In its meeting Wednesday, the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority unanimously passed a resolution asking the city to cancel the referendum that would grant Gainesville residents a chance to vote on who should control the authority.
The referendum, slated to be on the November ballot, would give citizens the opportunity to decide if GRU should be controlled by the city, or by the state-appointed GRU Authority. GRU’s decision Wednesday could prevent the referendum from appearing on the ballot.
During public comment, Gainesville resident Chuck Ross said the authority’s decision Wednesday would further hinder opportunities for residents to decide on the issue.
“Why is this board afraid to let the voters weigh in on this?” he said.
The GRU Authority was created in 2023 through House Bill 1645, with its members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The creation of the authority spurred community outrage and ongoing debate about who should control GRU.
The City of Gainesville passed an ordinance June 18 allowing residents to vote on who should control GRU during the upcoming general election. The legality of the ordinance has been questioned by the authority’s attorney, Scott Walker, who threatened the city with a lawsuit.
Gainesville residents shared their opinions on the passing of this motion during the meeting’s public comment session.
Bobby Mermer, coordinator of the Alachua County Labor Coalition, said Gainesville residents had pushed for the referendum from the start. He and other residents wanted the opportunity to decide on the issue themselves, he said.
“When this bill was being considered, we asked for a referendum of the entire GRU service territory,” Mermer said. “That was our big ask: ‘If it was such a good idea, let all of us vote on it.’”
Angela Casteel, another Gainesville resident who spoke during public comment, said there would be legal repercussions if GRU passed the motion.
“This [motion] definitely needs to be halted, in any way that it can, and I know that there is a writ of something,“ she said. “If county residents can jump on that with any of the attorneys, I would love that.”
GRU Authority director Craig Carter said he supported the motion to cancel the referendum because he doesn't agree with Gainesville’s plan for the utilities company, should it regain authority.
“The city is deliberately not bringing it back under a charter, not restoring it the way it was,” he said. “What would stop them from commingling all assets?”
The motion passed unanimously. The GRU authority will request the cancellation of the referendum and work to stop it from appearing on the ballot.
The next GRU meeting will be Oct. 2.
Contact Sofia Meyers at smeyers@alligator.org. Follow her on X @SofiaMeyer84496
