meeting. 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.”
LeBel said noise levels exceeded the county permits, hitting more than 60 decibels at the property boundary. Melrose Forever even shared videos on Facebook of individuals holding a sound level meter above the fence to the property.
He said the festival attendees walking through neighboring property was the biggest concern. According to LeBel, one attendee peed on a fence post in full view of the neighbor sitting on her front porch.
“We were advised initially that we would not have these problems. They occurred anyway,” LeBel said. “Some of those were addressed in the permit, but nowhere near all of the concerns that we had were addressed.”
The music festival is intended as an annual event to pay for the conservation and maintenance of the 270-acre property. Former County Commissioner Robert Hutchinson has served as a point person for WildFlowers, and the group emphasized the environmental stewardship, opportunities for education and engagement, and prevention of more intensive development for the land.
Still, neighbors argued the whole way through the permit process that the festival would cause traffic snarls and unwind the quiet Melrose fabric.
LeBel said traffic ended up being lighter than expected. He attributed that to low festival attendance.
He said Melrose Forever would need to find more funding if it actually went forward with a lawsuit, which he said he could only speculate at this point. The Sabatini letter ends by saying his clients are evaluating all available legal remedies.
“There’s a difference between bringing a lawsuit and sending a letter,” LeBel said. “We understand that sending this letter is always the first step to give the county council a heads up that there’s a problem, and we’d like something done about it.”