COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers’ recent reporting on the proposed sale of Vero Electric to Florida Power & Light has been simplistic, one-sided and often inaccurate. In fact, the Treasure Coast daily’s coverage has been so painfully simplistic, one might think Scripps, whose publisher, Bob Brunjes, is the husband of a key FPL executive, assigned the story to its greenest intern, or worse, has outsource the coverage of this important story to one of its graphic designers based in India.
Yesterday, for example, Scripps’ threw out of balance its coverage of Florida Municipal Power Agency General Manager Nicholas Guarriello’s latest letter to FPL President Eric Silagy by failing to emphasize the most significant points in the letter. The import of Guarriello’s three-page message to Silagy is that the last-minute stipulations FPL placed on its acceptance of the FMPA offer to assume Vero Beach’s power entitlement are “unworkable and unacceptable.”
In truth, FPL and the FMPA could not be any farther apart in their positions than are negotiators representing the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Israeli government.
Rather than making this impasse clear to its readers, Scripps chose to lead its story with the assertion that the FMPA’s unwillingness to carry on further three-party negotiations is the cause of the likely delay in meeting FPL President Eric Silagy’s Jan. 1 target date for concluding the sale.
Further demonstrating its simplistic and tenuous grasp of the truth, Scripps then told its readers the FMPA sells electricity to Vero Beach. Vero Beach doesn’t buy power from the FMPA any more than a husband and wife purchase affections from each other.
In truth, by virtue of having committed to long-term agreements, Vero Beach is a member of several FMPA power projects – the Saint Lucie nuclear plant and the Stanton I and Stanton II coal-fired units located east of Orlando. From these three FMPA projects, all of which are financed with tax-exempt revenue bonds, Vero Beach has power entitlements. Just as privilege is coupled with responsibility, these entitlements obligate Vero Beach to take power and to share in debt services payments and other fixed costs.
Scripps’ report then claimed “most city residents want to cut ties with it (the FMPA) for 20 percent lower rates from FPL.” The reality is that only 22 percent of the city’s registered voters bothered to turn out for the March, 2013 referendum to approve the terms of the proposed sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility to FPL.
If Scripps’ editorial team knew what “most city residents want,” they would be publishing a newspaper most people read, rather than one that is increasingly dismissed.
A comparison of the lead paragraphs of stories posted on TCPalm.com and InsideVero.com makes for a study in contrasts.
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm.com:
Vero Beach electric sale may be delayed after FMPA refuses to meet with FPL
VERO BEACH — Florida Power & Light Co.’s goal of buying the Vero Beach electric system by Jan. 1 may be more of a challenge now, because the Florida Municipal Power Agency is declining to meet with the private power company, City Manager Jim O’Connor said Thursday.
“I think it makes for a longer stretch to think we’re going to (sell by January),” O’Connor said. “We can’t even meet with the (power agency) until April.”
The power agency currently sells electricity to Vero Beach, but most city residents want to cut ties with it for 20 percent lower rates from FPL.
InsideVero.com:
FMPA: FPL’s latest terms “unworkable and unacceptable”
In a letter sent today to Vero Beach City Manager Jim O’Connor, Florida Municipal Power Agency General Manager Nicholas Guarriello wrote that the latest conditions which Florida Power & Light placed on the power deal just yesterday are, “unworkable and unacceptable under Vero Beach’s project contracts.”
Though the City Council agreed to FPL spokesperson Amy Brunjes’ request to schedule a meeting between representatives for FPL, the FMPA and the city, it would appear no such meeting is likely soon. Guarriello’s letter made clear the meeting “should not include FPL.”
Guarriello closed his letter to O’Connor confirming his willingness to meet with city officials to discuss the proposed sale to FPL and to address “other issues that Mayor Winger correctly described as parallel goals…”
Indian River Guardian 
We have an account on tcpalm. We usually scroll to take in the days news, etc.
Lately, any news on FPL or FMPA is not displayed on the main page displaying the 6 county area Scripps covers. I have to type in fpl in the search bar to get news on that subject.
Yesterday and today we are not able to access the current news story on FMPA.
We can read everything else available when we log in – but not that particular story.
We see by the site there are seven comments – we can not access that either.
When we click for that page we are prevented from scrolling to read the story – weird.
It’s just after 2 pm, checked on tcpalm again and presto! – we can view the FMPA article.
Others are reading your site, Mark!
And when the sale finally takes place, assuming it does, we have no guarantees that the rates will be as low as the City’s were – nor that they will not somewhere in the future climb to wherever FPL is allowed to take them. Still, there is the question of the possibility of us VB customers having to pay a surcharge or other as yet unknown fee. Think if I were Ken Daige, I’d be asking for my money back if TCPalm.com refuses to allow him to read ALL the news for which he’s paying.
Cathy, this is the first time we have not been able to view an article. Now – posting comments is another story. We have been blocked. And when we call about it we’re told tcpalm views our comment as spam (!). Interesting explanation…..If we want to make a point, we call to make sure they don’t block us. Just one more hoop they make us jump through while trying to share information…..