GRU sends letter asking City Commission to abandon ballot referendum on GRU governance
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An attorney for Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) has sent a letter to the Gainesville City Attorney, asking him to advise the City Commission to abandon a proposed ordinance that would put the governance of GRU back on the ballot in a special election in November 2025.
Following the passage of a local bill in 2023, the GRU Authority, appointed by the Governor, was established via an amendment to the City’s Charter to govern the municipal utility owned by the City of Gainesville. The City Commission passed an ordinance in 2024 that placed a Charter amendment on the November 2024 ballot to return governance back to the City Commission, with an unspecified Charter Officer running the utility instead of the GRU General Manager, a Charter Officer position that was eliminated when the legislature amended the Charter. 72.6% of voters residing in the city limits of Gainesville voted for that amendment, but a judge later found that the language was misleading.
On May 15, 2025, 13 people spoke during the City Commission’s general public comment period, asking the Commission to schedule another ballot referendum, and the first reading of that ordinance is scheduled for June 5.
GRU Utilities Attorney Derek Perry wrote in his letter that the ordinance is “expressly preempted by the State Constitution or state law or is arbitrary or unreasonable.” He wrote that the ordinance violates the Florida Constitution’s limitations on municipal power and the statute that created the GRU Authority and that it is “arbitrary and/or unreasonable given the City’s Charter, the will of the legislature, and the pending appeal” of the judge’s decision on the previous referendum. Although the order is being appealed, Judge George Wright has ruled that the City has the power to change the Charter by placing another referendum on the ballot.
The letter asks the City Commission to abandon the referendum until the appeal is resolved: “It makes little sense for the City Commission to reengage in a process that is already proceeding through the courts. The City adopts the ordinance; the Authority challenges; the City is enjoined; and both parties end right back where they are now, albeit having squandered taxpayer/customer dollars and precious judicial, legislative, and local government resources.”
Perry asks City Attorney Daniel Nee to “[p]lease caution the City Commission to let reasonableness prevail… Further litigation on a separate ordinance and referendum will only serve to complicate and exacerbate today’s legal issues and confuse the public at large.”
City Attorney to GRU Authority, “Good luck with that.”
Since when does either organization do what the other asks?
Customers are used to hearing that from the City Commission, the Authority may as well get used to it too.
A city-wide referendum cannot override the state legislation. Court of appeals will verify this. The city charter was created by the state legislators. The representatives of the the City of Gainesville know this and they are being extremely deceptive and disingenuous.
(Side note: Ward needs to man up and take the reins back from Eastman…not a good look, Ms Mayor)
Janice Garry and the LOWV show their true pro-Dem and anti-voter rights colors. It’d not represent all GRU customers. Plus it’d be in an off year, 2025.
But that’s what local level Dems do in every city. So only an insider clique turns out to vote. 👺🤡👹👿💩
If, as the city commission claims, that they want a fair vote, it would be limited to the GRU account holders, one vote per service, inside the city and out.
Your a customer, not an owner. Is this really that hard for you to understand ?
You’re
YOU need to make up YOUR mind.
“He wrote that the ordinance violates the Florida Constitution’s limitations on municipal power and the statute that created the GRU Authority and that it is “arbitrary and/or unreasonable given the City’s Charter, the will of the legislature, and the pending appeal” of the judge’s decision on the previous referendum. …”
Huh! I don’t see “the will of the city residents who own GRU” referenced. Given their will is not accurately represented in “the legislature” – and that is purposeful and by design – who GAF what they think? They are illegitimate political hacks with no moral authority over the city. Legal, yes, but Hitler and Mao had legal authority.
At the hearing, he specifically clarified that the “citizens” do not own GRU. It’s owned by the municipality.
The municipality is owned by the citizens who created it – and GRU – and operate and control it through democracy. Look it up statist.
As opposed to the current Commission of Clowns that has authority over their minions but little to no fiscal competence and their morality is suspect.
“the will of the city residents who own GRU”…. again… two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner.
anonymous, Peabody, and You voted are apparently not from around here and have never heard of democracy. You don’t get to ignore it if you disagree with who is elected, well, unless your a Republican in Florida.
40% of the affected are disenfranchised. If this is your idea of democracy, you’re doing a very poor job at it.
I could just be like most liberal idiots and say those sitting in City Hall aren’t my commissioners but I’m better than that.
Thanks for bringing up who’s been ignoring things though.
Why don’t you just stick with “the dummies in Gainesville who represent a majority have elected the idiots in City Hall who, although they have no knowledge of running a public utility, were duly elected to represent us and thereby get to determine what’s best to do with GRU profits even if a majority don’t agree with what we, your commission, has decided is best for you. Even if that includes rainbow crosswalks, out of synch traffic lights, or changing 4 vehicular traffic lanes to 2. You voted for it, you got it so don’t worry, we’ll tell you what’s best for you.”
Try that instead of saying, “GRU is owned by the people of the city.” You may get more thumbs ups.
If the replacement referendum were to take effect, one of four Charter Officers would become GRU GM. There would be no explanation of the powers and responsibilities of the GRU GM. To fire the GRU GM, the Commission would have to fire the Charter Officer presiding over the head of GRU. It is interesting that the City Charter requires that the City Manager ” be appointed without regard to political beliefs….” Judge Wright never ruled on this problem and instead found a technical linguistic issue with the invalidated ballot summary.
That’ll be quite the pay raise for one those idiots.