While 2025 is an off-year for most elections, voters in two cities within Alachua County – Gainesville and High Springs – will be heading to the polls for Election Day on Nov. 4. These Alachua County cities are the only ones in Northeast Florida with elections that day, though there will also be elections across southeast Georgia on Nov. 4.
Voters in Gainesville won’t see any offices up for election on their ballot, but they will face a special election with a referendum regarding Gainesville Regional Utilities. The ballot question asks voters whether the utility authority should be eliminated, with responsibility for utilities shifting to the elected city commission and its appointed officers.
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The referendum proposing the charter amendment stems from an issue dating back to 2023, when the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1645, which amended the charter and took oversight of Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) away from the commission, replacing it with the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority (GRUA), appointed by the governor. In 2024, voters faced a question over a charter amendment that would eliminate the GRUA and put GRU back in the hands of the commission. It passed overwhelmingly, but a judge later nullified the results due to “misleading language,” according to the Gainesville Sun. A later ruling from the judge did say the city is allowed to amend its charter, but according to the Sun, the GRUA is appealing that ruling, while the city appeals the judge’s ruling on ballot language.
The ballot question is as follows:
“Shall the City of Gainesville charter be amended to delete Article VII, eliminating the governor-appointed Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority and its authority-appointed chief executive officer/general manager that manage, operate, and control the City of Gainesville’s local public utilities, so that the elected city commission and its city commission appointed charter officer have that responsibility; and eliminating limitations on the government services contribution and utility directives, as proposed by Ordinance No. 2025-416”
Early voting for Gainesville’s special election will be held Friday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Early voting will be at the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office and at the Millhopper Branch Library on NW 43rd St. Voters can also vote by mail, if they request a ballot by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, or vote at their designated precinct on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
High Springs
Voters in High Springs will see a race for one commission seat on their ballot, along with five proposed charter amendments and a proposed code amendment.
High Springs City Commission Seat 3
- Tristan Grunder (incumbent)
- Julie Ann Tapia-Ruano
Charter Amendment 1: Updating Commission Seat Information
Shall the Charter be amended to remove the names of former commissioners that previously held the seats and designate when the current term ends for each Commission seat?
Charter Amendment 2: Updating Commission Salaries
Shall the City’s Charter be updated to allow for the salary of commissioners to continue at the same rate for the subsequent fiscal year in the event the commission does not act to change or continue their salaries?
Charter Amendment 3: Updating Term Limits for the Mayor
Shall the City’s Charter be updated to limit the Mayor’s term to one year or until such time that a successor is elected and that no commissioner shall hold the position of Mayor for consecutive terms unless by a supermajority vote of the then-sitting commission?
Charter Amendment 4: Updating Notice for Special Called Meetings and Definition of Special and Emergency Meetings
Shall the City’s Charter be updated to require not less than three days’ notice for special meetings and define special meetings and emergency meetings?
Charter Amendment 5: Disallowing Single Individual from Holding the Position of City Manager and City Clerk
Shall the City’s Charter be amended to delete the provision that allows a single individual from serving as both the City Manager and the City Clerk?
Code Amendment: Amending On-Premises Alcoholic Consumption Hours and Business Classifications
Shall Sections 10-2(c)-(e) of the City’s Code of Ordinances be amended to permit businesses that derive 51 percent of its gross revenue from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages, and breweries, businesses that manufacture malt beverages on site, with a beverage license to sell alcoholic beverages and malt beverages, respectively, for on-premises consumption Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.?
Early voting will not be offered in High Springs for this election. Voters can vote by mail, if they request a ballot by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 23. On election day, polling precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.