GRA Note: Hmmm.... how does this go over with Joe T Public? (Glad it's Florida)

Outgoing Gainesville city leaders plan trip to the Middle East

Taxpayers will foot the bill to send outgoing members of the Gainesville City Commission on a trip to Israel

WCJB ABC 20
By Ryan Wyatt Turbeville
Published: Nov. 15, 2022 at 3:33 PM GMT-7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Taxpayers will foot the bill to send outgoing members of the Gainesville City Commission on a trip to Israel.

Mayor Lauren Poe and Commissioners Adrian Hayes-Santos and David Arreola will attend the Muniworld Conference from Dec. 6 - 8. The conference is being held in Tel Aviv.

Poe called the event “one of the leading conferences in the western world to exchange ideas and best practices.”

The trip is expected to cost taxpayers between $1,500 and $2,000 per person. The money will come from the commissioners’ $5,000 yearly travel budget.

The group will also visit sister cities in the country. In June, Poe and Hayes-Santos also traveled to Iraq.

“Our sister city efforts are more important than ever as Israeli-Palestinian relations continue to deteriorate,” Poe stated. “Person-to-person diplomacy is critical to establishing peace and prosperity while increasing economic and cultural opportunities for Gainsville.