Alfred S. Blue

Groveland’s District 5 Councilman Randolph Waite (appointed in November 2019 and elected in a special election March 2020) is working alongside fellow council members, city staff and local residents to reinvent the historic Groveland neighborhood surrounding Blue Street.

It is an initiative he started working on pre-COVID-19 that he is now getting back into.

“I got with some of the stakeholders and residents in the area and formed a committee to see what we could do to revitalize Blue Street to best benefit them,” Councilman Randolph says.  “Now it’s time to definitely take a look at our plan see what Blue Street can look like in partnership with our community and see how it fits into the big scheme of things.”

In a Facebook post during Black History month, Groveland City Officials shared information shedding historical light on the street name, revealing that it was named after Alfred S. Blue, who arrived in Groveland with E.E. Edge in 1899.

According to the information, Alfred was Groveland’s first notable African American figure, famous for making a 10-hour walk from Groveland to Tavares to petition the school board to build a school for Black children.

Councilman Randolph says as things progress, he’d like to incorporate some kind of memorial or symbol near Blue Street that tells Alfred’s story so it lives on for future generations.

“What he did was very influential; he helped shape the way for future leaders in our city, including me, and I would hate to see his story forgotten,” Councilman Randolph says.