by Let the Voters Decide
The fight for democracy, against privatization, for working-class people, for our environment, and for a well-functioning government isn’t just national, it’s right here in Gainesville.
Five months ago we, the people of Gainesville, voted to take back our local public utilities. Our community came together to run a grassroots campaign to take our power (and water) back from DeSantis. Since then, we’ve had a court case, rate changes, projects killed and money taken from the taxpayers. We wanted to give you an update of where GRU stands and the road forward.
Most of the news is bad. GRU is still in the hands of an unelected, unaccountable Board appointed by DeSantis. The “GRU Authority” is doing everything it can to hurt the people of Gainesville and turn our utilities into a culture war. Rates are higher, money is being given away to political insiders, and there’s no plan for energy generation. They are running as fast as they can toward relying on private companies for our power, a $2.5 billion boondoggle.
But there is hope. 73 percent of City voters said they wanted to abolish the GRU Authority in November. In April a judge ruled for the city that this Governor-appointed GRU Authority can be eliminated by a vote of the people. Now is the time to learn more and put the final nail in the coffin of Ron DeSantis’ GRU Authority.
GRU AUTHORITY LAWSUIT
Judge George Wright, a DeSantis appointee, ruled that the GRU Authority referendum was void, silencing the votes of the 73% of Gainesville voters who voted for “Local Public Utilities.” But all isn’t lost …
Wright also ruled against the GRU Authority, saying that the voters can vote again on a binding GRU governance referendum, so long as the charter amendment’s ballot language is adjusted. Gainesville voters have the right to eliminate this unelected, unaccountable Authority. It was, in the words of Mayor Harvey Ward, “A victory for the people of Gainesville, for the rule of law, and for Home Rule as a concept in Florida.”
The GRU Authority met the next day and were livid. They voted to appeal the decision. Bielarksi went on a rant about “political subterfuge.” Some advocated taking more money from the taxpayers as retribution. They know their days are numbered, that the people don’t support them, and the law isn’t on their side.
EARLIER UPDATES
Since they lost the vote in November, the GRU Authority has been on a rampage. They’ve continued to gut city coffers to fill up their piggy bank, raised rates in high-use months, risked the lives of first responders, and eliminated solar projects. Here’s a quick update:
HIGHER RATES FOR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE
The GRU Authority is further balancing its budgets on the backs of the most vulnerable. These past few months ratepayers have been receiving exorbitant $170 additional security deposit bills. These are being targeted only at people who have had late bills, meaning our low-income residents.
And going into summer GRU rates are skyrocketing for energy inefficient homes. In January, the GRU Authority raised rates 8% above 1,000 kWh, slightly lowering the utility bill for lower use months, but exploding them in higher use months like this summer. That now makes Gainesville the most expensive municipal utility for residents at the 2,500+ KwH level.
GRU AUTHORITY’S PIGGY BANK
The day after losing the election, the GRU Authority voted to take another $1.4 million from the taxpayers to pay for more lawsuits against the city. These are Bielarski’s pet projects and City taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund them. To date, the GRU Authority has taken nearly $30 million from the taxpayers without reducing rates by one cent. Taxes are higher, services are cut, and rates aren’t one penny cheaper.
RENEWABLE ENERGY KILLED
The GRU Authority ended plans to build sustainable energy in the future by killing a solar farm in Archer. While the rest of the country is investing in cheap, renewable energy, GRU is going the other way. Now, they have no plan to produce electricity and Bielarski is advocating to “exit the generation business,” despite our City Charter requiring a people’s vote to end home-grown power generation.
This is on top of the GRU Authority’s vote to raise rates for people with rooftop solar last year, which is killing the residential solar energy industry in Gainesville.
IT’S TIME TO TAKE A STAND
We the people need to hold this DeSantis-appointed GRU Authority accountable. We can eliminate this GRU Authority once and for all and get our local government back. This year can be the final nail in the Authority’s coffin, but only if we stand together and fight back as a local community.