Why is local control important?
The state legislature forcefully placed our locally owned public utility, Gainesville Regional Utilities, under the control of Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. This stripped Gainesville voters of their power to choose who controls GRU, despite the stated will of its ratepayers in two previous elections. DeSantis appointed five people to the new Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority Board, who answer only to him. You have no power to vote any of them into or out of office. This attack on home rule was a reversal of the more than 100 years that locally elected officials governed GRU. DeSantis’s Authority Board is an extreme aberration in governance: No other utility anywhere in America is controlled in this manner.
Since the Authority took control of GRU, there have been documented cases of sloppy agenda management and the discussion of items that were not on the publicly noticed agenda. Florida’s Sunshine Law requires agenda items be made public if voting takes place
At the May 2024 Authority meeting I attended, the board members debated how much to cut the General Services Contribution. Staff reminded them severe cuts directly reduce the city’s ability to deliver services to the public (e.g., police and fire). I watched board member David Haslam say he “couldn’t care less” about the impacts because he is not elected. It appeared none of his colleagues disagreed with him.
They ended ConnectFree, which helped low-income ratepayers achieve homeownership. They raised rates on rooftop solar and zeroed-out funding for the Community Weatherization Coalition that provided free or nearly free home energy tune-ups to save money on GRU bills.
These are just a few examples of programs put in place over the years because our community benefited from them and citizens wanted them. Our elected officials were responsive to their demands.
The Authority’s disdain toward the residents of this community is not going to change. Its disregard for how a public entity like GRU is supposed to be governed is not going to change.
You have the power to fix this. You can restore local control by voting in the upcoming Nov. 4 special election: Vote YES on the Gainesville charter amendment titled Local Public Utilities.
This special election is just two months away and the Local Public Utilities referendum will be the only item on your ballot. You can vote early from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Supervisor of Elections office at 515 N Main St. or Millhopper Library at 3145 NW 43rd St. If you vote on Election Day, you can go to your usual precinct polling place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also vote by mail.
For the full history of this years-long fight to keep GRU local and how to win back control of GRU, visit KeepGNVLocal.com. You can also request a yard sign, sign up to volunteer or contribute to our campaign.
This special election is vitally important to restore home rule and your voice in city government. Vote YES on the Local Public Utilities referendum on Nov. 4.
Susan Bottcher is the vice president of Gainesville Residents United.
