Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a utility bill that does two very different things at once: it caps the water surcharge that has dogged Miami Gardens ratepayers for more than 15 years, and it locks in state control of Gainesville Regional Utilities over the objection of Gainesville voters.<\/p>\n
DeSantis signed HB 1451<\/a> \u2014 Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera\u2018s \u201cUtility Services\u201d measure \u2014 his office confirmed Friday. Fort Myers Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin carried the Senate companion.<\/p>\n For Miami Gardens, the bill is the broader vehicle that finally cleared the Governor\u2019s desk after he vetoed a narrower version last year<\/a>. That bill, sponsored by<\/a> Rep. Felicia Robinson and Sen. Shevrin Jones, both Miami Gardens Democrats, was tailored solely to the city\u2019s dispute with North Miami Beach. DeSantis faulted it for asking Tallahassee to referee a fight between two municipalities and said any fix should apply statewide.<\/p>\n HB 1451 answers that objection. It limits the rates a municipal utility can charge customers outside its boundaries to no more than 25% above what it charges its own residents, and bars a surcharge entirely where the treatment plant sits inside the city being served \u2014 exactly the Miami Gardens situation. The city draws water from North Miami Beach\u2019s Norwood plant, which stands within Miami Gardens\u2019 own limits, and a city study found North Miami Beach had added a 25% surcharge. Miami Gardens won a $9 million settlement<\/a> in earlier litigation.<\/p>\n The relief is not immediate. The surcharge provision takes effect July 1, 2027.<\/p>\n Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III, a former Miami Gardens Mayor who made the surcharge a signature cause, praised the outcome and singled out Robinson.<\/p>\n \u201cRepresentative Robinson never gave up on this fight,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cFor years, she championed this cause, kept attention focused on the issue, and fought for the residents affected by these charges.\u201d<\/p>\n He also thanked Busatta Cabrera, Martin, and DeSantis. \u201cThis is a victory for the people of Miami Gardens,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cFor far too long, residents and businesses paid more for water service simply because of where they lived.\u201d<\/p>\n What Gilbert\u2019s office did not mention is the bill\u2019s other half. A three-line provision added in late February preempts to the Legislature any charter change affecting a regional utility authority the state created after Jan. 1, 2023 \u2014 language that fits only the GRU Authority. DeSantis created that board in 2023 and appoints its members. Gainesville voters twice moved to dissolve it, approving referendums with 73% support in 2024 and 75% in 2025, and the fight remains in litigation before the First District Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n That half took effect immediately. GRU CEO Ed Bielarski called it \u201ca huge win.\u201d Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman was less charitable, noting that three-quarters of his city\u2019s voters had asked to change course.<\/p>\n One bill, two utilities, two very different verdicts.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n \u2014 Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. 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