Alachua County commissioners share support for Restless Mommas owners, request meeting with Micanopy officials

Alachua County Commissioners have expressed concern for a pair of antique shop owners in Micanopy who closed shop and left town after concerns for their safety.

At the Alachua County Commission meeting Tuesday, officials said they wanted answers from town officials and asked to schedule a discussion on the topic with the neighboring municipality leadership.

Commissioner Mary Alford, followed by her colleagues, said she supported the women who fled and was saddened to hear the news.

“They are great ladies and they literally had to close down their business and move out of town because they felt unsafe,” Alford said.

The owners of Restless Mommas, who asked The Gainesville Sun for their names to not be disclosed for fear of retribution, made a Jan. 14 Facebook post stating that they had to close up shop in Micanopy and would relocate to Gainesville. Though no specific threat was made, the same-sex couple alluded to begin run out of town due to some locals, including an elected official, having anti-LGBTQ views.

"It was very frightening for a minute there," the page posted to one commenter. "We are so sad about it ... but we can’t risk our safety."

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The concerns stem from code enforcement letters that was sent to the store, telling the owners to remove a pride flag on the side of their building that first went up in June. Another store owner with a pride flag also received the notice. Town officials say the flag violates the local land development code, which prevents "pennant flags" from being flown.

Regardless of the rule, Alford said the issue was uncalled for and that the ordinance appears to be unfairly enforced, as locals have reported seeing Donald Trump and Blue Lives Matter flags being flown without consequence.

Alford said she looked into the county's human rights ordinance but found the local government is unable to investigate another municipality.

“Our hope is that this is uprooted and nobody should feel unsafe about that," she said.

Community members in Micanopy are blaming Micanopy Commissioner Mike Roberts, who has shared several anti-LGBTQ statements in the past via social media.

He has praised Chick-fil-A for its stance on same-sex marriage, calling it an "abomination." He also wrote that "being Homosexual is a sin. Sin will take you to the pits of hell."

When asked by the Gainesville Sun over email for comment on the situation with Restless Mommas, Roberts wouldn't comment on the specific issue but expressed that the town "continues to be a welcoming community to all.”

"I have always lived my life where all races and ethnicities are respected and appreciated," the mayor pro-tem wrote to The Sun.

County Commissioner Chuck Chestnut said he wasn't shocked to learn about the issue, adding that the town denied access to site for a truth and reconciliation event that was attempting to commemorate the lives of Black residents who were lynched in Micanopy.

He said the county has also struggled with the placement of historical markers in the town.

The owners of Restless Mommas announced Tuesday that they have temporarily moved part of their shop inside their other store, Downtown Tabby Pet Store, in Gainesville as they search for another location.

The joint Micanopy-county meeting has no scheduled date as of Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County leaders ask Micanopy to explain closed LGBTQ shop issue