The Alachua County Commission will hold a ceremony to celebrate the renaming and dedication of the Jill McGuire Lake Sante Fe Park in Melrose on Saturday, April 13.

The event will start at noon at 24500 NE State Road 26 and the ribbon cutting is open to the public. The Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association will serve refreshments.

Comments will be given from the Master of Ceremonies Commission Chair Mary C. Alford, Commissioner Ken Cornell, Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler, Parks Director Jason Maurer, President of the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association Carl Bennett, and President of the Putnam Land Conservancy Timothy Keyser.

McGuire was a well-known community leader and environmental icon who fought to protect the water resources and natural environment throughout North Central Florida. She was the longtime president of the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers Association.

The Commission unanimously voted to name the park the Jill McGuire Sante Fe Lake Park in 2023 to honor McGuire’s decades of advocacy to protect the Santa Fe lakes, swamp and river.