Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office has appointed a fifth member to the GRU Authority board following the loss of former authority Chair Ed Bielarski, who in June resigned to serve as the utility’s interim general manager.
The Governor’s Appointments Office confirmed Thursday morning that Jack Jacobs, a retired Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy who also spent more than 30 years with the Gainesville Police Department, has been appointed to the vacant seat on the board.
“I’ve served the Gainesville and Alachua County communities for my entire adult life, and I’m honored to have been chosen to serve in this position,” Jacobs told the Alachua Chronicle.
Past coverage: GRU Authority votes not to raise rates, approves budget with slashed government transfer
Jacobs, who is married to longtime TV20 anchor Paige Beck, is not listed among the 12 people who applied for the second installment of the board following the resignation of all five members of the initial board in March due to ineligibility regarding their places of residence and the governor’s flawed application process.
Jacobs also was not among the more than 50 applicants who applied for the initial GRU Authority board.
With the addition of Jacobs, the board — which also includes Craig Carter, Chair Eric Lawson, David Haslam and Robert “Chip” Skinner — can now avoid tied votes like the ones the first edition of the board was plagued with. Jacobs will serve out Bielarski’s term, which runs through 2027.
Bielarski, who was initially appointed to the interim general manager position, had his permanent contract approved by the board on Aug. 8, making him the highest paid city employee with an annual salary of $332,000.
The future of the board, however, remains uncertain following the Gainesville City Commission’s vote in June to place a referendum on the November ballot that leaves the fate of the board in voters’ hands.
The ballot measure will ask voters to decide whether to delete the article of the city’s charter that created the authority. The amendment to the city’s charter was made with the Florida Legislature’s passing of HB 1645.
The GRU Authority on Aug. 8 voted to have chair Lawson sign a letter to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody requesting her opinion on the referendum and if a city charter amendment can overrule a “Special Act of the Legislature.”