After District 2 City Commissioner Ed Book announced he would not seek reelection, the decision opened the door for a new voice on the Gainesville City Commission.
The three candidates running for the District 2 seat recently spoke with The Sun about their priorities, policy proposals and reasons for entering the race. Gainesville voters will decide the race on Aug. 18.
The winner must receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff in November.
Nelida Jean-Baptiste Pellot
When Nelida Jean-Baptiste Pellot, who uses they/them pronouns, moved to Gainesville in 2022, they were recovering from a major setback. A fire had destroyed their Miami home, leaving them living out of a car and hotels with their dog for several months before securing permanent housing.
Pellot told The Sun on July 23 that after about six months they found housing in a student-living apartment community and quickly secured employment through staffing agency Spherion.
Now working as a Gainesville Housing Authority inspector, serving on the board of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida and volunteering with Theatre Connect, Pellot said they decided to run because City Commission decisions directly affect residents’ lives, including their own.
Pellot’s campaign centers on affordability, inclusion and community engagement.
“Leadership starts with listening,” Pellot said.
One issue Pellot highlighted is affordability. While residents continue to face high Gainesville Regional Utilities bills, Pellot described the utility’s governance as a complicated issue and said residents deserve greater transparency and public discussion.
Calling ownership of the utility a complicated issue that is not cut and dry, Pellot said residents have raised concerns about possible mismanagement and believes more town hall discussions should be held.
“That’s the word on the street, that’s our utility, we should be in full control,” Pellot said. “If there is some fraud or mismanagement, not necessarily intentional fraud, I would love to have that conversation and if these residents believe that, I would to hear from them in a town hall.”
To address homelessness, Pellot proposed bringing the “Hope Cottages Initiative” to Gainesville. The model, used in St. Petersburg and Tampa through Catholic Charities programs, provides temporary housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness.
Pellot said residents could stay up to 90 days while receiving case management, mental health services, medical care and meals.
“We could actually work to not just have a place where homeless people have a bed for a night but actually invest in getting homeless people off the streets and housed,” Pellot said. “If not, in a dignified way where they’re not begging for food on the corners, where they’re not having to build homeless encampments with things they find then leaving behind environmental waste.”
While campaigning door-to-door, Pellot said residents frequently raise concerns about overdevelopment, missing middle-income housing and aging infrastructure.
One issue that comes up repeatedly: potholes.
“In fact there’s a street that I drive every day which is a street behind Lincoln Middle and it has more craters than the moon,” Pellot said.
Pellot closed the interview by describing Gainesville as a place of opportunity and hope.
“You know the Statue of Liberty quote? ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,’ ” Pellot said. “Yeah, we could do more for the poor, but I feel Gainesville get’s a lot right and that’s something I admire truly and this is where I want to root and grow.”
Nathan Crabbe
Nathan Crabbe, a former Gainesville Sun journalist and opinion editor who worked with the paper for over 17 years, said his journalism career helped shape his understanding of community issues and residents’ concerns..
Crabbe said his involvement with the Gainesville for All initiative and years of publishing a wide range of viewpoints prepared him to draw on local knowledge and institutions to improve residents’ lives.
Since leaving The Sun, Crabbe has worked as editor of The Invading Sea, a journalism website focused on climate, energy and environmental issues affecting Florida.
Regarding GRU, Crabbe said he believes the utility belongs to Gainesville residents but expressed frustration with the ongoing legal disputes over its governance.
As a short-term solution, Crabbe said the city could adopt a predictable transfer formula similar to franchise fees paid by investor-owned utilities rather than relying on political decisions.
“I think ultimately we need a local authority that’s controlled by our community rather than appointed by the governor, but that’s a more challenging project to get a state lawmaker that might carry a bill on that,” Crabbe said. “It’s been proposed to me that if David Jolly wins as governor that maybe our Republican lawmakers would be open to that idea because he would be in control for the GRU appointments and might be an opening for a local authority like the airport authority.”
Environmental protection is another priority for Crabbe. He supports responsible development while preserving neighborhood green space through pocket parks, community gardens and expanded access to community solar.
Crabbe cited recent tree removals connected to development projects as an example of a local concern.
“Gainesville needs to live up to its designation as a Tree City,” Crabbe said. “The recent removal of large live oaks near Howard Bishop Middle School and other locations raises serious questions about the lack of involvement of arborists and the end of public oversight in these decisions.”
On infrastructure, Crabbe said maintaining roads and preparing for severe weather should remain top priorities.
“If government wants to build trust in the public, it needs to do the basic jobs of government right and effectively,” Crabbe said. “I think at the top of that list is maintaining infrastructure.”
Crabbe also said Gainesville has likely reached a saturation point for high-rise student housing and should focus more on housing for working and middle-income residents.
While praising policies such as accessory dwelling units, he said more work is needed to make housing affordable while preserving green space.
Wyatt Zintiz
Wyatt Zintiz, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former city employee, said his background in public service and local government inspired him to enter the race.
During his military service, Zintiz served as an infantry rifleman and rifle team leader and completed two combat deployments during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After leaving the military, Zintiz worked for Gainesville’s Public Works Department as a labor crew leader for five years. He later stepped away following a medical emergency involving his wife during the birth of their second child in December 2024.
After his wife’s recovery, Zintiz became a stay-at-home father and launched a sustainable landscaping business that uses battery-powered equipment.
When Book announced he would not seek reelection, Zintiz decided to run.
“I’m from here, so I’m well acquainted with the history of the commission, GRU and its authority,” Zintiz said. “As a person who has a vested interest in the success of our community, I saw this opportunity to run for District 2 commissioner.”
Like the other candidates, Zintiz identified GRU as a top issue.
While he previously supported returning control of the utility to the city, Zintiz said his main concern is securing reliable service and affordable rates regardless of who oversees GRU.
“As a commissioner, I would make a motion to direct our legal staff to stop any further legal action,” Zintiz said. “I would say cut our losses and find what cards we have that we can leverage in getting what we want out of the GRU Authority and collaborate.”
To address city finances, Zintiz proposed a five-year moratorium on property tax, or millage, increases and suggested aligning charter officer salaries more closely with state averages.
“While I don’t think we’ll recoup millions of dollars and solve budget gaps, I think when everyone else is struggling in this city, it’s really tone-deaf to pass a 10% raise for charter officers,” Zintiz said.
Zintiz also expressed concern about homelessness, particularly after the closure of St. Francis House, and said the city should help address service gaps.
In a July 30 campaign statement, he proposed creating an online transparency portal displaying city expenditures exceeding $5,000 in real time.
“Several other municipalities across Florida, like Clearwater and Fort Lauderdale, have already enacted similar programs aimed at increasing transparency and accountability,” Zintiz wrote.
Zintiz also said he would seek to cancel the city’s contract for the Downtown Ambassadors program, arguing the $3.1 million could be better spent on police, fire and public works services rather than an out-of-state corporation.
“I feel very well suited to this position especially in comparison to my opponents, our city needs representation that’s from here and knows the ins and outs of this city,” Zintiz said.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Meet the 3 candidates running for Gainesville’s District 2 seat
Reporting by Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
