Alachua County Climate Action Plan
Discover how Alachua County is shaping a sustainable future with a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change.
Overview
The County Commission officially accepted the Climate Action Plan (CAP) in November 2025, and implementation is now underway. As action items are prioritized and new programs and policies move forward, community participation will remain essential—whether by attending County events, sharing feedback, or taking steps at home to reduce your climate impact.
This plan was developed through collaboration among staff from across the County, who worked together to outline how both local government and the public can respond to emerging climate threats and strengthen our community. Their work was grounded in the County’s 2024 Climate Vulnerability Assessment, which evaluated how local places, people, and systems may be affected by a changing climate and provided the foundation for developing a comprehensive Climate Action Plan.
Below are one-page summaries of each chapter of the Climate Action Plan. For each chapter, you will find a review of the local climate impacts in each topical area, summaries of County strategies in the plan, program highlights, and tips on what you can do as a community member to support our goals. For an even deeper dive, you can read the full Climate Action Plan through the link below.
Timeline
Motion to Develop CAP and Create CCAC by Board of County Commissioners
First CCAC Meeting
Stakeholder Engagement for Vulnerability Analysis
Events
About Alachua County Climate Events
Alachua County hosted three annual climate events beginning in 2023 to collect feedback and engage the community while staff were developing the Climate Action Plan. Now that the CAP is accepted, the Alachua County Resiliency Division will be hosting smaller events that target specific localities and subject areas, transitioning from a once-a-year model to a series of events every year.
This page will be updated as new events are planned. If you would like to recieve email communications about events and opportunities, sign up for our mailing list.
2025 Alachua County Climate Festival
In November 2025, Alachua County hosted it's third annual countywide climate event, which was a festival to celebrate the official acceptance of the Climate Action Plan by the County Commission. Below is a four-minute video recap of the event.
2024 Alachua County Climate Summit
The 2024 annual climate event was focused on collecting feedback on the Climate Action Plan and sharing information between local organizations, staff developing the CAP, and the public. Below is a two-minute recap of the event.
2023 Alachua County Climate Fair
The first countywide climate event took place in 2023. It presented the community an opportunity to learn about the Climate Vulnerability Assessment and enjoy games, educational activities, and interaction with local organizations. The video below is the full 2-hour footage of the presentations at the event.
Citizen Climate Advisory Committee (CCAC)
Citizen Climate Advisory Committee
The CCAC is composed of eight (8) voting citizen members, one (1) voting youth member age 16-21, and one (1) citizen member alternate, providing an opportunity for citizen involvement in climate change issues and concerns affecting Alachua County, the City of Gainesville, and the surrounding municipalities. The Committee advises the Joint Water and Climate Policy Board on bold and innovative climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, policies, and target goals, and is primarily focused on implementation of the countywide Climate Action Plan. The CCAC meets in-person on the third Monday of each month. Every meeting includes a public comment period for in-person attendees.
The CCAC has new vacancies each year, which are open to anyone in the community. Interested residents may apply online (click on the "Vacancies" tab and scroll down the page to find the Citizen Climate Advisory Committee). Anyone 18 and over can apply. If you have questions about CCAC, contact Jennison Kipp at jkipp@alachuacounty.us.
In-person CCAC meetings take place in the Grace Knight Conference Room, located on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration building at 12 SE 1st St, Gainesville, FL 32601
For More Information
For more information about Alachua County Climate Initiatives, visit this page
If you have specific comments or suggestions about the CAP and its implementation, please share them here.
