Alachua County is home to a rich and expanding visual and musical arts culture, strong progressive values, and of course the University of Florida. And Alachua is the home of Former FL Dems Chair and State Senator Rod Smith. 

The Alachua DEC is proud of recent newly elected Democrats including State Representative Clovis Watson, Jr. in District 20, Alachua County Commissioners Charles “Chuck” Chestnut, IV and Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson, and Alachua County School Board Member Leanetta McNealy.

In February the Alachua DEC held a very successful team-building retreat where members and Democratic elected officials learned about each other’s priorities and goals while building plans for the party’s future. 

In 2013 the Alachua DEC plans to focus largely on fundraising, vote-by-mail, and rural outreach. “We are a deep blue county in a sea of red, but we can’t let that make us complacent,” newly elected chair Robert Prather said. “If anything, we must use our local strength to reach out in the rural areas and help Democrats throughout north central Florida be successful.”

The Alachua DEC’s officers, who were elected in December, include Chair Robert Prather, Vice-Chair Evelyn Foxx, State Committeewoman Jeanna Mastrodicasa, State Committeeman Terry Fleming, Recording Secretary Duane Gildea, Treasurer Don Herget, and Corresponding Secretary Suzanne Kiker.