Copyright The Independent Florida Alligator
Gainesville residents voted to return power over Gainesville Regional Utilities to the Gainesville City Commission in a special election Tuesday. Voters passed the measure for the second time in two years after the first referendum was nullified last year for misleading ballot language. The measure overturned the Florida law that created the GRU Authority, a state-appointed board that oversaw the local utility. About 14,500 people came out to vote in the special election, with 75% voting in favor of returning utility oversight to local government, according to unofficial results released by the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Tuesday evening. In last year’s GRU referendum, about 73% of 54,500 total voters asked to return control of utilities to the City Commission. Due to unclear wording on the ballot, a judge nullified the referendum, and the authority maintained control of city utilities for another year. For Bobby Mermer, president of Gainesville Residents United and campaign manager for the local public utilities effort, the results of the special election represented a win after months of work. “I am loving the fact that the city of Gainesville voters have overwhelmingly chosen home rule over Tallahassee puppets,” he said. Gainesville residents deserve stability now more than ever after a year of turmoil, he said. Gainesville Residents United believes returning control over utilities to the City Commission will put local concerns at the forefront of GRU’s mission. Since its formation in 2023, the group has taken legal action against the bill and the GRU Authority. In the coming months, Mermer predicts court cases will take time to progress, but locals can expect to see changes in their utility bills after “the legal dust settles.” For GRU CEO Ed Bielarski, however, the referendum inevitably means higher prices. The state-appointed board reduced monthly electric bills by almost $20 since October 2024, he said. Last year, the GRU Authority aimed to reduce GRU’s debts by withholding $6.8 million from the expenses it typically gives to the city government each year. “The utility is being run by business people making business decisions to the betterment of the community,” Bielarski said in an interview with The Alligator in October. GRU customers who live outside of Gainesville may lose representation following the election, he said. Under the authority, these customers have a representative, albeit an unelected one. But they cannot vote for Gainesville City Commission members, who will take control after the special election. Bielarski, already the highest-paid local government employee in the city of Gainesville, received a $10,000 raise last month, bringing his annual salary to $342,000. Chuck Ross, a Gainesville resident who attended an election watch party at First Magnitude Brewing Company, pointed out customers who live outside of Gainesville did not have full representation under either form of leadership. However, under the City Commission, he feels they have a better opportunity at voicing their opinions. In the future, Ross hopes to see a board that represents all members of Alachua County, including GRU customers who live outside Gainesville and ordinarily cannot vote for City Commissioners. The voting results came as a relief to Ross, who has attended countless meetings and advocated for local control of utilities for two and a half years. “I just can’t describe how ecstatic I am that we’ve got this tremendous result now twice,” he said.
