Clemons’ local bill on committee agenda on April 19
April 17, 2023
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida House Speaker Pro Tem Chuck Clemons’ local bill, HB 1645, that would create a governor-appointed governing board for Gainesville Regional Utilities has been placed on the agenda of the House State Affairs Committee at their 8 a.m. meeting on April 19. It is possible that this may be the only committee stop for the bill.
The bill is one of 21 bills on the agenda, and the meeting is scheduled to last five hours. When the committee takes up HB 1645, they will consider a substitute bill that will include the provisions detailed here. Citizens can sign up to appear at the meeting at the agenda link.
👏👏👏👏just hope after the state takes over they can put a stop to the solar purchase
Right on GH! I have no idea why inexperienced city commissioners think they are better at oversight of a large regional utility than appointed experts who really do have experience and know how. Some of the last administration’s Poe lapdogs tried to use it as a toy planning to spend another $10 million so they could be at the helm of country wide internet service. Poe, Hayes-Shltos, and Arreola pushed a losing ignorant cause wasting over $1 million in studies and staff time. Neither lap dog ever had a professional job in their life. That’s what we need to prevent!!! Ignorants like those 3 from being in charge of our utility! Pass this bill!!!
This is going to be wonderful.
A desperately needed step toward sanity here. One step of many needed.
There is nothing conservative, small government about Chuck’s plan. This is about revenge and “owning the libs.” (and about FP&L buying the utility in a few years).
I applaud the idea of removing control of GRU from this city government which basically used it as a taxing authority, but unless this is coupled with getting rid of city government in Gainesville it ain’t gonna save anyone any money in the long run. Sure, your GRU bills may go down a little (in the short term). But this commission is not going to look at the $19M or so that they are going to lose from the transfer and think that they will have to cut expenses anywhere else. That is what rational, fiscally responsible people would do, but these people are neither. They have already signaled that they are going to raise taxes on you in other areas to make up for the fact that they can no longer steal from GRU to the extent they want. If you live in the city, you will end up giving more money from your pocket to local government. Regressive government will never do anything that doesn’t expand government’s power over the people. Now’s the time to get rid of it all.
It makes their scheming and grifting just that much more difficult though–many, possibly most, people are not aware of the extend of the city government’s reliance on the GRU transfer money. These people complain when rates go up, but chalk it up to OPEC, Putin, climate change, or whatever else they are conditioned to believe.
By forcing the city to straight up tax us if they want to waste money on rainbow-colored underwater basketball courts downtown, they can’t hide as easily. Even the dullards on the city commission have a survival instinct and know that they will be tossed out of office for raising taxes to pay for unpopular programs.
Move to Russia. You’ll be much more comfortable there.
Literally the dumbest response I’ve read on here in a while. And that’s saying something. If you have a relevant counterpoint, make it Reina. Yeah, I know who you really are.
Sick, you favor takeovers of city governments by force. Putin needs you. Buy a ticket.
Considering your continued fealty for your local commission, one would think you and the majority of Gainesville voters would find a home in Mother Russia. I even hear Putin is looking for a few good men or women, (or those who are unable to decide), to fight his ongoing war against Ukraine.
The State Legislature’s decision to appoint an independent board for GRU isn’t really that different from what happened with the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority many years ago. The main difference between the two is that the City is now completely reliant on GRU’s funds in order to bankroll its ludicrous agenda…hints the bitchy hissy fits from those folks. Maybe they can beg for a few more federal dollars but that will not be enough for the den of vipers at City Hall. It’s a shame that this took so long but once incompetence and malfeasance is realized by enough citizens change will be demanded. This is also known as F*ck Around and Find Out. So watch out Alachua Co Public School Board – you’re next on the citizen’s figurative hit list.
Anyone ever wonder how many of the Republicans in Tallahassee are child sex predators? Like Ali Alexander, founder of Stop the Steal, and all the other Republicans and conservatives who have been found to have raped or tried to have sex with kids in the last, I don’t know, 50 years?
The only way Clemons will have a voice in Gainesville and Alachua County government is with hostile takeovers like this one. GOP big government fans who like different rules for those they disagree with – most county governments in Florida ARE NOT SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT run. In the 2020 gerrymendered redistricting, more Alachua county voters were removed from his district – and from Keith Perry’s, so they could stay in office. Absent the illegal dark money from FPL – this is the payback – Enneking would have beat them both and they know it.
Enneking Would have sponsored trans drag shows at city hall like other dems love so much. Then passed bills to have boys who wake up one day and “identify” female can join the girls track, swim and basketball teams and hang out in the girls restroom all day talking and gawking. Then more unhappy dems could riot and tear down store fronts for beer, cigarettes, and lottery scratchers in the name of equity and reparations like in Chicago a few days ago. No thank you dems!
Enneking is a proud participant and cheerleader for the pharmaceutical industry. We’ve all recently witnessed how much harm those presstitutes will inflict on society. 2020 was an interesting year for her to throw her hat in the political arena…good thing voters were already fed up with the medical mafia after 7 months of pure lies. At this point in time there is hardly anything more disgusting than a politician in the pocket of big pharma and the medical mafia.