Florida Gov. Rick Scott vetoed House Bill 1355, which would have set a local referendum asking Gainesville voters if they want to create a five-member independent authority to operate Gainesville Regional Utilities.
HB1355 also authorized authority board members to be paid $18,000 annually, a point that Scott found objectionable.
"Across Florida, hundreds of appointees serve on boards with critical governance and regulatory responsibilities for which the appointees are not compensated," Scott wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Kenneth W. Detzner.
"The success of similar utility authorities that do not compensate board members demonstrates that qualified individuals will answer the call to serve the public without consideration of a taxpayer supported payment," Scott said when he vetoed the bill Friday.
GRU, the state's fifth-largest municipal utility, is owned and operated by the Gainesville City Commission.
Rep. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, who sponsored HB1355, told local public radio station WUFT that he planned to file similar legislation next year.
