Making Reservations
The UF/IFAS Extension Straughn Professional Development Center is available to UF and IFAS sponsored events. To reserve space at the center:
- Please explore this website including the room capacities and rates to determine if the UF/IFAS Extension Straughn Professional Development Center is appropriate for the event you’d like to host. We offer scheduled tours and have a virtual tour here for you.
- Contact the Center at Submit A Ticket or (352) 294-2917 to confirm availability and discuss any questions you may have. The manager will determine if your reservation dates will be held on our calendar.
- Complete the Reservation Request Form 2023 form.
- The manager will contact you to confirm all details and deliver an official confirmation with a Reservation Agreement for you to sign.
-
Rates
The room rates below apply for each calendar day. All groups will be responsible for direct charges that pertain to their event. User groups will be invoiced following the event.
Note: If staff presence on a weekend/UF Holiday is required, a fee will be added to the rental. Please contact the facility for further information regarding this fee.Click Here To download Straughn Floor Plan
In addition to daily room rates, please consider the following costs that may also be associated with reserving the UF/IFAS Extension Straughn Professional Development Center:
- Fees to reserve parking, purchase temporary parking decals, or lift parking restrictions with UF Transportation and Parking Services
- Cost to purchase Special Event Liability Insurance, typically required for all student group and non-UF events
- Equipment and delivery fees to rent additional tables from UF Physical Plant Division
- Labor cost to re-set room layout changes during an event.
- Cost to repair damage or heavy use to the facility that necessitates repairs or additional cleaning
All fees must be paid within 30 days of invoice date. UF groups will be required to pay by E2R by making a chart field available. Non-UF groups will be required to pay by check.
-
Special Event Liability Insurance
Based on the nature of your event, special event liability insurance coverage through URMIA TULIP may be required.
TULIP is a Tenants' and Users' Liability Insurance Policy that provides special event liability coverage. The purpose of TULIP is to permit tenants and users to use university facilities and provide protection to them from claims from third party attendees. The policy covers both the Facility User and the Center against claims by third parties who may be injured or lose property as a result of attending an event.
You may reference the table below to determine whether your event will need to purchase special event liability insurance through URMIA TULIP. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Facility Coordinator for clarification.
Group Type Activity Insurance Required? Student Group Business (meeting/training/networking) No Student Group Social (banquet/holiday gathering) Yes Officially Constituted College or UF Department Business (meeting/training/networking)
Social events without alcohol (retirement gathering/luncheon)
No Officially Constituted College or UF Department Event involving alcohol Yes Outside/Affiliated Groups Business (meeting/training/seminar) during standard business hours No Outside/Affiliated Groups Business (meeting/training/seminar) outside standard business hours
Social (banquet/holiday gathering)
Yes Please note that categorization of both group type and activity type is at the discretion of the Facility Coordinator. The UF/IFAS Extension Straughn Professional Development Center Coordinator has the final say in determining whether purchasing insurance through URMIA TULIP is necessary/required.
For more information about URMIA TULIP or to build a quote specific to your event, please visit https://tulip.ajgrms.com/.
-
Event Parking
The parking lot around the center typically requires a UF decal between 7:30am and 4:30pm.There are about 67 designated Orange Decal spaces and 3 disabled spaces which require a UF Disabled Persons parking decal. There are additional lots nearby; see the UF parking map for more details.
Parking arrangements can be made in advance to ensure ample parking for event participants with or without UF decals. Please be sure to indicate your parking needs on your Reservation Request form and discuss them with the center coordinator. Please remember there may be multiple events happening at the center on the same day. The manager will ultimately recommend a strategy that accommodates everyone’s needs. This strategy is often one or a combination of the follow options:
- Temporary decals can be purchased in advance for $2 per vehicle per day as approved by Transportation and Parking Services. This is the responsibility of the event sponsor and NOT the UF/IFAS Extension Straughn Professional Development Center Coordinator. It is recommended to order these one week in advance. Please see Event Parking Reservations for more details.
- Parking can be reserved with an attendant from Transportation and Parking Services for $39 an hour with a 3 hour minimum. To guarantee spots remain available until your participants arrive, we recommend reserving the lot from 7am until 30 minutes after your event begins. Reserving the 67 space lot around the building requires 1 attendant. Additional nearby lots can be reserved with more attendants depending on the size of your event. The center coordinator will put you in contact with the appropriate Transportation and parking Services contact to arrange this service.
- Restrictions to parking lots can be lifted for a $100 flat fee. This means Transportation and Parking Services will not ticket the lots during the times you’ve asked for restrictions to be lifted. This does not guarantee you a parking space but there are typically at least 30 spots available in the lot surrounding the center on a given day.
- Additional strategies may be possible.
Encouraging carpooling, riding a bike or bus to events is always a great idea.