Dear Ms. Paxton,
As someone that has lost a child (my son was 24 when he died) I know that there are no words that can describe that loss or comfort you and I am so very sorry. Thank you for bravely and, I am sure, painfully pursuing the change needed to make sure this does not happen to another person. I wanted to respond to you when I had something concrete to offer you and so here is one action that you can take. Hopefully others responded as well.
Tomorrow night there will be a meeting of the North Central Florida Planning Council. This organization works with the state and the cities to address issues on state highways. GCAT - Gainesville Citizens for Active Transportation - will be at that meeting to address safety concerns. I did not know if you were aware of this meeting, but your voice would be a powerful addition.
If you go to the website: www.ncfrpc.org and look for the meeting and meeting packets, the instructions for joining the meeting are on the first page of the meeting packet. Note that most of this meeting will be administrative, but there will be a designated time for citizen comment.
I will forward you the email that I received from GCAT outlining their goals.
Once again, I am heartbroken for your loss.
Mary A.
Mary Alford, PE
County Commissioner
Board of County Commissioners
12 SE 1st Street, 2nd Floor • Gainesville • FL • 32601
352-264-6900 (office) • 352-681-2410 (mobile)
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-----Original Message-----
From: lpaxton <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 1:26 PM
To: BOCC (Only Commissioners) <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Fw: email
CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am reaching out and pleading with you to help with the senseless pedestrian murders that are occurring in Gainesville, specifically on University Avenue. This is where my sweet, precious, smart, beautiful (and responsible), Maggie lost her life by a hit and run driver that was obviously speeding (and probably drunk). The city, state of Florida FDOT and UF have a responsibility to keep the students safer. IT HAS BEEN IGNORED FOR FAR TOO LONG! The speed limit should be lowered at the very least. Better lighting should also be installed. There should be a walking bridge built by the University and also flashing lights at all crosswalks.
Please let me know how I can help in this effort. It’s only been 5 weeks since we lost our daughter, and now another tragedy has happened just this past weekend. This MUST STOP! I am available in whatever capacity. NO other family should have to deal with the excruciating pain and grief we are experiencing at the hands of a senseless driver, that could’ve been prevented. The University of Florida and this state can DO BETTER and MUST DO BETTER for these students and families.
There is a petition started by a UF student with over 20,000 signatures.
Petition: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://petition.change.org/p/please-don-t-donate-money-it-will-go-to-the-website-not-the-cause-itself-i-have-no-way-to-disable-this-feature-sorry-for-any-confusion?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_26892346_en-US*3A3&recruiter=403285688&recruited_by_id=d333c1c0-71d7-11e5-aed5-a1006dbe860c&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&pt=AVBldGl0aW9uADpYmgEAAAAAYAOvPA*2FWtZ9kNzUwMDVjMg*3D*3D__;JSUlJQ!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!Rb7FgKAYY93xSYsdXOgdRBLP-zs17RdGUkhZNIWLACX6o5PvFAYWsHbMqTi1Jzhv1aQ$
Facebook Group started: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.facebook.com/groups/238773287784338/?multi_permalinks=239011181093882¬if_id=1611057698424905¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!Rb7FgKAYY93xSYsdXOgdRBLP-zs17RdGUkhZNIWLACX6o5PvFAYWsHbMqTi1nsruwhI$
This is my Margaret Ann Paxton “Maggie” that lost senselessly her life at 18 years young. Sophia Lambert was buried today (student that lost her life this past Saturday).
Her service : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsZj7ZnjjaU&feature=youtu.be__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!Rb7FgKAYY93xSYsdXOgdRBLP-zs17RdGUkhZNIWLACX6o5PvFAYWsHbMqTi1nnMAH9I$
Her Obituary: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesunion/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-paxton&pid=197296397&fhid=38009__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!Rb7FgKAYY93xSYsdXOgdRBLP-zs17RdGUkhZNIWLACX6o5PvFAYWsHbMqTi1p_fQuGE$
Respectfully,
Lisa Paxton
Maggie’s Mom
904-651-1871
Under Florida law, all information, including e-mail, written letters, documents and phone messages, sent to the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners is subject to Public Records law. This includes the sender's e-mail address, home address or phone number if shown in the message, the content of the message and any associated attachments to the mail. Also please be aware that electronic correspondence (e-mail) is made available on the Commission's public archive site immediately upon being sent.
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