The Florida House passed HB 1451 in a vote largely along party lines on Tuesday afternoon, readying a preemption that could make the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority permanent despite successful local referendums to repeal the authority.

The House voted 83-27 on the bill, which will now head to the Senate.

Overall, the bill places reporting parameters on municipal utilities that operate outside its city’s limits. It requires these cities to have public meetings outside the city limits to help give customers who live there a voice.

State Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, wrote the bill.

“Right now, municipal utility services operate beyond their municipal boundary; they are not regulated whatsoever,” Busatta said on the floor. “They say they don’t need to be regulated because the voters can vote for them, and if they don’t like what they’re doing, they can vote them out of office. But the reality is, the people that are beyond their municipal boundary cannot vote for them. That is taxation without representation.”

But an amendment added last week also preempts any actions against regional utility authorities created by the Florida Legislature through a charter amendment after Jan. 1, 2023.

The GRU Authority is the only entity that fits the bill. House members debated the amendment ahead of its Tuesday passage.

State Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, also filed a new amendment to HB 1451 that would remove the section concerning regional utility authorities. But her amendment was voted down.

“As written, it applies to only one community at the moment: mine,” Hinson said. “And it would nullify two certified election results, 73% in 2024 and 75% in 2025. It will also change the law in the middle of an ongoing judicial process.”

Hinson referred to referendums placed by the Gainesville City Commission on the 2024 and 2025 ballots that voters approved overwhelmingly. She also referenced appeal court hearings before the Florida First District Court of Appeal that deal with the constitutionality of the referendums.

Other Democratic representatives also asked Busatta about constitutional concerns.

“Has the staff reviewed the constitutional concerns about changing the law while the voter-approved charter amendment is under appeal?” state Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman, D-Tampa, questioned.

“I’m not able to tell you what another person has or has not done,” Busatta replied.

State Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Palm Beach County, hit the topic from another angle

“How does your bill change and/or supersede the will of the voters?” she asked.

“This bill would preempt anything to the state that has already been passed by the state,” Busatta answered.

After more back and forth, Busatta said the bill isn’t about any one utility system. When asked why she picked Jan. 1, 2023, as the effective date for the amendment, Busatta said, “I thought it was a great day to start with.”

State Rep. Anne Eskamani, D-Orlando, had asked the question. She followed up by noting how often the Florida House had debated GRU.

“I had no idea I’d become an expert on GRU, but this body has been debating GRU for a long time, and the residents have pushed back and have voted to really maintain independence on this,” she said, requesting to allow the referendum appeals to continue.

After Hinson’s amendment was shot down, Busatta asked that the Florida House waive its rules and immediately vote on a third and final passage. The House agreed through a voice majority and moved to the final 83-26 vote.

No Republican representatives spoke to the GRU issue besides Busatta in rebuttal. Along with the Republican majority, four Democratic representatives joined in the approval.

Besides Hinson, two other members of the Alachua County Legislative Delegation voted on the bill. State representatives Chad Johnson, R-Chiefland, and Chuck Brannan III, R- Macclenny, voted in support.

Johnson told Mainstreet last week that he planned to support the bill and its amendment.