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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.
DeSantis signed HB 1451 — Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera‘s “Utility Services” measure — his office confirmed Friday. Fort Myers Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin carried the Senate companion.
For Miami Gardens, the bill is the broader vehicle that finally cleared the Governor’s desk after he vetoed a narrower version last year. That bill, sponsored by Rep. Felicia Robinson and Sen. Shevrin Jones, both Miami Gardens Democrats, was tailored solely to the city’s 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.
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 — exactly the Miami Gardens situation. The city draws water from North Miami Beach’s Norwood plant, which stands within Miami Gardens’ own limits, and a city study found North Miami Beach had added a 25% surcharge. Miami Gardens won a $9 million settlement in earlier litigation.
The relief is not immediate. The surcharge provision takes effect July 1, 2027.
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.
“Representative Robinson never gave up on this fight,” Gilbert said. “For years, she championed this cause, kept attention focused on the issue, and fought for the residents affected by these charges.”
He also thanked Busatta Cabrera, Martin, and DeSantis. “This is a victory for the people of Miami Gardens,” Gilbert said. “For far too long, residents and businesses paid more for water service simply because of where they lived.”
What Gilbert’s office did not mention is the bill’s 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 — 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.
That half took effect immediately. GRU CEO Ed Bielarski called it “a huge win.” Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman was less charitable, noting that three-quarters of his city’s voters had asked to change course.
One bill, two utilities, two very different verdicts.
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— 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.
