The Honorable Rodney J. Long is a native of Gainesville, Florida. He was educated in the Alachua County School System. He attended Santa Fe College, Howard University and The University Florida.
In March 1988, the Honorable Rodney Long was elected Gainesville’s first single-member district commissioner. He was re-elected to a second term in March 1991. In May of 1991, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Gainesville’s first district mayor-commissioner.
In November 2000, Mr. Long was elected to serve on the Alachua County Commission, becoming the first African American to serve on both the City and County Commissions. While serving on the County Commission, former Commissioner Long was active in the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) until his retirement in December 2011. He was the Past President of the Florida Association of Counties having served two terms as president. In May 2011, Whitehouse to discuss issues facing the nation’s counties.
With nearly twenty years of serving in elected public office, Mr. Long is very knowledgeable in comprehensive plan amendments, and land use, including, but not limited to, interpreting land use codes, zoning, environmental and wetland mitigation codes, special use and special exceptions, Plan Urban Developments (PUDs), Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs), and Transportation Oriented Developments (TOD’s); and Multi- Modal Transportation. Mr. Long has extensive knowledge of redevelopment and development in Enterprise Zones (EZ), Community Redevelopment Areas (CRA) and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts.
Mr. Long is the owner-broker of Rodney Long Realty Services, LLC; co-owner of Rodney Long Bail Bonds Agency, LLC, President & CEO of Long and Associates Consulting, LLC, President CEO of The Long Foundations, Inc. and President & CEO of Judah Development & Consulting, LLC.
He is married to Carole Martin of Hawthorne, Fl., and they have five children, Neki, Steven, Dakari, Arnelle and Julius. They have nine grandchildren. Under the spiritual guidance of Apostle Willie L. King, Jr., and Prophetess Linda King, Mr. Long accepted his calling as an Evangelist at Showers of Blessings Harvest Center Church in December, 2011.
His motto is: “Anyone can be great, because everybody can serve.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.