After a marathon hearing that began on Tuesday, February 10 and stretched past midnight, the Alachua County Commission voted unanimously to approve a temporary use permit for the Wildflowers Music Festival, a multi-day folk and roots music event planned for a 270-acre agricultural property south of Melrose in mid-March.
The decision came after more than six hours of testimony from county staff, the festival’s organizers, neighboring property owners, environmental experts, and dozens of community members, many of whom pleaded with commissioners to block the event, warning it would shatter the rural tranquility of one of the county’s most remote corners.
A First-of-Its-Kind Event for Eastern Alachua County
The festival, organized by the nonprofit Wildflowers Music Park, would bring up to 5,000 attendees to a former hayfield along unpaved Northeast 35th Avenue, roughly three miles east of U.S. 301 and immediately adjacent to the Putnam County line. The event is scheduled to open March 12 and close March 16, with amplified music permitted until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 9 p.m. on Thursday.
The site plan includes a main stage, craft vendors, food trucks, a dance tent, workshops, a community fire circle, and a dedicated children’s area, along with tent camping, RV sites for 172 vehicles, and day-use parking for roughly 1,000 cars. All access would be routed from County Road 219-A, with Quail Street barricaded to prevent festival traffic from flowing through the narrow residential roads of Melrose.
Guy Fortune, president of Wildflowers Music Park, described the event as “a signature invitation to the community” to experience a property he said would eventually serve as a year-round conservation park. “This is about the other 360 days of the year,” Fortune told commissioners.
Neighbors Voice Fear, Frustration
The hearing’s most emotional moments came from residents who live feet or yards from the property line.
Sandra Chu, whose 40-acre homestead abuts the festival grounds on two sides, told commissioners her property doesn’t even appear on the applicant’s site map. “This is a large commercial festival venue,” she said. “The operational reality is inconsistent with how this land was planned to function.”
Arlene Barbara Hansen, who has lived off County Road 219-A since 1989, grew tearful describing how the festival had already disrupted her family’s retirement plans. “I can hear the train five miles away,” she said. “I matter. My husband matters. My granddaughter matters.”
Brittany Waston, a veterinarian who lives directly across the street from the site, raised concerns about the impact of prolonged noise on livestock and domestic animals, and questioned whether the narrow, unpaved roads could safely handle the traffic. Her young daughter, Bristol, also addressed the commission: “I like living where it’s quiet and peaceful, and I hope it can stay that way.”
Cameron and Michael Hines, who share a property line with the festival grounds, presented trail camera footage showing 26 trespassers on their land since Wildflowers took control of the property, after recording none in the prior decade.
Several opponents argued the permit would set a dangerous precedent, effectively allowing a high-intensity commercial entertainment use to bypass agricultural zoning protections.
Peggy Bonner, a 38-year Melrose resident, noted that the applicant’s own Frequently Asked Questions materials reference plans to eventually seek approval for a permanent rural event center. “This TUP (temporary use permit) is being used as a foot in the door,” she said.
Organizers Lean on Decades of Festival Experience
The applicant’s team countered with testimony from a roster of experts and seasoned festival organizers.
Jordan Pierre, who has organized more than 80 folk and roots music festivals over three decades — including the well-known Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival in New York and the Shakori Hills festival in North Carolina — told commissioners the event would be nothing like a Bonnaroo or Woodstock. “It’s basically a folk roots festival,” he said. “People won’t hear it from their bedrooms.”
Peter Tito, a sound engineer with 50 years of experience, presented data from on-site sound tests showing that amplified music played at 92 decibels at the stage registered no higher than 37 decibels at any of 11 measurement points on or near the property line — well below the county’s 60-decibel daytime and 55-decibel nighttime limits.
Larry Hagan, the project’s traffic engineer, testified that County Road 219-A currently operates at level of service A — the best rating — and that even with 5,000 attendees, the road would not approach capacity failure.
Lee Cook, a senior ecologist, reported that the property’s wetlands are in good condition and that the festival plan avoids all wetland impacts, with 75-foot buffers verified by the St. Johns River Water Management District. Jack Putz, a University of Florida professor, described extensive volunteer efforts to save hundreds of live oak trees from invasive camphor trees choking them out.
County Staff Recommends Approval With Conditions
County principal planner Chris Dawson told the commission that staff recommended approval with a lengthy list of conditions, including a $15,950 road maintenance bond, required fencing around gopher tortoise burrows, traffic control by off-duty sheriff’s deputies, prohibition of festival access from Quail Street, and compliance with all noise ordinance limits enforced by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
The applicant is also required to obtain a special event permit from Alachua County Fire Rescue, which will require an on-site ambulance with a paramedic and EMT for the duration of the event, as well as fire safety inspections of all large tents and food trucks.
Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Taylor confirmed that fire trucks and ambulances had already been driven on the property’s roads and found them adequate for emergency response.
Commissioners Acknowledge Concerns, Vote Yes
In deliberations, commissioners acknowledged the fears of neighbors but said the evidence supported approval.
“I came in tonight a no — a hard no,” said Commission Chair Ken Cornell. “Those concerns have been eliminated largely by staff’s presentation.” He added that the permit is revocable and sets no binding precedent for future events.
Commissioner Mary Alford compared the situation to the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, a small community that hosts 7,500 attendees over three days. “If they fail, we won’t do it again,” she said.
Commissioner Anna Prizzia, who made the motion to approve, called the permit “a test” and urged the organizers to treat it as a “dress rehearsal.” She added two conditions to the staff recommendation: no-trespassing signs posted along the entire property boundary and no-parking signs along the right-of-way on 35th Avenue.
The motion passed 5–0.
The Wildflowers Music Festival is scheduled for March 12–16, 2026.
