Everything to Know About Downtown Ambassadors in Gainesville
On August 15, the Gainesville City Commission approved a $3.1 million contract with Block by Block for ambassador services in Downtown Gainesville and along W University Ave. The city will pay Block by Block in yearly increments.
Block by Block is an Ohio corporation based in Nashville, TN, owned by SMS Holdings and Doing Business As (DBA) Mydatt Services.
The contract between Mydatt Services and Gainesville was officially approved on September 12 after Assistant City Attorney Sean McDermott and City Manager Cynthia Curry signed the contract.
Block by Block has over 150 locations around the U.S.
Gainesville’s Downtown Ambassador program is primarily funded by the city’s community reinvestment department, the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA). GCRA Director Rick Smith is the project manager for the program.
The Downtown Ambassador program was created in direct response to a July 2024 Downtown Needs Assessment Survey by GCRA, “which reaffirmed the community’s interest in making downtown Gainesville safe, clean, beautiful, and lively.” The survey was taken from 1,396 local residents.
Downtown ambassadors will be available to escort people around downtown Gainesville or W University.
The contract between Mydatt Services and the city states ambassadors will assist “businesses in addressing happenings in the public realm that disrupt business.”
Business owners, locals and visitors requiring ambassador services can contact (352) 710-6406.
Block by Block is contractually required to “ensure continuing education of the Ambassadors through its ongoing training topics, which include the following elements: Active Shooter, Business Contacts, Missing Children, Protests and Demonstrations, and Report Writing.”
Block by Block is contractually obliged to ensure ambassadors receive roughly 30 hours of training, varying by a few hours depending on ambassador position. The company hosts refresher courses for ambassadors bi-monthly. All ambassadors are required to train in mental healthcare.
At the December 5 City Commission meeting, commissioners received a presentation on the Downtown Ambassador program from Smith. The presentation states the downtown ambassadors will be allowed to “de-escalate situations.” Downtown Ambassadors will “coordinate with [Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR)] to identify at-risk individuals for service.”
Smith said the Downtown Ambassador program received 1,761 applications, and 14 people were hired. 11 of the 14 Downtown Gainesville Ambassadors are from Alachua County, with nine being Gainesville natives. Nine of the 14 ambassadors have formerly been unhoused. “We think that’s going to provide a level of empathy and sympathy to the houseless community who might not otherwise be seeking services,” said Smith.
Block by Block’s press release on their partnership with Gainesville states, “The team will focus on hospitality, outreach, and cleaning with 14 Ambassadors, including seven Safety Ambassadors, two Cleaning Ambassadors, one Outreach Ambassador, one Operations Manager, and other positions as needed.”
Rick Smith introduces the leaders of the downtown ambassador at the December 5 Gainesville City Commission meeting
The City of Gainesville's press release states, "Their work will include graffiti removal, street cleaning, landscaping, community outreach, hospitality, and more. Ambassadors also will build relationships with vulnerable neighbors and connect them with support services.”
According to the contract, ambassadors “shall report crimes or pending criminal disturbances to the Police Department for response through dispatch and assist police by being witnesses.”
The contract states capital expenditures include ten body-worn cameras, valued at $4,500.
GnvInfo contacted Operations Manager Caliph Gamble for an interview, and he was initially open to speaking but had to redirect questions to GCRA after checking with his regional manager.
GnvInfo contacted GCRA and asked Smith if all the ambassadors wear body cameras, and he said, “I don’t believe any do.” GnvInfo asked why it said on the contract that a quantity of ten body-worn cameras was ordered. Smith said he wasn’t involved with the day-to-day operations of the program and that he isn’t involved in their procurement practices.
Smith got back to GnvInfo shortly after the interview, stating, “The ambassadors will be wearing body cameras eventually but are not currently doing so. They will be undergoing training prior to going live with them. No date set yet.”
Block by Block has a database called the Statistics Management and Ambassador Reporting Technology (SMART) system, which allows ambassadors to transfer documents and upload incident reports “to document anything out of the ordinary or when first responders are called.”
Block by Block reports “This system allows us to track all of the metrics from the field using handheld devices based on the iOS platform.”
The contract states, “People involved in violation of any pertinent ordinances, such as the open container ordinance.… or otherwise illegal or unacceptable behavior will be engaged. If the person does not comply after communication and education, the ambassador will either document the situation in the SMART System or notify social services or police as applicable and depending on the severity.”
Smith said in his interview with GnvInfo that ambassadors would likely write incident reports “For anything out of the ordinary, like a confrontation with a downtown patron or some incident involving the police or GFR and intervening.”
“Incident Reports can be assigned one of three different priority levels,” states the contract. “If a red priority level is assigned, that means the report will be emailed to all noted parties immediately upon entry. A yellow incident report will be emailed the next business day, and a green report can be recalled directly from the system.”
The contract states ambassadors “shall engage with members of the public who are experiencing homelessness and will assist by connecting them to the most appropriate service providers. The Ambassadors shall address anti-social behaviors in a non-confrontational manner, endeavor to de-escalate situations, and redirect individuals. These efforts will be overseen by the Outreach Coordinator [Eric Davis] who will meet at least weekly with the first responders and social service providers to coordinate activities and identify persons of interest in need of intervention. Within the City organization, the Outreach Coordinator will interact closely with the Gainesville Police Department (GPD), GFR and their Community Resource Paramedicine Program.”
During the interview with Smith, GnvInfo asked how the operations manager maintains a connection with GPD, GFR, and the local homeless population. Smith said, “We’re actually doing that informally. The ambassadors will definitely, on a day-to-day basis, be encountering the houseless community downtown. One of the advantages of the program is their day-to-day interactions with these individuals. Nine of the 14 ambassadors have themselves been houseless, so they can bring a little empathy and understanding to the situation and maybe help those who are otherwise resistant to being assisted.”
The contract details quality control insurances for the city. “The Contractor [Mydatt] shall at least once annually hire a third-party company with City assent to observe and monitor the activities of the Ambassadors to ensure that the customer service goals of the City are being met. This requirement does not prevent the Contractor from using its own internal ‘secret shoppers’ at additional times during the year. If necessary, the Contractor will recommend improvements to the program for City approval. The Contractor shall ensure that its corporate leadership meet with the City Commission to discuss its performance. This can occur during a quarterly or annual report or at a separate meeting.”
Downtown ambassadors are not City of Gainesville employees, and applicants must apply with Block by Block if interested in becoming an ambassador.
The City of Gainesville has the authority to terminate their contract with Mydatt Services without cause, with a 30-day notice.
During the interview, Smith said how the ambassadors have been preparing for January 1 when Florida’s law against public camping and sleeping on sidewalks goes into effect. “There’s been dialogue between the official city agencies responsible for that and the ambassadors. About two weeks ago, the leadership of the ambassadors went on a downtown tour with GFR and GPD, basically talking about procedures of interaction. I think the city’s philosophy on this is we don’t want GPD to be the first touchpoint with the houseless community when they’re enforcing this statute. They will be the last one. They are gonna be the enforcement arm and both GFR and the ambassadors are gonna try to engage the houseless community and try to get them moved into some kind of permanent situation.”
According to the Downtown Ambassador Program Guide for City Departments, the Downtown Ambassador headquarters is located in an office at the SW Downtown Parking Garage at 105 SW 3rd St.
Downtown ambassadors will submit monthly reports to the Downtown Advisory Board and quarterly reports to the Gainesville City Commission. These reports include but are not limited to “cleaning and safety statistics, interactions with first responders and the reasons therein, outreach to vulnerable populations, ambassador training for new hires and incumbents (courses taken and hours logged), [and] pay schedules.”
Smith said ambassador program leaders will be releasing their first report at the upcoming Downtown Advisory Board meeting on January 7.
