UF's Student Planning Association Kicks Off 2026–2027 — What It Means for Gainesville's Construction & Development Workforce

The University of Florida's Student Planning Association (SPA) just introduced its 2026–2027 Executive Board, and for anyone watching Gainesville's construction and development pipeline, it's worth paying attention.

SPA is a student-led organization within UF's Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) that has been running since 2019. Its members — primarily Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) students — are the future planners, project managers, and development professionals who will be shaping land use, infrastructure, and construction activity across North Central Florida and beyond.

At All Florida Personnel, we staff the crews that build what planners design. The pipeline from planning school to active jobsite is shorter than most people realize — and what's happening at UF's planning department today directly affects the construction labor market in Gainesville tomorrow.

The new E-Board brings a strong mix of field experience and academic focus heading into the fall semester.

Emily Teodoru — President spent her summer as an Urban Planning Intern with NV5 in Alachua, supporting planning projects through due diligence research, GIS mapping, public meetings, and community engagement. She also participated in a study abroad program in Istanbul through the UF Bob Graham Center for Public Service, where she researched urban form and built an interactive map scoring city districts on quality-of-life services using real-time Google review data.

Ana Luiza Cardoso Lanat — Communications also interned with NV5 in Alachua, contributing to regional infrastructure and land development projects. She used ArcGIS for spatial data analysis and mapping to support environmental and land use planning, and researched local zoning codes and comprehensive plans for regulatory compliance.

Lavender Lewin — Online Liaison worked as an Environmental Planning Intern with SWCA Environmental Consultants, supporting environmental planning for energy projects through regulation research and the planning and approval pipeline.

Other E-Board members gained experience across the country — from transportation planning in Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth to energy modeling and marine sanctuary GIS work in the Florida Keys.

It's not a coincidence that two of SPA's top student leaders interned with NV5 in Alachua this summer. NV5 is one of the most active infrastructure and planning firms operating in North Central Florida, and their Alachua office is deeply embedded in the regional development pipeline — from land use planning and environmental review to the kind of infrastructure groundwork that precedes major construction activity.

When NV5 is busy in Alachua County, general contractors in Gainesville get busy shortly after. Planning approvals, infrastructure studies, and due diligence work are the upstream signals that drive downstream construction labor demand. All Florida Personnel watches these signals closely — because when a project clears planning, the GC needs crews fast.

SPA President Emily Teodoru says the new E-Board is focused on professional development for both new and returning students. The fall semester kicks off with SPA's first meeting on Monday, August 26, 2026, with sessions available in person, over Zoom, and on Discord for MURP Online students.

The year's programming includes:

• Guest speaker sessions with working planning professionals
• Networking and social events connecting students with industry
• Walking tours through pedestrian-focused urban spaces in Gainesville
• Planning firm visits — including firms active in North Central Florida's development market
• Professional development workshops focused on skills that carry into careers

For construction and development professionals in Gainesville, these events are worth knowing about. SPA members are future colleagues — the planners who will be reviewing site plans, managing entitlements, and coordinating with GCs on projects across Alachua County.

Gainesville's construction market doesn't operate in isolation. It's fed by a steady pipeline of institutional projects at UF, commercial development along major corridors, and public infrastructure work across Alachua County. The planners coming out of UF's MURP program are the ones who will be managing that pipeline — at firms like NV5, at the City of Gainesville, at Alachua County, and at the general contractors and developers who drive the market.

All Florida Personnel has been staffing construction crews in North Central Florida for years. We work with the general contractors who build what planners approve — and we understand that a strong local planning pipeline means a strong local construction labor market.

When UF's planning students are gaining real-world experience at firms like NV5 and SWCA, working on infrastructure and land development projects in Alachua County, that's a signal that the professional ecosystem supporting Gainesville's construction boom is healthy and growing.

Whether you're a general contractor managing a UF campus project, a developer working through the Alachua County entitlement process, or a subcontractor staffing up for a commercial build in North Central Florida — All Florida Personnel can help you find the skilled construction workers you need, fast.

We specialize in temporary and direct-hire construction staffing across Gainesville and the surrounding region. Our workers are vetted, experienced, and ready to report to your jobsite.

Submit a Worker Request or call us to talk through your labor needs. We're local, we're fast, and we know the Gainesville construction market.

Follow UF's Student Planning Association on Instagram at @urbangators or connect on LinkedIn to stay current on their events and programming.