An Alachua County judge this week denied an attempt by the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority to stop the Gainesville City Commission from holding a referendum while the authority’s challenge works its way through the legal process.
In April, Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge George Wright annulled the results of a 2024 Gainesville referendum that sought to take control of GRU from the authority and return it to the City Commission. But in the same opinion, Wright also ruled that the city could change elements of its charter added by the Florida Legislature.
In May, the commission began the process of putting another referendum before voters, amid GRU Authority legal efforts to stop it.
In June, GRU filed an emergency motion to stop the commission from holding the referendum while its appeal of the April ruling is awaiting a decision. On Thursday, Wright denied the request.
“We respect Judge Wright’s decision and will continue with the appeals process while pursuing all available legal alternatives,” GRU CEO Ed Bielarski said in a statement. “We are confident the special legislative act that created the GRU Authority will ultimately be upheld by the courts and are committed to pursuing any legal means necessary to achieve this for GRU’s customers, thousands of whom receive no representation under a City Commission governance model.”
Good.
When will an article mention the tiny voter turnout? Only 3-5% of the city’s population ends up electing a city commissioner, mayor or votes for the referendums. That’s an oligarchy, not a democracy.
It’s a democracy. People choose whether they vote, or not.
Exactly the probkem
Again, Bielarski misrepresents the truth. The GRU Authority does not represent anyone but themselves. They are an unelected Board appointed by the Governor and from my observations after attending meetings for close to 2 years, there is no transparency or accountability for actions taken by Bielarski and no meaningful response to concerns expressed by the public.
This is why, last November by an overwhelming majority, the people voted to return the oversight of GRU to local governance (Home Rule).
As a resident of Alachua County who uses GRU for electrical service, I am disenfranchised from voting on behalf of its independent function. I am not a resident within the city limits of Gainesville. The Florida Supreme Court should address this issue.
You are similarly “disenfranchised” from all the other services you use – like Netflix, McDonalds, and your roofing company. In a capitalist system, customers do not have any “voting rights’ over the company, only the owners do. You want voting rights, invest in the business. In the local context, you have the right to become an owner and that will give you a vote. That’s it. Simple.
Bad examples. You can decide if you want Netflix or a burger, but don’t get to choose your utility partner. You’re stuck with your utility company and they’re stuck with you.
Just to be clear, GRU is spending your $ (as a ratepayer) to try and ensure that EVERYONE is disenfranchised. When they fear a vote you should ask why.
Gainesville City Commission gave themselves raises before they had EVEN submitted their last financial audit, funny that. Gainesville city commission hired a DEI employee who earns over $100K/year, even more than the MAYOR, funny that. Gainesville City Commission prefers to hire Consultants from major US cities like LA, Boston, New Orleans, at outrageous costs to the citizen tax and rate payers, rather than harness the incredibly talented UF professors and researchers that we have in the center of our OWN CITY. GRU under control of the Gainesville City Commission was brought to the brink of bankruptcy due to siphoning off every last penny of profits that GRU NEEDS FOR MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT, FOR MAINTENANCE OF POWER LINES BEFORE AND AFTER STORMS, & PAYOFF of the OVER ONE BILLION IN GREC DEBT STILL LEFT ON THE BALANCES THAT THE CITY COMMISSION SADDLED GRU AND THE CITIZEN RATE PAYERS WITH. The MAYOR signed up Gainesville to the UN Agenda 2030 ICLEI initiative that pushes small communities like ours to promote NET ZERO policies, with absolutely no consideration about the IMPACT ON the community’s budget, or citizen wants/needs. Any Person who would vote for this completely corrupt group to run GRU better than GRU Utility Staff and State level oversight executives, is going to be sorry when our rates shoot up again like they did in 2022 – 2024, when people were reporting utility bills in the $600 – $1600.00 + range