BREAKING: Gainesville City Commission votes to schedule a special election on GRU governance in November 2025
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Although the topic was not on today’s City Commission agenda, the Commission voted to schedule a special election in November 2025 to ask city residents whether control of GRU should return to the City Commission.
During the afternoon general public comment period, 13 people asked the Commission to place the issue on the ballot again, noting that Judge George Wright ruled that the language of the previous referendum was misleading but the voters can change the City’s Charter to abolish the GRU Authority, which was established by the legislature through a change to the Charter.
The previous referendum was approved by about 73% of city residents, but about 40% of GRU customers live outside the city limits and did not have the opportunity to vote; they will also not be able to vote in the November special election.
Commissioner Bryan Eastman made the motion to direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance to amend the City Charter, eliminating Article VII and returning governance of GRU to the elected City Commission, to be placed on the ballot for a special election on the first Tuesday of November 2025, and the motion passed 6-1, with Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut in dissent because of the cost of a special election (estimated at between $200,000 and $225,000).
City Attorney Daniel Nee told the Commission the Supervisor of Elections will need the language by June 15, and the Commission only has one regular meeting and two General Policy Committee meetings before that date to hold two readings, so the City Attorney will need to generate the ballot language quickly.
More details about the discussion will be provided in a future article.
Haha. Great photo of one of the most vocal liberals in town.
Not all she’s the ‘most’ of. Maybe it’s ‘most full of.’
Is she a drunk? That’s what springs to mind when I see that photo. A self-important, swaggering drunk, to be more precise. She sure sounds like one, even if that’s not the actual reason. But I bet that is a good part of the reason for her bizarre anti-cis-male rants, etc. Seek help, Susan.
Damn she ugly…she need a mask.
Are you sure it’s “she”? I’m not sure…
What is this, 3rd grade? Perhaps you prefer women like Kat.
I’m glad my plan is coming back together to get my pudgy little fingers back into the piggy bank of GRU. As soon as I get back control the first thing I’m going to do is get rid of Big Daddy Eddie B. He has continually beat me on every turn. I fired that guy and then I end up working for him…. If anybody’s reading this can you bring me a roll of toilet paper? I’m in stall three of the non-gender bathroom at City Hall.
This is a mockery of representative government. These commissioners are leeches enriching themselves off the taxpayers they pretend to represent. They purposely hold meetings during the workday, when the productive people can’t see what these clowns are doing. Then they parade a group of paid activists as “the people” to justify what they already decided to do.
Apparently Jason Aldean (“Try That in a Small Town”) has never seen Gainesville. They can try whatever they want because the political machine is more rigged than Chicago. If there were any justice in this world, every one of these commissioners and every “public-private” grift organization that has taken tax money would be audited.
Bend over and pay more! More liberal lunacy from the Left.
“Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut in dissent because of the cost of a special election (estimated at between $200,000 and $225,000).”
Another waste of taxpayer $$$. FIX THE DAMN ROADS INSTEAD!
AMEN
Roads are fine.
The problem I have with this is we had an election.
Now they want an election that does not represent all the people in the previous election.
Regardless of what happens here they will end up in court again.
What a mess.
The voters who saw/will see that ballot measure in both elections are the same: voters who live inside the city limits.
I may not have been clear. You are correct.
I was suggesting that GRU customers who do not live within the city are not going to be heard.
They have limited the potential pool of voters.
Unless I am missing something.
Correct – but there’s no real alternative. The City Charter can only be amended by a vote of city residents.
Yes, just as private utilities don’t allow customers to vote on their actions. IT’S CALLED OWNERSHIP!
Hope every rate payer understands it’s the City Commission that has raped, pilfered, and plundered GRU profits and customers for years now.
Under the guise of doing “what our rate payers want,” they’ve painted rainbows for crosswalks, converted 4 lane roads to two, put crossing lights for people who still don’t use them…those are just a few.
If you’re still dumb enough to vote for their continued financial incompetence, you deserve everything you get and then some. By the way, stop feeding the growing homeless population you’ve created. The downtown ambassadors can’t keep up with the trash the cats are leaving.
Very sneaky, bringing something major up that’s not on the agenda. But I’m sure skunk-spot Bottcher was told.
” Although the topic was not on today’s City Commission agenda, the Commission voted to…”
How many times have we heard that? The Gainesville City Commission constantly secretly coordinates with local USAID/NGO-funded groups before commission meetings in violation of Florida Sunshine Law.
Conspiracy to violate Florida’s Sunshine Law–sounds like a RICO case to me.
It’s just a coincidence 13 people showed up to speak on the topic today.. yeah, right.
The commissioners had to have known beforehand – and chose not to put it in the agenda. It’s wrong.
It’s disgusting and only creates more distrust.
Sounds like there may have been more “meetings before the meetings” that got them into so trouble before…
Surely there is someone who is smarter than me that could look into -potential- sunshine violations that perhaps have occurred around here.
Where is that guy on X… Veritas or something I think.
Between losing their USAID to DOGE and GRU aid, I’m sure their banks are calling back the laundered LLC family shell loans this year. November is their last hope, but it’s futile.
🤪🤡
Career Democrat con-artist Susan Bottcher needs to leave her $440k, 3,000 sq. ft. house on the west side and go explain to the people on the east side how sky-high utility rates benefit them in any way.
Parasites like Susan are ticks sucking off the lifeblood of the working class, growing fat as they steal our tax dollars to line their own pockets while driving GRU to $1.7 billion in debt and to the 2nd-highest electrical rates in the state before DeSantis took away their piggy bank.
Hilarious to watch all those that explained away Clemmons slamming through a bad bill now decry a vote. It will pass with close to 80%.
This is a cautionary tale – just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Could have worked to build consensus and built support, but chose to take a sneaky last minute local bill pathway. It was always going to end badly.
Says another local dimwit living off the fat of FJB! Eventually, the actual taxpayers in GNV/AC will leave and you all can wait for the next FJB to come along and hand out free $hi!
The opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings. You all will end up getting schooled in a big way. There is no way in hell that the State will return control of GRU to the progressive goon squad. Wait and see.
Good. The utility will end up back in the hands of the people’s elected democratic representatives, not republican appointed ones.
Get used to it, this city and county is ruled by liberal Democrats and if you conservative republicans don’t like it, too bad. MOVE!
“ruled”…. interesting choice of words.
That’s right. Liberal Democrats rule conservative republicans in Alachua County. Don’t like it? Too bad!
Hey Bottcher, you sure about that? What’s the track record look like in regards to the City of Gainesville winning anything in court?
I fear DeSantis really wants to keep G’ville a magnet for all Florida lefty nutcases. He may even let the property tax reform be decided locally, so more non-local loons will gravitate to our once fair community and save rest of Fla.
💩🤡👺
Better that than a magnet for right wing whack jobs.
To all City residents who can vote in the special election. Remember it was the City Commission that put GRU on its path to billions in debt and ever increasing rates year over year.
Now that Authority is operating independent of the City Commission, the rates have not gone up, the debt has decreased and the Utility is operating efficiently across all areas
Look at the facts before you vote with emotion.
The financial impact statement on the ballot is going to take up the entire page
bitcher is not capable of telling the truth.
You mean republican conservatives are not capable of telling the truth. Look at your wacky leaders DeSatan and Orangeman. One is a born liar, the other convicted
$250k? How many homeless people can be fed for that amount? How many potholes can be filled for that amount? How many GRU bills for the low-income residents can be subsided for that amount?
That $250k will be transferred from one government entity to another government entity. It will not directly help the residents of Gainesville.
What a waste of important taxpayer resources. The budget is not balanced yet let’s spend some money we don’t have on a special election. The legislature will fix this mess if only after the fact.
Jennifer, you reported:
“The previous referendum was approved by about 73% of city residents, but about 40% of GRU customers live outside the city limits and did not have the opportunity to vote; they will also not be able to vote in the November special election.”
That’s not news, it’s propaganda. Do you think it normal for those who don’t have ownership of companies to have a say in how they are run? Do Duke and FPL customers get to vote on giving dark political money to local politicians, and would you point that out in any articles about them?
🙋🏻♂️🙋🏻♂️🙋🏻♂️
40% of GRU customers don’t live in the city limits so they can’t vote for a city referendum.
Previous referendum was supported by 73% of city residents.
Sounds like facts to me.
73% of city voters are liberal idiots.
60% of GRU customers, (likely comprised of 96% who lack common sense), determine who controls 100% of GRU profits.
Sounds like a logical conclusion to me.
You mean conservative morons.
Oh gee! Sticks and stones!
All “forced” GRU customers living outside the GNV city limits are “conservative morons?”
Because you said so!
You read just like most liberal idiots – just another regurgitation of deflection and unwillingness to accept what lies in front of you.
Easy to see which of the voting block you represent.
The reporter fails to mention the fact that the “other 40%” DON’T OWN GRU, so that is 1/2 true, not true.
If those 40% don’t like it, they should spend the money and build their own utility company or asked to be served by Duke or FPL, who by the way also would not give them a say in their company.
It’s called “taxation without representation” and it’s never turned out well for either side.
The City’s desperation to recover the ability to run up more debt is thought-provoking (or should be).
You might want to learn the difference between investor owned and municipal utilities before posting more irrelevant opinions.
Ownership? Anyone who is forced to use GRU should have the same voting rights as the other “customers” living within the GNV city limit. Otherwise, give them the opportunity to switch to another provider that isn’t controlled by the spend happy drunken idiots of the GNV City Council and the failed ex-politicians (current paid political activists)! Then, spend away and to he** with the GNV CC constituents!
So you think those who are “forced” to use Duke or FPL should be able to run their boards? Help me understand your position.