Residents urge county intervention after Boys & Girls Club property marketed for sale
June 23, 2026 | Alachua County, Florida
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Multiple speakers at the June 23 meeting described the Northwest Boys & Girls Club in Gainesville as a long‑standing community institution now being marketed for sale and urged county involvement to preserve local programming.
Rochelle Reber George, a longtime Gainesville resident, told the commission the local Boys & Girls Club site is being listed for $2,500,000 and that staff and families first learned of the sale on social media. “They are selling it for $2,500,000… Our children should not be for sale ever,” she said.
Several community leaders, including former board members and youth participants, described the club’s history, fundraising and contributions to local youth; one speaker noted canceled programs and lost fundraising revenue tied to organizational decisions made by the merged regional operator. Vincent Hampton, who serves on the local advisory board, asked for transparency from the Jacksonville‑based parent organization and urged that all options — including local acquisition or restoring local governance — be explored before any sale is finalized.
Commissioners responded that county staff and local advocates have discussed options: a commissioner said he understands a local party may hold a right of first refusal on a purchase and that the county has spoken with the club CEO and obtained an appraisal. Commissioners emphasized land‑use constraints (the site is currently zoned institutional) and said any potential buyer should be aware zoning changes would not be favored without close local review.
Why it matters: The facility provides after‑school and youth programming and supporters told the board that replacement of the site or a sale to a nonlocal owner could remove services and programs for children who rely on them.
What’s next: Commissioners said they will open formal dialogue with the club’s leadership and with the Children’s Trust; the board encouraged attempts to preserve the property for continued youth programming but did not take a formal acquisition action at this meeting.
Attribution: Quotations and attributions are taken from public commenters who identified themselves: Rochelle Reber George, Mikaela George, Vincent Hampton and other named speakers at the June 23 meeting.
Rochelle Reber George, a longtime Gainesville resident, told the commission the local Boys & Girls Club site is being listed for $2,500,000 and that staff and families first learned of the sale on social media. “They are selling it for $2,500,000… Our children should not be for sale ever,” she said.
Several community leaders, including former board members and youth participants, described the club’s history, fundraising and contributions to local youth; one speaker noted canceled programs and lost fundraising revenue tied to organizational decisions made by the merged regional operator. Vincent Hampton, who serves on the local advisory board, asked for transparency from the Jacksonville‑based parent organization and urged that all options — including local acquisition or restoring local governance — be explored before any sale is finalized.
Commissioners responded that county staff and local advocates have discussed options: a commissioner said he understands a local party may hold a right of first refusal on a purchase and that the county has spoken with the club CEO and obtained an appraisal. Commissioners emphasized land‑use constraints (the site is currently zoned institutional) and said any potential buyer should be aware zoning changes would not be favored without close local review.
Why it matters: The facility provides after‑school and youth programming and supporters told the board that replacement of the site or a sale to a nonlocal owner could remove services and programs for children who rely on them.
What’s next: Commissioners said they will open formal dialogue with the club’s leadership and with the Children’s Trust; the board encouraged attempts to preserve the property for continued youth programming but did not take a formal acquisition action at this meeting.
Attribution: Quotations and attributions are taken from public commenters who identified themselves: Rochelle Reber George, Mikaela George, Vincent Hampton and other named speakers at the June 23 meeting.
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