Understanding Racial Inequity in Alachua County

Economic Analysis Projects

Hector H. Sandoval
January 2018

• Prepared by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR)
• Hector H. Sandoval, PhD, Bureau of Economic and Business Research

Racial inequity is a long-standing issue in many communities across the United States, affecting the opportunities of minority individuals and families. In March 2016, the United Church of Gainesville and the Alachua County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) sponsored a weekend-long seminar to focus community efforts on inequities in the Alachua County area. The seminar featured speakers from the Dane County, Wisconsin Race to Equity Project. This project collected existing national, state, and local data documenting racial disparities in the county and comparing those disparities to Wisconsin and the United States overall. Their study led to a community-wide focus on how their community can work together to meet the challenge of narrowing the gaps in quality of life among all racial and ethnic groups.

A group of Gainesville, Florida community leaders representing Alachua County, Alachua County Public Schools, City of Gainesville, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Santa Fe College, UF Health, and University of Florida saw value in completing a similar project. Wishing to understand and document racial inequity in Alachua County, this group called for the development of a baseline report grounded in quantitative findings to document and provide insights about the extent, nature, and source of racial inequality in Alachua County. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) led this project in collaboration with the University of Florida Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC). This website contains the main results of this effort.

Please let us know how you are using the information contained in this report by emailing United Way of North Central Florida at research@unitedwayncfl.org.

Use the following links to download the documents containing the baseline report, the more in-depth supplemental module on housing, transportation, and neighborhoods developed by UF PREC, and a slide show presentation of the report.

BASELINE REPORT:

HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, and NEIGHBORHOOD BASELINES:

PRESENTATION (SLIDES):

The Economic Contribution of Cox Communications in Florida

Economic Analysis Projects

Hector H. Sandoval, Camila Garcia
December 2016

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company that operates six clustered cable systems in 18 states, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and home security and automation services over its own nationwide IP network. In Florida, Cox Communications provides information services in two different regions, Central Florida and Gulf Coast. This project showed that while Cox Communications provides its services, it also contributes to both regions’ economies through the creation of direct and indirect jobs, overall earnings, and through purchases generated by the company’s business activities. 

Polk County Healthcare Study: An Economic Analysis of Polk County’s Indigent Health Care Tax and Safety Net Program

Economic Analysis Projects

Hector H. Sandoval, Steven Rowe, Anita Walsh, Colleen K. Porter
June 2016

Florida’s Indigent Health Care program in Polk County ensures quality healthcare for its low-income residents. The program’s funding stems from its voter-approved one-half cent sales surtax, an initiative that has enabled the provision of medical and dental services to individuals in need for over a decade. 

This report was conducted by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research to study the far-reaching impacts of the Indigent Health Care program.  

The research results paint a compelling picture: 

• To sustain the Indigent Health Care program’s current level of operations, Polk County’s direct property tax rate would need to be increased an estimated 1.3391 mils, reinforcing the vital role of the one-half cent sales surtax. 

• The Indigent Health Care program is a cornerstone in the Florida’s healthcare rankings. Without the program, Polk County’s rank would decrease, which leaves a large portion of its county population without coverage. 

• Beyond providing healthcare, the program itself has increased local economic growth with about 177 jobs directly linked to its existence. 

• Polk County residents have readily available access to regular primary healthcare, which, in turn, reduces emergency room congestion and increases the rate of preventable hospitalizations. 

• The availability of local licensed primary care physicians has increased, which contributes to the improvement of overall health outcomes.