The question of who governs Gainesville Regional Utilities will fall on Gainesville ballots for the second time Nov. 4 after last year’s referendum was nullified due to misleading ballot language.
The referendum seeks, once again, to overturn HB 1645, which put power over GRU into the hands of a state authority board rather than the Gainesville City Commission. State Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, filed the legislation that allowed Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint members to the authority board in 2023.
About 73% of voters sought to return authority to the commission last year. Though a judge struck down the results of that vote, activists continue to fight to return power to the City Commission.
Clemons’ decision to create the authority board was an attempt to punish Democratic voters in Gainesville, said Susan Bottcher, vice president of Gainesville Residents United, an advocacy group that has fought the authority board since the board’s inception in 2023.
For Bottcher, the election is a question of whether Gainesville residents should retain power over their utilities company.
Returning power to the City Commission ensures decisions are made in the interest of residents, Bottcher said. She believes granting power to the commission allows residents to hold GRU accountable.
“The City Commission is elected by you and me and everybody else out there,” she said. “If you don't like their decisions, you can unelect them.”
Bottcher, who served on the City Commission from 2011 to 2014, said the issue of GRU oversight dates back to her time in office.
“This has been something I've been working on for more than a decade,” she said. “Now, I really want to put this to rest.”
Bottcher hopes this year’s election will finally result in some change.
“This is the consistent voice of the people,” she said. “They really need to listen to it and allow the people's will to be implemented.”
Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward expressed similar sentiment towards the upcoming election.
For him, the referendum is an opportunity for residents to speak out about who should control GRU.
“We have the opportunity, once again, to make our voices heard and to let the powers that be know how we feel about how it should be governed,” Ward said.
Regardless of the outcome, he said “the will of the people should be heard.” Given the heavy voter turnout and decision from the previous election, Ward said he expects this referendum to yield similar results.
Despite the persisting battle over the transfer of power, residents have worked to hold the authority board accountable.
Chuck Ross, a member of Gainesville Residents United, said he feels obligated to attend the GRU authority board’s monthly meetings because citizen turnout is low.
“I think it's important to show that I am concerned, and I'm there and I'm watching them,” he said.
Ed Bielarski, CEO of GRU, said the company’s recent successes, including lower energy bills, can be attributed to the authority board. The company has lowered residential rates since October 2024 from $156 per month to $137 per month, based on a standard 1,000 kWh of electricity, and paid off $66 million in debt, according to Bielarski.
Returning authority to the City Commission will reverse these achievements, he added.
This month, Bielarski, who was already the highest paid worker in the city of Gainesville, received a 3% salary increase. He will now receive $342,000 a year, up nearly $10,000 from his previously set salary.
In a statement shared by GRU spokesperson David Warm, the company said Bielarski’s strong evaluation from the authority board lent itself to a pay raise. The statement also acknowledged the authority board’s satisfaction with Bielarski’s performance, noting his success in managing expenses and reducing debt.
Bielarski said this success highlights the need for the state-controlled authority board.
“The utility is being run by business people making business decisions to the betterment of the community,” Bielarski said.
Regardless of the referendum’s results, he said the fight over who will have authority over GRU will be resolved in the courts.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace is a first year journalism student, serving as city/county commission reporter for the Fall 2025 semester. While she has not previously been on staff, her early journalism experience can be attributed to Devil's Advocate, her high school newspaper. When she is not writing, Grace enjoys staying active by running, weight lifting, hiking and doing yoga. Her other pastimes include thrifting and working on random art projects.
