Gainesville Regional Utilities Attorney Derek Perry sent a letter to the City of Gainesville Wednesday requesting the city commission abandon an ordinance in favor of a new referendum.
The ordinance would allow a new referendum to be placed on the ballot for a November special election.
The Gainesville City Commission voted 6-1 in favor of a special election May 15 to put the issue back on the ballot following several public comments. The special election would ask voters who should be in control of GRU: the city commission or an authority board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“It makes little sense for the City Commission to re-engage in a process that is already proceeding through the courts,” Perry wrote in the letter, addressing City of Gainesville Attorney Daniel Nee.
The battle refers to the ongoing appeals in response to an April ruling by Judge George M. Wright of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which nullified a referendum that would have returned control of GRU to the city. On the November 2024 ballot, 72% of Gainesville residents voted in favor of city control.
Wright overturned the referendum, citing misleading language about the role of a city commission charter officer. The city commission appealed the ruling, defending the referendum’s original language.
When asked about the status of the appeals before the vote on May 15, Attorney Daniel Nee said the appeals process may take some time.
“I would estimate nine months to a year before the result,” Nee said.
The city commission decided to hold a special election this year rather than wait until the 2026 election cycle, despite a special election potentially costing more than $200,000.
GRU’s letter said the city starting the process over would waste taxpayer dollars and government resources, stating the authority board would inevitably challenge another ordinance, returning them to the same standstill.
The Gainesville City Commission will vote whether to adopt the proposed ordinance on Thursday.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @LoganDMcBride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Summer 2025 city commission reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
