BY MARK SCHUMANN
In documents submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, lawyers representing FPL are telling regulators the cost of decommission the power plant may be passed on to customers.
On May 28, an attorney representing FPL wrote to the FERC explaining that the company may, “attempt in the future to recover in its rates the cost of decommissioning the generating facilities it purchases from Vero Beach.”
Yet, in selling its offer for Vero Electric FPL placed a $4.6 million value on decommissioning the power plant, and in doing so led the City Council and public to believe the plant decommissioning is a valuable component of its offer to buy Vero Electric.
Quite simply, the public is being mislead about the value of FPL’s offer. Council members Tracy Carroll, Craig Fletcher and Pilar Turner, three of FPL’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders, may be fine letting this one slide, but that doesn’t change the fact that for a city facing deep budget cuts, $4.6 million here and $4.6 million there adds up to real money.
Indian River Guardian 
This article documents why it is so important electric users in Indian River County take advantage of the FERC public comment process. The government authorities have the power to protect the consumers but it needs to be spelled out to the decision makers at FERC.
Can’t say I and others did not attempt to warn them about this “deal.”
Caroline Ginn