Gainesville Residents United, Inc. files lawsuit to enforce voter mandate
Press release from Gainesville Residents United, Inc.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On November 5, 2024, seventy-two percent (72%) of local voters approved a Referendum amending the City of Gainesville’s home rule Charter to eliminate the gubernatorially appointed GRU Authority and restore control of the utilities to the elected City Commission.
The Referendum restored control of municipal utilities to the citizens of Gainesville through the City Commission. Despite that voter mandate, the Authority and its board members refuse to cede control over the utilities to the City; have not withdrawn their lawsuit challenging that referendum; and continue to assert their authority over City property and employees, including decisions affecting long-term Gainesville Regional Utilities operations.
Because the Authority has not complied with that public referendum, Gainesville Residents United, Inc. (GRU, Inc.) is petitioning for effective judicial relief. That relief would include a determination that the Authority and its board members have no authority to control or direct any aspect of the City’s utilities or to take any other action other than to disband.
The citizens of Gainesville clearly have the authority to amend our home rule charter. And just as clearly, there is no state preemption of that local authority in the prior legislation (HB 1645) that had created the gubernatorially appointed authority.
GRU, Inc. is presenting these legal arguments in parallel with a similar, separate case filed against the City by the Authority challenging the citizens’ Referendum. While the two cases are separate and distinct, counsel for the respective cases are communicating and coordinating on these complementary suits that present many similar legal arguments. GRU, Inc. counsel is pleased and confident that each party has made well-founded cases that have very compelling legal arguments and thus are likely to prevail in persuading the court to rule in our favor in each case.
The price of freedom is vigilance. Gainesville Residents United, Inc. will continue to advocate for local control of our public utilities. We support our Gainesville City Commission, our local residents, and will continue to promote home rule and democracy by the people and for the people.
We look forward to successfully resolving this legal challenge. And, in so doing, call upon the Gainesville City Commission to begin work with local citizens and governments to devise an inclusive, semi-autonomous, locally controlled public utility. Local governance should be decided by local public participation and GRU, Inc. will be advocating for such ideas as a city commission-appointed board consisting of five city residents and two county residents that has final decision authority on all matters other than budget, rate setting, and general services contribution.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine who the biggest group of idiots are; those who keep filing the lawsuits or the people who actually enjoy having the City Commission misappropriate and abuse the profits from the utility they supposedly “own” by repeatedly voting for such fiscal incompetence.
To think the City Commission actually have some believing they have their best interests in mind as they paint crosswalks, increase utility rates and buy lunches during meetings. You would think as much as some complain about slavery and the inequalities suffered, they’d be ready to break free from the chains and bondage.
You can’t teach stupid any more than you can fix it. That’s becoming increasing apparent.
those people are pure fricking idiots these will be the same people crying when there bills keep going up and up there just plain old fools
“Their” bills — go back to 3rd grade
Y, don’t u yous autocorrect?
When will Gainesville residents learn that the corrupt city commissioners do NOT have the citizens best interest.
City hall, city buildings, & city procurement are the only places that should be using paper straws. It’s the only jurisdiction where the city’s paper straws ordinance applies, not restaurants.
DeSantis and the State of Florida have jurisdiction over restaurants because the state is the one who licenses and inspects them.
You’ve been drinking from a lousy paper straws for the last 5 years because of Poe & friends’ unlawful edict.
You will be drinking from a plastic straw again soon and paper straws will be banned!
God bless America 🇺🇸
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1889086669078380769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1889086669078380769%7Ctwgr%5E6b7038765af55f25c051a5449a5e4def30a63f70%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Falachuachronicle.com%2Fselwach-sharks-dont-care-about-plastic-straws%2F
These people must get their talking points from the same place most of the Democrat politicians get theirs; they can’t even present their complaint honestly.
The so called voter approval was from only those city voters who bothered to vote, not 72% of the voters. The referendum does nothing, because it is in limbo by the court.
The GRUA has has done nothing about this sham vote; it is frozen by the courts, since the Democrats are trying to cancel a state law with nothing in the home rule charter giving them that authority.
These inept busy bodies also ignore the 40% of GRU customers who don’t live in the city and have no representation.
Oh, and why don’t you point out that it was the city commission that you love so dearly, that caused the Billion Dollar fiasco with the GREC wood burner in the first place.
Not surprising that none of the above commenters believe in democracy which is of course the American way.
Go back to wherever you came from.
Didn’t you say you were a transplant? South Florida was it? Why don’t you hop your sorry ass into your Tesla and take a drive.
Speaking of democracy, what’s with many libs losing their minds because they didn’t like the results of this recent election?
You people, just a bunch of hypocrites. If I recall correctly, when Obama was elected, there wasn’t a call to resist by conservatives. No burning things. No congressional members calling for citizens to get up in the faces of Republicans. No threats by the majority leader to have vengeance on SCOTUS.
Who’s the lawless, the undisciplined, the anarchists?
We already know the idiots – you’ve managed to step to the head of the line.
If didn’t stereotype straw dogs to argue with, you’d have nobody left.
I left S Florida in 1963 (When did you leave Russia, or are still down on the bot farm). I drive an F 150 and have never called for resistance except during VN.
The main lawlessness going on now is from the felon in chief and his band of mediocrities, I assume your leader since he doesn’t believe in elections either.
Like I said – transplant.
Yet here you are, arguing with any who doesn’t agree with your lunacy; arguing for continued waste and financial incompetence by the Commission of Incompetents.
Someone once said, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Maybe you should apply that philosophy to your keyboard.
Feel free to go to Haiti
Republicanism is the American Way according to Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution. Those brilliant men who founded this country understood the difference and called democracy, “mobocracy”, because they understood the evil nature of man.
Republicanism is a subset of the greater set, democracy.
“re·pub·lic
/rəˈpəblik/
noun
a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.
Get it, “elected representatives”, not appointees by people never elected by said people.
The word “democracy” does not appear anywhere in the U.S. Constitution.
anonymous, elections are in the constitution, so your questioning of democracy by you and right wingers is on you, not the founders. Now why you spew this anti-democratic BS is the question and seems to be based on the fact that most Americans don’t agree with you, so might and tricks are legitimate tools to get your way.
That’s your rebuttal? “That word isn’t in the Constitution, but lots of other words are”? I’m just gonna leave that one there. We are a Constitutional Republic, one that has not (yet) found a less corruptible way than democratic elections to gauge the will of the people.
I know you don’t like that– but as the old saying goes, “Democracy is two wolves and sheep voting on what’s for dinner.”
Sorry, I don’t get your point. We elect our leaders. That defines a democracy, which is not limited to New England Town Hall direct voting. You’re wrong if you think it does.
But what is the larger point you and right wing commenters are trying to make by wrongly claiming we are not a democracy? You can ignore voters and the will of the people, who often don’t agree with you?
Spit it out.
PS The protection of minorities is due to specific constitutional protections in the constitution, including the Bill of Rights, not in overturning otherwise legal elections.
United? My a$$!
Take back the Power literally !
We Stand In Support of Gainesville Residents United.
How about some decorum & diplomacy from the Agro, Usual people posting ?
This is not the Confederacy versus The Yankees anymore.
Become more Peaceful so Folks from Opposite Sides can actually mediate & meet in the middle.
Diplomacy Matters.
Decorum Matters.
You’re correct, it’s not Confederacy vs the Union. Unfortunately, it has more to do with ignorance and acceptance vs knowledge and renunciation of the fiscal incompetence many in the community have suffered while under the thumb of Gainesville leadership; who by the way, know nothing of meeting in the middle. Maybe you missed the memo about them raising waste collection rates by 20% or the past several years of increasing utility rates and taxes. Raised utility rates while the BioFiasco was supposed to decrease utility rates. Sure pulled a fast one on that.
If you knew what ludicrous meant, you would know that it’s not only ludicrous, but ridiculous that the Gainesville voters keep voting for the types of people whose only mission is to keep them in servitude.
Yeah, give it back to the clown commission to blow money on rainbow crosswalks, etc. Free bus rides for 99% of riders. On and on and on.
Hey, you should be able to win an election for a change, if only anybody agreed with other than the sorry pack of reactionaries on this board.
🤣…🥱
And yet you seem to get your comments from NPR. How come u know nothing about the 2 billion dollar wood burner fiasco???
I’ve been wondering about that. Why _is_ there this little blue island in the middle of a great ocean of red? Can’t just be the University, other University towns have similar demographics yet vote red. Something very weird going on.
Like where? UF is one of the nation’s largest universities and it’s attendant faculty, staff, graduate assistants and students make up a lot of our citizens.
Gainesville residents are largely retards who vote for retards. That’s why the state had to step in. This is just more mental retardation on display. Sad.
Leon and Alachua County have the highest level of education of any Florida county and lowest Fox News viewership, a leading indicator of dumb ass.
That explains things.
Based on comments by Mr. Lawson at the last meeting, Plaintiffs AND their counsel should be held liable for the Authority’s attorney’s fees and costs pursuant to s. 57.105 Florida Statutes.
Why don’t you pull for the city and people you live in for a change. Thank somebody you got stomped in your attempt to be elected to the CC.
Thank The Good Lord….
Enough of us agree NOBODY wants to hear Jim Konish on any Legislative Board.
Jim, your agro tone and actually yelling & berating Elected Officials at the meeting you attend is actually nauseating.
Have you considered a Pursuit in Compassionate Listening Skills ?
How is that Law Practice going ?
Just ask the FL Bar.
If the scenario was the other way around, meaning 72% of the community demanded that the authority separate from the city, posters would be dragging this site for the next 365 days. People may not like that we live in a representative democracy, but when a majority of the electorate makes a decision, it is only the right thing for the court to uphold it. I personally don’t believe that the city has managed the utility well, but I am not willing to throw away the fact that 72% of the community have voted to amend its charter.
The court threw it out because over 40 percent of GRU customers do not live in Gainesville, and not only do state laws supersede city laws, the state could dissolve the city on a whim. End of story.
Most utility customers in Florida and the country have no say in how their power company spends it’s profits, or any other damn thing. You want a say in it? Annex into the city or start your own damn power company. GRU is owned by the city and citizens of Gainesville, not Alachua County, or the City of Newberry.
Most Gainesville voters are seriously stupid
““The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, state television reported Sunday. “This largely aligns with our vision.”
Change “new administration” to “Gainesville City Commission” and “Kremlin spokesman” to Governor’s Office and you get what will never happen but what the quislings here and in Washington want free people to do.
When the Federal and State free chicken funding stops, AC and GNV are cooked!
Can’t wait for the deep looks into how the taxpayers’ money is spent by DOGE and Elon Musk (an official appointed by the majority elected President of the United States!!)
Sucks to be AC and GNV aligned FJB followers!
Good luck with that sucker.
“Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency claimed a saving of $8 billion on a terminated contract this week—but it was actually worth just $8 million.
The error represented about 15 percent of the total $55 billion savings DOGE has claimed it made to date. But the $55 billion claim was also apparently bogus: a set of “receipts” posted on its new website totaled just a quarter of $55 billion, even including the erroneous $8 billion…”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/doge-shocking-8-billion-dollar-154824634.html
“The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency touts cuts of $55 billion in federal spending, often citing canceled DEI and climate contracts. However, a Wall Street Journal analysis of government contract data showed a much different picture: “Woke” cuts were a tiny fraction of the total, and many claims of savings were overstated.
While DOGE hasn’t offered details about all of the stated savings, it has posted a list of more than 1,100 canceled contracts to its website. As of Friday, it said the savings from these contracts amounted to about $7 billion….”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/elon-musk-doge-federal-savings-claims-783b9507
PS It’s illegal for DOGE take any action except analysis. Congress has the power of the purse, not the president, and agencies and departments created and funded by congress – and approved by presidential signature or overriding a veto – have the force of law. The president executes the law and controls the agencies and departments, but it can’t eliminate them with congressional approval. This grandstanding BS which will be overturned after much harm – including dead people already lost – and the loss of expertise at all levels.
Lol! What a Dem bot! You are really pathetic, but not alone in this sinking Blue Island!
Do you also support the past administrations (Obama and Biden) with continuing to spend taxpayers money on 150 year old SS recipients?
Do you also support men playing vs our daughters and grand daughters in sports?
Do you support thousands of killers, illegally present in the US, from being sent back to the country that sent them here?
You and those who agree with you are aligned with the Dem Senators who voted to protect US women’s Sports!
The criminals, international, and local, and the SS, Medicare, and Medicaid scammers thank you for your support!