The Point

The Point, April 3, 2025: Judge rules referendum null in GRU Authority Board v. City of Gainesville

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published April 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Congressman-elect Randy Fine celebrates the 6th Congressional District’s special election results at his Ormand Beach property with supporters, family and Republican politicians.” (Sophia Bailly/Fresh Take Florida)

• WUFT News: Republicans celebrate congressional wins by double-digit margins. "Republicans in Florida on Wednesday celebrated winning two congressional special elections, including one expected to be a nail-biter that the GOP ended up winning comfortably. The outcomes bolster Republican control of Congress early in President Donald Trump’s term."

• WUFT News: Judge rules referendum null in GRU Authority Board v. City of Gainesville. "A circuit court judge ruled on Wednesday that a referendum on the November 2024 ballot that passed with overwhelming support to return control of Gainesville Regional Utilities to the City of Gainesville was null due to unclear language on the ballot summary."

• Mainstreet Daily News: School Board OKs fund balance restoration plan. "The long-term financial strategy includes a comprehensive revision of staffing allocations to align with current and projected enrollment, departmental staffing reviews, zero-based budgeting, FTE-based school budgeting, and conservative forecasting in future budgeting."

• WUFT News: Outside influences drag Newberry’s nonpartisan mayoral race into political fight. "Influences from outside of Newberry are making some residents see the nonpartisan mayoral race through red- and blue-tinted lenses. Mailers and ads from outside Newberry’s borders criticizing mayoral candidate Tim Marden have led to mud-slinging both Marden and his opponent say they don’t want any part of."

• WUFT News: Terrell Bradley's civil case does not settle out of court; attorneys agree on a trial date. "Terrell Bradley and the city of Gainesville agreed on Monday to an August 2026 trial date stemming from a lawsuit he filed following a high-profile police K-9 biting incident in 2022."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Cotton Club to host ‘Black Cowboys & Cowgirls in Florida: Then and Now' "This two-day event, held at 837 SE 7th Ave. in Gainesville, will highlight the rich history and contributions of Black cowboys and cowgirls in American history and offer a fun, educational experience for all ages."

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Florida House, Senate facing budget differences as proposals are about $4.4 billion apart. "As House and Senate committees approved the proposals Wednesday, lawmakers also face myriad other differences, including issues related to state employees, tax cuts and whether to back away from spending decisions made in recent years."

• Central Florida Public Media: Orlando Ranks Among Nation’s Worst for Affordable Housing — Again. "The group’s 2025 Gap Report ranked the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area in sixth place, a slight drop from its former fourth spot the previous year. The study found that for every 100 extremely low-income renters, Orlando MSA can only offer 19 affordable units — a gap of 81 homes."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida sales tax reduction bill passes first committee. "A proposal to reduce sales tax has passed its first House committee. The reduction is at the center of a standoff between the state’s top political power players over what form tax reductions should take."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council member requests $70M in state funding to address staffing. "A Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council member is asking the state for $70 million to help grow the force. Civil litigation attorney and FHP Advisory Council member Paul Novack says Florida's state troopers are severely underfunded."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Wasting Away. "Perched on a spit of land, two biologists peered into slate blue water. Below them, manatees floated like clouds, raising whiskery snouts to let out long, loud breaths. The Indian River Lagoon looked like an ideal symbol of Florida. But by that afternoon in late January 2021, the scientists knew they stood at the edge of catastrophe."

• WLRN-Miami: Immigrant advocates condemn ICE partnership with local police to enforce immigration laws. "'When local police act like ICE, entire communities go silent. People stop calling 911, they stop reporting crimes, they pull their children out of school, they pull their children out of different programs,' Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, told reporters during a virtual press conference."

• Florida Storms: Beryl, Helene, Milton retired from the hurricane name list. "Brianna, Holly, and Miguel will replace Beryl, Helene, and Milton on the 2030 name list. Hurricane names are retired after it causes many deaths and or significant damage."

• Politico: Never Mind Wisconsin. The GOP Should be Worried About the Florida Results. "The Democratic nominees in both districts indeed ran better than expected — far better than in 2024 — but in the end, the GOP held both seats. Yet the Republican victory in Florida’s Panhandle-based 1st District obscured a troubling harbinger that appears to be connected to Musk — a loss in Pensacola’s Escambia County."